October Festivities

Our October fun started with our traditional family outing to Gardner Village to see "The Witches" for Emily's birthday.  The kids loved seeing the witches, pumpkins, and fun decorations.  I believe they were the best looking little witches and ghoul around.

We had so much fun with cousins at Nana and Grandpa's annual Halloween Party.  They loved the games, seeing their cousins dressed up, and treats.

Next, we headed to Peterson Family Farm to explore the pumpkin patch, ride the hay slides, and pretend to ride tractors.  Emily was determined to get a white pumpkin and an orange pumpkin.  Of coarse, Lily and Logan loved the little pumpkins.  We came home with one orange, one white, and 3 little pumpkins.  

Emily's Shining Star Preschool had their first field trip to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point.  This was a new adventure for us to explore.  The kids loved the tractor hayride, corn pit, and giant pillow trampoline.

Daddy and the girls had fun carving and scooping our family pumpkin. Emily was a great observer and director.  Lily had fun exploring the texture of the pumpkin goo.  At Emily's request, they made a happy pumpkin.  I love watching them create each year.

Throughout the month of October, the kids and I had some fun creating with pumpkins.  We made pumpkin cookies, candy corn sugar cookies, Halloween crafts, and pumpkin treats.  Lily's favorite was painting our little pumpkins.  She did it three times!!

At each Halloween party, the girls wore different costumes.  They utilized all the dress ups in our costume box.  I loved watching how excited they were to dress up each time.  Emily was Minnie Mouse, Ariel, Super Girl, and a witch.  Lily was Minnie Mouse, Rapunzel, a witch, and Elsa.  Logan was a pumpkin and batman.  It is fun to watch him try so hard to keep up with the girls.  Throughout the month he figured out the fun of dress-ups and loves to wear his Batman costume when the girls play dress ups.  They all loved trick-or-treating and figured out the fun of the treats quickly.  My favorite treat of our October festivities was seeing my children enjoy it's traditional fun.

Waiting for Preschool

Each day as we await for preschool to end, Lily and Logan share some fun together.  We play at home, go on errands, visit the library, and go on park adventures.  We sure miss playing with Emily, but I love some individual time with these two.  It has also been fun to watch their sibling bond grow over the past few months.  They sure love each other.

Family Fun

To help us take advantage of weekends as a family we have been working to take a family outing on Saturday together.  One of our favorite destinations is the local parks.  The kids love to explore the many parks in our area, including revisiting some of their favorites often.  Emily and Lily are getting to be quite brave at trying all the slides and climbing tricks.

To also help build family ties, we have created a new family tradition - "The Sunday Family Fun Bag."  Each Sunday I plan 3 to 4 activities in addition to FHE for us to do together.  They are simple, but help keep the kids happy as they anxiously await church at 1 pm.  Some of the things we have done is look at memory books, read stories, do puzzles, play games, make cookies, and create crafts.  It has been a blessing to watch my kids relationships grow stronger and ours with them as well.

Logan 18 Months

Logan is 18 months!  We love this silly, energetic, sweet loving, smart boy.  It seems he is growing up so fast and I can't hold on to every detail, but I am sure trying. 

• He is talking so much and learning new words everyday: pumpkin, skeleton, scarecrow, ghost, book, car, truck, tractor, shirt, socks, jacket, shoes, cheese, cereal, cracker, Mickey Mouse, duck, kitty, doggie, and so much more.
• Loves animals.  He likes to read books about them, watch them when they are around, pet them, and make their sounds for us.
• Loves to play chasing games with his sisters
• Outside is his favorite place to be: on walks, adventures, at the park, or exploring 
• Favorite foods: pasta, cereal, yogurt, lemonade, crackers, and treats.  His loves candy, but not much of a cookie or ice cream fan
• Mama's boy - loves to be with mom always and is my little helper.
• Great at pretending to vacuum 
• Favorite toys: Little People farm, blocks, trucks, tractor, the pantry, and vacuum
• Loves to read books, especially Good Night Moon, The Napping House, Snowmen at Christmas, and Trucks

Disneyland Dreams

For several years we have dreamed, planned, and hoped to take our little family to the place where dreams come true - Disneyland.  Emily and Lily have been such big princess fans that I wanted to take them to where the princesses live.  We all anticipated this first family vacation for us.  It was nothing short of magical and I am so grateful we had this opportunity to go.  Growing up Disneyland was my family's vacation of choice.  My parents saved and planned wisely so that we could enjoy the magic.  I was so excited to share a part of my childhood with my children.  My favorite part of the trip was watching each of my children experience the magic of what seemed so real to them.  I discovered that the magic of Disneyland is not found in the characters, but the children themselves.  They are the magic of the happiest place on earth.  I hope my kids will remember the fun and magic of this trip for a long time.

