Closing Out the Summer

Finally getting this out! I thought having one child complicated life, but turns out 2 kids does even more.

Last temple trip before Addie's arrival

Picking berries with Grandma B and Aunt Sam

Addie continues to grow and it is hard to believe she is approaching 2 months old! Amazing how quickly the little ones grow out of their newborn clothes. We've had Hinckley's last night in the crib as we transition him to the twin. We erected his bed guard and braced ourselves for the fact that he may not sleep much due to excitement/fear/something else. We are constantly reminded how short time is with this spirits God has entrusted us with, and have set some goals to try and treasure it more and not take ourselves so seriously.

H's nightly antics in his "big boy bed"

Two "swallowed" (swaddled) babies

Babies cont.

I am happy to be in one of Dad's classes again (Qualitative Research 2) and am also taking an advanced design class that I think will be fun. I spent of the first week of September at StartFEST, a conference/festival/event for startups, entrepreneurs, venture capital folks, and anyone else interested. It was a great opportunity for me to network with marketers and small business owners. I've really had to work hard with my introverted nature to make connections and build relationships. This was my first month working for Humanus Media full time (my own company) and it was really exciting. We've had lots of neat projects and prospects. Also the Word of Wisdom project is finally done after untold numbers of hours. Thanks for everyone bearing with me on that, it was a labor of love.

Labor Day was fun for us as we went on a short hike up Payson canyon to "the grotto". It was Hinckley's first hike where he actually hiked, and Addie's first hike period. H had a blast playing in the water, looking at rocks, and people watching (there were hoards of folks with legions of children). After nap time and such we went to the park with Nana and Grandpa and enjoyed the shade while Hinckley collected acorns and threw wood chips. Funny how often we go to the park only to end up playing with things laying on the ground. Hurray for nature!

The leaves are changing across the mountains making a beautiful quilt of colors and textures. I love this time of year though I sometimes feel anxiety about not getting loads of nice pictures/video footage of all the beauty going on around me. But I think that is what season are all about, enjoying things in the present (unless you live in CA and it is just amazing all the time, I guess not everyone has to learn the lesson of finding joy in the journey :). Addie is doing really well, and Kas continues to recover nicely.

Up the canyon with grandparents and cousins

H fell down the stairs

One of Addie's first baths at home

By mid September Addie continued to gain some weight, Hinckley enjoyed a variety of activities, and Kassie and I went on our first date with no children since A's birth. Hinckley finally learned how to jump out of his crib during naps (he was sleeping in the twin only at night) and he continues to grow his vocabulary in very fun and interesting ways. These last few nights as I’ve left Hinckley’s room after tucking him in he has said “night night Dada!” which is just really endearing with a big grin on his face. Lately he has been emphasizing things he does and doesn't like which he often reverses. For example, "I don't like oatmeal . . . I DO like oatmeal, I do I do!" The other day he climbed up on the sofa and said, "I want to write e-mail". When Sam and Dan Burnside (Kassie's brother and his wife) were watching Hinckley one night he told them, "I need to brush and floss teeth, don't get cavities!!" I wish he was so willing when we were around! He loves "checking" on Addie in her room when she is asleep, which just means waking her up. He has lots of fun talking to her and offering her toys too, and we feel blessed each day with how well he seems to be adjusting. He is a very sweet and tender little guy, often hugging his toys if he things he has hurt them, and frequently asking for us to "kiss it better" when he bashes his head on things and so forth.

Starting to smile!

Milk addict living in a box

H's nightly teeth brushing battle

More smiles from Addie!

Addie gave us her first few genuine smiles! She is growing rapidly and starting to really look around with new interest in the world. She sleeps fairly well, and seems to be doing great. It is sad to see the summer already gone and she is grown out of just about all her little dresses and newborn clothes. The other day we went and saw some old mission friends and it was really fun to see them. It is amazing how time flies! Seeing their kids run around and talking with their wives was sort of surreal for me since it seems we were just recently walking/biking the streets of CA together. My thesis is coming along as I've starting interviews, we've done about 6 with many many more to go (not to mention transcribing them and analyzing all the data). Hard to believe fall time is officially here! Bring on the holiday season.