Is this the cutest little outfit you have ever seen?
Gymboree clearance rack.  Happy sigh.

Today, Kaitlyn climbed into this little bus/wagon and sat down.  So I took the opportunity to pull her around the house.  She was fascinated, thrilled, and didn't want to stop.

The boys were watching a cartoon, and Kaitlyn climbed up onto the couch and made herself comfortable...

Josh and Kacey

Josh Jensen has been my friend since 8th grade.  We were close in high school, as evidenced by this picture taken in my parents' basement, me being around age 15 or 16, wearing my oversized Paris t-shirt/pajamas.

We have kept in contact on and off over the years, but the last time we saw him and his family was when his oldest child was baptized six years ago.

Josh called a couple of weeks ago and said that his family would be driving through Cedar City on their way to Disneyland, and could they visit us on Saturday the 10th?  So Josh, Kacey and their five children got a hotel here in Cedar Friday night and Saturday night, and we spent the entire day together.

We took them to Cedar Breaks and Kolob Canyon,

 and then we brought them back to our house for lasagna, breadsticks, and cake and ice cream.  Then we took some pictures to compare how stupid we were back when we were 16ish to how we are a little bit less stupid now, (no, those aren't my garments, it is the pocket of the shorts) (I apparently still don't know how to take a flattering picture of myself)

 

and we took a picture of us with our spouses.

 

We had a wonderful time, getting to know Josh and Kacey's children, and it almost felt like no time at all had passed since we last saw them. We will have to do that again soon.

Kaitlyn loves "talking" these days. (She had been talking about and pointing to the KitchenAid for at least two minutes before I ran and got the camera.) And her facial expressions are priceless.

Kaitlyn gets into the plastic plates/cups/bowls cupboard numerous times every day. She had so much fun putting these cups on her feet and trying to stand up, but the cups would pop off her feet every time. She is so cute to watch.

First Day of School Pictures

Aidan's best pictureEthan's best picture (unintentionally GQ)
Having fun

Camping Pictures

Kaitlyn in her cute hat.Our camp site. Breathtaking.
Getting the fire ready.
Waking up in the morning. (Tooooo early.)
Riding their bikes down the mountain (with me following behind in the car).

Camping!

Christian told the boys he would take them camping the weekend before school started, and Aidan kept saying, "I want our whole family to be together." So, even though I don't necessarily enjoy camping, I decided at the last minute to go with the family.

Temperature when we left Cedar City: 91 degrees
Temperature when we arrived at our camp site 50 minutes later: 66 degrees

Aidan has his "favorite camp spot" somewhere near Panguitch Lake, up on the mountain. When we arrived at his spot, there were too many mosquitos flying around, so we drove a little further up the dirt road and found a beautiful primitive camping area.


Hmmm, I'm so glad Blogger is having a difficult time uploading photos. Grrrr.

So, we really had a nice time. It helped that we bought Domino's pizza, and ate before we got there (and then brought the leftovers up to have as a bedtime snack). Christian took the boys on a bike ride (we brought up their bikes and they had such a good time riding around). Then he took Kaitlyn on a walk with her sitting on his shoulders. I held down the fort while reading my Entertainment Weekly magazine.

We watched a beautiful sunset, and then roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores. (We use Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies instead of graham crackers and chocolate. Works like a charm.)

Up until this moment, everything was wonderful. Really. Even peeing behind a tree was, well, fine. (WAY better than smelly outhouses.)

Then...

Kaitlyn usually goes to bed around 8:20 PM. I waited until she was nice and tired, 9:05, to go lay in the tent with her. And she fought her very hardest to keep her eyes open until she couldn't keep them open anymore. She didn't go to sleep until 10:40. It was an hour and a half of torture for me.

THEN, at 3:30 AM she woke up and was making the "eat" sign like crazy. She never wakes up hungry. So, I pulled out a little baggie of Kix I happened to have in the diaper bag and she ate tons of them. And drank her water. Then it took her over an hour to go back to sleep.

When we woke up in the morning, we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast (leftover from the ones I made for the Relief Society activity), and then we packed up the campsite. Then Christian and the boys rode their bikes a few miles down the dirt road while I followed behind them, and when they were done riding, we put the bikes on the car and drove up to Brian Head peak (elevation 11,300 feet). It was beautiful. There was still snow up there, in August.

We had a really great time, except for the Kaitlyn not sleeping part. It traumatized me enough that I'm pretty sure I will wait until next summer to go camping again. But, as we were leaving, Aidan said, "I'm SO GLAD our whole family got to be together on this camping trip!" So I am so glad we made some great memories for our family this summer.

(I will have a post of the boys' first day of school pictures, once Blogger will actually allow me to upload photos.)

Kaitlyn has been doing this lately and LOVING it. (And I love watching her do it.)

Pokemon

Ethan and Aidan LOVE Pokemon cards. We have been using them as incentive and rewards for doing things around the house, being kind to each other, listening to their parents, etc. We also found a Pokemon app on the iPad recently, which has added to the fervor. The spend at least an hour a day, pouring over their cards, trading, talking about them, and doing what they can to earn more.


P.S. Don't you love Aidan's collection of pens, pencils, and highlighters on his shirt?

Uh. Oh.

Kaitlyn has a new pastime - turning on the faucet in the tub. This evening, she found a ladle in the Tupperware drawer, and this is what I found her doing:




P.S. Earlier today I couldn't find the remote control for an hour. I finally found it, in a kitchen cupboard with the cupboard doors closed. And so we begin the antics of a toddler...

Kaitlyn and Aidan were watching Baby Mozart. She looked so relaxed and content I just had to take a picture.

Couch Climber

Last night, Kaitlyn learned how to climb up onto the couch. She practiced over and over and over...

Cute Pictures of Extended Family

Awww, Auntie Brooke, cousin Sierra and Kaitlyn
Cousin Jamie (and husband Nathan), having had her appendix surgically removed only 17 hours before this picture was taken.
Landen and Aidan, dueling it out on the foosball table
Cousins rule!