The kids sure enjoyed the rides, but their favorite part was meeting all the characters.  We found so many: Tinker Bell, Mad Hatter, Sofia, Chip n' Dale, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Sofia, Doc McStuffins, and more.  Of coarse we saw many princesses too: Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, Tiana, Snow White, Rapunzel, Jasmine, Anna, and Elsa. Each greeting the kids became more and more comfortable.  By the end of the trip, Lily was quick to give many hugs and blow kisses to the characters.  It was so sweet to watch.

 

On our second day, Sissa surprised us all with a treat to Ariel's Grotto for Lunch with the princesses.  The girl's loved the beautiful view, treats, chocolate meal, and seeing the princesses up close.  I was lucky to catch Lily's face of delight as they welcomed Tiana to the lunch party.  Her face sparkled as she was hoping to meet her so very much.  It seemed Emily and Lily couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces.  We so appreciate Sissa's treat with the princesses.

 Logan liked seeing the characters sometimes, but his favorite part of Disneyland was the many "tractors" or rides.  He loved watching the lights and movements of the many rides around.  I was surprised in finding my kids' favorite ride was "Pirates of the Caribbean."  They loved the tummy tickle of the "slides" in the ride and talk about it still today.  Some of the other favorites were: Dumbo, Small World, Carousel, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and the Teacups.

We measured and planned to have Emily ride some of the "big kid" rides - Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Cars.  At home she measure 40' just right for the rides.  We talked to Emily about how she could ride these rides but Logan and Lily (and even baby sister) couldn't.  She thought it was neat that she could do the "big kid" rides and was anticipating the fun.  However, as Sissa and Daddy took her up to ride Thunder Mountain for the first time, the ride operators turned her away for being a smidgen to small.  Emily was disappointed, but we found her some boots that night at Target to stuff some socks in to make her height just right.  Our little trick worked and Emily was able to ride Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Cars. When you ask Emily what her favorite ride is, she says, "Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain!"

In between our 3 days of fun at Disneyland, we spent a day at Newport Beach.  Nelson loves the beach and playing in the waves.  It was fun for me to watch him enjoy this time himself and with his kids.  We were glad to have a "break" in our trip to refresh for one last day of fun at Disneyland.  

Emily is 5 Years Old

Emily is 5 years old!!  She has been counting down the days to her birthday by counting down birthdays before hers: Lily, Grandma, and Sissa's.  Emily was thrilled to celebrate with two parties with cousins.  I love this girl of mine so very much.  She is growing and learning so much every day.  It seems she has grown even faster as she has been in preschool.  Here are a few things about this cute 5 year old:

• Great helper for mom.  Emily loves to play and help with Lily and Logan.  She has taken her own initiative to help with Logan especially as I get ready in the morning.
• Loves Disney princesses, Minnie Mouse, and playing make believe especially "family."
• Excited to go to preschool everyday.  She doesn't even hesitate to go.  She loves to learn and spend time with friends.
• Enjoys arts and crafts.  Emily loves to color, cut, glue, and create in any way she can.  She loves to participate in my art class every Monday afternoon.
• Favorite foods: pasta, spaghetti, meatloaf, yogurt, Pirate Booty, Poptarts, and cereal
• Timid to try new things, but once she tries she is brave and confident.
• Loves to sing and dance, especially to princess music
• Loves to read books and can even read two sight words
• Looks forward to special family time and individual time with mom and dad

Logan 17 Months

Just one month away from nursery, Logan is 17 months!  I cannot believe how much he has grown this past month.  Logan is such a fun little boy that we all adore.

