Pumpkin Pickin'

We went out to Black Island Farm last week to go pumpkin picking. We had a lot of fun. We rode on a tractor's trailer (just like ours at home, as Sean will tell you). We had donuts and apple cider, we tried our skill in the corn maze and we played on the homemade playground. What more could you ask for on a nice fall day?

On our way to pick pumpkins. Tyler had to check with his big brother to see if this was safe.

If only we had seen this 20 years ago. Does this look familiar? When I saw this, it reminded me of our old treehouse. Only this had stairs the whole way up. I guess ours was more for a workout. Once you got to the top, you got in a potato sack and slid down the black tube. Joseph had so much fun with this slide. He wouldn't even sit still long enough to let me explain to him that mommy had a treehouse this same size!

This is one of the other homemade slides. So if you can't figure out what to do with all your hay, just turn it into a playground! Sean liked this one. Here, Mom and Tyler are racing Sean down the slide. I don't think Tyler was as excited as Sean. There was also another slide similar to this one, only twice as big. Obed took the boys down that slide and he had to admit it was a little breathtaking at first glance down. What a fun day we had. The boys talk about it all the time, especially when they see our beautful pumpkins on our stairs.

Our Not-So-Little-Baby

So, Just a few pictures to show Tyler's first foods. He's actually been eating baby food for a month, now (I know, I'm such a slacker). But his take on food has not changed much; which surprises us, because we started Tyler on baby food a month earlier than the other two because he was showing more signs that he was ready. Maybe he just has a palate for finer foods.

Are you sure that's edible?
I'm supposed to like this?
Oh, okay, I guess I'll eat a little more.

Also we have mastered sitting on our own. Okay, there again, this is old news in our house. Now, he has again learned that if I sit him down, it is to walk away to do other things (not all the time). So he likes to stand now--with assistance, of course. But here is a picture, hopefully capturing his growth.

Tyler loves to laugh. Here, I think he is lauging at his brothers--one of his most favorite activities. Now that Tyler is more interactive, I think his brothers are getting along with him better, too. If you can't tell, Tyler's shirt is all wet from drool. Yes, Tyler got his first tooth on Friday! I'm not sure if that relieved any of the pain or not, but he is still drooling and chewing on everything. Gotta love growing up.

Antelope Island

There are many things to do in Utah, that even growing up here I have not done. One of those things is visiting Antelope Island. Well, we finally ventured out to the island and had lots of fun during our visit. Our first stop was, of course, the visitor center. Who knew there was a visitor center on the island. We then made our way to a picnic area next to one of the "beaches." Well, as beach-like as you can get in Utah. I guess I've been spoiled after living in New Jersey and having actual beaches, but for the desert, it wasn't too bad.

Joseph, Sean and Mom made the 1/2 mile trek out to the water. The boys had lots of fun skipping rocks on the lake. I'm not sure if because the lake is so salty that the rocks actually skipped several times, or if it is because we were in the shallow water. But we had fun skipping rocks. The boys really just threw the rocks--any size and shape--head on into the water and they actually skipped. We had fun.

First Day of School

Joseph started preschool this month. He has the same teacher as last year, so it was an easy transition back into the school year for him. He goes to school on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I think he is ready for a longer school week, though. He asks everyday if it is a school day. But that day will soon come and he'll be asking for a shorter school week! :)

Sean is such a big boy, he wishes he is going to school. But he is practicing going to school everytime we take Joseph. Joseph handed down his old book bag to Sean, so Sean has to take his book bag with us everyday we take Joseph to school; both to drop him off and pick him up.

Joseph's first day of school was actually a parent/student orientation. So Mom and Joseph packed up and went to school. Uncle David was kind enough to spend his day with Sean and Tyler. They did so much stuff with each other, that the next thing to do was. . . .sleep!

Our Stay-cation

For some reason, when summer hit, so did the busy season for Obed at work. However, Obed was able to take a few days off last week, so we decided to do a few things around town. We went to the Zoo, the Dinosaur Park, the Clearfield Aquatic Center, and of course to G'ma and G'pa's for a fun swimming day. We even introduced Tyler to the water. He loves bath time, but was only able to endure the few minutes of pool time. That's okay, there'll be plenty more where that came from. :)

August Firsts

Seems like we've not had as busy of a summer as others around. But we have been having fun. Some new things we've been doing this month include:

• Tyler rolling from back to almost tummy (if only his shoulders would turn) - we are still working on tummy to back. We are doing things in reverse with this one :)


• Sean getting dressed by himself


• Joseph is now riding a 2-wheeler.

We noticed we were focusing too much on how big Tyler was getting (you know, all those new baby firsts), as well as how much Sean is wanting to be independent. We decided we needed to get Joseph feeling like a big boy, too. His attitude was actually reminding us of that. So we took of the training wheels. It took Joseph all of about 45 minutes to master the balance, then off we went around the block, around the park, and up to Grandma and Grandpa's house to show off.

AND AWAY WE GO!

Happy Birthday Obed

Happy Birthday to You! In spite of Obed having to work late, we were able to celebrate. Actually, Obed and I had a movie and dinner date on Saturday. Grandma was the lucky winner to watch Joseph and Sean while Tyler enjoyed the date with us (as much as an infant can enjoy Batman). There is something about birthdays that just get everyone excited. Even though Obed didn't have "presents" to open, or a big cake with candles to blow out, the boys had been anticipating his birthday moment all day. It is always fun to see their enthusiasm.