Behind the Scenes...

So this is how many shots it really took to get a good family picture... (Disclaimer: this was after 3 hours of church that started at 1pm and went through naptime)

First Bullride...

 

 

Sophie's first bullride - a family tradition. (Don't worry, we had a spotter)

Hair today - Gone Tomorrow

 

Ana's new cute haircut!!!

Sophie's First Smiles

This picture is from a couple weeks ago. It's kind of a goofy picture, but it's hard catch those first smiles because they come and go so quickly...

 

Man Overboard...Almost

The night before Hayden started school we went on a "Family Date" to celebrate the end of summer and the start of school. We took the kids to E.B. Rains park to go on the Paddle Boats. The kids had a blast taking turns paddling. They got a little crazy towards the end and started climbing all over the boat. Of course Rob is trying to paddle back to the dock and keep the kids under control - so Hayden trips and hits his face on the front of the boat and his lip starts bleeding. He starts crying and Rob says: You're OK, the blood won't hurt you.
Hayden: I'm Bleeding? [Panic]
Rob: Just be tough, it won't hurt you.
So Hayden calms down and about five minutes later he gets a big smile on his face and says: Dad, I'm glad I'm bleeding.
Rob: Why?
Hayden: Because Indiana Jones bleeds from his lip when he gets hurt, too.

 

 

 

Hayden's "Moquarium"

 

 

When Rob's parents were here, they took us to the Denver Aquarium, it was really fun - Hayden especially enjoyed it and hasn't stopped talking about it since. The other day I saw him emptying all the toys out of the bins that they were organized into and putting his fish and sharks and other ocean animals under them. "It's my 'Moquarium'!" He announced. Then he proceeded to make tickets and drape blankets all over everything so that it would "be dark like the aquarium". The kids had a great time and Rob and I had to take turns touring the exhibits.

Fun with cousins...

 
 

My sister Amy and her family stopped by our house on their way to and from Lake Powell - Hayden and Ana had a wonderful time dressing up with their cousins - they look like they are about to rob a bank here... you can always tell when there's an older girl around, the boys end up looking like princesses.

How Time Flies...

It still baffles me when I think about how fast the last 5 years have flown by - and now we have a Kindergartener - unbelievable!! Hayden started Kindergarten last Thursday and is just loving it. His teacher seems like she will be great - very organized! We took a few shots of Hayden in his school uniform before we dropped him off at his first real day of school. I was looking at his new shoes that we just bought him (size 13) and images of the tiny shoes that he wore as a toddler came into my mind - that's when the tears began. We are so proud of the sweet, big kid Hayden has grown up to be.

Pioneer Day

This year the kids were really interested in the pioneer stories - Hayden is a really sensitive kid and asks a ton of questions when he hears anything sad happening. So I took the opportunity to share some pioneer heritage with them for family home evening and to finish up we made covered wagons for a treat.

Tiny Town

Right outside Denver, in the foothills, there is a little place called Tiny Town. It has about a hundred tiny buildings that are just a kid sized. We took the kids there on a rare day in July that was only 75 degrees. The kids had a blast looking in all the windows, each building is furnished just like a real one would be, only pint sized. They also had a train with a kid sized caboose. It was a fun afternoon adventure.

What a Blessing...

Rob's parents and sister, Maggie, were able to travel out from Utah for Sophie's baby blessing at church. It was a beautiful blessing and a beautiful day...