3rd Grade

 I really don't think I am being selfish when I say that it isn't fair that Cole is already in 3rd Grade!  Where did my little boy go?  He shouldn't be reading big chapter books, negotiating, playing baseball, going on long bike rides, learning cursive writing, and getting a little attitude :)  I should still be able to cuddle him and carry him from the couch to his bed if he falls asleep.  I should still be able to ask him to do something without "Why?" following my request.  I should be able to give him a hug in front of his friends.  I should be able to pick out his clothes for school and comb his hair any way I want.  3rd grade, really?  I love the little man he is turning into, but I do miss my little boy, too!

Cole is in year round school on track A so he is already back to school.  He has Mrs. Turner this year and loves her so far...especially because the classroom is in a portable.  Just like last year.  He is super excited because his friend Trae switched to track A and he gets to carpool with him.  He always gets so sad for summer to end, but loves school so he gets over it pretty quick.  I hope he loves all his 3rd grade experiences :)  

Fireworks and all the fun that comes with them!

  I love July....birthdays, BBQ's, fireworks, swimming, no work, no school :)  This year has been great.  We've kept super busy and have been having lots of fun!  Last night we got together with some of our neighbors to let the kids play and light a few fireworks.  We had a great time and even finished with a nice finale of our own!

 

 Luke loves his big brother!  He wants to do everything Cole does.  Well, last night Luke saw Cole lick his fingers and put out the last of the sparks on the sparkler.  Not to be outdone, Luke decided that he would do the same thing as Cole.  He didn't realize that Cole had done it below the sparkler where it wasn't very hot and he licked his index finger and thumb and then decided to put out the flame on a very hot new burning sparkler.  That was then followed by lots of crying and screaming and running around to find the sink and cold water.  Yes, he burned himself pretty bad.  We also got to take care of Cole who was crying and worried about Luke because he felt like it was his fault since Luke was copying him :(  So sad!  We were lucky that our neighbors the Kendrick's were outside.  Jeremy is a doctor and helped us make sure everything was okay.  He said the burns are 2nd degree but so deep that they are pretty close to 3rd degree burns.  He also prescribed some medicine that will help prevent infection and numbs the pain.  We've even had some house calls and phone calls to check up on his little patient :)  He said Luke will probably have some nice scars to remind him not to mess with sparklers.  I wonder what his fingerprints will look like???  I guess this is one of those situations that Luke has definitely learned a lesson...I don't see him touching sparklers again.

 

 

 

We are so lucky to have awesome neighbors who doctor my kids, get us bandaids, help babysit, carry bikes home,cook us food, etc.  That would have been crazy if we had been alone!  Thanks much Hansen's, Kendrick's, White's, and Berrett's!

Ellee's Lost Her 1st Tooth

Ellee lost her first tooth today!  She was so nervous about getting it pulled but then was brave enough to let Damon get a washcloth and pull it out.  She did cry a little but with a smirk on her face :)  She gave Damon a big hug and then told us she had to call Ashlyn to tell her.

Ellee's Dance 2011

Ellee loves dancing! She is such a diva on stage. Her dance this year was to "Dancing Queen". It will be interesting to see how she does this coming fall when she will now be in the older class and have 2 dances to prepare for. I think she will be fine though. Every time she goes in her room to play she is either singing or dancing in there. So funny. The boys will just walk into my room laughing because she is belting out a song or watching herself dance in the mirror. Here are some of my favorite pics of the recital. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to post the video.

