seasons end!

So.... summer is over! 

and although i do LOVE winter i wouldn't throat punch anyone for making 

the other 3 seasons a little longer. 

shortening the coldest season to maybe just two, three months tops.

but alas, we live in UTAH so i will continue to embrace winter with open arms.

it would help if i could dust off my good old snow skis,

 but since i've been a literal incubator or soul food source of tiny humans for the past four seasons 

thats not in the cards. 

 but loving winter doesn't mean i cant miss summer. right?

i'll miss bear lake, and the beach.

i'll miss morning walks in a tank top.

the pool and the park.

the dirty boys that will now be replaced by muddy cold snot nosed boys.

 i'll miss the smell of freshly mowed grass that has only been back in our lives for a short 3 months.

i'll miss flip flops (but lets be honest, ill probably still wear them)

and naked boys in undies and diapers running around with out a care in the world. 

picnics, BBQ's, shaved ice, sprinklers, parades, longer days, tan lines,

really anything that screams summa' .....

i dont know why but summer seems simpler somehow.

we will miss you summer.

rest up! next year you'll have 3 echols boys to entertain. 

bear lake 2013: take 2

so i'm pretty sure if i didnt lead with this picture of arron aka iron man,

he would never allow me to do another post again.

* the fly board * 

in his words: "babe, i did something epic today" 

my reply: "oh you're growing a tiny human inside your body too?"

do i sound a little jealous that i miss out on ALL of the awesome stuff when pregnant?

maybe just a little.

but if i'm being honest, it was pretty epic!

however, i've always known he was iron man...aaaawe!

and i'm not the only one who thinks so.
 im pretty sure that gabe believed his daddy-o could walk on water even before he put on the jet pack. 

their conversations go something like this.

gabe: daddy what chu doing?

arron: (insert anything here and i mean anything.)

gabe: wait for me, i'm coming with you.

iron men in training..

some of my family are big huge show offs, and go and exercise in the morning before all of the boating and eating and relaxing begins. which just makes a pregnant woman 7 months along feel even more stellar about throwing on a swim suit!

but gabe was right there with them, getting even stronger then he already is...just ask him. 

now the little people know how to do it up right. 

they just play in the sand and let it all hang out with no cares in the world.

no insecurities about their gut hanging over their waist band. 

they own it and are proud of it.  

{ somehow this still doesn't make me want to post a swim suit picture myself }

after about 36,572 times asking to come to bear lake with us
the stars finally alined and tj, chelsey and ivy were able to come this year.
it was fun to share one of our favorite places on earth with them. 

and what vaca would be complete without sand in every last crack and crevasse?

 according to gabe...... you may as well have not come at all.

aaaaaand que bath time 

in hopes that the beach wont be smuggled home

in drug cartel fashion. 

there is games and relaxing and reading and movie watching and just enjoying being with family

removed from the normal busy routine.

and then it comes to an end and you have to go home, and go to work and do laundry and clean and cook every meal again, and you consider throwing yourself into that crystal blue lake with an anchor tied around your waist.....
 but then you couldn't come back next year, so you reconsider.... phew!

Bear Lake 2013: part 1

Sometimes during the long winter months that is Utah, i forget how much i LOVE bear lake, i mean i know i love it, but i forget that i love love love it. 

However, with these two little "angels" its a bit more work then play these days.  

Gabe LOVES being at the cabin.

his cousins, the lake, the four wheeler rides, the treats, the late nights and naps that sometimes get away from us as we are soaking up the sun and splashing in the water.
its all pretty much just one big mind boggling week of fun and exhaustion.

Not to mentions a whole week of daddy-o. which excites both the boys and me. 

they love having him around 24/7 because, lets face it, he's way cooler then mom, 

once dad's around i'm old news. 

and i love having him around all day to help run the circus. 

however, the most exciting part for me is the fact that arron gets up with the boys almost every morning and i get to sleep in. {he's taken ladies, back off}

its ridiculous to think back to the days, before kids, when we would wake up before the sun, so we could wakeboard the best water of the day at the butt crack of dawn.

and then fight over who got to jump in that freezing water first.

