Dino Bones, Cake, & Witches

Last Monday, I said goodbye to another year in my fleeting twenties. Brad took the day off and made me breakfast and we spent the day with the kids at the Museum of Natural History. It was much smaller than in my memory but still a nice way to pass the afternoon and the kids loved "digging for dinos." There is nothing like being surrounded by thousands of year old bones to make a girl feel young and lively!

Owen feeling a little uncertain about standing "in the teeth of a T-Rex."

Wonderfully ineffective goggles that Owen insisted upon wearing.

Sam couldn't reach the sand pit so he just hung over the side.

The huge dino puzzle that Owen put together pretty much by himself.

Sunday night we had cake and ice cream with the fam.

Every year for my birthday, my mom & I head to Gardner Village for lunch and shopping. It is a tradition that I look forward to every year. Now that I have to curious little ones in tow, we spend less time shopping and more time feeding the ducks and "visiting" the witches.

We've now decided that we need to go twice during the fall. Once with the boys and the witches and another day with just the girls. Thanks mom! I always love to spend this day with you.

I had a great time celebrating my birthday! Brad always works so hard to make the day relaxing for me. What a great hubby! Thanks for the great day Bradler!

Stink

Owen is really into playing pretend. Somedays he's a pirate. Somedays he's a dinosaur. Mostly, he's a dog named Pancha. Why Pancha? I'm not sure and when I ask him why that's his name, I hear, "Mom, it's just a great dog name."

Friday morning, Owen, Sam, & I were playing dogs. We "built" a dog house out of a blanket between our two couches and Owen, as always, was the daddy dog. We crawled around and only "bark talked." So I decided I needed a dog name. "Owen, if your name is Pancha, can I be Pancho?" I asked. To this came a very matter-of-fact reply, "Mom if you want to play dogs with me, your name is Stink."

Ah, little boys....

Snack Time

When Sam decides it's time for a snack and I'm not readily available , it tends to look something like this...

Back to School

Owen started his second year at preschool on Tuesday. His teacher, Mrs. Jenn, is superwoman! She had a baby five weeks ago and started school only a week later than normal!

Owen picked out his own clothes this year and there was no changing his mind. It was the "new dinosaur shirt" and nothing else would do.

Owen & his buddy Mason going to school.
Owen pointing out the apple with his name on it.

"Bye Mom & Dad! See you in a little while!"

Owen has been so excited to go back to school again this year. He loves it and has been asking to go back since a few days after preschool graduation last year. It always tugs at my heart strings to watch him run through the door without so much as looking back but am so glad he enjoys it so much. And lets be honest here, the break is great for both of us. He loves It makes the rest of the time we do spend together that much better. Here's to another great year!

Aspen Grove

Setting up the play tent
We headed to the mountains for our final camping trip of the year this past weekend with our friends the Elliotts. We stayed at Aspen Grove on the South East corner of Strawberry Reservoir. We had a great weekend full of campfires, dutch oven cooking, and an attempt at fishing in the cold wind with five kids! We didn't expect it to get as cold as it did. The temperatures at night dropped to 27 degrees. The first night we stayed nice and cozy with the heater in our trailer working like a charm. The camp was covered in thick frost in next morning. The second night was a different story! We purchased a new battery for the trailer the week before we left and it died at about 1:00 a.m.! I don't mean drained dead. I mean defective dead. Luckily, the Elliotts' brought a generator (which was surprisingly quiet) and we were warm and toasty again in no time. (Note to self: bring extra battery when camping from now on!)

Three cold little boys huddled by the campfire!

The little boys were in heaven. There was a hill behind our camp that the kids could climb through the trees and play the day away. Staci brought a little Survival Kit for each of the boys containing a plastic pocket knife, gun, compass, canteen and flashlight. As soon as the package were opened, their adventure began. They "hunted" for their dinner. They "scared away the bad guys." They hiked until they crashed. Even Sam got in on the action. He decided the hills were dirt slides and spent any time he wasn't chasing the big boys around, sliding down the hill with a huge smile saying "whee!" After the kids were in bed, we spent the nights laughing around the camp fire until we were too cold to sit there any longer. It reminded me of all the times we stayed up laughing with Brad and Staci when we were all newlyweds. Nearly 8 years and five kids later, we still laugh like no time has past at all.

We came home smelling like camp fire and dirt. A sure sign of a successful camping trip!

ThE fARm AnD tHe FaM!!

We spent our Labor Day with my family at the farm. It was our first real family vacation of the year that every member of my immediate family could attend. Since these get-togethers don't happen very often, I forget how much fun we all have when we finally do make it under one roof for longer than a Sunday dinner!

Whenever the whole family goes to the farm, we usually take our tent-trailer which our boys absolutely love! Every night while putting Owen to bed he would tell me, "Mom this is the best cam pout ever!"
Friday and Saturday the weather was beautiful! We spent the day out on the boat and playing in the yard. We roasted our hot dogs over the fire for dinner and spent the evening riding the four wheelers. My kids could not get enough of the four-wheelers. Every time we turned around, both Owen & Sam were climbing up on one. They were actually pretty content to sit on them and pretend they were on a great ride until someone could take them. On Sunday, we came home from church with a storm rolling in over the mountains. The rain started soon after and it didn't let up the rest of the weekend. It was great! We stayed inside drinking hot chocolate and playing games together. It reminded me of so many vacations we took as a family when I was young. We had such a good time and took advantage of the time to relax.

We celebrated Matt & Ryan's 25th birthday on Sunday with some yummy brownies and cobbler. Happy Birthday Matt & Ryan!

Thanks for a great weekend Mom & Dad! We appreciate all of your hard work & are so grateful for all the memories! We love you!