Fathers and Sons Campout

Last weekend, March 13-14, was the Stake's Fathers and Sons Campout. Peter and Josh went and had an absolute blast. You know, I thought it would be so easy going back to having 1 child. Not so. I am so used to Josh and Emily entertaining each other, I had no idea what to do with myself. Oh well. Somehow, we survived just fine, all by ourselves. But, we were definitely ready to have Daddy and Josh back by the time they got home on Saturday.

Doesn't Josh look like such a big kid in this picture? No more toddler here!

Josh loved his first try at tether ball. Who wouldn't? You swing a ball around, and it comes right back to you. What genius.

At some point, Josh decided he wanted to play in the tent. After all, that's why they went camping... to spend time in a tent.

The campsite was on a lake. Again, Josh looks so big to me. I just can't get over how much he's growing and becoming a little boy.

Here's Josh with his friend Brandon. I love how little boys are not afraid to hold hands. So sweet.

Fun Pictures

First of all. Thank you to everyone that offered ideas for my previous post. They have been quite helpful.

Now for the fun.


Emily sure thinks Josh's baseball cap is pretty neat. She likes to wear it around whenever she notices it.

Josh is working really hard here. Concentrating on drawing with that marker on that piece of wood. Fortunately for us, he is concerned about losing the cap, so he keeps it in his mouth. Another worthy note: He understands that safety comes first. Definitely need to wear that eye protection when using markers on wood.

Daddy and Emily playing on the floor.

I bet you can't tell, but Josh LOVES the camera. When I was taking pictures of Emily, he made sure he had a chance to get his as well.

I know this is a strange one. But, Josh was so proud of this picture. He took it, and looked at it, and said "I took a good picture of Daddy." He was aware that Daddy's head didn't make it into the picture, but that was less important. Good job, Josh.

The interesting part of this picture is that Emily was throwing a fit right before this picture. As soon as she saw the camera, she was all smiles. I have such cards for children. Don't you love it? I know I do.

Ideas Anyone?

Hey everyone!

So, I am at a complete loss. What do you guys do to keep your kids busy all day everyday? All ideas are welcome! Thanks for your help.

Happy Birthday, Josh!

On Monday, March 2, Josh turned 3. Of course, if you asked him, he would tell you he is now 3 and a half. It's amazing. He went from 2 to 3 1/2 all over night. Oh how time flies. :)

Most mornings, Josh wakes up and sometimes calls for me from his bed, and sometimes comes to the gate at my bedroom door and calls. He's always soft to make sure he doesn't wake up Emily, thank goodness. Well, on his birthday, when he woke up, he came to the gate and said "Mommy" as loud as he could. I practically hit the ceiling, I was so startled. When I said "What, Josh" in my croaky morning voice, he shouted, "it's my birthday!" It was a fun way to wake up, I must admit.

My mom sent us a cake pan shaped like a train. I did my best to make it into Thomas. Wow! Shaped cakes are soooo hard. But it was worth it.

Josh had been begging all day Sunday to open a present, so we promised him he could open a gift before Daddy went to work. He ended up getting 3, spaced across the time we were getting ready for the day. He finished opening his gifts after dinner that evening. The first gift he wanted was the one int he Lightning McQueen wrapping. It was a clock. Funny. He absolutely loves this thing. He goes to check the time now, but only on this clock.

We had a birthday party for Josh on his birthday. We did it at the park. It was a cool, but beautiful day. He had a lot of friends show up, and we had a great time.

Isn't he such a happy 3 year old?

Emily sure has a thing for cupcakes. They make a perfect oval print on her face every time! :D

Thank you Sandra for helping us out with her. Our hands would have been VERY full otherwise.

Kisses

So, recently, Peter and I haven't been trading date nights with some friends of ours. It has been wonderful. We love our kids, but we love spending time just the two of us.

Last time it was our turn to watch Elizabeth, Josh got super brave. Emily was making kissy faces at me, so I said, "Emily, you want to give mommy kisses?" So, in response, Josh walked up to Elizabeth and said "You want to give me kisses?" It was so funny! She, of course, looked at him for just a moment and turned and walked away. Poor Josh.


I tried to get him to do it again, but this is the best picture I got of the two. Oh well. I guess I just need to live with the camera on my wrist. We'll see if anything exciting happens this Friday!

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Peter is now officially almost old. He turned 29 the other day. Next year, he'll be there. :D So, I thought I'd include a few pictures from his last "young" birthday.


Peter prefers pie for his birthday... not cake. Oh well. Not just any pie either. A blueberry one. So, once a year, I make him one of these. I'd do it more often, but I am soooo not a fan of blueberries. Poor Peter. I think he appreciates at least getting it on his birthday.

Emily walking on Daddy's presents. Good thing the jigsaw wasn't really breakable.

Peter displaying his new jigsaw. He was so happy to get it.


Josh helping Daddy open his new game "Sorry Sliders." It's a blast to play, by the way.

Emily really loves blueberry pie as well. I guess she gets that from her Daddy. She actually finished this whole piece, and then some.

Painting

Last month, I decided it would be fun to get some new crafts for the kids. I found some paints at the store, and let them have at it.


Painting really is a lot of fun.

Apparently, the paint also tastes pretty good. I couldn't keep it out of her mouth. Oh well. At least it's non-toxic, right?

Josh saw Emily painting herself, so he thought he'd get in on the action too. If you look closely, you can see his temporary mustache.