the cutest thing...

How cute is this? Doesn't this just make you want to make a lunch for someone? Read her post. After her little boy got too old for it to be signed with a heart, she started hiding them somewhere in the picture.

I'm liking...

Dear Gap,

Thank you for making me not have to force myself back into skinny jeans after kid #3 is born. I think I can make this look work even with my distorted, stretched-out, puffy postpartum-ness. Thanks for giving me something to look forward to.

Your friend,
Jen

Signs that summer has ended...

Charlie started Pre-K, and he couldn't be more thrilled to be in class with his friends Nash and Gracie AND that he gets to go 3 days a week this year. P.S. the backpack we ordered is ENORMOUS (but still incredibly awesome)! So, the search continues for a smaller, cubbie sized back pack.

The harvest of the random sunflower. We actually didn't plant this sunflower. It was just a rogue seed that decided to grow right in the middle of my flower bed.

The first fall soccer game of the season. Also, charlie's first time playing soccer. It was hilarious!

He has a killer kick.

Love Charlie's game face.

And his shameless plug for bottled water.

The other team looked a little too old for cub soccer though. Seriously, they were huge. One kid was missing his 2 front teeth - 4 year-olds lose their teeth? Even the girl on their team was 6 inches taller than all our kids. Greg said he saw some of them with Chinese passports.

This video shows Charlie's sweet leg move that completely baffles all the kids. I don't even know if it's legal, but hey, Melissa didn't blow the whistle! Charlie is the one wearing the orange shirt and the red shorts:

This video shows Charlie's very first goal. You'll have to excuse the shakiness - the camera man got a little excited:

Greg's MANcation

Greg, Casey, and Brandon hit the Green River for a little fly fishing last weekend... My favorite is the picture of the fish. While the men were away we hit Jumpin' Jacks and went to an Orem Owlz game with Melissa complete with fireworks.

Great giveaway from SimpleMom!

Click over to SimpleMom for a chance at her fabulous giveaway! In your comment, tell her - what is your most favorite thing about the fall season?

The best frosting

Here is the recipe for my all time favorite frosting recipe. I used it on Katie's bridal shower AND THEN her baby shower cake - she loves it too. It came from one of my favorite recipe books, The Cake Mix Doctor.

WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Makes 3 cups, enough to frost a 2- or 3-Layer cake
Preparation time: 10 minutes

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (be sure to use bar white chocolate, not white chocolate chips – it makes the texture gummy and lumpy... I’ve tried it)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I never sift)

Place the white chocolate in a small saucepan and melt over low heat, 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heaT and let the chocolate cool.

Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar and blend on low speed for 30 seconds more. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy. 1 minute more.

Use to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice. Refrigerate the frosted cake until serving time.

Charlie's downtime

This summer I've often found charlie curled up in his favorite spot looking through the Cabela's catalog. Every once in awhile he brings it to me to show me something really cool he's found. I wasn't surprised when he found this backpack for school. After hearing the description of it, and learning that it is also water resistant he knew it was the one for him. The 3-5 day shipping wait is torturing him and he's stressing that it won't get here in time. I think it's pretty cool though.

"Happy Birthday, Jan!"

My birthday started off with my OBGYN congratulating me on my awesome weight gain... perfect validation for a pregnant girl. I did some shopping, painted my nails, watched a little HGTV. I got a stack of birthday cards, tons of e-mails, and a slew of text messages! The day culminated with a night out with just Greg (which always feels like a vacation), and a group of Cheesecake Factory waiters singing "Happy Birthday, Jan" over my chocolate coconut cream cheesecake. Hilarious.

29 is going to be a very good year!

My birthday horoscope: The months ahead are likely to start on a slightly dull note, but a new arrival on the scene may be enough to liven up October (MAYBE THE BABY WILL BE A WEEK EARLY?!!). There’s some good luck due in November, while a work or school matter in early December may require some inventive thinking (Work always requires inventive thinking and I'll surely be back to it by December). A fabulous development or lucky break might turn out to have a downside in January, and February could see you trying to pull off an impressive juggling feat when you’d be better prioritizing! Some personal space in March will help you to work out where you’re going in a particular relationship. Watch the spending in April! Don’t over commit yourself in May; June is fabulous for travel, while July is a good month for generating some extra cash! (I'm liking the sounds of that!)

Lagoon - the quintessential summer adventure

We're glad that the boys are over their irrational fear of amusement park rides.
Disney Land, here we come.
Jack wanted to go on EVERY ride and was completely disappointed at the height requirement on the grown-up rides.
If it looked scary and terrifying he wanted to go on it.

Charlie and Jack pretty much had the time of their lives at Lagoon. Jack checks with me every morning to see if going to Lagoon is on our schedule for the day. Anyone want to bounce back with us before August 24th? Greg needs someone to go on the big-kid rides with him since I get way too many dirty looks standing in line, being pregnant and all.

We spent a good part of the afternoon at the water park. The water was incredibly freezing. I have not idea how it can possibly stay that cold. But it was great for the lazy river.

I have to admit, it was really one of my favorite days of the summer too... We had the best day together complete with tons of greasy food and laughing. I think it was really cool for Greg to see his boys enjoying the same rides he loved as a kid. We all got to go on the Flying Aces - a true classic Lagoon ride - I think it was our favorite.

How to be disorganized and unproductive... as seen on Simple Mom

One of my favorite bloggers, Simple Mom, is posting a series she calls "The 6 Keys to a Disorganized, Unproductive Day at Home". It's excellent reading.

Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove

Discovery Park (Manilla Park - Novell Children's Discovery Park) is awesome! I recommend it to anyone looking for a fieldtrip this summer.

Holy baby

While editing photos for my previous post, I saw these!

Well, baby #3 is coming along quite nicely... apparently....

It rained

Summer rain is my favorite.

So, when I started seeing it come down, I sent the boys outside.
The boys played until they got cold, then bundled up i their fleecy pants.


But, after the rain we went outside to see the rainbows.

And we found friends outside too!



We totally couldn't resist playing with them... even in our fleecy pants.

Grasshopper - the movie

This video is mostly for the benefit of my kids who love to replay it over and over again.

Feeding the dragons

I almost had the sweetest video of feeding a bearded dragon this enormous 3 inch grasshopper - complete with blood splatter - but my batteries were dead.

Our friend, Michelle, raises the dragons and the boys have been catching grasshoppers out of our little flowerbed for her all summer. Every few days we have several to take over and feed to them. It's hillarious. Last night 2 of them even fought over a big fatty one. Good times.