September Re-cap

Emri invited Grandpa to "Dads N Donuts" at school, since Daddy couldn't make it--I think she was pretty excited to have this special guy join her!

 Hanging out it with cousins... we went to watch cousin Morgan play in her HS soccer game (up in Morgan). Dexter practices football at the same park. We're bound to run into family when we visit that little town! 

 Emri started dance in the fall... Papa took her to get a cute leotard/skirt for class!

 I got to meet up with a couple of cousins (Taylour & Tyler) for dinner at Twigs. Good food, great company!

 This is my 2nd year canning salsa... last year I did a small batch to see if we'd like it. This year I doubled the recipe. There's something about that little "pop" sound the lids make that gives me such a feeling of accomplishment! 

 My friend Jill, who gave me her salsa recipe, talked me into making spaghetti sauce too. Brett was excited to help, so I figured why not? It was a pretty quick process to this point, but then you have to let it simmer 3 or 4 hours! haha! It started simmering about 8:30 pm. It turned out delicious... hubby ad kids both approved! Feeling pretty domestic around here!

 Me with Kate (our YW pres) and violet (one of our Laurels) making our own ombre design t-shirts. They turned out pretty cute! 

Cousin Liam was getting baptized in St.George, so the 2 older kids and I loaded up with Jaimilyn and 2 of her kids and headed south. Gma/Gpa and Michelle/Jared also drove down and Jared/Ingrid were there too. We spent the weekend at "the redneck house" (Brett's uncles) together. The kids had fun staying up late with cousins, playing games and doing puzzles. 

 We went to Liam's football game, then to the new Conservatory to wander around. It was toast warm outside! I will never get sick of visiting the red rocks in southern Utah!

 Cousin time! 

 We had a few hours to kill before the baptism, so we called Papa to see if anyone was staying at his house in St. George. We got the all-clear and got to cool off in the pool for a couple of hours! 

 Sweet Nora combing Jet's hair during the baptism program.

 A few of my sis-in-laws and my mother-in-law after the baptism... we went to Mindy's for dinner. 

 Jet giving Grandpa an intense shoulder massage. 

 Driving home.... Jet's first "pee on the side of the road" experience. It didn't go so well! haha! Needless to say, we had to get a dry pair of shorts and undies to change into. I guess we've failed him in not teaching the proper leaning technique!! 

Such a fun weekend away! 

Ike at 2 Years Old!

2 Year Old Well Check Stats:

Weight: 23 lb (3%)

Height: 32.8 inches (18%)

At 2 Years Old, Ike is:

• feeling more comfortable walking up and down the stairs while holding the rail or leaning on the wall.
• has been trying more food in the past 2 weeks and liking it. Maybe he's realizing that eating will actually make his tummy feel good!?
• Loves to dance and make us all laugh! 
• he doesn't really say a whole lot of "real words," but has come up with sounds for most anything he needs or wants... and we all know those sounds so who knows if he'll ever speak???!

 Sometimes life is rough... this was probably one of his first "time-outs."

 Trying some vanilla greek yogurt.... and liked it! Hooray!

 The boy knows how to enjoy his icecream :)

 Almost 2 and decides he no longer needs to ride in the shopping cart. I think my grocery trips just doubled in the time it takes to shop. 

 He loves the backdoor neighbor's dog "Gunner." He will walk up to the fence and tap on it till the dog comes over then he reaches through the slats to touch his face. 

 These 2! Buddies and Frenemies :)

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**BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS**

Ike's fun personality is really starting to shine through these days! The night we celebrated his birthday he was really "on one" and knew that he was in the spotlight. He was such a ham all night!

  I made hime a "hoo-hoo ha-ha" cake! He is obsessed with Curious George! 

 The first taste...

 Let's not be shy.....

This car tower was a hit! He loves to play with similar toys in nursery on Sunday...loves the "vrooms."

Labor Day Weekend

Saturday morning started out bright and early with a drive to Midway to meet my momma up at Swiss Days. I love this tradition! 

 I'm pretty sure we gave the Saranoni booth a big chunk of their business this year! Their blankets are HEAVENLY! I got a few for my kids and Brett as Christmas gifts, then also picked some up for a friend that wanted several! 

 Momma carrying half my load! 

 BEST PART OF THE DAY?? Running into one of my best friends... who lives in Idaho now! The brat got in trouble for not letting me know she was in town... but I totally caused a scene when I saw her from a distance! Picture yelling, running, hugging, screaming!! Love her to pieces! Fun day!  

 My BABY turned 2 on Labor Day! WHAT THE?! How is it possible? Time seems to go by faster with each kiddo. It took him a minute to warm up to us filling his crib with balloons when we went in to get him up! 

 Birthday breakfast.... eggs and toast, with a side of binky. :)

 Since Brett had the day off of work, we decided to be brave and take the kids to Hogle Zoo for Ike's birthday activity. It was such a nice day... and busy, but not as bad as I expected! 

 We spent a lot of time at the seal/sea lion exhibit. We could sit in the shade, listen to a presentation, have some snacks and watch them swim... they were the most active of all the animals we saw all day! 

 Of course... you can't go to the zoo without a drink from the lion fountain... this thing has been there since I was a kid!

 Whatever was happening next to us was obviously way more exciting than smiling or even looking for a picture!

 Cute birthday boy!! 

 The other favorite part of the day was the splash pad area.... running and cooling off! 

 On our way out we stopped for a quick interactive presentation and the kids got to pet a turtle... tortoise? 

 We celebrated with a cupcake and song that night.... bigger celebration to come later in the week!