Kian's big hike with his Daddy

Today, Randy took Kian for a hike at Adams Canyon. For those of you not familiar with that hike, its a 3.5 mile hike with a 1300 feet incline. They made it all the way to the top, which is where the waterfall is located. When they came home, Kian couldn't stop talking about the hike and how much fun they had. He told all his stories in his low, "big boy" voice. I think its hilarious that after hours of an exhausting and difficult hike, he still had energy to spare and ran around the house till bedtime. Meanwhile, I can't say that Randy looked nearly as energetic... lol.

Here are a few other pictures that I couldn't help but post.

Grace at the park

Ryland's first capri-sun took precedent over the slide

Nothing better than throwing bark...  yay!

Kian's Soccer Game

Kian had his 1st soccer game this past Saturday and he had the greatest time!  

Kian is in the middle in this picture above.  They had 20 minutes of practice before the game to teach the kids how to play the game.  There are 5 boys on his team, including himself.

He is so proud!!

Kian had quite the cheering section!  Both sets of grandparents, the Haywards, and of course the twins!  They were proud of their big brother (not that they really noticed what was going on).  Unfortunately, Randy had to work.

The pep talk from the Coach before the game.  Each team could have 3 of their 5 players on the field at one time.  Kian was one of the first 3.

2 things about the game were very funny:  First, Kian would kick the ball and then pose... he'd freeze in his kicking position.  He has to learn how to dribble the ball!  Secondly, when something big happened, he would run to the sidelines and tell me all about it.... while the game was still going!  So cute!

Kian in action!

After the game, the kids played in the playground for a while.

Then we went to "My Gym", which is a gym for little kids.  We have Kian enrolled in a class which starts in a week.  But they also have "free play" time and all the kids just run around and have the best time!

This is Grace on the trampoline.  She would hold on to the bar and jump!  Then she'd giggle at herself in the mirror.  She is such a silly girl!

All in all, we had a very fun and busy day!  Kian sure is getting big very fast!

Haven't you seen me on the news??

Bees Game

This past Friday night, Kian and I had "date night" and went to the Salt Lake Bees game in Salt Lake City. The Haywards joined our date night and we had a great time! They had fireworks at the end of the game, which the kids loved!


Kian & Isaac
Isaac
Taylor

Watch out David Beckham...

Kian is starting soccer this year and he is SO excited!! He got his soccer uniform and wanted to wear it many days in a row!  Take a look at some photos of our future soccer star!

WHAT A KICK!!

The twins want to be just like their big brother!

Look at that fancy footwork!

For all of those locals interested in seeing Kian play in his 1st game, its on Saturday, September 6 at 12pm (practice starts at 11:30 and the game only lasts 20-30 minutes). He will be playing at Layton Elementary in Field #4. It should be fun to watch the little boys try to kick a ball and have no idea what they are doing!

My little KNIGHT

If you are looking for a Knight to fight off any dragons, I know of a very fierce, yet adorable, Knight who can protect you from harm.

"I'll save you Princess Gracie!"

Doesn't he look fierce to you?  Is it the dimples maybe?

His first battle was a difficult one against the Mighty Chops warrior.   Yet, Knight Kian defeated Chops through his fast footwork, sharp sword, and intimidating glare.  

Kian's Knight costume was provided through his "chore money" which took him a few weeks of cleaning up toys, making his bed, clearing the table, and putting on clothes by himself.   Isn't it great for little knights to learn how to work for their money and be rewarded?

Cabin Fever

We spent last night at the Hayward Family cabin and had SO much fun!! This is the first time we went up to the cabin with our kids! Kian rode on a dirt-bike and 3-wheeler for the first time. He hasn't stopped talking about the dirt-bike since!! He definitely has his daddy's love for motorcycles. Ryland & Grace also rode on the 3-wheeler with me and they both loved it. Grace giggled and Ryland clapped! Taylor, Isaac, and Kian all had their first sleep-overs with friends and they were so funny while they laughed and giggled in their room. They finally fell asleep around midnight! Tony, Shea, Randy & I had a great time hanging out and playing games till... I don't remember what time! Anyway, here are some of my favorite pictures! I'm sure Shea will post her favorites soon.

This is on the front deck and the twins watched their big brother riding on the bike and 3-wheeler on the first night.  They created their own fun by stomping and dancing around.

Kian loved every second!

Like Father, Like Son...

Hard day of playing... need to rest.

"I wanna ride that 3-wheeler again!!!  NOW!"

Always a little time to throw rocks in the river...

Thanks to Tony & Shea for such a great time!  We had a blast and I KNOW our kids did!!

Family Reunion

Its been 4 years since all of my brothers, sisters, their kids, and our parents have all gotten together!  We are spread out in Illinois, Utah, and California.  This past week everyone stayed at my parents' house in Layton and we had a blast!!  We were very busy....  Cherry Hill, Gateway, Children's museum, Morgan Rodeo, Boondocks, Clearfield pool, Pedicures for the girls, Build-a-Bear, etc etc ETC!  We taught the twins how to go down stairs 2 weeks before the vacation, so the twins were everywhere!  Up and down the stairs and chasing their cousins.  There were 13 kids total, ranging from 7 months old to 13 years old.  Out of 13 grandkids, only 2 are girls (including Grace).  Kian had a blast running around with all his cousins!  Hopefully, we don't wait as long for the next reunion!

*Don't forget to look at the previous blog!  Its our July summary since I haven't blogged much!

We're BACK!!

I have really missed blogging lately! We have been so busy this past month, so I'll just blog some of my favorite pictures and stories from July until our family reunion! I'll start with a video clip of the twins, who like to follow each other around the house with plastic boxes. They go from one spot to another and put the boxes down, sit in them, talk to each other, and then move to another spot. I use my digital camera for video clips sometimes, so it gets blurry a lot (and its a little long)-- sorry! ENJOY!!

This is my favorite pic from the 4th of July!  We love this holiday!  We spend every year with Tony & Shea & the boys and this year was the best yet.  We went to the Layton parade, pool party at the Haywards, BBQ at the Evans (our friend Ryan was in town), and then the Layton Fireworks.  Busy and fun day!   

The kids loved the fireworks!

An example of Ry & Grace running around with the clear boxes on their heads.

Cousin Elizabeth playing with our kids!  She is such a sweet, little girl!

I love this picture of Elizabeth leaning on Kian.

Went to the Treehouse Museum with Shea, Taylor, & Isaac. This is the 1st time we've been to the remodeled museum. We had so much fun!

Grace loves puppies...  LOL

Future President, Ryland

And President Grace!  I guess they can rule the nation together!  Free animal crackers for everyone!

We went to a pool party at my friend Amber's house! There were several pools and the Kian (aka "Fish") was in his element.  

"Gracie & Caleb sitting in a tree..."

Just kidding!  But these 2 are adorable!  If you can click on this picture to be larger, note the look on Grace's face!

Kian's good friend, Josh.  They ran from pool to pool.  

Note:  We haven't locked Kian inside our house all year.  He just has that beautiful, fair Irish skin.  LOL.  Poor kid.

What a great month we had!  I know this was a long blog, but I can't help but share my favorite pictures!!