T-Ball

Max started T-ball this year and so far it has been a blast to watch! He is doing such a great job.

He loves to catch the ball and throw it to first. We had to make him stop tackling the kids for the ball at the first game. He would run for it wherever it landed. :-)

We have discovered that he is a leftie batter (but still seems to be ambidextrious at most other things). He has been having so much fun practicing batting and catching with Riley in the backyard.

This picture was at the last game when Riley was helping fill-in for Max's coach. Max loved having dad's help!

Pittsburg Lake

A week after we got home from Yellowstone, Riley and I still had a hiking bug, so we decided to go exploring close to home. We went up American Fork Canyon, set up camp, and hiked to Pittsburg Lake. It was such a great hike. . .steep and rocky, but well worth it.

Riley standing on a raft in the lake. There was still enough run-off that there were a few little waterfalls.

Max and mom at the lake.

Heading back to camp. Max had a much harder time hiking down because of all the loose rocks on the trail. Roundtrip, a little over 2 hours. That night, it felt as if we had the canyon to ourselves. It was so quiet!

4th of July

For the 4th of July, Riley had to work. We were bummed, but tried to make the best of it. While he was awake, we had a BBQ at my moms house. Max made his cute shirt in his arts and crafts class. He was so excited to wear it!

Max and Sam love playing outside at Grandma's.

Sam watching the fireworks. He loved them! He watched for a while and then fell asleep.

Max doing his signature ear covering. Pleasant Grove put on a great firework show!

Yellowstone

For our summer vacation this year, we decided to pack the tent and venture up to Yellowstone. Max has been reading a lot of volcano books that talk about Yellowstone and he was so excited to go! We stayed 5 days at a KOA in West Yellowstone, Montana that was really nice. Swimming pool and everything.
Yellowstone was a blast. Our days were packed with exploring, and the Frommers Guide that we bought was very helpful. We were able to see a bald eagle in her nest with her babies, dozens of bison, elk, deer, 2 black bears, and hundreds of squirrels, chipmunks, and pot guts. We also enjoyed the interactive trails through Yellowstone showcasing the vast array of landscapes. Max was very intrigued and asked millions of questions about everything we looked at. He loved the paint pots, hot pots, mud pots, and especially the geysers. While we were exploring the geyser basin around Old Faithful, Beehive Geyser happened to go off (it only goes off once a day). It was amazing. It shot off right in front of us, higher than Old Faithful, and for much longer (about 5 minutes). Max tried to run away from the water thinking it would burn him, but didn't make it far before we were all drenched. . .and the water ISN'T hot. :-)
Many miles were walked and hiked and much fun was had. Both boys were fabulous, Sam loved being packed around in the backpacks and Max, our little Jr. Ranger, walked and hiked wherever we went with little complaints. We can't wait to go back and see some of the things that we missed!

My Baby is Getting So Big!

Sam is now 10 months! He is getting so big! He loves to follow Max around and do whatever he is doing. Max is such a great big brother and MOST of the time he lets him share. Max has also learned to "lure" him towards things, which doesn't always work in Max's favor. Sam loves to follow Max up the stairs. I keep thinking I should get a baby gate, but he seems to be doing great at getting up the stairs and "yelling" at me to get down them.

He is crawling all over the place and pulling himself up onto everything. He has let go a few times, but when he realizes he's standing alone he falls down. His legs are so strong, I'm thinking he'll be walking soon!

He loves to be outside. He will sit at the door and yell trying to get someone to take him out. If you're wondering, YES this is dirt in his mouth. I don't think he liked it, he hasn't tried it again, but it made for some fun pictures! :-)

He loves to be independant. He wanted to sit on this chair all by himself. When we would touch him, he would grunt and push our hands away. He also loves sitting in the cart at the grocery store (as long as Max doesn't try to push it...I don't know why, but it makes Sam so mad!). He is such a fun little guy, it's so fun to watch him learn and grow everyday.

Carnival Season

It's no surprise that Max loves carnivals! He starts asking when they are coming in about January. He has been having so much fun this year being tall enough to go on some of the "big kid" rides. The above picture shows an unsuspecting Max waiting for the ride to start.

And this is Max trying to "unglue" himself from the girl he doesn't know. It was cute to hear little giggles coming from his seat.

Sam went on his first ride this year. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not at first, but by the end he was a fan. Looks like carnivals just got double expensive for me.

I thought Max may have moved on this year, but no. This continues to be his favorite ride. He loves this silly "raiders" obstacle course. He could go through it all day! He's really looking forward to Steel Days this weekend. :-)

The Big 3-0!

This year was the dreaded 3-0! It is weird to think that I am now what I once considered to be an "old" person. Scary. Honestly though, it is easier than I thought it would be to admit that I am 30.

My birthday was amazing! Following tradition, Riley woke up early (while I was still dead to the world) and drove into P.G. for my favorite donuts. He and the boys also gave me a book about donuts and two sweet donut pans, and tickets to see Billy Joel and Elton John (in November! I'm so excited!).

We went swimming at the new Lindon pool that afternoon. It is such a great pool! That evening, my mom threw a WT 30th. It was so fun! Riley made a very yummy cake and we all celebrated in style (Riley's costume was made complete with an authentic farmers tan).

Thanks everyone for an amazing birthday!

Kelly Clarkson

My friends and I went to the Kelly Clarkson concert at UVU to celebrate our birthdays this year.

Tesla and her dippin' dots! MMMMM......

The four of us: Cat, Natalie, Me, and Tesla.

Kelly Clarkson. She was so great live! Even better than expected! After the show we spent the night in Provo. It was such a blast and a fun way to celebrate our birthdays. Thanks girls!

Sam's First Hair Cut!

Sam's old babyhair was getting pretty shaggy so we decided to take him down to cookie cutters to get it cut.

I love cookie cutters! They are so cute and fun. Sam did a great job and smiled and giggled the whole time.

The finished product! His hair looks so good and so much older!

Our Day at the Zoo

We were able to visit our fun little zoo on a very nice day.

Every time we go, we check Max's height. I can't believe how big he is getting! I love how he bent his legs so they matched the gorilla pictures.0.

We happened to walk by this cool owl while it was out and about being socialized. I guess she is fairly new to the zoo.

Dad and his boys at the entrance. We had such a great zoo day!

Spring Soccer

This spring Max got his first chance at team sports in city league spring soccer. He had so much fun and his coach was amazing!

We didn't get many action shots, Max tended to stay back away from the aggressiveness surrounding the ball. Instead, he ran around doing tricks and telling stories. With a little bit of bribery, he did get some kicks in. :-)

He loved every minute of it. He had fun with his teammates and was so excited to get a medal and ice cream cone for finishing the season!