Disneyland

To celebrate Lindsie's 3rd birthday and spend some quality time together as a family we traveled to "The happiest place on earth"!!  I created this book on Shutterfly after I had purchased a great deal on Groupon.  I was so excited when I had it finished and it said I could post it to share on Blogger!! :) Hope you enjoy!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Blog Slacker?

Busy mom of 3 crazy kids...and overwhelmed by all my titles (mom, wife, maid, chef, chauffeur, etc).  This blog has just not been one of the priorities. :)  I do enjoy having it as a sort of journal or scrapbook of our family, and it has saved me more than once when my memory has forgotten.  I also lost pictures of Whit's 8th b-day party and was able to copy those that I had posted here on the blog.  :)  So....definitely worth the time and trouble. 
Here is a quick update...
We filled the remainder of our summer with fun adventures and activities, and then school started for Whitney late in August.  She is in the 4th Grade and is really enjoying her class and teacher Mrs Crook.  Two of her very good friends moved this summer, but she was excited to have 5 new girls move into her class.  She is great at making friends and enjoys the occasional play date with her girlfriends from school.  She is a great student and is trying to make her life easier by getting homework done at school. (LOVE it!!)  This was the first year I forgot to take pictures of her on the first day of school.  :(  Sorry Whit!!
Once Whitney started school, my world changed!!  I had gotten used to her being home to help with C and L.  I worried about what they would destroy or do to each other while I was in the shower and how I would entertain them by myself all day?  We tackled a couple of adventures on our own, played a lot at the park, and also in the yard here at home.  Colin and Lindsie both LOVE to be outside, and have SO much energy that there are days I can't keep up.
The weather is getting colder here and I am NOT looking forward to so much time with them indoors.  Snowsuits and boots are definitely in our future!! :)
Lindsie worked all summer on her potty training and finally had it down by August...just in time to start preschool!!  We had a fun Labor Day at the lake and the following day Lindsie had her first day of school!  She has a very fun and patient teacher they call Miss Patti and 9 other cute kids in her class.  Although she was very eager to start school, she cries and struggles with me leaving every time!  Once I leave she is totally fine and has a great time, so I'm at a loss as to why "the drama" occurs??  We have been on field trips with her class to the apple orchard, fire station, and the pumpkin patch.  We love hearing about things she does and learns at school.  My favorite was when she came home telling me that a boy in her class said he saw her underwear.  She said "I told him they are not underwear, they are Big Girl Panties!" 
Colin is growing and changing so quickly! He loves to get into everything and will always copy Lindsie in her mischief.  The bathroom drawers are almost empty by the time I am ready for the day and the kitchen drawers and cabinets are never safe.  He has a fascination with brooms and vacuums that we cannot understand, and he is constantly making us smile with his dancing and gibberish.  He loves animals and is learning some of his animal sounds.  My favorite is the elephant.  So darling!!
Chris has been busy with work and all the drama that goes with his job.  He continues to travel... some weeks more than others...and I try to keep from getting too overwhelmed by all my titles...some weeks more than others! :)  Grateful that we are all healthy, happy (most of the time), and can enjoy the time we have together.

No post is complete without pictures....right??   Click to enlarge!!

Happy Birthday!!

What a difference a year makes!  I am amazed at how much babies grow, change and learn in their first year.  It seems like only yesterday when Colin was so small and peaceful like this...

And now today...active, vocal, and only still when he's sleeping. :)

We decided last minute on Sunday to have a "party" and cupcakes for Colin's birthday.  The girls were very excited to celebrate and give him presents.  He loved his car, firetruck tent, trucks and train! (and so do the girls :D)  He enjoyed eating his cupcake...and making a mess.  Harley enjoyed all the cake on the floor too!

Colin is such a sweet and happy kid...We just love him to pieces! Happy Birthday Baby Boy!  I look forward to watching you learn and grow. xoxo, mommy

His 1yr well check is later this week.  Stats and Dr's report to come later...

