Swimming Lessons...

The kids started private swimming lessons while off-track...Colter is now confident swimming the breast stroke, freestyle and back stroke across the whole length of the pool, in the deep end, and loving it! The girls are refining their strokes and doing awesome, too, Wyatt's loving the early morning swimming and I'll never complain about being out in the beautiful sunshine! What a life!

Water Dog...

The other day, while Wyatt and his buddy Caden were playing in the pool, Chopper jumped right in. Just as quickly as Chopper jumped in...Caden jumped out! Chopper loved it and every day since, he's taken a few more dips!! It was so funny to watch Chopper splash around in the pool with Wyatt...Wyatt got such a kick out of it - Caden not so much...he's still a little leary of Chopper's (sometimes overwhelming) energy and excitement!

Baseball Season...

Baseball season started a few weeks ago and Colter is loving it...all he wants to do is throw the baseball and practice hitting. He plays on the same team with two of his best buddies, Seth and Kobe, so that makes games more fun for us moms...hanging out and chatting, our husbands tend to watch the game a little more closely than we do. Last Friday's game both Seth and Kobe were gone for the Memorial weekend so I actually took the time to get some shots of Colter. Colt you are a stud!Wyatt loves the snowcones and the girls love that the ball field is right up against the Burnett's backyard, so they run off to find McKahl and Brinley and bring them back to watch the game...fun for all!

Memorial Memories...

Our Memorial weekend started early Saturday morning with our neighborhood yard sale. We decided earlier on in the week, as we dug through the house for things to sell, that any money we made would go into our family activity jar. The first thing the kids really want to do with the money is see the new Night at the Museum movie, so that's the plan for next week.Sunday, before our church, we were able to go to Garrett's aunt Andrea and uncle Greg's ward to listen to their son Taylor speak and be sustained an Elder...Garrett's grandparents are in town from Arizona and were also there, so we were able to see them and spend some time with them. Taylor's dad, Greg, set him apart as an Elder and gave him a beautiful blessing - there weren't many dry eyes in the room. Luckily Garrett was able to sneak away from his Sunday meetings to be a part of such a special time in Taylor's life.Sunday, Garrett spoke in sacrament meeting and bore testimony of the importance of preparing for the upcoming Oquirrh Hills Temple dedication. After church, we headed to Midway for some family time. My mom's brother, Nyle, and her cousin, John, are in town so we met them all up there, along with my grandma B and Whitney and her family. We played games, swam, ate lots of great food and just enjoyed being together. McKenna sure has grown up the last few months...when we walked in the house, my mom saw the back of McKenna and seriously wondered who we had brought with us - she is almost as tall as me and soooo beautiful!! We sung Happy Birthday to my grandma...91 candles wouldn't fit on the cake, so only three to represent every thirty years.
We listened as she spoke about raising her children (my mom is the youngest with two older brothers) during the war, and about all the places they lived because her husband, Gordon, was in the military - her favorite was living in Hawaii. I think my mom's was probably New York...or maybe Texas because that's where she met my dad - I'll have to ask her!
With Sunday being a little overcast and cold, we were a little worried what Monday would bring...but it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. After a delicious breakfast, we hopped on the golf cart to play at the pool and clubhouse...
McKenna loves to take care of Wyatt and Wyatt just loves McKenna to watch over him...on Sunday she told me she couldn't wait to be a mom...that's one of the best thing I could hear from my girls. McKenna, you are becoming such a beautiful young woman...you are someone I love to be with. I had to snap this shot of McKenna in her swimming suit and her cute converse shoes taking Wyatt by the hand to the bathroom...
Wyatt loved the water squirter...dad had just as much fun, especially when their aim was on me!
here's a great shot before it actually hit the camera and me...Wyatt loved that!!
over to the indoor pool for more swimming because someone threw up in the outdoor pool...
Ashlyn is like a little fish in water...this trip she finally mastered holding her breath the whole length of the pool. Way to go, Ash!
Colter and Tanner got a hold of the camera and this is what I found...I loved their pictures, especially this one of TClose your eyes"...the kids dug in the hills in front of grandma & grandpa's house and found some pretty cool rocks that grandpa cracked open...
Before dinner, aunt Whitney took us on a wild golf cart ride around the hills of Midway. McKenna and Wyatt were both a little nervous about aunt Whitney's driving :) I love this picture of McKenna holding Wyatt so close - Wyatt kept asking McKenna to hold him "more tight". We ended the evening with a yummy BBQ, a little tennis for grandpa and the girls, and more swimming for the boys before heading home...and back to the real world!
Tanner with grandpa Nichol looking on in the background,
My cute mom and dad and the boys...because of choices my dad's parents, grandma and grandpa Gutke, made and choices made by my parents, we have this incredible place in Midway to come and play and truly get away from everything and just spend time together. I love watching my kids grab grandpa or grandma's hand and say 'let's go play tennis', 'come play pool with me' or 'lets play trains' and they immediately stop whatever they're doing and enjoy being in the moment with them. I love that my kids know they are more important than anyTHING in this world to them. They will not forget these times with grandma and grandpa. I sure love you, mom and dad. Thanks for all the great memories!
Last night we all slept great...according to Garrett, I even slept walk, and came to the kitchen and ate the last piece of chocolate cake we brought home from Midway...what the heck, no wonder I'm not losing weight??!! I guess I must have been hungry!

