Mama Kit and Papa

Kit and Len came to visit recently and we had a blast! The boys loved reading with Papa as usual:

We took Grant to the dinosaur play place in the mall - we hadn't been there for a long time. They all had a blast!

Of course we had to go out for ice cream :).

We always love our time with Mama Kit and Papa and this time we put them to work, too! Kit taught me how to make bed frames (and get wood cut at Home Depot - I didn't even know you could do that). Scott and Len did a major part of the building before he left. At this point the frames are totally finished, stained and beautiful....now I'm sewing the covers for the mattresses. They're going to be daybeds for the new house. I'll post pictures when we get everything set up. Thanks for coming out, spending time with us and helping us out with our projects Len and Kit!!

Quotes

We have had some really funny quotes from the boys lately - some of which I can't even remember - but here are a few that I do:

M: How was your first day of Spanish preschool buddy?

L: Mom. I had more fun than you could imagine. I think I'm luckier than gold.

(During Stake Conference)

P: Mom what does "necessary" mean?

(long description ensues)

P: So eating is necessary? And pooping is necessary? Mom.....I think you're necessary.

And that's the best compliment I think I've ever received :)

How We Knew...

That THIS was the house for us:

We close on our FIRST HOME in a few weeks. Can't wait!! Kit and I took that picture just for you, Zach and Kristy. Seems our fates are forever entwined..heheh. More on Len and Kit's visit coming soon!!

Our August

We had so much fun last month! After getting back from our trip we just relaxed and spent time with our friends in our favorite places here. Lots of swimming! We had to visit Berry Patch Farms once the raspberries came on (it's officially a tradition). The boys love going down the aisles and finding lots of ripe berries to pick and eat. Here they are on their way back to the farm house:

The tractor took us back so we could sidestep the mud. Parker and Brandon loved being the big boys at the back:

I can't believe how big this guy is getting:

Rachel and Miss Molly:

The best part about this place is all the space to run! We picnicked and watched the boys play to their hearts content:

Parker was very curious about Molly. He's starting to hate babies less and less every day... :)

Then Everett joined the party:

A week or so after berry picking, Landon started preschool! We're doing Mother Goose with a few other friends from church and the community. So far Landon loves his class! He was so excited to go:

Some of you may know that I was trying to get him into a bilingual program, but the school's usually have waiting lists a mile long. Well, we were on the waiting list and obviously didn't get in....but yesterday, they called and said they now have an opening! Now we just have to figure it all out. I'm having lots of mommy emotions about sending him off to REAL preschool :(

Scott and I LOVE concerts and he surprised me with tickets to John Mayer and Owl City at Red Rocks a few weeks ago. Red Rocks is gorgeous and the music was amazing (of course). Our good friends Rachel and Jeff had tickets, too, so we carpooled up there. Here we are in front of the staircase (Jeff took the picture, so he escaped the photo this time!):

Waiting for the show to start:

Here are some videos from the show (Alicia, yes, Owl City was definitely good live!):

John Mayer did that acoustic set in the middle of the show - he played the song that I showed to Scott when we were first dating...awww. We had a blast!!

Camping Week: Part 5, Yellowstone!!!

I know, you're probably sick of our camping adventure by now - this is the last post I promise! The last four nights of our trip were spent up in Yellowstone. It is amazingly gorgeous there. This is what we saw on the drive to our campsite:

Of course we had to check out Old Faithful:

The boys loved seeing Brandon and Tamsin. I let them stay up well past dark every night and the LOVED sitting around the campfire (and drinking hot chocolate....and roasting marshmellows). Not much to dislike there!

This was another section of the grasslands near our campsite:

Parker found a wounded (a.k.a. dead) butterfly and it became his pet for the day:

Our first morning there Uncle Brandon took us fly fishing. It was a beautiful morning and we (as in Brandon and Bryson) caught quite a few fish too!

The first catch of the day! We taught Landon and Parker how to identify the fish (since you can only keep certain types) and they loved looking at the patterns on the scales to figure it out.

Foreshadowing of what was to come at dinner time for that little fish:

Parker did NOT want us to cut open the fish. He loved them. A lot.

Then Parker fell in the river up to his neck....hence the nakedness. He disappeared right in front of me (through a hole in the grass). Slightly scary! He was naked for awhile until we got his swimming suit from the car. Luckily it was only us and the Buffalo in the clearing!

A buffalo came right through where we were fishing. Glad we didn't get gored :)

After Parker got his swimsuit he HAD to play in the stream. The water was freezing, so I don't know how he stayed in there that long. He loved it!

I don't know why I love this picture so much. I think it's because it reminds me of some cowboy pictures I used to see when I was a kid. Put a stetson on this boy and it would be perfect!

Landon with the buffalo:

Brandon and Tamsin with another fish AND the buffalo. He passed us right across the stream. Such amazing animals!

Parker in his element. Happy as a clam!

I got to gut a fish too! I remember doing it with my Dad as a kid - hopefully he'll be proud that I remembered the right way to do it!

Brandon pointing out the anatomy:

On our second to last day we went fishing at a different spot where there was plenty of beach for the kids to play on.

They were a little scared to walk out into the current so Bubba helped them to their little "islands".

Landon loved this one (until he saw a pretty big spider).

Parker was very happy to be away from us so that he could throw rocks to his heart's content! The stick was also a big hit.

Here's my favorite video from the trip. I love how much trouble a stick can cause:

Brandon and Bryson took the boys fishing (on their own!) the last night we were there. Brandon and Tamsin bought them these cool fishing hats and junior ranger tools. They still love playing with them! They loved drinking the pop Brandon brought, too:

On the drive home I had Bryson take these pictures - the Buffalo were all over the road!

I have to say thanks to Bryson for driving a long stretch of the road home. It was so nice to close my eyes and relax a bit instead of driving the whole way! It was his first time driving on the highway, too! We had fun listening to our iPod music, some podcasts and chatting. I'm so glad we got to do a road trip together :). Thanks Brandon and Tamsin for organizing everything and good luck on your next adventure!