Tomatoes

Last night Ken, the boys, and I all went out and picked tomatoes. Our plants were overflowing! We picked a bunch of roma's, big steak, and cherries! Today I decided to blanche and freeze the tomatoes. It is always exciting, in the middle of winter, to use a frozen bag of tomatoes for chili, soup, or a yummy spaghetti sauce! I guess I was just getting ready to make salsa this weekend!

Slides

Last night for Family Home Evening we rode our bikes over to the park. Josef loved the slides, and just kept sliding down over, and over!

Sunday afternoon at Temple Square

brothers...

the flowers were absolutely amazing...Wilson was the only one that would stand in front of them for a picture...

We went to Temple Square this afternoon. We haven't been in awhile, and the boys love to go up to see The Christus. It was a beautiful, warm, Summer afternoon. We had a great time at Temple Square, and then we stop to see Art & Vicky - what a lovely sabbath!

First Week of School Happenings

I thought that Wilson had overcome his anxiety with being at school ALL day, but I was wrong. Yesterday Annalise, Keaton, and Wilson walked to school together. I guess Wilson started hiding his face with his backpack from Annalise and Keaton. They kept asking him what was wrong, and finally he told them he was missing his mom. Annalise talked him into walking all the way to school, and she told him he could talk to his teacher, and maybe she would let him call me. When Annalise told me what happened, she said, "Auntie, I am only 8 years old, I didn't know what to tell him!!!"
When Keaton found out who his teacher was going to be, he was really nervous, because everyone said his teacher is mean. Yesterday I asked Keaton how it was going, and he said it was going just great, and that he really liked his teacher. He then said, "all the kids that thought she was mean must not have been following the rules!" I loved hearing that come out of his mouth, and I am really happy he likes his teacher!
We are still working with Wilson and his anxiety. I am going to take him to school, and hopefully that will help him not have the time to get sad. Wilson is such a sweet, tenderhearted little guy!

100%

Wilson took his first spelling pretest today, and he got 100%! I got the list yesterday, so we had gone over it together once. He is such a great little student...

First Grade

Wilson started first grade this morning. I have been dreading him be gone all day for weeks, he is just a pleasure to have home. Wilson has been saying for months that he didn't want to go to school all day, because he wouldn't be able to spend enough time with his family. He has been talking about it more and more as the time has come closer. Last night, when it was time for bed, he told me he had a headache, and then that he was going to throw up. He went and sat by the toliet, and eventually he did throw up - 3 times. He finally went to sleep, and woke up this morning ready for school. I was worried he was maybe sick, but I just think his nerves got the best of him. Wilson is such a good little boy. I adore him, and will miss him a ton during the day, and so will his two little brothers!

Backyard Campout

Ken decided to put up the tent and sleep outside with the boys. They were both SO excited! They had ice cream sundaes, and watched Indiana Jones on the laptop. It was a great way to celebrate the last weekend before Wilson starts First grade!

Hogle Zoo Carousel

Interesting...not one of the boys is looking at the camera...only the pretty little girl!
Classic Holden face!

Nice sour face Josef (without his toutie!)

We went to the Zoo for one last hurrah before the kids go back to school on Monday. They all loved the carousel:)

Water Table

Josef got a water table for his birthday, in the hope that if he has a water table, he will stay away from the kitchen sink and bath tub! All of the kids love the table. The only challenge is the amount of times they change into dry clothes each day! I need to make some waterproof aprons:)

Annalise & Josef

Annalise is so cute with Josef. She plays with him all of the time, they are great buddies!

The Cake

Four layer white cake, with chocolate mouse filling...mmmm

Cake topper, it looks just like Josef, right?

Isn't the cake the best part of the party? This cake was pretty dang good.

Cowboy Party

Josef ready for his party!

All my cowboys!

Boys eating some chow - Stone doing the corn on the cob dance:)

Josef chilling with his dad before cake and presents.

