+ a 4th birthday party +

We celebrated Jamin's 4th birthday this past weekend with about 50 of our closest family & friends. That's a lot for a kid's party I know! but I rationalised it by reminding myself that we have just come home from America & it's a good chance for everyone to get together. 

Jamin has been into Superhero's for months now & has only been answering to "Jamin the Superhero" for sometime. If someone asks him what his last name is he will reply "Superhero". Ha, still cracks me up everytime! His wonderful Aunty Lara made him his very own superhero cape in his 2 favourite colours - green & yellow. He looked every bit the birthday boy racing around in his satin cape, saving everyone in sight. 

I had lots of help with the food from baker extraordinaire, Aunty Linda & Mum (Oma). The kids devoured the food & didn't even notice that it was healthy. I love that the fruit skewers are the most popular & the sausage rolls were actually vegetarian. Popcorn, coloured pikelets & homemade guacamole rounded off the food table. Big thanks also to Danny's parents who saved the day by looking after all the tea & coffee, keeping the adults warm on a very cool Toowoomba spring morning. 

My brother Brian was roped into leading some kids games & generally tired them all out. It was so much fun to run around in the sun with a herd of little kids who couldn't be happier.

Those of you who know me well will realise that I was in heaven holding a birthday party under this beautiful tree. I had planned to get the gazebo but someone else had arrived at 6am to secure it (they can have it if they are willing to get up at that hour!). We got the 2nd best spot however & didn't really notice the 6 other parties in the park!

After the games we moved onto the cake which Linda & I had created the night before. Kael had a little run in with it upon arrival at the park but it survived mostly unscathed.

And here is where I gained the award for "Worst Mother 2011". Earlier that morning I had found a bag of party poppers in the cupboard & took them along for the kids. The kids had been nagging all morning  to pop them so I decided spur of the moment to get the kids to pop them at the end of happy birthday. I even remembered to ask if there were any kids that didn't like loud noises. Guess who doesn't like loud noises...? Yep, my own son Jamin. oops.

The kids already had the poppers in hand before I realised my mistake & there was no going back. I covered Jamin's ears & he basically spent the entire song cringing in anticipation of the bangs. Oh dear. Like I said... worst mother 2011 award in the bag.

But all in all it was a fantastic party & I had a very happy, tired little 4 year old to take home.

:: zion national park, utah ::

After a chaotic few days in Las Vegas, we headed a few hundred miles north to Zion National Park. We had heard great things about this part of Utah since we arrived & were not disappointed! The canyons & scenery were spectacular. The little town of Springdale was artsy & outdoorsy, full of interesting coffee shops, art galleries & adventure companies. The national park was not only beautiful but so well equipped with information, visitors centres & shuttle buses. 

Our only regret was being unable to tackle some of the more adventurous hikes because of our two little ones that do not share their parents love for outdoor adventures. Saying that, we dragged them around in the chariot, on the shuttle buses & up a few small hikes.

We spent a lot of time down by the river, where the boys could paddle & throw rocks & we could drink beer & chill out. Everyones happy, except the water was REALLY COLD!

On the shuttle bus on the way up the canyon Jamin kipped out. They introduced shuttle buses in 2000 to reduce traffic congestion & it was a great move. They hook two together & can even load your bikes on the front if you are planning to ride down the canyon. The boys loved them so much that Jamin wanted one on his birthday cake! Now that is a big deal for a 4 year old!

A short hike up to the Emerald Pools with both the boys in backpacks. Made an easy hike a little bit, no a lot, harder! But they did love getting wet after walking under the waterfalls & the object lesson on why they are called waterfalls was educational for the whole family!

The hike back took a lot longer with our budding artist Kael stopping to draw in the dirt every few steps. His brother joined him & then we had two very dirty boys to carry.

One morning Danny took off on his own adventure, hiking up Angel's Landing. Here's the description of the hike but basically it is a feat of engineering that only the bravest hikers attempt. The drop offs each side of the rock below are hundreds of feet!

Danny stopped for snack at the top & this little squirrel tried to snitch some of his food.

The self portrait at the top.

Looking back down the ridge where he had hiked and had to go back down. Scary!

On our way out of the park on the way to Grand Canyon we got to go through a 1.1 mile long tunnel, built in 1830, complete with windows throughout to view the canyons. Apparently it is another feat of engineering & was pretty impressive & popular with the boys in the family.

Zion National Park did not disappoint, in fact we even extended our stay a few extra days to soak up the beautiful scenery. This is a place that we would love to return to if we are ever back in the area, as there is so much more to explore & do. It gave us some wonderful memories to hold onto.