More adventures in Utah

We've been having a great time with my parents here in Eastern Utah. Here are a few of the things we've been up to this week:

Brandon and Grandpa (my dad) fishing
My dad is so adventurous. He took us to this lake called Paradise Reservoir. It is at an elevation of almost 10,000 ft and we had to drive on a dirt road for a long time to get there. It was so cool. We drove through aspen groves where there were several deer along the sides--two fawns that were especially cute and then watched as the trees changed to pine and at the very top was this pretty lake. My dad brought his fishing pole and Brandon was pumped to try fishing with him. It started raining like 5 minutes after we got there. It wasn't too heavy, so we stayed there a little while longer, but not as long as we would've liked.
(And not long enough for them to catch anything!)

Before we took our off-roading adventure to the lake, my dad took us to a bird refuge and fish hatchery. This is a picture of Brandon and his cousin, Carson looking at the fish. (Carson has been staying with us this whole week which has been really fun!) They raise a species of fish that is native to the Colorado River, but is endangered. I believe it was called a Razorback Sucker. (I remember Whitney making the comment, "I like suckers." I think she was picturing lollipops, not fish!) Anyway, it was neat to see their facilities and how they raise the fish. The boys, in particular, loved it.

Carson, Brandon, and Whitney. These three have been playing together really well this week. Since we live so far away from our family, our treasure times like these that we can spend together. Carson and Whitney loved throwing rocks into a little pond next to the lake. They could've stayed there forever. Carson also got a turn fishing with Grandpa, which he was excited about.

Me, my mom, and Destiny. Tonight we all went out to dinner at a yummy restaurant. The kids were pretty well behaved, and that can make or break a dinner these days! Afterward we went to the drive-in theater to watch CARS. Even though we'd seen it before, we'd never been to a drive-in movie and I thought the kids would like it. It didn't start until 9:45! Hello--my kids are usually sound asleep by then. Whitney didn't make it through the whole movie. She fell asleep on Grandpa's lap. Brandon somehow managed to stay awake, but then crashed on our way home. I hope they sleep in tomorrow!!!

Earlier this week, we went to an awesome Dinosaur Museum in Vernal, Utah. It is very interactive and perfect for kids. Ok, maybe not all kids. Carson was terrified of some of the life-like models. But Brandon loved earning his "Pee-Wee Paleo" badge and Whitney had a great time digging for fossils. They all enjoyed looking at the fish in a pond outside.

As you can tell, we're staying busy and having a blast. Paul and Daneen are in town to pick up Carson, so we're excited to have one more day to spend with them. On Monday morning we'll begin our trek towards home.

I just have to include this random question that Brandon asked me this week. We were in the bathroom at Wendy's and he was washing his hands and he asked, "Mom, does Jesus have germs?" I thought that was a great question. I don't know the answer. Can you tell his mom is a bit of a germ-freak?