Rainy Day Fun

Today is a rainy, rainy day. We are having our very own "Cat in the Hat" afternoon. Why are laundry baskets always so much fun? Fortunately in order to PLAY in the basket the girls agree to help finish the laundry, so we all win in the end. Well, sort of. Folding is still a bit complex so generally the clothes just get shoved in the right drawer...but we're working on things. They have started job charts and get a nickel for each job they complete. We made special individual banks and have a chart that they put stickers on each day they accomplish their tasks. It doesn't always work, but it's good to start someplace.

Raw-Raw!!!

So cass and KK get to choose one "extra" activity that they participate in. They were contemplating trying Karate but one trip to a "test class" put an end to that (it was chaos in uniforms). Then a friend suggested that we try going to a Cheer Camp. Why not? We figured they teach tumbling, sequence, patterns, choreography, etc. The girls loved it SO much that we went ahead and signed them up for a month. These are pictures of them after class. The teacher gives them a little mark on the arm when they do a move or sequence right. I'm not sure why, but they are always very proud of the marks and spend the rest of the night counting them. We haven't had any trouble getting them to wash them of each night (yet) because they know they are going to get more. Anyway, we are embracing something new and enjoying the confidence that it seems to be bringing. Cheer for them! We do.

Apples and Pumpkins

We took the kids to the Apple Orchard this afternoon. It was Beautiful! We LOVED all the wonderful sights, smells, sounds and feel of Fall! The kids ate apples, climbed on pumpkins, played on the swings, and ran up and down the rows & rows of apples. We picked Macintosh and Gala apples. Tomorrow we will dry some of them, probably make some apple pie (the Girls LOVE to make apple pie but don't dig eating it?!!?) and maybe later this week we'll caramel a few to hand out to friends. Anyway, it was a stunning day and we had one of those perfect family memory moments. Glad we had the camera with to capture the moments.

Art-tastic!

Okay...so here are some images from Bzr's current art show. Confession: I took these photo's and his work is SOOOOOO much better then I'm able to capture. Bzr will post good images once he gets the works off the wall and in a studio with proper light. However, I wanted you to be able to see the stuff. It's very cool. I LOVE his self-portrait. Some might say it's a bit ego centric but if you know Bzr you know that he would never waste the opportunity of doing a self portrait. Of course it's going to be unconventional. It's perfect! The pumpkin has already sold. The two paintings of apples(only one in these pictures) are still up for grabs. The show will run until the end of October.

The Boy!

So I'm completely and totally head over heals for this little face! We all are! Brog is growing faster then we want him too. He has 7 teeth, stands and walks around things, climbs on everything (he managed to climb the step ladder we have in the kitchen the other day...he made it to the counter top!), he loves cords and remotes and outlets, the girls do all they can to make him giggle, and with each little laugh he worms himself deeper into our hearts.

My 2 Front Teeth

Cass started loosing her teeth this year. Her first one came out in January and was a traumatic experience. Unfortunately we made a classic parent blunder. We kept telling her that her "adult tooth" was ready to come in. She would cry and cry every time we tried to touch the tooth. We bribed her with everything but even talk of the tooth fairy didn't lead to the removal of the tooth. She eventually confessed during one particularly impressive crying episode that she didn't want to be an adult she wanted to stay a child! So sad. Once we assured her that she could stay a child as long as she wanted to be one, the tears subsided but she still wouldn't let us pull the tooth out. It finally came out during her primary class one Sunday, much to the adoration and curiosity of the other little ones in her class. Anyway, that was 4 teeth ago. She is now sporting the OH-So-CUTE big gap on top and is trying to creatively remove her other teeth in an effort to earn more cash. She desperately wants to buy an obnoxious looking cup cake decorating "toy" she saw on TV the other day. CURSES! Those TV commercials lead to trouble.

Just My Style

KK has a style all her own. She insists on choosing her own clothes and regardless of the outcome, once she has determined that she wants to wear something, nothing much will change her mind. This particular day she started with a girlie version of Rambo and progressed to a combination of Elton John, tacky tourist, and beauty queen. She wanted to wear both hats AND the sunglasses. She certainly marches to the beat of her own drum. What a character. Our morning conversation:
Mom: Hey K, you sure you want to wear that? KK: (with exasperation) Yes, Mom! I look SO stylish!

Lagoon Day Aug. 08

Another "previously on...." post: During our Utah visit we went to Lagoon. The girls fell in love with the bumper cars. Their other favorite ride was the "dino drop" which the girls call "the up down egg" because of it's design. I wish I had a photo of them on that ride but I only have video and I can't seem to get it to post. Bummer. We were at the park as soon as it opened...the kids stayed until 5 before heading back to the hotel. A few of us adults went back for some Tall Time once the kids had been fed and were content to watch "Kung Fu Panda" in the comforts of their hotel room. We all had a wonderful day. The following day we all headed up to Bear Lake for some family time there. Brian has all the images from that part of the trip on his computer, so I'll need to post from there to access those images. Maybe I'll try to figure out how to get a slide show on here so that I can put LOTS of photos. Keep an eye out for that fun.

First Day of Preschool

  It's been a slow build-up to the first day of Preschool this year.  They started a week later then usual because one of the teachers had knee surgery.  They will add the week onto the end of the school year.   This is one happy little 4 year old!  There are 20 kids in her class and 3 teachers.  She knows a couple of the kids from class last year but most of the faces are new.

At the zoo part 2

The kids also loved the big merry-go-round. It was the prefect speed (not too fast) and each of the animals were designed with character and amazing detail. This was a first for The Boy...he got to ride a baboon. At times his facial expression mirrored the "oo-oo-oo" look of the baboon. Very cute! I'll see if I can figure out how to post some video from the ride. It's quite entertaining.

At the Zoo in SLC

So, this will be a bit of "catch-up" for the first few posts.  We recently went on a big family vacation to Utah.  It was 10 days of busy fun and lots of family time.  One of the girls' favorite moments was going to Hogel Zoo.  They fell in love with a huge replica of an elephant.  It would make noises and even spray water out of it's trunk.  The girls found this endlessly amusing, especially when a well timed spray landed Dad right in the bum.  It was a hot day, so the cooling spray would NORMALLY have been appreciated.  As it was, we all simply enjoyed laughing at his temporary discomfort.  

Getting this thing started

So I figured it was time to catch up with the times and leap into the cyber world.  I do this reluctantly though and with much trepidation.  I don't necessarily trust this newfangled way of communicating, but I find myself drawn to the simplicity and general "coolness" of the whole experience.  I'm still trying to get to know this program so you'll need to bare with me for a bit while I become acquainted.  I can't promise regular postings, but I'll do my best.  

I'm anxious to start...so, without further avoidance I am going to try to post some pictures.  Let's see how it goes.