Summer Vacation

Can you believe that we actually went on vacation!  This vacation started out as a way for Morgan and I to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We decided that if we went to Utah for our anniversary we could ask my parents to watch our kids for us while we enjoyed ourselves.

After we decided to go to Utah we called my parents to make sure they could watch the kids and to find out when Big Springs was happening this year. My dad runs a 5th grade summer camp and I wanted my kids to be able to experience it.

We started planning and had a great time. Warning** This post has a lot of pictures of some of the great things we got to do on vacation.



First we stopped at the Dix's house in Colorado.  Morgan went to Law School with Taylor and we had not seen them since they graduated.  It was nice to spend Father's Day relaxing with them. Eli and Josh loved playing with Warren and Cami and baby Clare did not mind Noelle too much.

Crazy kids at dinner. 

We always went outside at gas stations to move around a little. This gas station had this fun bear statue.   It was a sign of things to come. 

Up at Big Springs my dad showed the kids the "Mongoose." Eli and Josh had a fun time seeing how to trick worked.

Big Springs has a rope swing for the staff/teachers/and guests to play on. Morgan is showing off his amazing standing-up swinging skills.

Benjamin and Melinda let us borrow this stroller which was a life (and back) saver. 

Eli is getting pushed higher on the swing. 

Eli loved getting on the swing. 

Josh was a little nervous, but after he did it one time he was ready to go.

Noelle could not get enough of the swing. She would cry when we put he back in her stroller. 

Eli was able to go from sitting to standing on the swing all by himself. 

Eli is playing on a bridge with his cousins. 

My two boys. 

Jaxon, Hope, Eli and Josh

Big Springs is named for an actual set of springs. We climbed to the top of the spring where Eli and Josh both got a drink out of the water.

Morgan is helping the boys cross a stream over logs. 

Eli decided to run back through the water. 

So did Josh. 

Eli was tall enough that he got to go on the Monkey Rope Bridge and Big Springs. 

Josh is all ready to go on the Zip Line at camp. 

Here comes Josh, down the zip line! You can see Morgan on  the platform in the trees. 

Josh wasn't able to turn his body when he got to the catcher....he only went down once.
But he has told me that if we go again he will go down 4 times and get licorice. 

Eli loved the Zip line and went down several times. 

We had some free time on Wednesday the 20th so we went to Bicentennial Park in Provo to go Disc Golfing. After we played 9-holes the kids and I went to the playground while Morgan played 9 more.

Of course, Eli and Josh spent most of their time climbing trees instead of playing on the playground.

Thursday morning we were back up at Big Springs bright and early so that we could hike Lightening Ridge.

The Peak is at 10,056 feet and is a really difficult climb.  Morgan carried Noelle in a pack that we borrowed from Benjamin and Melinda.

We left around 8:30am after the early group of 5th graders and before the main group. Eli and Josh did amazingly and we actually got up to the early group and passed them!  Eli was the 3rd person to make it to the top of the mountain.

Eli was actually kind of annoyed that he had to stay with us. Josh had a much more difficult time and Eli didn't want to have to wait for us.

Fresh and ready to go. 

Here we are almost to the summit. The snow on top behind us is where we finally reached the top. 

On top looking over Provo and Utah Lake. 

Noelle took several naps during our hike, but unfortunately lost her pacifier somewhere on the way down. 

My brother Daniel brought his dog Maggie up to the top with him. 

This is a picture of all of the Palmer's who made the hike up that day.

Kimberly (holding James -2months old), Kylie (2years old) was carried up by my brother Daniel. Melissa, Noelle, Morgan, Josh, Eli, Kimberly (she was a teacher up at camp) Braedon (my nephew) and my mom Laura. 

We made it!  Look how dirty the boys are!

Dirty family!  We were definitely ready for some water play. 

After the hike the boys are girls are challenged to a tug of war with a hose of water in the middle. Eli joined the boys team and they won!  (This is unusual because the girls get to start on a downhill.)

Showing off his muscles. 

