Find the Boys??

With the cold, cold weather rolling in this week, it's only appropriate to post some late-summer water pics. We can still dream of the 90 degree weather we had in September even if it won't be returning for a LONG time, right? We had an impromptu water party and the girlfriends didn't bring their suits...so, Christian & Mason so kindly shared some of theirs. Can you find the boys??

Twin Boys?? Or girl and boy? We really couldn't tell these 2 cuties apart!

COLLISION!

Now it's time to pack up the water toys til next summer...(PLEASE COME SOON).

Mr. Inquisitive Fashionisto

Yes, we've hit the stage of endless questions. Why are there lines in my knees? How come we have bones? Does my tongue have bones? How do we get to heaven? Why are the clouds in the sky? And so on and so on...and mom and dad get to scramble to come up with good, honest answers that won't beg too many more questions.

Out of the blue, Christian asks me: "When I grow bigger will Mason have my robot shirt?"

Mom: "If you want to give him your shirt, then he can have it."

Christian bursts into tears, "well I'm going to ask Heavenly Father to make me not get bigger so I can keep my robot shirt."

This boy is SERIOUSLY OBSESSED with his clothes - he changes his outfit at least 3 times daily! He scours his closet for "new" clothes each day so I creatively hide clothes for awhile and reinvent them as "new." Last weekend at our street party, he disappeared into the house and came out wearing different outfits twice, lastly in his Batman pajamas to show everyone. I understand what it's like to have a girl, did I do this to my poor son??

So if you see my son wearing his bright orange and blue striped polo shirt with his clip-on shark tie (thanks Grammie & Nana), shorts and knee-high red socks with his crocs, please don't blame me...I've lost the battle. And yes, this was an actual clothing choice for church...sometimes it's just not worth the fight.

The Garden Thief

Without fail, the minute we step outside, Mr. Busy Pants high tails it to the GARDEN - to pick, poke and sample the veggies...and then give 'em a good throw! It's rather entertaining other than the wasting of good produce! But hey, at least he's eating his veggies right??

The Great Outdoors

We took a Sunday drive up Millcreek Canyon to soak in the scenic views and fresh air. The colored leaves were beautiful and the boys loved the dirt, rocks, sticks and water. Nothing like the Great Outdoors to renew the soul and wear out some wild boys!

First Day of SCHOOL

After asking "When do I get to go to school?" all summer long and waking up the past 2 weeks asking if it's a school day yet and obsessing over which pants are school pants and which shirts, shoes, even underwear are school clothes...it's finally here! Woo-hoo!

He wore his new skateboard backpack (his pick) around the house all morning in excitement but when we finally arrived, the apprehension set in..."I want you to stay with me mom." As soon as we walked in and saw the other kids and teacher, he was at ease...and only 6 kids in his class, how great is that?

BEFORE

AFTER

mom: What did you do in school?

christian: We learned about A's and played a game - come in and out the window (singing the song).

So there you have it, first day of school was a SUCCESS!

Mom loved the break, even if it was only 2 hours...I managed to squeeze in a bang haircut, mini shopping spree at TJ (my addiction) and lunched with Mr. Mason (aka solo time with baby #2).

Such a milestone for our Biggest Boy - can't believe he's in school!

Check out Christian's SHORT Big Boy haircut (mom misses the curls!) and gray front tooth (poor boy knocked his tooth last month).

Labor Day Weekend Fun

Spent the holiday weekend soaking in the last of the summer sun.
We joined the mob scene at Swiss Days in Midway. The greasy Navajo Tacos and homemade rhubarb pie were great but not worth the massive crowds. Cute cute home decor and baby gear. And I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the colored leaves on the mountain. Yes, fall has already set in (I'm still in denial).

We hit a fabulous wedding party at Cafe Molise (tis the summer of weddings for us)...outdoor patio with DJ, disco lights, photo booth, pool and Casa Blanca projected onto the outdoor building wall (how cute is that). Congrats to Josh & Jen Ison!

Then we swam with the Morgan clan and took in a couple innings of the last Bee's game of the season. Whew - we really packed it all in but enjoyed having some time off to play with our family.

Note Mason has mom's wallet, his fave toy, smart boy.

Spidey-man bouncey fun

Latest expression - Mr. Serious

Ready for a fly ball.

Doctors and Therapists

Our traumatic moments tend to happen in pairs lately (don't they always come rolling in together?)...I woke up with a horrible kinked neck feeling like I'd been in a train wreck. I had to work due to a meeting with my new boss (didn't think calling in with a sore neck sounded legit) but I really shouldn't have been driving seeing I couldn't even turn my head to check the mirrors, not safe. The same day Christian had a raging fever and sore throat. After many attempts to get him to drink something, Nana even tried offering him some Coke, to which he quickly replied, "no, kids can't drink Coke." Clever how he always begs for my Diet Coke. His poor throat really must have been painful!

During an attempted throat culture, Christian screamed and kicked the poor dr. in the crotch multiple times...just another day for a pediatrician but it was sure traumatic for the rest of us (Mason let out a few sympathy screams for big brother).

Then the bribing began to get kiddo to take his medicine: Lightning McQueen stickers, new Halloween movie (which we still watch on repeat), Jamba Juice, getting to wear his new school clothes early (most exciting bribe of all for our clothes-obsessed boy). He really learned to work us! Good thing he's all recovered now - just in time to start pre-school this week.

