President's Day and onward

I'm not sure what it is about Sunday afternoon--end of the week fatigue or just early onset symptoms of old age, but I always seem to struggle remembering what we did that week.

On some occasions, a good calendar is indispensable. For instance, I know that this week we had president's day, ergo I can remember that we spent the day in Bryce Canyon (another fee-free weekend, once again rendering our season pass to the park irrelevant). Bubby and Poppy were already there visiting old friends, so we joined them on a couple of scenic outlooks and for lunch at Ruby's Inn. I had high hopes of hiking down into the hoodoos, but turns out snow + warmer weather = too much mud for good hiking. We settled for some pictures instead.

We did take a short just outside the regular park boundaries (still technically part of the park, but reachable off the highway) leading to "Mossy Cave." The kids were initially resistant because the trail was awash with mud. (Who am I kidding? Andrew was resistant all the way to the end. Who knew the kid was so finicky?) But the end of the trail was pretty spectacular--a grotto filled with bluish ice, like something out of a fantasy novel (or Frozen, as Evelyn was quick to point out).






The rest of the week has been pretty mundane: classes, school, piano lessons, etc. Yesterday we took a little jaunt down to SG and enjoyed the even warmer weather down there--including a short hike without jackets. Andrew finished another round of swim lessons and was crushed to find he didn't pass, even though his teacher told him he was close, and there's a huge list of things he has to pass off to make it to the next level (which would put him on swim team for the summer). We're working at teaching him perseverance; some lessons are easier to learn than others.

This morning, we had a chance to go to the baby blessing for Dan's cousin Tony's baby daughter, Juliet. She's an adorable baby, with a head of wild black hair, wide squishy cheeks, and big blue eyes. (She looks exactly like her older siblings, for those who know Vince and Suki). I even got to hold her for a little, which was bliss for me but the occasion for much bemusement on Oliver's part. He wasn't sure if he was fascinated by the baby or threatened by her. (Mostly, I think he was looking for food handouts). After the blessing, we joined Dan's extended family at Uncle Phil and Aunt Karen's place, where, as per usual, Karen arranged a terrific spread (pulled pork sandwiches, nachos, fruit, and a super rich chocolate cake). We left early so Oliver could take a nap--not surprisingly (he'd been up since five a.m.), he fell asleep for ten minutes in the car, woke up as soon as we got home and is currently flipping around in his crib, refusing to sleep. It's a good thing he's cute.