seven peaks swim

 these kids love the water, and we love the sun!

well, Camden for sure loves the water, but London...well, she likes to get her feet wet :)

 we forced helped the kids down the slide, hung out with the dinosaurs and explored the caves, and checked out the lazy river. my favorite part was the wave pool.  the toddlers were a little nervous to go too far into the deep water with the waves hitting their faces, so we stayed just where the waves crashed.

Camden thought it was hilarious! he would giggle every time the waves came.  i love his little laugh. it is so sweet-- it gets mama smiling and laughing every time.

the rain ended our fun early. but you know it was a good time when little mister falls asleep before we even get out of the parking lot.

san francisco, open your golden gate!

 i love this city!

on the (long, long, long) car ride home from the wedding, we stopped to spend a day in san fran.

it was glorious--

we really wanted to see a giants baseball game (i hear the stadium/ view is amazing!), but the standing room only tickets were still sixty bucks. not cool giants, not cool. so, we passed on an afternoon of baseball and instead explored the city.

 lunch at fisherman's wharf...delicious crab cakes and clam chowder!

 a trolley ride up and down the streets. and a little shopping time :)

 lots of walking, sights and food.  the wonderful salty air in our faces, and seafood on our minds made for a beautiful day. 

of course we had to go to ghiradelli square, and stop in their sweet baby shop for a souvenir for Camden, and Ryan needed to watch the bush man at work. 

it was a good way to break up the long road trip, in a city i would love to frequent!

the reason for the roadtrip

 on our way from our hotel (in some random, cheap as they come place), to the wedding, we took the road less traveled. (Robert Frost would be proud) much less traveled.

try we passed two cars the entire hour long car ride there.

but, the middle of nowhere ended up leading us to some beautiful look out spots-- and we made it to the wedding on time!

the wedding was breathtaking! Josh is a wine taster for a living, so it was only natural that they chose a vineyard to be married in.  it was our first trip to wine country, and yes, it is as beautiful as all the movies make it look :)

the entire night i couldn't help but miss Camden, but at the same time, it was also really fun to just be able to relax and enjoy the night's festivities without chasing a toddler around.
i love weddings! it makes me so happy to see someone in love, and it always makes me think about my own wedding, and the amazing husband i get to spend my life with. win, win.

the hors d'oeuvres were fantastic!
my favorite was the watermelon, mozzarella, and basil kabob with balsamic drizzle.

after dinner and mingling, came the dancing!

it's always fun to find ANY excuse to see my husband dance!

i also love spending time catching up with the "Waterford crowd"

we danced the night away... did the dougie (with Camden's pediatrician!) sang Journey at the top of our lungs,
 and even slow danced.  i felt like a teenager again :)

we are so happy Josh & Megan got married, and wanted to share their day with us!

Congratulations!

nickel diner & santa monica pier

 we arrived in LA early friday evening, so we decided to hit up a restaurant from diners, drive-ins, and dives-- the nickel diner in downtown LA, known for it's doughnuts and mac & cheese.

it was wonderful! the mac & cheese did not dissappoint, and we had the nutella doughnut... just the name should tell you how much we enjoyed that slice of heaven.

i also really really loved the lemonade. it had a slight after taste of mint which was quite refreshing, especially after we had been thrift store shopping in less than air conditioned stores.

after dinner we headed out to the santa monica pier.

i really love the pier-- i love the ocean and beach right there, but also that the shops are within walking distance, and the entire area is clean and the epitome of California.

Road Trip to Cali

 when we got Josh and Megan's (Josh is one of Ryan's best friends from HS) save the date, we planned on heading to Cali for the celebration, we also planned on taking Camden.

as the months past by, and Camden became more and more active, and more and more busy, we nixed than plan.

and instead, took our first major vacation BOTH being away from Camden.

it had its ups and downs. one of the downs being the night before we left when i was sobbing uncontrollably because i didn't want to leave Camden.  good thing i married a super calm man who gently reminded me that short road trips-spending 24 hours in the car- would be torture to a toddler, and sitting through a wedding with said toddler, would be torture for us.

so began our road trip.

