A vacation from my brain... paradise in Red Fish Lake

We were lucky enough to take a family vacation this summer - our first as a family of five! We went with Grandma Tam, Karri and her oldest son, Alex and his adorable clan! Jen and their four precious PRECIOUS SWEET AS SUGAR kids: Samantha, Kate, Alexander and William).

I literally relaxed for consective days in a row - this may be unprecedented.  People kept asking me what was wrong - and I said "nothing, I think I might just be relaxed. I'm unfamiliar with this feeling..." It was hilarious. the reason I was truly able to let go was because there was no agenda. There was no "must see" or "must do" list that I felt a sense of urgency to accomplish. There was no daily schedule - everything was a free-for-all, in a beautiful way.

I got to watch my children play outdoors, and see how wonderful it is to be with a family that has older children who love to play with the little ones. They were all so generous with their time, taking care of the kids and making sure they were included and had fun.

Matt and I have rarely seen anything as incredible as the Sawtooth Mountains.  One day we went on a short drive and  did a mini hike just the two of us. I will never forget the smell of the lake and the sound of the woods there.

We are so grateful to have been a part of this place - it really is sacred. I can see why it is a closely guarded secret among its patrons. If we are really lucky this would be a dream vacation spot for us again someday.

Manly Alex teaching Sam & Alexander how to properly build a fire.

Sweet Kate "looming" with Claire.

The obligatory buried-in-sand shot.

I am not athletic in any way, so I rejoiced that I didn't fall off of the paddleboard.

Cold Karri, bundled up in the lake.

Sammy's sunscreen mohawk.

Daddy daughter boat ride.

August cannot be tamed - she had to walk around barefoot in the rain on the boardwalk. Sam (the other Sam) was with her the whole time, making sure she was safe.

Rainy day activities - dad was a very good sport.

Girls' spa day!

Enjoying the outdoor music.

Claire dancing with Sammy, and William jammin to the band.

Twins on a log.

My beautiful baby.

At the nature center, learning about birds. Claire is being an Osprey in this picture.

The lipstick team - minus our leader and founder, Tam. She was already in the water by now.

Beach boys and cute Kate in the background.

Claire and Alexander on our hike! He is the most gentle, kind boy.

Matty and Claire under the troll bridge.

"Aqua Gram" and Claire out at sea.

We can't ever get a family picture these days where all five faces look at the camera.

Me and two of my favorite people on the planet: Tam & Karri.

My momma.

Twins on a log, part deux.

A new kind of summer for me.

As I reflect on our summer, the list of things we wanted to do, the list of things we did, the things that worked well, and the bumps in the road, I realize, once again, the lesson I must learn: happiness will not come to me if I don't live in the moment.  Some of the best moments of our summer were unplanned: little moments between the kids at home when they didn't know I was watching; sitting on the back porch with Matt after putting the kids to bed, watching the twins learn to walk, reading some incredible books, seeing Claire help her little sister when she was sick, and enjoying a complete lack of itinerary or expectation at a divine week in Red Fish Lake.

This is one of the busiest summers I can ever remember; the twins turned one, Claire was out of school for the first time and I wasn't working (home together all summer was a first for us), my little sister got married, we had a great vacation to Red Fish and everything was peppered with Bridal Showers, Birthday Parties, a crazy trip to Vegas to celebrate our friend's 40th, book clubs and family in town from out of state.

Here is a recap of our summer now that school has officially started.  I love the end of summers in Utah - they last for awhile and bleed right into fall (my favorite season here). 

We began the summer with much ambition and scheduled activities. Claire started the summer with Vacation Bible School (a hit every year - we will always keep this on our summer bucket list as long as we can). It is a special thing for her and for me. I haven't practiced organized religion in 20 years - our family doesn't currently practice either, but Claire had the opportunity to attend Mt. Olympus Presbyterian for preschool. She developed a very sincere curiosity and love for God and a higher power that was nothing but pure and simple to watch in its infancy. I have to admit there are times that dropping her off at Bible School I would stay a bit longer, linger in the back, to hear the kids singing and glean what positive experience I could from it. (Flashback to last summer - It got me through a very hard time last year after the twins were born. I had to leave one baby in Intermediate Care at the U of U hospital, and come home to take care of the other. As I divided my time, my heart and my body between the twins, struggling to take care of each of them in very different ways, I would drop Claire off at Bible School each morning. It was incredibly comforting to me to be welcomed by a group of such happy, inclusive people, and to see Claire  so earnest and happy gave me fuel to do what I needed to do to take care of the twins in their infancy.) Flash forward to this summer - she did Bible School again and loved every minute of it (as did I). I think she would say it was her favorite summer activity.

