A couple weeks ago we decided to go up Big Cottonwood Canyon for a picnic and some outdoor time. It was so much fun. The kids had a blast. We barbecued hot dogs and chicken and then went exploring. It was fun watching the kids trying to climb trees and getting dirty. They loved running through the tall grass and playing hide and seek.

Daddy, Daddy, Hi Daddy!

I got pulled over tonight. When the officer walked up to the window Ellee immediately started saying "Daddy? Daddy? Is that Daddy? Hi Daddy!" The officer couldn't help but hear her and started smiling. I told her "No, it's not Daddy." The officer then asked "Who's her dad?" I explained that he's an officer at the courthouse. Needless to say, I was able to get a "Professional Courtesy". Thank you Ellee! I think I'm going to train all the kids to start talking about Daddy whenever a police officer wants to give me a ticket.

Hello Gorgeous!

Some Pictures-Finally!

WWOP(worhtless without pics)-okay-okay-here are your pics. I guess I have not been doing a good enough job getting pictures posted on my blog. Here are just some random pictures of the kids that we love.

Mount Olympus Lagoon Day-I forgot my camera at home so took some pics on my cell phone since it was Luke and Ellee's first time there. This was Cole's third time this year-and he loves it. His favorite rides are Wicked and Colossus.

Ellee finally got her first haircut. She had a pretty awesome mullet going so we decided it was time to even it out and see if we could get it to grow in a little bit thicker.

One quick update-we found out that Damon is not going to be able to get the afternoon shift so he is stuck on graves at least until January when he re-bids.

Volleyball Season is here

We are still here, just super busy with volleyball season! I am at work all day, then volleyball practice, then want to spend the rest of the day with my kids-not on a computer. Damon is getting about 2 hours sleep Monday-Wednesday and working non-stop. There might be an end in sight though! There is an opening for an afternoon shift at Damon's work. If he is able to get that shift he will work Monday through Friday noon to nine. It would work better for us-now we have to wait to see if he has seniority over anyone else trying to get the shift.

Cole is doing everything 5 year olds do. He loves school, even though he does get a little bored. He is learning about safety at school and we are really enjoying his safety lessons at home as well. Sometimes I feel like we have Lou and Lou's safety patrol in our house (sorry if you don't watch Disney Channel).

Ellee and Luke are busy, busy, busy! They are going non-stop! How would it be to have that much energy again? They love volleyball and run around the gym the entire time, making up games, climbing on the bleachers, exploring---they just go, go, go! They haven't been getting a nap every day because they are at volleyball with me so they sleep pretty well at night.

I hope I will get more free time this weekend so I can post some pics and better update.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Ellee and Luke's new favorite thing to do is roll down the hill at the park. Luke loved doing it at all of Cole's baseball practices, but hadn't done it since. When we were at the park yesterday he said "Come on Ellee, roll a hill." They then spent the rest of the time rolling down the hill. They didn't want anything to do with the slides or other toys-just that big hill. Cole was a little disappointed because we still have to be careful with his hand so he no rolling for him. He decided to go looking for bugs. On a good note-Cole went to the doctor today and he only has to wear his splint to school so he won't be tempted to play on the monkey bars. He is so excited!

A little freedom!

Cole was able to take a real shower for the first time in a month! He was so excited-he got his cast off last week and is loving his newfound freedom. Last Tuesday the doctor took off Cole's cast and replaced it with a splint. He is still pretty confined in the splint but at least now he can move his elbow and take it off for showers. He was disappointed when the doctor told him he still couldn't go swimming or take baths. He had been associating getting his cast off with going swimming and it was a big let down. He will have the splint for two weeks total-as long as the finger is healing well. It has been one week since the cast came off and we are already seeing lots of improvement. He can now almost straighten the finger which he had surgery on. It is still too soon to tell if the surgery was completely successful because it is too swollen to bend or make a fist-and the doctor doesn't want to strain it that much. In order to hold the tendon in place the doctor had to attach it to a wire, drill a hole through his fingernail into the tip of his finger, and pull the wire through the hole-he then tied a knot in the wire and tendon on the outside of his finger to hold it in place.

Gross-I know but if it works we won't care how he did it. Cole is a little bit freaked out by the fact that his fingernail is gone, but is also very intrigued by it. He loves checking it out and trying to figure out exactly what happened to his finger.

Kindergarten update: Cole loves kindergarten. It has been pretty slow moving and lots of review but he is still enjoying it. We hope it will start to pick up soon. He's also pretty proud of himself because he has no problems reading the books-no words-no letters-in class. They haven't gotten into books yet, so I think we will just start supplementing a little bit more at home. I told him that this time of year is for the teacher to figure out what the kids really know and to review all the letters and things he learned in preschool. Luke has also adjusted to Cole going to school, no more crying. Ellee and Luke go down for naps right after Cole gets dropped off so that helps the time go a little bit faster for them without Cole here. Ellee and Luke have also been coming to volleyball with me whenever possible. They absolutely love it! Thank goodness-last year was a struggle the whole time-they did not like volleyball. Ellee just copies the girls jumping and running around and Luke follows me around with a stop watch around his neck and yells at the girls when I do. I remember when Cole used to do that. It makes me sad that he is in kindergarten and is not my little shadow anymore. Everyone at West has been asking for Cole, it seems he has stolen all their hearts and they don't know what to do without him there. I guess Luke and Ellee have a lot to live up to-but the two little flirts should have everyone wrapped around their finger in no time.

Well-I am back to work full time now. It is so hard for me. I love coaching and teaching but it is so hard leaving the kids at home and watching Damon adjust to the no-sleep thing again. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays he gets about 2 hours of undisturbed sleep-and that's only if the twins take a good nap. We tried looking into daycare for just Mondays and Tuesdays, but most of the daycare places by our house are either full time 5 days a week or full time 3 days a week. They won't add any kids who are just part-time because they want to fill it with full time kids. Plus, daycare is expensive-especially when there are two kids to pay for. I feel so bad for Damon-I've been looking for solutions, but don't know what to do. Volleyball season is even harder because I can't come home at 2:30 because there is practice after school. I would love any suggestions!!!