Back to School

LOOK AT THOSE SMILES!

Dusty went back to school yesterday, he is now in first grade. It's so hard for me to accept that! He, however, is very excited about it. I set the alarm to get us up yesterday morning, but he woke up before the alarm went off. He hurried and got dressed and ran downstairs and put his backpack on. He was ready in no time! We went through the rest of our morning routine and he had plenty of time to wait, and wait. "Is it time yet Mom?" Finally it was time. I had him step outside for a couple of pictures, and told him I'd get a couple more at the school. That's too embarassing, he asked "Please don't take pictures of me at school!"
Here he is sporting his new Speed Racer backpack. He had waited all summer to use this, we bought it just a week after school let out for the summer. We couldn't pass it up, it's SPEED RACER! And it was only 6 bucks at Ross!

I ignored his plea and snapped a couple of pictures, even if front of his peers. I saw a father following his son with a video camera, recording him walk down the hallway. Greatfully I was able to say, see, you're not the only one! We were excited to find that he has some friends in class. We were hoping that he'd be in with a couple of friends from our ward, but no such luck - even after talking to the school staff! But oh well! It was fun to see all of those cute kids after summer break.

Here he is at his desk. I got to stay in there for just a couple of minutes with him, and then the teacher said it was time to say "good-bye" to mom and dad. I think he was relieved when it was finally time for me to get out of there. Why? Why does he grow up so fast?

It was one of those bitter/sweet days. Throughout the summer there were moments that I couldn't wait for him to get back in school. But he is not in kindergarten anymore, he has moved up to the first grade! That's totally different. He is going to be gone much more now. He is out in the world (WITHOUT ME!) - this is very hard. Not for him, but for me! I'm greatful that he is so excited about it all. It would be a lot harder on me if he wasn't ready and prepared and was really clingy, then I don't know how I could've left that classroom. But I left and I came home, put the baby down for a nap, and cleaned the WHOLE house! That never happens. Ever. I did big stuff, I also went through the boys closet, the toys, the dressers, even under their beds. I also started 3 loads of laundry and was done with all the cleaning at 11:30! I was also able to do some big grocery shopping, and it didn't take all day to do it! And now today, the house is still clean! Now what am I going to today? It is also nice to spend time with just Hayden. We've never had that opportunity, when Dusty was in Kindygarten it was during the same time Hayden was at preschool. It's amazing what a different kid he is without his brother. Dusty is a wonderful kid and an awesome big brother, and Hayden loves to do everything he is doing. Dusty is also very busy and LOUD! Hayden has a smaller range of things that he can deal with, and if he goes beyond that range, he gets past the point of recovery. Sometimes I think the busy, noisy life of Dusty is just too much for Hayden to deal with, heck sometimes it's too much for me to deal with. So I think Hayden and I are both really going to enjoy some time of just me and him (and a cute little baby). Today Hayden, Kyrie and I were able to go for a bike ride to the park. In a few moments we will snuggle and read some stories. It will be a great day! I will also be watching the clock and be anxiously waiting to walk back over to the school to get my Dusty Bug, I can't wait. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this 1st grade stuff!

Kyrie's 1st tooth

Our little stinker had her first tooth cut through on Wednesday. She is now obsessed with my teeth! Whenever I hold her she stares at my teeth is constantly wanting to stick her fingers in my mouth to feel them. She is such a weirdo! She has another tooth that will be popping up any day, and I try to look in her mouth and she makes it impossible. She won't let us look or feel her gums as all! She sticks her tongue out, and somehow her tongue is alot stronger than my finger. She is all of the sudden going through a lot of changes. She is also trying to stand up on her own. And this week, ever since she learned to crawl, that's all she wants to do. It is now difficult to get her to hold still to go to sleep. She can be SO tired, but she won't quit crawling around in bed. If she would just lay her head down I know she would zonk right out. But why lay your head down when there is so much you could be doing, right? She is busy, busy, busy. As she is starting to show more of what she is like, we start to see more and more of her oldest brother in her. She has so many traits like our Dusty Boy.

7.5 Months And Crawling!

Kyrie has spent a lot of time on the floor trying to figure out how to go forward. She must have gotten tired of backing herself into the corner. It has been so fun to watch her practice and try so hard. I saw her doing push-ups off her toes trying to figure it all out! A few times I even heard little grunts and sighs, as she was working so hard. All the hard work paid off! She can now crawl. She figured it all out this morning. Lets see how long it takes for her to get speed. Watch out, here she comes! On your Uncle Mark, get set, GO!!!

I love the little dimple in her knee in this picture. Her poor little knees are quite often red, and they are getting a little callused, but all worth it!

Adams County Fair

Coming from a hometown that has a HUGE County Fair, we didn't know what to expect from a fair in Adams County, Colorado. They started the fair celebration with a parade, which is very important to one little boy. I just have to add this little story, so that it is documented for my own memory's sake. When we first moved to Vernal UT, we found a little rental to live in. After living there for two years, we decided it was time to purchase a home. So we did, and we moved to Vernal, UT! We were living in the same town, just a different neighborhood. And my little Dusty boy, who was soon to be 4 years old had one big worry on his mind. We moved into our home just before summer and he was concerned that we wouldn't know where to find the parade. Who cares which room he was going to sleep, or what was going to happen to all of his toys, and where he would spend endless hours playing with his cars. One big concern and it was over finding the parade! He told me several times that we needed to find someone who would be able to tell us where to go. I tried and tried to reassure him that only WE were moving, not the parade, and I knew exactly where to find it when it was time. I don't think he trusted me much, because it was a concern for many weeks!

