Tyson - June/July 2013

Oh Ty, what a summer!  I swear you've grown and learned so much without me even realizing it.  I took you, Logan, and Tessa to the doctor for your checkups last month, and not surprisingly you are 81st percentile for your weight!  We didn't get a measurement for your height because nobody takes 3 kids to the doctor at once without causing a little chaos, and we forgot.  You spent the entire visit (2 hours!) trying to head right back out the door, so I had my hands full.

You generally are W-I-L-D.  I guess I had my limit of fairly easy-going kids, and you are going to show me what it is like to be that mom whose kid is on the floor kicking and howling throwing a tantrum.  I'm so excited.

You  may be wild, but you are also a lot of fun.  For the most part you've gotten past your really cranky molar-teething stage (1 left!), and we've been able to enjoy the summer with lots of time spent at the swimming pool.  You're pretty much fearless, especially with your little floaty strapped on.  You didn't like the little enclosed slide on the kid's side of the pool, so I thought I'd be a little mean and take you down the big enclosed slide - and you LOVED it.  Now every time we go you scream SHLIDE, SHLIDE at me until I take you down, and the minute we hit the water at the bottom you start right back up.

But it is all worth it when we get home and you crash...

On Tessa's birthday dad took her and Logan to a movie, so you and I went to the mall in St. George and shared a pretzel and shopped for a few minutes.  I had to take a picture because I've got one of Logan doing the same thing at about the same age.

Later that night we took you all out to the church parking lot so Tess could try out her new bike.  She got a new bike, so you inherited hers.  Over the past couple months you've gotten really good at it!

We've played at the park....

and later in the month you snuck a cupcake at Logan and Tessa's birthday party.

You tried on Tessa's dress up shoes...

and we had fun playing in the water to celebrate your grandmas' birthdays first at grandma Hillier's house...

and then at Grandma Lori's...

where you got so tuckered out that you fell asleep in the stroller with Grandpa.

You've helped me clean the house (I had to document the fact that you wanted SO bad to help me scrub the toilet!)...

and we've eaten a LOT of popsicles at a LOT of softball games where you like to run around in front of the bleachers lifting your shirt up for everyone to see, trying to open all the car doors in the parking lot, and generally just running around so fast that I don't get to see more than a minute or 2 of dad's games.

We went to Fredonia for their 4th of July parade and you got a lot of candy...

before we headed up Cedar Mountain for the Veater reunion to eat MORE

and MORE popsicles.

You call both your grandpa's Papa, and now grandpa Rob's fourhweeler is nicknamed Papa because every time you walked by it you would point at it and say Papa until he came to take you for a ride.  Poor Papa put LOTS of miles on his fourwheeler taking you for rides at reunions this summer.

but it sure is good for putting you to sleep!

At the Veater reunion you spent most of your time getting stuck on rocks and yelling "stuck! stuck!" until someone would come help you...

but at the Hatch reunion you really figured it out and would ride your bike down little (but steep!) hills all over the campground and give everyone a heart attack!  (See how the picture is blurry?  It's cause you're flyin!)

You loved to ride your bike with your big brother and sister...

I got pictures of some cute smiles..

 and hikes with your brother...

playing in the creek with Uncle Chad...

and tempting fate by hanging on grandma's trailer door even after we told you this is how Logan got the scar on his forehead!

And cousin Shawnee captured your classic glare just perfect.

We tried to go fishing at Tropic Reservoir at the Hatch reunion, but your favorite thing to do is throw rocks in the water and scare the fish away.

So we took some pictures instead.

We did spend some time at home playing...

and zonking out on the floor...

and dancing with dad.

