Camping and Fishing Trip

Thank you Alli for blogging about the
(click the link)
CAMPING and FISHING TRIP

Next up will be about
our time at the
CABIN...

Boys Will Be Boys

It was a nice evening, so after dinner we sent the boys out to play.

When the yelling starts, we don't usually jump at once.

The yells are usually followed by a laugh.

We heard a lot of yelling, and a lot of laughter.

After finishing up the dishes, we decided to check on the boys.

This is what we found...

They said, "Fill 'em up!"

"Fill 'em up some more!"

"Going pee."

At least they thought to take off their clothes.

The rest of the pictures are too indecent to share.

"Brad-leeeey!"

No more toilet papering the bathroom, little man. Thank you for cleaning it up... for the 7th time.

First Friends

Jaden and Braden. Best friends since the beginning of time-- age one. It was sad when we moved 4o minutes away from Provo. But it was absolute devastation when they moved all the way across the country.


Kaleb and Tanner are friends... they just don't remember.


And since it's been about 2 years since we saw the Roberson's last, there were two more kids to become buddies... Bradley and Alyssa.


We love this family so much. Katie and Nate are some of the nicest people I'm sure we will ever meet. We loved having them over for a visit... so come on back now y'hear?



Jaden and Kyla. Kyla was one of Jaden's first friends in Kindergarten. Even though they were in different classes and on different tracks, they always had recess. This is Kyla, the Kyla that Jaden at one point or another decided he was going to marry. He was pretty sad when she moved away to Arizona.


Luckily they too have family in Utah, and so they came back for a short visit. We all went to lunch at Chick Fil-A, then went to the splash park. It's a good thing Kaitlyn and Brooklyn are still around. My boys would have hardly any friends left! All of these girls are super cute and sweet. We love them all. Poor Kaleb was unhappy because he had sunscreen in his eyes. :(


It was such a good move for Kyla and Kalissa, but the boys have missed them a ton.



Thanks for the visit, Krystal! Come again soon!


So no one else is allowed to move, ok? Just look at how sad you'll make this little puppy...

Sunscreen Days

This summer, we went through a lot of sunscreen. Thank goodness for $5 spray-on 50 spf from Wal-Mart. My Water Babies would swim all day if we let them.

Here we are at the lake... this was a spur of the moment trip, so we have no swimsuits!


Can you find Alli?


It was pretty cold, so this is about as far as Jaden would go.


And about as far as Kaleb would venture...


Here comes the "sea monster." Grandpa Ashton and Alli were practicing their swimming for an up coming triathlon.


The little lake is pretty nice. Convenient that you can park right there by your stuff.


We also spent time at the Splash Pad.




Lots of time in our backyard...




It took me a while to notice this... see anything special going on?


What a good big brother... and a good Daddy...


Here's Charles trying to cut my blogging days short... or at least the picture part of it.

Awww... getting warm.



The Daybreak pool was also a hot spot for us this summer.


Here's Kaleb all decked out and ready.




Aunt Alli got Jaden started on learning to swim. He is actually pretty awesome for never having any formal swimming lessons.

So sad the summer is over. But there is still one more trip to blog about. But I'm hoping Julianne is good for her word and will write it for me! (hint-hint)

Back to School... Back to School...

Although he doesn't really look it, Kaleb loves his new school. After a terrifying experience at his previous school, Kaleb is finally happy. Sunshine Square is Jaden's old preschool, and we have missed it. Kaleb's birthday is just after the deadline, so he couldn't start here last year. But LLA's deadline was later, so we enrolled him there instead. He dreaded every day he went. But this year he is excited, and much more happy. They have a 3 year old class and a 4 year old class. Kaleb is in the 3's even though he turns 4 soon. So yes, that means 3 years of preschool for this guy.


What I love about Sunshine Square is that the class size is only 8. He only has one teacher. Instead of staying in one big classroom all day, the kids get to rotate between about 7 or 8 small classrooms, each with a different activity.


His teacher's name is Miss Leslie, and I have been so impressed with her. We were supposed to have a 10 minute meeting just to meet her, but after I told her about Kaleb's previous experience, she stayed and talked to Kaleb for about 45 minutes. At the beginning of our meeting, there was no way Kaleb would have been comfortable enough to give her a hug. But by the end, Kaleb gave her 2. It was amazing. I told her that he "doesn't talk to teachers" and she asked him if she could be his "big friend" instead. He really likes her. At home he calls her "Miss Naughty." Which is really a term of endearment.


It's weird seeing Kaleb be almost the tallest kid in the class. But I guess he is probably the oldest too. So far, he likes to play with a boy named Broox. He says he always sits next to him at snack time. Here they are lined up, ready to leave the parents for their first day of school. Way to go, Kaleb!


Jaden started 1st grade the week after Kaleb started preschool. He has not been looking forward to it. He really values his playtime at home and was not very happy to be losing more.


One thing he has been happy about was lunchtime. Now that he goes to school all day, he got to pick out a lunchbox and so he feels pretty cool.


Unfortunately most of his good friends from last year are in the other class, so when he came home the first day, he said that he has no friends, and he played by himself.


The first day was pretty rough for him. He cried and said he hated it. But the next day, he bought a school lunch (pizza), and also found some of his old friends and recess, so I think he had a better day.


That night he actually volunteered to say a prayer, (something he rarely does anymore) and in his prayer he said, "Please help me to have a good day, please help me to have a good recess, and please help me to have a good lunch recess." It's obvious what determines a good or bad day for him.


When I picked him up I saw him high-fiving, low-fiving, and hugging about 3 or 4 different boys. I don't know if any of them were from his new class, but he seemed happier.


This is his teacher, Mrs. Reece. I'm not quite sure how I feel about her yet, but Jaden will do fine regardless. He's a good kid.


I have been nervous for Jaden to go to all-day school because he has always been my big helper at home. He makes me feel less outnumbered. He's a really good big brother and really helps takes care of the little ones. But I have been pleasantly surprised with the change in Kaleb, since Jaden has been gone. Kaleb has taken on the role of "big brother," and has started to simmer down. So far, so good.


The first thing Jaden does when he gets home is his homework. Not because he enjoys it, but because for every minute he reads, that's how many minutes he can play Star Wars or Indiana Jones on the Wii. Jaden, you will be just fine... hang in there, bud.