Miscellaneous Monday

Man, I meant to post this last week! Too bad I didn't, because there is still so much I have missed. Still to come: demolition derby, Tyler's 9th birthday and Jumpin' Jacks! :)

In the meantime, enjoy the miscellaneousness of these pics ...

First my pretty princess. Just had to show off how cute she looks in the dress we got at a neighbor's yard sale for $1. How can you tell her no when it's only $1?


(I love that you can see her face clearly but can obviously tell the dress is swooshing. She LOVES it! :)

And although I haven't checked on our garden for a week now (oops), I remember that we are getting some good stuff out of it:

These cherry tomatoes are so yummy! (And this from a non-tomato fan!) We also have tomatoes (for salsa! :), zucchini and one lone pod of peas. There is other stuff still growing (I picked one carrot and it's so small it looked like a root), but I guess we'll see how it all ends up. We haven't shown much care for it, but fortunately with Paul installing the sprinklers to it we didn't have to give it too much care.

And here are the kids on their first days of school:





So, now other miscellaneous cute Austin stuff. When he's in the bathtub, Shayla loves to find the letter A and put it on his tummy. I think we should call him Big A:



We have just started feeding him some solids since he seems a little hungry. My kids all did this right at 5 months, and he hit 5 months last week. This normally all-smiles baby wasn't sure what to think of it. He didn't cry, but he sure did give some dirty looks:



Here's the cute sun hat I sewed him:


And when that's not handy, I guess he can borrow Tyler's favorite pig, Silky:


My boys love to tote Austin around and just have him nearby to watch them play. He is especially loved by Zachary. One day I couldn't find him, and when I questioned the boys they said, "Oh, yeah! We left him in Tyler's room!" Well, one day I came into the family room to find this:

He doesn't look so comfortable, but he's sure not going to fall out of the chair. Brothers! :)

Clubhouse

My kids are thrilled with their new clubhouse! My dad built the clubhouse in one day and the climbing wall another day to finish it up. Tyler enjoyed helping him put it together:


What a good use of the lumber that's been sitting in our garage doing nothing for years. Look at those smiles:


Now all we have to do is paint it so it will last for years to come! (Unless you talk to the kids, in which case we also need to carpet it and fill it with toys. At Nick's they asked for a TV for theirs. Kids! :)


Thank you, Grandpa! This is the coolest clubhouse ever!!!

Wood boxes

I have so much to write and SO MANY pics to share! But for now I just had to post this. While my dad was on his mission he apparently didn't have enough to do. Between 40 hours a week doing landscaping at the temple, cemetery and churches; running the cub scout program; teaching primary; volunteering at the temple; going home teaching; and hosting/attending dinners with the seniors (among others), he came up with a huge project that we are giddy about.

They had to cut a lot of branches and such from trees around the temple and other sacred grounds. He didn't want to see this sacred wood go to waste, so he got busy. He created a wood/jewelry box for EACH one of his grandchildren. That's 20-something boxes. (I've lost count and am too lazy to do it now. :) They were all totally original and different-looking. In any case, there were a few extras, and I got one of them. HOORAY!!!



When he told me he was making them for his older granddaughters I was a little sad thinking Shayla wouldn't get one. Well, not only did the girls all get them, but the boys did, too. That's six original designs just for my family. I love, love, love mine! Thanks, Dad!!!

Miscellaneous Monday

Okay, I'm a cheater. I know it's Sunday, but I figure I'll post a quick update of our lives. Has it really been that long since I blogged? Seems summer is slipping away ...

Yes, my kids start school next week! That means this is our last week to get in all the fun we can. No pressure, right? :) Actually, the kids have had so much fun this summer I doubt they'll complain even if we sit around and do nothing this last week. They (as well as I) have had a blast since my parents returned from their mission. Of course, I'm enjoying spending time with my mom. My boys, however, are lovin' seeing their cousin Nick a lot more often (he lives next door to Grandma). Add to that they have an awesome Grandpa who is bored and built them a clubhouse in Nick's backyard, and they're in heaven. Of course, Grandma and Nick's mom have spoiled them rotten with all kinds of "clubhouse treats" and lunch served to them in the clubhouse. What more could a boy ask for? :) I haven't taken any pics of this clubhouse, but I'll get to it. Or I'll post ones of the clubhouse Grandpa builds in our backyard ... :) And Shayla, she loves watching LazyTown with Grandpa.

My boys start soccer the same week that school starts, and I've agreed to coach Zachary's team this year. I've coached several of Tyler's soccer and baseball teams, so I figured I better coach one of Zachary's one of these days. I'm doing it the perfect year -- it's the first year the coaches don't have to be on the field refereeing, and it's the last year before they start keeping score. Tyler is in the competitive league now, which always makes me nervous. He just enjoys playing and doesn't care at all whether he wins or loses. So, hopefully he'll get a coach who doesn't mind a fun-loving, non-competitive kid on his team.

I'm starting a new fitness challenge beginning Aug. 30. I need the accountability, and I already have heard from two other people in the last challenge that they want back in, too. I guess summer was a little too much fun for many of us. ;) Let me know if you want details or to join. The more, the merrier.

This week is going to be a fun one: I'm headed to a day of Education Week with Hilary, and I'm headed to the Demolition Derby on Saturday with much of my family. Both are bound to be thrillers ... of course in different ways. :)