2014 Summer Highlights (Beware, lots of pictures)

We seriously had the best summer. I love summer anyway, it is totally my season! But I think we really lived it up this summer! Part of what made this summer awesome, I think, was our new house with the pool only a few steps away. I really don't think a day went by (that we were home) that we didn't visit the pool. I don't think my kids ever got sick of it! I know I didn't! I wish I had more pics of us at the pool but I didn't want to get my new phone wet!

In June we went to our cabin/Yellowstone with our good friends the Stimpsons. 

4th of July! We actually stayed in town because we had just been home to Idaho Falls 10 days before after the Island Park trip. (I was there a week waiting for my gas tank to get fixed.) So we enjoyed all that Boise has to offer.  And seriously Idaho Falls people- never call the I.F. 4th of July parade lame ever again until you go to the Boise parade. It was like plumbing trucks, politicians and a few beauty queens. Nery a horse or float to be found.  Our friend Fitz was in town and we went with our friends the Bankheads. We had a little BBQ in our backyard after. :) I LOVED having a backyard this summer for the first time since having kids!

At the Statehouse after the parade.

 Italian Soda's for $1? UM yes please!

Backyard BBQ

Potato stamps with Fitz

Our other big trips were the Flake Family Reunion in Arizona which I already kind of blogged about but here are a few pics.

Bahama Bucks. Best snow cone place EVER. And it was indoors! (Since it was like 120 degrees in Mesa.)

 Poor Deacy's mosquito bite eye. ARGG.

We went on a little hike to a lake.

Always striking a pose!

In front of James Madison Flake's home in Snowflake.

Piper was so happy playing in the sand/dirt at the Ranch.

Seattle Trip! SOOO fun. The Hale family (minus Gregg and Marthea) spent the first two days at a beach house in Seabook, Washington. It was cool and foggy the entire time we were there until the last day when we were getting ready to leave! One of the coolest things was this little "gnome trail" in the middle of the forest. All these people have set up little houses and fairies and gnomes and you can walk through and see everything. Loved it. There was also this house made from a giant tree trunk. We spent time on the beach even though it wasn't sunny. The best part was looking for sand dollars.  Then we moved on to Seattle. It was tricky keeping the whole family together in the city, so we usually split up and met up throughout the days. I love Seattle though! So many fun things to do and see. And they have Diet Dr. Pepper right there on the pier. What?!

I took Deacon and Piper on the giant Ferris Wheel.

In the butterfly garden inside the Pacific Science Center.

EMP Museum

"Hop in the Wagon!" -Piper.

The Guilt, Fear and Joy of Motherhood

Is motherhood supposed to be this heartbreaking?
Is it supposed to be so full of this fear, dread and guilt?
We wish the best for our kids. We want them to be the most athletic, the smartest, the most talented and sometimes they're just...not. Sometimes they're not extraordinary at anything in the world's eyes and you have to remind yourself that all you really want them to be is who they ARE. And happy.
We feel guilt that maybe they're not a piano prodigy because we didn't play Beethoven to them in the womb with headphones. We worry we didn't read them enough books when they were toddlers. We feel guilt that they learned to read by watching PBS.
We worry that they'll be bullied... we worry that they will BE the bully.
We dread the day that the innocent spark of youth will be lost from their eyes.
We fear the day they want to go to dance class in hot pants and a tank top instead of a pink leotard and a tutu.
We feel guilt because we haven't changed that chore chart in months or even made the kids do chores because it's too fun watching them squeal in delight on the wet trampoline.
We worry we're not giving our kids enough of us and too many "things."
We worry we're either too hard on them or not hard enough. Sometimes the intense love we feel for them rips our heart out again and again which we would gladly do because when it all comes down to it, we would die for our kids.
Then at the end of the day when we've yelled at them three times to brush their teeth and their lights are finally off all they want...at the end of the day... is US. They want mommy. We are ENOUGH for them and they are ENOUGH for us.