Halloween!

Twin Falls

 

 

In September, Jared went backpacking with Mark and Andrea and I stayed at their home in Idaho with the kids.  We had a blast together going shopping and having fun.  When the boys got home, we all went to visit Twin Falls and hiked around and visited the lake and played at the playground.  Jared and Mark were pretty exhausted though!  It was a fun trip. 

Ayden turns 7!!!

We had two birthday parties for Ayden this year.  We opened presents at home a day early with the family, and on his actual birthday we were in Idaho with Andrea and her family.  Andrea made Ayden a really cool spiderman cake that was chocolate and cookies and cream.  It was super yummy and looked really awesome. 

Tory At Great Grandma's House

Picnic September 2012

Every year we like to take a drive up into American Fork Canyon and see all of the fall leaves.  We took a picnic up this year and then the kids had a blast playing in the water.  Jared tried to teach the boys how to skip rocks, and Ayden spent a long time trying to master this skill with no luck.  Meanwhile, Jared was showing off his mad skills by skipping larger rocks mutlitple times.  Chris had fun exploring in the water looking for cool rocks and sticks, while Tory was trying to get as wet and messy as possible!  Afterwards, we drove all the way through to Provo Canyon and stopped in to visit Great Grandma in Orem.  It was a really fun afternoon. 

Tory At Grandma's

This was Tory's first ever time to lick the bowl...she became rather attached to the spatula and would not relinquish it to anyone.  It was pineapple flavored whipped cream that was going on top of Grandma's Jello salad, and boy did she like it!  Of course, when I gave her some of the said Jello later, she wouldn't touch the stuff.  Go figure!

More Splash Park

 

Splash Park

In August, Jared spent 3 weeks in Singapore for work.  I decided to spend several of those days in St. George with my parents.  While we were there, we discovered a really fun splash park that the kids loved.  We went there several times as it was very hot!  It was a lot of fun.

Chris Plays with his Friend

 

Victoria...and Ayden

Kids play at Wild West Park with Cousins

Neptune Park

Victoria's first Pigtails!

4th of July

For the 4th of July we had a lot of family come to visit us!  Angela recently moved into a home in salt lake county that has a fabulous view of the valley, so we spent the 4th of July at their house.  We had a barbecue and the kids ran around having a ball with their cousins and we played with glowsticks set off some fireworks and then to top that all off we watched all of the many fireworks going off around the valley.  It was quite a show!!  We could see fireworks going off in every direction we looked...including over the house as their neighbors were also setting off fireworks.  It was so much fun. 

Tory and Toys

Tory loves playing with toys.  Sometimes when she has been very quiet for a while, I will discover her somewhere playing very contentedly with a toy.  She will spend quite a while with one particular toy and is super patient in trying to figure out how something works. 

Ayden takes swimming lessons

Ayden loves the water.  He had a blast taking swimming lessons this summer and he already thinks that he is absolutely proficient and very much protests having to wear a life jacket in the water anymore.  Every time we go to 7 peaks water park, he thinks it is outrageous that he still has to wear a life jacket!  =)

Chris plays Soccer!

Chris did a great job in Itty Bitty this summer.  He had a really great time and joined in with all of the other kids.  He actually prefered the obstacle courses the teachers would set up for them and playing "tiger in the basket" to playing the actual soccer games, but he had a really fun time. 

Tory's first Birthday

We technically had 2 parties for Tory for her birthday.  Her grandparents came a few days before her birthday and we went out to eat and had a fun party and opened gifts.  Tory loved her gifts and she also loved playing with the ribbons that came with her gifts!  She got to eat cake for the first time.  I made her chocolate cupcakes and she made quite a mess!  On the day of her actual birthday we went to 7 peaks water park.  Tory loves to play in the water and had a ball splashing around.

Tory Tries out the Wading Pool

Ayden Becomes a Yellow Belt

100% Girly

Bikes and Popsicles

Easter Picture

Tory in her new Ladybug dress

Easter!

     We spent Easter this year in St. George with my parents.  There was a big neighborhood egg hunt out in the rocks by my parents house and then a big potluck breakfast.  The children were only allowed to find 10 eggs, and then they got to choose a prize.  Ayden picked a sling-shot, while Christopher went for the silly string and Tory got a bucket and shovel.  The silly string was gone in about 3 minutes and Tory's cousin, Evan, laid claim to her shovel! 
     Later that day, Grandma held a money easter egg hunt.  Grandma told Ayden that the small eggs had more money, but he didn't heed her warning and went for the big ones that were easier to locate.  Thus he found the least amount of money!  Tory made the biggest haul.  With Dad helping her, she "found" the 5$ egg.  Ayden was very upset! 
     We then decorated eggs with stickers until a late lunch of barbecued chicken and it was time for Evan's birthday party.  There was cake and lots of Thomas the train presents.  It was a very busy and fun day for everyone. 

Bouncing, Jumping, Sliding

A few weeks ago we all went to a friend's birthday party held at a jump place.  The kids had a ball jumping on the bounce pillows and going down the giant blow-up slides.  Ayden declared that this is what he wants to do for his birthday now.  It was so relaxing for the adults as well...we just let them go wild and we sat on the couches and talked with all of the adults.  Fun times!  =)

Tory standing!

Tory is becoming a pro at pulling herself up and she can stand for several seconds without support!  I suppose walking is not too far distant...

Classic Ayden

I have been busy going through all of Ayden's baby pictures and scrapbooking him.  It has been quite a project!  5 years to catch up....  =)  Here is one I recently finished.  These pictures crack me up!  Thus begins Ayden's love affair with pasta...

Ayden Hapkido

The pictures are from Jared's phone, so they aren't the best, but butter than nothing!

Chris Plays Basketball

Sweet Charming and Adorable