Lake Chelan - Day 1

We had such a good time as a family visiting Lake Chelan about a month ago.  The weather was absolutely perfect, in my opinion, with a high of 98 the few days we were there.  We went the week after Labor Day right after school started so we were practically the only people at the resort, and we got a really good deal because it's considered the off season.

When we first got there the boys hung out and got to watch a show, and jumped on their bed while we unpacked everything.  We brought all our own food so we had to unpack right away.  I've been trying really hard to make healthy food choices for our family so I packed our fridge full of fruits and veggies, greek yogurt, cheese, and cute little cartons of organic milk for the boys.  I also made special "treats" for the trip like whole wheat blueberry and zucchini muffins, and whole wheat banana bread all sweetened with just a little bit of honey.  The boys still loved them despite the lack of sugar, don't worry. ;)  I also made homemade granola and oatmeal for us to have for breakfasts.  Our room had a little kitchenette complete with plates, cups, utensils and a microwave, but no oven.  I prepared ahead of time by making  a no-cook summer lasagna and whole wheat pizza pockets for dinners and it ended up working out great.  It was a lot of work getting ready for the trip, but worth it in the end financially and nutritionally.  Plus, we got to spend extra time on the beach since we didn't have to go to any restaurants.

Okay, so enough rambling about our food.  Enjoy some pictures of our first night.  We didn't get there until around dinner time so there wasn't any swimming that night.  We just took a nice walk and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  I was also able to do some practicing with my new film camera and some expired film I had gotten for free, plus I didn't have to do any editing when I got home which is always a plus for me.  Hope you enjoy our vacation in pictures!  I sure love having my memories recorded. ;)

Precious Memories

I have had my father-in-law's old film camera since we visited their home last May.  I hadn't picked it up in a while and was planning on returning it when they came to visit us in February so I thought I should try it out one more time.  So here are some pics of the family on normal days, just doing normal things hanging around the house.  These are memories I will cherish forever, and I love that the pictures look like something from my childhood, and are just so natural.  No editing here, my favorite way ;)

The boys love watching TV together.  I just love Carter's little foot on the chair.  

Silly Preston  moving too fast for the camera.

He and Carter are a little obsessed with stickers.

Carter eating cream of wheat and cheerios for breakfast.

It's his favorite meal of the day, and sometimes the only time he eats anything of value.

I love the blurry tongue.

Of course Preston is still watching TV.  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the morning.  I'm telling you these kids need to go to Disneyland.  Carter even sings along and repeats words when they tell him to.

They had tons of fun with playdough after Grandma and Grandpa came.  Actually it's moondough, have you ever heard of that stuff?  It doesn't ever dry out, but flakes everywhere and makes a huge mess.

Sometimes the mess is worth it.

We've been sick a lot this winter so we've stayed at home a lot and read a lot of books

No, the book is not upside down it's got two stories in one.  You flip it upside-down to get the next story.  Silly library books.

Grandma loves her new iphone, and watching the boys play.

Of course Grandpa got sucked in to reading books too, and Bentley is always on his lap or at least next to him when he's around.

Carter loves his little bench.

Gabe's been reading books a lot lately too.  I think he finished this one in two days.

The boys love the geotrax they got for Christmas, they are always out.  Don't mind the large spot on the carpet in the upper left corner, we may have spilled some paint there. ;(

He is really a sweet boy.

So is he, even though he's crazy...

Do most dogs do this all the time?  I swear he has issues. ;)

This is my absolute favorite!  Carter saw I had the camera out so he grabbed his bear and found a spot to sit, I haven't taken his picture in a while (like a month) so I was surprised and of course thought it was so cute!  

I love how he thinks he needs his bear in every picture.

He seriously loves that thing.

He still loves Bentley lots too...

and his thumb...

The weird thing is that he only ever sucks his thumb when he has his bear, the two go together...

Another favorite, his little people ark Grandma Becky gave him for Christmas, he loves animals.

Now you get to see Preston eating peanut butter, before his haircut.  His hair was in his eyes like crazy!

