A Beautiful Day at Valley of Fire!!

 

 We were having a rough week.... after more rough weeks.... and life was starting to feel unbearable. When my Mom (whom I rarely talk to these days because she has gone crazy and is abusing substances and basically making my life miserable if I allow her in it) called and asked if we wanted to join her, and Uncle Scott, Aunt Gena, and Grandma Wiegel on a hike out at Valley of Fire!! I instantly said "YESS!!!" because I have been dying for any form of entertainment to take me out of my quarantine hell. Even if it means spending time with my crazy mother... Of course there had to be drama though... because it wouldn't be my family unless there was drama. Briana wanted to go but Gracelynn had a fever/cough/runny nose/vomiting etc. And yet when I told Briana there was no way I was going if Gracelynn was going, Briana somehow took that wrong and started a war! Are we not in the middle of a global pandemic and those just happen to be symptoms related to COVID?!! Am I taking crazy pills?! The drama spread to my marriage because Josh is so sick of my family and all their stupidity, so we got into a huge fight, on top of the fight I was already in with Briana, and I ended up spending two days sleeping downstairs on the floor to prove a point. ANYWAYS.... Briana finally backed down and said she wouldn't go to Valley of Fire and infect everyone, so that Saturday morning, I single-handedly got the kids all ready (while Josh slept in and pretended nobody but himself existed) and took my little family on an adventure to Valley of Fire! Was there drama along the way?! YES. But did I let it stop me from having the time of my life?! NO!! This was my first day out of Henderson in wayyyy too long and there was no way I was going to let anyone's stupidity ruin it! So I soaked in the sunshine while the kids ran around playing and imagining, and Isla ate dirt and munched on rocks (I finally gave up trying to stop her) and we had ourselves a beautiful day! It was really nice reconnecting with Aunt Gena and Uncle Scott whom I don't get to see very often and it is always fun being around Grandma! I laughed so hard when Grandma yelled at me for trying to help her down the steep slope by saying "I don't need your help, I'M NOT OLD!!!" Hahaha!!! She cracks me up and I sure hope I am like her when I grow up. An unstoppable force of nature :). Nobody wanted to go home as the sun started to go down, and even Isla was happy as a clam despite missing her afternoon nap completely :). So I promised the kids we would be back soon, and hopefully this time with Dad. Then we packed up and said "Goodbye" to our loved ones and chatted happily most of the way back home in the car.... until all the kids fell asleep in the back seat ;). This was another moment where I felt so grateful for the little blessings God has provided in my life. The moments that make this horrible time in the world feel bearable. Thank you for that Father.

Enjoying our picnic lunches and chatting happily :)

I loved seeing their imaginations soar as they were surrounded by mother nature and all her beauty!

Isla was obsessed with eating the rocks and sand and there was no point in trying to stop her! She's a stubborn one!

Once she discovered the dog's water bowl, it was game over for her clothes haha! Next she was finding everybody's cups and dumping them out into the mud she was creating as she played happily by herself!

My Mom and I have some serious issues that need to be worked out, but it was nice seeing her and letting the kids enjoy the day with their favorite Grandma. She took them on an awesome hike and they were in heaven!

Aunt Gena lives in Florida and I don't know when we will ever have enough money to fly out there to visit her. But it is always exciting when she comes to visit us!

Aunt Gena was always the funnest aunt because she was always down on our level playing with us. It is so fun seeing her play with my kids the same way and seeing their love for her grow!

Isla surprised us all with her mountain climbing skills (she's only 13 months old!!) She is such a determined child and is always amazing me!

It might have taken her a while, but she finally got to the top of this little cliff and was so proud of herself!!!! GO ISLA!!!

**I have to mention that this was only a week after it was snowing in Henderson!!! How crazy is that?! One week we are throwing snowballs and the next week it is 70 degrees and we are hiking in the sun!! Covid isn't the only strange thing going on this year.....