Carpe Diem...Summer/Family Style!

Family, nothing better! Am amazing day with Granny and Papa on our river beach

A peak at our day, beer and kids running wild on the river...FUN!

Forrest the squirt gun guru!

this kid has it rough...watermelon in a swing on the river....WOW!

Yummy Watermelon!

The fight is on!

Forrest pegs Papa!

I wonder who got what they deserved?

Fun on the kayak

The squirt gun demolition team!

Mom gets a chance to take an evening post dinner dive

"NO!!!"

The "terrible two's" have hit, Talin style, (which really isn't so terrible at all...;-)

Crawdad!!!

So much fun!

Papa getting warmed up!

The amazing waterfight duo, Granny and Papa!

Crawdad, Talin style!

Get that invisible pirate, get him!!!!!

The Match!

Granny pegs 'Papa before he can react!

'Papa gets Forrest good in the 'earball'......

The epic water fight is fought till the bitter end....

And Dad retreats......

And thus comes another end to the epic beach day, Fulton/Stollmeyer Style...oh of course except add a dinner of BBQ chicken apple sausage/sauteed summer squash/and pasta salad capped with homemade watermelon, Yummo!
We will all sleep well tonight!

What you can get from a 3:50 a.m. wake up call that does not involve a little person....

 ....perhaps, this!!! Two weeks ago Alex and I escaped for a morning down to the coveted Burnt Ranch salmon hole just upriver from us. Alex had been fishing it for a couple of weeks as this is the time the "springers" start to come up river. It had just gotten good, really good, the night before, (Father's day evening,) and it worked out for us to have kiddie care and Voila....I was down fishing again! I haven't fished this spot and caught anything for years...before Forrest was born at the very least. It has a very difficult and humbling spot to be in, nonetheless fish in. The trail is a cliff side scramble straight up and down, and fishing for these glorious, strong, amazing salmon that like to spool your line, jump up feet in the air , and run the rapids is quite an amazing fight. For the morning fishing session you hike down with a head lamp, down a very slick trail, and I just try to not kill myself basically. Alex in all his svelteness seems to just glide down as I find myself on my butt more than a few times. Regardless we make it, wait for dawn to break for it to be light enough to fish, and take in the beauty of this remote river spot that we are lucky enough to have all to ourselves...

The plan was for Alex to hook and land two, (his allowable catch,) and then any more he would hook he would pass the rod to me to land...or TRY to land. So he got his two...and then...we lost one after another. SO difficult. I would fish, and then stop briefly to eat or stretch, and then fish again despite my lack of luck...and skill most likely. Then, I had one on! And I landed it! This beauty above was my fish, a nice 8-9 pounder, and I was so thankful for the thrill of it all. I never got my second that morning, but the one was plenty.
Yes this mama still can fish and catch something more than little human boys once in awhile :-)

Granny is here, Granny is here!

I was lucky enough to bring back my Mom from our annual King's River trip to stay with us for awhile during her summer break.
Forrest is SO excited, and couldn't say enough about his Granny, the super long back rubs she was going to give him, and how much he missed her "so much!"

So far we've endured a rainy few days on the ranch, a crazy work and call week for this mama, and now a heat wave...oh yes, and all the sweet moments of night time cuddling with books in Granny's bed, sweet coast beach trips where we beat the heat and happened to find a sand sculpture contest, pool side afternoons, evening walks, and everything else in between.

 My parents live 12 hours away, (California is a LONG state!) so summer time is awesome as we always get at least one good visit with my Mom to look forward to.

Kings River Annual Extravaganza

Sending all the family off for the float!

Talin and I made the trek down the the Kings River in the heart of central Cal last weekend and boy did we have fun. I had made the decision to just take one kiddo as Alex could not make the trip this year and both parents elected to have Talin be my partner and Forrest to stay and do big boy things with Dad at home. We all had fun in our respected  places and Talin did great in his first real camping experience, (though who are we kidding I often feel like our home is one giant camping trip!!)
But really though, he did great with 40+ family memebers, most who he had never met, camping around him. He loved to wander up to his bigger cousins just wanting to be part of the action and play with them. He also, I think, really did well without the constant big brother influence. For the first time he was truly his own being and he did great! Other than he very picky eating tendencies, (a phase he's going through at home and away!) he did great, playing in the sand, skipping naps without grouchy moments, taking boat rides, and meeting family he had never really met before.

