Impromptu Photo Shoot of my Baby

I am by no means a professional photographer and on this evening I wasn't trying to be... but I was trying to capture a cute moment with my baby out on the back patio. He was being so cute tottering around looking at bugs and pointing at birds. It was a nice moment being outside with him.

photos from jenny lake for blog book

Jenny Lake

On Saturday we went to Jenny Lake and rode the ferry across the lake and did a little hiking on the other side. It was pefect, it was so fun and rejuvenating and relaxing. The weather was gorgeous, the perfect temperature, not too warm, not cool, just right! It is beautiful over there, more beautiful than I remember it being. Of course, I haven't been there since I was 15 and my family hiked up. But it was breathtaking to me. The kids did great on the hiking part, Porter and Lexi were little energizer-bunnies and just kept on running up the trail. All of them could not get enough of all the big climbing rocks. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to take Kyler with his broken arm but thankfully he didn't take any tumbles and tried not to do as much climbing as is in his nature to do. Brenner wanted to walk himself so the hike down we let him walk while Dave patiently went at Brenner's pace. It was just such a fun enjoyable day. The ferry ride was one of the kids' favorite things, we got to sit on the front row so they could see the waves splashing a little on the side of the boat. The Tetons were gorgeous and I was just in awe of the beauty all around us, and thankful to be with my wonderful husband and my wonderful kids.






We've discovered Brenner has a fear of heights, he doesn't giggle like other babies when he's thrown up into the air, his eyes just look terrified. Dave said Brenner was gripping onto his head for dear life for the hike up before Dave put him down. I thought it was adorable how he was hanging on to his Daddy. This photo doesn't quite capture the cuteness of the moment. But he was definitely much happier on the ground walking on his own.

Porter's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Porter's first day of Kindergarten was on Thursday, August 27, 2009. I took him to school and we found his locker. So cool that they get lockers! Then we went outside and he played on the new playground until his teacher came out and his class lined up behind her. He was a little nervous, but managed a little smile and wave as he followed his teacher into the building. I stayed around and kept peeking down the hall where Mrs. C was explaining about their new lockers. Then I left with a prayer in my heart that he would have a happy day and love Kindergarten. When he got home he wasn't so sure about the Kindergarten thing. He said he only made one new friend and that his teacher always yelled when the class was only 4 steps away and everyone was already looking at her. (That made me smile a little bit.) I hope it gets better for him!

With Ms. Morgan at the Open House on Wed.

Porter by his new locker.

Lining up on the first day.


Friday was Porter's first day to ride the bus and he was really excited.

One of my favorite memories will be Porter's cute little excited smile as he was peeking through the window at me and waving. I loved it! He looked so happy to be big and riding the bus. Such a cute boy! Love you Porter!

And another exciting thing is Porter has his first loose tooth! So many firsts. My sweet Porter is growing up!

Broken Arm

The first day of school had a little more excitement than we were anticipating! After school yesterday Kyler was playing with his best friend and they were playing in a wheelbarrow and Kyler slipped and fell out and broke both bones in his lower arm. My friend called and said Kyler needed to go to the hospital and when I picked him up I almost lost my stomach to see his arm bending where it shouldn't be bending! We made it to the hospital (which is a nerve-racking 8 miles away when you're driving with a child crying in pain) where they took x-rays, put him to sleep, set his arm, and put it in a splint. Dr. Brown said if Kyler had to break his arm he did it right, it was a good break and it's better to be young, and he twisted and pulled it back into place. When I have seen kids with broken legs or arms in casts I feel so sorry for them, but when it's your own child and you go through it with them it's quite the traumatic experience. Now I definitely have more empathy! I'm proud of Kyler for being so super brave. He was quite miserable during the night but felt better this morning and went to school for most of the day. He's left-handed and broke his left arm so school was a little challenging for him today. I picked him up a little early and brought him home because his arm was hurting, but for the most part he's doing great. I'm proud of him and that he works hard to get dressed by himself, eat one handed and write with his right hand. I know it hasn't been an easy day for him but he said that he does think it's kind of neat to wear a cast. It's made him happy to have a few visitors bring him cards, treats, balloons, and even dinner! He asked today, "Why is everyone being so nice to me?" I'm thankful for kind people that have showed him how much he's loved.

Dr. Brown took these pictures with his cell phone while we were waiting for the anesthetist because he said a boy's gotta have souvenirs! Aren't they awful! It kills me to see his arm like that!





Back at home last night, tired, but with a straight arm. On the way to the hospital he said he was afraid his arm might be crooked like that all his life. I promised him they would make it better and I'm so thankful for doctors and nurses that can and do make things better!

Love you Kyler!

Lexi's Haircut

New school haircut...
She told Aunt Ashley she wanted it short. She loves it! 1st grade here she comes!

First Day of School 2009-2010

My kids were so excited for school! They each had a great first day (Kyler and Lexi started yesterday, Porter today) and the general consensus from all of them was that recess and lunch were the best parts of the day. They all love their teachers (I love them too) and each of them have friends from our ward in their classes. They came home with happy smiles and lots of excitement and chattering to fill me in on the details.

Kyler - 2nd Grade
Lexi - 1st Grade
Porter - Kindergarten

Here's to a great year for 2009-2010!

One Last Hurrah!

On the last day of summer we woke up bright and early and made slime (some of us in our jammies). It was fun and the kids had a BLAST playing with it. It was super slimy fun!

(Slime recipe here (with video) - from 'The Idea Room' blog which I love love love all her fun ideas.)





The kids' desire on their last day of summer was to go to the Yippi-I-O Candy Store in Jackson so we did just that. Heaven!

Then we wandered around the shops for a little bit and took a few pictures of some of the fun stuff in Jackson because we've been there many times but never take pictures of all the tourist-y stuff. Brenner was cracking us all up how excited he got over this buffalo.

The boys thought this gigantic stuffed polar bear was way cool.

The famous antler arches.

Thanks for the fun day kids!

Teardrop Lake

We went to a great little lake with Dave's family on Saturday called Teardrop Lake. It's hidden up in the mountains and is beautiful and peaceful. The water is shallow quite a ways from the shore so it was perfect for the kids. We all had fun playing in the water, fishing, and paddling the boats around the lake.





We had a hard time keeping Brenner out of the water and of course he fell head first walking in the shallow water about 10 minutes after we got there and was soaked! Even though he was wet and muddy he was still loving it.

I took off his wet clothes and left him in his diaper because I knew he would be back in the water. Can't resist a plumber picture! Especially when the diaper is down to his knees full of lake water.
We all had a great time!