no air conditioning....blah

Usually our summers here in Seattle stay around a pleasant (if un-summer-like) 70 degrees.  But we do have our few days of heat.  On one of those scorching hot days, I walked into the living room and found this:

both boys were literally melted into the couch watching the Olympics in complete lethargy.  Ian was totally limp and relaxed, just draped across Daddy - it was pretty darn funny!

smooth sailing

 Eric arranged for us to go on a sail for our 7th anniversary... it was fantastic weather and a really fun adventure! When I told him happily that I could now cross it off our bucket list, he reminded me that it had never been on his bucket list! He is not a fan of large bodies of water at all and was a super sweet hubby to brave the open sea for me. (I won't mention how he rummaged around the cabin underneath trying to get on a lifejacket before we set sail... or how he sat white knuckled, gripping the boat when the wind caught the sails and we were tipped probably 60 degrees - haha! What a good sport!)  Later that evening we got sushi and sat on the restaurant's veranda, enjoying our meal and reminiscing about how good our life is. What a fun date!

4 months old... seriously?!

Where has the time gone?! I can't believe our new baby is already 4 months! How can I explain our Ian... he is such a precious addition to our home that it's hard to imagine life without him now.  He is so very mellow and sweet, and yet lights up like a light when you give him attention! He wiggles and squirms with happiness and has the brightest smile you have ever seen! His body is getting chubby and round and I am loving watching the fat rolls deepen on his wrists, forearms, and legs! He has a round little face like his big sister Nyah but his coloring is definitely more like Gabe. I think he is a perfect mixture of them both.   I wonder what his personality will be like though? So far he has been a mild, easy baby like Gabe but I've definitely seen some silliness and spunk too!  He loves to experiment yelling and squealing and I can tell he really has fun with it! He just barely started rolling over and that can keep him entertained for awhile. He also just discovered his thumb (uh oh) and will suck and gnaw on it happily. Usually when I nurse him it's a quiet pause in the day and I am just overwhelmed with the strongest feelings of love and gratitude for this sweet baby.  He is truly a delight and a treasure. I am just loving every second with him!

 

 And my favorites....

odds and ends

A visit to Grammy and Papa wouldn't be complete without lots and lots of story time...

 

The wild fires were crazy this summer... this one raged in Alpine, right next door.  This picture was taken from Matt's front yard!

Eric spent a lot of time on his bike in the mountains - he was loving it!!

Nyah brushing Aunt Crystal's pretty hair!

 The rest of these pictures were taken at the new City Creek Center downtown SLC.  We had fun exploring!

Yankee Doodle Dandy

For Independence Day week we went up the canyon for a bbq on Monday. Mom prepared the best FHE lesson. We talked about our wonderful country, sang patriotic songs, waved flags, and the kids even memorized the Pledge of Allegiance with Grammy to perform for the rest of us! At the end we talked about how to be a good citizen and the kids all picked up 10 pieces of trash. It was such a fun evening!  Mom and Dad always made each holiday special for us growing up and they are still doing it with the grandkids.  The 4th of July has always been a special one too.  We all love our country so much and feel so blessed to live here in freedom.

Nyah's headband slipped down during the prayer but she still kept her arms folded - what a reverent, good girl! (Unlike her mama who was snapping pictures!!)

Fireworks!

 We had our very own fireworks show this year and it was fantastic... until the cops broke it up! :) We didn't know that fireworks were banned in my parent's neighborhood but luckily we had most of it done by the time we found out.  The boys LOVED the fireworks!!  My cute big brother Matt was the funnest fireworks leader. He had the boys helping him out and everyone was having a blast.  Gabe had the rest of his cousins joining him running through the smoke bombs. And every time they lit up a strobe light firework, we got the kids to dance like they were in a club! haha! It was so fun!

Mindy and Griff

Mom, Dad (with Ian) and Brittany

Matt and Amy

It was just the 3 of us siblings this trip. Looking at this picture makes me so homesick... I miss those guys so much!

