Happy New Year

Happy New Year from our families to yours. May we never have another 2009.

Thy leaves are so unchanging...

Thy leaves are so unchanging... maybe because thou art fake.

Merry Christmas to all...

...and to all a good night.

For having a studio in my home, it's amazing that this is our first family photo in over a year.

Oh, and one other thing. Looking at this picture reminds me of something. My wife is good looking. Really, really good looking.

True Blue??

Notice the blue hair? Paul (my brother in-law) is a Utes fan. Let's just say that I am extra glad BYU won this year. I don't look good as a red-head. Thanks for being such a good sport, Paul. For more detailed analysis of the game, talk to Brent.

Before, During, and After.

Before:





During:





After:

Wait... where?

At one point on Sunday, after a looong afternoon with some kids who were driving us a little bit bonkers, I turned to Miranda and in a somewhat exasperated voice said:

"I don't know where these kids came from."

Emma, without missing a beat, jumped in (with her best "do-I-have-to-explain-everything?" voice) and answered my rhetorical question:

"From the North."

Here is my beautiful daughter from the North.

Snake and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Aiden's favorite thing in the world is balls. He get so excited and screams "bah, bah" when he sees one. So, he went CRAZY at the pumpkin patch (see prior posts) thinking they were all balls. He got so excited, he started to cry about it. It's a fun and useful distraction sometimes. I am amazed at how he is already all boy. I promise, I did not teach him to zoom his cars, but he does. I did not encourage throwing balls in the house, but he does. I didn't teach him to wrestle, bu he loves it. And, I'm finding that I really enjoy these differences.

The Farm

For Sydney’s preschool, we took a field trip to the farm. She had a great time in the hay maze, climbing, swinging and petting the animals. Aiden had a great time checking out the pumpkins, crawling in the dirt, hearing the geese squack loudly (well, he didn’t really like that part, he cried), and climbing.

Worth 1000 words...

It seems only appropriate that the 100th post on this blog would be a photo.

You don't say

This morning while combing Emma's hair:

Dad- Dude, hold still.

Emma- Dad, I'm not a dude, I'm a woman.

Do I know you from somewhere?

After the girls went to bedast night I went and got a haircut that was long overdue.

Today, while on a walk, Emma's eyes got big, as she suddenly noticed the trim.

"Dad, you got a haircut!"

"Yup, does it look good?"

"Yeah," and then she added in a somewhat sinister voice, "you look familiar."

Looking Ahead...

Overheard at the dinner table...

Emma: I don't want to be a girl. I want to be a boy.

Mom: Why is that?

Emma: So I don't have to push out a baby.

Run Sydney, Run!

I had the chance to snap a couple of photos of Sydney playing soccer this weekend. She isn't the fastest on the team, and she is the youngest, but she has been having a good time. Like most 4 year olds, her favorite part of the game is the snacks and the treats at the end.

It has been good to have her get out and be part of a team. The girls have been getting a little bit better each week. It also helps that they have one of the best coaches in the region (me).

Today's Sunday Treat.

Seeing as everyone is home sick today, I had a minute to upload a video. Aiden isn't walking on is own yet, but as long as he has something to hold on to there is no slowing him down.

Photo of the Week

We moved into our new home. (email me if you need the new address for your address books)

I'm excited about many things, but most of all, I am enjoying my new studio space. This week's "Photo of the Week" was taken in that new studio.

We love you Emma!

Guaranteed to Make you Smile

We did Aiden's 1 year pictures. There's also a shot of Sydney thrown in for good measure. (Her 4 year old pictures will be coming up in a week or so. Better late than never.)

How can you look at these pictures and not smile?

I do not like green eggs and ham...

Last night at dinner Miranda made a fantastic chicken enchilada casserole.

I plopped a loving spoonful on Emma's plate. Emma took a good long took at the casserole and then announced in her best big kid voice:

"Mom, I'm going to try one bite before I say 'Ewwwwww, gross.'"

For the record, Emma loved the casserole.

Say what?

I recently went looking for Emma, only to find that she had locked herself in my bathroom. Usually when the girls do this it means they have located the Barbie band-aids and are applying them all over the body like tatoos.

"Emma" I said, "Open the door."

I hear the patter of little feet and the sound of the door unlocking. Emma is standing there looking a little sheepish. There are no barbie band-aids in sight.

"Emma, what were you doing?" I ask.