Soccer Stars...

This is a picture from McKenna's last practice with Matt and her U11 team before soccer try-outs. Dance and soccer try-outs always make for anxious girls and a nervous mom!
McKenna did great at try-outs...giving it her all. I don't know how the coaches divide up 50 girls after watching them play for only a few hours at a time. Most of us moms had hoped the team would pretty much stay together with a few new additions and that's exactly what happened. We knew Matt wouldn't be the girls' coach and McKenna was pretty sad about that - she and Matt had a great connection...but we're excited to meet her new coach and see what this year brings. Tanisha and I are the designated party moms and already have in mind some great get-togethers for the girls...including more girls weekends in Midway :)

"Put off Thy Shoes..."

I read this great story today from my friend Callie's blog...it was just what I needed at just the right moment. The kids are off-track and a bunch of our neighbors are having a yard sale this Saturday, so this week we have tackled and transformed almost every room in the house and the kids have been troopers...working right along side me as we've moved from room to room. I think we're ready for a little rest and relaxation in Midway for the Memorial holiday...a lot of swimming at the pool...and a little early morning and late-night fishing.When Moses was shepherding his father-in-law's flocks, he saw a bush on fire, flaming but not being consumed. He found that a little strange. He must have thought to himself, I'm going to take a minute and check this out, because here's something you don't see every day. I wonder why the bush isn't burned?Because he stopped and because he looked, the Lord spoke to Moses out of the bush. He called him by his name, because that's what the Lord does, and He asked Moses to take off his shoes. "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning said: Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.How do I become the one who sees? Can I figure out when the presence of God is near, when I'm on holy ground, and remove my shoes? How can I find the divine in the drudgery?When my kids were little, needy and demanding and helpless, I'm afraid my first reaction to a burning bush would have been to toss a bucket of water on it. One more emergency to deal with. One more demand on my time and sanity. When they were bigger, I think my reaction would have been different. "All right you people, who has been playing with matches? You know the rules. You're all busted."Some days, don't you feel too tired to care? After work and dinner and cleaning and dishes and homework and dentist appointments and practices and laundry and family night and concerts and presidency meetings and emergency room visits and games and meets and matches and scripture study could you look over your shoulder as you flop onto the couch and say, "Huh. That bush is on fire. Hope it doesn't singe the furniture. Pass the remote."And when the kids are grown and gone, are there times we peek under beds and search out fingerprinted windows, desperate to regain a tiny portion of that sweet innocence, only to ignore the flaming bush in the middle of the room?The Lord wants us to recognize the "great sight" in our path. He rewarded Moses for turning aside, seeking out the miracle. We will also be rewarded for seeking out the miracles.There are plenty of barefoot moments in motherhood. Some of them are messy, some of them are funny; some are precious and sweet and sacred. All these moments testify that God is near.Do you remember the first time you took your fussy baby out of church and walked the halls, muttering "Why am I doing this? I'm getting nothing out of this meeting, and we're disturbing everyone within a fifty-foot radius", only to have the little person hanging over your shoulder, lean behind you, point to a painting of the Savior, and say "Jesus". Remember that you didn't even think that child knew that word? Remove thy shoes.Remember the time you came downstairs because you heard someone crying? Grumble, grumble- "these kids are always fighting. I'll give them something to cry about." Here you come, ready to dispense justice, and find your youngest cradled in the arms of an older sibling who's kissing away the hurt and coaxing a smile and a laugh from behind the tears? Take thy shoes from off they feet.Remember that one time- that one time- you got that note, that email, that text that said, "Thank you, Mom?" Remove thy shoes.And watch them, as adults, choose each other as best friends. See them seeking out each others company. Listen to them laugh together, remembering the happy times that are buried somewhere in your memory under piles of muddy shoes and broken dishes and dents in cars and angry words. The memories are there. Take thy shoes from off thy feet.We can train our eyes to see the "bush afire with God"- to notice the things that could not be without the influence of the Lord. If I want that gift, that ability, I only need to ask for it, to work for it, to write it down when I see it. And when we stop and remove our shoes from off our feet, we can hear the Lord call us by name and remind us that the place we stand is holy ground, the position we hold is ordained of God, the people we nurture are really His children.Thanks, Callie, for that great reminder.

