Camping in September

I know it is October and I haven't done very good at updating our blog. We have been busy trying to work out our routine for the school year, and well life can just be busy sometimes. We have tried to go camping each year with the kids. This year we squeezed our camping trip in during the middle of September. I would have prefered doing it in the summer, but at least we went. We got a new big tent a few years ago - when Caleb was a little baby. This is the third time we have used it.

We went up Big Cottonwood Canyon on Friday afternoon (the 12th of Sept right after school) and the kids and I started to set up camp. Collin, Megan and I got the tent up most of the way. When Ryan arrived later (after work), he had to do the last few poles. Ryan's mom and dad came up as well, but just for a quick dinner and roasting marshmallows. (or Smarshmallows as Caleb calls them). Ryan's mom always liked to make french dip sandwiches when they would go camping as a family. So we love it when she offers to make the dinner for us.

It was a cold evening, so Grandma and Grandpa didn't stay for too long. We tried to enjoy our camp fire as long as the kids would let us. But after about a half hour of begging to go to bed and get warm in their sleeping bags, we finally gave in to them. Of course in the middle of the night we had to make one potty run for caleb, and he made it without any problems.

Ryan and Collin got up early (at about 6am) to go fising near by. Unfortunately they didn't catch anything. I guess they enjoyed trying. Megan, Caleb and I just stayed snuggled in our sleeping bags until the sun came up and we had to get to the bathroom. It was so cold that we found it helpful to put our fresh clothes in our sleeping bags with us for a few minutes to warm them up before getting dressed.

We had egg mcMuffin sandwiches for breakfast (one of Ryan's specialities that he would do on his many scouting camp outs a few years ago when he was the scout master). We broke camp and were home around 1PM. It was a quick trip and tiring. But we hope the kids enjoyed going.

New Pups

Grandma and Grandpa Moore got two new puppies - a white Scottie named Argyle (or Argie) and a black Scottie named Paisley. Argie was born the beginning of June and is now almost 4 months old. Here are a few of his pictures from when he was brand new. I am not sure which white puppy he is, but apparently they found out that he was the dominant puppy of the litter. Ryan's sister, Stephanie got the one black puppy of the same litter - a boy puppy they named Mickey. The first picture is when they were just a few days old. The second picture is at one month.

Argie is starting to look more like a Scottie. Here are a couple of more recent pictures. The first one was at about 2 months and the second one is at 3 months. Ever since they brought Argie home, he has been quite a busy little puppy. As most puppies, Argie like to chew on anything - pant legs, fingers, anything he can get his mouth on. Our kids love to try to pet and hold him, but are learning to be careful with their fingers.

Paisley is still fairly new. She was born at the end of July. She is a little cuddleier than Argie. She is just getting the hang of potty training and easily learned to use the doggie door. She doesn’t seem to be as interested in biting yet, but I am sure that will come.

These two dogs have been a challenge for Grandma and Grandpa. They didn't get along at first and they had to learn to go potty outside on the grass. They finally got the dogs to tolerate each other and they are now in the same pen together. Both are doing pretty good at the potty training. They have even gotten Argie to learn a few tricks like "Fetch" and to come at a specific command "Yep". Although Paisley is younger, she can be feisty at times. Argie can be quite rough too. They like to bite, growl and play fight, so you don't want to interfere in their little quarrels.

We are going to watch the two puppies at our house this coming weekend, and the kids are just so excited. We would love to get a dog, but I am not sure I am ready for the responsibility and costs of one yet. So for now, we will just enjoy Grandma and Grandpa's dogs. They love to visit Grandma and Grandpa Fife’s - Barney, and Grandma and Grandpa Bogue's - Snickers as well.

Collin and Megan started school this week on Monday, August 18th. Megan is in 2nd grade and Collin is in 4th grade. They are excited to start a new year. This is their last year (hopefully) at Snow Springs Elementary - as they are in the process of building a new school that is really close to us. That will mean no more busses - they can walk or ride bikes to school next year. Caleb and Mom are trying to adjust to having it much quieter here at home.

Dad's New Grill

With the help of parents, we got Ryan a new grill for his birthday. He loves to BBQ and will have lots of room to cook for a big crowd. We would love to have anyone come visit and let Ryan treat you to a delicious BBQ treat. This one even has a rotissery feature. It will be fun to try it out.

Collin's 9th Birthday

Before officially turning 9, Collin received his Wolf Award in Cub Scouts. He was excited to finally recieve his award after such a fun year in Cub Scouts. Some of his favorite achievements and activities included building a birdhouse, starting a rock collection, going fishing, earning various belt loops, and just being with his friends. As the den mother, I am sad that he won't be in our group anymore. He is excited to be in the Bear den now.

Collin helped plan his own birthday party this year. He is very into Pokemon and wanted to play games that had a Pokemon theme. Collin came up with a poster for pin the tail on Blastoise and for a "Dug Trio" ball toss. He and Megan did the coloring, after I did my best at sketching the characters. I also did a Star Raptor on his cake. (notice the picture on his invitation). His friends enjoyed playing a "who knows the most about pokemon" game and making gadgets from ordinary junk (these are things that pokemon trainers use to catch a pokemon). Some of the boys played the Pokemon Card game. They also played a Pokemon Nintendo game and watched a movie. What a fun party. It is amazing what the boys memorize about all the hundreds of Pokemon there are.

Mesa Verde

We took a trip to see Mesa Verde National Park. My mom came with us. It was so fun to have Grandma Bogue there. We stopped at a few sights on our way - Natural Bridges National Monument, Monument Valley (where they filmed some of Back to the Future 3), Four Corners, and Dead Horse Point on the way back to Lehi. Mesa Verde was so neat. We took 3 tours of some of the cliff dwellings. We enjoyed learning about the ancient Anasazi or Puebloans who inhabited the area many hundreds of years ago. They have evidences that these ancient people dwelt here between 700 to 1300 bc. Collin and Megan both earned their Junior Ranger Badges, which is a fun way to learn more about the history of the park. That is now 3 badges a piece for the year so far.

Caleb's First Stitches

Caleb got his first stitches in July. He was playing at a park and slipped on a log he was jumping from. Thankfully Megan was right by him and helped him find me right away. There was an EMT at the park and he helped us put a bandage on his head until we could get to the emergency room. Well, I ended up taking him to his doctor's office (right near the hospital) and they were able to take care of him quickly. It was a little traumatic for the kids, but mom was calm as it was nothing compared to Collin's incident a few years ago. There was a lot of blood, but that is normal for a head wound. He got 3 little stitches. He hasn't seemed to slow down very much since his accident.

By the way, Caleb had also just started using the potty instead of diapers the week before. Wow, what a big month of firsts for Caleb.