He's in Preschool!!!!

My Tater baby started preschool.  It makes my heart hurt just a little, ok alot.  And although I didn't think I would be sad or lonely, I miss him.  With only Noah at home the house is super quiet and I'm not quite sure what to do with my self (blogging is a good option I guess). 

Preschool is in the afternoon.  Yesterday morning was just pure torture and he asked me for lunch at least 4 times an hour all morning because after lunch he could go to preschool.  We packed his snack, fixed his hair took some pictures and then headed out the door.  Tater is my momma's boy - he always has been, I was worried that he would be sad or not want to stay or not want me to leave, but he walked right in started playing and never looked back.  He is so cute and funny and he always makes me smile.  I miss him, but I am so glad he is at preschool because he really was ready for it!

Although I caught him not looking - this picture is just so him!

When I picked him up I could just see how much fun he had.  I asked him what he did and he responded, 'I did some numbers.  I did Maff!'  Haha, he is so funny.  Before he went he had told me he wasn't gonna learn letters and numbers, so I think he was pretty excited he did. 

The Chef and The Injured

Steve has a new hobby...... he bakes.  No I am not kidding.  It is great.  Every week he grabs one of the kids and they plot to create something wonderful in the kitchen.  Steve has always enjoyed cooking and often takes charge of dinner and always makes something yummy.  The baking is a new endeavor.  It was especially inspired a few weeks ago when he came across a copy of his Grandma Poulsens best recipies.  I have had her cookbook since we were married, but Steve isn't one to peruse my cookbooks.  Anyway, he started looking through the cookbook and you could see on his face the memories that went along with his Grandma's food.  His latest creations have come from her book. 

Two weeks ago it was an Apple Pie, crust and all made from Scratch.  It turned into a group effort because it had been years since I made pie crust and Steve had never made pie crust.  In the end it was the MOST delicious apple pie I have ever tasted and the fun we had making it made it that much tastier!

Ok tell me that dosn't just make your mouth water!

That same day, soon after we came home from church, we heard a crash and some crying and then Tater came out of his room with blood and mess all over his face.  He was jumping on the bed and crashed into the dresser.  As I'm sure you can tell the dresser won.  Initially we thought he had put his tooth through his lip, but thankfully he didn't and after a little super glue he was put back together again!

Nobody Won......

Tater and Noah had a fight over Tater's glasses.  Let's just say Nobody Won this round - especially not the glasses.  Thank Heavens they were still under warranty. 

Back To School!

School started the end of August.  I sent these two cute kids off to school with MUCH joy and celebrating.  To say I was ready for them to head back to school and to have a schedule would be an understatement, but they were also VERY ready to have me off their case all the time. 

Tyler heads off to 4th grade - his teacher is Mrs. Saunders and already I have a feeling she will be the perfect fit for him.  I really like her a lot - she is my kind off teacher. She doesn't believe in any more homework than absolutely necessary - did I mention I really like her!  Yay, for us!

Brooklynn, who just could hardly stand the wait for school to start is now in 2nd grade.  Her teacher is also great and I just know she will have a great year too.  After the 2nd day of school they changed her class into a 1/2 split class.  It was a bit of a surprise, but the majority of her class is 2nd grade and as a bonus for having the split her classroom will enjoy some new extra computers!  Yay for her! 

All in all the first couple of weeks have been great!  We are getting back into the swing of things and I have been able to start getting back into my 'School' routine too.  That mainly consists of cleaning, laundry and working out regularly. 

The Last Horrah!

The weekend before school started we decided a quick getaway would be fun.  We let the kids give us a few ideas and then opted for a trip to Monterey and the Aquarium and then a drive up to San Fransico to see a few of the sites. While we had been to Monterey before, we had never taken the kids to San Fran.  We set out on Friday and had a great time.  Noah loved the fish and Josh was so excited about all of it.  He just couldn't get enough of the aquarium.  Brooks and Ty loved it as well and it was fun to be together as a family. 

Noah absolutely adores his Daddy. He can't get enough of him. He follows him around everywhere and cries when he leaves the room. 

 On Saturday we headed into San Fran.  Our first stop was Candlestick - you know home of the 49ers.  While we couldn't go in to take a look around, we still got a picture.

Next, we hit AT&T Park, where the Giants Play.  They actually have a children's park inside and on most days it is open to the public FOR FREE.  We took advantage and had a look in the open areas of the stadium and then had some fun at the park too.  

Did you know the big Coke Bottle actually has a whole bunch of fun slides in it??? Neither did we.

Yep, here is the proof one of the slides.

This Trolly Car is in the Stadium

They also have a mini-replica Stadium for the kids to play. The kids and Steve thought it was awesome - it was! 

After heading down to the pier, checking out the seals and having some yummy Chili.  We walked up to the Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory.  We couldn't leave without having some delicious treats, A Banana Split, Rootbeer Float and A Sundae were the perfect way to end the day!

