Hiking in Red Rock Canyon!

One Monday morning Megan called me and wanted to do something fun. She didn't have to work that day. We were debating if we should go to Wally's beach or go to Waterton. We decided to go hiking in Red Rock Canyon again. We had so much fun last time and I was going to be more prepared this time.

So away we went. We stopped in Cardston and I got us some subs. We drove into Waterton and had a picnic right by the lake. We ate our subs and the kids threw rocks into the lake. Then we decided to head up to Red Rock Canyon. All my kids changed into their swim suits and I changed too. Then we started to drive up.

Again, it was a really hot day. So perfect for a walk up the canyon! We got there and everyone ran to the bathroom and I packed my backpack with water, towels, snacks and my camera. I wasn't going to forget anything this time!! The kids were excited to go again. We wanted to go up further then we did last time.

It really is a lot of fun. I recommend anyone to hike up the canyon with kids. My kids love it. They were finding cool rocks and some good hiking sticks on the way too. This time, we didn't really care if we got wet, because we were in our suits! So much better!

Abbi was very insistent on taking her goggles this time (they are wrapped around her wrist!)

Cadence you crack me up!

Cadence, Brianna and DJ!

Walking through the deep water!

I think Megan is saying it's cold!! ha ha!

We got to the little water slide that we did before. This time Megan and I took a turn going down too! Wow, it was pretty cold. So much fun though! The kids all went too! It's a bit deeper there so easy to get all the way wet!

Megan going down the slide!

Swim Megan swim!

Abbi going down the slide!

Brianna and DJ warming up together in a towel!!

Me getting ready to go down the slide!

I did it! Trying to get out of the freezing water quickly!

Then we kept on going. We got to a point where it look like a little maze that we had to go through. It was a tree that had fallen and we had to work our way around all the branches. It was kind of cool. But if there were a lot of people trying to get through, it took some time! A bit of a traffic jam!!

DJ actually wanted me to take his picture!! That doesn't happen very often!

I thought I'd get a cute picture of my girls, but they were fighting just before I took it, because they touched each other. Oh my!!!

My four cute hikers!

Abbi found the perfect hiking stick!

We also had to walk across a tree that had fallen. That kind of scared DJ, we had to help him balancing. I was just praying that we both wouldn't fall in. That would of been a huge disaster. But we made it with no mishaps!

Us hiking up the canyon!

Oh I have super strong kids! ha ha!

DJ showing me his cool hiking stick!

We kept on hiking up and up and up. The kids were starting to get tired and hungry. So we stopped and had a snack and drink. They really explored the area too. What can I say, all my kids love to explore. It's so fun to hear how excited they get over a rock or stick they find. I love it!! I remember when I was a kid, exploring was one of my favorite things to do!!

The kids were writing their names on the wall with rocks!

Megan and I!

DJ ready to head back!

Going back! You can see the maze we were waiting to go through behind them.

We hike up a bit further and then decided it was time to turn around. We had been hiking for over an hour at least. At one point the canyon was very skinny, but when we decided to turn around it had widened up!

We turned around and started hiking back. By this time DJ was a little tired. So he stuck right with me. He always wanted me to hold his hand. That made things a bit trickier and slower. So the others were ahead of us, and DJ and I brought up the rear!

It was such a fun way to spend a Monday. We loved it. Thanks for such a great idea Megan. So glad we did it. We made it back to the vehicle and everyone was beat!! But they were all happy too, so that's a bonus.

They all wanted to get a ice cream cone from Waterton. I didn't feel like driving back into the town, because it was really busy. So we talked them into getting some yummy ice cream in Mt. View. They have a big selection to with the waffle cones. They all were happy with that. So we stopped and got us some ice cream! It was the perfect way to end our hike!

Visiting the White's!

I decided to take the kids one day and go visit the White's in Taber. It has been way too long since we have seen them! We got there later in the morning. It was a scorcher of a day too! We had lunch with them and the kids were having fun playing together. Plus my girls loved holding Brinley. She is so super cute!! Oh Renee's brother came over for lunch too. Renee put him to the test and asked him which girl was older. He told us he thought Abbi was 10, Brianna 9 and Cadence 6. Which Cadence was not happy to hear. She looked at him and said (with attitude), "I am not 6, I'm 8!" Then we told him they were triplets. So funny to see the look on his face!!! Ha ha!

We decided to walk to the spray park and watch the kids have fun getting wet! We got everyone ready to go. I brought our scooters for my kids to ride on to the park. Keaton had his scooter too and Lincoln was riding his trike. We were ready to go!

Here's our group ready to go to the spray park.

It was pretty funny to watch all the kids go flying down the side walk. We got about half way there and they were all super hot and tired. We kept telling them that we were almost there. There was just a little bit of whining going on, but we kept going!

We are just starting off here.

There's the group all following Keaton!

We made it to the park. It's right beside the skate park too. My kids thought that was cool. But they were all so hot, so they headed straight over to the spray park. They ran around and got wet. DJ thought it was hilarious to spray kids with the spray gun!