Spiderman vs. Spiderman...

The last few days we have been de-junking the whole house for an upcoming neighborhood yard sale. While going through the dress-up drawers, we found leotards from when the girls were 3 and 4 years-old and even Halloween costumes from when McKenna was only two...why do I hang onto stuff like this? I know it's the memories...but I'm now letting go. The kids and I have gone through clothes, toys, puzzles, games, bedding, blankets and have found lots of stuff that needs to go. The house became a bigger disaster during the process, but I think we're getting things back to normal.While going through the dress-ups, the boys found these Spiderman costumes and, of course, had to put them on and wrestle...some of these pictures crack me up - especially Wyatt's face in this first one and the second one where it looks like Colter is using Wyatt's head to smash in the door of the armoir.
In the end, I think Wyatt won...but I won't tell Colter!
While still wearing the costume, Wyatt said to me "mom, my got boobs" and laughed while poking them...I tried over and over to tell them they were his big muscles, but he wouldn't even listen...just kept saying "my got boobs!"

A Boy and his Dog...

Wyatt sure loves his 'Chopper-lab'...according to Wyatt, that's Chopper's full name.

Food Fight!

On Friday, Colter's teacher, Mrs. T., sent home a note telling about an upcoming food fight scheduled for today...I had to re-read the note just to make sure I was reading it right. What a cool teacher! Really, who actually follows through with having a messy, gooey, sticky food fight...especially with first graders? I was so impressed and Colter was so excited...
At 1:00, the go-ahead was given and the first spray of whipping cream flew through the air - for fifteen minutes straight there was complete chaos with pudding, pop and whipping cream being thrown everywhere. I even caught Colter spraying some cool whip into his own mouth and a few times I was hit by some wild banana pudding! Wyatt watched with amazement (and a little fright) as seventeen first graders and one crazy teacher screamed with excitement...no way was Wyatt giving Colter a hug.
What a cool thing to do...Mrs. T. has done some things this year that Colter will surely remember, but I think this takes the cake! Colter rode his bike home, showered and is now ready for some off-track fun!

La Roca Retreat...

