Christmas!

A few of Bennett's favourite words.  

 The quality may be poor but it was done spontaneously using the camera on Jared's tablet. It's fairly recent and he's saying more words so fast...he tries to imitate almost anything.

The big deal this year was a new toddler bed for Bennett. It wasn't easy deciding whether it was time for him to break out of his crib.  He has always slept well there but he is tall and physically strong and we didn't want him doing a head dive over his crib rail like he does off the couch.  I had looked a lot for beds that I thought were cute.  This pirate ship is pretty ridiculous and so much fun! He loved playing in the bed Christmas morning and still does, but the first night he cried and left his bed several times.  After he was asleep he didn't get up during the night..not until several days later anyway.

But he is just so adorable, when he comes out of his room and we tell him to go back to bed, he goes straight there.  Sometimes crying, but always goes.  Overall we have been very pleased with the transition.  He does drag his favorite blanket around a lot more these days, probably wanting to keep something familiar.  In his crib he liked to sleep sideways or with his head against the rail too.  The change marks yet another bittersweet milestone.  I love how he's growing but I want him to stay a baby too!

Paxton loves to play in the snow, and fortunately we had a white Christmas.  So he got some new gloves, a pirate ship, and a remote control truck he enjoys.  He's looking forward to summer when he can use his new fishing pole along with Grandpa Mack.

Paxton often asks to dress up so he got several costumes, his favorite is probably the transformer he is in here.  We also gave him a harmonica, he keeps calling it a "euphonium".  That's my interpretive spelling anyway.  I have no idea where he came up with that word.  Sometimes he also calls it a thermometer.  At least that's a real word.  Bennett loves the sounds Paxton makes on the harmonica too.

It was a nice week, Jared had most of it off of work and we were able to see nearly all of both sides of the family. Thanks to Denette for hosting and to my Grandma J, I always enjoy her Christmas Eve party.  We've had some sicknesses to deal with, apparently it comes with having children because before our boys we were rarely ill. But it's the worst when they get sick and can't describe what's going on.  At the moment they're healthy. If only it could stay that way.

It's great knowing a guy with a tractor...it's useful in so many ways!  Luckily with enough snow my dad plowed some up the driveway to make a little hill at the top of the slope in our back yard which was enough for a tube run for the boys.  Paxton had a great time, Bennett was trying not to smile. Chula is close by waiting for an opportunity to steal Paxton's knit hat right off his head.

This little hill is actually at the empty lot in our cul-de-sac. We realized the neighbor kids like it so we strolled over there too.  I always laugh at what a marshmallow Bennett looks like when he's in his snow clothes.  He hates putting on the mittens and hat but after a while he is at least a little amused.  We're trying to enjoy the season, the area needs the snow.  Last year at this time it was near 60 degrees and everything was brown instead of blanketed in white.  That's just not natural.

Halloween Birthday

Having a child with a birthday next to Halloween is nice.  No need to think up a theme or even buy candy since it's on the way.  It's great having more cousins close by to come play with the boys, even though some actually ended up travelling a lot we really appreciate them coming. Paxton is finally learning names of his cousins and a few of his classmates in preschool. He did need some coaching on how to blow these candles out, but after he finally closed his lips a bit he got them. 

Since Bennett is big enough to protest loudly when he wants something, Paxton has become better at sharing his toys. They are so spoiled with toys we don't have patience for fighting over one.  

Thanks to Jared's co-worker, we ended up with this great Batman costume for Halloween.  He only saw a small bit of the movie but it was enough to remember and he was thrilled with the costume.

These kids really do look like monsters with the red-eye going on. This photo is from Paxton's pre-school performance. They had one of their teachers tell some stories and the kids sang a few songs. It was quite a spectacle of parents with cameras, phones and other smart whatever trying to record the moment.

We didn't plan the timing but it so happened that the in-ground trampoline was finished by Halloween. We're fortunate to be having such mild weather so the kids can enjoy it.  It was a LOT of work and there's still a large pile of dirt in the garden which Jared shoveled out.

Bennett is getting the timing of jumping on the trampoline.  Sometimes he still looks like a clown doing a comedy act because he sort of pushes the trampoline down rather than letting it do the work for him. The hardest part is just keeping Paxton under some sort of control so both boys don't get hurt. But let's face it, they will get hurt somehow sometime! And I'll have a front row seat for it. 