The Out Door Adventure

Steve decided he and Ty needed an adventure.  So they set out with some friends for an overnight backpacking trip.  After getting geared up they set off with fishing poles in hand (or in backpack) and left the rest of us at home. They hiked into a lake and set up camp.  Steve said it was a beautiful little lake and although the fish weren't really biting, they had a wonderful time. 

Some Picture to share.....

Noah's new found fun!  What more do you need than the laundry basket full of clothes. He thought he was quite clever when he climbed in.

Noah love to hang with Ty on the couch and Ty loves that he will snuggle in.

These two are becoming pals.  Although there are the times when Josh just is a little too in his face - if you know what I mean.

Vacation #5 - The Rest

The Rest of our Canadian Vacation Went like this -

Tuesday - We took the kids to Farmont Hot Springs.  The big kids just jumped off the diving boards the whole time. Over and over and over again.  Some of them even started trying to do flips and stuff.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the whole week.  So cute!

I just had to throw this in because he is perfectly cute!

Wednesday - Boat Day - we spent the day on the water.  Early in the morning I went for a run and noticed how beautiful and glassy the water was I was holding out it would be good by the time we got to the lake.  Let me just say IT WAS!  I called first dibs on Water Skiing and so we loaded up the Party Boat with the kids and Mom and Steve the rest of us including Dad, TJ and me and my sista's went out to ski.  It was beautiful and perfect and I LOVED IT!  Oh, how I love to water ski.  After us girls and even Granddad went skiing, we took turns getting the kids out on skiis with the new ski trainer we bought.  They all had a turn, except for the bigger kids who had to do it the old fashioned way.  For the most part everyone had success.  Brady and Logan wouldn't quit - they absolutely loved it.  On Brady's last turn for the day the water had gotten choppy and he hit a good wave and got some air.  It didn't phase him, he just loved it! 

Me, getting my ski on.

Marilee gettin her ski on!

Julie's ski

Grandad - he still has it people!

Ty with the Party 'Banana' Boat bringing up the rear

Tater wouldn't stand up, but he gave the ski trainer a go at least.  Of course he ACTED like he didn't like it.

Annie girl. Up on the REAL skiis, she did great.

JB - He got up and rocked it.  He wasn't up long, but still had success!

Brooklynn love this although she was a little nervous to give it a try.

Thursday - 6 of us were sick or recovering from the Stomach Bug that Caitlyn had earlier in the week. 

Friday  - we packed up and got ready to head for home.  I still was not feeling great from my stomach bug, but still got the laundry done and everything ready for the long drive back to Idaho and then home. 

All in all, it was a wonderful trip!  We had so much fun and loved breathing the clean, crisp air, enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and loved being with our family.  It is always sad to head home after such a fun time!  But head home we must - so on Saturday morning we hit the road. 

Vacation #4 - Gone Fishin.....

Monday morning brought us some beautiful sunshine, but also some big billowing clouds.  We were hoping for another day on the lake, but by the time the Men arrived home from Golfing the clouds and the wind were against us.  Fortunately Granddad had decided to buy some fishing poles and gear before coming out to the cabin.  This turned into the perfect day for fishing. After heading into town to get a license and some bait and then rigging up the poles - most of the kids and the dad's and Marilee and Julie headed off to the fishing hole.  It was a pond down near the lake that they keep stocked.  Although I wanted to go I had to stay home and help with the kids left behind, 3 of which were mine, due to our babysitter Caitlyn being sick.  Not to mention Noah was very out of sorts because his two top teeth were trying really hard to come in and cause him as much dicomfort as possible. 

So, back to the fishing.  The outing turned out fantastic.  All of the kids caught at least 1 fish and in all they caught 12.  In fact, the first line they put in the water got a bite and it just kept moving after that.  They didn't bring home all the fish, but they did bring home a few so all the kids could have a taste of trout.  In order to bring the fish home, they had to gut and clean them.  Steve took the chance to teach Spencer, JB and Ty how to do it.  Ty jumped in and got his hands dirty, I'm not sure how JB and Spencer handled it, but the picture below of JB says alot about his initial reaction to gutting the fish. Once they got hom Steve cooked the trout up on the grill for everyone to have a taste.  Surprisingly (keep in mind I am not a fish lover), they all enjoyed the taste they had. 

The dirty hands after gutting the fish, I love the look on his face.

Haha, I love the look on his face.  It is priceless.

Thankfully, he didn't think it was too bad in the end. 

Monday was capped off by us Adults going off to dinner.  We went later than planned because Caitlyn still wasn't back to herself and had to wait until the babies could go to bed.  It was nice to have a night out and a goodbye dinner for Adam who had to go home to work.  After dinner the boys drove into Calgary for the night so they could golf in the morning, get Adam to the airport and get Steve's tooth fixed.