Feeling good bout that one.

I'm sure one day he'll kill me, it might even be today because he's very into privacy. But I just couldn't help taking this photo of his white bum. Sorry Luke.
Before I tell my tale a quick story. So later on in the evening Luke came up to me (after Chad had put him in bed) and whispered, "mom, I'll find you a penny if you let me watch TV,"

Just in that moment he looked over and spied his dad's wallet on the counter then he said, "no, no, wait how about a dollar?"
Okay here's my story. This is dinner from a delightful evening spent cooking/dancing in the kitchen with the children while preparing it. It was all done during Owen's football practice, except Owen wasn't there he was here with us, doing more important things, like talking to me and dancing of course.
You see, we live in Texas where football is serious (I really really mean it too). Owen plays on a seven year old team that has three practices a week and a game Saturday. These practices are two hours long and...we live in Texas...so it's incredibly hot too. So, that makes for pretty miserable evenings.

So, I decided that I wasn't going to do it anymore. Nope, I'm not going to drag my family around in the freaking hot sun and spend nearly every evening on the fields when I could be doing something important. Like dinner and dancing.

Maybe he'll play next year but this year I'm not inviting that amount of chaos into my life. So for now he's playing tennis one day a week and we're having our daily dose of dancing/pigging out. Hallelujah.

San Diego baby!

The last week of our tour was spent in San Diego. Chad flew out to meet us and a wonderful time was had by all. Here are the boys at Sea World modeling hats for sale and no we didn't buy them.
This was so funny, at the sea lion show they had this act to warm up the crowd. It was hip music and dancing skits, well, Lily almost stopped breathing from staring so intensely during the performance. She has found her calling.

Waiting to see Shamu.

Owen going for the brass ring, he got three iron ones but the lady in front of him got the brass ring. Timing is everything.

While there we went to Legoland where now both children have license's to drive. We're just trying to hide our car keys in new spots now so as to avoid a disaster.

Of course we had to indulge in a little In-N-Out Burger while there (okay we had it at least everyday, and once on the way home in Arizona where we officially hit the spot and had had enough of it). But we loved it, Lily especially loved the milkshake and would go insane if you even looked like you might try to take it away.

Here we are on Carlsbad beach at sunset on our first day there.

Luke was all over the beach thing, he'd head right out for the waves and splash all around.

Lily was more of a 'I'm just going to stand over here by you type'.

Waves!

On lifeguard patrol.

This is as close as Lily got to the water.

But not them. We loved our time there, grandma was with us and we had a ton of fun. Each night the kiddos would have sleepovers at grandma's condo (we stayed at a timeshare and got to hear all kind of great things about vacation ownership, (I'm kidding) and the timeshare salesman even called me a hard ass. Wow, talk about a poor sport).

While the kids were doing who knows what at my mom's, Chad and I would go back to the beach and walk along holding hands chatting away while watching the waves come in. A great time was had.

Zions National Park

As we made our way down to California we stopped for a couple days in Zions. We had grandma in tow and did a bunch of really adventurous hikes. So much so that on our way up the trail almost every stranger that passed us was complimenting me on what a woman I was. Why thank you very much and I did have a couple of She Ra moments. With Lily on my back and pushing Luke up the hill I looked pretty butch.
Trying not to puke.
The boys trying to be manly, some trying harder to compensate for not having pants on. Geeze mom.

Like I say, we Mead's love us some muscle flexing.

In the Narrows. Can you see the water level on Luke's shirt? He was such a trooper that hike, it must have been that nap he had on the one mile leading up to the trail (while I had Lily on my back and pushing a stroller uphill). Butch I say. And look at Owen in the back, all ticked off. He wasn't having as much fun as the rest of us. At one point we came to a waterfall and he turned to my mom and I and outrageously said, "we came all this way for a waterfall!"

Aforementioned waterfall.

The kids have started school back and when Luke was asked what he did this summer he sighed and said "a lot of walking".

Lily has the song I can do anything you can do better running through her baby brain I swear (and I have no idea where she would get that from either).

Hike to Emerald pools...like Owen's and Luke's walking sticks (you have to really look for Luke's)?

At some river.

Taking a break.

Luke at the lower pools.

Me and my passenger, who thought pulling hair was entertainment.

We had so much fun in Zions, our hotel suite backed up to a river and after days of exertion we'd put the kids to be and then go sit and chat by the river. It was so fun and we did stuff that the kids won't ever forget, ever.

Photo documentation on why we went to the emergency room last week.

