Summer Catch Up

Because I am such a slacker and perfectionist; I have fallen far behind on our current doings. A perfectionist because I keep thinking I'll take the time to blog everything that I want the way I want and a slacker because the further I fall behind the more overwhelming the task seems and the farther I fall behind. But I am hoping to leave all that behind and move forward here is a very breif summary of what you missed this past summer. My Dad bought the kids a set of golf clubs earlier this summer and Russ and the boys proceeded to spend every free minute on the course. The boys love to chip in our yard but their favorite is to actually go to the course in Monticello and play a round of golf, or hit a few buckets of balls with Dad.

We did lots of cooking out and even tried more camping this year. Camping was a nightmare because Wyatt was not so keen on all of us sleeping in a tent in the cold air; but Evan thought it was really fun. They both love to be on the mountain and cookout though. Which is great because as they get older we plan on doing more and more. Russ and I love to be outside and we're hoping it passes on to our offspring.

We spent some time with Russ' Grandparents who live in Monument Valley. It was good because the boys don't really know who they are but they had fun at their house and love to get to know more of their grandparents. Russ' parents only speak Navajo so Russ' mom came along to translate.

We went to the Hogle Zoo, the carosel was of course their favorite. They liked the park too, and each year they are warming up to the animal exhibits even more. Maybe next year we'll actually be able to look at the elephants. Wyatt seemed to like the animals more than Evan; who just wanted to rush through so he could ride the escalator at the mall.

While we were also up there we hit the West Bountiful fourth of July parade. My kids love a parade. Wyatt liked to watch and was pre occupied with a sucker for most of the parade. Evan loves to get the candy and waves at the "floats" passing by.

So I'm not too big into the matchey-matchey but how could you resist. They are just too cute.
We went to the Albequerque Zoo this year as well. I loved their zoo. They had a lot more animals and we must have gone at the right time because there were a lot of babies which was great. We got to feed the giraffe, and Evan loved playing in the park and riding the train. Wyatt liked chasing the birds that were rummaging around as we had lunch. My favorite were the hippos.
We went to the Olsen reunion and it was great to catch up with family. We don't get up to Logan very often so it was nice to see everyone. The boys had a great time at the park with their uncles. We ate, talked, and played games. I'm so glad we were able to see more of our families this summer; thanks to Russ' new job. Here is us at the Hansen Planetarium. The boys had a great time. The exhibits were cool but they loved the toy by the stairs that has all the wheels, balls, and rotating cogs that spins and does whatnot. It took us a long time to finally leave because the boys were too busy. Finally we decided to add a new edition to our family. Her name is Abby. She is as cute and as sweet as she looks. She is our "house dog" and the kids love her so much.

Evan's First Day Of School

My baby is growing up and he started school last August, with Tiny Tots Preschool. He loves going to school and hanging out with other kids his own age. He has been learning lots of new academic and social skills. His best friends are Shaylee and Kaylee and his teacher is Mrs. Lee. His favorite things to do are to paint, play outside, and snack time. His least favorite is thing to do is to walk to the front door by himself. He is gaining more confidence in himself and in his abilities, which is great. He'll graduate this year in May and start again this upcoming August. Getting ready to go!As you can see he had a great first day. One of his biggest accomplishements this year is learning to write all of his letters and numbers. He has done great and continues to love going to school.

Hats

Wyatt LOVES hats. He always has; and the fetish has only got worse as he's gotten older because he is now more mobile. Now he not only wears hats he wears:Blankets... The funniest part is that he loves to walk around with blankets on his head so he can't see. He bumps into stuff all the time, laughs, gets up and keeps going. You'd think he'd learn but he loves it and thinks it is so funny.

Headbands.... He wears these as sunglasses too.....

Hair ties.....

Visors.... They often don't feel just right for him so he messes with them till he's satisfied....

Goggles....

He wears these for hours, most of the time he wears them on top of his head not over his eyes..
Evan wants to get in on the photo op too....

I left out the pictures of him in his hats because those aren't quite as interesting as his "homemade" hats. He wears all the hats he can get a hold of, pants are often found on his head, and food is also a popular item he chooses to wear.

Softball Days

We play a lot of softball in the summer and when we practice the boys are always with us. They are starting to take a very big interest in it as well, especially Evan. Wyatt wants to play a lot but mostly has to hang out in the dug out because he's still so small.

Getting ready for the throw...

Catching the ball. He was using my glove to catch which is way to big so he had to use both hands to hold it.

Picking up the bat. It is just cute to me because the bats are as big as he is. He actually is a pretty good hitter.

Little Wyatt trying to sneak out of the dugout.

My Amazing Ray of Sunshine

I LOVE THIS KID! He is so funny and such a ham all the time. He always makes me smile and makes me feel so special. I love his laugh, and his ever giving sense of humor. Probably why his nickname is my sunshiny bear.

Grandma Olsen

January 1922- May 2009

Things I love and want to remember about Grandma Olsen:

Her rolls

Her butter potato breakfasts with cream of Weber milk

How we weren't allowed to touch the walls in her house (which is something that I now understand but as a child tried to exploit.)

How she made me feel that I was always her favorite
How she called me Rebecca, Kathleen, Mary Jo, and finally Jenny

She is the hardest worker I know

Hearing stories about her weeding and gardening beets as a child

Sneaking peas from her garden before dinner time

Wearing pink fuzzy socks and sliding down her immaculately clean and slippery hallway

The way she saved even the last spoonful of food in Tupperware in her fridge

When she would take home leftovers for the cats

She loved animals

Her hugs, and the way she smelled

Christmas was always more special at her house

Chatting about everything on the couch in her kitchen

The blocks with everyone's name on them

Her laundry shoot, and helping her do wash

The flower bed

The hot water bottle that she gave me when I was sick

Listening to her talk about her homecoming dance

The love she had for everyone, especially my Grandpa

Her stubbornness and Independence

Listening to her curse for the first time

Camping in the canyon

Watching her welcome everyone into our family

Her hugs, and kisses

"Grandma you look so pretty," "oh Jenny I never looked pretty a day in my life."

How she never was older than 29+

How she keeps all of us as a family together

Her big tinted glasses... she was in fashion before the rest of us

Her ever giving heart

How much I'll miss her

Getting her hair done and never going anywhere where there was wind

Seeing her hair white for the first time

Knowing she was the coolest Grandma

Her house, the farm, and the land we played

Sitting on her lap while she read me stories

Watching her face light up when I played the piano

How much I love her