UPDATE

**July 16th 1 year stats...

Height 30"   57%

Weight 22 lbs 6 oz   43%

4th fun

For the 4th of July holiday we went boating for the first time this summer. Colin did well in the boat and even took a good long nap on the boat floor. :)  The kids had fun riding in the boat and playing in the dirt and water.  Chris was the only adult to brave the freezing water temps and ski but we still all had a great time. :D

(Click to enlarge)

After the day on the lake we came home to change and quickly headed out again.  There is NO way we can miss our yearly trip to Layton Park for fireworks with the Campbells!!  It is ALWAYS a fun and memorable time!  We also enjoyed seeing many friends from our old neighborhood in Layton.

REAL

The weekend of the 4th we attended our 1st Real Soccer Game! We had a BLAST! Colin was a little scared with all the screaming and cheering but loved the fireworks...go figure? :) The girls enjoyed a snow cone, and we all enjoyed people watching! Oh, and the game OF COURSE! It was a blowout! Go REAL!! Thanks to the Hepworth's for a great time and awesome seats!! Let's do it again soon!!

Nine!

Whitney turned 9 years old on Sunday! She has been looking forward to her birthday for month's! She created a gift list a few weeks ago to give me some ideas on what she might like to receive from Chris and I. They included things like new bedding, music, clothes, gift cards, etc. Our favorite item on her list....a roll of tape. Yep, Scotch tape. She loves to create things and is always asking Chris for tape from his office. Guess she finally realized this was a way to get some without having to spend her own money like Chris suggested. :) (She received multiple rolls and is Thrilled!!)

We had cake and ice cream on Sunday evening and opened gifts from family members. Big "THANKS" to Nana & Papa, Grandma Great, The Jefferies, Grandma & Pops, and The Campbell's for the wonderful and generous gifts! Whitney enjoyed her birthday and appreciated all the phone calls and birthday wishes! Whitney's favorite birthday surprise...a sleepover in her new Roxy bed with her cousin Abbie!

Happy 9th Birthday Whitney!! We love you!!

(click on photo to enlarge)

Whitney was privileged to go with Shaylee and Kristen to have pictures taken for her birthday. They treated her like a princess and she loved the attention! Thank you girls for making her day special and capturing Whitney's personality at this age. We love you!!

Things I love about Whitney...
A loving and tender heart
Helpful
Organized
Talented
Smart
Beautiful inside and out!

Things Whitney loves...
Arts and Crafts
Dance
Her Siblings and Family
Shopping (Justice is her fav)
Otter Pops, Popsicles, etc
Swimming and outdoor activities
Golf with her dad
Chicken Pillows
Zucchini
Playing with friends
Her ipod and music
Collecting things...like zhu zhu pets

Summer Fun

Summer is in full swing! The weather has been down right HOT this week and it's only the last day of June! YIKES! We've been finding ways to keep cool...and busy, but still keep some sort of nap schedule for the little kids. I LOVE the days when I can get them napping at the same time (yet Lindsie rarely cooperates with me on a nap at all!) and I am NOT ready for her to grow out of "rest time." Even if she just plays quietly in her room for an hour, I'm happy! :)

We are extremely grateful for a community pool so close to home on these warm summer days. Whitney is a fish when it comes to the pool, and Lindsie is becoming less fearful every time we go. Colin will usually watch for a short time and then is ready to crawl around and get wet. Needless to say, I DO NOT get to relax much at the pool! It's much more work than I originally thought it would be, so we don't get there as often as Whitney would like. :)

-Lindsie in her new Ariel swimsuit and goggles. The goggles were a prize from her "potty jar"...she only wore them at home for this picture BEFORE we even made it to the pool.

The kids have enjoyed going to play at a few of the different parks we have close by. Colin is becoming much more active and no longer content to just watch from the sidelines in his stroller. It pains me to watch him crawl on the sidewalk or in the bark, scraping his knees and SHOES, but hey...he's happy! (He prefers the sidewalk to the grass too! Crazy kid!!)

I'm looking forward to MORE summer fun activities including

Fireworks

Boating

BBQ's

Family reunions

Yummy summer treats

and MORE!!

