Winston's first camp out

Winston and Dave went on their first father-son campout in September.  Winston wasn't sure what to expect, but he was thrilled to go somewhere -- overnight! -- with just Daddy.  Dave wasn't too sure what to expect either, but the night went rather smoothly.  

W got in the tent, set out his very own sleeping bag, climbed in and said, "Ohhh, this is cozy!"  

Bear Lake cousin time

I don't think I'm the only one who would say one of the highlights of the reinstated Waterfall family trip to Bear Lake was having all of the little cousins spend every waking hour together.  These kids haven't all been together in way too long, yet they pick up right where they left off, as if they were together the week before.  

Cousin soup

Pinata, oh yes we did.  

Sleepover and a movie (which they handled surprisingly well).

W's first day of preschool

Is it just me, or does he look like he's 8?!
Winston went to his first day of preschool today at St. John's Early Childhood Center. This is the same place he went to Kids Day Out last year. He loves this place. It is very close to our house, and we drive past it often. Over the summer, he asked probably every day if it was time for school yet. 
Winston loved his first day at school. He was up bright and early at 6:30 a.m. ready to go. When it came time to get in the car he said, "Uhhhh, I'm not going to preschool today." As we waited our turn to get out of the car he said, "I'm a little excited, but a little nervous." But then, when the teacher came to collect him from the car and take him inside, he hopped right on out, walked to the door, and never looked back! I was so proud of him, yet secretly hoping he'd at least want another hug before he left or look back to give me a wave. Nope. He was set.



When I picked him up, his teacher said he was wonderful and probably the best one in the class (she may have said this to every parent picking up his/her child.  I know, I know.). He was happy and worn out. Perfect!

Lake time

On the boat with Megan and sweet little Malan.  She looked like a turtle in her hat and life jacket.  There were several Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle references that trip.  

Proof!

Bear Lake 2012

{drive up Logan Canyon, reminiscing about driving up in Gma/pa's camper}

Long, long ago...when I was a little girl, the Waterfall family drove up to Bear Lake each summer for a few days of non-stop swimming, playing, boating, eating and family togetherness in close quarters.  Now that the extended Waterfall fam has grown exponentially, my immediate family made our own Waterfall Bear Lake trip.  It was perfectly amazing fun for a whole week.

{View of Bear Lake from the canyon}

{LaBeau's}  

We ate here several (read:  way too many!) times and it never disappointed.  The raspberry-oreo shake was off the charts.  Those fries.  The fry sauce.  Heaven!

Over the course of the week, we rented a boat, wave runners, got kicked out of every beach around (gah!), played hippie cricket, watched the Olympics (every night!), ate outside, had a pinata, took family pictures, went to LaBeau's (a lot), stayed up too late, did Insanity in the basement with the kiddies, made crafts, made dinners, had fun.  

The kids were amazing.  The accommodations were immaculate.  The time with my family couldn't have been better.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun trip.  Let's do it again soon!

Pioneer Day Rodeo

I failed at getting any decent photos at the rodeo, but here are precious Maria and W waiting to get into the rodeo grounds for the big Pioneer Day rodeo.  W asked every day for about a week if it was time to wear his cowboy hat, yet.  He could. Not. Wait.  Lizzie, on the other hand, could not wait to get out of that place as soon as we got there.  You win some, you lose some.    

Pioneer Day parade

Oh how I love the 24th of July.  Pioneer Day probably trumps the Fourth of July in my book.  I love this Utah holiday.  I love the parade.  I love the rodeo.  I love it all.  

My parents were kind enough to brave the rain with me and the kids.  We headed down to Washington Blvd. for the big parade.  I'm pretty sure this was W's first parade.  He wasn't sure quite what to do at first.  But he got the hang of waving at anything and anyone that moves, which was usually rewarded with a piece of candy.  He catches on quick.  

