Scarecrow Festival

Something fun I learned to do in Utah.  It will be an annual tradition for sure!  

 

Every year in October, Thanksgiving Point has a fun festival.  We had to pay an entrance fee and then everything was free.  The food was also SUPER cheap.  What a fun day.  Blow up bouncy toys GALORE, haunted house, climbing wall, climbing tower, race cars, train rides, music and dancing...  

  

What more could little boys ask for?  Thanks Holly for the invite -- we had a blast!

Snaggle-Tooth Sam

Could he be any cuter?? If you are into snaggle-tooth munchins, I think not!!

His top teeth are coming in and it is so funny to see the one all the way in and nothing else but gums.  He is such a smiley boy, it just makes me laugh to look at him.  He's growing way to fast~ 9 months and crusing all around the couches.  I think he'll be walking soon!!!

THE SUBWAY

My brother got 12 tickets for anyone in our family to hike the Subway (a zion's canyon hike).  I have wanted to do this since high school, and I wasn't disappointed! It was seriously the most fun I have had while being in the out of doors!!  There are a lot of pictures so enjoy perusing them!

My mom and the grandkids that made the hike.  They all did great.  I have to say, I hope I am as tuff as my mom at 65!  She was awesome..  and as you will see, it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done!!

Parts of the hike required you to swim in water that was over your head.  I fortunately had a wetsuit jacket my brother loaned me.

The great headshot of me on the left is so you can be spared of my pregnant swimsuit body!  SCARY.

Lots of places we walked through water..

Scaled the slick rocks with big drop offs below..

Repelled to places safer to walk..

And the scenery was amazing!!  As you can see, this was definitely the hike for Taylor... All the water just made him happy to be there -- even though he doesn't like hiking.

Check out the view!

This is where Taylor thought it would be a good idea to slide down -- a very bruised tailbone later, I think he would second guess that bright idea.

The final stretch was straight up the mountain -- but we all made it with only a couple minor injuries!!

I am so lucky to have such knowledgeable brothers.  I felt totally safe in their supervision.  We could never have done it alone so Thanks to Lonny and Kirk for making it such a fun day!!  And thanks to Aunt Heather and Grammie Nadauld for watching our boys so it could happen!

Jakes funny Accident

So Jake was getting out his fishing pole to play with and I guess Taylor had put a real fly on the end that was still there.   Luke grabbed his fishing pole that was tangled with Jake's and as he pulled the pole away Jake got the fly stuck right in his finger!!  

It was a pretty traumatic few seconds.  I didn't know what a fly looked like and Taylor was in a meeting so he couldn't tell me if it was barred or not so I started pulling it out, but it didn't budge -- it was barred (had the arrow hook on the end) and I had NO idea how to get it out!

I took him to the urgent care and they numbed his finger and cut it out.  The Doctor was an avid fly fisherman (love Utah for that reason) and new just how to get it out with the least cutting needed.  No stiches ...

Just a fun bandage and a Great story for his kindergarten class.  It worked out great because that day in school he had to tell a nursery  rhyme and bring a prop.  He brought his bandaged finger and the fishing pole and told this rhyme:

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5,  once I caught a fish alive

6,7,8,9,10 then I let it go again

Why'd I let it go?

Because it bit my finger so.

Which finger did it bite?

This little finger on the right!" 

I am married to a Doctor!

It's true -- Taylor is an official doctorate of finance!  We are so proud of him for pushing through the last 5 years of suffering.  We hope it will pay off!  We couldn't think of a better place to have spent these years in school.  We love Columbus and Ohio State -- GO BUCKS!!

 

He looks pretty cool in his doctorate get-up, Right?  It was fun to be able to go back for the actual graduation ceremony.  Too bad the older boys couldn't come too.  They would have love to see friends again. If only we were made of money!!

