Back to School!

Here comes 1st Grade, Yikes!  As you can see Corbin is excited for School and couldn't wait to get to school on the first day which was last Wednesday.  I had to ask him to get out of the car so I could get a picture of him before we took him to school.  I, on the other hand was not too excited about school starting.  It seemed to come way to fast this year and it still feels like we should have a few more weeks of Summer.  Even though we were all ready by Wednesday it still felt like total craziness and like we were not prepared.  I still can't believe I have a 1st grader.  I think my Kids are growing up way to fast.  Something kind of funny was that on the first day of school, Corbin decided that he had all the sudden become all grown up.  He went into the Bathroom to brush his teeth and declared that he no longer needed to use the step stool to stand on to brush his teeth and do his hair because he was a bigger Kid now since he was going to 1st grade and he could reach without it..  All morning he was declaring that he was bigger and didn't need this or could do this now.  We had a few good laughs through out the morning.

Check out this huge back pack.  Where did Corbin go?  Corbin saw this backpack back when the
"How to Train Your Dragon" movie came out in theaters and wanted it so bad.  So I told him he could get it if he hung it in his closet till school started.  He still loves it even after sitting in the closet for several months.  There is a detachable lunch box on the front and he has been asking everyday if I will make him cold lunch so he can use it.  I think I've got him convinced to wait till next week when we have a better idea of the lunch schedule to see what days he might want to really start taking cold lunch. 

Anyway here we go another school year.  After 3 days of it so far it looks like it might be a better year than last.  I sure hope so!  Corbin has a good Teacher that has come highly recommended by other parents.  That should help and Corbin really does seem a bit more mature this year so I hope that helps too.  Wish us all luck that we may get through this year and it be a positive one!  Good luck to all you that have started or our starting next week!

Wow! 12 years and counting...

It all started 12 years ago when...

one boy and...

one girl...

fell in love and were married!

And here we are now 12 years later...very happy and with two amazing little Boys that we love to pieces! 
Nate and I just celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary.  We took a two day trip to SLC and had 2 wonderful days together hanging out going to the Temple and eating good food that we don't get to indulge in often.  First night we went to an awesome sushi place called Simply Sushi and the next night we dug into crab at Joe's Crab Shack.  Yummy! 
Happy Anniversary, Nate!  I love you!!!

Summer Fun at our House!

Our Summer started with lots and lots of Dandelion Bouquets.  I loved every one of them.  When Aidan was done picking our yard clean he went and found tons at the park next door.  Aidan would bring me in a handful at a time to put in water.  As soon as those ones died he'd bring me in a new handful.  It was too cute, especially when he smelled them declaring that they were "bootiful flowers" and ended up with a yellow dot on the end of his nose.  I don't think I will ever get enough Dandelion bouquets.

We had a Family Reunion at Seven Peaks with my extended family.  It was a blast!  Aidan loves, loves, loves snow cones and Icee's.  He won't stop until it's all gone.

My little Seal!  Corbin loves the water and loves to show off and try any trick he can think of.  We were laughing all day at what he would try next.

Aidan loves the water too and would stay in it all day if we let him. They finally kicked us out at closing time.

What a fun trip and so much for the Kids to do!  We loved it and loved seeing all of our family too!  Good Times!

Aidan learned to ride his bike this Summer.  Thanks to the help of his brother Corbin.  Corbin took Aidan and pushed him and instructed him on how to pedal his bike all by himself.  A few minutes later Aidan was riding all by himself.  We were very proud parents!  One for Aidan learning to ride by himself and one for Corbin being such a nice big Brother and helping him.  It was very cute to watch and they both did a great job!

Many days were spent playing in the pool in our yard.  My Boys love the water and

know how to throw a good little pool party.

Our first keep out of our Kids bedroom sign.  Only they reversed it and actually let us in once we told them I couldn't come in and help them clean their room or put away their clean laundry if I had to stay out.  Corbin saw the idea on T.V. and had to try it.  He came and asked how to spell some of the words then went to work.  Pretty good work for a Kindergartner.

Camping with Nate's family at Lodge Pole Campground.  The Kids painting crafts.  Corbin made a Helicopter and Aidan made a Snake.  It was a lot of fun and nice vacation good to see Family and the Kids

loved playing with Cousins.

Corbin lost his first Tooth while on Vacation with my Family in Escalante over the 24th of July.  Thanks to Grandpa Haws who helped him by tying a string around it and popping it out.  Corbin's tooth was super, super loose but he wouldn't let anyone touch it to give it the final tug.  So I told him how my Dad(Grandpa) use to pull mine out by tying a string around it.  Corbin was way excited to give it a try so we did.  Once Grandpa got the string around that tiny, tiny tooth it came out with hardly any effort.  Corbin was stunned that it came out so easily but smiling with a little gap in his mouth.  Yes, the Tooth Fairy came to that nervous little Boy that was so afraid the Tooth Fairy was going to take his tooth and not give it back.  And he still has the tooth with the string attached to prove it.

