Eating with a fork!

Is he getting old really fast or is it just me!?!?

Fro yo

Just a fun little girls night out with some AMAZING girlies! Kristi Jansen and Shanell Gambell both served in young women's with me in our last ward and will be my friends for life! Fun night of girl time, while trying out a new Frozen Yogurt place...Yogurt Ranch!

Big Boy

Carden is STILL in his infant carseat at 14 months old! I think Ryler outgrew it about 8 months old!! I have just been lazy and haven't got him a new seat yet. This particular day, Carden and I were running errands while the boys were in school and I let him sit in Ry's seat and he was SO HAPPY sitting forward in a big boy seat!! What a cutie!!!

Giant SlipN Slide

The annual Phelps Slip n Slide was a success, yet again!!!

My boy with dimples

I kept taking his picture while waiting for his bus one day and without breaking a smile and through his teeth, he says, "mom, I am going to miss my bus if you keep taking so many pictures!" He sure is cute!!

Pulling Weeds

Lately Parker is ALWAYS wanting to pull weeds! And when he assigns Saturday chores(yes...he chooses who does what), he always wants me to go help him pull weeds outside! And he is really good at it too! He always pulls from the base and shows me the roots he pulls up! I am grateful for my hard working 5 year old. We decided to boys deserved a dilly bar for their efforts this particular night! :)

Jungle Gym

Carden just discovered the playhouse in the backyard for the first time! It's been too hot to play outside for months and before that, he was too small! Well...it took him seconds to figure out how to climb up the ladder and slide down the slide! He is in heaven! Wish it was cooler outside, that boy LOVES to be outside!!!

Sunday Night Fun

A little game of "Pinchy Fousty Cutty Flatty Cow Pokey". Not MY favorite game, but my kids sure love it!!!:)

Love these three...

Parker-loves chicken nuggets, white sauce pasta, riding his bike, going to school, playing with his cousins, drawing pictures(mostly of monsters), watching My Friend Rabbit(cartoon), Horsey rides on daddy's back, climbing on anything and everything, writing notes, playing "restaurant", reading books, will do anything and everything to avoid going to bed,thinks a freckle appears on his face every time he smiles...which he does OFTEN and has the cutest little freckled smile ever!

Ryler-is very independent, likes to put on his own clothes, including shoes and socks, loves everything cold...his food, his bath water...everything! He is loving going to preschool and hops right on the bus! He loves playing in the sand and dirt and loves listening to anyone read stories to him. He loves the iPad and puzzles and is quite the whiz at both! He can write his name, and knows shapes including trapezoid and crescent...he is a smartie! He has the sweetest smile, with dimples that light up the room!

Carden-loves pizza, yogurt, applesauce and pasta, but likes to b fed...doesnt like to touch food. He loves to go outside and wishes he didn't have to stay couped up in this heat. He can say about 10 words and loves to climb! He blows the sweetest kisses and is in love with his older brothers. He won't watch tv, but will immediately start dancing when he hears music. He loves to throw balls and play with instruments. Carden has the sweetest personality and the biggest smile and laugh!

Baby Brin

My sister Kylie had the sweetest baby girl on August 13th...and she is grandchild #13!! She is absolutely beautiful and I am so happy for this little bundle of joy to their family!!!

Shower for Chaya

My sister had her baby and the next day, I got to go to Chaya's shower! Celebrating these new nieces has been so fun...especially since I don't have girls of my own!! The shower was at my mother-in-laws, who is the best host ever!! It was a fun night and we are excited for her baby girl to come in September!

First week of school

Well...we have survived the first full week of school and the boys are doing great! Well...Ryler is doing great and loving it and Parker is trying to adjust. I feel bad for him because he says he gets "sooooo hungry" at school. It is just a really long day for him and I am second guessing myself and wondering of I should've put him in half day at Franklin. I am going to see how he does in the next few weeks and hopefully he starts adjusting. I have already seen improvement in the last week, as he settles in to a new routine of waking up early!

Ryler comes home after we take Parker at 7:40 and gets his backpack on and waits til the bus comes at 9:20...he is sooo excited to go every day! He goes on Mon/Tues/Thurs from about 9:20-12:20. He is doing great and jumps up on that bus and blows kisses to me out the window! He is suh a cutie and I am sooo glad that he loves it and goes without hesitation!

As for me...I am actually LOVING this new routine. I have to wake up mug earlier than I am used to, but I am enjoying the schedule and I even have had some time to clean or grocery shop or make clocks...I even went to lunch with a friend, when the boys are at school!!

If Parker was a little more excited about going, it would be perfect! I think it will come. The first week they had no specials and there was a heat advisory so no recess:( the past few days try have been able to go outside and Parker came home excited to tell me about PE and music, so I think some of those things will help him ry excited about going!!

2 more weeks and then preschool begins, so I am trying to enjoy the last couple weeks of MY summer vacation:)

Chitter Chatter with Carden

Carden is just over a year and he is talking! It is very strange after having Ryler, who didn't really say anything until 2 and then has struggled with being understood since then. Carden's vocabulary includes:
Mommy
Daddy
Mama
Baba
Ball
Bus
Ruff ruff
Mama(for Grandma)
More(says and signs this)
Mmmmm(after taking a bite)
And then he will mimick many other words or sounds, but these are the ones he says on a regular basis. It is so fun to interact with him and he just has the funniest personality! It will be fun to watch him grow and learn every more words! He also LOVES to blow kisses and wave bye bye and give high fives and will give you the biggest open mouthed kiss if you ask for a kiss;) I love my Carden boy!!!

California: Day Four

We stayed with my cousin Kimi on the last night and our boys had a blast together!!! Her and her husband, Mike, we're SO NICE to let us come and stay!!! Kimi took us to Corona Del Mar beach, also known as "baby beach" because it is family friendly with small waves. Kimi has two boys and so out boys loved having friends to play with! In late afternoon, we drive to see low tides at Laguna Beach. We were able to walk around these rocks and see starfish and crabs and fish and the boys were amazed! A perfect way to end our day!! When we got back to their house, we celebrated Kimi's 30th birthday with cake and ice cream! It was a wonderful way to end our vacation!! The next day, we woke up and swam in their community pool for a bit and then packed up and headed home!! It was a GREAT week!!

California: Day Three

We enjoyed a FUN-FILLED day at Knotts Berry Farm! They have a fun kids section called Camp Snoopy and it kept us busy all day long! Parker's favorite ride was the "push carts and ferris wheel" and Ryler loved the "honking cars". We had such a wonderful day together!

California: Chilean Restaurant

We found this place 2 years ago when we went to California with our friends, Bryan and Natalie and have been craving Chilean food ever since! We went there for dinner night two in Cali and enjoyed a Churasco and some empanadas! Yummy!! Someone needs to open a Chilean restaurant in AZ!

California: Day Two

We just drove down near Newport Beach and found a free parking spot along the side of the road where we could see the beach. It ended up being a really nice spot, with only a handful of people in either direction. We sent up our chairs and the kids played for another day in the sand and water, loving life! We packed a picnic lunch nf enjoyed this quiet little beach, as a family! Parker loved "jumping over the waves with daddy" and Ryler collected sea shells, while Carden dug in the sand and napped when tired! It was a great day!