A Bittersweet Day

The first day of school -- a blend of excitement and apprehension! It is always such a sad day for me, as a mom, to watch my little boy go off into the world, where I cannot monitor his every move. Where I cannot protect him from every hurt. But it's also a happy day, seeing that he is growing up, becoming more independent, and learning so much. The thing I'm grateful for is that Nathaniel loves school, and that makes it so much easier for me to let him go. He loves to learn, and he really loves being with friends and enjoying the social side of school.



He looks so grown up to me in this picture.

Big 4th grader!

Outside on day one, getting ready for entry.

After the first day, he gives it a thumb's up!

Primary Pioneer Day

Our Stake and ward Primary leaders put on yet another fantastic activity for the kids in our stake last week. They gathered at the Pioneer Village, dressed for the occasion, and experienced many activities similar to those of the pioneers. The boys had a wonderful time, and Lindsey was jealous that she wasn't able to attend -- although Chris ended up bringing her over and she was in heaven tagging along with the other kids.



Lindsey and Bradley in the wagon.


They made pioneer toys -- Nathaniel working on then playing with his.


Tin plate punch art.

This boy cracks me up. He did not want his photo taken, and couldn't bear to smile for the camera.


Two good lookin' pioneers.

What's down here? (Note the dirty britches!)


Pulling the handcart.




A great time was had by all, making ice cream, making candles, and lots of other cool stuff. I so appreciate the leaders who give their time and creativity to making meaningful experiences for my kids. Fun times!

Nu Shooz!

As back to school time approached, Nathaniel and I went shopping for shoes. I tell you what, buying shoes must release endorphins or something, don't you think? Even if they aren't for me, I love new shoes!
So I wanted him to get a pair of nice, brown leather shoes for fall and winter, and I found some I really liked. He, of course, did not like them, and wanted instead some new tennies. So we compromised, thanks to the "buy one get one 1/2 off" sale at the store, and got both pair. (Is that really a compromise? It's more like a win/win!)
Nathaniel wanted a pair of DC shoes like his uncle Adam (Bearden) would wear, and the nicer shoes I liked looked like something his uncle Adam (Cox) would wear, so he ended up with a nod to both uncles. I must say he looks pretty kickin' in both types.

A Visit to Seattle

Well, we dropped everything and took off to Seattle to visit my sister, Amanda. It was way last minute, but we were excited to have the chance to go and see her, and it's always fun to go someplace we've never been before. So we loaded up our van (praying it would make the trip ok) and drove the 14 hours to Washington, through Idaho and Oregon.

The kids were thrilled to see Aunt Amanda, Uncle Drew, and to meet their cousin Olivia for the first time. As we got there pretty late, the first thing they did was go to bed.


The boys on the awesomely comfy couch!

And Lindsey in the bed with Chris and me. Three's a crowd, girlie. (Not like we aren't used to that already!)


It was fun swimming in the pool at the apartment complex, though (no matter what Manda says), IT WAS COLD!





So we warmed up in the sauna.

One way cool thing about Seattle is riding the ferry. Although it is quite expensive -- like $15 for car and driver, plus $6 for each additional passenger or something like that -- it was a neat experience. I love boats, so any chance to ride on one of any type is good with me.

The Beautiful Beach

Having spent several of my childhood years in Florida, I got enough exposure to beaches to realize I didn't care for them. The sticky, humid air, the heat, the yucky (and I mean YUCKY) sand, and that gross feeling after you get out of the water. Blech. And yet, I was to find that a west coast beach is a different experience altogether when we visited Seattle. We found a great beach at Port Townsend; it was simply gorgeous. The view was amazing, with Canada off in the distance. The water was so blue, and though the wind was a little nippy, the weather was comfortable. Obviously there was to be no swimming in that ridiculously cold water, but we had so much fun just sitting on the sand or walking along together. My kids had a blast.

The boys loved skipping rocks into the waves. This is a new hobby of Nathaniel's that he has passed on to Bradley. . .