While in Escalante we also went to Bryce Canyon.  It was a beautiful day for awesome views.  Nate

took the Boys and hiked one of the trails.  They were all troopers and it was fun to greet them when

they made it back up to the top.

The Famous Escalante House.  This is the house that my Grandmother Eva Spencer Haws grew up in.  My Grandparents bought the house with my Dad when I was just a little kid.  It was pretty trashed at the time and had graffiti all over inside.  Anyway the stories are pretty neat that come with this house.  My parents own it today and we try to go down and vacation at least once a year or so.

This year we all entered the 24th of July Parade in honor of my Grandparents J.C. and Eva Haws and their

pink and white house.  It was a ton of fun and I think we all enjoyed being in the Parade this year instead of watching from the sidelines.  I hope we do it again just for tradition.

Later that day we went to what is known as the Devil's Garden.  It's a bunch of sandstone rock formations just outside of Escalante.  The rock is a lot of fun to walk around on and climb.  My Boys were getting a bit sick from all the Sun and heat but they didn't let that stop them from having a ball and running around with their Cousins.

Lagoon!  What a fun day!  Yesterday we spent the day as a family at Lagoon.  It's been years since we've been here so it was good to see all the new rides.  We rode most everything as a family.  The only ones that the Boys couldn't go on were the great big coasters like Wicked and the Spider.  So out of the whole park there was really only like 3 or 4 rides that they couldn't get on.  It was great though we just bypassed those and went back to the rest that we could all ride together on.  Nate did go on Wicked and loved it.  Most of the Kiddie rides were just miniatures of the bigger ones.  Like the rocket, tidal wave, music express they had miniatures that were just as fun and we could all go on all the big and little ones.  It was a great day with lots of fun memories made.  The best parts were spending the day together and watching our Kids light up as they were having the time of their life.  Corbin and Aidan were so good and waited well in line when we had too.  I loved it when they giggled or seeing the look of excitement in their face as we were whizzing around on the ride.  We picked a good day to go.  It rained all morning so we didn't get there till the Afternoon, but it cooled everything down and keep a steady breeze the rest of the day and there were less people and fewer lines.  What a great day!

"Good People" do thing like this.....

This is what we woke up to on Sunday Morning...our yard vandalized  total damages...several hundred dollars a lot of hard work and pride.  But over all we really were'nt hurt by it just disappointed that such idoits would be so stupid and mean and mostly weak and disrespectful to do something like this.  Why I say "good people" do things like this is because we have such good neighbors that proclaim they really are "good people" that really want to be "good neighbors".  Funny thing is that a whole lot of this mess seems to point right to them.  To be fair I can't say who really did do this because we didn't actually see it happen.  We do have many very good reasons to suspect who did.  Funny things like all the sudden going out of the way to drive by your house when they have a shorter more direct route to theirs that doesn't involve driving by our at all.  Plus an interesting conversation that included info that wasn't asked for and there was really no reason to supply it unless you might be trying to make it look like it wasn't you or someone you know.  By the way we didn't go have that conversation with them, they showed up on our doorstep all on their own.  Hum....why are some "good people" so darn stupid sometimes?  Anyway long story short we did call the Police because this isn't the first problem our lovely neighborhood has had nor is it the first problem they've had with these "nice neighbors".  In fact I had called the police the night before because of another incident....which is probably why we got hit.  I also had to listen to another lovely conversation that night on what "good people" they are.  Well they proved it loud and clear.  Anyway the police suspected them before we even gave them any reason to confirm that suspicion so that goes to show ya what "good people" we have living in our neighborhood.  All is well and this lovely mess is our FHE project tonight with a lesson on respecting others and Daring to do Right instead of being weak and hurting others by bad choices.  Sorry for being vague about details but I just want to be careful.   Want more info?..talk to us later.

A Day of Celebrating Aidan! Happy Birthday Fun!

Aidan chose to have a Toy Story Birthday this year.  Big #4.

He got lots of fun Toy Story toys.  One of his favorites

was his 2 Mr. Evil Dr. Porkchops  from the latest movie.  Aidan has really taken to it and plays that character often when he and Corbin are playing together. 

 

Do think he likes the cake?  He was so excited to blow out his candles and eat it all day.  We let the Kids indulge on the cupcakes earlier in the day and saved his cakes for after dinner.

