The North Rim of the Grand Canyon

We had quite the adventures as we traveled up to Idaho and back this summer. There were several times when Todd and I looked at each other and just had to laugh with all the things that went NOT according to plan, and anyone who knows me well knows I don't take deviations from my plans very well.

We decided to break the 16+ hour drive up to Idaho into a couple of days and took a detour to visit the Grand Canyon and camp there for the night. Neither Todd or I have ever been, and after living in Arizona for over four years, we thought we were overdue.

Lesson learned: don't take young kids to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon if you have recurring nightmares where you watch helplessly as your kids fall off the edge of a tall cliff, like I do. Yes, there were lots of fences and railings, but there were still gaps where an adventurous kid could wiggle through. I was a nervous wreck the whole time, but I tried to conceal it so I didn't pass on my unease to the kids.

The view was amazing, when I wasn't watching the twins like a hawk. You really can't comprehend how big it is until you're right on the edge.

Also, make sure if you reserve a campsite, that you reserve it for the right month. We thought we had a campsite all ready for us, then got there and realized we had it reserved for August instead of July. Oops. That slipped past both me and Todd. So we ended up camping two miles up the side of a dirt road right outside of the park, with no water or facilities. We had to teach all four kids how to go to the bathroom in the woods. 

The plus side, when you're camping out in the middle of nowhere, you don't have to worry about your loud kids keeping people up at night or waking them up early in the morning. The downside, there's no one to hear you scream when you're visited by a pack of coyotes in the middle of the night (yes, that did happen to us) and not many people around to help out when you wake up in the morning and your van has a flat tire (yep, that happened, too. I'm not making this up, people). Thankfully, there was a RVer about a mile down the dirt road from us that just happened to have a portable pump, and we were able to get it inflated enough to drive 25 miles to the nearest service station to get it repaired. Someone upstairs was watching out for us.

Ah, the memories! Now for the pictures!

Angel Moroni has arrived!

Todd was able to get some great pictures this past Tuesday of the Angel Moroni being placed on top of the Gilbert Temple. It's right across the street from where the kiddos go to school, so we get to see the progress every day when I drop them off. It's only three miles from our house and in our stake boundaries, so we feel like it's our temple. 

It's going to be gorgeous when it's done. The exterior is almost complete. The windows still need to be put in, but I'm not sure if they're going to put them in before or after the interior is complete. I've heard we're still about a year out from it being all done. I can't wait!

A new addition

We brought home a puppy! A lot sooner than I thought we would after we lost Tibb. The house just wasn't the same without a dog, so after watching Craigslist for several weeks, we finally found a litter of pug puppies not too far from our house.

His full name is Sir Winston Snugruffian. And he's energetic. And he's super cute. And he has an oral fixation and loves to chew on everything, including us. Anyone have tips on how to train a puppy not to bite?!

He's definitely different than Tibb. More of an alpha dog and a lot more active than Tibb was, but maybe that's just because he's still a puppy. I still really miss my doggy. Winston will be more of the kids' dog. But he's already a great little addition to the Thompson Zoo.

Bear badge

April is Easton's birthday month, which means we had to cram in a bunch of last-minute requirements for him to earn his Bear Badge in time for the April Pack Meeting. Easton had to "wrestle" a "bear" (Todd) in the "bear cave" (tent) in order to get his badge. It was pretty funny to watch with all the sound effects and tent-shaking. The boys all love watching each other earn awards, and Easton was especially excited to finally earn his bear badge and wrestle his dad.

Feathered friends

We've had so much fun with our little flock so far. Two of our chickens, Searchlight and Violet, are very tame and let Livy and Kylie pick them up and carry them all over the yard. This week, Violet started laying eggs. We have six small beige eggs in the fridge, waiting for the official taste-testing. We'll let you know what we think!

Flag football

Easton is in his second season of flag football. He might not be the best player, but he's fast! And he's easily the most enthusiastic one on the team! Way to go, Easton!

Evi's baptism

Evi turned eight this past January and was baptized about a month later. We were so lucky to have both sets of grandparents come to watch! It was a fun weekend, and we were so proud of the choice Evi made to be baptized.