4th of July

Taking the kiddies to the fairground festivities.

Trying to get a picture with the flag shirts.  Trying...

The part where we were bad parents and sneaked away to GARTH!  

Jed's work buddy asked us in January if we wanted tickets, of course.  What is more American then a Garth Brooks concert on the 4th of July?

Even after 20+ years I still remember every single word and Garth has still got it.  

He even played my favorite song.  Bucket list-check.

Renn's First Haircut

Renn is lighter than my other babies and was not born with a full head of hair. 

 He had less hair on his first birthday than Jara had at birth!  However, it has been multiplying exponentially  all summer.  It was getting long with the cutest curls in the back, I didn't want to cut it he worked hard to grow it, plus it was so soft and pretty, which is exactly why Jed wanted to cut it!

He was smiling the whole time and never cried.  I have not experienced this in the past,  another reason I was holding out  on cutting his hair.  

After we cut it he looked like a real toddler.  Sniff.  Not my baby.

Elise was very sad we cut off his "cute, little rat tail."  

Maybe we'll grow it back out and go with the mullet trend.  

Cause he's the Baby

He really likes sunglasses, wearing them, breaking them, eating them.

Trying to escape out Aunt Ashley's doggie door. Just the right size.

Clearly he has older sisters.  Driving Elise's old Minnie mobile and wearing Jara's sunglasses. 

 Riding in fashion.  He's really quite fast on that thing.

Loving the library's resident dog.  Buck probably hasn't had a bath in 30 years.  

Of course that's why the children love him.

Going extra speedy with Jack power.

Cozy in the bike trailer.  Our new form of entertainment.

Folding his arms.  

Swimming shyness. 

First Day of School

Jara 4th Grade-Mrs. Wolfley

Jack 2nd Grade-Mrs. Whitney

 and Elise Kinder-Mrs. Taylor 

How did they already get to this age?

Jara trying to make the best of the fact that her "fashion show was ruined" because she had dreaded PE the first day of school.  Cruel.  

Elise making wishes for a great year.  Kindergartners, they are precious.  The first day of school was also her birthday.  I'm pretty sure she is convinced school started in honor of her special day.  

After shaking me off he consented to a picture.  

Jara and her crew.

Riding the cheese wagon.  I think this picture says it all.

SLC

We had a lovely trip up to Salt Lake to visit Grandma and Grandpa Wheeler.  We went to Seven Peaks water park, the aquarium, had a family bbq, get this, OUTSIDE, and Renn even slept well in his play yard!  The only documented pictures are from the aquarium.

Jara and a giant man-eating fish.  She's helping me blog tonight.

In the rainforest.

 I highly recommend taking an almost 5 year old to a 3-D movie. Elise was astonished!  

All the troops.  Thanks Watson's for coming with us.

Cheer Camp

The girls decided they wanted to go to the HS cheer camp this year.  First Elise decided, because her cousin was going and she thought it sounded like a good idea and then en route to the HS, after Jara had told me multiple times she didn't want to go, she decided to go.  Guess who had the most fun?  She is nervous to venture into the unknown but I am so proud of her for being brave and trying something new.  

Here they are with their favorite babysitter and cousin.  

She was at volleyball practice and had popped in to watch her sister.

We love Kessa!

Here they are with another cousin.  

Jed is always properly impressed at the extent of my family tree.  

My little cheery girls. 

Renn 18 Months

It's been a year and a half.  Depending on the moment it feels like yesterday or five million years ago.  I love this little rascal.  He has his own strengths, tricks and crazy just like the rest of them.  You think coming from the same two people our children would be alike in many ways but they are not.  Having multiple children really confirms the idea of individuality.  

Renn's many tricks over the last six months or so include (but are not limited to):

-Monkey climbing.  Bunk beds, windows blinds, dressers, anything with a foothold.

-Walking, (15 months, second earliest) which progressed to running, which progressed to zooming on his wheely bug throughout the house, which progressed to...nudity!?  Not sure of the connection but he can strip and run in seconds if left in nothing but a diaper.  

-Pointing.  It's amazing the power he can wield with one finger.  

-Along those lines he can also tell you how old he is.

-Making noises of the lion, fish, puppy, and his best one...monster.

-Teeth, lots of angry molars.  And drool.  Lots of drool.

-Ya!!! and un uuhh combined with vicious head shaking for no and the symbolic/confused shaking of the head, hands to the side for "I don't know."

-Minimal speaking,  Mama.  Dada.  That's it.  He understands everything.  EVERYTHING.  However, he will not talk.  I wanted to go for a walk one morning (which he loves doing) so I told him, "go get my shoes."  He promptly went into the laundry room and brought me my tennis shoes.  Mind you I have about ten pairs of shoes in there but he knew to bring my tennis shoes because I told him, "let's go for a walk."  

-Jumping off the boat into Jed's arms.  

-Most recently, liking the bike trailer and going with me for rides. 

-Playing with trucks

-Reading books especially books with trucks and real-life photographs.  

-An interest in TV.  Every day about 11, when he's starting to wind down, he climbs up on the couch, spreads a blanket over his lap, fetches the remote and points it at the TV.  We watch us a little Baby Einstein and he is happy as a clam.

-Nursery.  He's doing pretty good.  Tolerating other people for goldfish and a chance to play with new cars.  Jed thinks he may get kicked out for chucking toys.  I didn't believe it until I  took a "finn mcmissile"  metal car to the eyebrow one day and had a whole new respect for his throwing arm. 

-Sliding

-Destruction.  In the 10 minutes it takes me to make lunches in the morning he has his fun.  Marker to the floor and wall, water dumped on the table, newspaper torn to shreds, cat smashed.  He's a good multi-tasker.  I've started leaving the door into the garage open because he can have all the happy destruction he wants in there.

-Loves. He is my little pet and when he begs to be picked up and then wraps his little paws around me and pats my back with his nose snuggled into my shoulder I forget my worries and his tornado skills.  He can melt me.  Jed calls it manipulation.  If it is, I don't care.   I love my little puppy.