Soccer

Currently, our Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings are dominated by soccer. Here are a few pictures from this last Saturday's games.

Dallin's team is called the Yellow Jackets.

Dallin taking the ball down the field.

We had a little time between games. The water is a big draw.

Brandt playing with his daddy.

Caleb's team is called the Green Hornets.

Battling for the ball.

Orange wedges at half-time. They sure taste good on a hot day.

It's a lot of fun watching the boys play. They love it.

Dirty Socks, Fashion, and Unexpected Art

Random Photos from Today

This morning Adam and I were playing and he wanted me to "be" this action figure.
"This guy's a good guy." he explained, "He shoots bad guys and turns them into socks."
"Socks?" I clarified.
"Yeah, socks."
"Good idea, Adam. Then we can just throw the bad guys right into the laundry."
"Yeah."

This picture shows us a sneak preview of Buzz Lightyear's new clothing line for fall. Caleb is the creative force behind this project.

This is my favorite picture of the day. I pulled this out of my dryer (there are two magnets holding everything in place). I think it looks like a sculpture. I call it Tumbled Metal.

Dallin's 5th Birthday Party

One of my favorite hobbies is to plan my children's birthday parties. I love picking a theme and running with it. I love drawing the kids into the fun, and with their great imaginations, it's not hard! When I asked Dallin what kind of party he wanted he chose a cheetah party. I was a little intimidated by the choice. (What kind of a party is that)? He was adamant about it. So I decided to take the challenge and create a party around the spotted speeder. It was what the birthday boy wanted, after all. Here's what I came up with.

The party guests morphed into cheetahs with their ear bands, and enjoyed Cheetos and brown and yellow Reese's Pieces for snacks.

They went hunting for gazelle hidden around the yard.

They raced to save the cheetah cubs from the ravenous lions.

This is the cheetah stride challenge. Did you know cheetahs can go 23 feet in four footfalls?

A fire came and nearly destroyed their habitat, until the kids stamped it out.

The last activity was Spot the Cheetah. Mitch built this slingshot (thanks, babe!) and the kids lobbed paint-filled water balloons at some cardboard cheetahs to give them their spots. Talk about messy fun.

Splat!

Goofy guests.

Cheetah cake

Afterwards, Dallin said he "had really, really, a lot of fun". That's the goal. I had really, really a lot of fun too.

Dallin is Five!

Ten things I love about Dallin:

His giggle. I'll bet if you added it all up, this kid probably giggles for a solid hour every day.

His hugs. Dallin loves physical touch. He loves hugs and kisses, and he's very good at giving them.

The junior ranger in him. Last summer he and Caleb got junior ranger badges at several national parks for picking up trash. On our walks he'll often pick up every stray candy wrapper or used band-aid he sees along the way, and deposit them in the trash.

His eyes. Just look at them.

His dreams. He told me he wants to be a scientist when he grows up so he can make cool things.

His exuberance. Yesterday in church you could hear his voice above the rest of the kids in Primary as they sang their song. And as the last note died out, Dallin's voice remained strong, if a little off-key. Just him. And he was okay with that.

His individuality. There's no one with Dallin's particular zest for life.

The way he makes us laugh. The funniest things come out of Dallin's mouth.

The way he loves us. He smothers Brandt with kisses. He lets Adam play with his new toy. He spends most of his free time playing with Caleb. He hugs and kisses his Dad and me and tells us he loves us and that he plans to give us the first of the "cool things" he builds when he grows up.

He is helpful. And that means a lot.

I love you, Dallin.

My Baby Made His Own Breakfast

This morning I was busy feeding Brandt when Caleb was ready for breakfast. So he plugged in the toaster, made himself some toast, spread it with butter and jam, and sat down to eat. You know, kids can be pretty capable when you give them a chance to do things on their own.

A Day at the Orchard

We drove to Apple Annie's Orchard this weekend. The sky was overcast and the temperature was pleasant. We spent the morning picking (and eating) fresh fruit.

The boys got a kick out of picking the fruit and eating it right off the tree. My favorites were the juicy-crisp Asian pears. Mmmmm.

This is how Caleb has to eat apples until his front tooth grows in.

After all that picking we sat down to apple-smoked burgers and dessert.

That Apple Crumb Pie is as good as it looks.

It was a beautiful day.

First Day of School

Caleb is off to the second grade! He likes his teacher (so do we) and he's excited about collecting cans as a class to buy a goat through Heifer International. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out www.heifer.org


Dallin is in preschool three days a week. He had a few tears that first day, but since then he has adjusted well and is doing great. He's looking forward to his first field trip next month.

Brandt's Blessing Day