I love my family and I love this trip. I didn't get a float trip down the river this year, nor did I get a ski ride, but I had a great time with my family and cousins and that's what counts.
Till next year Kings River!

Float goers the Dickerson family with Brenna and little brother to be wait for final send off...

Rick, Kyle, and Ryan drive the historic float Mobile...the Great White Truck...

Checking out the paddle board with the young one, (he wasn't quite the fan yet...)

afternoon river cruise

Talin and Papa get a boat ride

I brought the trademark BBQ salmon to share :-)

"I'm Grandma's Favorite!!!"--All my cousins and I were given "special shirts" by my awesome Grandma truly showing who is the favorite... ;-)

Talin gets his Aunt Megan time

Forrest and Talin's wonderful Dad....

Is of course this wonderful guy!

My partner in life and the most wonderful Dad for our two little guys. Leading by example, adventuring hard, and doing everything in between. Everything from bring loads of salmon home for them to oooooh and awwww at, teaching them how to fish for the little guys, and to cuddling, reading, and trading back rubs with this Dad is certainly a catch( pun intended!)
"Happy Fadder's Day DaDa" were the words of the day as we kept it simple with lox, bagels, cream cheese, red onion, tomato, and sprouts for breakfast( as much for the Mom as it was for the Dad if the Day!) and then let the guy of the hour fish his coveted Burnt Ranch hole in some solo fish fighting time!
Here's to many more wonderful days celebrating all of the awesome Dads out there...

The next Tour de France riders in the making...

Or perhaps not. But this is awesome so who cares! Take an early birthday present to myself, (the ride along mini bike trailer Forrest is on,) and add our tow along bike trailer Talin is in, and add a very peeved little brother that really wants to ride with his older brother and mama and Viola!!!! You have a riding masterpiece! 5 miles down today and no carnage. We need to work on the helmet factor a bit. My kids heads are so big...they don't fit in toddler helmets or little kid helmets for the matter. Adult sizes are a bit too big, I need to keep looking!
Here's to many off road adventures on our bike train extraordinaire and to more days where Forrest complains about his "sore buttom...." ;-)

It's SUMMER!!!!

The first weekend of June brought us our first REAL summer weekend, complete with 90+ degree temps, a lovely river beach, and the opportunity to test our now one year older little boys on our "river schedule". We consider our river beach our front yard. We really desire to occupy and live on our river beach as much as possible during the summer months. For one, well, it is paradise really, even if it is a hike away from the comforts of home! And TWO, it is hot here! And no air conditioning means you use water to cool off, be it a pool or river, it is SO much nicer next to a body of water....
So.....as any family with little ones knows, you have to have some sort of a schedule with little people. Naps, meals, and such. Our beach is a little hike away from our home. Our home with the littles beds, rooms where doors can be shut, etc. So, introduce for 2013, NO NAP FOR FORREST...This is a BIG deal. He can still sleep 3 hours during his afternoon nap time. This kid goes nonstop. But this long afternoon siestas also yeild pretty late bedtime, in the 9-930 range. So....we are trialing the no nap thing...
AHHHHHHHHH!
And insert in place of Nap.....

Yep, endless water fights at the request of Forrest. Chasing him with a 5 gallon bucket of water all over the beach is no joke...new crossfit workout I'd say...!

And.....
Super early bedtime. 7:22 to be exact today, 8:00 yesterday, both no nap days and both river days.
I think I like it....
Happy summer everyone!

Raising Boys...the tame pictures...

Alex and I are raising boys...if you haven't noticed.
Or should I say, herding cats???Wild hyenas perhaps??? I don't have girls, but oh boy are these boys a handful! And yes, I know the female young versions of my little men  can just about make you batty as well but there is something distinctly different about boy energy, I think.....I often wonder how a little girl or two instead of or in addition to boys would change the dynamic. And then another BLAST of energy...or food....or dinosaur comes barreling towards me and my thoughts about just about EVERYTHING are gone...and so goes raising boys.

So, I'll have more thoughts in 10 or so years, perhaps even profound thoughts about my experiences raising boys. But for now, well, lets just say I'm completely overwhelmed and impressed with little boy energy. Good and Bad. We'll see what another decade of maturity and family evolution will do to my thoughts....