Aaaaaabdominals

Kids comparing abs...

Cat: You didn't flex, you just sucked in your stomach.
Jack: How do you do it?
Eliza: Act like you're trying to go to the bathroom.
Cat: Like you're constipated.

Cat: You get abs by doing sit-ups and planks
(Cat demonstrates, Luke planks for 25 seconds)
Luke: I have one ab!

Luke: Hey Mom.  My belly's covering my abs.
Ben: Yep, I have that problem too.

Fall Break 2018

We were able to have a fun family day during Fall Break.  In the morning we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon toward Snowbird Ski Resort and explored the Temple Quarry.  This is the area where the granite was quarried for the Salt Lake Temple and the Utah State Capitol.  It was a beautiful area and we had lovely weather.  There was plenty of granite around and we could even see where workers had drilled holes to break rocks apart (visible in some of the pictures below).  At one time there was so much work going on at this quarry that there was a small village on the site.  It was also cool to see the old dam that had been used on Little Cottonwood Creek.

Next we ate at a fun little lunch place in Salt Lake before going up to Red Butte Gardens.  We had passes and wanted to check it out before the weather got too cold.  It was great to walk around the different gardens and learn a few things along the way.  The rose garden was one of my favorites and the kids really enjoyed the children's garden.  Since we were there shortly before Halloween, final arrangements were being made for the big Halloween event, a Harry Potter-type activity where children use wands at interactive stations to perform spells and rid the world of the evil witch Myrtle Spurge (which is actually a noxious weed in the western US).  We found mythical creatures all over the property, too.  The kids ate it up, even without being able to actually do anything and begged us to come back for the activity.  Maybe next year.

  

Unfortunately, it took us much longer to get home than we planned for and Ben and the kids were late to see "Smallfoot" and I just had a few minutes before turning around and going back to Salt Lake for Choir.  It was a fun day though and I'm glad we could get out and have some outdoor adventures as a family.

Getting Out

It was a nice Sunday afternoon to take a drive along the Alpine Loop and see the fall colors in the mountains.  So nice, in fact, that everyone else in Utah County had the same idea and a two-lane road through the mountains became a two-lane parking lot.  We started on the American Fork Canyon side of the road and didn't get very far before giving up on the drive, finding a place to park on the side of the road, and just getting out for a little while.  It actually worked out well (except that one person had left the house without shoes) and we had a great time just hanging out and exploring.  I think I enjoyed it more than I would have if we'd just driven through.  Once we'd explored enough, we went back to the car and left the way we came.

Labor Day Weekend

We had some fun adventures during Labor Day Weekend.  On Saturday morning, I took the girls to see "Daddy Long-Legs" at the our favorite local theater.  Cat and I read the book together a few years ago and I'd introduced it to Eliza, though we hadn't finished it together.  I didn't love the music in the play, but the way it was written and staged was very clever and of course the story is lovely.

We went home for lunch then the whole family drove up to American Fork Canyon to finally visit Timpanogos Cave National Monument.  This is something I've wanted to do for a while but was worried about the steep walk up to the caves with young kids.  Also, the entrance is only accessible during the summer months and you have to plan in advance because time slots for tours are available 30 days in advance and get reserved early.  So we were excited that the time had come for us to experience this hidden natural wonder.  (Actually, Ben and Cat saw the caves back when she was the only child old enough to do so, but it's different when it's the whole family, right?)

The trail wasn't as scary as I expected it to be, since it had guard chains at the steepest drop-offs.  It was steep and long at 1.5 miles each way, but since it was paved, and there were frequent benches where we could stop and take a drink of water, and it was the end of summer, it really wasn't too bad.  The national monument tour takes you through three amazing limestone caves with distinctive formations.  The tour was very informative, the path through the caves easy to walk, and the kids really enjoyed it.

Though the inside of the cave looked the same everywhere to the naked eye,
if you shine a light in different spots, the formations glowed different colors due
to the varied mineral content.

Luke was a trooper and walked most of the time, but appreciated
some help when it was time to walk back down to the visitors' center.

The fun continued on Monday with a little trip to the Olympic Park in Park City.  We had passes to use on a ropes course at the park but debated about which ropes course to do.  The older kids were hoping to go on the more advanced course but we decided on the easier course because we thought it would be better for Luke.  We were really glad we made that decision because it really challenged Luke to complete some of the obstacles on the course.  He was moving very slowly and cautiously and even needed help a couple of times.  The older kids breezed through without any help or encouragement, but they had a good time too.  Also, it was a lovely day to be outside, so we all appreciated that.