Redfish Icing on our Summer

This summer we've been able to stay fairly close to home (like most always), and still see some really amazing places, making new memories in our most favorite spots. We went to Redfish this year later than we ever have. We certainly faught the weather, but no matter what, we were at Redfish (and with family)! That's awesome in itself ;)

Snatched a quick opportunity when all of the boys were right with me in the boat :) This year we took Taron and Keaton's uncle Sean with us- he's their Mom's adopted younger brother, actually a year younger than Taron! He's been with us a couple times this summer and we really enjoy him.

No one hesitated to jump in on the fun behind the boat our first day there! Good thing because our sunshine didn't really last... I love watching everyone playing in the water :)

This year, to everyone's shock, my Dad actually got a big tube for everyone to use! (He's never been a fan at all of tubes). The little kids loved it! Ryder just lit up riding it- good purchase for sure.

Fun times at the beach too, even is they were wearing sweatshirts some of the time while they were at it!

This year Ryder had his fifth birthday while we were there! It was fun to try and make it a special day. We went to the fish hatchery to fish- everyone did really well there. We tried the Yankee Fork ponds again- we loved them last year- but this year just wasn't great for some reason.

Aunt Lundyn brought a pinata for everyone to have a little beach party with! I had planned several beach games too, but for the most part it was rainy that day, so we just enjoyed the pinata :)

The next day we rented a SUP for the day from Stanley- it was such a hit! It really was fun to use and share with everyone. Conner got the hang of it for sure. I never could do anything but kneel- my balance is so terrible!

Ryder briefly got to enjoy the boat Grandpa and Grandma gave him for his birthday too :)

Of course, we had tree mail again, more casual this year. We included the older boys in our adult Tenzi tournament instead of tree mail and next year, I'm including them anyway- they missed it I think! The Tenzi tournament was one of the trip highlights for sure, though- all of use rolling dice together- so fun!

A great year of Redfish, no matter what- forever, one of my very, very favorite places on earth :)

Messy is Cool... Fun Slip n' Slide Ideas!

 

The funnest memories don't ever seem to involve vacuum lines in the carpet or perfectly pressed white shorts, right? With my band of men, I think they're definitely just the opposite. Those moments when we're all disregarding anyone watching or what could get hurt or if our idea seems a bit crazy, are the ones that I really believe the boys will look back on and really cherish. (Or, if nothing else, at least remember that Mom is pretty cool after all) ;)

So, it goes without really saying then that I'm not one of those Moms that can't handle mud and mess (I might just go truly nuts if I was!). If your life isn't really up for that, then the water fun idea I'm sharing today as part of The Joys of Boys' Summer Survival Series for Moms of Boys might not be for you... But if you're still reading at this point, then I'm guessing you already know this could be a BIG hit...

Random Acts of Kindness Treasure Hunt: Summer Edition!

This post was originally shared over at the blog Maybe I Will as part of her summer fun series, but I wanted to make sure and share here too- a unique, service-oriented idea and freebie for something to do with your kiddos on these summer days :)

You might remember that last fall, I made a fun treasure hunt kit that turned one of our normal treasure hunts into a lesson in kindness...I really love doing random acts of kindness with the boys- nothing uplifts in quite the same way. Need a boost? Try paying for the person behind you in the drive through and not pulling away with a smile! And I want my little men to feel that same thing- to "get it" that not everything in their world has to be rough and tough- it's cool to think of others and be kind. 

Banana Boat Makes Mom's Bag Better

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #BBBestSummer #CollectiveBias

Ah, I love summer... already this year I've been able to fool myself that things can be more relaxing than they really can... which makes for some crazy days of catch-up! But, so be it, I love having ALL my boys around and trying to really enjoy them. :)

No matter what we're doing, Banana Boat Sunscreen and a few tricks and treats in my simple bag help a lot with that. Kids don't really think about anything other than finding their own shoes, right? My older boys are great at helping, but it's usually with the rougher and tougher stuff, like loading fishing poles and chairs. Sooo.... I've gotta be on tap with the goodies that turn our fun times into something unique or keep everyone happy the whole time!

