First Day in Bryce Canyon

Tuesday morning we got up and packed our bags. Joe had a conference to attend that just happened to be at Bryce Canyon. Since UVU was paying for the travel and the hotel as well as Joe's meals, we decided it would be a perfect (and inexpensive) family vacation! So the kids and I got to go too!

It took us about four hours to get to our hotel, where we were all ready to kick back and relax. It was a really nice hotel, as you can see from the picture below.

In case you can't tell, that is Teddy on the near bed and Amelia on the far bed.

The boys were excited to get to stay at the motel. Tuesday morning Ephraim woke up early (as usual), so he went down to breakfast with Daddy while the rest of us slept. Then we all went down together and the rest of us had breakfast too.

One thing the boys were excited about was getting to watch TV at the hotel because they have the Disney Channel and Nick Jr. Since we don't have cable they were glued to the TV at the hotel.

But of course I didn't want to spent the whole day at the hotel! There was so much to see. So in the morning the kids and I went out exploring. I don't think they were quite as excited about it as I was (check out Ephraim's pouting face).

Since I had both the boys with me and I was packing Amelia, we didn't go very far that morning.  But we did see some lovely red rocks. Here is the view somewhere between sunrise and sunset points.

To be honest, I was not just looking at the beautiful rocks. I was scoping out the scenery for our family pictures. I had been planning on doing new photos since adding Amelia to the family and had even found coordinating clothes. I figured going to Bryce was perfect because what better background could we have?

Here is the view looking the other way.

They have some really cool hikes that take you all over in the canyon. Joe and I decided that it would be fun to come back sometime (sans kiddos) and do some hiking.

Here is one of my favorite views from Bryce Point. Isn't it gorgeous?

And here are the pretty rocks at Paria View. I had to dash out of the van to take these pictures because the boys were done with walking (i.e. they were getting whiny).

I have so many scenery pictures and I thought it was so beautiful that it was hard for me to choose which pictures to share. So if you are ever bored, come over and I will show you all my beautiful photos.

Besides scenery, on our way back to the hotel we saw some interesting animals. They actually had a prairie dog crossing sign, and we saw quite a few of the little critters. I got some really nice pictures with my zoom lens. I didn't even get out of the van!

Oh! Aren't they cute? The boys had fun watching them too.

We also saw some pronghorns on our way back. We thought it was an antelope, but one of the guide books assured us that it was a pronghorn.

We made our peanut butter sandwiches at the hotel, and then it was naptime. Amelia and Ephraim both took a nap, and I almost got Jacob to take one too. While the kids napped, I worked online.

Before long it was dinnertime. We met up with Daddy and had dinner. Then we went out again so Daddy could see some of the pretty rocks. This time I was smart enough to bring the boys hats, and have them wear their walking shoes rather than their sandals.

Joe took a nice picture of me with all the kids.

Then a passerby was kind enough to take a picture of us all together.

Jacob does not look particularly happy in this picture because he was freaking out about all the bugs that were flying around. He has recently developed an aversion to insects that is starting to drive Joe and me a little bit crazy.

Next we went to Inspiration Point. It is quite an uphill hike from the parking lot to the viewpoint, so I dashed up there by myself while Joe stayed in the van with the kids. The view was amazing!

This spot was absolutely gorgeous! The lighting as the sun set was wonderful.

The lighting was perfect this time of day for our family pictures. Unfortunately there was nowhere nearby that we could sit for pictures. So we headed to Bryce point again, where I had found the perfect spot for family pictures. Once again Daddy stayed in the car with the kids. Ephraim came with me and ended up posing for me while I planned out the location. So here is a sneak peek of where we took our family pictures.

Here is the view at Bryce point at sunset looking just to the left of the above photo. Isn't it beautiful?

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Fairyland Point. It was a viewpoint that I missed earlier. It was really pretty. We tried to get the boys to pose for pictures, but they were both tired and cranky by this point. This next picture just cracks me up.

We got some stunning photos as the sun was setting. There was a really cool trail that headed along the ridge, and Joe walked down it a ways and took these great pictures.

I wish I could have gone too, but the kids weren't up for it. Plus Amelia had a stinky diaper just then!

It was absolutely beautiful. I think I am in love with Bryce Canyon. I would love to go there again sometime.

When we got back to the hotel we were all pretty tired. The kids went to sleep before too long. I thought they were all so cute I snapped some pics.

Ephraim is sleeping on top of his Bear-Bear, and Jacob is sleeping on top of his Teddy. Silly boys!

Amelia didn't seem to mind sleeping in the pack-n-play at all. Look at her cute little hand poking out by her face.

So that was the end of our first day on our first ever family vacation. As we discussed it, Joe and I realized that we have never gone anywhere alone as a family. I couldn't believe it, but Joe was right... we usually visit family in Arizona or Wyoming. Guess we will have to go on more outings as a family too!