"Ummmm.... "

"Emma, tell the truth. What were you doing?"

"But Daddy, I think you will get mad at me."

"Emma, I won't get mad if you just tell me what you were doing."

...short pause...

"I was howling like a wolf."

Ok, that's not the answer I was expecting. I ask her to show me what she meant, and she climbed up onto the toilet, opened the small window behind the toilet, leaned up to the screen and....

"AAAWWOOOOOO!!!!!!"

No. I wasn't mad.

Before the Game

We've got three things going on here. The first is Sydney laying out her soccer clothes so she will be ready when it is game time. The second is Sydney dressed and ready to go. The third is Emma's reaction as she realizes that only Sydney gets to play soccer and not Emma. (Emma is currently enrolled in dance.)

After the game...

This is the 'after the game' picture.  'Before the game' shots will be coming soon.  

Happy Birthday Aiden

Happy Birthday Aiden

We love you!

And a big shout-out to the person who has spent the past year changing diapers, feeding, washing faces, and playing peek-a-boo. We love you too Miranda.

(There are a few more photos on our website)

Little Girls

Overheard today:

Dad: Emma, go and clean up the bathroom.
Emma: Dad, you're like Miss Hannigan.

First Day of School

A very big moment in the family happened a few weeks ago and I have taken this long to sit down and write about it. My baby started school. My little Emma is suddenly all grown up.

I really didn't think it was going to be a big deal. I have no problem having her gone all day long...wait, let me think about that.....yeah NO problem. My sadness has come from knowing that one chapter in her life is over. She is no longer my little girl. She is independent, confident, and sucessful without me holding her hand. That's kind of a bummer as a mother-knowing that I'm not really needed as much as I was a month ago. But, enough about me...Emma is LOVING kindergarten.

Her teacher's name is Mrs. Puckett. Emma told me a few days after school started that she wished Mrs. Puckett was her mommy. How's that for cutting the apron strings?

Dropping her off was not hard for her at all. She just walked right in, sat at her desk and didn't even realize that I was tearing up as I stood there by the door.

She goes to a Charter school, so their facilities are somewhat lacking. They have no cafeteria or gym and so they're outside several times during the day. The poor girl just comes home sweating and bright red. I am very happy with her teacher and the staff at the school. Volunteer moms help out a lot and they all knew her name within the first week of school and knew who I was. That was very comforting to me. I don't think you'd get that in a public school with hundreds of kindergartners.

She is making friends easily (no surprise) and loves singing time. Her biggest complaint would be that life goes on at home without her. She gets upset if we go swimming or eat cookies or watch movies while she's gone and thinks that we need to do those things again in the evening.

She started dance yesterday, which she loved, and is counting down the days until next Tuesday when she gets to go again.

In a way, life is more calm at home without her, but in a way, I feel like I'm more busy. The day-to-day tasks have grown, but the drama of having three kids has subsided. So, I guess Life goes on. I think it goes way too quickly!

I love you too Emma.

Look what snuck into my lunch bag today. Emma has been getting these notes from Miranda and decided she wanted to share the love

The 3 Musketeers?

Yup.  This is pretty much how it happened.

Friday night at the park

The days may be hot, but if we can get a little monsoon rain the evenings are not bad.

Mowhawk Man

This is Aiden's natural look after he gets out of the tub. A nice strong mowhawk on top with peach fuzz on the sides.

Moving Hazard

Don't underestimate these kids.  They can find safety hazards without much difficulty.

My little girl is all grown up...

Emma's first day of kindergarten is tomorrow.  My first question is, "What kind of school starts in July?

My next question would be, "How did my little baby get so big?"

Good luck Emma!

Let's get to the good stuff

I (Brent) was the substitute pianist in primary today so I was able to
observe the girls.

Halfway through singing time Emma raised her hand to interrupt the singing.

"Excuse me, are we going to color today?"

Say what?

Syd- Dad, do grandmas know everything?

Dad- No.

Syd- Do moms know everything?

Dad- No.  I don't think anyone knows everything.

Syd- I think moms do.

Wicked

Sydney teaching Aiden how to be loud...

Just what we need... Another loud voice in the house.

Bite me

Aiden currently has four teeth coming in on the top.  That will give him 6 total.  Also, he is now crawling like a madman.  Lock the cabinets.

I'm a big kid now...

Emma can finally go on the big kid slides. She loves it!