random outside pictures

if i remember correctly, this was katelyn's picture day outfit at school.  i just wanted to document how cute she looked that day.

our neighbor, gray, loves, loves, loves to play with the little babies.  her favorite thing is pushing the babies around in the stroller.  this time around she took a break, and i pushed them both around.

it was obviously spaghetti night, and i obviously didn't take the time to wipe reese's face off.

this little lady learned how to pedal this big bike this past summer.

reese also learned how to ride the scooter like a pro.  however taking it from your baby sister probably isn't the best idea.

katelyn's favorite thing to do for a while was to play school.  she would gather anyone who was willing. 

brynn didn't play school.  she just sat and watched for a bit.

wiggle cars

probably one of the most popular ride-on toys amongst the kids in our courtyard is the wiggle car.  it always gets pulled out and always has a kid (big and small) riding on it.  even brynn loves getting in on the action.  she can't actually move the wiggle car by herself, but she tries.  she sits on it and moves the steering wheel around.  as her mom, i think it's one of the cutest things.

katelyn was so nice on this particular day to take her around for a ride.

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i had to throw in this last one.  these boys look like this quite a bit, sitting close together working on some project, talking about their next adventure or just playing together in their own world.

a night out with neighbors

our neighbors pulled out their firepit again and invited all of the neighbors out to roast some smores and let the kids run around.  i just love these ladies.  great neighbors and great friends.

tyler made a giant smore.  

the kids had so much fun being outside in the chilly, dark weather running around like crazies.

at one point the kids had the wagon and cozy coupe hooked together.  the big kids pulled and pushed as fast as they could while the little kids sat inside screaming.  i'm sure the other neighbors loved us that night.

messy eater

want to meet one of the messiest babies?  she lives right here in our house, and her name is brindley jane.  seriously, this girl is always a mess.  she has ruined a number of outfits, made giant messes in her high chair, on the floor, in her hair and on my rugs.  it isn't just because she is a baby.  i fully realize baby's are messy eaters in general, especially when they begin eating all by themselves. but this is different!  this girl chews her food...then spits the majority of it out, pretty much every time.  and she doesn't always do it in her high chair.  sometimes she saves food in her mouth (and i don't notice) then spits it out later while she's crawling around the house.  i also think this habit contributes to the fact that she's such a tiny baby.  but we love this girl, weird habits and all.

this little one wanted her picture taken too, and she's just as cute/

another year of preschool

we're on our second year of preschool with tanner, and the second year with this great group of kids.  at first i was pretty set on finding a preschool to send tanner to instead of doing a co-op.  but after talking with some of the other moms, i decided to do the co-op one more year.  i'm so glad i did.  it really has been such a good thing for tanner that he gets to be with his friends and in such a cozy little group.

i told the kids to sit at the rug while i cleaned up the starter activity.  when i turned around they had split into two groups like this.

more outside fun

we really feel like we were led to this house we live in.  part of the reason we feel like we were supposed to be here is because we landed in a really great courtyard (our shared driveway). our courtyard just happens to be full of kids who all get along and love to play outside.  i also have a wonderful network of ladies/friends to talk to throughout the day.  it has been such a wonderful blessing.

these girls got a hold of this giant box and set up camp inside.  they also gathered as many outside toys as they could to put around their box.

brynn wants to be like all of the older kids.  she kept trying and trying to get on that scooter and make it go, saggy diaper and all.

ogden utah temple dedication

we were so fortunate to be able to attend another temple dedication as a family while living here!  what an amazing opportunity for these kids of ours.  we talked with them before hand and reminded them how special and sacred each temple is.  as they each walked through, they walked around taking it all in so reverently.  i was really proud of them.

a rain storm rolled in right as we headed out.  i loved the dark contrast of the sky against the temple.

brynn's birthday

we celebrated this sweet girls first birthday at our neighborhood pool.  we invited family over to enjoy the evening with us.  anyone who wanted, or maybe i should say dared since the water was so chilly, got in and swam.  

our whole gang around the birthday girl.  this is us that's for sure!

having a one year old's birthday at a pool has it's perks, but finding an ideal spot for the cake eating was tricky.  so we just plopped brynn on the ground with a garbage bag underneath and let you dig in.  she loved the cupcake and pretty much devoured it.

these two little girls loved sitting right with the cheetohs.

happy birthday sweet little brynn!

first day of second grade

katelyn's first day of second grade!  this year she chose her own outfit, her own hairdo and even chose her own poses for her pictures.  she is such a grown up little second grader.  

this year we made a choice to move her over to the french immersion program.  katelyn was so excited to get started.   as for me, i was a nervous wreck!  i was so worried about her all day wondering how she was doing in a brand new class with all new classmates.  when school was over i nervously asked her how her first day went.   she loved it and could not believe i was nervous about her.