Parading Pioneers in Panguitch

If you're going to go to Panguitch, you gotta go over the 24th of July. 

Because on Pioneer Day, Panguitch comes alive.

I'm talkin' semis.

I'm talkin' free candy spewed onto the streets.

I'm talkin' whistles.

And a cute little train loaded with your kids' cousins.

I'm talkin' about the Panguitch Pioneer Day Parade. Centered at the only stoplight in town.

The great thing about a Panguitch parade is that if you have the right connections, you can become a part of the action mid parade! Carson and Eli were welcomed aboard the Choo-Choo-Choose the Right Express to finish off the show.

Kaelynn was helping with the "Root Beer Float" where she handed out homemade Root Beer to parade goers.

And the thing about a Panguitch parade is that it ends with a fire truck hosing down the crowd just as the afternoon sun began to gleam.

Truth be told, we went to Panguitch for the world-famous parade, but it was an added bonus that Jeff's sister lives there and was able to show us some hot spots of the area. We went over to Bryce Canyon one afternoon for a hike to Mossy Cave.

I want this group to be our permanent hiking buddies because they sure helped motivate my boys to keep up!

We made it to Mossy Cave!

We kept going to find a waterfall. Carson started reaching meltdown mode, so cousin support in the form of hand holding became necessary.

This hike was so fun because part of the hike we walked through water. Eli loved the thrill of sploshing around as we made our way to the waterfall.

We found another spot on the way back to stop and let the kids play in the water. Eli is obsessed with dam building, so he got right to work blocking up the waterways.

He comes by his obsession honestly.

Meanwhile Carson's mood refused to improve. He who thinks his life is in peril if he spills a molecule of water on his shirt demanded to strip down once he realized his clothes had been splashed. Then he scowled on the rock while begging Jeff to carry him back to the car.

We made it through the hike and promptly put the kids to bed early so they would be up and at 'em for another day of adventuring.

We went to a skate park that doubled as a roller coaster when we braved up and started sending people down the ramps on that green car. Confession: I went down a ramp on that tiny green car and it may or may not have been one of my favorite parts of our whole trip.

Then we went and grabbed some snow cones!

That evening we found a campsite where the kids began stoning each other. It was unintentional, but two children of one family were accidentally hit by two children of another family and I'll just let you guess which children were the ones throwing with reckless abandon. *cough* mine *cough*

Here's where Carson began warming up to the 4-wheelers. Here is also where Jeff rekindled his love of 4-wheeling and will now be dreaming of 4-wheelers for the next however many years until he convinces me we need to buy a 4-wheeler.

Raise your hand if you love Panguitch!

It took a couple of days for the boy cousins to notice Lincoln, but once they did they repeatedly came up to me and said, "Your baby is really cute." "I like your baby." And things of the like. I love seeing boys especially take an interest in babies. And then, of course, Kaelynn had Lincoln wrapped around her finger! She was my #1 baby holder while we were there. I almost convinced her to come home with us!

Coleman and Carson are the cutest. They are the same size. The same mischievousness. The same interests. The best of buds.

The same could be said for Eli and Caleb.

There was a moment of uncertainty when we had to pass this bit of water via 4-wheeler where I shriveled up in fear and this mountain man confidently came to my rescue. I fell in love with him all over again.

We had such a blast in Panguitch! The weather was perfect, the kids got along, the food was divine and the lodging was superior! My only complaint is I had to hear Eli literally sob for a solid hour after we left to go home because "it was just so fun" and he didn't want to leave.

Then he realized he had left the walking stick he found on our hike behind and that unleashed another hour of unruly screeching. We tried to convince Eli that we'd be able to find another stick just as good as his Panguitch stick, but he was not having it. He had found the best stick, we left it, and life as he knew it was over. Plus he was exhausted, so that wasn't doing us any favors.

A half hour into debating the stick debacle, Jeff calmly stopped the car on the side of the road and got out. The car fell silent as we watched Jeff wander through the shrubbery to find a stick up to Eli's standards. I fell in love with him all over again...again.

Eli was introduced to Star Wars while we were in Panguitch, so Jeff emerged with what he announced as the "Light Saber Stick" hoping Eli would accept his attempt to find a stick substitute.

Eli stubbornly hid his smile as he began inspecting the stick imposter. Jeff and I exchanged victorious glances as we were sure we had convinced Eli we had found a better stick and the screaming was now behind us. Almost as if he could smell our relief, Eli's face went sour, he threw the stick down and rejected it, once again proclaiming his original stick as the best stick ever.

We continued on our way as Eli slowly sobbed himself to sleep. He woke up with stick amnesia and hasn't mentioned the dang thing since. That was a freebie!

Thanks Laura and Ben for the fun trip! And sorry about that stick we left lying around somewhere in your house. You have my permission to burn it and never speak of it again lest we unleash a mix bag of emotions in Eli.