• Loves tractors, trucks, and airplanes.  He can say all three!
• Each morning Logan loves to read his books on my bed with his sisters while I get ready.
• Expanding his vocabulary lots: tractor, truck, doggie, neigh, cracker, mine, no, stop, mommy, daddy, plane, Lily, cheese
• Laughs at all the silly things Emily and Lily do
• Loves to raid the pantry and eat cereal straight from the box
• Smiles mischievously and points to get a piece of candy
• Loves to walk around holding your finger.  He can walk independently, but is building confidence and speed
• Loves to read stories while sitting on your lap
• Find it funny to put things down the heater vent
• Loves pasta, yogurt, M&Ms, goldfish, and cereal
• Likes to tease mommy by crawling away when it is time change his clothes or diaper
• Loves to spend time with family
• Exclaims with joy and races to daddy when he gets home
• Likes to play in water and dirt

Bean Museum

After an early nap for Logan, we spontaneously headed to Provo for some family fun.  We enjoyed an afternoon exploring the Bean Museum and having ice cream at the BYU Creamery.  Even my Ute fan Nelson had fun at the rival school.  I always love visiting BYU and remembering the fun and challenging memories of college.

Preschool Shining Star

Emily has been anticipating the start of school for many months.  All summer we have been counting down birthdays for the first day of school.  Emily has an innate desire for learning.  Since she was a baby, she has loved to read.  I remember sitting on the floor many an afternoon reading book after book to her - many of which I would have memorized.  Emily loves to learn new things from books, tell stories, and engage with others in imagination fun.  The Sunday before school started, our FHE lesson focused on Father's Blessings and that the beginning of school was a good time for one. Emily was confused for a few minutes because she said she wasn't nervous at all.  

On the first day of preschool, my mommy's heart was excited, but nervous to let her go.  Emily excitedly and proudly walked down the stairs like it was nothing.  She didn't even want to hold my hand.  Each day since, Emily counts down the days of the weekend so that she can begin school again.  It is fun to hear about her learning adventures each day!  

Lily really missed Emily at first, but now seems to cherish time with Logan and me.  We have adventures to the library and story time that make the time go by quickly.  I love watching Lily and Emily greet each other after school and talk about their fun adventures apart.  They then incorporate their learning fun in their imaginative play that afternoon.  What fun to share adventures together and apart!

Aunt Sissa

These girls and Logan love their Aunt Sissa.  A dance party is always mandatory with Sissa around.  She is the best dance teacher and never hesitates to join in their princess dancing fun.

Sissa's Pool

 Our Saturday adventure plan was to head to a splash park,  However, after a few wrong turns we make some makeshift plans and headed to Sissa's community splash park pool.  Even though it sprinkled rain for a few minutes, the kids had a blast.  They water temperature was perfect!  At only a foot and half deep, they kids loved splashing, running, and playing in the water for a few hours.  I had so much fun watching them and visiting with Nelson.  Even though it wasn't our planned destination, it worked out even better!

A Trip to the Zoo

The kids have been looking forward to a zoo day with Nana and Grandpa for some time.  They were so excited to go today!  Although it was hot and crowded, the kids all had a blast and are looking forward to another adventure soon. 

Logan loves to watch for dogs, cats, and birds outside.  He likes them almost as much as tractors.  According to Logan, all animals make a "raspberry" sound like an elephant. He has said, "Woof" a few times.  Logan loves observing the animals and squealed with delight anytime the animals moved.

Emily and Lily could not wait to see the elephants, bears, and Jasmine's tiger. They were all out and active which made for smiles for these girls.  After a fun picnic lunch the girls and Logan enjoyed a few rides on the carousel.  I love watching their faces glow as the animals move up and down.  What a fun day for my little animals!

