R and R

School starts on Monday and I feel like the summer somehow got away from me.  I also have two really busy birth months coming up and realized I may not see my kids for days on end.  My best solution to top off the summer and collect my wits before the storm, was to get the heck outta town.  Given that it was me planning the vacay, I wanted to use it to force my kids to go to another national park with me.  The main attraction?  Timpanogos Cave.

Hannah asked me as we left how long it would take and I didn't want to tell her that on the website it was described as a strenuous hike estimated to take 1.5 hours just to get to the cave.  I considered lying because just a few weeks ago, you would have thought she was being murdered on our stroll through Cress Creek.  However, she promised to complain LESS if I told the truth and true to her word, the hike was tolerable.  

It was quite strenuous indeed!  Here I am at the 1/4 way mark acting appropriately:

And perhaps not so...

It was close to 90 and it was uphill the whole 1.5 miles to the cave.  3/4 of the way up Lily yells:  MOM YOU PEED YOUR PANTS!!!  This was news to me but I looked down to find this:

Uhh.  Nope.  That is pure groin sweat.  For one millisecond I was embarrassed but got over it when I thought about all the other suckers we had left in the dust. I felt even better at the top because this old fat lady did that hike in about 50 minutes!  I EARNED that crotch sweat!

Right before the top there was this majestic biffy that was carved right into the mountain.  This was perfect for Hannah who had been prairie dogging a poop for most of the hike.  While she went about her business, I went about resting...  and bothering her:

After what seemed like an inordinate amount of pooping time, I asked what Hannah's ETA was and she screamed out, "Mom I'm pooping!!!  Just go on ahead!"  Her yell billowed out of the biffy and rolled down the mountain face.  I'm convinced most of American Fork, UT heard her outburst.  After a few more minutes, she stormed out, yelling how she had to pinch off early because I was being a butt.  The fireworks were quite satisfying.  In my defense, it seemed like a long time for pooping.  I told her maybe she needed more fiber in her diet.  Let's just say she was not amused.

The caves were interesting and I was so impressed with how well my kiddos hiked both up and down the mountain.  As a reward, I took them to an arcade.  As my reward, I took them to Fruit Way.  I try to drive down at least once a season because we don't get fresh peaches in Idaho Falls.  We get green, hard little bastards that we have to ripen on the counter.  Nothing beats a fresh peach and I feel so strongly about it that I only buy them once a year from the orchards in Utah.  Look at me.  I couldn't even get in the car, nor let my lover put the last box in before I took my first bite:

As of this post, I have eaten about 15 peaches in the last 12 hours!  

When you factor in all the swimming the girls did at our hotel, I consider this to be quite the successful getaway.  I wonder if Hannah's pooping any better with all the peaches she's had.  Maybe I'll go ask her...