My parents were really up for anything while we were there.  I can't thank them enough.  Whatever we had going on that day or wanted to do, they were up for it.  It makes me so happy to see my kids spend time with and get to know their grandparents.  I feel so lucky and so thankful that my parents are willing to do that.  Big thumbs up for MaMom and Poppy.

Life at home: week 2

Life at home in Utah:  week 2

I had just put Lizzie down for a nap, then went searching for W to do the same.  I couldn't find him anyway.  I couldn't find my dad, either.  Then I looked in my room and...there they were!  Both asleep. My dad with his sandals on.  W with his daddy's socks on.  Based on W's body, I think he was coerced into staying in bed, but it obviously worked.  They both got a good nap.  

I left L alone for about two minutes in the kitchen one morning while I ran upstairs to look for a phone number.  When I came back, she was covered head to toe in Hershey's chocolate milk mix.  In one hand she held the almost empty container.  The other hand was fisted into her mouth, turned nearly black by the wet, sugary cocoa that she was sucking off.  When I came around the other side of the kitchen counter, the entire floor was covered with the chocolate powder.  This girl...busy!

Picnic and feeding the ducks at Beus Pond.  W really liked throwing the bread at the ducks.  L preferred to eat the bread herself.  My sister Liz was a champ for the two weeks we were there.  She was up for anything and everything.  It was so, so fun to have her around to love on my kids, help me keep them busy, keep me motivated to exercise, swim and just spend time with us.  We love aunt Liz!

W needed a haircut in the worst way, particularly before aunt Laura's wedding in a couple of weeks.  I bribed him to sit for a haircut by offering to get him a special treat of his choice.  Well, we were turned away by a 45 minute wait at the Great Clips.  So to kill the time, I told him we could get his special treat ahead of time. What did he want?  I figured ice cream or a piece of candy.  No, no.  He quickly responded that he wanted a soda.  That was it.  So we walked across the parking lot to the McD's.  I treated myself to a DC.  W was treat to a (watered down) root beer.  It was really a win-win for everybody.  When it was finally his turn in the barber's chair (hardly a barber), he sat so still and talked her ear off.  Sweetest boy.  

Chickens

My dad came home with 40-some chicks this past winter.  Those 40 chicks turned into almost as many egg-producing chickens.  The chicks were originally sort of incubated in a small pen in the pool house over the winter.  Now they reside in the former playhouse and shed out in the back of my parents' field.  It's quite the production my dad has going.  The chickens laid their first eggs while we were in Utah.  At first it was just three or four eggs each day.  By the time we left, it was seven or eight or ten!  Today, they lay about 20 eggs per day!  

Each day we were in Utah, Winston would head out to the field with my dad or mom.  They would unlock the coop, make sure the chickens had adequate water, spread some more food, give them any scrap foods we had brought from the house, then look for any eggs.  It took only a day or two and Winston became an egg-collecting natural.  He knew the routine so well that when Dave joined us in Utah about two weeks later, W took Dave out the to coop on his own and showed his daddy how it was done.  When the job in the coop was done, W would carefully bring the "fragile" eggs back to the house, wash them, and put them in the fridge.  

It made Winston so proud to have a job each day and complete it with ease.  He always looked forward to this little bit of time he would have with either or both of my parents.  W really took ownership over his little job.I was so proud to see him thrive doing real work and see the satisfaction he got out of it.  

These pictures remind me of when I had my pet chicken named Blueberry (where did I get that name?!).  

Farmers' market

I'd heard the Ogden Farmers' Market had really stepped it up, so I anxiously awaited the first Saturday in Ogden to check it out.  I was not disappointed.  Neither were W and L.  It just so happened to be "Farm Equipment Saturday," so several enormous tractors and farm-like machines highlighted 25th Street.  I couldn't get over how big these machines were.  W liked climbing around in them.  He and L loved the balloons and cow-shaped fans that were part of the day.  I scored some cute little earrings, as well as locally grown beets and a homemade cinnamon roll.  Saturday morning success!