He also has a fat lip because he fell off of a big toy ball at playgroup in the church gym and his sharp chipped tooth went right through it.  Don't worry it's all better now.  ;)  Oh, and yes, he does still wear glasses they were just broken in all of these pictures.  We ordered new ones because he has a new prescription anyway, so we should be getting them in a couple of days.  They are cute too!

Did you notice some subtle changes in our house?  Okay, they're big changes, and I love them!  We're still working on it (especially painting but it's slow going.  So please excuse the unmatching wall colors. ;)

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all have a wonderful and warm Holiday Season.  Unless there's snow.  Then it's okay if you're cold. ;)

*image credit Holly Aprecio Photography

*image credit Puzzle Piece Photography, yep that's me. :)

New Things

We've got all kinds of new things going on around here, and I figured it was about time I updated a few things.  We've been making a lot of changes around our house that I'm really excited about and will post pictures as soon as I feel it's ready... I promise. ;)

Preston is turning into such a big boy!  He amazes me everyday by how much he knows at just 2 1/2.  When did he get to be so big?  He absolutely LOVES singing, and memorizes almost every song he hears.  He also likes to make up songs which is very entertaining.  He, as always, LOVES building everything in sight and has recently discovered his love of puzzles.  Gabe took one out once when he was tired of playing (and losing) Candyland over and over again and Preston has been hooked ever since.  Gabe brought home a couple of 25 piece puzzles from the dollar store a few weeks ago and ever since Preston has talked about what a nice guy he is for bringing puzzles home.  Preston now has memorized where all the pieces go and can do both by himself easily. 

I remember when Preston was born I couldn't wait until I could have a conversation with him, and now sometimes I take for granted that he talks to me all the time!  Here are some of his cute quotes from the last couple of weeks.

Gabe was changing his diaper and said that Preston had a big log in his pants.  So Preston yelled out "It's a FROGGY LOGGY, I have a frog in my pants!"  I have no idea where he got that from, other than the fact that we sing a song that talks about a bullfrog sitting on a log.  Isn't he creative?

Gabe told me that while I was out shopping when day Preston asked where I was and so Gabe told him I was getting food for us.  He replied saying "Yea, Mommy won't let us down."  I think he's been watching too much of Thomas, the useful tank engine.

Last but not least, my favorite.  One day out of nowhere Preston started saying he wanted to go on a airplane to see Heavenly Father.  It's so hard to explain that Heaven isn't a place where we can visit, and that's why we have to say our prayers to Heavenly Father.  The next day as we were driving in the car he said "Mommy, I want to see the Jesus angel."  I had no idea what he was talking about so I asked him where he thought he could see that and he said "I want to see the Jesus angel like Joseph Smith, and Heavenly Father too."  I think he was hoping that they would come down to visit him.  That's when I had to explain to him that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that's why Heavenly Father came down to visit him.  He said he wanted to be a prophet too.  We'll see...  By the way, he wanted to visit Jesus and Joseph Smith in Heaven too.  I told him that one day he could see them in Heaven, but I hope not for a long time.  Maybe that's selfish of me... 

Anyway, Here's a recent picture of our cute, smartypants!

Now for Carter.  He is adored by his big brother, and he adores the dog!  It works out great!  He is a happy, easy going baby which makes things easier for me!  He is very social and hates being in a room by himself.  He's content playing with the dog, and dog toys, and dog food... unfortunately.  It his adorable how he and Bentley play together.  Bentley his more gentle with Carter than Carter is with him.  Carter has an obsession with hair just like his brother... I don't know how that happened.... so of course he loves petting Bentley.  He loves sucking his thumb, and absolutely loves his bear that he can't go to sleep without, and hasn't been able to since he was only a few months old.  He's crawling everywhere and loves getting into anything he's not supposed to have, especially paper.  He will bite chunks out of anything he can get his hands on with the help of his 8 teeth that he's had since he was barely seven months old.  He's a crazy baby, and we love him!

Okay, now for the last change going on around here.  I have officially set up my new photography WEBSITE and BLOG.  So if you're reading my old photography blog it will no longer be updated.  Check out my new photography blog for a chance to win a free photo session if you live near me, or in Utah!  I'm also posting a few more pictures of my boys there.  Let me know what you think. :)