Sledding

Now that we have an awesome hill in our backyard, we go sledding any chance we get!  Reed asked to go sledding every single day for a week in which I happily obliged.  I love when my kids beg to go outside!  We sled with our sibling, our friends, our cousins, anyone who is willing to go!  

Festival of Trees

Another annual trip to the Festival of Trees.  We love this tradition!  Actually, Kevin and I love this tradition and the kids come along.  When we walked into the expo center, Reed looked around and said in exasperation, "We came to this last year!"  Apparently it is not his favorite Christmas activity.  Taryn, on the other hand, really got into it.  Could be that she had a sweet ride in a stroller too.  

 Reed. a typical boy, liked the superhero and Star Wars trees the best.

 Taryn, a typical girl, liked anything pink or princess.  She also spotted any stuffed dogs she saw.

They both love Peter Pan!

Stringing up the lights

Joce

One of my best friends from college, Jocelyn, came out to UT to visit for a few days.  It only took me over 5 years to get her to come out (from TN), so I had to document it.  We had such a great time reminiscing, going out to dinner, eating dinner at her sister Jamie's house just like old times, and we even ended up at a Haunted House! (We were so scared that Joce asked one of their young security guard teenagers to escort us through.  I'm usually the one who is scared, but I could not stop laughing at Joce's reaction. haha)

Cabin

Our great friends, the Farners, invited us to a family cabin up Logan Canyon in October.  We were only able to spend about 24 hours there, but we had such a fun time playing in the stream, making tin foil dinners, roasting marshmallows, playing with friends, sleeping with our sibling for the fist time (Taryn said,"YES!" when we told her), swinging on the gate, and playing games after the kids went to bed.  Thank you Farners for a wonderful time!

Fall and Halloween

For the longest time, I have wanted to paint windows.  Now that I own my own house and have a big window in the front, it is possible.  Turns out window paint is expensive and I am cheap, so I bought Martha Stewart's "any surface" paints for only a couple dollars each.  I started out just basic for my first go-around.  A couple neighbor kids saw me painting and asked if they could help.  I was pretty desperate for Reed to make some friends, so I agreed.  They went kinda crazy, but they loved doing it and I was happy they were happy.  However, after the season once I tried taking the paint off, I regret a little bit letting them paint every square inch of the window.  Apparently, I need to drop a little extra cash to get paint that actually comes off!  We spent hours trying to scrape paint off, and it still isn't all off!  Whoops.

We went to a really great FREE pumpkin patch with friends.  Pumpkin patches are my favorite!!!  I loved them as a kid and now I love taking my kids to them.

Reed and his buddy, Dallas

*Not sure where my Halloween pics are.  Reed was a superhero, no one in particular because he would NOT wear underwear on the outside of his pants, and Taryn was a princess.  Pretty classic costumes this year.  We dressed Corbin up as an ewok.

Preschool

 Reed started preschool...again!  It is his 3 year, because we decided to hold him back another year before starting kindergarten.  He has a summer birthday, so we could choose whether to send him or not.  We feel really good about our decision and every time I think about him going next year even, it makes me sad.  I love having him home.  Actually, could I just send Taryn to kindergarten instead?? ;)  

Reed LOVES preschool.  His first year, we did Joy School with a few friends and the second year, we swapped with friends again but we created our own curriculum.  Both years were great and Reed loved it (especially since he was with great friends), but I love sending him off and not worrying about planning a lesson!  He has learned a few things and has made new friends!  We love his teacher, Miss Denise!

And when Reed is at preschool, I get to play with this silly girl (who likes to use any objects she finds as a baby, mom, dad, etc.)  *She is tucking them into bed here.

Summer happenings...going way back

Taryn learned how to crawl out of her crib.  Not okay.  We had many rough nights of her coming out of her room (because she can open doors, of course) until we realized, "wait, we can just lock her in!"  Brilliant.  It only took one night of her trying to kick her door down to give it up and she hasn't climbed out since.  

Loving our baby.  Lots and lots of this.

Lots of water play.  Took a few months for me to realize that we pay for the water that comes out of the hose.  Pay the extra money for happy kids?  Okay.

Lots of yard work!  Did I mention we moved into a house?  We're still in Utah and we really did find everything we wanted in a house: rambler, basement (unfinished), big yard, culd-e-sac, and so much more.  The front yard is finished and landscaped (the house is about 8 years old), but the backyard was covered in weeds.  We spent almost every Saturday in the summer working on the yard.  We weeded by hand, sprayed weeds, tilled--see above--, leveled, brought in top soil, leveled again, and then laid sod.  And rolled it.  Totally worth it though.  Did I also mention how nice it is to have family nearby? :)

We had a ton of extra top soil in a pile in the front yard.  So I picked up some items from D.I. and we made a mud kitchen.  Lots of hours of fun play!

Sometimes I can be a cool mom.  We built a tin foil river and floated objects down it (see the constant running hose?)

We even went camping!  Well, Kevin and Reed went camping and Taryn, Corbin, and I met up with them to roast giant marshmallows (that really is the best part of camping anyway, right?).  Giant marshmallows are fun to look at it, not fun to eat.  Much, much too big.

The Tracy Aviary field trip with cousin Matthew.

And we even made a friend.  Reed and Alex "fishing."

Taryn and her new friend, Livie.

More baby-loving.

This summer was fun and different.  I just had Corbin on May 30 before we moved into our new home on June 1.  You heard right.  We literally signed the last title papers in the hospital.  It was quite the stressful several months looking for a house, knowing we were going to have a baby shortly.  Jeez, I don't think I even told that story.  I am WAY behind.  Anyway, we spent one night with Corbin in our apartment before moving the next morning.  So the summer was spent unpacking while trying to get used to a new neighborhood and ward and adjusting to 3 kids.  I have to admit, the moving was the harder adjustment.  We lived in our Orem apt for 6 years and had made some really good friends and neighbors.  It has been almost 7 months in our new home and we have made a couple friends, but I have to say, there is an appeal to apt living.  People are always around and I like that.  On a good note, Corbin has been an awesome baby!  He really never cried the first 2 months of his life and even now, he is a really content baby.  Thank you, thank you!  He was our tender mercy. :)