With soccer season coming to an end and a new one about to begin with try-outs at the end of the month, we wanted to do something fun and memorable with the team...so, we planned a girls get-away to Midway...it was funner (is that even a word?) than I had imagined!!Ashlyn came along too, and brought her cute friend, Brinley, so she would have her own friend to hang with. It was the perfect weekend for us girls to get-away because Garrett and the boys were off to father & sons at Camp Woodland.Our adventure started out Friday afternoon with the girls painting the windows on our cars...then heading over to the school to cheer on McKahll S. and McKahl B. and lots of our friends and neighbors as they ran in the Bluff Ridge 5k. The girls crossed the finish line after an awesome time of 31 minutes...way to go girls!! Then we swooped them up and headed for Midway.
Britney, Mikayla, McKahl, McKahll, McKenna, Kathryn, Maddie, Hailey, Kallee and Kaitlyn showin' off her Spider man muscles in front...McKenna had two molars pulled on Thursday so she opted not to run. In the end, I think she was thrilled about getting out of it (she was a crack-up on the way home from the dentist...that laughing gas really did her in, she came home and slept for 6 hours straight!)We made it safely to Midway, losing no one along the way...ooh, except for a hubcap from Garrett's Audi - ouch! After giving a tour of my parents beautiful home, the girls quickly claimed the basement and began setting out all of their 'girl stuff'...so much stuff for one night, and they're only eleven!!They played a little air hockey, painted fingernails in the unfinished theatre room, lined up all the sleeping mats and set up their beds...pretty much just made themselves right at home, which was the biggest compliment. It's easy to feel welcome in my parent's place...everyone who comes here feels it - that's probably why I love bringing my friends here.
with the team this year, McKenna has made some great friends...there's a perk to my daughter having great friends...I get some pretty great friends, too...their moms! Back on the main floor, the moms; Kelly, Tanisha, Lori, Michelle, Alissa and I bundled up in blankets and sat around the fireplace to chat.
The girls were anxious to exchange their 'secret sister' gifts and swim, so they quickly traded their gifts, then we all changed into our suits and headed for the indoor pool. I had an eerie feeling on the way to Midway that, of course, this would be the night they close the pool for maintenance - I was sick when I saw the darkened clubhouse. No swimming in the pool until the next morning...but the hot tub and hanging at the main clubhouse turned out to be the best thing anyway. Tanisha, the bravest mom of all, drove the golf cart that night to the pool with 10 of the girls barely hanging on for dear life...we headed down to my uncle Jim's place to pick up his golf cart so safety would not be compromised for fun. My uncle's golf cart doesn't have a governor on the speed so it leaves my dad's golf cart in the dust...and that didn't make the girls riding with Tanisha very happy. We might have to talk to grandpa Nichol about removing that governor, ha ha!
After a little ping pong, pool, Foosball, a few rounds of lightening and definitely exceeding the legal limit for people in a hot tub we headed back to the house for more fun...
Some of the girls played American Idol in the playroom while others watched Kung Fu Panda. I think they crashed around 1:00 a.m...and we quickly followed. We thought for sure the girls would sleep in, but by 6:30 they were all up and ready to play. While the awesome breakfast casserole that Tanisha made cooked in the oven, we played a few games of Wolf, a game we definitely have to play whenever McKahll's around - it seems I always end up being one of the wolves and since I don't lie very well, or I can't fake it very well, I'm caught pretty quickly...thanks, especially, to little miss Kallee!!! aaaghh!
After breakfast, the girls made a fort...
then swam and layed out...
(nice mohawk, Mikayla!)played more ping pong...
raced golf carts, again...hiked to an old abandoned house...
and on the way home, stopped in Heber for their famous train burgers at Dairy Keen.
Alissa and her girls...Hailey and Britney
All in all, it was a great way to end an awesome season...hopefully this will be a yearly La Roca tradition! Home safe and happy and so excited to see my boys!
McKenna has loved playing soccer these last two years with these darling girls. She has loved her coach, Matt...we think he's pretty awesome, too. He is so devoted to these girls and has such a great way with them. McKenna just adores him! Hopefully the bulk of the team will stay together with Matt as their coach. They are finally playing together and passing so well...it's not pinball soccer anymore and it's so much fun to watch! This past outdoor season, their team took 2nd place. McKenna has been playing goalie more than usual this season and I think she's beginning to like it. We just need to look into getting her some one-on-one goalie training so she feels more confident in that position. We'll see what happens with upcoming try-outs.

