Heaven

Literally, Jacob Lake is heaven on earth for me.  We packed up the trailer and the kids and headed to Arizona for our favorite camping trip of the year.  We ate at the diner first and then had the notorious Jacob Lake Inn cookies!  It was nice and cool at night so we bundled up by the fire and enjoyed the stars.  The next morning the kids headed to the fort for some serious building... Wyatt mostly threw sticks and made every "cool" stick some sort of weapon that makes shooting noises.  Then we went hiking, got ice-cream, and rode bikes for most of the day.  And who could forget playing Yahtzee most of the entire trip!!  Our last night there, we ate our favorite camping meal of Dutch oven potatoes, steak, and watermelon.  And to top it off, smores by the fire!!!

Seriously, I feel so close with my family when we are together in nature.  They are the most amazing kids and I am so glad to be their mother.  School is starting in 2 days and the madness of being in season will begin again.  I am going to stay grounded and draw strength and love from my husband and little ones.  I am one lucky mama.

Randomness

Ok- so here we go.  Random pictures from the summer.  First, we start with volleyball camps all summer and Paige bringing this precious little dog everywhere! 

Next, I think we personally paid McDonald's bills this summer... I am on Happy Meal strike.  

Next pic is my hubby hiking with my baby.  I love this picture.  

Next pic is me and my cousins that we never see!  It was great to see them.

No, Chris is not having an affair.  That's him and his mother going to Tuachan!  They had a great time!

Next pic is our little garden and the red potatoes that were awesome!!!!  Our garden was awesome this year and we loved the spoils!!

Lastly, when Chris went to Idaho for a pool job, he ate at our college favorite BIG JUDS!!!  It was amazing to see that big ol' burger again and he even brought me a t-shirt!! WOO HOO!!

Summer Fun

With summer wrapping up, we hit a few fun spots!!  Grandma Gigi took Paigey and a few friends to the children's museum.  Meanwhile, Brock and Huddy partied it up!  Then, we grabbed the Sonju cousins and headed for a day of fun!  First we hit the bowling alley and Brock tore it up with a score of 144!  We did the worm when we got a strike and the girls almost peed their pants when I went to retrieve Wyatt's ball in the next lane over and fell.... HARD... on my BUTT!!  Moving on, we went for Dairy Queen and then headed to the Children's Museum.  Maddie and Paige were in heaven singing Frozen songs on the stage... for hours.  It was a great day- love those girls!

Kanaarville Falls

We packed up the crew and headed to hike for the day.  It was about 3 1/2 miles and the kids did great!  You hike through the river most of the hike and then hit the canyon.  There is an awesome ladder and some killer waterslides too.  We saw lizards, bugs galore, and even a snake!  We had packed a picnic lunch, so we stopped in the canyon and sat down as a family to eat! The kids had so much fun and it was so good to get away after a long week of volleyball camp!!  By the end of the hike, the kids were soaked but it was totally worth it!

Swim Team

So we figured that the best way to entertain kids at a 20 hour swim meet is to bring legos!  Seriously, we had about 8 kids in our tent at all times building ships, cars, and guys.  While the meets were long... and hot... the kids were amazing!  Both kids ended up making it to the championships!  The kids were butterfly champs and Bub was awesome in the IM.  Lots of getting up early (me included!) but lots of fun, lots of ribbons and medals, and lots of tight swimsuits!  Until next year....