Time

Wow! Where has the time gone? I can't believe that my last post was Colin turning 9 months and now his birthday is in 2 weeks! Well, needless to say we have been BUSY!

Mid May we traveled to Southern Utah to Zion's Park for the annual Dermatology Conference. We had a great time hiking in the canyon with some friends and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Before heading home, we stayed a night in St George and had the opportunity to go see Chris' grandparents in their new home. The girls LOVED seeing grandma's miniatures in the basement and Chris was honoured to bring home some of grandpa's homemade grape juice.

Memorial Day Weekend we visited the Hogle Zoo! We had a great day with our Fry family cousins and look forward to more zoo days with our annual pass!

Whitney finished school the first week in June. She completed 3rd grade with straight A's and we couldn't be more proud of her accomplishments! Whitney also finished her first year as a member of the EDP dance company in June. The "EDP Mini's" had a very successful competition season with 9 of 10 dances receiving First Place trophies. Whitney has become a much improved dancer this year and we enjoyed watching her team perform their Jazz, Lyrical, and now Hip Hop routines at the year end recital. Whitney looks forward to trying out for next year's dance team in August.

Lindsie and Colin continue to grow like weeds! Lindsie soaks in everything she hears...and then repeats it! We love to hear some of the things that come out of her mouth! She has a very funny personality and loves to make us laugh. Her favorite thing right now is to dress up and dance for us. She copies what she's seen in dance competitions and counts "5, 6, 7, 8, 1 " before she walks "on stage" and then again after she's danced and is exiting. It's so funny! She loves for us to clap and cheer and then will do it over and over. This is a short clip of some of her dancing. Her best moves have yet to be caught on tape. :)

Colin has changed so much in the last 3 months! He pulls himself up on the gates and furniture and can walk on his tip toes with help. He loves to push strollers, toys, boxes, etc and practice his walking. He's into every kitchen drawer, the plants, dog food and even the dishwasher. He would love to play all day on the stairs...He can crawl up, but has no concept of how to make it down safely. He babbles "ma ma" and other cute sounds and we love to hear him say "uh oh" when he drops things.

Colin: 9 months

I can't believe my baby boy is 9 months old! He is growing up so fast and reaching many new milestones. He now has four teeth, is "army" crawling EVERYWHERE, loves to stand up with help, and is such a happy and care free little kid (as long as he's not tired or hungry). Now if I could just get him to sleep through the night!!  :D
Here are his stats from his Dr visit today...

Height: 28".....40%
Weight: 19.8 lbs.....32%
Head size.....43%

The best part of our doctor visit...NO SHOTS! Yeah! All caught up on his immunizations! Lindsie was thrilled (she hates that part), but LOVES to have Colin's sucker when we're done. :)

 

Yummy!!

We went **here** last night in search of a delicious reminder of our trip to Hawaii...

and found it!! 

 The Hawaiian Shaved Ice

(Disclaimer: This picture is actually from Hawaii, but gives you an idea of what's in store at "Mo Bettah".)

My recommended "hawaiian"  flavor combination:  Lilikoi and Lihing Mui with cream on top.  And ya gotta add the ice cream in the bottom...Yum!!

Give it a try when you are in the area. Call me and I'll meet you there! You won't be sorry! :)

Dance, Dance

Whitney has been taking dance at EDP for the last four years.  This year she was asked to be a member of their "Mini Company" Team.  They will compete in five competitions this spring.  So far we have been to the Medallion Classic at SLCC and yesterday to USU in Logan for the Utah Dance Fest.  We are so excited to share that her team has received 1st place in both their jazz and lyrical dances at BOTH the competitions!!  Congratulations Mini's, and Congratulations Whitney!!  We are so proud of you and what a great dancer you have become.  We look forward to seeing you take first place again at the next competition! :)

Medallion Classic trophy

1st place EDP Mini's

Jazz - "Crazy little thing"

Lyrical - "Heaven"

I've attached a video of both her dances...she is front and center at the beggining of both. 

Here is the link to view it larger and with better quality.  Enjoy! :)

Utah Dance Fest - EDP Mini's