Tuachan Pics - Summer Vacation

This is the Aladdin cast from Tuachan. They were so kind to sign autographs 

and chat with the guests. It's a must see show....any of their shows I say! Add this to your bucket list TODAY!

Summer Vacation Highlights

We spent the last week on a much needed vacation with the family. It was great. We went to St. George had a blast. Our kids' needs and likes have changed a lot since we were there last, so our vacation was full of lots of new things. Here's the highlights and some tips for having a fun, frugal summer vacation in Southern Utah.

I made the kids pose for this picture of a "shoe tree." Don't know the story behind it, but it was awesome to see hundreds of shoes signed by their previous owners and hung on a random roadside tree.

We visited Zion Canyon. This is the hike to Weeping Rock. Water in a desert is quite a sight. The hike's not long, but it is quite the incline. I did make it to the top, which was a big accomplishment.  $25 for a week long pass to see Zion. They have a free shuttle that drops you off at several hikes along the canyon, no road traffic is allowed to park and hike. The shuttles are great and an easy way to travel with kids.
We also saw the Angel's Landing and the Court of the Patriarchs, pictured below.

We had a picnic at the Zions Lodge....

Then we stopped at a Trading Post around Rockville, UT. It had these cool replica period buildings. If you look close you'll see the Virgin Bank and Virgin Hotel.....hummmm.

We visited the Ghost Town of Grafton. I know why no one lives there. It's hard to find without GPS. It was worth the trip and their cemetery is humbling and peaceful. Truly a sacred place.

And of course we practiced our swimming tricks. Thanks Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Richard & Aunt Elaine for the house. We had a great time.

Tips for traveling to St. George:
There's tons to see for free--the St. George Temple, Brigham Young's House, Jacob Hamblin Home--for those of you who are history/ religion buffs. There are also 3 splash pads in Washington City (near St. G) or in Ancestor Square. There is also Sand Hollow Rec Center--they charge, but my kids had a great time, so it's probably worth it.

There a tons on parks so make a picnic and go to the park. We played volleyball and had lunch at local parks a few times and it was fun. Parks also make great "potty breaks" along the trip. McDonald's has free mini ice cream cones at the St. G location, or other inexpensive treats if you need a break.

The golden jewel of the trip was taking the girls and my nephew to Tuachan's "Aladdin." If you haven't visited Tuachan, it should be on your bucket list. The stage is set into the natural stone and dirt landscape. The actors were great, and even signed autographs after the show and took pics with the guests. I have some to post later. It was funny and well worth the ticket price. We will definitely go again. This is not a cheap event and kids under 3 are not allowed, but it is an amazing experience. (And no, they didn't pay me to say anything.)

Cheap Fun

We ran out of Play-Doh! The baby thought I was the worst Mom ever! Ok, so she didn't say that, but I could tell in her watery eyes, she wasn't happy. The Play-Doh "emergency" did not render me to jump in the car with all 5 kids to go to the store, so I hopped onto my Pintrest and found this recipe. It worked well, and best thing, each kid can make a couple of clumps, choose their own colors and THROW IT AWAY when they are done. No reusing, and germ infestations, not even a huge mess to clean up. I made them keep it on wax paper to reduce the mess.

Thanks fellow SAHM Erika for your ideas! Here's the link for homemade play-doh.

Enjoy

Summer Vacation Day 1 (and 2)

I tried to post what we did yesterday to kick off our summer vacation, but the video didn't download all the way, and the Internet kept kicking my post out. Then I thought that if any of my kids want to run for office someday, maybe I should hold off posting. It's nothing risque, just a music video that will someday embarrass them.

We watched the Miss America pageant on Sunday. Our friend Kendyl Bell is Miss Utah. Although she didn't get far, she is amazing and is certainly a great role model for young girls. The pageant viewing "inspired" my girls to hold their own beauty pageant complete with music video. They were really funny and had choreographed moves, and they wanted me to post it, but this is my blog not theirs, so it was kismet that the uploading process didn't work out well.

In any case, we started off our Summer Vacation with said video, some friends, a trip to Chick Fil A for lunch, some homemade play-doh--recipe to come and a bit of math practice --cuz our times tables need some support during the summer. It was a rather busy day, but everyone had fun.

Day 2 brought on more friends and a relaxing afternoon watching "Hugo." I know it's been out for awhile, but truly a beautiful story, family friendly, and amazing cinematography. Highly recommended.

Until tomorrow's adventure....making more memories.