Welcoming In Autumn

Our little Addie turned 1 year old and she was literally shaking with joy in having all the attention of everyone to herself. We had my (Greg's) Mom and Dad over for some cake and presents and Hinckley learned a lesson or two about letting others have moments in the spotlight. Also this week was our official anniversary (we celebrated the week before) and the Burnsides were here for that night in order to pick up Kassie's sister Rochelle from school - so Kas and I were able to go out and see Star Trek. It is hard to believe its been 5 years and yet at the same time it's tough to remember a time we weren't going through life together! I feel deeply blessed to have Kas as my companion and its been really special to remember our experiences together since we met. 

Opening presents as H looks on

Birthday cake bash 

Birthday girl with Mom

We've had a fantastic week with the Spencers up in Edmonton! We planned to stay at the KOA in Great Falls which was really nice. There was a small cabin waiting for us, a waterpark to play in, and we cooked veggie burgers over the fire and then had some S’mores. But then . . . the kids never slept. Hinckley has been possessed by some crazy vacation demon ever since that night. We decided to get back in the car, and just keep driving. We drove till about 2:30 a.m. and then we stopped just south of Calgary. We finished the drive in the morning and I am happy we didn’t go the whole way. 

10:30 pm and the decision to leave the KOA and drive into the night.

Addie and doting Tommy

Hinckley and Addie were on cloud 9 with all the attention

Aunt Rach and Addie

More cousin love! 

Hinckley had so much fun dripping stuff all over dinos with Tom and George

Elk Island with cousins

Greg and Kassie (and hidden Addie)

We had such a great time. We went to a few parks to play on playgrounds, tennis/pickleball, and BBQs. We went to the West Ed mall and really enjoyed the waterpark where there were some epic waterslides! It was a blast. Hinckley enjoyed the slides he took, and the wave pool as well, and Addie had a great time too looking very cute in her little purple suit. We went to the temple and then out to Elk Island park. It was great to visit with Rach and James and learn more about all they and the boys are doing. Hinckley has even started calling the boys by their names instead of "older cousin" or "that cousin". He remarked today, "I have a lot of boy cousins" which is true. Addie loved all the attention and being held by her cousins.

It is always tough to come home after a fun vacation! but good too. We attempted to get back into a routine and move into some sort of schedule. Hinckley was a little bonkers since the Canada trip, taking up to 2 hours sometimes to finally go to sleep and Addie started waking up in the middle of the night wailing at the top of her lungs. Good to learn some more charity and patience! 

We went out to Mapleton to a family farm and picked raspberries which was fun. Addie and Hinckley ate untold number of berries and Kas made some raspberry chia seed jam in the afternoon. Yum! The weather is changing and the leaves are turning colors in a vibrant and wonderful way. I love this time of year.

Picking (eating) berries with Mom

Hinckley refused to be in the picture . . . 

Talkin' on the phone

Cruising the apartment

Pillow fun

Looking cute

Labor day we went with M&D on a fun hike on Squaw Peak. Hinckley was a great hiker and led the way the whole time, cheeks flushed and enthusiasm turned all the way up. The biggest news this week was we decided Hinckley was ready to give Preschool a shot and so far he has really loved it! It is hard to believe that he could be old enough for such a thing, but so far it seems to be the right thing at the right time for him. Yesterday we clocked in a record 3 visits to the park, and Addie and I enjoyed Hinckley's coaching on what slides to go down and how to play with his "dough-rollers" (we have no clue why he calls his toys this . . . he just does)

School boy 

We had the blessing of having Elder Bednar and Elder Nattress (of the 70) here for our stake conference a couple weeks before General Conference. Mom watched the kids while we went to the adult session and I got to go to a Priesthood leadership meeting with him this morning where he did a Q&A with everyone and it was really edifying. For the last session of conference our kids behaved very badly and it was a trail to stay as long as we did. 

Hinckley is loving preschool after a rough start, and his interest in letters is rekindling. He is also drawing more frequently and expresses a lot of desire for attention. He is also in a fort-building phase and we create forts out of pillows and blankets and just about everything else! This week he told us that "My toys doubt me. Doubt means they don't believe me." He is also learning about laws and consequences. Kassie was making dinner and she told him not to touch a really hot pepper, and once he did she told him not to touch his eyes, so he did . . . and then he started yelling and screaming as his face puffed up. He is also developing some healthy independence. Last night we heard his door open and some whispering about needing to go potty, and then he went into the bathroom, used it appropriately, turned out the light, and returned to his bed - all without trying to wake us up! It was amazing, and also great that his slamming of the doors didn't wake up Addie. He continues to add to his group of imaginary friends of which he often refers to generally as "my animals". He has dogs, sharks, wolves, ghosts, pinchers, diggers, elephants, and more. They are very busy and he gets really animated telling us about all their activities.

Addie loves chasing Hinckely down to find where he is hiding and they both giggle like mad. Addie is eager to walk but isn't quite there yet, which frustrates her quite a bit. She is pulling up on everything, standing for a second in jubilant glee, and then dropping back down to her bum. She really wants to be on her feet walking around, and sometimes she gets pretty frustrated but she just keeps trying. One of these days she is going to get it and I hope I am there for when that happens. It is remarkable how human beings learn so much at such a fast rate when we are young.

Kas is loving the cooking course she is taking through Forks Over Knives and it seems like every night we sit down to a large gourmet meal of some kind, it's pretty great! We've purchased a few kitchen items like a super sharp knife and some other things that enable her to make dishes. We enjoyed some rain this week and love seeing the pure white peaks of Timp with new snow and the fall leaves crowded around the base of the mountains. It is a wonderful time of year and things are going well. 

Hinckley and I battled football traffic and went on a little campout last weekend at Nunn's Park in Provo Canyon and that was a fun experience (just poppy pants and smokey wood). Kas and Addie had a good time here I believe, and we managed to watch most of conference while keeping the kids busy doing different activities. Kas and I went and did baptisms at the City Center Temple and really enjoyed the beauty and quiet there (and short lines!).

Conference chaos (with a fort)

Camping