Super dad

This is Bryan and the kids playing in our backyard last night. He loves playing around with our (his) new camera with the tripod and now remote control.

Sunday at our House

Sunday July 12th

After church doing some coloring. Emily apparently is ready for a break with that expression.

Aaron is the man on the run. This boy is going places and fast. He started walking at 10 months and is now running at 13 months. He loves to find new things and put them in his mouth. He gets a big smile when you chase him to take it away. Here Ashley has dressed him as her baby doll. He loves to go outside (in his new sandals Pedipeds- I love 'em) and usually heads first for his bike, then the wagon and then rock pile where he picks up a rock and up and promptly sticks it in his mouth. He loves all our neighborhood kids who come to play.

Ashley successfully getting Aaron to put the toy bottle in his mouth. She loves being in charge in him, sometimes to a fault. He howls at her and lets me know when he needs help. But there is no other kid he loves more. Both my girls are so sweet to him. The do not like him in their polly pocket world, but they adore being with him.

Playing a called Four Corners in the street in front of out house. I love that we live in a cul-de-sac!

Farmers Market

Saturday July 10th we went to Pioneer Park in downtown SLC to the Farmers' Market. We went last year too and loved it. Here was some of our fun.

Sunscreen on before we left.

Joining in the with the hippies as they demo their hula and drum skills for tips.

African food that Bryan gladly passed on to me- boiled spinach, rice, red sauce on chicken. This was after my yummy pulled pork sandwich I shared with the kids.

Emily with her mad monkey bar skills. She learned last year during recess and is quite good.

Ashley's beautiful genuine smile. The hand is telling dad to get that camera out my face!

Bry turns himself into the photo subject. This picture is so beautiful. My two girls laughing and climbing on their amazing daddy.

The girls played on the playground with Bry while Aaron and I shopped for cherries, cookies, and slurpies. Bryan pushed them on the swings so long they finally said, "Dad we're done swinging." (that's a first). Here they are playing follow the leader.

Aaron is generally the man of mischief. A lot of the day he was carried around in a hiker backpack but let him out and he is running! Here he has a mischievous look in his eye as he decides mid-run to turn and head towards dad with the camera. He and his shirt loved his blueberry-orange smoothie.

The reason I love the Farmer's Market so much is for the colors, smells and sights of people who are different than me. Living in Davis County too long does strange things to me and I like to be reminded of people's uniqueness. The good food and cool music and dance shows are bonuses.

Camping part 2

After the kids were all asleep Bryan and I went for walk and looked at stars. We went to bed around midnight. Baby Aaron didn't last the night. He woke up at 1:30 a.m. I put him on my chest to warm up, but no. All my camping worst fears were confirmed when our crying baby needed his bed and nothing else was going to be enough. I drove home in the middle of the night. After a lonely 45 minute drive and warming up in our own beds, Aaron and I went to bed (again) at 3 a.m.

Back at camp the girls woke up cold at 5 a.m. Bryan got them re-situated and everyone slept for a while longer. Notice the pink pillow on the bottom right of the pic. That's where Emily slid to during the night. And my tan colored sleeping bag which Bryan used to cover the girls after I left had also slid down.

Bryan was really excited be awake after his long night.

Bryan and ladies needed a ride home so Aaron and I drove back out the next morning for more camping fun.

We had pancakes for breakfast. We went on a hike and saw a snake. We walked to the river and enjoyed watching the fishermen and the people floating down in tubes.

In the end: Gorgeous days with nice weather, happy kids who said they never wanted to leave, and the knowledge that Aaron will need some practice camping in our backyard before we camp far away again.

Camping Part 1

Thursday July 8th we set off for our first camping trip as a whole family since Aaron was born. We went to Perception Park in Ogden canyon. Bryan chose it because it advertised a playground. It was about 45 minutes from home, we got there around 6 pm and were set up by 7 pm. We had a fire and toasted hot dogs and marshmallows and warmed a baby bottle with our fire.
Still hungry for more marshmallows and chocolate.
Aaron opted for a stick for his dessert. We had a fun night together. Nighttime was colder than Bryan thought it would be. The girls snuggled in their sleeping bags around 10. Aaron in his pack-n-play did not go to sleep easily even though he was in feety pjs and he fell asleep in Bryan's arms around 11pm.

Our new camera

Bryan wanted to buy a new camera. I conceded after realizing that my joys with my kids now are what is going to keep me smiling and no better way to help me remember than taking lots of good pics. From the first day July 7th.
Aaron just waking up from his nap by a mean dad who is now an avid photographer.
In the kitchen
Snuggling up for a story

Summer Days

Chocolate pudding painting for one of our "Power Hour" days. It's a term I made up; it refers to an hour or so of mom and girls time doing whatever I plan. For chocolate paint day my objective was writing their names- Ash refused to write but ended up drawing pictures. Em wrote her initials and drew pictures. Other days we have played scrabble, made muffins for our neighbors, and done workbook pages. Today we drew pictures of our favorite places and wrote some sentences about them. Ashley's was McDonald's. She drew the kid zone with a slide and she had me write, "There are two slides and two climb-ups. I like to eat chocolate and vanilla ice cream." Emily drew a slide with a person sliding and had me write, "Chuck E Cheese is the best place to go in the entire world. Chuck E Cheese has a playground too." I drew a mountain and wrote, "My favorite place is the mountains because I like to hike and see nature. I like to see God's beautiful world."

Emily got a book from the library called 006 and a half. It's about a girl who loves to play she is a spy. One day after that Emily drew on herself a brown marker mustache to play spy. Bryan jumped on board and bought the girls a spy kit and walkie talkies. He gave them yesterday as an early birthday present to Emily. Ashley didn't want them to be walkie talkies but wanted to call an imaginary friend. They lastest 20 minutes before a major battle ensued and had to be put away for a while.

Aaron is a happy guy. He is 13 months old. He has 5 teeth- 3 on top and 2 on bottom. He loves to eat a variety of foods, play outside with his bikes, take baths, eat rocks, play hide and seek, play piano and the drums, eat paper, and take rides in the wagon. Generally be cute and find trouble.

His eye surgery seems to have gone really well. We go back in August to check if eyelid surgery would be appropriate.

He sleeps great, and just learned how to wave bye-bye. His nickname is doo-doo or boo-boo as well as Aar Bear and we all adore him.