Hanging Rock State Park

We had a completely free Saturday so we decided to go and do something fun. A friend suggested a place about 2 hours away called Hanging Rock State Park. There are a few hikes to waterfalls there so we chose an easy one that was only .3 miles. And a very easy .3 miles too.

We were rewarded with a little waterfall with a pool at the bottom the kids could play in.

Just like in Utah Ja wanted to climb the rocks and explore. This time he had Owen strapped to his chest.

Me and my girls waiting for Ja to climb back to us.

The water carved a path through this rock formation.

Anna was very cautious walking around on the rocks.

I'm not even sure what Anna is doing in this picture. It looked like she was trying to do push-ups. Maybe she just wanted her tummy wet?

I thought Owen's toes looked so cute in the water. This water was much much warmer than the waterfall in Provo!

Now, the best thing about this park is the lake with a sand beach! It costs something like $4 to swim per person. My friend that suggested it said there is a diving board and that Ja will like it. She was exactly right. He wasn't too excited about going to a lake to swim but he loved the diving board. And you know who else liked it? MACY!!

In order to jump off a person has to be able to swim unassisted from the shore to the platform. Macy tried it once then got scared because swimming in a lake is different than a pool. For one, you can't see the bottom! She was determined to jump off the diving board though. She asked for her goggles and then she swam all by herself!! I was so extremely proud of her. The funny thing is all the previous week I was teaching her freestyle and she practiced it every day! That really paid off! It's always great to have skills when you need them!

I don't have any pictures of Macy swimming or jumping because Anna, Owen, and I were all watching her in the water. I was so proud of her that tears started coming. I don't know if I've ever been so proud of her for accomplishing something. The cutest part was that the platform was full of teenage boys and little Macy. The first jump Ja went off first so he could catch her. But she didn't need his help and requested that she jump off first next time.

Out of all the teenagers on the platform only 5 or so were jumping. They were having a belly-flop contest. It was very entertaining to watch. Since there are two diving boards Ja had the other one all to himself. He was having a great time diving and jumping over and over. We had a fun time watching him too. (A side note- We had just started potty training with Anna the week before. She was laying still in the sand for a long time. I thought she was watching Ja but instead she was pooping. In her bathing suit. Thank goodness it wasn't very much.)

This didn't last very long.

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful setting. I felt like it could totally be in a movie. These pictures don't do it justice.

I fed Owen then he took a little nap on the soft sand. 

This is the only group shot. A real beauty. 

 Anna made this sand castle and it was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

After we left the park we got dressed then went to Cook-Out for dinner. We got home around 8 and put the kids to bed. We had such a fun day. The only sad thing is that we discovered this place at the end of the summer so we can't go back until next year! We will be going back though!