He Liked It!

Yesterday was Weston's very first day of pre-school! We'd been mentally preparing him for this day for a couple of weeks, and we weren't really sure how he'd react once it arrived.
As you can see, his smile is a just a little forced. We tried to get him all excited to play with the other nice kids waiting there with us, but there was really only one thing he was truly excited about - and everyone there knew it!!

Who can blame the kid? That Spiderman backpack was one of the best purchases I have ever made. The thrill of wearing the backpack overshadowed all of Weston's anxieties. So although he walked off to class biting his fingernails, we knew he would be alright. (We also knew he'd be fine when we saw the class head straight for the playground!)

As it turns out, he really liked his first day of school! I took this video when we got home to capture the moment:

Sophie P.

Who's that cute little rascal with the wild, wild hair? It's none other than the lovely Sophie P. ("p" is for princess) making another discovery...She was SO proud of herself!The other day my mom came by and had the good fortune of becoming Sophie's naptime pillow. I have a feeling she didn't mind!

Precious little girl...

Because they inspire me

There is just something about a beautiful country road that makes me feel at home. Not all raods inspire me, but these do. This first one reminds me of childhood Summers in Missouri. This one just feels ancient, like if I go down that path I'll be going back in time. I wonder what those trees have seen over the years, and what stories they would tell if they could.Maybe I've just seen too many movies, but when I look at this picture I half way expect some creature to jump out of the trees.

I have been in the desert so long that I forget gorgeous places like this actually exist.

I'm no country girl, but I crave wide open spaces.

How I would love to take my kids by the hand and walk down a dirt road together. This last picture kind of makes me want to throw up, because I know that's what would happen if I ever drove down it! Isn't that thing insane?

Gilcrease and Spider-Girl

Last Saturday we ventured to Gilcrease Orchards with the kidlets. Usually we don't go until October so we can get our pumpkins, but this year we decided to take a gander in August as well.Anywhere else in the country, people would think I was one strange lady for snapping this shot, but I just couldn't help myself... it was so refreshing to see green! The kids had a blast... mostly playing in the dirt.

Sophie was fascinated with everything, especially things that don't go in your mouth like sticks and rocks!

Oh, and did I mention pine cones? That seriously had to be the only pine cone in the entire place, but somehow she managed to find it. She tried to eat it too, but that didn't work out so well. :)

We found lots of beautiful, HUGE zucchini squash. I wanted to pick it all, but at $1/lb, I didn't think it would be so prudent. Weston found these little baby eggplants and thought they were the cutest things he'd ever seen.

Well, maybe the cutest thing he'd ever seen besides Sophie, who was determined to pick a melon!

Then it was off to the fruit trees...

It sure was fun picking apples. Unfortunately, they were extremely tart. They are still sitting on our counter because none of us can force ourselves to eat them, although Weston managed to eat almost a half of one. (which I thought was truly impressive!)

We were feeling *slightly* disappointed, when we drove around the last corner and beheld (hold your breath) one of the most enormous fig trees I have seen in my entire life! Jason was thrilled.

Weston was all excited to try one right off the tree - and really, isn't that the best way to eat fruit? He was so excited about it that even though I could tell he hated it, he tried to love it. He said he definitely liked it and even tried to smile! What a good attitude... it was cute.

Later that afternoon, we discovered a new superhero....

We call her Spider Girl!

If you sass her, she WILL throw her web at you!!Weston wasn't going to miss out on the action... he soon ran to get his batman cape on. Apparently he was so excited about it that he forgot the rest of his clothes.

Now Sophie is addicted. If she sees the Spider man costume, she brings it to me to put it on, and then she runs around the house throwing webs. She and Weston are quite a pair!

Future heart-throb!

I remember when I was pregnant with Weston, Jason and I used to muse about how our genes would mix. We were so anxious to see what our first child would look like.
We were not disappointed! (really, what parent is?)
Three and a half years later, I have to admit that he is still one handsome little devil!!!

How I love his sweet smile.

July 24

The other day my mom asked Weston, "how was the 24th of July?" To my amazement, he immediately knew what she was talking about! Every year on July 24th, we celebrate Pioneer Day carnival style with the North Las Vegas Stake. It is quite a tradition. Here's a picture of Sophie, pre-celebration:To get technical, the celebration is two days. On the first evening we eat, visit, and listen to music. Here are Daddy and Sophie on that first night. We got special stickers that said "I'm a Harmony Hills Pioneer," because we were part of the newly formed ward (that had yet to even meet for the first time). I guess that's how the new bishop ended up finding us and calling me as Young Women's president a few days later. So much for our plans to lay low in the new ward! On the second day, we eat some more, visit some more, listen to some more music, and then keep eating! Oh, and there's always a pretty kickin' fireworks show at the end.

Last year on July 24 I was eight and a half months pregnant, and we kept thinking how differently our life would be at Pioneer Days 2010 with a baby girl in tow... maybe that's why we snapped so many pictures of the little bundle. (Who, by the way, is an adventurous, not-so-small bundle these days!)In this picture, we're waiting in line to dunk Aunt Shae-Leigh in the big tank of water. The poor girl was so darn hot she was begging for it!There is nothing in all the world quite as sweet and peaceful as a sleeping baby...We all had a pretty nice time just relaxing and chasing the kids around. (Did I just put those two things in the same sentence?)Sophie's nap didn't last long - she had too many exciting discoveries to make! The girl has a fascination with water bottles, among other things. Eventually, she was able to get the lid off. It ended up there in the top of her dress, but she couldn't figure out where it had gone...Was it up in the sky?She's a smart cookie, so it didn't take too long to figure out!Meanwhile, Weston had plenty of people to occupy his attention. Here he is clinging to his Uncle Trevor.He also saw his friends Justin, Anna, and Dallin. As you can see, our little wild man was getting pretty worn out by the end of the evening.Nothing like some juicy watermelon to recharge the old battery. Throw in some goggles, and you've really got a winning combo! If you don't believe me, just ask Weston...Sophie enjoyed the fireworks from the comfort of Uncle Trevor's lap. She just loves him!

It was a fun time had by all. What can I say? Pioneer Days never disappoints.