August part 2

This year, our stake presidency was changed the exact same weekend they were supposed to reserve a campground for the stake Father and Son campout, and it didn't happen.  Nate has been waiting to go camping with Daddy, so we just had to do our own!  We decided it would be best to just camp at home, but I think we had a fun time!

We started with an old-fashioned camp game "Piggly Wiggly".  One person goes out of the room while everyone else hides in a sleeping bag (or under a blanket).  Then the person comes back in, sits on a person, who then has to snort like a pig.  The person on top tries to guess who it is.  Despite little Mr. Peek-a-Boo always trying to pull off the blanket and the fact that our sizes make it terribly obvious who was underneath each blanket, the boys thought it was hilarious.  :)

 

 Next we had tin foil dinners.  Then the boys had to go on a search for treasure outside.  The treasure was graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate for baked smores, which were super yummy!

 

 

 And the boys played some baseball and other outdoor rough housing while I made the smores.

 Camp chairs are a must!

 

 

 Then McKay and I went inside and the boys did their camping thing. 

 

 

 

August 2013

It RAINED so much this month!

Mckay is getting more opinionated, and mostly it's pretty cute.  He loves, loves, loves Nate's scooter, but now he won't let me help him.  He wants to do it himself.  He's started growling a deep, potentially scary growl (you know, if it wasn't coming out of a super cute little guy).  He also loves to help put away the kids' dishes from the dishwasher into the kids' drawer.  He loves to sweep the floor, and we even bought him (a very late birthday present) a carpet sweeper.  My favorite thing is that he puts away clothes.  EVERYONE'S clothes!  I have to move fast to show him exactly where they go, but he picks up a pile, charges away, puts them in the right place if I'm fast enough to get there first, and then charges back to get another pile.  Clothes have never been put away so quickly before! 

We spent a few weeks in July and a few weeks in August going to the pool as much as we could.  Both boys took a session of swim lessons at the beginning of the summer.  My goal was that both boys could swim well enough to not drown if they fell in a pool.

Camden finally got there!  After many days at the pool, Brian came with us one time.  That was all it took.  Now, Camden can swim medium-short distances and is so proud of himself!  We learned that goggles really help.  I'm hoping to get him in another session of lessons to help solidify those skills.

Nate loves the water with the help of a puddle jumper floaty.  He usually likes to meander the pool on his own terms, away from me.  And he really hates water in his eyes, so he'll get out every few minutes to wipe his eyes with his towel.  The goggles were too big for his head, so maybe next summer they'll fit better.

Mckay whimpered nearly the whole time the first time we went swimming--and for most days we were there.  He'd just bury his head in my shoulder and complain.  But, the very last time, he charged into the water, tried multiple times to walk off the edge into the pool, and didn't want me to even hold his hand.  I have hopes that he'll continue to feel more comfortable in the pool next year.

We also enjoyed the Ogden Temple open house.  It is absolutely gorgeous, especially inside.  Then, off to the Ogden Dino Park!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2014

At the beginning of the month, we drove to Manti to visit Brian's sister.  My boys LOVED having cousin time.  Mckay loved chasing the cats saying "tat, tat, tat".  The boys all LOVED doing fireworks and going to the parade--especially all the candy.  It was great to see Brian and Heather. We had such a fun time in their beautiful, old home.  :)

My sister Rachel came for a few weeks also.  We've loved having her here, even if our lives are much slower than she's accustomed to.  My boys adore her!

Camden is getting more grown up every day.  He just looks older, and he seems to be ready to go to kindergarten in 1 month.  I think it will be a big learning experience to be away from home so much, but I think he'll do just fine.  There's a special place in Camden's heart for Mckay.  When Camden is the most sad, Mckay's hugs comfort him better than Mom's or Dad's hugs.  

Nate is my little firework lately.  But sometimes he's more like a warm sunshine, and it gives me hope.  He'll say things like, "I'm happy, so I'll share my toys," or "I'll pick up my toys, so I'm nice."  I tell him he's my special Nate, and he says, "Yep! I am!"  He can be so sweet and so reactive.  I find myself (and in truth, each member of our family) getting dragged around by his emotions.  I definitely need to keep working to be calm so that I'm influencing him to be calm, rather him influencing me.  His favorite thing lately seems to be lego blocks and  laser beams shooting out of his eyes (from "If you're a robot and you know it, shoot laser beams out of your eyes.)

Mckay is my little "Don't let mommy out of my sight" kind of kid right now.  He loves to be held, but is getting more independent, too. He only wants to be held when he wants to be held.  He's doing so much better at sleeping through the night and falling asleep on his own.  He LOVES his soft, snuggly blanket.  He also LOVES watermelon, grapes, apricots, cheerios, but NOT tomatoes.  He is generally pretty calm, loves to play with balls and trucks.  He says, mamamama (still only when sad), Dad, dog, and ball (but they all sound the same).  He is like a well-trained horse, where very very gentle correction is needed, and he generally obeys or tries to obey.    He has learned to be wary of Nate, and pushes Nate away if Nate sits on my lap when he is there first.  But, he also giggles a lot at Nate--just depends on Nate.  

 

Visiting cousins in Manti (oh, and Mater!)