Adventures of a Mama & Four Boys

Well the boys have a favorite! Dinosaur Monument is a boy’s dream! Both Mike and the boys were beside themselves. It is a huge dinosaur fossil quarry…and I mean huge! They have processed most of them but left a huge mound of them still imbedded into the earth for people to see. They even left a real skull. Along the bottom of the quarry and along the trail there are a few huge femur bones that you can actually touch. It’s awesome!!!

I have to say traveling with Mike is a little different than Nana. Nana is a doer and getter doner. Mike, not so much. He is more of the meandering type. Although, I can walk for miles listening to him imitate a dinosaur hunter!!!

The area around here is beautiful! There are two rivers with campgrounds within them. Rafters come in and out all day long and the scenery is spectacular. The weather even entertained us! The boys got to experience their first thunderstorm. It was a little scary but exciting too and it even gave us a huge rainbow when it was over! All in All…..Awesome!

ohhhh touching a real bone.

We got to spend time with family in Salt Lake. Our original plan was to have family come to us but with boys getting over being sick and then the rain. They hosted us! We a great time enjoying adult company with appetizers and cocktails; while, the boys watched dodge ball! Then we all went to a great place called Maxwell’s and played corn hole!!!! It was a great night.

The next day it was still raining so Allison did some fast thinking and we all went to the dinosaur museum. The kids got to know each and use a air hammer to etch out some real fossils. It was a great introduction to Dinosaur Monument! We ate while bowling, and finished up at our place with smores and campfire toasted Starburst!!! Yummmmm! We really got to see around Park City and Salt Lake Area. We had a great time!

My little Paleontologist!

The Crew finding evidence.

We did however; end up with an uninvited guest!!!!!! We were all settling in for the night and Preston notice a mouse in the hallway by the bathroom. Our little friend quickly moved to cabinets and we listened to him have a great time getting comfortable. None of us slept very well that night with our little guest with us. Today we went to a hardware store where Mike and I had differences of opinion. I felt that we should catch and release, after all we picked our hitchhiker up in his territory. Mike just wants him dead. We got both kinds of traps….he can choose his own fate! “Choose wisely my little furry friend!”

Note From Aiden

Sadly we have to say goodbye. But I’m going to bring up some memories. Like the time we saw Saturn in Bryce.  We did the narrows in Zion.  We all loved Canyon de Chelly.  We had such a good time on this trip! It was some of the best time I had with you in a long time. I wish you could come fishing with us! I had a great time, and I hope you did too. I love you!

Note from Mason

Nana always helps me hook up the motor home.  She did all my work when I was sick.  She does a lot of work!  When I fell on a hike, she helped me get back and she always was the one with the best ideas. But for some reason she bought a ton of rocks and one of them was cool because  you got a hammer and cracked it open and there were crystals inside.   I had a great time with you and I wish to do it again p.s I love the smell of her coffee in the morning.

Note from Preston

I liked of how she helped us. When we are in trouble she helps us. i got in trouble a lot and she was always nice to me.  i like her for that.  I love nana and I’m glad she came with us.

Note From Griffin

I wuv her too

We have been in Salt Lake City for 3 days. The boys are back to full throttle! It’s been raining since we got here. The rain provided significant challenges and we have had to change our plans. The rained also signified a good-bye. We had to say good-bye to nana. Cappy left us here and flew home. The boys and I feel very empty. We were getting in the car and Griffin asked who we were forgetting….ohhh nana..she’s not here. Mason got to sleep in her bed and said he was the luckiest of all because it smelled like nana. Aiden asked me to make coffee in the morning because he said that’s how nana wakes him up and he likes it. Preston has been emotional since she left and we talked it out he said, it just doesn’t feel right without her.Well, nana successfully embedded her memory into her grandson’s senses. We are all out of sorts. I think that Cappy was the perfect person to have the first 3 weeks. It was definitely the hardest driving and most action packed part of the trip. She was an absolute trooper and enjoyed it just as much as all of us. We have had so many laughs and even the stressful spots turned into laughs! I just loved having her and so did the boys. You really learn a lot about someone when you travel with them. I learned that Cappy is truly a great person and I am lucky to have her in my life.

The boys are living and I’m surviving!  We left Fillmore, a really clean nice koa. Well that was until the Marchlik’s left their mark! Nana is getting ready to go and Mason was still sick, so I decided to take a turn at dumping the sewage.  The only problem is anyone that knows me or happens to be left handed, knows us lefties have problems with crooked lids.  It took Mike years to stop shaking the OJ and milk jugs because he would find the cap was on crooked and he would be covered in what he was trying to drink.  Well my notorious crook lid problem struck again….only this time it was me and the liquid was human sewage!  Yep! I hooked the hose on crooked and when I pulled the black water plug, sewage sprayed everywhere!  Cappy was screaming, I was screaming, the koa guy was just standing there watching me gag as I quickly stopped the flow of Marchlik poo all over his clean KOA!  That’s all I have to say about that!

Well yesterday’s post said I was lucky….I was wrong!  The two older boys are still sick and they are stuck in a motorhome with the two little ones; who are nightmares!  They are loud and rambunctious!