 I gotta say, I think we do pretty great at soaking up the summer for the most part. We hit the beach at our local lake a lot, load up the bikes for a new ride spot, shoot bows and throw tomahawks, venture into the desert with the guns, load up to camp for the week at our favorite spots, and play in the yard constantly. Water fights and obstacle courses abound. Don't get me wrong, some days are just lazy video game days... and that's part of the greatness of summer too. :) But more than anything, we spend a lot of time in the sun- ah, I love that warm feeling of the sun soaking into my skin!





So, what's in my bag that makes or breaks the fun for us all? For starters, earlier this year, I went to Walmart to add a few different Banana Boat Sunscreens to my bag. I got a Kids Free Spray SPF 50 for my littler guys, Men's SPF 30 Clear Spray for my older boys and hubby (anything that helps teenagers think sunscreen isn't just for babies is awesome in my book), and finally, Protect and Hydrate SPF 50 lotion- spray sunscreen might just be the best invention ever, but sometimes you just gotta rub it on instead, plus I love the idea of it being hydrating too. :) The Men's line comes in SPF 50 and lotion style (I personally love the smell of this stuff!), and the Protect and Hydrate has a spray option too. My local Walmart had them on a large aisle display near the swimsuits at the front...

Easy Camping Activity Bags and More

My boys seem to start asking about when we're going camping again sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving! Same with the beach- little Ryder could live on the shore! And now that it's getting warm, it's on all of our minds again! Each year we always hope to get more camping in and are happy to take what we can get :)

 So, obviously, I'm excited to be part of today's fun camping themed blog hop just in time- so many great ideas here that will be really helpful for the entire season:

It's Not Over Yet... Kinda

Does Summer pretty well end with Labor Day for your family?

In some ways, it kinda feels like it around here...

but then there's the stubborn side of me that just flat refuses!

Fill the blow-up pool back up again, baby! We are NOT conceding yet!

I realize I sure haven't shared as much of our most recent summer goings on as I'd have liked... I don't think the summer will ever come to a close that I won't be melancholy about it and think I could've gotten more into these few months...

Yes, yes, I do tend to take about ten pictures when one or two would suffice :P My phone kinda spit this animation out on its own and it cracks me up!

Fun Little Summer Videos

This summer, I've been taking a few little videos of fun things we've done. Sometimes it just seems more like the thing to do instead of a still shot, ya know? :) I know I sure haven't done great at taking video in the past! I recently uploaded them and thought I'd share here, if for no one else's enjoyment but mine and my family's. They sure make me smile! I know I always enjoy watching family videos from my childhood! I want to be able to put these somewhere that they can enjoy them when they're older too :)

Redfish Lake Never Disappoints

Another year of Redfish memories have been made! I've said it how many times before...this is one of my very favorite places on Earth! Recently my Mom said, "Redfish is magical," and I thought that sounded about right. Even as excited as we are for each year's trip, Redfish never disappoints :)

Simple Watermelon Bowl Carving

So my friend Shatzi from Love and Laundry is, oh, ya know, just off touring Europe this month... lucky girl :)

To help her not leave her blog empty in the meantime, I wrote this post as one of her guest posters recently. I've been having fun making watermelon fun this summer :)

Summer (and Life) In a Bottle

I just wanna keep this summer in a bottle.

I know, I know, I've said just that about different points in time before.

But still, I wanna bottle this time in life too :)

Like the time Cooper got little frogs from one of Stephen's customers

and he couldn't have been more thrilled about it :)

Simple Water Fight Shields

Any chance you noticed the cutie new button in my sidebar??

I am a new contributor for The Ribbon Retreat!!!! I'm so excited!! You could tell from all those exclamation points, right? Usually one is it for me- multiples is a big deal :) I have really loved communicating and working with Michelle, the blog coordinator there- she is awesome! So this post originally appeared on The Ribbon Retreat Blog- such a simple, but fun, idea...

Summer Bucket List: Zoo Day

Awhile back we crossed off an item on Cooper's summer bucket list, or what he calls his "Fun Club," when we went to the zoo with my sisters Lundyn and Jodie, my two adorablest neices, baby Kamden, and Grammie. :) Our local zoo is both small and big enough to be really pretty darn fun :) We've been crossing off lots of things from his list, but this one seemed more major, ya know?