The above picture is the reason Chaddy had to come and meet us at the emergency room last weekend (during a super sweet concert he was at BTW). It was taken at Park City UT where we did the alpine slide and other various exciting activities. Well, Owen wanted to show his buddy what his new trick on the trampoline (except he didn't have the aide of the rope to facilitate the back flip) and bam. Landed smack on his head, but all's well that ends well, just a muscle strain.
Luke figured out that if he just laid back after he jumped up that he eventually would do a back flip, it was kind of slow motion but very charming.

I had to post this pic, I didn't notice it while we were taking pictures but now that I see it, I die. And isn't he handsome, if I do say so myself, which I do, so I am. He he he he.

The generations of Lindsay women.

Here I am with the latest of the Lindsay women. One of the things I really wanted to do while in Utah was take a picture with my grandma Lindsay, my mom Lily and I. I have a picture of me with my mom and grandma from when I was little that I love and I wanted to take this opportunity to do it again. Grandma Martha will be ninety six this year on Christmas eve. She is such a sweet, calm, mellow woman. Whom I'm told that was nothing like that while her children we're young. That in fact she actually had quite a temper, which gives me so much hope for myself! One day, I too will mellow out and be like Martha. Until then, I'll let that Indian blood (my great-grandma Ella was a Shoshone Indian) pump through me and let it all out.
After our little photo shoot Lily went over and cuddled up to my uncle Doug. The children refer to him as uncle Duck though. They had the fun experience of having three small children staying with you while we we're in Utah. You know, fun stuff like nothing being where you put it down at, etc.

They we're amazing hosts though, they even had sugary cereal for the kids. Luke busied himself with caring for Chicka's (the dog) every need by carrying her around in a blanket anytime he was able to get his hands around her. Vicky and I went on daily hikes up the mountain behind their house while the children busily searched for any possible thing that wasn't put up that hadn't been destroyed yet. And I can't believe I don't have a photo of it but uncle Doug bought the boy's tennis rackets and would take them down and play each day. Which has begun a lifelong passion for it; Owen goes out each day and will hit balls against the house.

Here we are the Lindsay women. There are some many attributes that I hope to attain that my grandmother and mother posses. One that I love in particular is how fiercely loyal they are. If you were even thinking of messing with someone they love, just do yourself a favor and don't.

Nature, cont.

More pics from our adventures in Idaho. Luke and Lauren shared a love/hate relationship with each other (I think they both also share that same kind of relationship with most companions in their respective lives). But when it was good, oh it was good. Here they are finding joy in mud slinging. Who doesn't.
Kimball, Owen and Cole. They had a great time in the great outdoors but probably most enjoyed their time spent in the basement working feverishly to unlock characters on Mario Cart Wii.

Owie, contemplating the quiet beauty. We all thoroughly enjoyed taking our shoes and socks off and walking around in the cool, clear water with tiny pebbles tickling our toes.

Big Falls Island Park, ID

As part of our USA (Western half) tour we went to Idaho Falls, ID of course. While there visiting our favorite Idahoans (ex-Texans), the Peterson's we went to Island Park.
Here we are looking ever so glamorous; Jamie and Jamie. We've been friends every since we met in law school in Michigan. We look fondly back on those memories of late night joint shopping trips and evening walks while we were both enormously prego (at least she was, never me). I only gained a svelte sixty pounds. Take that.

Luke couldn't be happier than he is right here in this photo.

Luke's close encounter with animal tongue.

Once upon a time we went to Bear world with our friends the Peterson's. Luke as he always does familiarizes himself with the local animals.
He isn't afraid of them and can't seem to ever get enough, as this lick session lasted over twenty minutes!

He was giggling the whole time too and if you look closely at his eyebrows you will see that they have been licked in the Brooke Shields fashion.

Cecret Lake, aka. day of torture for children.

This is one of my favorite this picture tells a thousands words picture. Here we are at the top of Cecret Lake at Alta in UT. I had just set Lily down after carrying her up this mountain for more than a mile while dragging Luke behind me telling him that he can do it. All the while he is saying that he can't take one more step. It was an adventure and yes I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Because when we got up there it was so beautiful, Luke even came around and said it was worth it.

We went with my super cool friend Tara and some of her brood. We got to catch up while going up and had amazing scenery all around. We lucked out and the wildflowers were blooming.

This is on the trail up while it was still fun for the children and it was a little bit after this point that I stopped taking pictures until we reached the top.

If you look closely you can see Owen in his green t-shirt on top of this big rock and Luke is on his way up. They both got up there and in true Mead style they immediately flexed their muscles for me.

At the trail head on our way up. It was challenging but so much fun and beautiful sights. Fun day with my friend.