September Staycation and Stuff

Well, this past September brought some fun into our early Fall season. It began with ...

... a new bike! A big thanks to my cousin Jenny for this incredible, barely-used kid bike. We put some training wheels on and bought Evan a helmet and such. He was pretty unsure about it. I think once he gets better at it he'll like it more. It's a very hefty, heavy-duty bike, which is great, but I'm afraid if he ever falls it might do some damage on such a skinny kid.

Of course Owen had to have his turn on the bike.

We took a little "staycation" over Labor Day. We spent the night at a really nice extended-stay hotel in SLC. It had a little kitchenette with a front room and an extra bedroom. Em came along. We swam when we got there. Well, most of us. Owen is deathly afraid of the water. He still hates laying down in the bath. He says the water hurts his ears. I think the pressure freaks him out or something. Anyway, the next day we went to the Planetarium (again, Owen didn't appreciate the awesome little movie in the domed theater). Then we helped my cousin Holly and her hubby George move into their new apartment. It was fun to hang out with them for awhile. Apparently I didn't get any pictures during the actual staycation itself, but I got these of the boys trying on their new (cheap) goggles I bought them for the pool.

Owen has quite the healthy appetite. Especially when it comes to corn on the cob. He loves it. He can down 2 ears in one sitting. His polar opposite, Evan, hates corn.

Evan has started writing letters in preschool. I love that he loves to write now and draw, too. He draws the cutest people now, which I need to take pictures of, too. Here is one of his very first attempts at his name. So cute!

Random Stuff from August

Evan started his second year of preschool with Miss Janae, who is quite possibly the best preschool teacher around. Of course, Owen could not be left out of the "1st day of school" pictures.

A rare capture of Evan's silly side.

A not-so-rare capture of Owen's silly side.

This was one of those zucchinis that went unnoticed under the plant's foliage. It got almost as big as Owen.

It was a little heavy, even for Evan.

Time for a Change

I hate to admit it, especially to someone who shall remain nameless right now, but I'm ready for a blog design change. I never wanted to be "one of those people" who had a cutesy background that they got from some free blog template Web site (no offense, please), but I need a change. I tried to hint to this person who shall remain nameless (it starts with C and rhymes with "lacy") to design me an original blog. After all, "he" was the one who detested my black blog with the bright words so very much. But we won't. So until I can convince him that this would benefit him as well, or until I can figure out how to design something on my own, I will be "one of those people" (no offense, please) with the free blog template that you will probably see on several other blogs you view today. Don't be surprised if it changes quite a bit in the next little while. I have to try things on before I settle on something semi-permanent. Thank you for your patience.

A Gray and Beautiful Summer Day in August

One Sunday in August, we went for a drive up Provo Canyon. Our first stop was the ever-beautiful Bridal Veil Falls. There was a break in the rain when we first started up the trail, but I was glad we came prepared with rain gear for everyone because on the way back to the car, it POURED. And poured, and poured and poured.

This is when Evan was obsessed with the binoculars Pata Jones had given him.

It was something cool, I'm sure.

They could not pass up an opportunity to throw rocks in the water.

It was a fun little hike. Even in the rain. Or, with the boys having so much fun, I should say especially in the rain.



We then headed up the Canyon and began the drive around the Alpine Loop. The next stop was Sundance. We thought about taking a ride on the ski lifts, but two things stopped us: the thought of being on those lifts in the pouring rain, and the fact that the kids would probably be scared to death the entire ride.

We did enjoy checking out the fish, walking around, and the use of Sundance's pristine bathrooms, however.

Next stop: Cascade Springs--an area full of beautiful natural springs with trails to walk around them on. The boys had a blast on our little outdoor journey, and we tired them out plenty for a nice nap for the drive home.

Summer 2009 Trip to Wyoming

The highlight of our time in Wyoming was a camping trip with Mama & Pata Jones. I'm terrible at remembering to take photos, but I did get some while we were camping.

Pata Jones was outside sitting in his chair doing his crosswords. Evan went into the trailer, got his notebook and pencil, sat down and crossed his legs and got to work ... just like Pata Jones.

The boys with their fishing (or "pishing," as Owen calls it) poles, ready to test the waters.

Venturing out to find a good pishing spot.

Our first spot. Not successful, but fun.

Our second spot. Not successful, but fun. This picture was either just before or after Evan hooked Pata Jones' head. Yikes!

The best part, better than fishing by far, was the throwing of rocks and sticks into the water. These boys will never tire of that. I love the concentration on Owen's face. He is one serious rock-thrower with one serious arm!

That is one big stick they are throwing in the water!

The boys love their Mama & Pata Jones. How did Mama Jones escape a camping picture?

O-Dub Turned 2 ...

... last July! Yes, still catching up. I vow to do better this year.

Here he is, showing us his fingers' version of "2"--too cute!

He may have finally mastered the art of opening presents by the end of the night. Evan definitely mastered the art of helping. Maybe a little too much at times.

Owen got some great stuff for his birthday. Stuff he really and truly loves and plays with. The sand toys (thanks, T-Em), the Magnadoodle, and these great golf clubs, just to name a few.

Casey's family all got together for dinner when his sister's family was in town, so we celebrated Owen's birthday, too. As the guest of honor, Owen was chosen to judge an art contest that night. This is evidence that Uncle Barry was trying to sway the judge. This behavior is highly frowned upon in juried exhibitions, but Owen ended up picking everyone as winners anyway.

Cupcakes ... mmmmmmmm! (That injury near his eye is from rolling sideways down the stairs. Ouch.)

Love that face.

One more random photo ... Casey's painting was hanging in the LDS Conference Center in SLC for the better part of the year. It was chosen out of numerous entries to be in the LDS International Art Competition. This is his mom and sister, scrutinizing. :)

17 photos : a recap of June 2009

Owen discovered that he loves drawing and coloring. Oh, the concentration ...

Evan and Owen really do love each other. Usually.

Boys can, and will, turn anything into weapons. This just happens to be one of the "actual" toy weapons we own, and they love it.

The annual Strawberry Days carnival began with Owen's first--and last--ride. It was okay at first ...

but things got progressively worse ...

every time he went around.

It didn't end well, and I'm sure people thought we were torturing our child.

Oh wait. Everything's fine ... now that it stopped.

Casey was the lucky one who got (er, had) to go on the "big" rollercoaster with Evan.

Owen felt better just watching all the other rides from a distance.

Like Evan on the flying saucers.

Owen enjoyed the playground while Casey took Evan on a bathroom break.

I did convince him to go with Evan and me on the Merry-Go-Round. He survived. But he would NOT sit on the horse.

Evan was back for round 2 on the cars. This time, he chose the motorcycle. Can you just hear the sound effects being made?

The Strawberry Days parade was, um, interesting. No, really, it wasn't that bad.

Em can hardly contain her excitement! It drizzled on and off, ending with a downpour on all of the various royalty girls. That made for a good parade! :)