Crazy Cole!!!

I know that someday Cole will kill me for posting these pictures but I thought they were so funny. He and his buddy, Reis had a blast playing dress up with Taylor. It was hillarious. They came upstairs in about 5 different get ups, all ready to strike a pose. I just love how they can go from playing sweaty soccer outside to playing dress up with the little sister. It just goes to show what great kids they are!! How lucky can a mom get!!

Cole's First Day of 3rd Grade

August 25, 2008

Cole's First Day of School

Today is Cole's first day as a big 3rd grader. He is so excited about this year. Not only does he have the teacher that he wanted (Mr. Tesseman...aka Mr. T) but all 3 of his best buddies are in his class.....Reis, Drew and Hayden. As much as he is excited, I feel sorry for Mr. T. They are all such good boys but who knows how they will all be together. He is just growing up so fast. I can't believe he is already in the 3rd grade. I know this is going to be a great year for him!! We are so proud of you, Cole!! Keep up the amazing work!! We love you!!

Cole's favorite breakfast....fried eggs and toast

Getting ready to leave for school

They grow up so fast...it makes me sad!!

Cole is now a WOLF!!!

Cub Scout Pack Meeting

August 13, 2008

We were so excited to go to Cole's pack meeting this month. He has been working so hard to pass off all he needed to to become a Wolf scout. It was such a nice evening. They had dinner for the troop and their families at the Terraces in Millcreek Canyon. It was so pretty up there. We had a great night of hot dogs, loads of salads, and TONS of s'mores. It was so neat to hear about all the boys accomplishments and to see how far they really can go as a scout. On Cole's 9th birthday, he will graduate from the cub scouts and become a Bear. He is really excited, and his pack has set some goals for them to hit before they move on. I am really proud of Cole for his work in scouting. It is a great program and I know it is something that is important to him. Way to go Cole!!!

Thanksgiving Point....Museum of Ancient Life

Hooray for $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point!!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

When we heard that they were offering $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point, I knew that I had to take the kids. So, Cole brought Hayden (though the 2 boys took off so I got zero pictures of them), and Taylor brought her buddy, Ella. We decided to go early because we knew there were going to be a ton of people. Little did we know, the line wrapped around the building. We were patient and stood in the LONG line...much to our surprise it only took about 15 minutes to get in the building. For the most part, it didn't seem like there were that many people...that was until we hit the sand and water table. It was crazy!! There were so many kids...it was nuts!! But Taylor & Ella pushed themselves right in there and had a blast. At first Taylor didn't like the sand on her hands...it was driving her crazy. She kept wanting to wash them. Finally when she saw Ella getting all dirty, she thought it was o.k. They loved the "big dinosaur bones" and we went through the exhibits 3 or 4 times. It was a great way to spend the day!!

I had to add this collage of more pictures. I took so many cute pictures that I couldn't decide which ones to post...final resolve, POST THEM ALL!!! Taylor and Ella are such buddies. I can't believe how well they get along. I am so glad we got to meet them in my kindergarten class...Ella's brother Thomas was in the morning class. They are already counting the days until they will be in kindergarten together....too bad they think it will only be 29 days instead of a full year. Oh to be a kid again!!

More summer fun!!

I had to add a little collage of these pictures. They were taken with my mother in laws camera and I just now got them. The kids loved having Grandma & Grandpa's pool this summer. We spent a lot of time there, with and without other friends. It was just a nice was to get relief from the heat, and it was always fun. They both got so much more comfortable with the pool. Cole started diving and was able to swim the whole length of the pool underwater. Taylor went from wanting water wings and a float tube on to swimming with no wings at all. It is amazing how brave kids can be. We had a great summer!!

The best Grandpa a kid could ask for!!

Grandpa teaching Taylor how to swim

I know you will be dying in anticipation!!!

Yes, I have been in a blogging slump. We have been doing tons of fun stuff, I just haven't wanted to sit down at the computer, in the hot office, and blog. So, I know you will all be just waiting by your computers for our update but I promise to be up to date by next week. I just need a few more days to get it all together!!

I'll be bloggin' ya soon!!

The Alphabet

I think working in kindergarten has made me realize the little things kids need to know. I know that Taylor is only 4 but I want her to be so ready for kindergarten. I have been working so hard with her on her letters and the correct paths of movement for the alphabet. I took Miss Emily's advice and taught her to do her name in lowercase first. In fact I am teaching her all her letters in lowercase. It is so much easier for them to learn the uppercase later. It has been a challenge but I have loved seeing her progress. And she actually askes me every day if we can do her "homework". I am so lucky to have kids that both value school and know that it is important. Let's just hope that they both stay that way, and that I won't eat my words when they hit Junior High or High School.

Fassler Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Geneology

Fassler Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Vintage photos

Camping at The Spruces & Adam's Birthday

August 1-3, 2008

Warning...this one is long

We had so much fun camping this weekend with Grandma & Grandpa for Adam's 34th Birthday!! We went up on Friday afternoon, set up camp, ate yummy dinner, and enjoyed a night by the fire. It was nice and relaxing. Adam and I slept in the tent while the kids slept in the trailer with Grandma & Grandpa. Taylor, of course, asked where the t.v. was....just like her mom, she needs the t.v. to fall asleep. Much to all of our surprise, she fell asleep pretty quick. The worst part was that the bathroom was not too close to our campsite, and I ALWAYS wake up to go to the bathroom. It was a long night of "holding it" since I wasn't about to walk there by myself and Adam was "dead to the world". On Saturday, which was Adam's birthday, we all headed back home for showers right after breakfast. That is the nice thing about having the mountains right in your backyard...it takes 20 minutes to get back home. Adam's plan for the day was a hike up to Donut Falls. Now we all knew this was going to be a challenge with Princess Taylor...I think we heard "I am tired. Will someone carry me?" about 50 times in the first 10 minutes. Once we got right up by the falls and she could wade in the nice cold water, her mood instantly changed. She stayed below with Grandpa while Adam, Cole and I hiked to the top of the falls. It was so beautiful up there, and the nice chill of the falling water cooled us off instantly. After we made the trek down, we headed for the car. Needless to say, the trooper in Taylor was instantly gone when she fell, not only once but twice and ate dirt both times. But again, all it took was being able to play in the creek at the end of the trail to cheer her up. We headed back to camp to clean up and get ready to cook dinner. Dan & his girlfriend Yvette came up to have a fun night for Adam's birthday. We ate steak & chicken with all the trimmings. Sharon even brought cheesecake, Adam's favorite, for his birthday dessert. We had a great night full of laughs. We all really like Yvette. She seems to really fit in with us. I am really happy that Dan has found such a great girl. Anyway, after another night of fun, we all hit the sack. This time Taylor wanted to sleep in the ten with Adam & I. We made her a nice comfy bed and both were totally amazed at how fast she fell asleep. On Sunday morning, we all woke up, had breakfast, packed up camp and headed for home. Camping is always so much fun, but so much work. It was definitely worth it. We all had a really good time. Thank you so much Grandma & Grandpa for a great weekend!!

This is the reason I get up in the morning!!

The Birthday Boy

Me at the top of Donut Falls

Yvette & Dan

Adam had a lot of fun trying to catch a chipmunk in this can