Perfect Summer Days and Nights

Crazy to think Summer will be ending shortly. I'm not done with the heat. I am looking forward to the holidays. The warm colors, yummy food and lots of family time.

Riley had her cousins over the other day for some slip n' slide action. When we got outside we set up under a blue sky with the sun blazin'. Just beyond our house I noticed a big yucky cloud and shortly after we started to hear lots of thunder....LOUD thunder. It was an odd feeling setting up beach chairs and sun screening the kids with thunder in the back ground. Well the storm moved over us and rained a little, we played in the water and watched the lightning show.

I tried to catch a lightning bolt on camera-didn't happen.

My plan was to put the kids down for their nap then lay on the grass and read a book while watching the lightning but i ended up reading a book and listening to it from our bedroom windows, almost as good.

Summer nights. Sliding door open to let in a cool breeze, freshly picked tomatos from the garden, riley drawing a new design for our chalkboard plate we proudly display on our kitchen counter and braden enjoying a big boy fork.

Hubby home shortly from home depot.

A run in the warm air under my belt.

Life doesn't get much better than this!

Up Close and Personal w/ my Swiffer

Swiffering (yes it's a verb too. like google) our kitchen floor and "KAPOW" the extension pull snapped clear at the bottom. so now this is how i will be cleaning the remaining 3 floors i planned on doing

Note the gangster style apparel...my pants are too long so i pulled both legs up and only one stayed after awhile...reminds me of "Pants on the floor, pants on the floor. Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the floor" thank you American Idol!

If I could live in a national park...

I'd pick Zion...it was BEAUTIFUL! We went to Cedar City for a family reunion and had a great time being outdoors.

In the car leaving home...Braden did enjoy being forward facing for this trip.

Our first (of many) potty breaks. This one happened to be on the side of the highway..our girl has NO shame!

Our cute little cabin...We stayed at a KOA where you could bring your trailor, sleep in a mobile home or cabin, or bring a tent...Our cabin was one bedroom, it had a full size bed, one set of bunk beds, a desk and chair and an air conditioner...it was perfect!

The pictures below were the first day/night we were there, just unpacking, enjoying family company and me walking/running braden around in the hiking back pack, he was cracking up when i would start galloping...who wouldn't?! (p.s.i need to find a hiking back pack, this was my bro. in laws and was great!!!)

Braden and Uncle Mathew getting ready to hike in Zion.

We all (meaning all of josh's cousins etc that were there for the reunion) got on shuttles and headed up for our first hike...we got all seperated but still had a blast.

This was our first hike, only a 2 miles round trip...I held Braden with the help of josh's dad and josh held riley the whole time (apparently we walked too fast and the water was dirty....she wasn't much of a hiker but loved being held!)

After we got back from this little hike we stopped to play in the stream. The current was really strong so josh just wedged himself between some rocks and let Braden play. He splashed forever and would stop to breath occasionally :)

This was the stream and view we had while the kids played...heck, while WE played! Pictures, of course, don't do it any justice.

The best hike...The Narrows (and Laurie i have to say i was thinking about you because you have to pass the "Angels Landing" trailhead stop on your way to the narrows...the bus driver mentioned that on some parts of that particular hike the trail is 3-4feet wide with a drop off of 800ft on one side and 1200 feet on the other. YES you are crazy for doing that!)

Back to the narrows. Ever since i heard about this i wanted to do it. Basically all i knew was that it was hiking in water and some places you had to swim through basically. And ya, that was right! It was sooo fun and of course gorgeous...

Josh is a stud and held riley the entire time on this hike, we left braden with the grandparents back on a different trail to rest. I needed both my feet, both hands and them some to manuver this trail...

That's how deep it was in some spots...You could walk to the other side of the stream and it wasnt' quite so deep, but where's the fun in that?

You should of seen the work it was to get into this spot...i'm impressed!

When we got back to the spot where the rest of the family was they told us we were gone for 3 hours! Time flys when you're swim-hiking.

The next day we hiked part of Kolob. Again...no words to describe it. This was a SUPER short hike(1mile round trip...that's how we roll...)

Even Riley hiked some of it

Josh's brother Taylor climbed way out, scared his mom half to death, and got an awesome picture...Now do you understand why i want to live here?!

These are the clothes and smirk you wear when you just peed on mom's sweater(aka her pillow), quickly, stuffed under your rear end before you peed in the car seat, AFTER you just stopped not once but TWICE to pee and poo in the last HOUR. Need i explain more...

The Origional Tee from the day, tigger pajama bottoms (comando) and water shoes...in her defense she tried really hard to hold it.

One great trip!

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Pictures for Shauna and Doug

Fisher Update!

Life has been great...nothing out of the norm... but the warm sun and beautiful weather makes it easy to have fun!  The lack in posts is due to the whole lot of nothing that has been going on...

Riley had her first slumber party! Josh's brother and his wife are moving so i offered to take their daughter home so they could get more packing done...Riley and Hailey had a blast! (so did Braden).

We started off with dinner then STRAIGHT to the bath!

Movie time...they got to enjoy a little "pink" chocolate milk as Riley calls it... (strawberry milk)

Let the slumber begin...they both passed out on the couch and then slept in til about 8:30! woohoo (excpet braden woke up around 7am)

Once they woke up i made french toast and served it with blueberries!

Playing kitchen in the morning. Soon after, during Braden's first nap the girls came outside to play while i mowed the lawn and washed the car.

All 3 took a nice long afternoon nap! It turned out really nice and Riley loved having her cousin over for so long!

As riley gets older her "firsts" are getting further apart but she drew a face the other day and that was definetly a first. She thought it up and did it all by herself and then showed me. After i took that picture she drew them for the rest of the day! (she does arms too that come straight of of the hair hehe)

Braden is doing great. He's up the stairs(cant figure out the down part yet..egh! so frustraing!), in drawers, pulling down toys etc. He is such a happy baby, quick to laugh and loves his schedule.

His newest thing is standing. I think the longest we've see him stand alone is around 15 sec. or so (i'm sure by our nth kid we won't be counting, but we're so proud!) He pulls himself onto some object, the couch, the edge of the pool, a toy and is able to let go. He gets unsure of him self and goes to a squat or sometimes just plops down.

He's not taking steps yet. He does like us to walk him around (i seem to remeber riley demanding it more) and he'll use his walker if i put him by it.

Josh and I haven't been doing anything too exciting. I've been reading a lot again lately. I just finished "The Hunger Games" and the second in the series calling "Mockingjay". ohhhhhh i HIGHLY recommend reading them. They are soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. The 3rd one is coming out toward the end of August and i seriously cant wait! It's a teen book but man oh man are they good. So suspenseful, i finished them a few days ago and haven't stopped thinking about them. Since the 3rd one isnt out i even read the last chapter of the second one over to just to get a "fix" and i'm considuring reading them both again before i get the 3rd one! 

    Josh has been working hard making sure his little family is happy and we sure appreciate it. When he's home he's been busy keeping our new home from deteriorating (ok, a little dramatic...)he fixed some sprinklers and has been busy spraying for ants...

    We are packing up in a few days and heading to Cedar City, Utah for a family reunion. We'll be staying at a KOA (we did this 2 years ago) and it should be fun! We're both excited and i hope to get some great pictures from that trip....until then....

(iii liikkkee big LIPS and i cannot lie...)