Random July

 I love the evenings when it gets cool enough to go outside and read. I usually head out and then the rest of the entourage ends up out there jumping on the tramp until it's too dark to read. So relaxing. I love not having to be anywhere.

 

We went down to Wahweap to do a little fishing. It was fun (I had my book:)

 At church, the teacher had Zach's class write down what they were thankful for. His list pretty much sums up our summer(Family, Lake, Boat).

 This place is called "The Monkey Slide". The Larson cousins showed Tyler this spot and he took us there the other night. It's such a crazy formation. You just put sand down the slide and then you can easy go down it on your feet. There are a lot of places to climb in our back yard.

 

 I just like that Zach made himself this "comfortable" spot to sit while watching his movie. Just hangin' out in the laundry basket with my popcorn and pillows. No big deal.

 This is what our backyard looks like.
 
I took this picture because I think it's cute that Tyler will always sit right next to whoever is sitting on the couch. Doesn't matter how much couch is available. He always wants to be close.  

 My good friend and college roommate, Becca visited me in Page. She's one of those forever friends. Love her a lot.

 Then we played with water balloons. Basically I just sat in a chair and threw water balloons at the kids. They loved it!

 

 Whitney got shots and actually took a nap. It was pretty momentous. She wouldn't even take naps as a baby!

 

July in Arizona has proven to be hot and we are still trying to adjust to our new little world here. Fingers crossed for a successful August...

Two Beach Days...In a Row!

We met some friends who invited us to Lone Rock Beach the other day. The kids could have played in the sand and retrieved rocks and shells out of the lake for days. 

 Then, I took the kids to Antelope the next day. The temps were over 100 and we needed a body of water, stat! It was another day of pulling things out of the lake and just generally enjoying Lake Powell.

 A collection of rocks and shells.

 "Undersea Explorers"

Our lake days seem to be numbered since school started today, although the temperatures don't seem to drop for another month or so. Who knows how long summer lasts around here. Hopefully it's long, that's sort of the main draw of living in Arizona, right?

Smith Family Reunion 2016

We headed to Colorado this month for a family reunion. We had so much fun riding toys, playing in the river, playing games, riding carnival rides and so much more. Here's some pics of all that action. We started the day at Granny and Pop's property...

 Zach got really good at riding the tote gote and the motorcycle...

 

 We took a hike to Zapata Falls. There happened to be a storm trooper there.

 

 The Great Sand Dunes National Park. This was pretty cool. Just a giant mountain range of sand in the middle of a normal mountain range. Very cool.

 

  

 

 

 Selfie fail...

 There was always stuff to do at GG and Yo Papa's house.

 Getting toys out of the tree...

 

Then we headed to a VRBO in New Mexico, near Chama. It was SO beautiful. I've never seen a valley like it. Not sure why I didn't take any pictures of it!! UGH!

 Playing at the river, searching for crawdads and playing in the sand.

 Exciting bear sighting!

 

 

 

  I came across a rattle snake and Josh quickly killed it with some rocks. He then skinned it, grilled it and ate it. Only Josh...

 Tasted like chicken.

 We went to New Mexico and stayed in a really cool house with MANY animal mounts. It was incredible- like being in a museum.

 The kids LOVED having so many cousins around.

 The kids caught some crawdads and had a great time playing with them.

 I got all three balls on the ladder. It's sort of a big deal...

 Whitney and I on a long 4 wheeler ride.

 Whitney frolicking on a mountain. The view was breathtaking.

 Tyler rode the whole loop. I was so proud of him. He's turning into a great trail rider.

 3 Generations of motorcycle riders.

 Whitney earned $5 from Pops for catching this rocket!

 Showing off talents late at night...

 The boys before leaving for their camp out.

 

 

 

 Heron Lake

 The bear came to our house...Cute little guy.

 Playing Heads up. We had so much fun playing games. We have a fun family.

 Kids and "Bear". The stray dog that visits Granny and Pops' property.

 The Celebration. Pops got the kids a wristband which meant they had unlimited rides. It may have been one the their favorite days ever.

 

 

The stage. It had a band that I liked. So I took a picture.

 The Fireball.

 Brave souls that rode "The Zipper".

Then it was time for the parade. It had pretty legit floats in it...

Miss Sadie can braid!

What a great reunion it was. I definitely lucked out in the in-law department. We definitely have to do this more often!