"That's the way things happen on the Polar Express!"

The boys and I took a short trip to Utah and while we were there we headed up to the Heber Valley Railroad with grandma to take a ride on the Polar Express. As you can imagine Cooper really enjoyed it. Before we boarded the train the conductor happened to walk by, presenting a must have photo op. On the train we had hot chocolate and cookies, sang Christmas carols, read the Polar Express story, and visited with Santa, who gave out silver bells. It was a great way to start off the Christmas Season.

Yes, that's right Jr. Conductor meets the real deal.

Looking for Santa who was waving outside the train.

Let the train ride begin!

October Festivities

We had a fun Halloween; it's such a busy, exciting time of year for our fam. The boys made quite a pair. Coops wanted to be the conductor from the Polar Express . He was a darn cute conductor and there weren't 10 other conductors running around like the Buzz Lightyears last year. This was the first time Conner went trick-or-treating and he got the hang of it real quick.

Cooper also had a great birthday! He is such a good boy and we love him lots!

Summer Finale

Summer is officially over, and I am happy to welcome in a new season. We had some good times this summer. The boys are growing and keeping me busy, here are some highlights (and a lowlight) of the last couple months of summer.

Cooper started preschool! I admit I was a little worried how it would go. He got cold feet just for a bit on the first day, but I told him I had a surprise for him when he was finished and that he could wear his Batman shirt. That was all it took and he has looked forward to his two days of preschool each week ever since. He especially loves recess and show and tell. It's a little bittersweet that my baby is already almost 4 and going to preschool, but it is also nice to have a few hours a week to get some things done or have some quiet time when Conner naps.

We learned this summer that Conner likes to take vent covers off, and Cooper likes to step in them. We also learned that there are screws poking out inside the vent and if you go at them the wrong way they are sharp and can cut your leg. Well, Cooper actually learned this and he learned it the hard way. We made a visit to the quick care after the above mention happened. Cooper was pretty calm...until the stitching began the poor nurse got a work out trying to hold his leg still. He was a tough boy though and was back to normal the next day. He thought it was pretty cool, and would tell anyone he could about his 15 stitches. I just hope we don't make visits to Primary Health a habit.

Visit from my very favorite sister! Kar and her kiddos came for a visit from Ohio. We loved having them here, and I have dreams of one day sharing a backyard (wouldn't that be awesome). We celebrated Bai's birthday princess style, did some shopping, and relaxing, and just enjoyed having them here. Unfortunately, Karlie didn't enjoy the plane rides too much and that may be the last visit for a while.

So, I decided I would try to get some quick family pics in this year, since we haven't taken any for a couple of years. You might know I am a certified family picture poser (if there is such a thing), though I have never been considered photogenic. My mother, bless her heart had our family picture taken every year for some 20 odd years. We had gotten to the point where we knew the routine. Keep your eyes open, smile, tilt your head. Sooo, I thought we'd whip some pictures out real quick Dad and Nick being our "professional" photographers. Here is how it went...
There was quite a bit of this and A lot of this.

However, there was one picture that they were both smiling and cooperating and I looked like this.

Ha, ha shame on me. Needless to say we are waiting for our pictures to be photoshopped. :)

Finally some motivation

Call me a blog slacker if you will. My dad said he keeps checking for an update, and that was just the motivation I needed to post something on my blog. Summer has been busy and we've had lots of fun. Thanks to Kar I don't need to post much more than what she did about the fun we had last month just go to http://www.thedeaners.blogspot.com/ (Ha, Ha thanks Kar!)

These two loved the boat and the wind in their hair.

The cabin is in a prime location...close by the swings!

We enjoyed Seven Peaks waterpark, just like the good ol' days. Cooper got pretty brave and had lots of fun in the water and on the slides.

The summer has been hot, and we are looking forward to a cool down. Cooper will be going to preschool in the fall, and although he will still have another year of preschool, it's crazy that he is old enough for preschool. Some of my earliest memories are at Mrs. "B's" preschool. Going to the park across the street to play, green eggs and ham, bringing a handful of starbursts to school and telling the teacher I had treats for the class :), Thanksgiving program, and the little friends I had. I hope Cooper's preschool experience provide lots of fun too.

The bigger the kid, the bigger the mess. At least that's how Conner works. The older he gets, the more he gets into things and explores. He is on top of and into things constantly and I have found he enjoys eating chalk, dog food, and crayons recently. He keeps us on our feet, and keeps us laughing. He is a little character and our little cuddle-bum.

Strike a pose :)

Busy Bees

Busy busy...we are busy little bees over here and things seem to just get busier. We have had some great times this last month.

We got our backyard in and had a big cement pad poured. The kids are in heaven (as am I) we all love to be outside. Cooper got a new bike and loves to ride it around and around in circles. We put our trampoline up a couple of days ago and I am proud to announce I can still do some flips I was also tempted by the new grass to do some tumbling in my backyard and pulled off a round off back handspring and a muscle :)

Jake is busy with work and is great at what he does. He works so hard he has only been able to golf a few times this year. Conner is a curious little guy and is into lots, even my mixing bowls aka helmets. He always has a bruise on his head, so maybe I should make him wear this all the time.

I have been keeping busy with my new calling as R.S. second counselor. I am a bit overwhelmed, but I just need to get organized and stay positive. If anyone has any fun enrichment meeting or activity ideas, I would love to hear about them.

In the words of Shakespeare PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW...

This past week we traveled to Rexburg to help move stuff out of our old house and bid her farewell (the house); we enjoyed eachother's company and actually had a good time (see http://www.thedeaners.blogspot.com/). Old Gray was good to us. She was welcoming and kept us warm and safe. We played lots of baseball on her lawn, and basketball on her driveway. She let us slide down her stairs in sleeping bags without any major incidents, and let us use her corners and bathrooms as "offices" for "work". Her layout facilitated many chases and "bank" and sending letters from bunkbeds. Old gray was the backdrop of many holiday, birthday, and other celebration pictures. She was sturdy and strong and rarely let us down. A fine old house you were Ol' Gray; thanks for the memories farewell and adieu we will miss you!

Easter

We had fun dying Easter eggs a few days before Easter; all precautions were taken including stripping down Cooper and restraining Conner in his high chair in order to avoid any dye incidents. Cooper created some pretty cool eggs resulting from a five color dye bath. Easter Day was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather to enjoy the day with relatives and celebrate the special holiday remembering our Savior.

Cooper's egg creations

I thought it was kind of cool that Conner was over a year old and it was his first Easter. (He loves jelly beans)

Haircut

We finally did it. Conner's long locks are no more. His hair had never been cut and I was tempted to keep it long, but the double cowlick/Dennis the Mennis and straightness finally convinced me to cut it. Jake our personal barber did the honors and Conner didn't mind it a bit. Now he looks like a little boy (as opposed to a baby) and I think it looks pretty darn cute.