Father & Sons Overnighter...

This past weekend was the father & sons camp out at Camp Woodland...who knew a tent could bring such complete happiness for two boys and a dad??!Garrett has been talking about this weekend with his boys for the past month and the boys have been counting down the days. They were so excited to sleep in the new tent, shoot guns, hike, explore, get dirty, be with dad and their friends, and did I mention sleep in our new tent for the first time? This past week Wyatt was constantly talking about getting to sleep in the tent and how the 'grils' weren't invited - "no 'grils' allowed", he would say. What a stinker!Getting home this afternoon from being in Midway with the girls, I was so excited to see my boys and hear of their adventure...after a quick hug and kiss, Colter quickly ran off to play with Seth, Garrett's mowing the lawn, pruning trees, working in the garden and in the yard and Wyatt has been sleeping most of the afternoon...when he wakes I think he might need two baths just to get rid of all that dirt on his little body - I don't know if he's just getting extra tan or if the dirt has just been baked in...I guess we'll find out tonight! Colter's favorite part was shooting his gun, sword fighting and swinging on the rope...pretty much everything!
Caden and Wyatt playing in the dirt with their 'ticks'... Colter loved the rope swing...
Colter, Wyatt and their buddy Jacob...
Wyatt crashed and then woke a while later saying "my freezing"...Garrett bundled him up and he fell right back asleep. When he told me this we laughed because at home in the mornings when he has just woken up he says that same thing every morning...so we bundle him up and he falls right back to sleep. I asked Wyatt if he missed me..."nope" was his reply. What? But Garrett did say that as it got to be nighttime he did say "my wanna go home!" I think Colter said the same thing on one of his first camp outs with dad...as long as they don't want me on their first scout camp or on their mission I think we've succeeded.The boys grilled hot dogs and brats and apparently made fun of me for sending ketchup, mustard and mayo packets from chik-fil-a...I thought it was a great idea. Then Garrett told me that someone else asked for ketchup and one of the other guys threw him a small ketchup packet his wife had packet. I can only image what all those guys were thinking...all I can say is great (women) minds think alike. I think it's a great idea - one less thing to pack up and bring back home!In this picture Colter's only fake sleeping. No way was he going to miss any of the night-time fun. At the amphitheatre the boys sang songs around the campfire and ate cookies and drank yummy hot chocolate...looks like all my boys stayed pretty snug and warm - thanks baby for taking such good care of our boys!
shooting guns and watching all the trains come and go. As Garrett and I talked about their weekend he laughed and said he really didn't see the boys very much Friday evening - they were off with their little buddies having the time of their lives, while Garrett and all the dads had a great time just hanging out, too! It was a perfect weekend.

C-dog's Animal Adventures Program...

The end of first grade is almost here for Colter...it's been a great year with Mrs. T (short for Mrs. Thomas).Colter just loves everything to do with school. Everyday he rushes home and dives right into his homework - party becaue he loves it, but probably mostly so he can go out and play. Early on in the year he showed a huge interest in anything to do with math...adding, subtraction, math triangles, problems solving - anything with numbers. He has even mastered reciting the alphabet backwards, that's something I'm still working on.Colter, you are such a stud!
Sporting some pretty cool green glasses for his short stint as one of the blind mice...
He has made some great friends this year and is looking forward to 2nd grade, especially because three of his best buddies...Kobe, Sam and Wyatt, will be in his class.

Doing my Part...

