a lot of firsts...

Ryan's 1st Rhino adventure

The 1st time I've ever shared a mostly naked picture of Ryan to show you how cute and chubby he is. What? That's not the first time I've done that?? Oh well, enjoy another picture of fat and naked Ryan.

The 1st time I've had a 7 year old

Her 1st pair of Twinkle toes. And hopefully the last.

Her 1st day of second grade

Ryan's 1st time eating corn on the cob

Tyler's 1st soccer game--check out the aggression on his face.
Perhaps we should work on that...

On his way to his 1st goal
(and definitely not his last, that kid is on the ball at all times)

The 1st 22 foot tall lighthouse Jeremy has ever built
(it was a team effort)
(and it probably won't be the only one, he builds a lot of random stuff)

Jeremy's (and teams) 1st time figuring out how to assemble
and erect a 22 foot lighthouse that was built in pieces.

A few other firsts that are unaccompanied by pictures:
-This last week is the 1st time I've had so many behavioral issues with Tyler that I'm ready to give him away. He has not been his sweet, normal self--I think he's mad that he doesn't get to go to school yet. Is it too early to start telling him Santa won't come if he doesn't shape up?
-Another 1st: Last week my kitchen flooded due to a busted washing machine hose. Thankfully it burst sometime in the early morning so we caught it before the water got too very deep and spread too very far.
-That same day was the 1st time I was glad that Jeremy has a lot of stuff in our garage--like a shop vac. The 1st time I've been grateful for a shop vac (probably not the last).

And finally, unfortunately, not a 1st:
This is the third time Alexis has had a beginning of the year school assignment to decorate a paper doll to look like herself. Alexis loves this assignment and refuses all help, ideas or suggestions. Alexis' mother hates this assignment. What message would it send to her if I hang onto this doll so that she can turn it in next year, at the beginning of third grade, when I'm sure she will get the exact same assignment?

Navajo Lake

A few weeks ago we took our kids camping with my family down in Cedar City, by Navajo Lake. I have too many pictures from it that I couldn't not share.
My mom found this little motorized car somewhere and fixed it up for the kids. Alexis and Tyler loved it, but it was really the perfect size for Ryan. He loved pushing the button to make it go.
But of course he doesn't understand the concept of steering, so he would go in circles or end up in the grass.
There was fishing. Boring, boring fishing.
Ryan fell down or tripped once every minute and got pretty dirty, but was a good sport about it. He was teething and had a serious diaper rash on his bum, that combined with the cold at night meant he really didn't sleep well in his bed. But once we put him in our sleeping bags he slept fine, which means Jeremy and I didn't. Oh well, you get used to being tired and carry on. (That sounds like a perfect description of parenthood.)
We went on a pretty, kid friendly, short hike. You could see for eternity from this viewpoint.
Tyler got dirty. That's his main objective when he's outside.
Alexis loves to camp. Both kids think sleeping in their sleeping bags is the biggest treat in the world. On this trip my mom printed up songbooks with some fun songs in it and Alexis loved to sit and sing them all.My cute niece, Celeste. She lives in Las Vegas so we don't see her much, but we LOVE her.
My brother brought his dog, Brutus. I can't even explain how happy Ryan was whenever Brutus was around. He was even happier that Brutus was always tied up so he couldn't run away from him. He's a very patient dog, fortunately.

Thanks to my family for the fun trip! Maybe next I'll get around to posting pictures from Jeremy's family reunion that was a whole month before this trip.