Today consisted of crying, wining, big boys and little boys who pee all over toilet seats so when someone…meaning me, sits down to pee we..meaning me, gets pee all over them(me again).  I get the bright idea to give them cleaner and let clean the toilet.  Yah, not such a great idea…it was like a bomb went off in that tiny bathroom!  Although I decide that they will sleep with me to keep them quiet…only to find they decided to put lotion on their feet and therefore my entire bed!  Luck…that was not the right word!!!!

Good Night!

I know this sounds funny but we are seriously sooo lucky!  We got two kids sick with fevers and aches. Zion has been action packed every day.  Yesterday, while hiking the Narrows, Griffin started to fall apart.  Now I know some might think, well of course he fell apart, he’s 5 and passing grown men on the trail.  But anyone that knows Fin, knows he is as tough as they come.  Anyways, he hiked in and as we got to the area called wall street he started grunting.  I leaned down to feel him and he was burning up.  We rested and he was shivering saying he want to go to the doctor.  When I told him he could go to the doctor when we got out of there, he said “then let’s go.”   When I would ask him to stop and rest, he would refuse…just keep going mom….we are versing the boys.  Which means his brothers were behind him with auntie mags and he could get out of the canyon before them.   He made it about a mile before my heart started hurting listening to him grunt and whimper. So we rested.  Once he stopped it was clear he couldn’t go on.  So mags and I “McGivered” a camel back so that he could ride on my back.  Well let me tell you…..We were a sight!  Mags and I had all these little kids miles and miles back into the narrows and I had one strapped to my back….If only we had a rope!  We had people stop and take pictures of us!!!  So I smiled as the straps cut into my arms and we laughed and made it all the way back!

Today we said good bye to the Kelley’s, walked weeping rock, attended a ranger program about beavers, and got sworn in as junior rangers. During the walk to the weeping rock…Aiden started crying and not looking so good!  We finished our stuff and Aiden pushed through and handled it like a champ….even though I was being a jerk because I thought he was just tired and being a baby.  I quickly ate my words when Mason started complaining about a headache.  I leaned over to feel him and he was burning up.  We got back to the motorhome and he went down like a ton of bricks.  We got them to bed and I ate my crow and apologized to Aiden.  Sometimes mom’s are wrong!  I will put a few extra dollars in the therapy jar!  My boys are tough and I should have more faith in them when they say they are done….its not because they are lazy.

Tomorrow and the next day are light days nothing much to do.  I just can’t believe it!!!  We have been so busy and the boys got sick at the perfect time!  Such good boys!!!!!  Poor boys but good boys!  We were laughing a bit ago about how this keeps working out.  On mother’s day and Mason’s b-day, we had nothing planned and a storm blew in…

hmmmmm….wait a minute……nothing planed=storm

……….nothing planned =boys get sick

I NEED TO PLAN MORE STUFF THEN NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN!

Wish Preston luck..he’s the only one still standing!

Just got word that Mags is down! Good Luck Ken!

What an amazing few days this has been! With Ami “Death Marchlik” at the helm, it’s been action packed, of course! We have loved every minute of it. 5 kids in tow…..no problem! We got this. I can tell you if we “had a rope” we would have many more stories to share. But looking back…it’s probably a good thing we didn’t 😉 So many beautiful sights here in Zion. My favorite was definitely the hike through the narrows. We were smart and got completely outfitted….kids in dry suits and the rest of us in dry pants and proper shoes.  Made the 8 miles hiking through water much more pleasant! We hiked so far back that the people we saw were amazed we got that many kids back there. Truly gorgeous and worth the TORTURE. The cold beer at the end of that experience was the best I’ve ever tasted! OK, I may have said this before, but this time I mean it! I’m awestruck at seeing first hand what Ami and CJ have been doing with these kids the last month. Grateful to have gotten to experience a little of it firsthand…(while I’m typing this Ami said the words “slick rock biking” I’m pretending I don’t hear her and thinking I may be leaving just in time 😉 oh who am I

kidding….be all in or get out, there is no half way! I WISH WE COULD STAY.

Kids are working hard

Enjoying most moments!

There is no better friend than your IT support, Cindy McCarthy.  She is the best friend a girl could have.  Mags may be there in person, but I am there in spirit.  Plus, I am pretty sure your IT support has FINALLY figured out the auto posting to Facebook.  If anyone sees this, please confirm!

She brought provisions!

Wooohooooo!!!  Everyone is on notice!!  I know who are my bestest Friends are!!!  The ones that are visiting me!! hehehehehee Zion will be my most favorite because my Mags is here!!!!  She showed up yesterday like a good friend should…..

We have had a great day!!  We went to the Emerald pool and Ghotto. The kids went tubing and we went for a sunset/night hike!  Tomorrow we hit the narrows and we are taking a shuttle service so we tube a long ways down the river.  Awesomeness!!!!!!!!!!

You not spending time in a NP with the Marchlik’s unless there is a Ranger involved!

Hey….Where am I?