A Family Sedona Adventure

Before I take you on our adventures for today, I have to show you these adorable photos of Claude in her sunflower costume!  She had an owie and needed to wear a cone, but I thought the plastic ones looked uncomfortable and unpretty, so I found this cute one on Amazon!  Isn't she beautiful?!  She is all better now (because I have taken a very long time to document all these things!)

On a chilly-ish morning, Mark & Jillian and Cora & Esme came over to our house to PAINT!  I bought a bunch of painting supplies because I wanted to try using acrylics to make art.  We went outside and enjoyed playing!

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Jillian and Mark painted, too - we used 10 whole canvases!

Here's the beginning of one of my paintings.

Here are some of our creations!

From top to bottom, clockwise: Esme, Mark, me, Cora

Cora's "Building With Street And Sky":

Esme's "Heart With Additional Hearts"

Mark's "Fire Sprites"

(which, by the way, has been snapped up by a friend of mine who saw it and wanted it immediately!)

Jillian's unnamed artworks:

Later that afternoon, Greg and I went over to my parents' house to hang out and have dinner with everyone. 

Esme wrote a list of all the people who were there, even with last names!

After dinner, we went for a walk!

We didn't get a lot of photos of all of us together; this one is my favorite.

Poor Esme had the shadow of the camera right in her face - Mom, too!

Then we read some books and went to sleep!

(This is not a flattering pose for me, but I love the snuggly photo anyway.)

The next morning, we were up and at 'em early to go on an adventure!

We stopped on the way at the regular gas station that has the pretty palm trees.

We were on our way to Sedona!

So of course we stopped at Grasshopper Point, as always!

Here's another all-together photo!  Maybe this one is actually my favorite . . . ?

I may have poked my Mom for this one!

Look at my sweet nieces:

We got to our trailhead and decided it was time for lunch!  We had brought a picnic and it was delicious!  I ate a stuffed pepper with rice crackers and cashew cheese.  Yum!

Then we headed off into the red frontier!

Cora climbed up on a rock:

Many others followed here up there!

My Dad and my Mom made it to the end of the trail!

We were glad to have them along.

When we reached the "end of trail," we climbed up into the red rocks!

I love that view!

When we finished our first hike, we moved on to the second one for the day!  My parents headed home, since this second hike is rocky and difficult on the feet.

There is a rushing river!

I love the river and I love the red canyon walls!

It was a beautiful cool day, though very windy!

Mark kept trying to cross the river in various places and ways.

I crossed the river, too!

Esme and Cora wanted to get on the big rock, too!

He has some of the best silly faces!

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE.

We were very careful in the toilet because it was DEEP and STINKY and there was NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY!

Then we went to Chipotle for dinner before driving home.

This Chipotle has amazing gorgeous views:

Esme was counting the pink Jeeps (they do special Sedona tours):

Very very pretty!

And we got a special post-dinner dance from Esme!

Good night to you after a lovely day!