Snippets// August

This month we celebrated Cristian, Isaac (my brother) and my Dad's birthdays! My phone was stolen so I have no photos from Cristian's or my brother's birthdays but I did have a new phone for my Dad's! Happy Birthday you three!

 



Killing time coming up with silly games, like balancing sea shells on our noses.

 



A splash pad appeared in our backyard over night. The girls and I spent a really great morning puddle jumping and getting soaked! Can it get better than this for 2 year olds. I don't think so.

 



My favorite time of the day is nap time (when it happens). She's just so snuggly and my personal heater.

 



Finally put our shells from Australia to some use. Have been wondering what to do with these for awhile. This project was easy and fun. Thank you Pinterest.

 







Fresh summer produce. IN LOVE.

 

"Teaching" the girls how to play diskgolf.

 



Treasures at the park.

 

#justgirlthings

 



Some outdoor yoga.

 



My favorite face.

 



Delicious.

Banana Towers and Public Transport

 

Basically what we've been doing lately. Building towers using a variety of items (mostly food) and spending TONS of time just riding around Cache Valley on the bus. She loves buses. I love it's that easy to entertain her. My wallet also loves that it's free.

 

This is unrelated, but Cristian and I just finished week 2 of Insanity and start our 3rd week today with a Fit Test! Still going strong.

 

Snippets// Crimson Trail

I think her face in the last picture is a perfect illustration of how she found our Sunday spin.

I've been itching to do this trail all summer long; the last time I did was way back in high school with some members of the swim team. Certainly time to revisit the ole' beaten track. I am so glad we started at the Spring Hollow campground instead of Malibu (which is the only way I've gone previously). The climb, though still pretty killer,was not nearly as bad as going the opposite way. We huffed and puffed our way up-me more so then Cristian, even though he was carrying 27lbs of baby girl on his back-up the trail and finally ......sweating and out of breath made it to the top where it flattens out (for the most part). I'm pretty impressed with Cristian. I hiked through National Parks with Violet for about a week but we never encountered any uphill which lasted as long as this one, or was as steep. Get legs right?

 

Along the way we found spider webs to observe, white shells to pick up and carry down the mountain, birds flying below which is always a fun perspective, and heard yet failed to see many a chipmunk. The downhill was a little rough on our knees, and my hips but it was worth it, of course! I think our family is looking forward to autumn, but there's nothing quite like a blood pumping excursion in the hot sun and wind way up in the mountains of Logan Canyon.

 

 

 

 

Snippets// Tony's Grove

 A cool breeze.

One billion mossies.

Ant encounters.

Dragonflies of a noteworthy size.

Rock skipping.

Buzzing bees.

Scampering chipmunks.

Water bugs by the hundreds.

 

 

 

A wonderful afternoon by Navas standards.

 

 



Frenemy #1

This past week we re-started Insanity. My little impromptu trip to Las Vegas with my cousin kind of screwed with the diet portion of the program, though I kept up really well as far the exercise because of all the hiking. This week went well. Really pushed myself through the harder parts of the workouts and felt satisfied by the end of the week with the work I'd put in. The diet part of the program is proving to be a little difficult for me this time. I never talk about this, but it's never been a problem the way it is now. I really need to lose the baby weight I put on and it's been a constant struggle since  6 weeks after delivering Violet.

It's all about counting calories, which I am usually very good at but for some reason I just DO NOT want to do that this time. I feel like a slave to my purple notebook and the scale to measure out every last portion and I just want to bag that whole part of the deal all together. It's stressful, and annoying. It definitely keeps me on track but I have such a love/hate relationship with food these days the idea of focusing even more time thinking about (calorie counting) honestly makes me sick.

And it's been physically making me ill this week, my relationship with it. I love it. I hate it. I eat it. I force myself NOT to eat it. I do well one day, and the next day I either drink tea all day, or one time of specific food, or load up on carbs. I can't really seem to find a balance and I feel my stomach (because of mind) has suffered. I woke up this morning intent on doing a work out but I feel weak and like I need to take a serious day of recovery to just...mellow out.

This love hate thing is really consuming, and I guess that means I'll keep looking for a way that personally helps my relationship with food not be so intense. As for today though, I'm going to take it easy.

Away We Go/ Southern Utah-Las Vegas+Billy

This last week my cousin Belinda (Billy) flew in from Australia to visit us in Utah on her way to holiday in Columbia. I can't recall the last time one of my cousins popped over to the United States to visit, so this was an unusual but first-class treat for us. While in Northern Utah/Cache Valley she experienced Bear Lake+A Rodeo, Logan Canyon,The Wind Caves, and Shaved Ice. Since she was meeting up with her mates to fly out from Las Vegas, it was settled we (Violet, myself, and my sister Victoria) would road trip to Las Vegas and  hike+ explore a few National Parks in Southern Utah along the way. We especially wanted to season her with an involved experience only Utah can offer. We started out early Sunday morning and throughout the week trekked through Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Zions National Park, and ended with a day and night in Las Vegas. It was phenomenal, and I think Violet and both Billy and Victoria would agree.

 

We tried rattlesnake at the Diablo Cafe', lost $3 gambling in the casino, climbed above the Emerald Pools in Zions, rode so many buses (Violets favorite part, hands down), sweat buckets in the 100+ degree weather, ate mango key lime cheesecake, sipped on mint chili lemonade and had dreams about the sugar cookie we split from Swig in St George. We had many inconvenient potty trips for Violet, Billy drove several times on the freeways (and did an amazing job!), thought we'd broken my parents car when we bottomed out on a sneaky cheeky rock, and slept on extremely cushy beds. We also paid $7 for a bottle of water in Vegas (to be somewhat fair, it was delicious), enjoyed the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens inside the Bellagio, and also watched the fountains. We swam in a salt water pool and hot tub, found an anthill the size of Violet, took selfies, and Billy tried a waffle for the first time! Violet, Victoria and myself had the chance to listen to some kiwi reggae which Billy provided and debated with Billy over who was a better singer- Bob Marley, or Damian. Violet woke up crying in the middle of the night because she'd rolled off the bed in her sleep-twice, she also ONLY wanted to hold Billy's hand the entire trip, and drink her water, and sit next to her, etc. We drank gallons of water, enjoyed our Tevas on all our hikes, and drove oh so many miles. We saw flamingos and parrots, Billy and Victoria went to Margaritaville and had a fun time while Vi and I went up to our hotel room, watched an episode of FullHouse and turned in early. We got lost and had to backtrack several times, talked to Billy about her travels, and finally were pretty sad when this adventure came to an end.

 

Better then traveling to all these places, it was an absolute joy to get to know my cousin. Living in a different country then ALL our extended family has meant not a lot of cousin bonding time. Billy doesn't feel like a stranger anymore, and that's something more precious to me then this entire trip-though I'm grateful this trip allowed a camaraderie to blossom. We miss her so much already, and Violet is confused about where her partner in crime has gone.

 

All in all this was a week full of memories we will all hold and cherish deeply.

We love you Billy!