St. Geezy Ain't Breezy...

In fact... it's a little melty if we're gonna use "technical" adjectives.  My friend Ash and I decided to utilize our family's resources and stay in St. George for a few days for a mid-summer getaway.  And let me just say, you can survive consecutive 111 degree days if you have a pool or two at your disposal!  

These little water hawgs wasted not a moment and jumped (repeat 513 x per day) into the cool waters.  I think we logged (on average) at least six hours a day in the water.  I'm kinda wishing we were back because it isn't that much cooler here at home and we're sans pool.

Kael and Dax perfected their tandom jump (see the high tech time lapse photography below)

While Acey spent a good amount of time in the hot tub with the college hotties and made some major enemies out of the college guys who were waiting (a long time) for the aforementioned college hotties to join them in the pool.  They were busy enjoying Ace's company and he rubbed it in like a dog.

And lest you thought the boys were the only ones who got in on the fun, I present photographic evidence that this mama could not lay idly in the pool chairs to catch some rays... it was just THAT hot.   (Us & the Weather... Hardy Har Har)

In the "cool" evening hours we played in the yard and went to the movie and fended off bad guys and ingested a billion popsicles.

Oh - and pretended to be ferocious tigers (of course)

And should I be worried that this phase is not ending?

Per tradition I captured the ever present summer tan lines in the tub one night because, HELLO?  That is a whole lotta cuteness right there.

Before we left we did Grandpa's house errands - apparently gathering Grandpa's mail is comparable to going to Disneyland.  They were giddy to walk to the mail box, brought to near hysterics trying every box with their key and finally happening upon the right number?  It was a chorus of giggles.  I swear on my life, their brains might have been a little fried at this point.

But saving the best for last, I present to you the trip home.

You know what they say, "The brothers that snooze together stick together."  Or something but literally those little sunscreened hides were pretty well stuck together.  :)

'Til next time St. Geezy.

Sherwood Shores...

When I was little I spent many summer days splashing and swimming along the shoreline of a place called Sherwood Shores.

That name.  I mean, the name sounds magical and theatrical in and of itself, but those days... they are largely unmatched in my huge collection of epic childhood memory folders.  And listen, my filing cabinet is large and overflowing.

This past weekend I got to take my own little family there.  I was careful not to oversell it since I didn't trust my "full of pixie dust childhood memory bank" to report accurately on all things Sherwood Shores.  Turns out... I could've talked the place up for days and it still would have outshone it's reputation.  It was amazing.

The water for skiing was glass.  The shoreline was shaded with oversized cottonwood trees and a few weeping willows.  The lake house - while run down from it's prior pristine condition and overgrown in the yard, still maintained it's sandy walk ways and it's lawn for lounging and it's shaded outdoor dining area for a crowd.  

And my cousins -- You guys -- Those people that grew up with you and knew you as a kid and share similar memories to yours?  You have to hold on to those people.  It was like we hadn't skipped a beat.  I loved every moment and I still feel so lucky to call them mine.

I feel like we should head back to those magical childhood memories anytime things get rough.  Like, the times where you're yearning for a little more communication or love or understanding and life's comforter seems a bit threadbare?  You can make it through - and it helps if you head back to the sweet days of childhood with your own children.

It doesn't hurt either when your 60-year-old mama shows off her skiing skills to your little people and they sit in amazement as she carves it up on the very lake she learned to ski years prior.  :)

{Please let that power be passed along in the genes.}

Anyway, once you get there - to that stage, where unbeknownst to you, you played a role when the curtain lifted... press Play and Repeat on the soundtrack.  The tunes that waft through the air are so soothingly familiar to you that you instantly get into character... and then the after party?  Where you swoop all those people you love out onto your proverbial dance floor and live it up just like you once did?  I'm telling you -- cure the world of all it's ails type stuff.

I sound high on life - I understand... Like I rode a unicorn into this weekend and had him pull our boat home over a rainbow colored I-15.  The thing is - I kinda did.  The unicorn is in the stable munching on Lucky Charms for now, but he'll be charioting us back soon.  Because I feel a sweet repeat of all the best, magical childhood things coming soon.  :)

My heart is full and happy.  And my family is sun kissed and tired.  Perfect combination.

Please let them store this weekend away in their own little filing cabinets 

full of delightful childhood memories - forever.

Summer Lovin'...

You guys, we don't have much to report by way of swanky vacations these past few days or even anything particularly noteworthy... but if you ask my kids... they'll tell you tall tales of summer and water and fun.  Which makes me think this "whole lotta nothin'" equates to somethin' special in their big book of summer.

My favorite faces of summer... in no particular order...

 Those little lips are usually stained blue or green from Otter Pops and 90 percent of the time they're shirtless and their little feet dutifully report hours spent outside barefoot in the sun...

Random Side Note:

Dr. Gardner removed Kael's stitches on Sunday.  He was a little nervous but then giggled when the whole thing was over... like, really?  That was it?

The trio of terror... on the boat on a Saturday afternoon.

Then scrubbing the filth and murk of Utah Lake off that night.

All spiffed up and ready for church on Sunday morning.

 I think I'll keep every single one of them.  

Even the mighty three-year-old.

XO

In Summer!!!!

I basically love every single part of being a Mama to young kids.  No joke my days are long and awesome and in the summer they're full of sun and water.

With a side of urgent care... but we'll get to that.  :)

 

We fled the valley and headed to gorgeous Midway with my Mama and sister and her kids while the boys are away in Alaska.  After a May full of rain, the hills are a brilliant green and the sun shone to the tune of 90 degrees.... it was, HEAVENLY.

We spent six hours at the pool the first day.  No joke.  I couldn't even pry Dax out... literally we had to feed him handfuls of fishy crackers at the side of the pool with the occasional swig of water or he might have passed out.  

And then, the cannon ball heard round the world happened....

Kaelster thought a 360 cannonball to show off would be stylish.  Long story short... it wasn't.  He nailed his chin on the concrete side of the pool and split that baby right open.  I left the other two boys with my sister and headed straight to Urgent Care where after three stitches, our big boy headed right back to the pool and cannon-balled himself back in.  Shocker.

 

 

It was smooth sailing from then on out.  We ate, swam, swam some more, passed out for a long night of "swim induced coma sleep" and spent time in the crater at the Homestead where my little zen masters became one with the mineralized waters.

 

We told them the waters were magical and would heal their owies... once we got out everyone inspected themselves and Ace said to me, "Mommy thanks for letting me swim in that mountain pool... all my owies are gone!"  :)

When it was time to go home, my little buddies with the travelin' bones said, "So are we headed to the St. George house now?"  :)  When I told them no, Ace started to beg to stay another night at a hotel... "ANY HOTEL, Mom!  Please!!"  Gypsies - just like their papa bear.

And a zillion thanks to this lady, the cutest Grandma in the Universe.  Man do these kids adore her.

Who knows, maybe we'll mow the lawn and pay a few bills and head out for the second half of the week in a new adventure spot.  That's the beauty of my mama summer schedule... 

 And I love it.