October 2016 - Alice in Wonderland & a new Bishopric

All of the family got together for Damien's baptism.  It was wonderful to be a part of it.  He is a sweet kid--always very polite and helpful--which makes him stand out from other kids his age.  He genuinely wants to make good choices and help people.  It was also neat to hear Sara speak, Jason bear his testimony, and have Quinn bear his testimony later that night at Emily's house.

We did pumpkin painting again this year with the Wilsons.  The kids had fun both painting and dressing Tad up in various outfits.

Kyle and I did the Park City ghost tour with the Beattys this month.  It was fun to learn about the history of Park City.  And we heard some great stories along the way.

Date night #2--we went to the Utah Symphony to hear them perform superhero theme songs.  We only had to walk a couple of blocks downtown, but it was through a torrential downpour and we arrived looking like a couple of drowned rats.  I had a 2-day training in Salt Lake so Kyle took the train up and we had a nice dinner downtown.  All in all, a lovely date night.

We took advantage of Alexa's fall break and planned some family time.  I took Tyler to work for a half day (his request) and he was a champ through several back-to-back meetings.  Here is a picture of him in our new conference room making shapes with straws while I was on a conference call with our VP, Marketing Director, and a couple of project managers.  He even got to go up onto the roof of our building with me and a couple of mechanical contractors who are bidding out a project for us.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Curiosity Museum.  And I had a hotel voucher so we spent the night in Lehi and swam in the hotel pool!  On Saturday we hiked the beautiful Donut Falls in Cottonwood Canyon.  We even saw a moose right off the trail.

Kyle was put into our local church leadership by being asked to serve as a 2nd counselor to our new Bishop.  He feels overwhelmed and inadequate, but grateful for the opportunity to serve.  This calling means that he was ordained a High Priest, which he felt a little young for :).  The last time he served in a Bishopric was in a singles ward when we were first married and he didn't have to be ordained a High Priest since he was presiding over young college students.  His parents graciously drove up here with hardly any notice, only 3 weeks after they were here for Damien's baptism earlier in the month. They are so supportive and wonderful.  Kyle's Dad sustained him as a High Priest, and it made me realize that this is likely the last opportunity for Kyle to receive a personal blessing like that from his Dad for a while.  It was tender for both of them and I wish I recorded it.

The change means that I will be released as Young Women's President soon, which is bittersweet.  I have only been with the Young Women for 18 months and feel like I'm just getting into a groove and have built really good relationships with them.  I have so much more that I want to do and I love these girls!  The good news is that I will see more of my kids, though, as much of my Sundays and Wednesdays are usually spent away from them.  The other change from Kyle's new calling is that he was asked to shave his beard.  And I miss it!

On a lighter note, we had a fun Halloween as Alice, the Mad Hatter, the white rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, and her fearless soldier.  The kids trick or treated at my office and then we went to Emily's neighborhood to trick or treat with Aden, Ellie, and Dean.

To end the post, here are some cute boys.  I realized Tad was eating handfuls of berries in a white onesie--what were we thinking?!  And a picture of our Tyler man showing off his hair, which he loves to style himself.  I walked in on Tyler and Tad wresting under the kitchen table in their jammies the other day and my heart melted a little bit.  Lastly, a sleepy, squishy Tad cuddling with Daddy.

Quotes/stories to remember:

We were playing charades and Kyle was acting like a "lady"--strutting his stuff, showing off his curves, etc.  Tyler immediately yelled out "I know what you are, a chicken!!"

September 2016 - yellow belt and glasses

We said goodbye to our missionary grandparents on their way to the field!  Seattle is so lucky to have them for the next 12 months!

We had some great cousin time this month.  Alexa loved being a big sister to Dean for a couple of days while Todd and Melissa went to Comic Con.  And Dean and Tyler were total buddies and hung out together all day.  We had a fun Luna day while Sara and Jason tried to go to the temple, only discovering that they were all closed for the women's broadcast.

We started Labor Day off right with a big potluck breakfast at a park in Riverton.  Then we had a relaxing afternoon at Peggy's and ended the day with a hike at Donut Falls.

I couldn't leave out this hilarious video from a family bowling night.  The kids love bowling and get so excited after they knock any pins down.

Tyler had his yellow belt test for tae kwon do.  I thought they would do a fake, thin piece of wood for the little guys but he broke the same board that the 16 year-old black belt students broke!  The black belts just have to jump over a person and spin while breaking the board in the middle of the air, so it's more complicated.  I was seriously impressed that my little 3 year-old broke a board in half.  And it was fun to see the other belt tests and the stunt team performance.

Kyle has joined the ranks and now needs glasses!  I guess he's a late bloomer.

Tad is now 6 months old.  He is still really long at 29in and hasn't dropped below 99th percentile in height since he was born. He has two teeth and he loves to smile, squeal, drool, take baths, and play with his brother and sister. He sits up and finally holds his own bottle. In his defense, his bottles are big and heavy because he drinks so much milk. Because he's huge! He is such a joy. We love our baby boy.  

Alexa and Tyler drew a cute picture of him in chalk on the driveway :).  

We sure love our silly family.

Family Home Evening gems:

Tyler was teaching a Family Home Evening lesson and said Heavenly Father and Jesus have a nose and eyes and a mouth just like us and boogers just like this one (proceeds to pull one out and show us).

Kyle: What does it mean to be kind?

Alexa: To say hi, how are you, I like you, and then give a hug.

Alexa to Tyler: Como estas?

Tyler: De nada