Heber Creeper

     My kids are funny they love trains.  So when Matt's parents suggested going on the Heber Creeper they were thrilled.  The plan was for everyone to this past Thursday.  I woke up Wednesday with a horrible cold.  So Matt, his parents and the kids went while I slept.  They loved it.  The train starts in Heber and goes towards Salt Lake.  The short trip is about an hour.  Half way through the trip the train gets "robbed" by outlaws.  They even had a violin player to entertain.  The girls told me they loved it and wanted to go again.  Hopefully next time I won't be sick.
      

Grandma and Grandpa with Alex

The girls

Livi loved watching the scenery go by.

Train robber

It's a stick up

He found his loot

The violin player.  She played several songs just for the girls

Ten Months nearly eleven!

This Sunday Alex is turning eleven months.  I can hardly believe it.  He has grown so much and continues to grow right out of his clothes.  He is so tall for his age.  His twelve month clothes are too short for his tall frame.  So we have graduated to eighteen months and I know he will be in 2T before we know it.  I shouldn't be too shock as his sisters continue to be tall for their age and of course their Daddy is 6'5.   He is a active little boy.  Constantly exploring and finding new treasures.  He hates to be still for any long periods of time.  Though he gives me cuddles and then he is off.  Right now he is showing me his latest find a sock.  He loves socks, shoes laces and shoes. He will crawl around with a sock in each hand.  Though he will never leave his on his feet.  He loves cars.  We have a container of hot wheels on the fireplace.  He will pull it down, take the lid off and dig though till he finds the ones he wants.  He also loves his dinosaurs when his sisters let him have them.  Alex thinks every thing is funny especially the word "NO" and any attempts to teach him boundaries.   He just laughs at us.  He loves his sisters follows them every where.  They are deeply in love with him too.  Always giving him kisses and bring him toys.  He loves our dog too though I think Happy tolerates Alex more then loves him.  Alex loves to grab his mouth and tail.  Happy just lets him till he gets tired of it and then he finds new place for a nap.  Alex is now the proud owner of seven and half teeth.  He is cutting several more, so he is back to not sleeping.  They don't seem to bother him till bedtime.  Even though he is not sleeping he is happy and giggling.  At four in the morning he laughing and giving kisses.  I can't believe we have another month and it will be his first birthday party. 

He loves his cars

Best Picture ever!  His new thing is doing this with his tongue.

Tons of drool

Got to love his rare serious face

He is so happy and silly.  Loving our little man

Cheer camp and the parade

At the fourth of July BBQ Matt's cousin mentioned that Aspen made the cheering squad and would be in the Draper Days parade.  They were also having junior cheer leaders and would Emme be interested.  Emme's favorite thing is to say she wants to be like Aspen.  So being a cheerleader with Aspen was exciting.  Three nights for two hours she got to go to cheer leading camp.  They learned a few moves and had fun wearing out their "cheer moms"  They got a picture with a cheerleader and a cute shirt. They also go to be in the parade.  Emme was so excited for each cheer camp.  Every one commented how cute and full of energy she is full.  This morning when I woke her for the parade she told me she was tired and wanted to sleep till I reminded her about the parade then she got right up.  Matt dropped us off the corner where parade was being lined up so I could check Emme in and get her to her float.  The younger ones got to ride on the float.  Each cheerleader was assigned to three kids to stay with through the parade.  Plus Aspen was constantly watching her so I felt safe leaving her and just watching the parade with the family.  Marnie and Me went and found where Troy had saved seats.  Alex was hanging in his stroller while Livi collected candy thrown.  I think we got like five otter pops, tons of flyers and candy.  Livi loved seeing all the princesses and when people through her candy.  Alex loved it when Leatherby's gave us ice cream, he loves ice cream.  It was so hot and I think all the adults agreed we are not parade people.  Livi had a blast.  Emme loved riding on the float.  Matt was ready to head back to bed.  He has to work tonight, but he is always ready to do something our kids will enjoy even if we won't.  As we were walking back to the car Livi's balloon pop and she started crying.  Another parade goer gave her theirs.  Then when Matt opened the door that one popped.  Livi informed her Dad he was in a time out for it and she was mad at him.  Livi says he is still in a time out three hours later. 

    

Playing with the cheerleaders.  They play sharks and minoes. 

Playing another cute game

Doesn't she look super cute in her shirt and bow.

With Aspen

Let's practice our moves

Duck Duck Goose

Before the parade

With one of the cheerleaders

The cheerleader "float"

Her cheer mom

Alex in his stroller

Tired Daddy and Livi

Troy and Livi getting candy.  We have her so well trained about the street she wouldn't go get candy with out an adult

Daddy, Livi  and Alex

Waving to the firemen

Hi five to the bear

Livi is like me she turns lobster red in the heat.  Don't worry she wasn't sun burned.  She had tons of sunblock on.

Here comes the cheerleaders

Emme was sitting in the back of the float. 

She was thrilled to see us

Livi with Marnie waving. 