Now SLEEP is what i look forward to most while on vacation.

can you say....PATHETIC?!?!?!

This little buddy had his first real experience at bear lake this year. 

seeing as the last time he was there he was a month old.

this kid however did not let a nap get away from him.

all that sun and sand and splashing and carrying around those thighs and being fetching cute will wear a kid right out. 

he fought it of course, put on a good show, pretending he wanted to stay awake and take it all in,

but the sand man always found him.

even though he couldn't stop being cute while he slept, he did his best to get some rest. 

I feel so blessed to have this place to come and "relax" and get away from the daily routine, even though that daily routine is what keeps me somewhat sane and the only way i can handle these two crazies.

and although its seems like more work then its worth sometimes to pack up what feels like the whole house and brush aside sleep schedules and everything else that makes the day run as smoothly as possible. this place is beautiful and full of memories waiting to be made.

the boys are going to look forward to coming here every year.

i'm guessing the "season" for vacations to be all about me and arron has come to a close,

but watching the two littles discover new things and have new experiences and get excited and come to love a place that has given me more then my fair share of amazing memories 

makes the next "season"... their "season" just as exciting.

a little more work, but just as exciting. 

summer whirl wind............

1.

Ragnar 2011

{ the modern utah family }

we had so much fun running ragnar this year. 

as always, its exhausting, exciting, smelly, cramped, exhilarating, draining 

and worth every minute. 

this character helped me reach my goal of never having to walk
during any of my legs.
thanks tiff for being a great training partner, cheerleader during the down days
and an awesome friend!!

2.

we came to a crossroads... 

should we put our house up for sale or finish the basement?

it was NOT an easy decision, we love, love, loved our house, neighborhood and ward,

but both felt like this was the best time for us to move. 

so we put our house on the market and it was sold in 13 days......

.....i dont mean to sound ungrateful because i realize that we are extremely blessed to have sold our home so easily in this market and we do recognize that. it just happened so fast that i feel like i didnt have time to think. we left for bear lake (see end of post) the day after we sold and when we came home we had 4 days to be packed up and out.

its a weird feeling to sell your home and see someone else move their things into it. 

i'm not against change, but right now i'm not "changes" biggest fan. 

we've had A LOT of it lately in our family and it really helps you focus on the CONSTANTS

in your life...because they are the things that matter most.

there is SOOOO many things i'll miss about our first "home".... friends, the ward family, a sense of belonging, neighbors, my red pantry door, gabes nursery, my trees that skyrocketed in what seemed like overnight - i hope the new owners appreciate the shade that covers their backyard as the sun goes down. 

but we are excited for the next chapter in our lives and hope that we will find as much happiness in our new area as we had in our old one. 

3.

we celebrated our 10 year anniversary at the anniversary inn
followed by a delicious sunday brunch at the grand america.

4.{ Bear Lake }
our week at the cabin is always fun and relaxing and this year more then those in the past we really tried to soak it up.
our lives have felt like a never ending rat race these past few months and we could use a little hiatus from responsibility
{ couldn't we all }

This little monkey makes a complete LOA nearly impossible

 but worth it when he gives you that million dollar smile.

arron catching some mad air

arron and maddi wake boarding together.

could i be concentrating any harder? 

Gabers had his first of many tube and jet ski rides. he was pretty strait faced the whole time

but he didn't cry so i guess thats a good sign. 

{ arrons project }
he's made 5 benches for the fire pit
he is so handy. 

gabe loves playing on the beach: in the sand and in the waves. the water was freezing but if you tried to take him out he would lose his crap. he wanted to splash all day long.

i gave arron, josh and ethan mohawks

i think arrons is the best and most noticeable! ;)

ahh, the lazy days of summer...... eating s'mores, blowing bubbles and taking naps.

at least thats how it should be!!!