There's DJ spraying the gun. Abbi is running over to the huge bucket!

DJ was going to try to get my wet!!

Then there was this huge bucket that would dump water on the kids. They would stand there and wait and wait. Then all of the sudden the huge bucket would dump and soak they all. It was hilarious to watch them. They did that a few times!

All four of my kids patiently waiting for the water!

And still waiting!

SPLASH!! So funny!

And running away!!

Once they were cooled down, they decided to go try out the Skate park. That was a huge hit too. Keaton was in heaven flying around!! Then when they got hot they would come get wet again! It was a fun afternoon!

We were heading back to there house. The kids were going down the skate park one last time!

We went back to their house and changed out of our swim suits. The kids played a little bit longer and then it was time to come back home. It was such a fun day to spend with the White's! We loved it. We really miss seeing them everyday. We think they should move back to Magrath!!

Camping With The Want`s!

Lisa and her 3 kids came into the campground on Thursday afternoon. I was pretty beat. So, so tired. The kids were excited to play with their cousins. It was so hot out too. I got things unpacked from our cabin trip and put away. Lisa set up her tent and got things set up for her family. Then we decided to go take the kids swimming at the pool. We all needed to cool down. It was the perfect way to do that. The kids had fun swimming and playing together.

Then we came back and Lisa made supper for all of us. I helped set things up. We had taco salad for supper. It was very yummy. Then the kids really wanted to have a fire so they could roast marshmallows. So I made a fire and we let it burn down. Then it was time to roast the mallows!! Of course that's always a big hit!

I didn't let my kids stay up very late. We were all exhausted. So we went to bed early. My kids fell asleep quickly. Richard was working with Justin at the house and he came home later. I went to bed early too! So tired! Ha ha!

We woke up Friday morning and we were getting ready to go to Wally's beach. We decided that we were going to go for the day. I got the fixings for sandwiches and hoagies. We put together a big lunch and then we were off. We got there around 11am. It was going to be a very hot day.

Megan and mom met us out there a little later. We got set up and the kids had so much fun swimming and playing. I swear time flies when we got to Wally's beach. It's crazy. We had lunch and kept playing. They had fun taking turn burying one another.

These two pictures are the kids burying Seth in the mud and sand!

Now it was Abbi's turn!

DJ relaxing in Grandma Paxman's tube!

DJ with his long legs!

Megan brought her paddle board and that was a huge hit. My girls love it. We took turns taking them all out. Then the kids asked if they could just play with it. It was so funny to watch them all try to get on! Made us all laugh!

Cadence trying the paddle board with Aunt Megan's help!

Go Cadence. It was so beautiful out, so nice and calm!

I love all these pictures of the kids trying so hard to all stand on the paddle board. It was hilarious to watch!!

We ended staying out there till almost 5pm. Like I said, time just flies when we're having fun! We headed back to the campground so I could get supper ready. I decided to make pizza's. It was fast and easy and everyone loved it. Then the kids had fun running around and playing. Tennille came over with Ethan and hung out with us.

I took some pizza's out to the farm for Richard and Justin. They had been working so hard on framing the house. I do need to do a post on our house. It's so exciting to see each step getting finished! Anyways, I took them supper and came back to the campground.

The kids went on the wagon ride then we put them to bed at a good time. It was a fun day!

On Saturday we just hung around the campground in the morning. I ended up watching Ethan for Tennille. That way Justin could keep working on the house with Richard. He is one busy boy! We had fun playing with him too!

Then we had lunch and then I put Ethan down for a nap. We fell asleep and then Justin text me and told me that he usually has a 3-4hr nap. Oh!! Ha ha! Oh well, it worked out. Tennille got back to my trailer at about 2:30pm. She stayed there with Ethan and Lisa and I took the kids out to the farm. We decided to take them floating down the creek. We drove to the far South side of our property and got in the creek there. We floated all the way down to the corrals. It was a lot of fun! In some parts, I could even float down with the kids!!

Once we got back to the little beach. Some of the kids wanted to do it again. So Lisa walked up a little ways with them and got back in and they floated back down to us. They did that a few times. It was a huge hit. We had a lot of fun. I didn't take any pictures though! Oh well! It was a lot of fun!

Paxman Camping Part #3!!

So we woke up Wednesday morning after a good sleep and had some breakfast. The plan was we were going horse back riding. We had it all lined up. We were to be there by 9:45am. So we got an early start! It was going to be a smoking hot day. So I had my girls all wear a hat and I brought some water too. They were super excited to go. We heard some commotion outside and we came out of the cabin and saw Abbi chasing a chicken. Keira was happily screaming at the chickens. Then Abbi caught one. She was so proud of herself. So funny. Brianna wanted to hold it but Abbi let it go too soon. Brianna reached out and grabbed a big handful of tail feathers. Seriously, the funniest thing I've seen. We were laughing so hard!!