One Saturday we didn't have anything planned, so we grabbed lunch for your dad and headed up to Big Springs.  We hung out with him for a few minutes before we started to explore on our own.  We drank out of the spring a few times

 before we headed up the road to Jacob Lake for a cookie.  We took our time getting back to Big Springs and saw a bunch of deer and squirrels and visited the old Jacob Lake Ranger Station and feeding the horses in the pasture where the "lake" is.  After we got back to Big Springs there was only about an hour and a half left before dad was off work, so we decided to hang around and wait for him so we could all drive home together.  There are a couple ponds up at Big Springs, and Logan had discovered that if you threw grasshoppers in the ponds the fish would come and eat them.  Logan was over at one of the ponds catching grasshoppers, but Tess and I were going to go feed some grass to the horses they keep there.  I thought you were behind me, but when I turned around to look you had turned and headed for Logan and the pond.  You weren't very far away, but just as I started heading towards you to bring you with me you reached Logan at the pond and proceeded to fall head first into the pond.  It was just like a movie what happened next.  I screamed as loud as I could and RAN!  The ponds aren't deep, but they're deep enough!  When I got there (I was only about 20 yards away)  you were in the water flailing your arms, and I'll never forget the look on your face.  I jumped in and pulled you out, and after a minute or 2 of crying you were just fine.  Soaking wet, but fine.  I was lucky that I turned around in time to see you go in or else it probably would have taken me longer to realize where you had gone.  It still makes me sick just thinking about it.  There was one casualty that day - one of my flip flops got stuck in the mud in the pond when I jumped in and I didn't think about grabbing it before I climbed out.  I was lucky in one other way though - my replacement phone that I'd had for less than a month was in my front pants pocket when I jumped in, and when I got out and thought to check it out I noticed that the water line on my clothes went just underneath where my phone was.

I took you down to the truck and changed your soggy diaper, but you went without clothes the rest of the day.  I, on the other hand, got to stick it out in my wet clothes and one shoe until we headed home.

Your vocabulary has exploded lately.  I was talking to a lady in our ward the other day who does speech for 0-3-year-olds, and she was saying how once kids get to about 50 words then they take off.  I'm pretty sure you are at that point.  It's pretty giggle-inducing for all of us to hear you learn new words because sometimes of course the sounds aren't quite right.  You repeat just about all the things we point out to you, for instance last night I showed you a clock, which you proceed to say with more of an "f" sound than a "cl" sound.  You also get mad and tell us to "shit! shit!" and point to where you want someone to sit.  I'm pretty sure you say the word "cars" about 1,000 times a day, and you're actually showing me a car and yelling it at me as I type.  We've got you starting to say please instead of just standing and demanding things, and it is cute to see you go from your angry voice to really softly saying "pwease?"  You call cows moos and horses ho-sies.  Everyone in primary gets a kick out of you when you escape from me and go running in to sharing time yelling "Gogi!" and looking for your brother.  Sacrament meeting isn't so fun, and yesterday after you (and I!) had finally had enough wrestling for the day you repeatedly yelled "go OUT!" until I gave in and took you out.  As I reached the door and pushed it open you waved to everyone in the chapel and said so sweetly, "buh-bye!"  You love to eat cackers, coo-kies, and cany.  You really are at a fun stage right now with all the words you can say and things you are learning.

You may give me fits and be harder than I remember your brother and sister being, but you've got so much personality and fun faces and goofy dances that we just can't help but love you to pieces.

Love you bud!
Mom

Logan - June/July 2013 - 6 years old!

I am SO, SO late.  Like almost 2 months late.  You'd think summer would be less crazy and less stressful than the school year, but apparently not.  I'll start with your birthday survey and then get to the oodles of pictures from the last 2+ months.

YOUR FAVORITE...
FOOD? Spaghetti.
CANDY?  Sour Skittles (typing that made my mouth water.  I hate sour Skittles!)
PLACE TO GO? The pool.
GAME TO PLAY?  Mario
TV SHOW?  Scooby-Doo (You started the Scooby-Doo kick in our house.)
MOVIE? Land Before Time (I have no clue where this one came from.  We haven't watched that in a long time!)
 PERSON? Kashton
THING TO DO? Play with Kashton
COLOR: Greed, red & blue.
PERSON TO PLAY WITH? Kashton.
TOY? Skylander Giants (You don't even have these - Kashton does.)
HOLIDAY? Christmas and birthday.
THING TO DO WITH DADDY? Play.
THING TO DO WITH MOMMY: Go to the pool.
THING TO DO WITH GMA and GPA H? Go to the splash pad.
THING TO DO WITH GMA and GPA V?  Go get a toy.
NUMBER? 6
ANIMAL? Dogs & dragons *even though they aren't real.
CARTOON CHARACTER? Shaggy, Scooby, and Fred.
THING ABOUT ME? That you love us.
PLACE TO BE TICKLED? My armpit.
PLACE TO GO WITH MOMMY? The pool.
PLACE TO GO WITH DADDY?: To get a treat.
DRINK? Lemonade and water.
TREAT? Snow Cone (We've only had about a million this summer.)
PLACE TO VISIT? The pool.
BOOK? Magic Treehouse books.


