Little Lovelies Lately...

You know the urgency you feel when you're trying to prep your home for a new baby and you want to finish the musical rooms game and get everything "just so" asap?  Or how about the frenzy of house cleaning, packing, arranging for the feeding of the dog and the picking up of the mail with the neighbors right before you go on a trip?

Well, the end of summer, "we're almost to enter fall and a schedule and let's just live balls to the wall for the next couple of weeks until it's really gone" syndrome MIGHT outdo both of those.  I'm speaking from experience.  Holy Geez, I'm in a melluva hess trying to get every last drop of summer wrung out.

These first two pictures I consider to be my boys' ice bucket challenges.  That water was ICE cold and they laughed hysterically.   The glee on the "water spout operator's" face says it all.

How about this?  Dirtiest boys and dirtiest dog you ever did see.  Literally they went from ditch to dirt.  They wreaked something awful but they looked cute.  That afternoon was basically one from the scenes of Dennis the Menace - no lie, antic after antic I survived (barely) 

But everyone loves a little bout with trouble now and again.  Or so I tell myself.  

We really tried to keep up our school work this summer.  And total side note but worth mentioning.... we've decided to NOT send our little Kindergartner to school this year.  Remember how he just turned five at the very end of July?  Apparently that puts him past the deadline to play any rec sports since the deadlines for those are April 30th.  Since we're pretty sure our little agile wrestler/tackler will have something to do with organized sports, and we're sure he would like to play with kids he knows from school that are his own age, we opted to "red shirt" him this year.  

We're really happy about it and he isn't phased in the least.  We might do the same thing for Dax next year or maybe we'll send them both to Kindergarten... they are, after all, our little Irish twins.  We'll play it by ear, but we do know that one more year of preschool - read: road trips with our trio of little men and a flexible schedule equals a Total VICTORY for all!

Ace Face has really been on a role with his twonager antics.  In fact, we just got this picture from Kim's wedding in April and we busted up at Ace's mug.  Fine - everyones.  But seriously... A Hulk Smash impersonation right as the camera clicked?  What are the chances?  

Off the charts HIGH if you know this brood.

And it should be noted that Ryno requested that I bottle peaches for him.  Actually he said, "Remember you thought you couldn't make rolls and then you totally nailed it?  I bet you could do that with bottled peaches too.  Do it for me, babe."  Ugh.  He knows me too well.  Issue a challenge and cloak it under the guise of an act of love?  

 Yep.  I roadtripped it down to my home town to spend one LONG night being the modern day pioneer wifey of his dreams with a little help from my mama.  I'm not gonna lie.  Bottling food is a lengthy process but BAM.  Happy Hubs - Lots of Lubs?  I don't know... I have a canning hangover.

And so do they.  Man it won't be long before I don't look back and see this.  So I'm soaking it in.  In a somewhat frantic fashion lately... but you can see why.  :)

The Tail End...

It's the tail end of summer...Literally.

Soon we'll be restarting our season of organized learning.  But before we do, let's reminise together about those last luxurious days of summer.  When we floated around dreamily in an empty pool like the last few fruit loops in a bowl of morning cereal.

{Come on, you know that picture conjures up that image for you too}

 

And we basked in our complete world domination.  Fine, we basked in the dominion over the splash park.  Which is pretty cool too.

 I could watch them do this for hours.  They are completely carefree.  The picture of true joy.  It makes me grateful for their healthy little bodies and their strong sense of adventure and their companionship in one another.

Man do they have a good time with their built in best friends as brothers.  I hope they always do.  We are a lucky bunch.  And we've clearly won the lottery on the Y chromosomes.

Do we have our moments of crabbiness on these little getaways?  You bet.

Do I dwell on them?  Not a chance. 

I hope in their memories they are able to overlook the times I lose my cool, and focus, rather, on the overarching theme of sun and water and fun and just being together.

 Because it's been a week since we snapped these photos, and that's all I remember...