Abbi with the chicken that she caught!

Away we went. It was only a couple miles from our cabin. We were going to Mountain Meadows. We got there and signed some papers and met our guides. Then they took us out to the horses. By this time my girls were starting to have second thoughts. I kept telling them that they'd have so much fun. They got each of my girls on their horses, and adjusted their stirrups and they were ready.

My 3 girls getting all ready on their horses.

My girls and Megan and Tiffani!

Just before we took off!

Then I got on my horse and we were ready to go. We started walking and the horses were trying to figure out who wanted to be first. So there was a bit of confusion to start with. Including some crying girls!! Ha ha!! The guides were awesome and we were all calling out encouragement to all of them. Then they were all just fine. Abbi's horse was very insistent on being in the front. So it would start trotting if another horse came too close! That scared her at first, and then she loved it! Silly girl! Brianna's horse was super slow and way in the back. We finally told her to give it a good kick to catch up to us. It took her a few tries but the horse finally trotted up to us! Cadence was a happy camper in the middle of us all!

Just as we were starting.

Cute Brianna, just as she caught up to us!

The scenery was so pretty!

Brent and Megan coming up behind us!

Cool picture of us going through the trees!

Going up a hill. There's Cadence and Abbi!

At one point of the ride we were on top of a big hill. We were getting ready to ride down a real steep part. All the girls were a little nervous. Then we heard some cows and here comes a cattle drive, heading right for us. So we moved to the side to let them pass. Then Brianna's horse turned and took off with the cows. She was trying everything to turn it around. A cowboy helped her come back to us. Our horses were being stubborn and wouldn't move! Ha ha! It was a little chaotic there for a minute.

At the top of the big hill waiting for the cows to pass. Brianna watching, just before her horse took off!

Abbi sitting and waiting for the cows too!

Cadence and one of the guides.

There goes the cows!

Then we started going down. We had to lean back, it was pretty steep. Everyone did so good. We kept on going and made it to the half way mark. It was a cool look out point over the land. It was so hot out. So we all had a water break too. We gave our horses one too. Cadence's horse thought it was funny to dance around in the water. We were all laughing!

Smiles from Cadence! So cute!

Cool picture of Tiffani, Brent and one of the guides at the top of the hill. This was where we turned around and headed back!

Brianna!

Abbi!

My three cutie pies!!

Proof that I was there! Ha ha!

Cool picture from the top!

We headed back. We were about 20 minutes away from the end, and that's when I was in agony and just dying to get out of the saddle. Seriously, my knees and butt were killing me! Ha ha! It's been way too long since I've been in the saddle for that long. Plus it was mega hot!

Heading back home.

But we made it! Yeah! The girls' horses headed straight for the water trough. It was cute to see them all sitting on their horses around the trough. They weren't sure what to do but the guides told them it was OK. It was a really fun ride and we are so glad we went. It wasn't super cheap, but I think it was worth the money. The girls still talk about their horse ride. They were so proud of themselves that they rode the horses all by themselves. I was pretty proud of them too!

The horses made a bee line for the water!

It was a long ride, but we had so much fun!

Me and my girls! We did it!

Here's the whole group! Tiffani did awesome. There's no way I could ride a horse when I was pregnant!

We went back to the cabin and everyone was done. It was about 1:30pm. My mom had stayed at the cabin with DJ and Keira. We got there and Keira was having a nap. We were all over heated. We got some cold water for drinks and I was trying to get the girls to eat something. They nibbled, but weren't really hungry. Abbi kept complaining that her head hurt. I gave her a cold cloth to put on her head, then she disappeared. I went and found her sound asleep on the floor in our room. Poor girl was exhausted. She slept for just over an hour.

Abbi sound asleep on the floor!

The rest of us all had a little rest too. Then around 3pm, we decided to go to Waterton to Emerald Bay again, just so we could jump in. That was the plan. So we stopped at the store first to get a slurpee. Then we went to Waterton. We got there and that's what we did. We all took turns going out on Megan's paddle board and jumping in. That's the only way I could do it. It was super refreshing. I jumped in about 3 times. So nice!! The kids had a blast swimming around in the cold water. We only stayed for just over an hour.

DJ ready to go cool down in the water!

The kids playing in the lake!

Cadence floating on her tube!

Aunt Megan and Brianna coming back on the paddle board!

Uncle Brent and Cadence going out for a ride!

Coming back in. They both jumped in a few times!

Abbi and Aunt Megan coming back!

Then we headed back to the cabin so I could make supper. It was my turn to make supper. It was our last night at the cabin. We had a super fun time! All my kids went to bed so good that night. They were all so tired. Even Abbi, who had a nap!

We got up in the morning and started packing things up. We were out of there around 10am. I stopped in Cardston to get some groceries and then headed back to the trailer. We got there and I unpacked and got things put away. I was absolutely exhausted. So done! I had to lay down a few times. Then Lisa and her kids showed up. They were camping beside us for a few nights. So that will be another post!