. . . who was more than happy to show Lindsey the proper methods.


Bradley found this cool heart-shaped rock which he gave to Mel with the proclamation, "This is so you can always remember that I love you." I tell you, that boy is so amazingly sweet and kind.


Uncle Drew buried the boys in the sand. This picture is so funny to me.



Bradley "making fire."




Lindsey really had a good time, though we couldn't get her to keep barrettes in to keep her hair out of her face.

Nathaniel running along the shore.

Later in the week we went to another beach at Deception Pass State Park. That was truly beautiful, despite the "bridge of terror" we had to drive over to get to it.

I got these two great shots of Lindsey and Chris, together in the late afternoon light.




Mom and Granny, don't worry. Yes, she was leaning over the edge of a bench on a cliff that was 50 feet above the rocks and water, but she was perfectly safe. :)

Woodland Park Zoo

One of the coolest places we visited in Seattle was the zoo. Lindsey had not been to a zoo since she was about 6 months old, and she was in heaven; all those wonderful animals. Here she ponders a pool of ducks -- not that she hasn't seen pond after pond of ducks in Provo, but she can never pass up a duck without a look.



Just a shot of my handsome boy having lots of fun.


Another one of Lindsey enjoying herself.



The boys spent more time clowning around on these statues of animals than looking at the real
thing.




They were all super impressed with this neat gorilla. She was so cool. At first she was just lying in the sun stretching, but eventually she came over to check out all the kids who were watching her. It was cool to see her interact with them.



So yeah, fun times at the zoo. I have never been a big fan of zoos; it has always seemed wrong to me to keep animals caged. But this zoo, and so many like it, stress how much work they are doing for preservation and conservation, so I guess that makes me feel a little better. Anyway I am torn because I love for my kids to have the chance to see animals up close that they could never see otherwise. Hmmmm.

We had a great week in Seattle. Many thanks and much love to Manda, Drew, and Olivia for hosting and taking care of us!

It's a ...Peanut

Well, this explains why I've been feeling so sick lately. For all who haven't heard our good news yet, #4 is on the way! Woo-hoo! Due date is January 25th.

And now it's time for a breakdown....

...of the last few months of goings on in our family. I obviously have not been a faithful blogger of late, so I thought I'd try to play catch-up.

We had Easter in Georgia with most of the cousins.

Chris kept the boys in formation after a visit to Steak and Shake (YUMMY!)

Nathaniel learned the art of tree-climbing.

The boys had some fun on Pa's tractor.

We visited the Flint River Aquarium near Albany, GA, where Chris' sister Aimee lives. The kids really enjoyed all the animals, especially these giant fish.
Lindsey was happy to zoom all around on her cousin's 4-wheeler. She had no fear, which was a little scary!
Bradley loves riding horses at Pa and Two-E's. Looks like a handsome cowboy, huh?

Super Brave Bradley

My little Scootie had an adventure a few days after we arrived in Georgia. That Sunday afternoon, we were at Chris' parents, out in the country. Chris and I were exhausted and taking a nap. Suddenly we heard Nathaniel come running in the house, yelling, "He looks awful! I can't even look at him!" I of course freaked out, and Chris calmly went outside to find that Bradley had somehow (no confessions were forthcoming) been hit in the forehead with a wooden swing. The gurgling, bloody gash sent me into hysterics. We left for the ER, which was a 45 minute drive. The boy was crying a lot at first, but he eventually calmed down and took everything in stride. He just made me laugh during his ER visit . . . he was laid up on the bed looking very cool, but still with a little pout.


The doctor came in and gave him 4 stitches, and he didn't move a muscle. He was just a perfect patient, while I had to go out in the hallway to settle down. He was absolutely thrilled when the doctor came back in with a popcicle!
Even though it majorly stressed me out, once all was said and done, I had to admit it was a pretty cool little wound. And he has an awesome scar!
(By the way, he managed to pull out 3 of his 4 stitches by the next afternoon. Tough little guy!)