Sorry........

We've let the days get away from us. Two months since our last post, I'm so ashamed. Here are some things we've been up to:

1) We fed the horses at the HOT Fair.


2) We visited the Suspension Bridge

and chased a duck.


3) After seeing some TeePees at the zoo, we built one.



5) We decorated for Halloween.


4) We carved a pumpkin. (And won 1st prize at the ward social.)


5) We've been spending a lot of time outside. It's still jacket weather. (NICE!)
Joshua loves riding his bike. (And telling me not to take pictures of him.)

Caleb loves to tell me about everything he hears.

Claire loves to get around and hates being confined to the stroller.

6) Here's Joshua teaching Caleb something new. (How to stand on his head, I guess.)


7) Claire decided to go looking for dinner (while I was making it.)

She knows, the baby dills are the best!


We're still going and growing and having some fun too!

GO-RIL-LA!!!

So, does everyone in our family remember that large Gorilla in someone's front yard on the way to the library. Well, Joshua saw a picture of William (my brother) standing next to him painted with shamrocks (the Gorilla, not William), and was so fascinated that I could bot resist taking him to see it. This is what we found in September:
























Then I took Caleb to see him in October:
























Isn't it amazing what can happen in just a few weeks time (or maybe even just one day).

Happy Birthday to You!

Wow, Caleb is 2 years old. Where has the time gone. Here's what my little boy looked like just a year ago:

Playing Trains with Joshua:

Preparing to move from Plymouth to Medicine Lake (Minnesota):

The day of Caleb's 1st Birthday:



Here are some pictures of the 2nd Birthday Bash in Texas:
Here's the Cake: Strawberry with Green Frosting, Yummm!

Caleb got some Water Colors from MOM:

Some Super Bouncy Balls from Joshua:

And some Lego's from Grandma, Grandfather, Mary, Mark, and Matthew:

Here's Mom, Joshua, Claire, and Caleb ready for some cake!


We just can't believe how much our little boy has grown. From babbling in full sentences to stunning the crowd with his advanced vocabulary (see this for proof). We love Caleb so very much, and just can't wait for the rest of his life to unfold.

Aunt Mary

To see more of what my kids are up to here at Grandma's house, visit Aunt Mary's Blogs: Nephews and Faces, and "Grandma's house is a happy house."

We're so blessed to have her around, and the boys just adore playing with her.

Over the river and through the woods. .

. . .to Grandmother's house we go!

Joshua, Caleb, and Claire are having a grand time!

Oh, Somebody had a Birthday!

So, on August 24th I turned 25. Here's how our little family celebrated:

Here is a Chocolate, Chocolate Cake Travis got for me,


Here I am, 25 Years Old,


And here is what Caleb had to say about it!



The day also included: a variety of yummy breakfast items, three hours of church, a lasagna for dinner, and a movie. All in all, I'm glad I've made it this far, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Home Sweet Home

This is the duplex we bought In April:


This is our side:


Here is the living room. All the floors in the house are hard wood or tile.


This is how the backyard looked before we reseeded it. The kids were digging a hole to China in the garden area. Now the entire yard is lush and green.


Here is Caleb in his new toddler bed:


And Joshua in his old toddler bed:


Man, my kids sleep like a bunch of crazies!

And of course you want to see how big Claire is getting:


Isn't she just precious!?! Life is full of changes. We'll keep you posted as more fun and exciting things come along.

Time Flies . . . When You're Having Fun!!

Joshua turned 4 on June 21st! Wow, where has all that time gone? Let's review a little.

1. June 2004: Our Brand New Baby Boy.

2. August 2005: DisneyLand.

3. June 2006: 2 Years Old.

4. September 2006: Big Brother.

5. November 2006: Lego Land at the Mall of America.

6. August 2007: SuperMan!!

7. December 2007: Winter Fun!

8. January 2008: Back to School.

9. April 2008: Baby Sister Claire.

10. July 2008: Ward Campout.

I love it, I love it all! We've come a long way, and it's been a fun ride. Thanks for taking a walk down memory lane with me. Our Joshua sure is something wonderful.

One Fine Day

Our days often consist of cleaning up messes, making messes, and cleaning up messes. This fun-filled day occurred back at the end of March. Early one morning while I was feeding Claire, Joshua and Caleb found something really exciting to play with:

FLOUR!!!!

I'm pretty sure the boys had a blast.




I was so tired of Travis not understanding the extent of the damage the boys do to the house on a daily basis, and wondering how the vacuum could get so clogged, so I finally documented the situation. This is a picture of our bightly colored area rug. Now that's a lot of flour (and spaghetti?)


Caleb often gets the worst end of the messiness because Joshua likes to pour things on his head. Here he is, asking for a drink of water.


This is what Baby Claire was up to while we were cleaning up.


The boys are getting better at staying out of trouble, and I've learned to lock up the baking supplies.