Staycation 2018: Timpanogos Caves and Airbourne

I have a zillion ideas for vacations and we have a long list of fun adventures we want to take eventually, but it truly amazes me how many fun things there are to do right here in Salt Lake! Last summer we wanted to hike to the caves of Mount Timp, but we felt like our family might not be ready yet. This Spring we researched it and decided to get some tickets and do it! We told Alana she would need to ride in the backpack a lot and told Brett that he needed to plan on being carried for a little bit. Alana and I watched a few videos of what the hike would be like and what the caves would look like so that she would know what to expect. Sean got the tickets for nice and early on Monday morning, I think our hike time started at 8:45 (thats early for our little summer sleeper inners!) We arrived and got sunscreened up, checked in, and all used the bathroom, then we got started. The lady at the very beginning told us what to do if there was a rock fall and made sure to emphasize being safe and careful so as not to fall off a cliff. I think she was so detailed about it because most little boys Brett's age can get rambunctious (and he can too) but he is a rule follower and all the warnings made him super scared that we were going to get hurt. It took a little bit of time and some comfort and distraction, but he figured out that it wasn't scary but rather fun and beautiful! It took us 1.5 hours to get to the top and we only stopped to catch our breath briefly between some of the harder switch backs. I'm sure Sean and I could have done it a little quicker, but its a steep hike! By the time we were finished we had gone about 5 miles and climbed the equivalent of 190 stair cases! When you are almost to the top there is a bear box that you can put your backpacks and things you aren't supposed to bring in the cave. We deposited our packs and got out our jackets, then we forged on. There are some last minute bathrooms that we made the kids use. They smelled horrible! We got to the top and had a few minutes to wait before we entered the cave. We rested a bit and took a family picture.

 I brought my nice camera but then didn't take it in the caves, which was probably best because the lighting would have been hard and Sean and I had our hands full with kids.

 Brett and Alana brought their cameras too, they had fun pausing to take some pics. Lizzie was offended that she doesn't have a camera!

The caves were so fun! Our tour guide was awesome and even gave our kids a flashlight to hold throughout the cave to see more of the formations and so they wouldn't feel nervous. She asked us what was valuable to us and encouraged us to find why the caves are valuable to some. 

Sean took a few photos which don't do any justice to the beauty in the caves! 

 I think this stuff was called cave popcorn.

 There were cave lakes and dripping stalactites and stalagmites all over.

 I think this next one was the unicorn formation, although I can't really make it out.

 This next one was named caramel falls.

The kids were really brave, even when they turned off all the lights to show us how dark it was in there. The man-made tunnels between the three caves were a little tight and sometimes difficult to maneuver. The kids didn't like the tight spaces, but they were troopers. Alana especially started to get anxious to get out at the very end. We were in the caves for about an hour. 

After we finished the tour we had to get back down to the bear box to get out food, water, snacks, and packs. All kids were really tired, but Brett (who had done most of the hike himself) completely broke down. He was so tired and actually really hungry. We got to the bear box and collapsed in the middle of the trail. The kids had some good snacks and water which gave us all the energy to get down the mountain. I told the kids how grateful I was for them coming on the hike because it is something that I love so much. We talked about the magnificence of such beautiful formations and how Heavenly Father started creating that cave millions of years ago so that we could enjoy it today! 

 Lizzie got drowsy with the rhythmic walking down the mountain.

 She conked completely out and slept for a long time!

 Brett picked a bluejay to buy and Alana picked a falcon, and Lizzie slept.

Also Sean randomly shaved off his beard on Sunday and I loved it, now he has grown it back and I love it too =) 

We had packed a lunch to eat in the car and enjoyed it greatly! We went home and showered and rested for about an hour before we left for Aunt Lucilles house where we were going to help her fix her computer and swim and go to dinner. 

We went to the pool at Aunt Lucilles condo and it was so luxurious! They had super nice fancy changing rooms and a perfectly heated pool! We were the only ones there and I think that really helped Alana to be brave. When she wasn't afraid of getting bumped or splashed by others she actually let herself float with her puddle jumper and made a few splashes herself. Lizzie also decided her puddle jumper was enough and she refused to let Sean or I touch her! 

We walked over to the Olive Garden for dinner and the kids were really hungry. The service was really slow, but the food was good. 

 Aunt Lucille always offers dessert so the kids insisted on getting some even though they were stuffed from all their macaroni, spaghetti, and pizza! We took it to go and the kids ate it at Aunt Lucilles Fancy table while Sean started helping Aunt Lucille with her computer. As I suspected they hardly ate any!

Sean helped with some g-mail and ipad issues and we visited for a while, but needed to leave because it was 8 pm and our kids were so so tired! 

Alana and Lizzie entertained themselves for a long time with the Carousel at Aunt Lucilles. 

We had originally planned to go to the zoo on Tuesday but my Mom suggested we go Wednesday because then my dad could join us. We had a normal morning with baths and such and then headed off for a trampoline park near our house called Airbourne. Those places are a bit pricey but so much fun! We actually liked this place better than the last one and it was 2 times Tuesday so we got to jump for 2 hours for the price of 1. We started at about 11 and by 12 we were all wearing down. Sean and I were particularly tired from all the hiking the day before. The kids were having such a great time they insisted on staying till the very last possible moment. Brett learned how to do a front flip and Alana and Lizzie were very brave jumping into the foam pits. We all tried some of the obstacle courses too!

Wearing the socks is one of the best perks for these girls! The grippers on the bottom are really cool!

 Brett and Alana wanted to pose for pictures in the family room while I was still getting ready =)

After we left the trampoline park we went in search of some lunch. We ended up choosing a Great Harvest Bread company where we all got sandwiches and the kids got chips and cookies. We got a cinnamon roll to share and they offer giant free samples. Brett mostly just ate the cinnamon bread samples and Sean really loved the Red White and Blueberry Bread. Lizzie loved the cinnamon roll and her grilled cheese and Alana downed her ham sandwich and snickerdoodle cookie. We came home after lunch and did some bike riding and tv watching, then around dinner time I left Sean in charge of feeding kids while I went to Costco and Walmart. When I got home he told me that it was just hard and that nothing bad had happened but that he was reminded how hard my job is, it made me feel good!