The Hoods go to Zion Nat'l Park

This last weekend we thought it would be fun to head on up to Zion and do some hiking and have a picnic. So we headed on up and the moment we got there, Hayden was in love. He wanted every rock and stick he could find! I am amazed at how busy it is there. And how many **"out-of-towners" come to see this beautiful place. When we got there the parking was full so we pulled off on the side of the road and took the shuttle in. Hayden was thrilled that he got to ride the bus. The tour guide was talking about all of the things there are to see and to watch out for animals and started listing off different animals we might see. She said "chipmunks" and Hayden looked over at me and said "Alvin?!!" Unfortunately, we never found him! We had a picnic under the tree by the lodge and then decided that for the kids first "official" hike we would do the Emerald Pools. We were not 25 feet into the hike and Maddie asked "Are we there yet?" We obviously need to get her on more of these hikes! Grace was as good as gold the entire time. She loved being carried in the baby carrier and didn't make a peep the entire hike. Maddie and Hayden on the other hand made several requests for us to carry them (right...) and stops for drinks etc. But we had a blast!!

**=out of towners was a dead giveaway since they were speaking all different languages. On the way back down the canyon, we sat next to a family that was speaking Dutch and Maddie leaned over to me and said "Why are they talking so funny?" Knowing that they probably also spoke English too, I was a little embarrassed!