I had to put this one in for aunt Roz. She crocheted this little dog for Bennett and the other morning he was cuddling with it from the moment he woke up. He even hung on to it while he ate breakfast from start to finish. It really is astonishing how quickly these babies grow up. The day finally came for Bennett to go to nursery at church and I couldn't take it. I got him there but as I was leaving one of the workers asked how I was doing and I couldn't hold back the tears. I kept crying when I got to Sunday School. Bennett, well, he was fine! Played, had his snack, colored, had a great time.

Fall Camping

We convinced Grandma and Grandpa to join us for one more mountain campout. It was beautiful, quite warm in the daytime and cool enough at night to enjoy a fire and good sleeping bags. Now that we are spoiled with a trailer we could have turned the heater on too. We didn't need it though and decided we should go again next September. As you can see from the photo, the aspens were golden and we had a few showers of leaves when the breeze picked up. The guys fished on Gooseberry reservoir and Jared caught several fish, letting Paxton reel in a few too. For some reason there weren't many bugs, we didn't notice any mosquitoes at all so maybe the fish were extra hungry.

Since Bennett managed to nap during the fishing, he played in the canoe before we loaded it up. He's a good little camper overall, he became a little grumpy from a tiny cold or maybe his somewhat rough night's sleep. I guess he doesn't know what to think when he wakes up next to Mommy in the camper with the dog at his feet. But it's great to get away and really forget about the usual responsibilities. We live so close to so many gorgeous places to visit.

 This photo shows part of why the area is so pretty.  The evergreens combined with the aspens were everywhere.  We did take a drive down to see the fire and flood devastation in Huntington canyon.  It is eye-opening how those rain storms caused huge rivers of mud and trees.  You can see areas where flash floods tore through deep slabs of earth and many spots off the side of the road now look like a very unfinished construction site.

Roanna and I wondered why a few aspens here and there have a reddish color. On our way to camping we did see some nice red and orange leaves. It's easy to forget fall in the valley is just around the corner unless you go for a drive in the mountains.

The soccer season is officially over for us.  This picture makes Paxton look like a pro, his co-coach set up a photographer so all the boys could get a photo at the soccer party we had. Thanks Abbie! He liked practice, and LOVED the playground nearby.  Games, well, they were a bit unpredictable. Last game was sooo cute when our tiniest player scored a goal. Paxton did get some great stops when he played goalie and he had fun with his teammates.

Paxton has recently accomplished riding his bike without training wheels. He asked to have them taken off a few weeks ago and was definitely afraid at first. Then when Jared ran (uncomfortably) behind him and made him think Jared was holding on, he totally had the hang of it. Soon after he knew he could ride all by himself. He needs some help getting started but that will probably come soon.

We've had some beautiful mornings to go to the park. It is especially nice since school is now in session because there are far fewer kids and I can see where mine are. They love it and I am amazed at how well Bennett manages to do just about everything Paxton does.

Yep, Bennett running after Paxton. What an athlete! He really is getting quick. That worked against me a couple days ago when he locked himself in the garage and me and Paxton out. Luckily I was able to get a key fast enough but by the time I got it, he had done the deadbolt as well and was headed into the kitchen from the garage. Heaven only knows what he would have done there - he loves to help himself in the pantry!

This illustrates what Jared has done with his free time for the last 4 weeks.  It may be hard to tell but that hole is 15 feet across, big enough to install a trampoline and it represents a LOT of dirt removal. Luckily we had a vacant spot in the garden which I hadn't planted but that area is now a large pile of heavy clay soil. Tonight Jared actually finished removing the last bit so we are closer than ever. We may buy a trampoline frame from our neighbor and we already have a corrugated metal surround to retain the dirt. Paxton was even lucky enough to find a buried treasure in the hole.

Our latest amateur family photo. Even this result was so hard to get I had to cheat a bit with photoshop, and not just for my especially white teeth. Bennett didn't want to sit long or look at the camera and we weren't all posed just how I'd have liked. At least the yard looks good : )

Reunion

It makes me feel old to think that we are some of the oldest people at a reunion.  But that's okay, such is life.  This camping one was fun with Jared's parents, all of his siblings and their children. It was great to have so many little kids around.  And we had such a nice group campsite, complete with a hammock, tons of dirt toys, and this ready-use teeter-totter that Paxton and all the grandkids rode on. Thanks Grandma for your willingness to get a workout!  The highlight for Paxton was probably getting to trade his shoes with his cousin for these boots.

We went to a nearby lake a couple times, for a little fishing but mostly for the kids to play in the water.  Bennett got his feet wet and played in the sand.

This was the usual scene, Grandma also had prepared a lot of activities including target shooting with bows & arrows, boondoggle, homemade harmonicas, and painting rocks. Weston brought his leather tools so we made a lot of great looking bracelets.

