Walden Timp Lodge 2015

The school I work at is pretty amazing!  Each fall they take the school up to Timp Lodge at the Sundance Resort in Utah.  It is beautiful and the weather, even if raining, is always wonderful.  You can't go wrong with the view, and the students love it.  The middle school stays at the lodge overnight, and the high school stays for two nights. 

It rained the entire time we were up at the Lodge.  We got really creative with activities and all-in-all the kids had a good time. 

 Max and Dexter came up to visit me for dinner.  Dexter pretty much has the kids wrapped around his fingers.  The student with the Led Zepplin bandanna on adores Dexter.  He comes from a family of 11 so he is very good with kids, and is constantly asking to babysit.  It is pretty adorable!

 Oh Max.  He was the life of the party.  He didn't really like the crowd of middle school students, but boy did he LOVE the microphone!!  He figured out how to turn it on and screamed "HIIIIII" into it.  It scared everyone and he got a good laugh.  He also danced the night away and was pretty adorable.

I made it through the night.  If you know me I don't really do well on overnight anything.  I like a shower, clean bed, my own space, and I really missed my boys.  But I am so glad I was with the middle school students all night.  I got to know them all really well and it truly was fun.

Here is a little video of Max dancing:

Family Update September 2015

Our life has been anything but normal in the last month. 

William
Will is the BEST stay at home dad.  He takes care of all the running around, driving, and basically being super dad during the day.  At night he is finishing up some projects, including the second installment of the Monkey King.

Tiffany
Tiff is teaching 6th and 7th grade math at Walden.  She still gets up at 5:30 to go to the gym in the morning, and on most days can pick up Max from pre-school because she now has her own car!  This car is a fabulous 1991 Nissan Maximum, they same one she drove in HS.  It is a classic. 

Maxwell
Max is have a GREAT year at Giant Steps.  He moved locations and is now at the "Wasatch too" building, and still has Mrs. Amber as a teacher. 

Dexter
Dexter just had investigative surgery last week.  Grandma Strong came into town and was such a huge help.  Will and I both got to be at Primary Children's while Dexter was in surgery and recovery.  Grandma took Max to school and helped us during the day.  It was so nice to have her in town!  Dexter did great and even though had a few rough nights after the surgery, and the pain medication wore off, he is a champ and healed quickly.  We hope to get the results in the next 2-3 weeks. 

Life is busy.  It never slows down.  Will and I are also the co-chairs of the Friends with Giant Steps Parent Group at Max's School.  Will is also the "Room Mother" for Max's class.  We still don't sleep much, but somehow manage to get some naps in a few days a week.  We love our family and right now wouldn't have life any other way.  (Maybe just a solid 6 hours of sleep at night, but the rest we wouldn't change!)

EATING!!!

 

Pictures from our day at Primary Children's hospital:

Mim is just the best.

She loves the tub.

And climbing on shoulders.

And sleeping with Max.  Which is the best. 

Best Doctors Office

Dexter is seeing a lot of specialist in the next month.  Dr. O is the main doctor who heads up the group of specialists.  His office is the best.  Dexter who is obsessed with letters and numbers had a blast jumping on these rugs. 

Dexter has the cutest little voice on the planet.  I love hearing him count and say letters. 

Happy 2nd birthday Dexter

Dexter was born on July 25th, 2013.  He is now a rambunctious TWO year old!
He has been a joy since birth and I am very lucky to be his mom. 

A few hours old. 

1 day old

Dexter's blessing day. 

To commemorate his SECOND birthday I have come up with a list all about Dexter.  Dexter is obsessed with letters and numbers, and has been since about 16 months so there is no better way to talk about Dexter than by using his favorite thing - the alphabet.

A - always on the go.
B - Ba Bas.  He is still nursing.  He has started weaning a bit, but he is still a huge fan.
C -  chocolate lover!
D - doesn't sleep.  He is a horrible sleeper.  And always has been since birth.  His longest stretch is 3-4 hours.
E - Elmo.  Huge fan!
F - fearless.  Which for this mama scares me to pieces!
G - goofball
H - "Hi!"  He loves to say Hi and wave at you when he gets in trouble.
I - I-pad, he loves the magic screen.
J - just dance.  Anytime there is music he says "Dance, dance"!
K - kitty.  He loves Mim, but boy does he love to terrorize her.
L - he is just a Little Guy.  10% for height and weight.
M - mimic.  He loves to copy anything we say and anything Max does.  Which includes screaming at the top of his lungs.
N - numbers.  Just like his obsession with the alphabet, he loves numbers.  He knows all the numbers 1-20 and his favorites are NINE and 16.
O - outside.  He loves being outside.
P - Pooh Bear!  Still a favorite.
Q - quick.
R - rambunctious.  Just like his blessing said he would be!
S - stubborn just like his mama.
T - THE HAIR is still fab.
U - unbalanced.  He has very little coordination and falls all the time.
V - very curious.
W - Wreck it Ralph which he calls "raf" is his favorite movie second to Pooh.
X - his favorite letter.
Y - younger brother and loves it.
Z - the last letter of his favorite song! 

 Dexter loves "sips" and cookies.  So for his birthday lunch we went to Sodalicious in Provo. 

I am so grateful to be his mama! 

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY DEXTER!!  

We LOVE you very much.  

The Fourth of July 2015

"We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"  President Thomas Whitmore, Independence Day 1996.

The night before the Fourth of July Will and I stayed up and watched Independence Day.  We have watched it every year since being married.

The next morning I woke up at 5:45 and went to the gym.  Then we packed everyone up and headed to what Max called the "Firetruck parade" in downtown Provo.  The Freedom Festival is HUGE, and Provo knows how to do the 4th right.  Over 750,000 people were at the parade this year.  The parade itself last about 2 hours.  It was an overcast morning and despite temperatures reaching 100 in the afternoon, the morning parade was perfect weather.

Max was overly excited about the firetrucks!  Dexter was excited to run into the street and be chased by Will, and despite our efforts to contain him, he managed multiple times to escape into the street.  We brought otter pops and stayed cool the whole time.  It was awesome.

 They both wore their fireman hats and their truck shirts. 

After the parade we went home and took naps. 

At night we went to our friends the McGuire's for their annual Cul-da-sac of fire! 
Max danced and danced.  It was a huge 180 from last year.  He ran around in circles looking at the fireworks from all directions. 

Dexter was very ovewhelmed and wouldn't let us put him down once in got dark out. 

Dexter loved the poppers.  He was so proud to figure it out and be able to make them pop with his feet.  He also was a little disappointed when they all ran out!

The 4th has quickly become one of my favorite holidays!