One Toothless Grin and One Minor Accident

Keaton lost yet another tooth this week. That means he has lost 3 teeth now and it is another indicator that my little boy is growing up. His toothless grin makes me smile every morning, and I couldn't resist a picture after we got home from church and they were looking all dapper. I'm sure you noticed that Sam is not in church clothes.. Well, to make a long story short, he hit the back of his head on a pipe about an hour before church. It was bleeding pretty good at first, but Chad and I decided that it wasn't deep or long enough for stitches, so we made him as comfortable as we could at home. He did not make it to church, and got to stay home with his Daddy and eat popsicles instead. Yeah, he didn't mind that one bit :) Don't worry, within a few hours it scabbed over and he was back to his rambunctious ways.

Cousins

For too long now I have been meaning to post some pictures I have taken of my Emmi and my sister Abby's daughter Lauren. I have to admit that I was a little worried in the beginning if these two girls would ever become friends. When Emmi was just learning to walk Lauren didn't seem to like her at all, and would always try push her away. Abby and I have had high hopes that these two would grow up to be good friends like we are, especially since they are almost born a year apart to the day. Neither one currently has a sister and who knows if they ever will (at the rate I'm going at :) Gratefully I can report that they are playing so well together now and Emmi is always talking about "Sissy."

There really is nothing like seeing your daughter and your sister's daughter side by side and seeing how each of them look similar to the two of you. The photo above really captures this well of me and Ab and I think it is dang cute. I can't wait to have more pictures like this when my little sister Erin has children. Me and Erin spent a lot of time together growing up and I can't wait to see how much her little ones will look like her.Here the girls are in their princess jammies courtesy of their wonderful grandma, who I know loves her little princesses very much. The feeling is mutual... trust me:)For their birthdays last month I bought them these adorable handmade tutus. My Mom and Dad took these pics of the girls when my kids stayed with them while Chad and I went to St. George.I think they like the tutus and are becoming good friends already, what do you think? Emmi is blessed to have Lauren on my side and cousins Mccall and Brinely on Chad's side as far as girl cousins go. I think she is really lucky to have them all and I can't wait to see their friendships continue to grow over the years.

Goodbye Girls...

I am very sad to say that our neighbors and most favorite babysitters moved away this past week. "The girls" as we call them (left to right) Brooke, Katie, Jen and Annie moved into the neighborhood just months after us back in 2005, and since then we have had one of them over to babysit at least once a month. I have been so grateful to have them just across the road and always willing to help me out. It was mostly because of their help that Chad and I have been able to work in the temple. They are such a beautiful, neat group of girls and I know that my kids will miss them very much.

The Accidental Pitcher

Keaton is playing t-ball again this year. I really think that he likes the idea of playing, but his heart's not quite in it yet. Still, the rest of us enjoy going to the games and cheering him on. This last game he was actually put on the pitcher's mound for the very first time in both years. The thing is he wasn't really supposed to be there. From where I was sitting I could here his coach tell all the kids what position to take on the field, since they all switch around every inning. I know I heard her tell Keaton to go and be shortstop and point over in that general area. Too bad that Keek doesn't know where shortstop is and walked in that direction till he got to that pitching "mound" and just stopped. I honestly believe that he didn't do it intentionally and he thought he was in the right spot. To him, it is all the same and he doesn't know what a pitcher does, since in t-ball they don't even have to pitch. He isn't the type of kid to love all the attention either. I thought for sure that his coach was going to tell him to back up a bit since Keek seems to be the most passive and timid on the team, but she didn't and say a word and he got to stay there while the other team was at bat. In most of the games we've seen, the kids mostly don't hit the ball any father than the pitching mound and the pitcher is the one who gets to handle the ball. From the very first batter Keaton was running after all the balls and throwing them to first base like his coach had told them all to do. I was a very proud mama, even if he was put there on accident.

This video is a short clip of Keaton in action at the pitcher's position. I just love his cute little throw :)

Our Little Road Trip

Last weekend Chad and I were able to leave the kids behind and take a little road trip down to St. George for a few days. My parents and sister Abby took turns keeping the kids (a HUGE thank you to them). I really don't know who had more fun, Chad and I or the kids because my family treats them so good.

I was in heaven just to have a quiet ride, packed with lots of munchies that I don't have to share, (okay with just Chad :), real music on the radio, (not Sponge Bob or Dora), plenty of magazines to look at, and plenty of hours to play my Nintendo DS. On the way we stopped off in our old stomping grounds, Cedar City. It has been 6 years since we have moved away, so a lot has changed and we drove around for a while to reminisce. The highlights were our old apartments, SUU where Chad and I graduated from, and of course Valley View Hospital, where Keaton was born.

The rest of the time we pretty much did whatever we thought like doing. This included a couple movies, some shopping, eating out, swimming at the pool, basically my kind of vacation. However, I could not go to St. George without stopping by and visiting some of my family members that I don't get to see very often. First we stopped in to see my Uncle Scott and Aunt Kristy who have moved down there in the last year. They have a beautiful new home and it really was a treat to sit down and chat with them and catch up with my cute cousins. We also got to see my grandparents on my Dad's side who also live down there. Back when Chad and I lived in Cedar City we got to see them quite often. Our temple was the St. George temple, so at least once a month we would attend the temple, fill up with food at Costco and drop by for a visit. For their age they are doing really well, but it is easy to see that Grandpa isn't getting around as fast as he used to and Grandma isn't cooking near as often as she used to.When Chad and I visit he seems to be grandpa's partner in crime. These two would be in the kitchen sneaking ice cream when grandpa wasn't supposed to be eating it, watching football games, and then both falling asleep in their chairs, snoring. They make quite the pair. This visit there wasn't any ice cream, but we had lots of laughs thanks to them. Here is me and one of my namesakes. (I was named after both of my grandmas). Grandma's given name is Sarah Anne. So, I was named after her, but without the "h". I love this cute little lady and I attribute my freckles, fair skin, the strawberry-blond hair that I was born with, and my feistiness from her. I have always admired her for her good cooking, clean house, and sharp mind and this trip I could've sat and talked with her for hours. All too soon the days flew and it was time to make the drive home. It was such a nice break from the norm and I can't wait for the next one.