Grotto Falls

Me: What's the best part about Grotto Falls?

Cassidy: I don't know. The waterfall. Pretty obvious, Mom.

Me: What didn't you like about Grotto Falls?

Cassidy: The water was FRIGID. You know, cold.

Me: Thanks for clearing that up.

On a Tuesday in June we hiked up to Grotto Falls in Payson Canyon with the Knoxes.

This was the picture we got when we said "Hey kids, all of you climb up on the cool log over there and pose for a picture."  You win some, you lose some, and some just end up looking like this.

Parents will like the Grotto Falls trail because it is short and shaded and their 11-year old will offer to carry Chubs in the backpack. Kids will like the trail because there are many places where (seemingly) their life hangs in the balance as they cross stream after stream walking on narrow logs suspended  dangerously high (10 inches) over the roaring (trickling) water. One wrong step (or one giggling push from behind) and BLAM! you might get your shoes wet.

At the end of the short trail you end up here, in a rock-enclosed "grotto" where the water pools at the bottom of a beautiful waterfall. The water is shallow and calm and there are small rock caves to explore and more rocks to climb on. The whole area is damp and muddy and a perfect place for children to get completely filthy.

Sam did not like the water, or the mud, or the rocks, or the fact that it was too rocky and steep for him to walk around anywhere. He did seem kind of fascinated with the waterfall, though, and managed to play in his fair share of mud. 

Adjacent to the grotto is a steep rocky trail that leads to the top of the falls. The children managed to not slip over the edge of the falls while I took this shot, even while in my mind I worried about us making the 5 o'clock news. (Crazy-Photographer-Mother Sends Children to their Death in Waterfall Mishap)

And here are some more favorites from this Crazy-Photographer-Mother:

P.S. I wish my blog were more than just a silly travel log. I will never have "457 followers", tutorials, giveaways, or have an "I've been featured here" button, although I wish I could be that cool.  Nobody will ever want to advertise here. I saw a blog the other day where people had left over 3000 comments on one post. I'm happy if I get 2 or 3 (although I would love to know who else is lurking out there, you lurkers!)  But still, it makes me smile to post these silly, less-than-perfect photos of my way-less-than-perfect family on our less-than-perfect adventures.

Battle Creek Falls

If only all hikes could be

• a short 15 min drive from our house
• a short 25 min trek to the waterfall
• downhill both ways (just kidding on this last one, but Battle Creek Falls does meet the first two criterion!)

The trailhead for Battle Creek Falls begins in Pleasant Grove at a place called Battle Creek Canyon, close to where the "G" is on the mountain. Fortunately for us our grandparents live right next to the "G". 

The base of the falls

The view from the trail

And 473 pictures of my adorable children on the hike:

As a bonus, right next to the trailhead is Kiwanis park, with cool, shaded picnic tables and lots of places to explore. It was the perfect spot for our PB&Js.

Fun times!

Goodbye, Mullett

From this and

this

to

this

and

this.

Summer Scenes

A few scooters....

A few toys.....

Cute girls.......

Cute boys...

And more cute boys....

SUMMER TIME AT OUR HOUSE
by Kelly L. King

What's Working: Our job (chore) program. B and C are up everyday by 730ish (G wakes up generally about 930) and are on task. We decided at the beginning of summer that the children would NOT have any screen time until the afternoon, and this has really worked for us. I've found the trick is to make sure they know the night before what their assignments are. We have a weekly chart that they fill out to keep them on task.I have promised them BIG rewards at the end of summer for never missing a day on their summer job chart.  Now as soon as they get up everyday they have about 1 to 2 hours worth of "jobs" to do. I love walking into the living room in the early morning and seeing my children reading or writing in their journals or scrubbing walls! Kudos to B, C, and sometimes G for being such great workers! 

What we're still working on: Fighting. Tattling. Problem-Causing. Boredom. Dissatisfaction with the lunch menu. Leaving the sliding-glass door wide-open when the A/C is running. Playing with friends while ignoring siblings. Whining. Red Otter Pop drips on the kitchen floor. Leaving the freezer door open. And the kids are struggling too....

Onward, ever onward!


Oops! I almost forgot two more pictures that I liked:

7 Peaks with 22 Cheeks

On a Tuesday in June we went to

with

plus three more (not pictured) kidlets and 3 moms (not pictured for obvious swim-suit reasons).

There were prizes given for

fastest slider,

most laps around the lazy river,

funniest self-portrait ever, and

world's best-ever photographed smirk (look closely at Ben's face).

We shared good times with friends....

and got a little wet,

and hung out with every other person in Utah County who was using their free Val-Pak coupons or Peak Reader Passes.

(It was a little crowded, to put it mildly).

But even with the ultra-long lines, continuous head-counting, a trip to the children's lost-and-found to reclaim one of our off-spring, being bag and body searched by Rambo, and us moms laughing hysterically at getting our fannies in and out of the tubes, 

it was good times.

(And PHEW! I'm so glad my kids only earn passes once a year. I need a nap.............)

Cascade Springs

On a Thursday in June we headed up to

with

and we took some pictures of

and

and

.

Some of us also did this

which I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to do because it's like a protected plant area or something and if it's one thing the King children are not good at it's "treading lightly" through protected plant areas.

There was also some of this

and some of that

and for good measure just a little of