4th of July family bbq

 We went to Eric's parent's house for a family bbq that afternoon.  It was lots of fun to catch up with extended family and eat super yummy food!

Eric's Dad and baby Ian

Grandma Cheryl and Nyah with blue teeth! She was really enjoying that festive cake pop!

4th of July breakfast

This sweet guy let Gabe reel in a fish he had on the line!

Nyah had the worst allergies and was covered in hives, poor baby, but still a good sport!

One of the things Eric and I used to love to do in Utah on Independence Day was go to the breakfast up at Brighton.  So this year we dragged Mom and Dad and Mindy and Griff up there. ;)  It was so beautiful and festive - it felt great to be outside truly enjoying our beautiful country.  We walked around Mirror Lake while we were up there. We have lots of great memories in this canyon.  Mindy and I used to snowboard at Brighton all the time and there have been many a fishing trip up to Mirror Lake too.  I was hoping to see a moose but oh well... we did see some cute little ducklings weaving through the marsh though!

4 wheelin'

Matt with Nyah and Wesley

Me with Nyah and Wes - Amy with Logan and Gabe

Matt and Amy bought a few 4 wheelers and this was the first time we got to ride them... and what a blast!!  My goodness, Matt and Amy are going to have the ultimate "fun" house. I told them Gabe will probably beg to spend the summers with them when he gets older. ;)  While Amy is working to decorate and furnish their new home, Matt is working hard putting in the landscaping and remodeling the barn, etc. It is a ton of work but let me just say that it is already gorgeous!  It's going to be their dream house when it's all done. I'm so impressed with how they have worked hard to create this home that will be just perfect for raising their children in.  Once the barn and pasture are completed, the horses will be moved over from Dad's to Matt's property.  They also have a fire pit and waterfall/creek that flows into a little pond.  It's beautiful and I can just imagine the fun that the boys are going to have there growing up.  Can't beat having the golf course right behind you and trails for 4-wheeling right off your cul-de-sac too!  That's where we ventured off for our own little escapade.

Before I wrap this up, I have the funniest story to tell about Gabe that day.  He was sitting behind me on the 4 wheeler and I was hearing a constant "that's too fast, Mommy! That's too fast! Slow down, Mom.  That's too fast!"  I kept reassuring him that we were not going to fast and that he didn't need to worry. Well finally I told him to yell "WOOOHOOOOOO!!!" whenever he felt nervous and that would make him feel better. (I was thinking a little adrenaline rush would take care of the nerves and help him enjoy the ride!)  For the rest of the ride I heard a rather feeble "wooohooo" over and over! I turned around to see his face and it was dang serious too!  It just cracked me up! He is just my little cautious man.  Even though he didn't seem to be totally into in, he begged for more every time we stopped. He was loving it but I think it was one of those things that is so much more fun afterward but so scary at the time - kind of like a rollercoaster for the rest of us! ;)

Family Reunion Day!

First off we headed to a picnic with my Dad's family.  I got to see both my cousins my age, Sara and Marnie. It was so fun to catch up with everyone!  Then we headed to Eric's families big reunion at a cousin's ranch in Heber... it was fantastic!  It was so much fun with tons of fun games and races, yummy food, and even a mechanical bull!

 Gabe and Nyah were not too impressed with the mechanical bull. Eric and I tried our hardest to show them how fun it was but neither of us could stay on for 3 seconds, much less 8! :)  Eric got Nyah to try it out at least but she clung to him like a burr and did not enjoy it! Gabe flatly refused to go anywhere near the bull and watched us in pure apprehension (see above) as if we were riding a real wild bull...and not on a soft air cushion either. It was pretty cute!

We got lots of fun time with Grandma and Grandpa R, which the kids loved, and also with their sweet aunts, Eric's sisters Caitlynn and Crystal. What a fun day!