Garett Turns One!

Garett's Birthday was Sept 22. That year went fast! We started out the celebrations with my Dad and Deb coming down with some presents. He wasn't quite sure what to do at first but Grace was eager to show him.

After the first rip of the paper he thought he was pretty cool!
He kept getting this excited look on his face like he could hardly stand the excitement! It was so funny.

He loved both of the gifts he got from them! A little tool bench and an animal train!

He is the best gift of all!

Then my mom and Ben's parent's came to celebrate and he knew just what to do with their gifts.

He opened the card from my Grandpa Hardy first and loved playing with the money- which we bought a nice winter coat with!

Then came Grandma Hardy's gift.

A Train!

He LOVES this thing. It moves on it's own and has balls that shoot out the back.

Grandma and Grandpa Harper came him a musical light up toy and we gave him some clothes and some trucks. I am proud to say that we now have a few boy toys in the house!

What's a party without a little wrestling match?

This was another fun game that day. Garett thought it was hilarious that Grandpa had ball on his head and tried to climb up and get it.

Then we had some ice cream and cake!

Garett was not thrilled about the hat.

He LOVED the cake though! He was not at all hesitant to eat the cake. He knew what it was and went right for it enjoying every last crumb.

Happy Birthday Garett! We love you and are so happy to have you in our family!

End of Summer

We were so sad to see summer end we milked the last days for all they were worth. Our favorite thing we discovered the last week of August was this fun Splash Park in Highland! We were able to go twice and the kids had a great time!

Grace and Matthew thought they were so funny running away from me.

I got them to pose for me eventually.
Nicole- the beautiful beach babe.

Grace loved the Little Mermaid this summer. She would find any rock she could sit on and sing to her little hearts content. Another funny thing she would do is look at me and pat her throat because she couldn't talk. Her Little Mermaid obsession has now moved on to Snow White so we'll se what things she comes up with that.

Grace's First day of Preschool!

Grace was soooo excited to start Preschool! She talked about it all summer, asked where it was going to be and what she would learn. She couldn't wait to go with her friends!

She was so excited about her Princess backpack. She looked pretty cute too!
The only problem is she just isn't doing well at preschool. We're doing this preschool with 4 other moms. The first day I picked her up I got the report that she cried.... a lot! Not because she got hurt, but because she didn't get to be the snack helper, or because she didn't get to be first. This crying continued the next week. By the third week when I taught I couldn't believe the way she was behaving! Crying over everything! Crying because she didn't get to the sink first to wash her hands or open the door. Crying because she didn't want to sit next to one of the other kids. Crying because she wanted to be the teacher. Crying because she didn't want to do the art project. Then there was the pushing, which usually was before the crying. This last time at school the teacher said she spent about 45 minutes on the couch crying. She had hit every one of the other kids because she wanted to use their crayons, their apron...ect. You get the idea. The other kids all just take it in stride and do what they're supposed to... but not my child! She is totally emotional and strong willed. Everything has turned into a competition. Everything has to be her way. She is this way at home, but at school it must be amplified because there are so many other people to deal with. Believe me she has spent a LOT of time in her room, but nothing seems to work. I am at a loss and on Tuesday I cried to her. I told her how upset she had made mommy by the way she was acting and I didn't know how to help her. She said she was sorry for making me sad, but still the crying and tantrums continue. Ben and I went to the Temple on Wednesday and I am hoping for some serious inspiration this weekend with General Conference. If any of you out there have any suggestions please share! I feel like a horrible mom and wonder did I do or not do something in the past to create this? I've been trying to reward the positive behavior and use a lot of empathy when she does cry but it hasn't changed anything yet. Help!

Preschool Fun

Before our Preschool actually began we had Party for the kids to get to know each other and the moms. We sang some songs then played a game of Go Fish. The back of these had the pictures of the kids on them and they had to find themselves.

Then they decorated Graham Crackers to look like themselves.

The funnest part was playing in the water with the sponges!

We had a race to see who could gather them all up.

The kids had fun squishing them on each other.

We finished off the party by eating their Graham Cracker "portraits". We were so excited to start school after this!

Daybreak Lake

Ben's Department at work had a BBQ at Daybreak Lake the last week of August. We had a fun time playing in the rafts.

Ben was the only adult who braved the lake and took several kids out for rides. Here he is with Grace.
This was before the worms were discovered in the water. We haven't had any sign of them yet and hope that we won't!

What has Garett been up to lately?

Pulling everything out of my cupboards...

Sleeping in silly positions....


Getting himself stuck in strange places....

Emptying out his drawers,

and getting stuck in them!

He is finally proficient in crawling after 3 long months of scooting! He has mastered the stairs, both up and down. In fact often I've found him at the top of the stairs turning in circles trying to get the right direction to go down. It's hilarious when he thinks he's got it and the next thing he know he's scooting backwards down the hallway! I love this kid!!!

Grace's First Haircut

We took Grace down to my friend Erin's house for her first haircut just before Preschool started. We (knock on wood) have never had a "hair cutting" incident before, so it was time for a trim. I told Grace that Erin would cut her hair and she was so excited she talked about it for a week.

Making the first cut.
Grace did such a good job sitting still for so long. The end result was perfect! Erin gave her a slight A-line so that the straight hair on top was shorter so the beautiful curls underneath could show.

She loves it. I love it! It's much easier to do! Thanks so much Erin, you're the best!

Dance

Grace started dance in August and is having a lot of fun. She loves her teacher Mrs. Rachel and comes home telling us about doing a Passe (I have no idea how to spell that), and playing with ribbons and running around. She has had a few rough days, but overall is doing well in dance. I can't wait to see how they do in their little performances. They're doing a dance at Festival of Trees, and the whole studio is doing a production of The Polar Express.

Though she is doing well in Dance I think her real talent may lie in swimming. We went today for a preschool field trip and she floated on her back- all by herself! Once she had mastered that a few times she began to do the backstroke! She only made it a few feet, but I was sooo proud of her! Way to go Grace!