[a happy summer]

Once June came around, a wonderful arrival came with it. Lindsey and Nicholas 🙂

They came out a month before Scott because he was needing to study for his exams.

I got to play auntie for a whole 2 months!

He was pure bliss to have around. Pics to follow. I really wish they lived closer. He is the cutest little guy around.

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We took a little trip down to St. George. I took the crew {johnny, victoria, jeff & ty} to see Dixie rock a.k.a. “the ocean”. Johnny was NOT about that. Interestingly enough, I have never been on the many amazing hikes that the St. George area has to offer. So we went on the Kanarraville falls hike. AMAZING. It was beautiful & so much fun! Playing in the river, the awesome waterfalls and the red rock slot canyons. I loved it.

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4th of July was spent helping Kim & Brad setup their house they just moved into. Ty & Brad built an IKEA toddler bed for Luke….that was a lengthy ordeal. Then we went to the Robert’s for a little 4th of July  pool party BBQ. Love seeing my family. That night was Stadium of Fire with the in laws. Cirque du Soleil was mind boggling. Carly Rae Jepson was lively and fun but Ms. Kelly Clarkson was outstanding. She has some crazy vocals. SO good.

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I took a little trip to St. George with Scott, Lindsey & Nicholas. We had pool time, play time and then we went to see Mary Poppins at Tuacahn {not Nicholas of course}. Which was really good. I did however learn an unfortunate lesson that night. Greyhound is an awful business and idea. NEVER again will I ride a Greyhound bus. Let’s just say I took a midnight stroll on I-15 northbound. I will keep the rest locked away in my nightmares.

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Had a little camp sesh at Silver Lake with the crew {lex, matt, johnny, victoria, jeff & ty}. Didn’t sleep good. Normal. Ate tin foil dinners. Delicious. S’mores. MMMMMM. It was fun.

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LAKE POWELL. Quite a different Lake Powell from last years. Sadly, the grandparents and Linda couldn’t make it this year. Grandpa has been having a lot of troubles with stability, walking and didn’t want to be  a nuisance. Makes me sad. I love that man. Linda was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March. It is fatal. Really hard for all of us. She was greatly missed. I don’t feel like it is something to go into depth in on my blog. It is very serious and we are hoping she can enjoy her last weeks with us. The one upside to Lake Powell was Nicholas came. I seriously spent every chance I got to be around Nicholas. He was completely in love with the outside, sand and playing in it. He brings all smiles. Pictures will tell all. Sadly they had to leave half way through the week to go back to Virginia 🙁 But we still had a fun rest of the week at Powell. Ty played with Luke lots. They are good pals.

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Swooning over Seattle. It was the best. Best weather, best baseball game, best food, best experience and best short trip for Ty & I. I loved it. I literally fell in love with the place. I have always wished I could be a city girl and going to big cities makes me want it more. We got in on a Thursday, spent the afternoon with Doris & Ed in West Seattle. Had fish & chips on Alki beach then drove around the island. Got to see Ty’s old stomping grounds. Then we tried the infamous Pegasus Pizza. WHICH was really delightful. Greek salad, oh boy. Tom’s special pizza was tasty! The next day we spent exploring downtown Seattle. Pikes place market, Space Needle, water taxi, donut shops and more. Then we headed out to Auburn to spend the night at Ty’s uncle Peter & aunt Sondra’s house. It was quite an adventure! Swimming in their lake, playing volleyball, games and food. It was a good time. And they were kind enough to give us a gift certificate and reservation to a very nice restaurant, The Metropolitan Grill. When we left their place, we decided to go a highly rated restaurant, Paseo. LONGEST line ever. Worth it? In my books, YES! Then it was downtown to do some shopping. Which turned into an all day affair before our dinner reservation. Dinner was impressive {I mean a $75 steak?! Better be good}. As was dessert {Bananas foster}. Great dinner with the husby. The next day we went to breakfast with Doris & Ed. Then off to the Mariner’s baseball game. Beforehand I wanted to buy a Seahawks shirt while in Seattle. Picked one up then headed to the game. 4th row seats. SWEET! We totally thought the game would be a long one and we would have to leave to catch our flight but it was only a 2 hour game. So we went back to Pikes place market to buy one of those glorious $5 bouquet of flowers to give to Doris. All in all, I am a Seattle lover now. Can’t wait to return again someday.

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Last but NOT least was the cutest 1 year old alive had his birthday! YUP! 1 year old! 🙂 Pics will do it justice. You will agree.

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Lots of updates big and small. We are happy here in the Richards house. Plenty to be grateful for. Family & friends who we are blessed to have. Opportunities & wonderful adventures.