Bennett was happy to walk, sometimes run, freely and he was especially interested in a baseball tee and bat.  He played with  it all the time.   It's probably partly from watching Paxton and his team play this summer.  He really didn't get that dirty, but when he did it was so nice to have a shower in the trailer to bathe him.  I am now persuaded that trailer camping is as fun as tent camping.

This little guy is so cute.  Such a big personality and energy to do it all.  He seems to be a lot like his dad, who was so fun swimming in the lake with Paxton and the other kids. We had enough life jackets to keep everyone afloat and two canoes to tour the lake.

This is looking northwest from our site, since we were there during the middle of the week there weren't too many people around and it was lovely. Near here is an area that was burned by a wildfire so we were glad to still have this place to camp.

Above is the before picture of a pit fire Jared did of some of his pottery.  It was an experiment, with a little instruction from You Tube.  The copper color on the pots (they are hand thrown by Jared) is spray paint which is supposed to help give them a different color after firing.  The sawdust is to create black on the pots which you can see in the after photos.  Although Jared built the fire carefully so as not to break any pots, the large one in the back does have a large crack.  As it turns out, some areas that had copper spray paint ended up looking quite silver and a lot of the black rubbed off.  But you can see there are still some interesting smokey patterns.

Bennett climbs up onto everything now.  Our tallest chairs, the counter and dining table if we let him.  If he can't do it himself he says "up".  He can show you where his teeth, nose, ears, hair, and belly button are.  Oh, and his toes
: )

I find it really cute when he paces around the room or across the couch talking on the phone.  He also says "rawr" and tries to scare us from behind the couch.

Summer Fun

First of all, Happy Birthday J! We love you! 


It has been a nice summer so far, although a bit on the hot side.  This shows one of Paxton's first rides on a roller coaster.  We thought he would be afraid or even cry but he didn't.  He ended up pretty close to his older, female (stranger) passenger.  Of course he had to try out a motorcycle and as it went around the first time he said the bike was going to go off the edge.  It was a good time out with some friends of ours who brought their adorable grand-niece (not sure if I got that right).  She was a little doll and I wish I had a good picture of her!

We were lucky to have some family over for the 4th of July.  These two babes are just one week apart. They are both irresistible. Our Bennett outweighs Emmerson by quite a bit.  But, in his defense, Bennett is back down into the 90th percentile for his weight.  He is hilarious sometimes...today in church he got a diaper out of my bag, unfolded it and put in on his head.  Then he tried tuck it under his legs.  Yes, that's where it goes!

Thanks to everyone for bringing the fun water activities.  Paxton LOVED this pool and the water rockets and giant bubbles kept the older boys entertained.  Bennett liked the pool, he mostly wanted to play with all the grass that ended up floating in it.  
You all have inspired us!  We've been figuring out changes to the backyard to make it more fun for kids.  Although we could stick a swingset or playset anywhere on the lawn, we want to re-do some curbing and maybe incorporate an in-ground trampoline.  Just trying to keep up with the Steens : ) Here is one of the GIANT bubbles.  It really worked well with a home-made solution and sticks/strings all due to aunt Denette's research.   

 Our dog enjoys running through the sprinkler more than Bennett.  You can see his concern.  He liked it at first but then when it didn't stop he decided to head the other way.  He has liked the water all along, guess he's more of a pool guy.

This is Paxton's TBall team photo.  It was quite a feat for these little guys to grasp the sport, but by the end they got it!  And medals to prove it! In other sports news, I am now a co-coach for Paxton's soccer team.  Heaven help us.

 This shot is a good illustration of what could be happening at any given moment during a game.  That is Paxton on the left. Running with your batting helmet pulled down over your face, sitting in a hole you found in the middle of the field, wearing a catcher's helmet when it's your turn to bat, throwing your mitt when another player gets to the ball you were trying for, all of these are NORMAL behaviors and widely accepted.

 Thanks to Grandma, we made it to the zoo last week.  In my opinion the best part was the new polar bear exhibit.  This guy would come right up to the glass to push off for his backstroke.  That's B down there with the plaid ballcap.  He wanted to get in the water too.


























We also liked the river otters, very cool to see how much fun they seem to have swimming around.  Paxton got to feed these llamas, the zoo worker was there with these leafy greens when we happened by.

Bennett in a giant egg.  Ok it was my idea to actually put him in there.  They have a cute little playground with slides, animal sculptures, and a huge spider and rope web to play in.  Bennett squatted down by the open alligators mouth and said "raw".  His other words as of late are "up", "papa" and "kitty".