We had such a fun summer. We survived the Arizona heat until the end of June, and then we hit the road for cooler weather. We went to Idaho for our Barnes family reunion. We had a great time camping in the mountains. Our camp theme was "Survivor" so each little family had a team color and wore matching bandanas. We played lots, competed in team challenges, and had tons of food. W did not vote anyone out of the family though.
After camping Matt, Strat, and I headed to Colorado for 3 weeks of art shows Matt was doing. This was our first time doing an art show. We sort of felt like gypsies. We slept in a tent for 11 nights at a campground, it was really just a field by the river but at least there were showers and bathrooms. The art shows were only over the weekends, so during the week we got to see some really fun things and play lots. The first 2 shows were in neighboring ski villages, it was so amazing there. The towns had a european feel with cobblestone roads, beautiful buildings, and delicious creperies. We found some fun free things to do like a tram ride to the top of the ski hill (about 12,000 ft elevation-it was breathtaking!) and a Queen tribute concert-Stratton is now a big fan of "We Will Rock You". Our last show was in Boulder (where we binged on a hotel for the last week-thank you matt!) and then we headed back to Idaho. The shows went really well, we were excited that so many people liked Matt's paintings, and that we were able to sell some!
When we got back to Idaho, Matt and the other Sievers menfolk left on a fishing trip to Washington/Vancouver. They spent a week covered in fish guts, saw whales while they were out fishing in the ocean, and brought home a ton of fish. I know they had some great (hygiene lacking) man time. I spent the week canning garden food and making jam with my sisters and step-mom. We even taught the toddlers how to snap beans, sort of. We were able to spend a couple of days camping with Sievers right before we had head back to AZ, and it was lots of fun. We had a great trip, I'm already planning next summer vacation :)
We got a flat tire on the freeway in So. Utah, Strat was happy to get out of the car for a bit and chill in his camp chair.
Barnes Reunion, sort of a goofy bunch I know.
Stratton shared his birthday with his 2 new baby cousins' blessing day. It was a fun day surrounded with all sorts of family and in-laws from me and my sisters fams.
This about half of the art booth. It took us almost a full day to set it up for each show, and then we would have to take it all down at the end of the show 3 days later in the dark. I haven't done that much manual labor in years...
Breakfast at the camp site. Stratton takes a little while to wake up in the morning. And I think he was mad about all the mosquitoes keeping him up at night.
Grandma Sievers had some kittens that became Stratton's favorite thing. And the kittens handled the trampoline surprisingly well.
We drove about 30 min out of the way in CO. to see this dinosaur fossil area. I think as soon as we got there and saw this sign, we should have known we were about to be seriously disappointed.
Stratton's first horse/pony ride. He was totally freaked out, but at least we got a picture before he bailed.
Last month we were able to spend a few days in California with Andy (Matt's bro) and his wife Lauren. We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific which Stratton loved. They had an entire tank full of Nemos and he just sat and yelled "fish! Nemo!" We also went to Knott's Berry Farm. For those of you that don't know, Knott's is one of California's most under-appreciated theme parks. It is much MUCH cheaper than the other big name parks in CA and there's hardly ever any lines. We used to go there every Disney Land trip growing up so it has lots of fun family memories for me. It has a great kids area with miniature roller coasters, rides, and activities that were perfect even for kids as young as Stratton. It also has lots of great roller coasters/rides for us big kids plus the usual shops, shows, and theme park features. So there's my plug for good ol' Knott's. Anyways, this is a picture we bought of us on the log ride. Stratton has a really flighty stomach (i posted previously about how much he hates the swings). So, even though he didn't cry, I think he face says exactly how he feels about thrill rides...(if you click on the pic it should zoom in so you can see better) 