Today I had the opportunity, along with some great friends and neighbors, to serve at the Humanitarian Center assembling personal protection kits for health care workers in Mexico and helping to change out literature in the school kits. President Thurgood and his wife, Barbara, Corrie, Shelly, Kylie, Tyler and Pam made the 3 1/2 hours fly by! It was a great day of service...thanks to good friends and my mother-in-law who helped with Wyatt.On our way out, I noticed this quote by Joseph Smith "We are the feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church, or in any other, or in no church at all..."President Thurgood, Kylie, Barbara, Pam, Shelly, Corrie & Tyler
Kylie, Barbara, Steph, Corrie, Charity, Shelly and Tyler (Pres. Thurgood is hiding...nice!)
Here are the assembled school kits, bagged and ready to be sealed and shipped off to places like the Congo...
I think in all we unboxed and re boxed 3 pallets of school kits and boxed up 2 pallets of personal protection kids...luckily Pres. Thurgood and his son, Tyler, are pretty tall guys or we never would have managed getting those boxes up so high. This year, as a ward, we are focusing more of our time and talents toward humanitarian projects. At the beginning of the year, we had a goal to accomplish 1,000 projects...after a group from our ward came to the Humanitarian Center last week and assembled 460 personal protection kits, the goal was upped to 5,000 on Sunday. After our stellar day today, we completed 2,860 projects...I think we'll be upping that goal to 10,000. What an accomplishment and the benefits are undenyable - more unity in our ward, more sacrificing, more skills (sewing, crocheting) being learned and recognized and more time serving, learning and working beside one another.

Great-Grandpa Sill's Tractor...

We enjoyed spending Mother's Day evening over at Garrett parents, then walked down to visit great-grandma Sill and splurge on her amazing homemade pies...any kind you could possibly dream up. My favorite is always cherry rhubarb, Garrett's too, while the kids opted for chocolate and the traditional pumpkin pie...yum! For a project my sister-in-law is working on, I took a minute to get some photos of the kids out on great-grandpa Sill's old Ford tractor...

Gotta Dance...

Ashlyn's last competition this season was last night at Provo High School...she danced until late and then we enjoyed yummy pizza and lots of homemade root beer at the Brick Oven with grandma & grandpa Nichol and great-grandma Berk. This morning she slept in until 9:00...she was beat!Two weeks ago, at their last competition, her team took 1st in hip-hop and lyrical and 2nd in jazz...this little team rocks! Every year I am more impressed with the amazing teachers at RWDS - Michelle and Mckena are awesome choreographers and instructors.

A Quick Photo Shoot...

We had a few minutes to spare this morning before church, so we jumped in the car and drove to a little old barn just down the road. I didn't really plan the outfits very well, but it was a spontaneous shoot and anytime I can get one good picture it's definitely worth a try...a little too sunny for my blue-eyed kiddos.

"I'll still miss you lots"

I'm learning to take advantage and cherish the sometimes small amounts of time when Garrett is home with us...today he was up for early morning meetings, then home for a minute to enjoy some Mother's Day festivities, then off to more meetings. The kids got me a new welcome mat for our front porch...I mentioned to Ashlyn the other day that we needed a new one, mostly because it's so worn out, but also because the a few days ago I caught Wyatt peeing on the mat - what?? If that doesn't say welcome, I don't know what does??? I was excited she remember that was something I had wanted...I also got lots of new running socks - I have always loved socks! And probably my favorite was a necklace with my kids initials...love it! I loved the homemade cards and the coupon books. The kids also hand-bound a little book entitled: Top 10 Reasons Why We Love You... 1. You're always smiling 2. You always make us happy 3. Our friends think you're cool 4. You're always there for us 5. You always make us laugh 6. You help us on our projects 7. You read to us 8. You make us great dinners 9. You drive us places 10. You are our Hero! It was a great day...we'll be spending FHE with my mom and dad and my sister's family tomorrow night.Tomorrow I am also spending the day at the Humanitarian Center, putting together much needed personal protection kits for the health care workers in Mexico and school kits. Colter had heard me on the phone getting things ready to be gone all day Monday and I guess I didn't explain to him too clearly that I wouldn't be home when he got home from school, but that he would be taken care of because as we knelt for family prayer he said to me "mom, you're always gone," and then he started to quietly cry. I looked at Garrett and just melted...it broke my heart...so I just held him and said, "oh, buddy, I'm mostly going to be gone while you're at school, so you really won't even miss me" that didn't help, he still said he would miss me lots. The only thing that made it ok was that he could hang with his buddy Kobe after school. I have been busy with meetings with my calling, but I didn't think it really affected him...I tucked him into bed, kissed his cheek and read him a little story...I think he'll be just fine! I hope I will!! As my kids get bigger, I'm realizing the importance and need of having one-on-one time with each of them...doing things that build their confidence, things where we can laugh together, sometimes be silly and sometimes be serious, but mostly things that just let us have fun together, even if it's as simple as kicking a soccer ball in the backyard, throwing a baseball or walking the dog together. As long as we're together!

