Adding to her vocabulary

Elsie is in a stage where she adds new words to her vocabulary at lightning speed. The other day she pointed to a “boat” as she said the very word while on a walk around the neighborhood. She picked up  “fish” at the museum, saw the “sharp” scissors today, loved the “bubbles” in the bathtub, and says “milk” and “cheese” on the regular. It’s fascinating because I know she is picking up stuff without my even realizing it and she’s very proud when I recognize that she’s learned something new. Her mirror neurons are firing on all cylinders and it’s amazing. 

What’s more, she is doing stretches with me, dancing like us, folding her arms, and blinking like it shows in a book of hers. She sings songs and knows our walking route when she rides her plasma car, again, at lightning speed. 

She’s growing and learning and I’m just in awe at the process of it all. 

Adding a new state to the kids’ list

We recently visited Jackson Hole. The kids were excited to add Wyoming to their “places I’ve visited” list.  We had a great time.

Did you know that there are four of these arches made of antlers? I’ve seen photos of this very arch a number of times, but didn’t realize there are four of them at the park in the center of town. We visited this spot for the Farmers Market one morning. The town gave off a Park City vibe.

We visited Grand Teton National Park and couldn’t believe that views! The kids kayaked. 

We hung out at Jordan Lake as the kiddos played in the sand, rocks, and water. 

We swam in the warm and toasty pool at the lodge. Elsie loved it. 

Jess and the two older boys went whitewater rafting. They had a blast!

We took a ride on the gondola at Teton Village. It was really fun. The kiddos liked this more than I expected. Elsie was in awe the whole time. 

We took a family photo up top. If I don’t get around to taking another family photo, blog readers, you will see this on our Christmas card. Ha!

It was a wonderful trip surrounded by such beauty. We joked that we really didn’t see any wildlife, so I guess that will have to be saved for next time 😉. 

Birthday boy and school!

This kid just had a birthday! He asked for vanilla cupcakes with strawberry frosting. 

He wanted a walking dinosaur for his day and was pretty excited about it. The roaring sound on the dino stopped working 2 minutes after installing the batteries, but it still walks, so I call it a win. 

Ian is a ball of energy and such a fun kid. He’s always ready for a good time and says the best stuff. For example, we were recently on a road trip when the older boys wanted to watch Napoleon Dynamite. About 20 minutes into the movie he asked me sincerely, “When are they going to find the dynamite?” Needless to say, he was not entertained and asked 20 times during the movie, “Are we there yet?” His smile lights up the room. He’s a mighty kid, no doubt about it. 

Now he’s off to preschool. He couldn’t wait!

Ansel was excited for school to begin too! He mentioned that he feels like when he wears stripes, he looks a lot older.  I just think he’s looking older all of the time. He’s loosing teeth at an alarming rate and holding tight to the bag he leaves for the tooth fairy to see if he can catch her in the act and determine if she is real. Ha! 3rd grade here we come!

Oliver was looking forward to school but not thrilled about homework. I’m pretty sure that’s every 7th grader’s thought. He’s a 12 year-old with 15 year-old growth stats, taller than me with no signs of slowing. He always asking me to make more chat books because he loves looking at photos, especially on Sundays. 

Now they’re off and fall is on its way. Elsie’s home and isn’t sure what to do with all the quiet during the day. She’s growing lots too (why are all of my kids doing that so much lately?), and learning a gaggle of words. Dada and Mama are prominent, especially since “mama” seems to be used not only as my name, but to make requests for things she wants. 

Where’s my phone?

As we were prepping to leave church last Sunday, I couldn’t find my phone. After a few minutes of “it has to be somewhere,” I found my third son with it giggling with delight. My camera roll was evidence of the fun.