Gabbarts

At the end of August our dear friends the Gabbarts came to visit for a long weekend. It was so great to see them and get to spend some time together. Zach and Emma got along great and had a lot of fun. Can you tell?

This picture is blurry, but cute, so I had to post it.

Poor Miss Emma is scared of loud noises right now. Like she gets scared if she sees a balloon, because it might pop. So what better weekend to be here than when an airshow is going on at an airport a few miles away? We didn't actually go to the show, but we got to see quite a bit. The fighter jets would fly right over our house, really low. A couple times I could see the pilot's face he was so low (without my glasses!). And we could see them doing their amazing tricks from our backyard. One evening we walked up to a park at the end of our street and climbed a little hill for an incredible view. In any case, it was loud when they would get close! Sorry, Emma! There were also all kinds of bombers and who knows what. We'll have to watch it more next year.

(of course I didn't have my camera out when they were really close)

It was great to see Aaron and Amy and their girls! Thanks for coming!

I'll get more pictures of them up on my photo blog, eventually...

Zach Turns 3!

At the end of August Zach turned 3. And 3 he is.

He is hilarious and fun.

Curious and creative.

Emotional and stubborn.

Energetic and talkative.

He makes me happy and drives me crazy.

(anyone who's had a 3 year old knows what I mean!)

He is such a social boy (hmmm, wonder where that comes from?) that we wanted to have a party for him. He loves to have people over! At his request it was a "workerman party."

That morning he helped make the cupcakes, or at least lick the beaters. (that is the best part)

He was pretty excited to open his presents.

His "noculars."

His main present request from us was "diggers!" so we got him a backhoe loader. He was thrilled.

Zach's little workerman cake.
Cupcakes for the crowd.

Party favors.

The kids got to decorate hard hats ("workerman hats") with stickers.

A game of "Hammer, Hammer, Nail" (duck, duck, goose) was unsuccessful, but they ran races in a nice herd. Zach does love a good backyard race.

And they tossed "rocks" (bean bags) into the wheelbarrow.

And of course, cake and presents. Zach had a great time and we're grateful for so many great friends!

Happy Birthday buddy!

We love you!

Roly Poly

I feel like all of a sudden my little baby is no longer a little baby. For over a month he has been eating "solid" foods. He "talks" up a storm, laughs a lot, and is loving peek-a-boo. He is really curious and wants to see and do and explore everything. He is almost sitting up by himself. And for a couple of weeks he has been mobile! He is rolling everywhere and trying so hard to crawl. I think he still has some time for that, but he's making progress on it every day. Crazy!

Anyway, with rolling comes some funny predicaments.

I left him on a spread out blanket while I got something from the car, and came back to find a baby burrito. He was a little distressed and didn't know what to do next.

A few days later, I found him headed under our bed.

Time for some baby-proofing!

The Orchard

So I had this grand vision of a picture that I wanted to try to get in an orchard. Unfortunately there aren't really orchards around here (at least not that I know of). So when we were driving home from Utah we stopped in Palasade, where for years I bought delicious peaches to bottle with my Grandma on my way out to BYU. So I knew there were orchards there. When we got there it was blazing HOT, and smack in the middle of the day, and the kids were tired. Not exactly an ideal photography situation. But I was determined to try, so pictures were taken. Add in that it was the first time trying out my reflector, and we got some funny shots. I wish I would have saved the few where the kids looked blinded by the beam of golden light, so I could share. They didn't exactly turn out how I had hoped. I guess it just wasn't meant to be that day. But here are some shots that I did like.

Roadtrip

In August we went on a roadtrip to Utah to visit family and friends. It was our first attempt at a roadtrip with the boys. We've never even taken Zach, strangely enough. We split the normally 8-9 hour drive into two days each way. I'm glad we did because the boys maxed out their car tolerance at about 3 hours. We built in fun stops along the way, too, to get wiggles out. Honestly, I don't know how other families do it all in one day. Let's just say it would not be a quiet, peaceful ride in our car. Anyway, it was a fun, quick trip. We loved getting to see so many people, and wish we could have seen everyone.

The boys did nap a little.

Zach loved getting to explore my grandparents' old farm.

More pictures to come.

Also, more pictures on my photo blog, and more to come there, too.

First Day of School

Okay, actually this is the second day. The first day of school pictures were just a blur as he ran by... It's hard to believe Zach is old enough for preschool. Some friends and I are doing a joyschool type thing for our kids, but a little different. I drop him off every Monday for a couple hours and I help out every Wednesday. It's part fun and exciting, part emotional. These boys are growing up too fast. He is excited about it. Can you tell?

A Few Random Pictures

A few truly random pictures that I've found as I'm (finally) going through pictures from last month. We have so, so many pictures. Prepare for many more catch up posts soon. But for now, in no particular order...

Austin 18 weeks

Zach playing in the rain.

Austin laughing at Cal.

Austin's first trip down a slide.

Zach Dancing

Zach Dancing, originally uploaded by ersphotography.

Just catching up a bit. Those fine dancing legs belong to Pete, and a big thanks to Uncle Jay for providing the music.

Austin Laugh

Austin Laugh, originally uploaded by ersphotography.