This morning breakfast looked like this.

I love her imagination.
Before the picture she had one girl stuck under the biscuit with the other girl to the rescue.
She can make me laugh so hard sometimes. :)

saving for the next day

Last night I was putting little Lucy to bed.
We brushed teeth, read books and prayers were said.
The normal nightly routine.
I leaned in for a good night hug and out of the corner of my eye
I noticed something on her pillow.
3 strange things on her pillow.
I went in for a slightly closer look
and noticed the 3 strange things were slugs.
Black, slimy, alive and breathing slugs.
And then she tells me laughing.
"they must have climbed on my pillow when i took it outside in the fort"
"they like me. I will save them for tomorrow?. "
Nope. no saving.
Especially not on a pillow.
It was pretty gross.
Good bye slugs.
Hello clean pillow case.
What next?
Open the fridge to find a ice cream cone Lucy wanted "to save for the next day. "
In a large puddle dripping into every nook and cranny.
She should have just put it on her pillow by her slugs to "save for the next day".
It would have been a whole lot easier to clean up.
Who knew being resourceful could end so badly?
Never a dull moment.
Never.
{climbing out of a tunnel, aspen grove 2011}

Pinecreek Canyon

One of my most favorite, beautiful things I did this Fall.
It lived up to all my expectations.
And the wet suits just sweetened the deal.
More to come.....

down right dirty

So once a while it's good to do something totally unadult and immature with hundreds of other "grown ups" acting in the same manner right? To scramble up slippery, sloppy mud hills, throw a big mud ball and your girl friends face, do a cannonball off a rope swing into a mud pit, become a swamp princess, seek revenge, dangle from ropes, and lets not forget the giant slip n' slide. All of this while looking radiant in a unibrow and awesome mustaches. { We really took the place by storm looking so good. :) } Believe me once you get your unibrow painted on any once of dignity you think you might maintain doing this event is already gone and your about ready for anything that comes your way. Well except for the lady with the see through pants and looking over your shoulder crawling through a mud tube to find a little bigger fellow dressed up as the lead singer to KISS hot on your trail. Let's be honest your really never ready for those kinds of surprises. "Your only as old as your feel..." Is that way that saying goes" So I guess if you want to feel somewhere between the age of 15-20 for a few hours do the dirty dash 10k. It will work like a charm. It's good for the soul....and some old clothes you want to get rid of. Not to good for shower cleaning or your q tip supply. It was bunches of filthy fun minus the dirt I keep pulling out of my ears. Next years outfit. Wet suit. ear muffs. and goggles!!

{awesome swamp princess}

{ about half the group....It was super sized!!}

silver lake

Up a windy dirt road
and over a mountain pass
is a lovely little lake
with a trail all the way around
lined with pines.
Three little blondies with fishing poles in tow
winded their way around and found...
relaxing fishing spots
climbing spots
pine cone finding spots
and hide and seek spots.
The perfect quick fix for a little summer mountain love.

{This one is my favorite :)}

the best pool-side view

After 3 days and 3 nights of
hiking, tubing down rivers, lizard catching, trail running,
marshmallow roasting, ants attacking, pad sleeping, rock finding
and bike riding.
There is not a whole lot better than to nestle into a favorite hotel
and go to one of your favorite places to eat pizza.
Then soak in a hot tub, take a long shower, read a good book and sleep in!
This place has the most amazing pool side-view!
Oh, and did I mention they have movies like Edward Scissorhands to check out at the front desk!
Three little kids were very captivated. :)

Flashback to more of our Zion 4th of July.

Meet up with some favorite friends.
Explored the narrows {water is running high this year}
Watched the clouds roll by under our favorite tree.
Races/Competitions.
Freeze Dance
Happiness.

don't worry honey's you never have to eat oinions

Lucy said to me the other day during lunch

"I'm going to be the nicest mom ever when I get big.
I will say...Clean your room little honey's and I will
say don't worry little honey's you NEVER have to eat onions."

Then she says...
"Onions are the only food I don't like.
I even like to eat crust."

And then she ate her crust all gone and told me how many babies she wants. :)

It was a good lunch.

The Emerald Pools

We have had many great summer adventures.
This one was one of my favorites.
It had been a couple of years since we spent an afternoon at the emerald falls.
So lunches were packed, lots of water, and we were off!
It was hot hiking in...like a 104 hot!
But that made the waterfalls along the way extra good.
And the pools at the top heavenly.
Lucy impressed her European friends she made along the trail.
Her little stick legs were maneuvering up the mountain much faster than most.
Canyon found some boulder jumping.
And Ellie drew masterpieces in the sand.
Shane covered up the no swimming in the pools sign.
I just soaked everything in.
A lovely start to a 4th of July weekend.

She is 4 and a little bit country

Lucy turned 4.
Her Birthday wishes were
1. To roast a marshmallow
2. To get a puppy
All her birthday wishes came true....sort of :)
Plus she got to spend it with the boy she claims will be her husband.
And that boy even caught her a chicken.
What more can you ask for?

She is a little disappointed with her puppy she lovingly named Rosie.
She said she wants her to drink real milk and she won't.
She still sleeps with Rosie night.
Maybe she is holding out hope.
Looks like we need to look at getting a puppy that drinks milk a little harder.

Lucy with her friends.
She hangs with the guys :)
This just gives me a glimpse of life fast forwarded 10 years.
It's a little scary.
Happy Birthday Little Lucy Bird!!
So Happy you are 4!!

Summer is here!

Summer is here!
And thanks to a extraordinary wet spring
everything is sooooo green!
I love it!! Trying to decide if it is worth not seeing the sun for days on end.
Things have not slowed down for a second!
I have hopes of recording all the lovely things that life brings.
Like this.

My sweet Ellie Aspen turned 8.
{extra thanks to our ultra talented aunt allison who captured it so beautifully!}
{we are pretty lucky}
more to come!

wormy

"Mom I found this wormy on the sidewalk. It's all wet.
I'm going to put it by the fire to get warm."
and that's what she did.
After Mr. wormy was all nice and warm she proceeded to put it on....
my nightstand
a pillow made out of toilet paper
inside a book.
on her big wheel.
On Ellie's new birthday squinkie. {shhhhhh....no one tell!}
She said it was her pet.
I let it continue.
Until she wanted to watch Tangled in my bed.
That's where I drew the line.
She had to make a choice and Tangled won.
And she sadly set Mr. Wormy free.
Goodbye Wormy.

There is nothing like it in all the world.

There is nothing like it in all the world.
Being a mother
to 3 amazing little people.
They bring happiness into my life.
every.single.day.
I love them endlessly.
I am forever grateful.

{On a rainy spring day 2011}

little yoga masters

Ellie started doing head stands.
Then Lucy started practicing them.
Then Ellie moved on to hand stands.
Then Lucy mastered the head stand.
Then they both mastered there technique on a this desert mountain trail.
No better place for a little yoga I suppose.

driving with the windows down

The first thing Lucy said upon our arrival when she threw back the curtains was.
"Yep I guess it's summer now! There's a flower!"
For a little while it was spring.
And we were not taking it for granted.
Spinning at the park
Bear Paw poppy mt. bike trail.
Sand dunes
hikes
caves
swimming
morning runs without a hat.
a little golf
ice cream cones {outside}
and my personal favorite driving with the windows down.
It feels SOOO good to do that the first time of the season.
It was refreshing.
Oh...did I mention we got to go with our good friends.
Who happen to bring a few kids our kids LOVE.
They were in heaven and spent the last hour of the trip begging to stay longer.
I hated saying no. I could have handled a little longer myself.
More pics to come. :)