After your last t-ball game we had some time before Tessa's game, so Grandma and Grandpa Veater took us to Moqui Cave.  You thought it was pretty cool, and Grandma and Grandpa bought you a kit where you could dig out your own fossil.  After excavating half of it in my kitchen before I noticed you took it out on the back deck and had it out in no time.  I love this picture - you look so grown up.

Since your last letter you obviously have finished kindergarten.  I took this picture of you walking up to the gate with me one last time (wearing the Angry Birds shirt I hate...).  I know the days of you letting me hold your hand while we walk is flying by, so I take it any chance I can get.

Your kindergarten circus was the week before.  You were a juggler and pretty excited about being able to "juggle."  The circus was fun, and Grandma Hillier was babysitting that day, so she was able to help with Ty so I could watch.  You were pretty dang cute.

I had to take a picture of your program (I kept it too), because you were so excited to see that your drawing of a juggler made it on the program next to your name.

At your park day the last week of school - I had to get a picture of you eating your lunch next to your "girlfriend" Kaidee.  I talked to her mom last week and she informed me that Kaidee told her that she had kissed you on the bus.  When I asked you about it you got super embarrassed.  I asked you where she kissed you and you said, "On my arm."  I busted up.  What a dork you are.

We got your T-ball pictures back.  I can't believe this was your third year playing.  You had a lot of fun and are getting better and better.

We've done a lot of playing at the pool, but we've hit the park a time or 2 to play in the splash pad.  Here you're sporting your summer hair cut that you made dad give you the last day of school.

Dad was on a fire for your birthday this year, so you just got to open your presents from mom on your actual birthday.  I think you were pretty excited though because you got the whole (current) set of Magic Treehouse books.  We discovered these earlier this year at the library, and I thought they would be good books to read together.  Turns out you would rather just read them all on your own without help!  I think dad shakes his head to see a 6-year-old so excited to get BOOKS for his birthday, but you were even more excited when he came home and gave you the presents he bought for you - a new baseball glove and a fishing pole and tackle box.  I'd say you got pretty spoiled this year.

We had your birthday party on your birthday too.  Silly mom planned it for a Saturday in the summer not thinking about baseball tournaments and family vacations that your friends might have going on.  There were still plenty of kids though, water balloons, a slip-n-slide, and pizza too, and you and Tess had a lot of fun.

We also celebrated both Grandmas' birthdays.  First Grandma Hillier where you guys got to play in the water in the backyard and have a sleepover...

And then Grandma Lori's where we got out the slip-n-slide again and had fun (and another sleepover!).

We've done a lot of Otter Pop eating at dad's softball games...

and camping and family reunion-ing...

This one was taken after we all climbed through one of the caves at Mammoth Creek.  You LOVED it and were ready to go through again and again.

Showing me your hideout.

Playing ring toss at the Hatch reunion.

You and Quade riding your fourwheelers behind dad.

The glow stick parade.

Fishing at Tropic Res.

See?  It's been a busy summer, and we have had a LOT of fun.  Six years old has brought a little bit of defiance and wanting to be in charge, but every day I realize how much more "boy" you are than baby.  It always catches me off guard to hear you sing all the words to a song or tell me to turn the radio up because one of your favorites is on.  You'll do just about anything for some cash, but you have started upping your going rate from quarters to dollars.  You are mostly sweet to Tyson and will use some of your money to buy him a popsicle at the softball games, and sometimes (but somewhat more rare) you'll get something to share with your sister too.  Even with the defiance you continue to be a relatively easy-going kid who LOVES his dad and mostly likes his mom and sister, and we love you back.

Love ya bug,

Mom

(You had your 6-year checkup and were so happy to hear you don't need anymore shots until 2018!  You weren't very good at calming poor Tessa's fears though.  You tip the scales right at 50 pounds for 70th percentile for weight and ended up at 67th percentile for height!)