Brady Walking and Other Cute Pictures

My back is grateful, but my heart is a little sad because my baby is walking! He started about 2 weeks ago. He waited a long time, but now he is a pro. He just likes to wait his time and then take off. He did the same thing with crawling. Now I have to be careful because he is fast! He loves to climb and get into kitchen drawers. Every morning when I take him out of his crib he is so excited to get downstairs and see the family. He says Ma Ma, Da Da, and Ty Ty. Sydney tries to get him to say Syd, but I think it will take awhile. Brady is a very happy toddler. He loves to laugh and has a great big toothy grin. He loves playing with Tyler and their play tools. He loves balls and his favorite game is to go and fetch toys. When I teach piano lessons I can keep him busy by throwing balls across the room and he goes and gets them. I just love this boy!! He is with me all of the time and I LOVE IT!! We still call him Boo Boo - a nickname that Sydney and Tyler gave him.

Tyler is really growing! He has had a little bit of an adjustment having Sydney go to school. In the morning he still says he misses her when we walk her to school. But I am loving having him home and being able to spend time with him. He knows all of his Upper Case letters. I am working on the lower case. He knows a lot of them, but there are a few hard ones. He loves being in Sunbeams and is participating in his first Primary Program in a few weeks. He loves riding his bike and running around. He is a big helper in the kitchen and loves to bake treats with me. He still loves playing with dinosaurs and loves playing with them with Brady. He is such a big helper. I love my little/big boy!!

Sydney is so much fun! She is loving first grade. She is such a good reader and getting really good at piano! She is still a morning person and gets up early so we usually get a lot done in the morning. Piano, reading, shower, homework plus all that is involved with getting her ready for school. She loves to decorate and organize. She tells me that she wants to be a hairdresser when she grows up. She loves playing with make-up and is a really good big sister. She likes to play mini-mom. She tries to help Brady walk, even though he already knows how to. She likes to swing and play with her friends at school. Even though I keep telling her that she can't grow any bigger, she does. I miss her when she is gone, but I love having her home when she walks in the door. She tells me everything that goes on and I love hearing about her day.

School Pictures

School as officially started. Sydney is started First Grade with Mrs. Woods and Tyler will start preschool with Ms. Ackerman. I decided to take my school kids out to a park for some impromptu pictures. They were super good - which was extra nice because my camera battery died soon after we got there. I will have to take Brady out another time.

Sydney loves First Grade, she said it was the best day ever! She absolutely loves school and can't wait to go. Tyler and I had a little bit of a harder time. Tyler came in that morning and asked where Sydney was. I told him that she had gone to get dressed for school and he immediately burst into tears and said, "Not again!" Poor kid. Daddy and Brady were the strong ones. I tried to make the first day lots of fun and took him to the splash park to meet some friends. He had a blast! On the second day as soon as we left the building from dropping her off he said, "Mom, I miss Sydney." He will be so excited when preschool starts in a month. And then he can be the big boy going to school. Until then, he gets to hang out with Brady and me and work on things at home. He is getting really good at his letters and sounds.

Here are a few of the best pictures.

Sprint Triathalon

This is the second year I have done the Sprint Triathlon with Gayle and Monmouth Stake. It is fun, once it is over. :) It is a .5 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, and a little more than a 5K. I loved crossing the finish line with my family waiting for me - cheering me on! It is always a good experience.

Utah Trip

The last trip we did for Summer was a trip to Utah. We drove out with Grammy and spent 10 days. The kids had a blast! Sydney was so excited to drive and they were really good in the car. While we were there, we went boating, to a family wedding, visited with lots of extended family and had a great time. The kids love seeing their aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. We also went to the "Up" house and the County fair. Lots of fun packed into 10 days. It's always hard to say goodbye, but it was a great trip. We were glad we got out there for a little bit this summer.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

Another exciting thing that happened this month was a last minute trip from Grandma and Grandpa. It was so fun having them here for a few days. We walked the Nike path, went shopping in Woodburn, drove out to Tillamook and then along to the beach at Lincoln City. The last day we stayed home and hung out. We watched a movie favorite of ours, How to Train Your Dragon, Sydney practiced the piano, we read books and had fun! It is always sad to have them go, but we had a great time for the few days they were able to come out.