I visited a sports massage therapist for my neck who talked my ear off about emotional stress vs. organizational stress causing pain on different sides of the body and white blood cells vs. red cells attacking my tissue and calcium buildups in my bones causing the cracking noise and then he explained how he "talks to the tissue" and it tells him what it needs (hmmmm...what kind of "therapist" was this again??). He even told me to open my eyes a few times so I could "see" what he was explaining (as he was right in my face). He finished the massage adding that I have sexy hair (maybe hoping for a good tip?) Total hippie but he really did wonders for my neck, that is until the next morning when it was ten times worse (add in the bruised/rough massage/good pain).

Today we are grateful for good health and better sleep. Now onto pre-school for our Big Boy!

Peek-A-Boo

Mason's Latest Move - he seriously cracks us up, Mr. Personality.

1st Camping Trip

A couple weekends ago we had a very spontaneous camping adventure with some friends up at Echo Reservoir. While Troy and I used to camp often in our pre-kiddo life, this was a first for the boys (besides a backyard campout with Daddy & Christian). I just haven't dared to brave a tent with toddlers yet...I mean, if we had a snazzy trailer, we'd be regular campers but nope. So it was indeed an adventure, mom & Mason (in pack-n-play) in the tent (my own air mattress of course) and dad & Christian in the back of Troy's new beater truck. It was a rough night's sleep, to say the least (and not because of the kiddos :) Let's just say our dear friends had some single, wild, night-owl friends there as well that enjoyed the campfire and lake til the wee hours (4 am swimming session to the Thriller soundtrack blasting). Mason was just crying to join the party (all night)...other than not sleeping and rain soaking through the tent in the early morn, it was great being at the lake, in cooler temps and eating great food in the beautiful outdoors. Loved the lake camping for the kids - we'll defniitely do it again...sand+water = pure bliss for toddlers. Thanks Christa & Josh for letting us crash the party!


The stud lounging with Bella by the campfire (checkout their awesome glow necklaces). This is the one picture I got before my new camera slipped out of my pocket into the sand and BROKE! So devastating! Hence, the lack of recent pictures...this is my second broken, piece of crap camera this summer. Time to invest in a nice one.

Happy Birthday Uncle Chad

The Annual Chad B. Morgan Golf Tournament was another success (100+ golfers)! Thanks to all our friends and family who joined in the fun again this year. I didn't make it up to the course but here are some pics of the BBQ afterwards and our family picnic at the cemetary. We always celebrate Chad's birthday by having cake and icecream at the cemetary and letting red & blue balloons float up to heaven for Uncle Chad (and our dog Charly and Jesus according to Christian).
We still miss you daily Chad ~
we love you!!

Secret Spy Glasses

Mom: I like your cool goggles dude

Christian: No, they're my Secret Spy Glasses

Mom: What are they for?

Christian: To Help find people that are lost...call the neighbors mom, somebody needs help!

Mom: Can I take your picture?

Christian: No, take a picture of my cool bear shoes (his latest obsession even though they are way too big)...not gonna fight it. You gotta love his Born to be Wild shirt as well.

Farewell Uncle Eric!

Uncle Eric (Troy's little bro) headed off to Austin, Texas to play baseball for St. Edwards College. The boys will miss him dearly, especially Mr. Mason who ADORES his Uncle Eric and squeals in excitement whenever he sees him! Hopefully he'll remember him next time we see him.

Good luck at school E! We will miss you but you'll have a great adventure in the Lone Star State! Hope y'all meet some lady friends. We Love You!!

And Farewell to the Tacoma, as Eric took it off to school with him. Troy's had that truck since our first date 9 years ago so it's been through a lot of memories! However I'm grateful not to drive it to work anymore (hopping out of a truck in a skirt and heels just doesn't fit me).

TOILET PLAY

Wild Boy Mason has found a new hobby...throwing objects into the toilet. Yep, that's right. This week alone I've busted him:

• Swirling his toothbrush in it (which I luckily ripped away just as he was taking it back to his mouth)
• Dunking Christian's V-Tech camera in while squeeling with joy (which we discovered is waterproof thankfully)
• My hairbrush floating in the bowl with Mason hovering in curiosity
• A Lightening McQueen car peeking out from the bottom just waiting to be flushed (which Christian discovered as he was starting to go potty and burst into tears).

Mom has mastered the art of a quick toilet water rescue and sanitize and you bet I clean my toilets daily now!! It's a little tricky keeping bathroom doors and toilet lids closed around here with Christian using them. I swear I really do watch my child...that boy is just SOOO FAST! The destruction continues...

Fun at "The Goon"

We bandaged up our war wounds and headed out for some fun at the Hammond Family Lagoon Day, or "The Goon" as Christian proudly states. It's an annual tradition for Troy's extended family (thanks to Grandma), with cheesy matching shirts and all.

This year we took it easy and just went up for the evening and parked it in kiddie land. Christian had a blast riding all the green rides with his cousins! What's not to love at Lagoon when you're 3?? At least my child wasn't the one licking the seatbelts and railings on the rides (yes, I witnessed this).

Only Green for our Boy, why fight it?

Diving into his green icecream...mmmm.

Cousin Fun

NOTE: This was taken before the ride started, as the employee asked if they were ready Hailee started screaming to get off, which turned into a chain effect of Christian wanting out ASAP as well...apparently Puff is still a little too scary for our Big Boy.