So here they are at the parade. It's amazing that we finally found one here in Colorado!

Then a whole week later, we were off to the fair grounds.

Where one of the first things we saw was a booth with a real live tooth fairy! The boys were speechless. She should know us well, she has come for a visit twice in 1 week!

The firemen were in need of a break and let the boys take over for a bit.

The boys thought this car was the coolest - especially because it was also in the parade!

This fair offered a lot of freebies, which we took full advantage of, including this tractor ride. We filled up a bag with free stuff, toothbrushes, toothpaste, crackers, pencils, pens, measuring tape, hats, and Kyrie was the biggest winner, a free stuffed purple monkey (it's really cute, but didn't think of getting a picture). Our experience at the fair was good enough to go back again. We all had a lot of fun. We were surprised at how much was there, it was like a little taste of home.

We ended the day with the demolition derby. It was fun, but I don't think we'll go back for that event. It was very pricy, plus we had to pay for parking. Pay for parking? What is the deal here? It just wasn't worth it to me. Next year there will be more room for someone else! But it was a fun day, and so good to spend it as a family.

Denver Zoo

On Saturday we met up with Kim and Aj at the Zoo. Sometimes I believe this is where my boys belong. They'd be a lot more entertaining than the animals, they have energy that lasts all day! They are like the energizer bunny that keeps going, and going, and they DON'T STOP! Most of the animals were too hot and lazy to let us see them. But even without many animals, we still managed to have some fun.

Here are the boys enjoying their packed lunch. I had the crazy idea to try a diet and didn't get to join them. I had a "meal bar" and protein drink for lunch. The meal bar tastes kinda like an oh henry bar, it's pretty good. But not what I would want for lunch. Who ever thought of eating candy bars for 2 weeks for lunch to lose some baby weight? I did end up splurging and ate part of a sandwich. I want real food! I failed my 2 week diet on the first day! Not a surprise. I've never been able to diet. I've never done it, in fact I don't think I've even tried. Until now. I've always been able to eat whatever I want, but I decided I need a little help to shed a couple pounds. I failed my first attempt on the first day! Oh well, I'll keep trying for another week and a half then I get to eat whatever I want! It's hard to have to eat a candybar when everyone else is eating sandwiches, chips, lunchables and licorice!
Here are the boys in the tropical jungle.

And again, eating licorice. I decided it was worth it to sneak a couple of pieces for myself.

I'm glad we didn't get kicked out of the zoo. Later that day I heard of a mother that got kicked out of a Burger King because her 6 month old wasn't wearing shoes and they have a "No shirt, No shoes, No service" policy - CRAZY!

Have I ever said how much I love this little girl?

A little visit

My dad flew into Denver to spend a few days for work, and we were lucky enough to be able to see him for a little bit. Hayden could hardly stand the wait! He was so excited to see the "Papa that always gets me".

We were able to play a little ball, and let the boys practice their skills for an upcoming game.
He invited us to go downtown where his hotel is at so that the kids could enjoy a little cool off in the swimming pool. We were actually hoping for a little cooler water - I didn't even feel the need to get in the hot tub to warm back up. We had lots of splashing fun in the water. But before heading to the pool, he walked us down to the 16th street mall. It's sad that I live here, and my dad comes for a quick trip, and introduces us to downtown! I'm glad he invited us down! It was fun, and a new experience. It's a reallly cool place, and I wish you could all see it! If you are ever in Denver, try to get to the 16th Street Mall! They have these buses that stop at every block and you can quickly hop on and off all you want for free. My dad said that in the evenings, they have carriages pulled by a team of horses, that you can also ride in. The only traffic down the road is the buses, carriages, and a lot of pedestrains. There are lots of interesting things and interesting people - a whole new experience! Down the middle of the 2 lanes, there are trees, benches, and vendors (one of which had the cutest handbags!) The people who live there live in a different world than what we are used to. Dusty said that when he gets big, he wants to live in one of those great big "hotels".

The boys don't look too excited here, but they did enjoy riding on the bus.

All along the street there are lots of restaurants, whatever you want to eat (except for Mexican!). We stopped for a bite and the boys chose McDonalds of course. Dusty tried to take his first bite of a chicken nugget, and realized something felt a little different, and much too wobbly. My dad grabbed a napkin and pulled out his tooth before it got swallowed. Nice new smile Dusty Boy!

It was here at McDonalds where Dusty recieved his own 'golden arches'. Just look at the shape of those top 2 missing teeth!

Just as we were to head back, we noticed this guy that was laying face down to get a drink. It looks like he must have drowned, the boys tried tickling his feet, and he never did wake up.

We had such a good time! Thanks for inviting us downtown dad! It was so good to spend some time with you!

Today

Living near the airport, we see a lot of airplanes, but I have yet to see a limo airplane fly above our house.

But, this morning I saw a limo airplane fly inside my house!
Nice work, Dusty!
Kyrie has not quite figured out how to crawl yet, but she is oh so close!
To get around on the floor, she rolls all over the place, she can slither forward a little, and she is a pro at going backwards. The problem with going backwards is she can't really see where she is headed, and several times has ended up in the corner. This is where I found her this morning.

This is where Kyrie plays while I get ready for the day, that way she is able to escape torture from her brothers. As a newborn, I would put a towel in the sink, and she would lay on that. This is one of those things I was going to take a picture of as a newborn, and kept telling myself "maybe next time". Well, 7 months later, I finally took the picture. I would have said "I'll do it next time" today, but she tried climbing out! So today had to be the day to get the picture, because it will probably be the last time she is set in the sink. Now what is the plan to escape the brotherly torture?