We loved being able to stay with our favorite family -- the Dehners while we were there.  It brought back many memories of (as Taylor called it) "adult sleepovers."  That is what he termed our many day stay after we sold our house in Columbus.

Aren't these kids the cutest.  I totally miss Morgan and Miles.  Jake still thinks he is going to marry Morgan, and that is Just Great with me!

And Sam got to meet his buddy Will for the first time on Earth!  They hit it right off; however, I think Sam might have been a bit more excited than Will at the moment.

Of course I was thrilled to see Amber, and keep BEGGING her to come to Utah for a visit. :)

But I have to say Taylor was almost even more excited than me to see his boyfriend Mike after 2 long months of being away! :)  How will these two live apart?  We may have to get Mike to move his family out here -- we'd all love that!

As Amber pointed out -- even their shoes missed each other -- ahh, how sweet. :)

Thanks Dehners for putting us up -- AGAIN, and being great hosts.  Now it's your turn to come visit!!  The pressure is on!

Videos...

Jake flipping off the diving board -- it was really fun to watch both the boys jump off the diving board. Everytime they did anything off the diving board the lifegaurd on duty would say something about how little they were and how they've never seen anyone so little so good. One lifegaurd even brought me info on a swim team he though Jake and Luke would be good at. I do have to brag about them -- they are very cute!



Luke doing his favorite... Cannonball!! He didn't learn flips this year, he did do dives, but didn't like to do them off the diving board very often.



Giggling Sam



Sam army crawling -- 6 months

Our days in Water!!!

Cute Sam with his annoying life-jacket -- he was a trooper most the time and really loved the boat. Thanks Grammie and Grampa for having a boat!


We have had a great summer. We spent most of it in the water! The Nadauld boys' favorite place... Jake was VERY proud that he learned to wakeboard this summer. I thought he'd never be able to do it -- but sure enough, he got up and boarded for nearly a minute. He said he had to let go because the rope hurt his hands/arms. Otherwise -- his balance was great! I was super impressed. Taylor stayed out in the water and helped him get up. I did video it, but only on my phone and I don't know how to transfer that to the computer --- argh. It was really cute though.



This summer we were mostly the pool, often in the creek, sometimes the lake if we were lucky, and a bath every now and again..

We had a great time with swim lessons at the Spanish Fork Pool.  Jake and Luke got put in the "ELITE" swim group -- they passed 2 levels off in 2 weeks instead of 1.  They are so fun to watch in the water.

Here is a picture of their swim instructor....  Sam enjoyed the water too.

Sam grew a bit this summer too.  He now eats just about anything -- and is often eating.  He still smiles easily and is sleeping like a champ.

School days!!!

Jake is in Kindergarten!!  He is sooo big.

I have been excited for school since the day he was born.  I knew he would love it and wanted the break myself too.  I LOVED preschool and thought Kindergarten would be even better -- but I wasn't expecting to be so emotional when he got on the bus the first day.  He just seemed so big and for the first time I wanted to just wrap him up and not let him get one second bigger. I can't believe my kids are really getting older -- everyone says it happens, but you never realize how fast it goes until it is over. I sure was proud of him though.  He was super excited to take the bus.

  

He is a picture of him waiting for the bus with some friends at the bus-stop (just in front of our house -- sooo nice).

 Bye Jake!! Have a great day!!
     

Lukie is in Preschool.  His teacher is awesome!  I think she will be great for him this year.  He cried everyday last year, but not once this far.  He even wants to walk himself to the preschool -- which is a little too far -- but I love that he is finally good to be on his own.  Maybe he is getting ready for Kindergarten after all!!

And Sam needs a little token picture for the first day of school!  He's been a little harder to entertain when the brothers are gone, but I love having my one on  one with him!

WOW -- I can't believe I'm adding another one to the fam!!  I feel like I can barely handle these crazy ones!!  Too late now, I guess I just buck up and learn to live on no sleep for a couple more years. :)

BTW -- my official due date is April 15th.