Lourie offered to take Camden, and it worked out great that she was already in St George. so we met up at Judd's Candy Store (where else?), got Camden hyped up on sugar, and turned him over to grandma...



date night

date nights do happen around here.

sometimes there are three of us...but this time, just two.

we used a coveted groupon to eat out at Tiburon, and enjoy a very fancy schmancy dinner...the kind where you get pallet cleansing sorbet. yup, we're high society over here :)

we sat and talked. 

after dinner, we went on a walk-- a romantic walk with no stroller involved...it was strange.

but wonderful all at the same time.

it's nice to revisit those moments of just two, and talk to Ryan as the man i married, and my husband, and not have the fatherly role right there. and, let's be honest. while Camden is the center of our world, i do like my alone time every now and then.

summer days and summer nights

 summer days have proven to be delightfully busy and full of fun.  yet, every day seems to be busy when you are chasing around a toddler!  i think he is just trying to keep his mama active and on her toes.  it's working.

we've had afternoons at the splash park, picnics next to the jungle gym, trips up to park city, and non-stop giggles.  most late afternoons end with a long nap, and boy howdy, i am extremely grateful for nap time!

i love watching Camden and London interact-- buddies from day one, they are fiesty and loud, but also sweet and tender. 

stuffed like sardines to do some shopping in park city



Liberty Park splash zone, for a refreshing cool down on Saturday afternoon

for some reason, i figured summer nights would be calm and serene...hmm. i need to learn that calm moments are few and far between with Camden in the picture, but i wouldn't have it any other way!

we had an FHE with grandma Lourie up the Canyon. Complete with hot dog and marshmallow roasting.  a perfect place for a little boy to explore, gather dirt and rocks, and get as wet as possible!

(i love when i can catch a teaching moment between Ryan and Camden! it is so sweet to see Camden so intrigued by what his daddy has to say... it makes me so happy to see that Ryan is such a great dad :)

  

Proud to be an American

 i feel as though i am a patriotic person.

not only on the 4th of July, but there are a lot of times throughout the year that i get that warm fuzzy feeling in my heart, and sharp tears in my eyes when i see a flag, or hear the national anthem.

i am also overcome with emotion when i think about the men and women who have and continue to sacrifice for our freedom. i am so proud to be an American.

i hope that i can teach my children to be grateful for our country and to love and respect it as well.

that being said, the 4th of July holds a special place in my heart :)

it is the holiday we always get to be in Idaho for, and I think that makes it that much more special.

 we usually head down to the river and stake out our place for the celebration early in the morning, and then take turns keeping an eye on things throughout the day, to finally enjoy the awesome 45 min long fireworks show (best show this side of the Mississippi!) but, since we were low in the number of adults this year, and high in the number of high energy toddlers, we opted to watch the show in a open field a little farther away, and show up 30 min before it started.

 we couldn't see the fireworks in their full glory, and i think that being farther away didn't quite capture Camden's attention like it did last year, but it was a good fit for our mood and what we were willing to do.  everyone had a good time.  another successful 4th of July!

from sea to shining sea

this year's 4th of July celebration was cool and laid back.

since all of the family had just been in town for John's homecoming/Dad's surprise party, not everyone was able to come back a few weeks later to celebrate the 4th. bummer.

while we did miss everyone who couldn't make it, we did our best to have fun :)

to cool off from the day's heat, we had our own backyard water park... complete with slip-n-slide, kiddie pool, and badmitton.

Camden and Brinley eventually got used to the slip-n-slide

Tayson took a more laid back approach and just hung out, sans water, with Grandpa

This 4th of July seemed a little different. It was partly due to small numbers and a laid back celebration style, and partly because we didn't do the traditional things we were used to.  

But, I'm ok with that. Camden had a blast, and that in itself was well worth it.