Claire did swimming lessons and is getting better and better in the water. She was in a class of all boys which was adorable. It'll still be a bit before she is totally water safe, but at least she is comfortable in the water and she made a darling new friend (and I made friends with his mom so that was a bonus).  Her new friend is on the left of the picture with the red hair.

Claire was also lucky enough to attend Virginia Tanner Creative Dance Camp that Grandma Tam enrolled her in and took her to as well. The teachers loved Claire and would kiss her on the head at the end of class. She did a good job. I think the modern / creative dance style suits her a lot.

 

 

One of the things that we got to do this summer because we live in Utah is attend Auntie Kerstin's summer art classes. It was FABULOUS. For years she has called me in the summer and said "if only you were here... you could be doing art with us!" Well, it finally came true and was more fun that I even expected. Claire really loves art and so do I, we have a lot of it in our family. It was fun to watch her create and play with the kids. The last day was Jackson Pollock Day - needless to say, a complete lack of rules and an encouragement to be crazy and messy made it a day Claire will NEVER forget. After frenetically painting her canvas, she tucked it into the back of her swimsuit so that she could have a tail and ran all over the park like a  madwoman / unicorn.

Claire also got to do a short Cheer Camp - thought it might be fun to try something like that for her. She really loved it and the performance was adorable.

Between classes and activities, we hung around the house in the luxury of our backyard - still grateful to have that. After 10 years of condo / apartment living I am ecstatic to have a yard for our family.

We went boating with Grandma Becky and Grandpa Mike - first time for the twins! They didn't like being smooshed into their life jackets, but they were good sports. Claire loved it, drove the boat with Grandpa, and discovered she is old enough to wear a cool-girl top knot bun, and now loves cherries.

Claire discovers she does, indeed, LOVE cherries.

 

 

 

We celebrated my favorite holiday - the 4th of July - with a backyard BBQ. The twins got their first haircuts at the party and were very good. My hairdresser was there and I asked her to bring her shears - doing baby's first haircut at a party? Not a bad call!

Of course, a big piece of our summer was planning and attending Erin's wedding (see previous blog post for all the details). She is so happy and her husband is a wonderful guy. I am thrilled to watch this part of her life unfold. The wedding was a blast and all the kiddies were very well behaved (except when Claire tried to bust the groom's grandfather for chewing gum during the ceremony). 

Last, but not least, we ended our summer with an idyllic, unforgettable trip to Red Fish Lake. It was so good, I think it deserves a separate post. Stay tuned.... but here's a little preview:

The Wedding has come and gone, and back to real life....

My little sister (I write with tears in my eyes), is finally a MRS! I am thrilled for her and her darling husband Zach.  I have seen only a few times (including at my own wedding), how sweetly a man looks at someone the way that Zach looked at Erin at the altar. He held the tears back the best he could but you could tell he was ready to burst.

The evening was a huge success - fabulous food provided by Cuisine Unlimited (long time family friends of ours), complete with a nitrogen  ice cream bar, dancing and, of course, cake. Erin's colors were tangerine and eggplant, and the gardens at Red Butte were in full bloom. The wedding was under the Fragrance Garden Arbor and the reception took place in the Orangerie.

Other wedding details that can't be overlooked, the bride walked down the aisle to my dad's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," followed by the introduction to True Companion, by Marc Cohn. This song was my brother's favorite, and he always wanted to have it at his wedding. It was Erin' way of bringing him there and it was stunning.

The day of the wedding, I got some one on one time with Erin, as I had the privilege of doing the bride's hair and makeup. We kept the look simple and fresh - her dress was intricate and full of lace and ruched taffeta, so they complemented each other. She looked so beautiful, but mostly because she looked so happy. 

Before the makeover and gorgeous without makeup.... getting out our FRIENDS DVD collection to watch various wedding episodes.

 

 

After makeover, before dress, with mom and dad.

Bride & Groom.

 As with any big family occasion, this was a great excuse to get to see our out of town relatives and other friends and relatives we don't see often enough. My Aunt Nardi & Aunt Judy (Duane / Mike) flew from Des Moines and Washington to attend the festivities. This was also their first time meeting the twinnies and we had a wonderful time together.

Bottle service!

A momentous occasion to have both my aunties here, in my home, meeting my twins.

Last night BBQ with the family on my Dad's side.

Our best shot at an informal family picture. Hopefully the photographer got one where we get at least 3/5 faces looking at the camera lol.

Like a mini bride and groom.

Mom with August and cousin Erik with Sam (the bowtie boys)

Couldn't resist trying a veil on August. She loved it.

I'm sure many more pictures to come, but I'm glad that it went so well now that it's over I'm digging back into summer with  my little kiddies, realizing it is almost over and my baby is starting Kindergarten in 38 days :( Time to chip away at our summer bucket list....