Lily 3 Years

Our Lily is 3 years old!  She is the princess of our home.  Lily brings so much joy and spunk to our family with her giggles, mischievous acts, and fun.  To celebrate Lily's birthday we had a little party at Nana's house, a trip to Article Circle for an ice cream cone, and of coarse watching "Beauty and the Beast."  Here at some highlights about Lily:

• Loves princesses: movies, toys, and books
• Girly-girl: Lily insists on wearing a dress or skirt everyday.  Her favorite dress is her "purple dress" and "flower dress."
• Barbies and dolls are her favorite toys to play with
• Has a sweet tooth: candy, cookies, cake doughnuts, & frosting
• Each time we go for a walk Lily insists on picking the neighbors' flowers. She is true to her name.
• Loves sensory activities: sand, playdough, beads, etc.
• Emily is Lily's best friend, but she is also becoming good friends with Logan
• Lily loves to make us all laugh with her silliness

Preparing for School

Emily has been anticipating starting preschool for some time.  She is so excited to go.  Emily loves to do "school time" with me and is eager to have fun with friends soon.  Lately, Emily has been especially interested in playing with friends.  She loves to play with Lily, but also likes to play with friends.  She has such a great imagination that expands as she plays with others.  I am excited for her to start her new adventure with school, but I will also miss her helping hands at home.  I know Lily will miss her favorite playmate, but we will still have special times together too.

Chick-fil-A

Today was Chick-fil-a Customer Appreciation Day.  The girls were excited to go to a restaurant for dinner - a special treat.  We all dressed up like cows and got a free dinner.  What a fun evening together.  They are definitely the cutest cows.

Logan 15 Months

 Logan is our little buddy.  He shines new tricks to us each day.  We all love him so much.

• Loves to be outside to watch tractors, trucks, & animals outside
• Enjoys playing with rocks, bubbles, & dirt outside
• Has a sweet tooth: suckers, popsicles, & candy
• Likes to wrestle with mommy, daddy, & sisters. He is becoming a great tackler.
• Learning to climb down stairs
• Loves applesauce, yogurt, pasta, cheese, & chicken
• Favorite books are Little Blue Truck series
• Mommy's boy

Yellowstone Family Reunion

What a fun adventure we had in Yellowstone on the Handy Family Reunion. We have been planning and anticipating this vacation for many months.  It was our first family vacation since Emily was one year old.  Emily and Lily have been talking about staying in a hotel a long ways from home for a while.  They were excited to swim in a pool, spend time with cousins, and see some animals. 

They were EXCELLENT troopers in the car with lots of driving each day of our trip.  I loved hearing their excitement each day for the new adventures ahead.  On the day we arrived, Saturday, we enjoyed seeing the play The Little Mermaid at the Playhouse Theater in West Yellowstone.  The girls and Logan loved the dancing, singing, and costumes.  Logan laughed at all the jokes and clapped when it was time to applaud.  It was so funny to hear him join in the laughter of the audience.  He was definitely had the cutest laugh.

Each day as we drove through the Yellowstone the girls wanted to see a bear.  We were lucky to find some wooden bears at our entertainment dinner at Bar J Wranglers Chuckwagon Dinner.  Lily loved seeing the bears there especially since she could get close enough to touch them.  Logan loved the train ride at Bar J Wranglers - thanks to a treat from Sissa.

Nelson and I enjoyed some special time together as a little family and with extended family.  It was fun to get away to a new place.  We loved the mountains and many rivers we saw.  What a beautiful place Yellowstone is - especially with family. 

Swimming Fun

Through the hard work of putting our backyard in, I promised the kids a swimming pool.  It actually was a late birthday present from the Yates for Logan.  When the pool arrived a few days ago, Emily was so excited!  Even though it was too cold to swim (65 degrees), I blew up the pool and the kids pretended to swim instead.  Logan loved to crawl in and out of the pool.

On today's hot day, the kids took their first swim in the backyard.  They played happily for over an hour in the pool and having popsicles.  I enjoyed having a backyard to watch the laugh and play in.

Siblings

As the youngest of 7, I had a unique and special relationship with each of my siblings.  It is fun to watch my own children develop relationships with each other.  There are moments of contention for sure, but more often than not they love each other. 

Emily loves to caretake for Lily and Logan.  She makes sure they are safe and happy.  I love watching her teach Logan new things like how to drive a shopping cart.  Lily is her "best sister" and loves to pretend with her.  They are great dancers together

Lily loves being a mimic of her sister.  From the way she dresses, to mimicking stories she reads, to silly gestures, Lily loves to be just like Emily.  When Emily isn't around, Lily is quick to ask where she is.  I am anxious to see how she does when Emily goes to preschool, but then we will have some special time with each other and Logan.  Like Emily, Lily likes to caretake for Logan.  She is great to get him his binky, blankie, and lotion.  She giggles at his new tricks in delight.  Lily is a great cheerleader.