After the tug of war there is a contents to see if more boys or girls will dunk themselves in the FREEZING cold glacier/spring water.

Morgan, Eli, Josh and I all went in together

After dinner on Thursday nights is a big Mush Ball game, teachers verses students. Eli and Josh both got to hit and run the bases.

Finally the Thursday night campfire is the best of the entire week. The teachers and staff put on the program and it is amazing.

Eli and Josh sat in the front row ready to watch the action. 

Singing a song with the campers. 

Later we had fun with cousins at Seven Peaks. 

We played at a Splash Pad 

And on a playground. 

My brother Daniel blessed his little baby James the Sunday we were there. We were so happy that we got to be there with family for that special occasion.

Noelle enjoyed the swing at Daniel & Erin's house. 

One of our favorite things was Daniel's birthday party on Monday the 25th.  We got to go down a HUGE slip-n-slide.

Josh went down with his cousin Nathaniel

Noelle loved the slide!

Eli was doing crazy moves!

Tuesday the 26th through the 28th Morgan and I got to have our anniversary time up in Park City. My sister-in-law Kimberly told me about a Travelzoo deal at the Goldener Hirsch Inn. It was a really nice, huge, hotel.

Here you can see me in the living room area, and the dining area behind me. 

The bedroom area was the other way.  There was also a big bathroom with a huge jetted tub and a  relaxing shower. 

I had planned for Morgan and I to go to the Olympic Park. We decided to go on the "Comet" bobsled. The driver led us down the track.  I got very motion sick from it, and Morgan smashed the camera against the sled on the way down.

So these pictures are the last from our trip.

After going down the bobsled Morgan and I went to a Ropes Adventure Course that recently opened. The lower course (30 feet up) was really fun and only had one challenge that was difficult to get through.

The advanced course (Another 15 feet above that) was much more difficult. I ended up getting some rope bruises on my arms from hanging on, and climbing through nets.

One of the final challenges was a set of about 8 stirrups you had to work through. I got twisted up in the 2nd stirrup and knew I wouldn't be able to get out of the mess. So I let go and just pulled myself to the platform where Morgan pulled me up.


After that I was still feeling a little sick, but we walked over to the Nordic chair lift and rode it to the top of the mountain so we could do the Extreme Zip Line. I was not feeling 100% so I asked Morgan if he would go down the Alpine Slide and then I would be ready to do the Zip Line with him when he got back up.

He had fun on the Alpine Slide, but said that it did not go fast enough for him. I am sure it would be quite a difference from the Bobsled.

We got loaded on the Zipline and it was So. Much. Fun!  We had to go back up the chairlift and do it again. My cable was faster than Morgan's so we decided to switch places for our second go around.

They opened the gates and we were ready to go.  However, the guy helping me forgot to unhitch the caribeener that held me to the platform, so I went 2 feet and then stopped. The guys had to pull me back in a little, unhook the caribeener and let me go again.

When I got down I told Morgan that his cable really was faster!


We also ate at 3 Japanese/sushi restaurants, and watched The Avengers.  It was a great get-away.  I am so grateful to my parents for watching the kids for us.

While we were gone Noelle learned to walk by herself.  Josh got lost for a minute at the Zoo, and all of the kids learned that they can live without Mom and Dad by them every second of every day.

Our drive home was nice and easy. We stopped by the Dix's again and enjoyed their wonderful hospitality. We stayed in Omaha Saturday night through Sunday and visited the Winter Quarters Temple and the Mormon Trail Center.

Sunday was my 30th birthday. After seeing the temple Morgan drove home and I read The Help to him.  A friend of ours had turned on our air conditioning for us and put a pre-made casserole out of the freezer and into the fridge. So all I had to do was turn on the oven and we had a hot wonderful meal ready to go.  I had already bought ice cream and a lemon cake mix for dessert.
Morgan got me 2 new watches for my birthday (I lost my old watch on top of Lightening Ridge.)  It was a great day, and a wonderful vacation.