Nate made Aidan's Mr. Evil Dr. Porkchop cake and Aidan loved it all!  He is still laughing at it.  Yes, we have tons of cake left a week later and have been eating it all week.  Instead of a party this year for Aidan we just let it be his day.  Grandma and Grandpa came through on their School Bus and stayed till Aidan's Birthday.  We were so glad they came and celebrated with us.  They took Aidan to the store and let him pick out a toy.  He chose a roaring walking Dinosaur that he loves.  We weren't exactly surprised when the Dinosaurs caught his eye nor when that's what he picked.  He Loves Dinosuars!!!  Aidan chose to go to Sonic for lunch and Chinese Noodles for Dinner.  We went swimming at the Rec. Center as a family and came home and had cake and ice cream for dinner.  
Aidan also received a Birthday package from Grandma and Grandpa Packer.  He was very excited when the Mailman dropped it off.  In his package was a Lego kit and Dinosaur Stamp set.  He loves them!  It was a great day and I think everyone had a great time especially Aidy he was beaming and giggling all day.  We love you Aidan, Happy Birthday, our big 4 year old!  Boy time is still flying by...wasn't he my Baby just the other day?...Thank you to all that helped make his day special and so good!  He was way excited for all the presents and phone calls even if he didn't quite know how to express it, we could tell by his smiles and the glow in his little eyes as he listened very carefully and quietly on our end of the phone line.  Thanks again, we love you all!

Happy, Happy Birthday Aidan #4!

Happy #4 Birthday Aidan!  Aidan has been so excited for his Birthday and for turning 4 yrs. old.  We love Aidan tons and he adds so much to our little family.  He makes us laugh everyday because he is so cute and says the funniest things.  He loves to play in the water and has no trouble finding it.  If we happen to be watering the lawn with a sprinkler or if we get out the little wadding pool he's there and drenched in 5 Min's. or less.  The best part is he is laughing and giggling the whole time he's running around in the water, always having a great time.  He loves to ride his little red 3 wheeled scooter and can go super fast.  Of course red is his current favorite color and 100 is his favorite number.  Aidan is a whiz at card games and just likes to play games in general.  He loves puzzles and blocks especially Lego blocks.  He will always love Dinosaurs!  He is a very good little Brother to Corbin and likes to be where his brother is usually playing action figures and having a battle with him.  Aidan is such a sweet heart and I love his big tight hugs and all the "I luv yous!" I can get.  He is the best little buddy and a great helper if it's his idea first.    He likes to sit up to the counter and ask lots of questions and help while we make dinner.  He likes to know lots of things.  He loves to help me weed and tend to our garden.  He's been watching and checking all the vegetable plants almost daily to see if they have turned red or if something is growing on them so we can pick it.  His favorite foods would be strawberries or any berries for that matter, popcorn, ice cream, and Popsicles.  He also has taken to sunflower seeds and Dr. Pepper.  I don't know who introduced him to those, I plead the 5th. 
I love to wake up every morning knowing I soon will be visited by my little snuggle buddy and welcomed with a big hug and an "I luv you, Mom." from my yawning still slightly sleepy cutie pie Boy.  I can't resist those cute dimpled cheeks and his great big grins that are always followed by a giggle and usually the question "why?"  Aidan is a joy to have in our family and brings tons of fun and lots of excitement each day.  I'm so happy to be his Mom and to get the blessing of watching him grow and learn each day!  We love you Aidan and we're so glad you're our Awesome little Boy!  You are such a blessing to us! 

Batter up!...T-Ball here we come!

Corbin offically started T-Ball last Saturday and has already had  two games.  He loves it!  We signed him up a little over a month ago and he has been asking every few days is it time for T-Ball yet?  When is it time to go to T-Ball?  He was so excited to get to the park for his first game and chattered about it all the way there.  He said this is the most awesomest greatest day!  He's on the Orioles Team and his Coach just happened to Coach his Indoor Soccer Team too.  He does a great job with a bunch of over excited, crazy 4-6yr olds.

During his last game Corbin got a chance to play fake Pitcher, he did great until the ball coming at him bounced off his mitt when he tried to catch it and hit him right in the nose.  Yes, there were a few tears and a small time out on Mom's lap for some comfort.  Then our big, tough T-Ball Player got back out there and played great the rest of the game.  Because he was a good team player and got back out there the Coach gave Corbin the game ball.  He was on cloud 9 the rest of the night.  Of course we had to go show Nate at the Hotel and called Grandpa Haws(Corbin's biggest sports fan) to brag.  Yep, I'm a proud Mom and think Corbin is doing awesome at T-Ball.  He has really liked it and been good to pay attention and learn how to play.  I'm glad he enjoys sports so much and it doesn't hurt that it gives him a way to get all that little boy energy out too.

Aidan is my little cheer partner and he's great at it!  He yells "Go Corbin!  Good Job!"  He sits right by me in his Dinosaur camp chair and snuggles up with me in the blanket when we get cold.  Last game he talked to me through the whole game asking questions about T-Ball and cracking jokes to me.  He's too funny!  He would much rather be finding away to escape from Mom so he can go play or roll down the hills close by or head for the playground.  Aidan's very interested in T-Ball and wants to know why they keep telling the players to run home and send them the wrong direction towards home.  Home to him is always the other way.  I'm sure he'll figure it out by the time it's his turn to play in a few more years.  We're glad we have something fun to do as a family that gets us all out for a bit and can't wait for all the more fun that's bound to come!