Logan adores his sisters.  Every morning and after naptime, Logan eagerly looks for his sisters.  He is quick to squeal in delight as the scream, "Logan!"  He loves patting them on the back and watching them perform.  Logan tries hard to keep up with his sisters, even though he is little.

Logan 14 Months

Logan is 14 months - Wow! His personality continues to shine through more each day, brightening our home with love and laughter.  We love his smiles, giggles and enthusiasm for life.  Here are some highlights for the month:

• Logan loves to be outside and watch for "trucks."  He enjoys seeing the many trucks and tractors drive by in our neighborhood or on car rides.  Whenever we say, "truck" Logan's eyes immediately brighten.
• Logan loves to play with trains, cars, trucks, blocks, and pots and pans.  He is famous for dumping our my Tupperware and stove drawers.  Logan likes to drag the pots around the kitchen or bang them with spoons.
• Logan can say a few words: momma, daddy, truck, stop, no, tractor
• Suckers and popsicles are some of his favorite things to eat.  He even knows when we drive through the bank that they give out suckers - never mind they have money.  One day the bank gave me an extra sucker.  Logan was so thrilled to have one for each hand.
• Logan still likes his binky, especially his frog binky.  I love the way his snuggles in with a binky in his mouth or crosses his legs.  
• Logan can be found "reading" books to himself sometimes - Hand, Hand Fingers Thumb is his favorite - "dum, ditty, dum dum"
• He enjoys wrestling on the floor, especially with mom.
• He loves to explore and try new things or go new places.

Lucky Licker

Logan loves suckers and popsicles.  Even from the backseat of the van, he recognizes the bank window and begins to cry immediately.  Like Lily and Emily, they think the bank is for suckers, never mind money.  Today as I passed the girls suckers, Logan was last to pick.  This smart boy noticed there were still two in my hand.  Instead of picking one, he was adamant about having two.  After he was all smiles.  He is a sweet sucker!

Bluffdale Park

The new Wardle Bluffdale Park opened this weekend.  On an adventure today with Ellie and Sissa, we explored the new park. I was surprised by all their bravery to try the zipline and big slides.  I couldn't capture any good pictures in all their excitement, but love the expressions of personality in this picture.  They are all so unique and I love them so.

A New Library Lover

On a windy day we headed to the library for some fun.  Sometimes our trips are quick there, while others can last up to an hour as the kids explore the books, toys, and games.  Logan even got into some of the games today, but he couldn't give up on his train.  He loves to play with the trains and watch them go around the track.  He is getting so grown up!

A Park Date with Sheri

My dear friend, Sheri Burmester, from St. George has been in town for a few weeks.  We were lucky to spend some time with her today at the park.  Sheri and her family are considered our St. George family.  They were great friends who helped and played with us.  When I was teaching piano and tutoring there, Sheri and Kira were a great help with Emily.  It was a special time for Emily to have some fun playmates.  She loved playing cars, coloring, and chasing at their house.  We enjoyed some Conference and holiday dinners with them.  At night, Sheri and I would often walk together.  I so appreciated her friendship and am so glad it is still there so far apart. 

Sheri has been awaiting a kidney and pancreas transplant.  It was a miracle that she was able to find a match.  Even though I know the surgery was difficult, I am so grateful she is still here and had this miracle.  While at the park, the girls loved playing and showing off their tricks for Sheri.  It always amazes me that we can instantly catch up on things even though we may be miles apart.

Swimming Lessons

The girls have started taking private swim lessons with Kim Bradstreet.  We are so lucky to have this opportunity as her schedule fills up quickly.  Emily can be timid in deep water, often staying on the stairs.  I was nervous for her to begin, but she has done so well thanks to her teacher.  They love going and are learning such an important life skills.  Miss Kim is so patient and encouraging of them.  The girls are learning to blow bubbles, jump in the water, and float.  It is so much fun to watch them swim.

Bookworms

I love exploring the word, pretending with characters, and discovering new ideas with these three kids as we read books together.  One of my favorite days of the week is library day.  The kids love to go get new books and then our afternoon is spent reading them.  Logan is even catching the magic of reading.