Little Boys

My little boys make me smile.  They have imaginations as big as the sky.  They have no guile, they don't care about fitting in or doing the popular thing...at this point in their lives they just ARE...and I love it.

Ethan skips to school!  I drop him off across the road from his school, he jumps out of the car, puts on his backpack and skips all the way to the cross walk.  He walks across the street with the crossing guard, and then starts skipping again.  I love that he skips.

Just a typical Saturday seen through my kitchen window.

Caden often gives us words of affirmation.  You look great mom, I love you Dad, you guys are awesome!  The other day a commercial came on for a restaurant...Caden looked at me and said, "we need to go there it looks so fashionable."

This wig was in the post Halloween clearance section at Target.  Caden put it on in the store and has worn it several times since because he thinks it makes him look like a "rock star!"

 Quinn woke up after just a few hours of being in bed last night crying.  I went in and asked him what he needed.  He answered, "I just need a snuggle Mommy."  So I brought him out to snuggle him, a few minutes later he looked at me with a big grin and said, "good morning Mommy."  NOOOO!

Quinn also asks to go to Target frequently, I guess the carts there feel more like a park.

Clark took the boys to play basketball at the church this week.  He even brought their little hoop.  It didn't take long for the hoop to become the cannon for their pirate ship.

I love this phase of life, please keep skipping you cute boys!

Fall Hike

We have loved having a pass this past summer to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It is about an hour drive from our house, the hiking trails are family friendly and the scenery is always breathtaking.  We love being in the mountains, spending time together and exploring.  The boys worked so hard on finishing all of their Junior Ranger requirements.

We got a fun hike in this fall with our friends the Fowlers in September.  The leaves had already fallen up there, but the weather was perfect and it was a fun afternoon.

It's hard not to be a photo bomber when you are strapped on someone's back.

The whole crew

The exciting part of the day was seeing a moose!  Not everyday you see a shark and a moose on the same trail.

These kids were brave enough to climb this rock and check the cave for bears.  

Ethan was trying to lean in for a side hug, but Katelyn wouldn't have it!

These kids are the cutest best friends!  They get along so well and have so much fun together!

Quinn likes to ride in HIS pack pack.

So grateful for the great outdoors that have been made so accessible!

As the Seasons Change

For some reason the older I get the more I notice and appreciate the beauty of the changing seasons.  I don't know if it's because I'm seeing it through the eyes of my little ones all over again or if it's because I spend more time outside at parks now...but I do notice and love the beauty of the autumn.  I took these pictures one afternoon all on my phone, the sun was setting just right and the red leaves on the ground were too pretty to resist so we pulled the car over and had a fall frolic.  Such a fun little moment that put a smile on everyone's face.

 

 

2 Year Old Quinn

For the last few months Ethan has been saying, "we're in trouble mom, pretty soon Quinn is going to be 2."  Then he gives me that knowing look like he has experienced the terrible twos so many times himself.  At this point I am happy to report that 2 isn't looking so terrible at all.

At 2 Quinn is a talker.  He actually surprises most people by how clearly he speaks.  Like on Halloween night when he turned down a piece of candy a kid offered him by saying, "I can't eat that I'm allergic."  I laugh at how he tries to reason with us.  He has an old soul and I'm pretty sure he's smarter than us all.  One afternoon as I was tucking him in for his nap we couldn't find his stuffed animal Woodstock.  So I found it under the bed and handed it to Quinn.  He just looked at me and said, "nice work mom, nice work."  Although, he has rarely found himself in time-out, he has started to put himself in time-out when he thinks he has done something wrong, "I'll go to time-out now Mommy."

He is a little tease.  He loves to put on a show and get his big brothers laughing.  He also has a pretty great maniacal fake laugh that he can turn on too.

When he gets tucked in at night he loves to snuggle with his two giraffes, "raffies," his Dolly Pie, and his sheep blankie.  Every night as I'm tucking him in he says, "temple one," so I sing I love to see the temple.  Then he says, "Jesus," so I sing Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.  He also loves to give a kiss, butterfly kiss, a nosey, and a cheek to cheek before bed.  He still wakes up sometimes at night and usually starts crying and yelling, "mommy I need a nuggle."  So I get up and put him next to me in bed, I usually try to push him away a little so I can have some space, but he knows what he wants and sidles up right next to me!

 He is selective about who he likes.  He can put on a shy/pout face with his lower lip hanging down to his knees on a second's notice.  His pout pout face makes us laugh.

His favorites at age two are peanut butter sandwiches, bananas and almond milk.  Besides the Sunbeam song he loves to sing, "Let it Go," "Ba ba bass (all about that bass)", and "shake it off."  He still loves balls and sports.  His favorite team is BYU, which he pronounces "Bayou."  The other day he found a chicken nugget in the shape of a Y and said, "Look mom, a bayou nugget."  He loves to pull up his shirt and say "belly bump," and then crash into his brothers.

I made this video about 2 months ago, and forgot to post it...crazy how much they've changed already!
His clear speaking also makes for some embarrassing moments.  A few weeks ago we were at church in Durango listening to our nephew speak after returning from his mission.  During the sacrament it was very quiet and Quinn loudly announced, "mommy just tooted."  For the record, mommy had not tooted at church!

 This newly turned 2 is a delight in every way!

Quinnion the Minion is Two!!!

I can't believe my baby boy is 2!  Little Quinn loves minions, so we thought we would have a minion party!  He celebrated with a dairy/egg free cake, a pinata, and fun presents to unwrap!

The birthday boy knew it was his special day!  As soon as he saw the decorations and the presents on the table in the morning he started yelling, "I want my party, I two, it's my birthday!"  His brothers were equally excited, they both woke up earlier than usual and chose to wear yellow and blue to go with the minion theme.

First thing in the morning and ready to party!

I loved showing Quinn his minion cake when he woke up from his nap!  My friend Jessica sent him the minion hoodie and he loved it!

The Fowlers came to help us celebrate!

Thanks to Facetime Grammy and Grandpa got to be there for the party too!

 
After all the party guests had left, and the big brothers were in bed, Quinn snuggled with us drinking his milk and couldn't stop smiling.  He knew it was his special day and he loved every minute of it!