Thanksgiving - St. George

 There are so many fun things to do around St. George! This was a different season than our previous visits, which meant more jackets and less swimsuits, but there were still plenty to do and see. New adventures this time included the Cactus Gardens, the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center, a ninja warrior course at a park in Washington, and the massive hot tub at Entrada's fitness center. Not pictured here was a movie day to see Encanto and trips to Snow Canyon and Zions (coming in later posts)

We had a nice walk through the gardens. admiring all the different varieties of cacti and were able to see my cousin and his daughters who were also visiting for the holidays

We had a nice day to ride the train and play at Thunder Junction

We were surprised to see the water still running to the splash features. The sun was out, but it was not warm. My kids can't resist water though and went in anyways. 

Swimming with cousins! Everyone had a great time except Griffin who slipped about one minute into the activity and busted open his lip. It bled all over, so he and I spent the beginning half at the first aid station recovering. Poor buddy :(

A puzzle that I will likely not do again because the blue sky was massive and too hard

Making turkey desserts with cousins

Sophie really enjoyed the ninja course and kept breaking her own records, while the younger kids climbed rocks and played in the sand

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse! The kids all wanted to sit with Grandmari and Paco and Amy and I didn't say no to the idea. Doesn't Paco look thrilled??

Thanksgiving Dinner! Jeremy made delicious fried chicken, Dave made macaroni, and Texas Roadhouse provided the rolls. 

While some adults cleaned up, Dave and I took some of the kids back to the cactus gardens to see them all decorated with lights for Christmas

At one point we lost Davey. He decided he was done and went to the car without telling anyone, which led to lots of frantic searching in the dark only to come up empty. I was starting to think he'd wandered off into the desert. Luckily he was safe in the van, but sure gave us a good scare!

Uncle Brent came for Thanksgiving and we had fun swimming with him in the giant hot tub

Video: Thanksgiving in St. George

Sammamish Summer Part 4 - Water Fun & Uncle Brent Comes!

Towards the end of our stay, Uncle Brent came to visit for a few days! The kids loved spending time with him. He played games, read books, went tubing, and even helped the kids try waterskiing for the first time. Davey also tried kayaking solo and did great. The kids love being out on the water and the blue mat and wave runner got lots of use. The lake is truly one of our most favorite places!!

Jobe acting as lifeguard from the dock

My chocolate-faced first mate

Uncle Brent has arrived!

Poor Charlie can't go on the boat for even a few minutes without falling asleep

Griffin also got lulled to sleep by the water

First attempt at water skis! Sophie got up briefly but wasn't able to hold on long. It was a good start though and she'll probably be a pro in no time with a bit more practice

I also got a few ski runs in this trip

Fun at the Orca park splash pad

Griffin being a busy 1 year old, getting into everything and following Jobe around everywhere

The kids helped me with this Pixar puzzle

Packing up at the end of the trip is always the worst. So much to gather, clean and fold for 6 people after being here for half a month. It's not a quick process, but so satisfying to have it done. Can't wait until we return next year!

Video: Seattle Summer Fun 2021