Temple Quarry Trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon

Wednesday morning I got all the kids fed, myself showered and ready, the kids into their swimsuits and sunblocked and to swimming lessons by 9:30.  After we got home I let the kids watch TV for about an hour (they each chose a TV show) while I did some cleaning.  After lunch I put Clara down for a nap and continued with cleaning--laundry, dishes, hamster cage, floors, etc.  The two older kids kept fighting over who got to play on the computer.  Typically I limit the amount of time they play but I wanted them to be quiet so Clara could sleep and I wanted to get done a bunch of housework while Clara was sleeping.  So I kept setting a timer for 30 minutes and let them take turns.  While Spencer was playing computer Tessa played a little Wii and a little Leapster, but mainly colored or played baby dolls in her bedroom, by herself, with her door shut.  While Tessa was on the computer Spencer played Wii or his DS.  After Clara woke up I had just swept and was about to mop so I gated her downstairs in the TV room with the kids and I kept going.  After about 3 hours of the kids fighting and playing electronics (which usually leads to even more ornery, snappy kids) I decided my futile attempts at getting them to go play outside or with something else weren't working and I needed to do something with them.  So I told them all to get their shoes on and get in the car cuz we were going somewhere to have fun.  Spencer wanted a playground, Tessa a splashpad.  I momentarily thought of the splash pad in Herriman where we went with my sister over the weekend that has a playground right next to it.  But it's out in Herriman and I only had 1 hour before I would need to get dinner started.  By the time I had the kids get on swimsuits and sunblock and drove out there it would be time to come back.  As we were pulling out of the neighborhood, I looked up at the mountains and thought...Of course!

So just at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon is the Temple Quarry Nature Trail.  This is the area where the early Mormon pioneers chiseled away at large rocks to make smaller rocks to transport all the way downtown to build the Salt Lake Temple.  The path they used to get them down town went right through our neighborhood, literally.  Aside from this significance, the trail has some beautiful scenery of the mountains and the creek.  And it's quiet.  And exercise, fresh air, shaded and paved walking trails, away from electronics, etc. etc.  I pushed Clara in the stroller and occasionally let the other kids stroll down a little dirt path.  When we came upon my former favorite thinking spot--a very large rock that overlooks the stream and has a nice view of the valley--I tried to convince Spencer to climb up it.  He was much too scared.  I don't think Tessa would have been scared if I had asked her first, but she saw Spencer was scared so she also refused.  So I jumped on and climbed to the top to demonstrate it's non-scariness.  I then pulled the older kids up while Clara cried from the stroller cuz she was stuck and couldn't come with us.  The kids refused to go up the rock but enjoyed sitting near the bottom of it.  Here's my rock:

The kids seemed to enjoy the easy, short little walk.  We even saw a couple of lizards run across the path.  The kids really liked watching the fast moving creek.  I'm glad we live only 10 minutes away from such great beauty!

I'm wondering if Spencer has worn this hat in every picture I've posted of him over the last 2 weeks.  I bought it for him 2 weeks ago and it's black (his favorite color) and says "Top Secret" (and Spencer thinks he's a spy) so this has become his favorite of about a dozen hats he owns.  I believe he has only taken it off for swimming lessons, showers, and bedtime since I bought it for him.

After dinner Brodie and I took the kids to Flat Iron park and let them play on both the upper and lower playgrounds as well as run/roll down the large hill.  I'm glad we made it up the canyons and to a park so the day ended on a good note.