Smiles upon smiles, and belly laughs galore.

 And all good things must come to an end.

We made it back to the arms of our papa bear safe and sound.  For story time and snuggles and sweet dreams in the comfort of our own beds.

And that's something almost as nice as a getaway.

Southern Comforts...

So are you tiring of road trip pics?  Too Bad.

Just kidding, I'm almost done.

But listen, southern Utah provides the best dang back drops it almost fools me into thinking I have photog skills.  I don't.  It's just the beautiful scenery, the bluest skies and these three cute kids I know.

 

Anyway, we did more hiking in Bryce Canyon.  Actually we hiked to Mossy Cave which is a childhood favorite of mine, but might not technically be considered Bryce Canyon.  And then we made a pit stop in St. George.  It was literally a day where we logged six hours in the pool followed by the obligatory hour at the splash park and a ride on the carousel.  We are hardy like that.  

Also, it was the day I heard a million times over how "disappointing" it was that I made them wear life jackets.  Apparently just 4 and just barely 5 is the age when it is down right embarrassing to wear a flotation device.  In my defense, I forgot to pack floaters and I wasn't about to do it on my own without them.  MEANest Mom ever.  Clearly.

They got over it, and began doing stunts like cliff divers off this man made waterfall that I'm not sure was intended to be used as a diving board, but alas... HOURS of entertainment.   And Bonus - there was a statuesque palm tree in the back ground.  Love.

 

Allow me to point out how fun it is to watch them play together.  They were sooo very close to getting Ace to join them.  Next summer it'll be a three man cliff diving extravaganza.  He jumped from the lower ledges which were just "far beneath" the big boys' skill set.  In other words, he jumped solo.  :)

 

I feel like I'm mid-science-project and I'm just waiting to see if my hypothesis is actually proven wrong.  But seriously - My fearless little fish and I will wrap up this big report next time.

You don't have to hide your relief.  I feel you.

XO

The Reef...

We decided to make this little road trip full of adventure of the "bigger boy" variety and we took several hikes.  This day found us at Capitol Reef National Park.  

And I've probably documented it thoroughly, but just in case, I have a total love affair with red rocks.  It's something about the way they contrast with those blue skies coupled with the fact that I grew up with that red dirt staining the knees of my jeans and falling out of my socks?  It does it for me.

The little men took turns being "the line leader" and hiked themselves all the way in to see Hickman's Bridge.  It isn't "Rainbow Bridge" but that's what we called it, since I told them it would arc all the way across the sky like a rainbow.  I'm a serious over exaggerator in general, but in this instance, I spoke truth and they have a truth-o-meter and were pretty intent on seeing this rainbow of rock. 

 We were looking for Rams, but I knew a sighting would be unlikely since we don't hike with any degree of stealth.  But you know, we did see five lizards and if you ask my boys we were "this close" to catching each and every one.  :)

When we reached the part of the trail where you veer off to actually loop under the bridge, little Acey had had enough fun for one morning.  He was a free loader for about a 1/4 mile of our hike and then after some water and a little rest, he was back at it.

 These were some proud little mountain goats.  They were in awe.  It's hard not to be.  Mother Nature has a knack for outdoing herself.  I salute her for her insane vistas. 

 And then, on the other side, there was shade.  And we beheld it and knew that it was good.

So we basked in it for a while.  Because we're no dummies.

 On the hike back I bribed them with "throwing rocks in the big puddle" and "picking fruit in the orchard".  It's amazing what makes these little dudes tick, because it completely worked.

 And just like that - there we were - at the orchard of my dreams.  Listen, I would take an orchard, period.  But since I now know there are some that are at the base of these red cliffs, the bar has been risen.  I'm gonna need a red rock orchard.  So let it be noted.

Who doesn't love this place?

I daresay I get why tourists flock here from all over the world.

Ahhh Capitol Reef...

Thanks for scratching our hiking itch and throwing in a heaping side of gorgeous.