Potty Training

I always laugh when I see these Potty training sites that says "Train your child in a weekend".  I also laugh at the so called tricks to get picky eaters to eat.  My kids seem to do everything in their own time and pushing them only seems to breed frustration for me and Matt.  Livi has had no real desire to get potty trained.  We have tried candy, stickers, money, the promise of cute under wear nothing has really work.  She doesn't care if she sits in it and doesn't tell us if she is wet.  Everything I said about Emme being frustrating in Potty training I take it back.   We decided to try a different approach with her.  Which seems to be working slowly.  If she wants to wear diapers and be a baby they we will treat her accordingly.  Put her in the crib for a nap.  She said she was a big girl ready for the potty.  That worked wonders.  We also decided to do a reward chart. It is something I used to make up at North Star for some of kids who couldn't handle the regular program.   Livi gets one sticker each time she pees and two if she poos.  She is working for different larger prizes.  So far she has earned some candy, and a fudge pop for peeing.  Pooing seems to be going slower.  She is trying to work for a dollar store toy.  Of course I can't make a chart for Livi and not for Emme.  Emme gets one for helping around the house.  If she helps put away the laundry, or the silverware, make her bed, etc she gets a sticker.  She gets to earn the same prizes.  She just has to earn more stickers to get them.  So far this has worked great.  Emme is being more helpful and Livi is getting closer to being potty trained.  Once she is potty trained I will make one for her for chores too.

I told her to go potty and when I went to check on her she was looking through the Book of Mormon

Their Charts on the first day.

Busy Week

This week has been a non stop busy week, today is the first lazy day we have had.  This summer we seem to be trying to make up for last summer of not doing anything.  We have plans right up till Emme starts preschool. I still need to get going on planning Alex's first birthday party.  I know it is hard to believe but next month he will be a year.   Monday Stockton had a baseball game.  So we brave the heat and went to watch him play.  We got there a little late.  Matt's parents and Stockton's parents were already there.  Stockton did a great job.  We saw him pitch and bat once.  Sadly they lost but the girls loved watching the game.  Emme was telling everyone that Stockton is her friend not her cousin.  Though he is both.  (He is Matt's cousin's son.  So her second cousin)  Everyone was yelling "Go Stock"  Emme got mad and told everyone his name is Stockton.  It was so cute how patient Stockton was with the girls taking time to wave to them and talk to them.  Tuesday we took the girls to the splash park.  The water was super cold even though it was hot.  Alex loved crawling around and splashing as long as it didn't get too much in his face.  Then we had to go check on Matt's parents house and get some stuff done at home.  Wednesday was our big adventure of the week.  We drove up to Deer Creek where Matt's parents are camping.  The girls were excited to go boating.  After everyone got into swim suits we headed out on the lake.  Matt jumped into the lake first, followed by Emme and Livi.  I got in last after getting a couple pictures.  Emme had so much fun swimming around.  We had to keep telling her not to swim so far away.  Livi was a little more nervous about it and choose to stick close to mom or dad.  We decided to go inner tubing.  Emme want to swim some more but me and Livi want to inner tube.  The kids loved going around the lake.  Livi wanted to go faster.  We took a break for Lunch.  Alex had fun playing with Daddy's hat.  He finally just fell asleep in Grandma's lap.  Emme wanted to go swimming again because she wanted to be a mermaid and sing "Under the Sea".  I am not sure how much of a mermaid you can be with a life jacket but we had so much fun letting her try.  Poor Livi lost a earring to the lake.  Livi and me decided to go inner tubing one last time before we ended our day at the lake.  So Livi sat in my lap and off we went.  Any time they would slow down she would yell "Go faster"  She was loving it.  It was so much fun.  We hung around the trailer for a while and chatted making plans for next the boating trip.  Alex got his second wind and had fun crawling around the trailer.  The girls were sad when it was time to head home.  We got home and had home made hamburgers.  I told Matt I thought I might have got a little burnt because my shoulders were starting to hurt a bit.  Later that night when I had a moment to check the damage.  I had burned both of my legs from the knees down.  Both my arms, and shoulder blades and any part that were not covered by my life jacket.  I always seem to remember everyone else's sun block but for get mine.
   Thursday became a day of errands and trying to get things in order for the next week.  I had a doctor appt so I decided to take Livi with me as a bit of a mommy date.  She was a little concerned as the did my blood pressure on my sun burn and they had to draw blood.  She was a bit scared of my doctor.  But she has always been shy.  My doc told me everything looks great.  I asked her where she wanted to go to lunch she wanted to go to Zupas.  Probably for a chocolate strawberry.  She had fun people watching and dancing to the music.   She decided she wanted to go home and hang out with Daddy.  Since I had to go run a couple more errands. She said missed Emme. When I got home they had been fighting.   Matt was home mowing the lawn and taking care of the chickens.  We finally got our first egg!
    Next week Emme is going to be in the Draper day parade with Aspen.  She is so excited.  Hopefully she will be still after she has to go three times to a mini cheer camp.

Stockton Pitching

Chatting with Emme in the dugout

Up to bat

Livi at the splash park

She loved shooting the fish

Daddy with Alex

They were splashing each other

She didn't stay still long enough for pictures except this one

She was munching on cheetos

Hanging out on the boat

Time to jump in

Daddy and girls

Grandpa, Emme and sleepy Alex with Grandma

Matt on the inner tube

Livi waiting for our turn on the tube

Loving going fast

Me and Livi on the tube.  She in in my lap so you can't see me.  

Livi at our lunch.  She is just too cute