roy's pizza & palisade.

on our way home, we stopped in ephraim for some pizza at roy's {formerly fat jack's} at heather's suggestion. it really did not disappoint. loved it! then we had a swim at palisade state park. we tried and failed at catching some fish {like in a plastic bag, not the real fishing pole type fish-catching}. serena had a love/hate relationship with the lake. she wanted in and out and in out. and mostly only had fun when heather and i swung her around in circles with her feet skimming the water. we left when the dark storm clouds started rolling in. both kids fell fast asleep for the rest of the ride home.

traveling with kids is exhausting. we had a wonderful weekend, and we're glad to be home now!

cove fort.

we spent part of friday touring cove fort, which is just a 20 minute drive from barbra & gene's house. i really enjoyed it, even though my kids were trying hard not to let me. it's a beautiful place and i loved learning about its history. i'm glad we made it as long as we did before taking the kids back to the house :)

b&g's house.

the things that are wonderful about barbra & gene's house are as follows:

1. it's in the middle of a beautiful canyon.
2. it's beautiful inside & out, and so comfortable.
4. you can do things like play in the river, build a fire, go for a hike, shoot guns {which we did NOT do!}, see the stars at night, see wildlife and wild flowers, and then go inside and sleep on a warm comfortable bed!
5. and of course, you get to enjoy the company of barbra & gene, and i always enjoy their company.

we had so much fun on our little trip down there this weekend. we ate waaaay too much good food, including an amazing raspberry peach cobbler by heather and russ. we had a devotional each day. we relaxed. we had s'mores and sang a few campfire songs. we played at the river. we took a beautiful morning walk through the canyon. we played card games. we ate more food. we stayed up late. and we ate more food. it was lovely.

petting zoo.

over the weekend we took a trip down to my aunt & uncle's house for a little family "camp out". quotation marks because sean and i stayed in the house with our kids while the others camped in barbra & gene's yard :)

on the way, we stopped at a little petting zoo in scipio to let serena stretch her legs. it was kind of scary. something about a bunch of farm animals crowding up around me feels a little nightmarish. but serena enjoyed it and didn't want to leave :)

oh, harper.

you know how when you have a baby you spend hours and hours thinking about and debating with your spouse over a name for them?

and then you finally decide on one name that is perfect and you both love and agree on?

and then every time you hear of someone else naming their baby THAT name, it makes you cringe because you feel like it belongs to your baby and your baby alone {and maybe one famous author who actually gave the name inspiration}?

you know what's even worse than that?

when celebrities start naming their baby THAT name.

we knew about tiffani thiessen {and were already pretty set on the name}, heard about neil patrick harris after she was born, now the beckhams, and E! news told me last night that THAT name is the new baby name trend.

please bless that harper isn't the new madison.

2nd annual backyard campout.

remember last year? love this tradition!

nine months.

harper at nine months:
hates water. including swimming. and any splashes that might get on her when serena is swimming.
has 4 teeth. two on bottom, two on top. still missing those middle front teeth :)
is sooo close to crawling. i'm not sure how she gets places, but she does. and it's not by crawling.
is always bonking her head on everything now that she moves around more.
is a mama's girl :)
waves! adorableness!
has the biggest, gummiest smile ever. scrunches up that nose too.
loves all food! especially cheerios and those baby puffs.
sleeps really well at night... and still has an inconsistent nap schedule in the day.
loves her grandmas.
loves to eat paper.
starts crying pretty much soon as serena gets near her. {i wonder why...}
loves to be around people.
dances {rocks on her bum} when she hears music.
is a serious chunk. her thighs are always a crowd pleaser.
wears size 12-18 months clothes.
likes to be tickled on her face and neck.

she is so smiley and fun. she always keeps us laughing and smiling.

july-ish photos.

we love us some watermelon in july.
flag in the sunset.
best friends.
back on the crochet saddle again. {blanket for roman!}
sunset from my bedroom window.
canoe.
campfire.
harper not too sure about mom after girls camp. {who is this lady?}

i am in love with these people.

nothing bonds a group of people together quite like spending 4 straight days with them. every waking moment. sleeping together. cooking together. praying together. crafting together. laughing together.

sure, you get on each others nerves. but you also learn to love each other like you couldn't have before.

so so happy i was able to be there the whole time.

{and a BIG HUGE thank you to my dear husband who played mr. mom so i could be where i needed to be last week! and to grandmas for taking the day shift. i'm so glad to be home again with my family.}

loves.

this friendship bracelet tutorial. i am obsessed. perfect for girls camp!! {totally making these next}

girls camp in 2 days!!!

this gorgeous re-telling of rapunzel. the illustrations make me so happy! serena will love it... when i'm ready to quit hoarding it to myself and accept that she will ruin it and that's ok.

$5 pizza for dinner when i really don't wanna cook.

the adorableness of this dollhouse makeover.

wiley wallaby licorice. original red + green apple!

bbq with little sisters. best hamburger of the summer!

my camera finally fixed {after sending it in for repair twice.}

harper's top teeth coming in.... fangs first! looks so goofy.

stormy summer evenings.

serena saying the word favorite {"fabrit"} about all of her things.

one, two, babies.

serena likes to sit next to harper and count the babies.
"one, two, babies!"

{harper and herself.}

she acts like such a big girl these days. sleeps in her big bed. is getting ready to potty train. talks nonstop. sean and i were looking at old pictures of her on my phone yesterday and marveling at how much she has grown! craziness.

i asked sean this morning "when did serena get to be so sassy??"
when did it happen?
she's only 17 months older than harper...
so somewhere in the next 17 months,
harper will likely develop a sassy little toddler attitude.
yikes!
one, two, sassy toddlers!?

sure wish my babies would stop growing up!!