Before jumping into the fun stuff, it must be noted that Kalli's first pet, Rosy the Gerbil, passed away quietly (and rather rigidly; apparently rodents go stiff quickly), in early June. The exact date eludes me. However, Kalli was dignified in her mourning and put her suffering to good use by constructing a respectable gravesite for her furry little friend.
It must be noted, for posterity's sake, that a few weeks after Rosy's passing, Kalli and a few of her cousins (who will remain unnamed) wondered what a buried gerbil carcass wrapped in a dishcloth would look like after a few weeks' time. They proceeded to dig up Rosy. Which is morbid in and of itself, of course, but the resulting visual had a profound effect on Kalli and sent her into a torrent of wails and tears.
Lesson learned. Be it assumed that there will be no more exhuming of carcasses in our backyard.
Now to the fun stuff...(excuse the unedited pictures).
Kalli's 8th birthday landed on June 20, 2010. She invited several friends to join her for ice cream at Mix It Up and some jump time at Sky High (a massive trampoline facility) in Bellevue. There was a lot of laughing and sweating.
No feet on the ground for this girl.
The Foam Pit of Joy.
Kalli and crew.
Showing off the loot.
Kalli and jewelry. A strange combination, but worth a try...
I believe this one was taken at Arches National Park. But I wouldn't put money on it...
Balanced Rock, maybe?? I do know that's my fam at the base of it. Bad time for an earthquake.
Small people running toward rocks with holes.
More holes.
Tanner thoroughly enjoying himself.
One of those rare moments when I yelled, "Hey kids! Time to go!" and they all came running immediately and obediently. Come to find out, they were in search of water.
Tucker and arches.
Kalli at the Monticello temple in Southern Utah.
Monticello Temple
Kalli and Tuck atop a rock. They loved climbing around. Like little geckos.
The family at Natural Bridges. Minus Kate. :(
We spent approximately two hours at Lake Powell, which was enough in the intense heat. Kalli obviously loved it!
Tanner and Sean walking around at Powell.
Ah, our favorite spot. Goblin Valley. The climbing opportunities were endless.
Story time. The three kids disappeared for a little while behind a wall of...what? hoodoos? Anyway, I finally went to find them, and once found, Tucker insisted on dragging me up the backside of a large crop of...hoodoos? (See far left of picture). Needless to say, when we were almost to the top, Kalli and Tuck got freaked out and insisted on turning around. The problem was that the surface was little more than loose red gravel and we were all wearing flip flops: a lot easier to get up than to get down. Sean had to finally come to the rescue. It was only as we were leaving the park that I noticed the sign that read, "DO NOT CLIMB. Extreme falling hazard." I'm such a great mom. Oh well.
More illegal, dangerous climbing.
Obvious how much Tanner enjoyed this part of the trip, eh?
Tucker, freckles popping, pointing out a boo-boo.
We spent some time at Capitol Reef National Park. I got this really brilliant idea to hike the Grand Wash in 103 degree temperatures at high noon. Needless to say, it was fiercely exhausting, resulting in grumpy kids and too little water. Oh well.
Nature's bottle holder.
Chillin'
Tuck's always been good at finding life's little cubby holes.
See him there behind Kalli? And can you sense Kalli's duress?
I was the only one to completely dig the rock carvings. The kids were wholly unimpressed.
And, to top it all off, you know you're in Utah when...!!!