A+ for Oregon...

The last few months, McKenna has been researching and learning all about the state of Oregon for her infamous state report. A few years ago we visited her aunt Amberly and uncle Mike who live there...and she loved it! She and her cousin, Bryson, who is also in the 5th grade, did his report on Oregon, too - I guess Oregon made quite an impression on these two!It was fun to hear McKenna's oral presentation and see her confidence. Great job, bug! You're gonna do awesome in 6th grade!

Snakes...

Yesterday McKenna and her friends, McKahll and Malorie, noticed two gardner snakes in our yard...every summer we find two or three, but not two in one day. We chased them until I finally caught one of them. They thought I was the coolest mom ever for picking up the snake! The other one made a quick get-away and slid under the fence to our neighbors yard - I bet he'll be back soon. The boys, Wyatt, Kobe, Colt and Drake...and cute Skye were enthralled...until he climbed out of the bucket and slithered away...

School Lunch with Colt...

Colter loves it when Wyatt and I meet him for lunch...sometimes I bring McDonalds, sometimes Subway, sometimes 5 buck pizzas for him and his friends to share, and sometimes we eat school lunch...not my favorite. But, whatever we eat, it's always a riot.
Sam, Jake, Dylan, Colt, Tavey and Kinlee...cute, cute kids
Wyatt is such a hit with all of Colter, McKenna and Ashlyn's friends, so when we are at the school Wyatt becomes a rock star...he would choose to be over at the school everyday because of the attention he gets. Colter and Wyatt are so similar...not shy at all. Colter has such a magnetic personality...the boys and girls just love him!I remember one conversation Colter and I had during SEP conferences last year with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Adams. She asked Colter to name one friend in the class. I remember he said "Fox." Then she said..."do you know what, Colter, I have asked everyone that same question and do you know who everyone says is their friend? They've all said 'Colter is my friend'...everyone has said that! Everyone in the class thinks you are their friend, that is a pretty great quality to have. It's not something I can teach, it's a talent you have. You are a friend to everyone and everyone knows you are their friend, too. You're pretty cool, Colter, thanks for being my friend, too!" She was an incredible and memorable teacher. As I've been in his classroom this year, with his teacher, Mrs. T., and at different school activities with him I have noticed this more and more...he truly is something special! My parents always say they see great things in his future...I agree! Colt with some of his best buddies: Sam, Dylan, Jake and Wyatt and below with Seth and Drake

Ponds Park...

The other night, while Garrett was busy with one of the many things he's involved in, McKenna played soccer and Ashlyn danced, the boys and I spent the evening at the park. I read a good book and snapped a few pictures while the boys played hard...

Our Power Tumbler...

This cute girl came home from tumbling tonight sooo happy. She had won a contest for most back-hand springs in a row...14. Pretty impressive, Ashly-lu!

Aebleskivers are 'The Bomb'...

While making a huge batch of our world-famous aebleskivers for dinner, Wyatt couldn't wait any longer...he snuck up, grabbed a handful and carefully placed them on his plate, poured syrup over them, carefully powdered sugar each one and then quietly enjoyed his masterpiece. It was so funny to me because when the other kids would grab one here and there, they would just pop it in their mouth as fast as they could - not Wyatt...he is a crack-up!