SOLO ROAD TRIP

my three littles and i took a road trip a week ago to moab, utah and although it's not a super long drive solo..... i was stuck in the car for 4+ hours with my three girls. things could have gone terribly wrong and luckily they didn't, i thought i would share a few tips and tricks for road trippin' with kids and a few of our very favorite things to do while down in moab!

i think my number one advice would be to plan your drive according to naps, and if your kids are no longer napping an early morning or late night drive would probably be best. for the drive down and for the drive home, i made sure we were on the road just before margo's morning naps which made the drive go a lot smoother.

snacks, snacks, and more snacks.  avoiding anything with lots of crumbs and that would give my girls a sugar rush! we packed lots of movies and had a few coloring books and crayons to keep them entertained. luckily the car ride still put my older girls to sleep as well. we did have to make a bathroom stop and to feed baby because i am still breastfeeding.

and to keep you drivers awake, i made sure to download some podcasts before hitting the road, throwing in my air pods and listened to something other than kid movies and "are we there yet?!" every five minutes. if you're like me and get super drowsy, i also snagged a red bull and for the moments you feel like you are going to lose your mind from the kids in the back seat i used doterra's BALANCE essential oil every chance i got!

we honestly didn't do too many activities because it gets so freaking hot. but there is so much to do down in moab!! getting up early to beat the heat is my biggest advice! our first day there we hiked the Grandstaff Hiking Trail which was beautiful and the girls loved it with all the soft red sand in some areas.

you also NEED to check out Arches National Park, it is absolutely breath taking with some beautiful hikes! there are plenty of kid friendly hikes that you can take your littles on and of course some of the more difficult ones. be sure to bring LOTS of water, wear comfortable tennis shoes, bring sunscreen and of course a backpack or baby carrier of some sort if you've got a babe you're bringing along.

some of the more kid friendly hikes in arches are: Balanced Rock (SUPER, super easy), Double Arch (we had plans to hit this one but didn't get to it, it looked a little more difficult for littles or those who have a harder time with hikes) and of course The Windows. a few years ago, my siblings and i hiked Delicate Arch at sunrise which was so so beautiful. i of course didn't have my kids with me as it is more difficult. another kid friendly hike, that we were dying to do but by the time we got to it, my girls were DONE! is the Sand Dune Arch--- this is the one i know my girls would have loved the very most! We will have to hit it next time!

we also did a lot of shopping on main street, walked across the bridge over the Colorado River and spent the day at Moab's Rec Center swimming.... which by the way is the best kid friendly pool, with both indoor and outdoor pools! my girls had the time of their lives here and was probably the high light of their trip!

Spontaneous Vegas Trip!

dave is all about being spontaneous over here, and while i DO love it also- i am a huge planner so being super spontaneous (like deciding to take a road trip to cali and leaving 2 hours later!) sometimes throws me off! but it keeps things FUN!

we decided last weekend, wait it's already been two weeks?? to take a quick weekend trip to Las Vegas with some friends to get away for a few days. we love vegas!! and it was our first time taking the girls! we figured out that vegas is actually really kid friendly if you do some searching and asking around! we also learned that vegas is a lot of work with tiny kids... lots of walking equals lots of chasing kids and CARRYING kids around. unless your littles love strollers then you're golden! but ours........... don't like strollers.

we spent a lot of time eating, walking around, napping, eating, walking around, sleeping, eating.... we took the kids to the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay which was actually REALLY cool!!! we loved seeing all the sea animals and all the really big sharks in their aquarium!

on our last night we took the kids to Glow Zone which was kid friendly but would also be really really fun for date night! Everything glows in the dark!!! i wish they had one here in utah! maybye they do... i just need to do some research! on our way home we stopped at the hot springs just near fillmore utah right before the huge snow storm hit. it was so beautiful and we were all in heaven!!! its always so nice to get away and to make new memories with my little family-- i am so lucky to have these three... soon to be four!