Josef tasting the Cowboy cookies we gave everyone to take home.

Annalise painted Josef a cowboy picture!

We had a cowboy party for Josef's birthday. It was pretty low key, with some family. The boys loved the bandanas and cowboy hats. I have been looking for cowboy shirts at DI for weeks - I found something that "worked" for everyone except me. We had pulled pork sandwiches, homemade baked beans, corn on the cob, watermelon, salad, and chips with salsa. Ken, Josef, and uncle Ben loved the peanuts. Holden would have loved them had he listened and figured out he shouldn't eat the shells - he kept going around spitting them out - one time right on Ken's toes!

What cowboy party would be complete without a rodeo!

Two

Josef is TWO. Even after two years, we all adore him as much as the day he was born! He is a curious little boy. He loves chocolate and diet coke - I know neither one is good for him, but he will fight me to the bitter end for them! He is stubborn, and loves to play Angry Birds on my phone. He loves to play in water, and is often found scooting a stool over to the kitchen sink to playing the water. He got a water table for his birthday, and I hope that will replace the obsession with the sink and bathtub! He is a wonderful blessing to our family.

Waiting for Family Prayer

Yesterday morning, Ken was rounding up the boys for family prayer. Josef went over to the chair, and made himself comfortable while he waited! Ken grabbed his phone to take a picture, and then Wilson and Holden had to join him.

Nice lips Wilson:) Holden with his sleeping hat still on his head - what funny little boys we have!

Hobo Dinners at the Toones'

Bart and Shell invited us over to have hobo dinners (I always called them tin foil dinners, but I think hobo dinner sounds much more fun!) Bart made them with venison, onions, carrots, pototoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and some cream of mushroom soup - they were DELICISOUS! Wilson ate his all up - he loved it, Holden loved all of the veggies, but not the meat (no surprise there!) It was fun to sit outiside, and watch all of the crazy little boys - 5 crazy little boys, and one very sweet infant, that I am sure Taft will eventually fit right in with all the boys!

Starting to Practice

Ken had Josef trying to go potty. Maybe he will do it before he is four years old, like his older brothers, that would make his mom and dad SOOO happy!

Otter Pop Time

Every (well almost) afternoon this summer, we have had Otter Pop time. It is usually after Josef wakes up from his nap. We take a seat in the coolest part of the yard, on the rocks in the shade, and enjoy an Otter Pop!

Keaton's Treasure

Keaton was so proud of the frog that he caught. When we were taking a picture it jumped out of his hands, and I jumped and screamed - Keaton thought that was pretty funny:)

Independent Josef

Yesterday morning, when I was frantically getting ready to go to the zoo, Josef showed how independent and resourceful he is. He took a stool from the counter, and pushed it over to the cabinet where the glasses and sippy cups are. He got up on the stool, and got himself a sippy cup with the lid. Got down, and went over to another stool at the counter, climbed up, got my Diet Coke, and filled up his sippy cup with Diet Coke. He is a funny little boy!

Hogle Zoo with Cousins

Annalise, Whitney, and Matthew giving Josef and Holden a little ride.
What do you do at the zoo when it is pouring rain? Take a ride on the carousel, and then eat a sandwich while watching the carousel go round and round:)

Silly, silly kids!

Just checking out the dinosaur, it would lower and raise his head and then roar!

Gotta loves these boys, Blake loves to get Holden going (and we all know it doesn't take much!)

Cousins - minus Benjamin (I am not sure where he was) plus Sara!

Keaton really wanted me to take this picture of him with the dinosaur!

We went to Hogle Zoo this morning with Aunt Becky, Blake, Sara (Blake's friend), Whitney, Matthew, Emily, Benjamin, Shell, Stone, Taft, Annalise, and Keaton. It was so fun! It was raining and sometimes pouring rain most of the time, but we wanted to get it in before Blake, Matthew, and Whitney go back to Michigan. It has been so fun to have them around for while, and of course my boys have been in heaven:)