St. George Getaway

Our little family was in desperate need of time away together.  Long work hours, calling responsibilities and the day to day grind started to wear us down.  Papa and Debbie graciously let us use their timeshare and we headed down to St. George for a long weekend. 

It was heavenly.  Beyond heavenly. 

Justin came home early from work on Friday afternoon, which is a miracle in and of itself, and we started the drive south.  Luckily, we missed all the work traffic through the Provo area, which is also another miracle! :)

Traveling in style..

Too cool for his own good..

We were greeted by 90 degree weather and a super kid-friendly resort.  The best part was.. we didn't have any major plans... just to hang by the pool and be together.  Easy to please!

It's amazing when you're a parent... how your joy is directly derived from the joy of your children. I don't consider myself a 'sun worshipper' or 'lay out by the pool' kinda gal, but when it's something your kiddos thoroughly enjoy, you thoroughly enjoy it too. 

So.. that's where we spent most of our time.  In and out of the pool, multiple times a day.  I had fun swimming with the gang as well as watching them from the sidelines. I despise getting into a swimsuit when I'm pregnant, but it's not quite as bad when you're out of town and don't know anyone! :)

Luke's version of a 'thumbs up'..

Can't even count how many times this boy jumped into his dad's arms.. seemed like hundreds!

Justin is such an amazing dad.  I love spying on him while he's in his element with his kiddos.

My man..

This funny girl is completely capable of swimming on her own, but she just doesn't believe it. We're working on that confidence.  She always needs a little 'nudge' in order to progress. 

The waterfall.. Luke's favorite place to hide. 

Fact... Dad and Luker couldn't escape the squirt gun.. even under there!

Happy as can be!

Luke's other favorite place to hang...

Our kids can be shy at times, like any other kids... but they also can be extremely outgoing.  One of my favorite things this trip... watching them make all sorts of friends.  Normally, they'll make a friend their age wherever we are.. ie playplace, store, etc. 

But this time, age wasn't a barrier.  They made friends with anyone that would lend an ear.  Justin and I would just laugh and laugh as they went in for the kill.  Lonely man in the hot tub... perfect new friend.  Eventually, Justin would go over and make sure they weren't annoying anyone too badly and always get a recap of their conversations. 

Mylie would often introduce herself saying, 'I'm Mylie Baughman.  I live in Utah.'...the adults would always smile and graciously entertain the conversation her.  She met some ladies from New York and was thrilled to tell them that she has a cousin Abby that lives there. Mylie would even offer to squirt random sunbather's feet with the warm water from the hot tub.

Luke would often chat about his water wings, the waterfall and other random things. It was beyond hilarious to watch. 

One of Luke and Mylie's new friends..

By dinner time, these kids were wiped! They'd crash in the car on our way back from dinner, but it never stopped them from wanting to hit the pool again.

We seriously couldn't stay hydrated and always welcomed a drink run as well.

Evidence that I was there..

We split our time between the pools at our resort and this amazing splash pad on Main Street.  Loved this place!

This guy got a lot of great footage.. hopefully he'll create something in the near future. :)

The kids loved climbing on rocks, playing in the river and making new friends, of course!

This little guy was Luke's favorite.. he wouldn't give it up for anything.  He was constantly spraying himself in the face, as well as other kids.  His evil laugh was the BEST!

Luke's new friend.. they were quite cute together.

We partied hard and soaked up every minute we could.  Tuesday morning, we hit the pool one last time and then hit the road.  We grabbed lunch before we left, so we could just drive straight through. 

This guy didn't last very long and took a fabulous nap on the way home. Score! I do have to say, Mylie and Luke traveled extremely well.  Only one meltdown on the way there and that was it.  So nice!

Soon that will change.. with the addition of a crying bundle, but we're still excited. :)

 Mylie made great use of her time and colored some pictures.

 She's passionate about coloring and drawing.. and I absolutely love her creations.

 This guy was like a horse headin' to the barn.. we made it home in 4 1/2 hours! We only stopped to pee once.  Best part was, we beat all the work traffic.  Yeah, we're awesome like that.

I know this little glimpse into our trip can't completely capture the pure joy and happiness we experienced on our little getaway, but I know it will act as a reminder for us.  We had a blast!!