Baseball 2011

Ok....quick updates since I am so far behind in blogging. Baseball season was awesome this year. Cole actually had to try out and was picked to be on one of the travel teams for Herriman Baseball. Since he is 8 years old it was the first year of kid pitch baseball. Kid pitch makes for a long baseball game, with super high scores. Plus it was kind of boring to watch. It did get better as the season went on. The boys all got so much better that by the end of the season it actually looked like a baseball game. Cole did great, just like last year. It was fun watching him work his butt off to show the coaches that he was the best first baseman. He worked super hard, and by the end of the season, he was consistently playing first base. He really wanted to try pitching, but they never practiced it with him so that is something we will have to practice over the summer and get him ready for next year.Luke was on the Grasshoppers team. I was worried at the beginning of the season. He is in machine pitch and I didn't know how he'd do. It took a couple weeks to figure out how to stand at the plate and the rhythm of the pitches, but he finally got it all down. He usually ended up getting a hit on the first or second pitch. He was fun to watch whenever he hit or threw the ball because he always had the biggest grin on his face. All the parents would just start laughing because he was so happy to be playing. And we all know how his smile just makes everyone else smile as well :) He still has a goofy little throw. He exaggerates stepping with the opposite foot so it goes up really high in the air...we'll work on that this summer, too.
It was fun and crazy spending 2-3 hours at the ball park every night this spring, but so worth it. I love watching the boys and seeing how much they learn and improve. Haha...how's that for an update?

Welcome Back

Ok...I am horrible. I am going to begin blogging again. Just bare with me while I try to update things :) Let's see how it goes.

Cole's Hernia

When playing first base at his baseball game, Cole stretched out to catch a ball while keeping his foot on the base and the runner ran right through him. He went to school the next day and kept complaining that his "boys" hurt so Damon checked and they were swollen. We took him to the doctor where he had an ultrasound and found out that he had a hernia with hydrosel. We scheduled the surgery and he ended up taking 2 weeks off from baseball. He was so nervous for his surgery but they do such a great job at Primary Children's. It is so nice that the Riverton Hospital is now another Primary Children's surgical center. He was able to play video games, blow bubbles, color a surgery buddy and read books all in the time he was waiting for surgery. He was so goofy when he woke up from surgery. He loved having everyone waiting on him...he milked it for all it was worth, asking for slushies, cookies, etc. It was cute. He was ready to start playing hard the day after surgery so we had to be very inventive to come up with different ways to keep him occupied.

Baseball Season

Baseball was awesome this year! Luke played for Herriman baseball like Cole this year. He was on the Mudcats team. He loved his uniform and thought it was so much fun. He couldn't wait for his games and practice. He liked throwing the grass around as much as playing ball, but at least he had fun and got better each game. He was so excited every time we left for practice and games. He also wants to wear his Mudcats hat and uniform all the time.
Cole had to tryout this year. He was put on the Oakland A's team and he thought that was pretty cool. Since he is now seven he got to start learning all the rules of baseball instead of just the tee ball rules. He picked it up quickly and had an awesome season...with one little break in the middle when he had to have surgery. He took two weeks off to recover and then was back at it. He loves playing first base and did a really good job there. He also only struck out 5 times all season. He had a few doubles and lots of singles. We were a little surprised when he was picked to be on the all star team after missing two weeks of the season.
It was great for him to be on the all star team. He got to practice for 2 weeks after season ended and then played in a tournament where his team took 2nd place. It was really frustrating for him because his all star coach didn't know what positions the kids normally played so he just played them all over. Other than Cole not playing tons on first base he had a blast. Way to go, Cole!

Make Over

Ellee is obsessed with combing my hair. She comes into my room with 20 bows, her brush, headbands, bobby pins. Whatever she thinks will be pretty in my hair. She then spends 30 minutes making my hair beautiful and then trying to make hers look the same. This is one of my favorite looks she's given me.

Fun at the zoo

We decided to buy a zoo pass this year. It's been nice to have. We've been to the zoo 4 times this year and the kids absolutely love it. I keep thinking they'll get bored with it but they always find something new. Cole's favorite thing at the zoo is the bird show. He wants to run over to watch it every time he hears it start. Ellee loves the baby elephant and the peacocks walking around. Luke loves the gorillas and rhinos.Ashlyn and Alyssa stayed with us while Teresa and Chase were in Italy for their 10 year anniversary. We decided to meet up with Sarah and go to the zoo. It was crazy! It was cute watching them find their buddy and stick together. I was asked 2 different times if all those kids were mine :)