Swim Season

Lilly has been obsessed with Mermaids lately, which mostly means that she wants to watch H2O Mermaid Adventures on Netflix all day, but ALSO means that she's had a renewed desire to learn how to swim. And as of this week, it's really starting to click! She's still working on coming up for breaths, but she's gotten so much better. 

Henry likes to follow suit, and pretend to be a little merman. He has absolutely no qualms about diving in head first, with or without floaties, scaring the teenage lifeguards half to death in the process.

If it's not already obvious, these kids really, really, really like to swim. :)

Grammy

Last weekend Drew's mom came to visit, and we were so excited to see her! It had been way way too long.  A weekend never feels like enough time, but we tried to make the most of it. I had to work on the 4th, so she and Drew took Lilly to her first ice skating lesson, and did the shopping and cooking for our 4th of July barbecue. 

On Sunday we went on a gorgeous hike to Twin Falls, and the kids LOVED playing in the water. We didn't plan ahead and bring swimsuits, but they didn't seem to mind. 

On Monday we had to say goodbye, but not before some fun playtime at Zilker Park with their Tack cousins.

June

June was a busy month of traveling for us. We returned from Hawaii a few days before Drew left for a conference in Boston, and we left for Utah a week after he returned. But, in between all the trips, we packed in as much summer fun as we could manage. Which for us always means lots of splash pads, story times, museum visits, and whatever free/cheap summer fun we can find! 

Utah

Photo by Lilly

At the end of June, the kids and I headed to Utah for the Berbert Family Reunion! This year we got to stay in a gorgeous cabin near Heber, just a short drive past Park City.

Timber Moose is actually the largest private log cabin in America, and it was full of fun surprises tucked away within its spacious interior.

The kids spent a lot of time in the inflatable castle and cozy crow's nest, as well as the game room and indoor pool. And just out front, they took turns riding what might possibly be the world's largest outdoor tire swing.

We all took a ride on the Heber Valley Creeper.

And enjoyed lunch at the local Dairy Keen, with it's own little indoor train.

We participated in the traditional talent show, Bob Ross paint-off and Midnight donuts.

And enjoyed some pretty amazing views, courtesy of Mother Nature.

A special thank you to Henry for waking me up at the crack of dawn so I could enjoy all this beauty, several hours before everyone else. :)

What better place could there be for some rejuvenating early morning yoga? 

Lilly took over the camera for the morning and got some amazing shots of the lodge and it's surroundings, not to mention some perfect candids of the people in it. I may just hand the reigns, er, lens over to her more often . . .

 

Her outdoor pictures were especially interesting. I loved all the little details she captured.

There were also a lot of shots of people's shoes and back sides, which was a funny glimpse into her vantage point, but also a good reminder that we all see things a little bit differently.

We had a great time, and I was happy to see Lilly really getting to know her little cousins. I hardly ever knew where she was in that gigantic house!

Needless to say, we headed home exhausted.

Luckily, after a good nap we were all recharged and ready to go, because the next day we met up with some of Drew's sisters for some more cousin fun! The kids had a great time exploring Wheeler Farm, and I was so happy to be able to catch up with my sister-in-laws.

Then we had just a few more days to relax and play at Grandma and Grandpa's house before it was time to head back to Texas .  . .

Where we were greeted, upon our return, by a very very happy dad/husband.