trunk-or-treat

Last night was our ward's trunk-or-treat. Kimi had been dressed up for it since she got up in the morning. In the rush to get out the door we forgot her witch's hat. :( Ian had woken up from his nap with a fever and was acting miserable so he stayed home with Daddy (this morning he is perfectly fine.) It was a fun time with just us girls.
Here's Cali sending a zebra pinata into orbit.

Whack it, Kimi.
I put their candy buckets on top of the fridge when I went to bed so they wouldn't be into them when they got up in the morning. When I got up they had their buckets and the loot was spread all over the family room floor. I guess Kimi held a bar stool steady while Cali scaled up and got the goods. At least they are learning team work.

fall fun at Gardner Village

Our Relief Society has started up their "adventure group" again. This group takes field trips to places fun for little kids. I am very excited about it because most of the time I hear about these things way after the fact, and it is a lot more fun when you have other people to go with.

So, our first outing was last Friday to Gardner Village, a boutique shopping place that is made up of lots of cute little cottages. It was super-decked out for Halloween. Cali was in school so she won't be in any of the pictures.

This is Kimi and a different Ian hamming it up. The witch was really hula-hooping.

Everybody laughed at how Kimi would strike her poses and she was given the name "Miss Darling Dimples." Here is Kimi with my Ian and a few of the other kids.

There's that pose.
I really wanted to get a good picture in this old buggy, but there was a stream with ducks nearby, and Ian was just a little excited about it as you can see. That spout of green stuff was really running into the steaming cauldron. Kimi was fascinated.

I had to leave after only being there for about 45 minutes because it was a short day for Cali. I will definitely be going back next year though!

cali's blog

Cali has started her own blog, and I have sent invitations to everyone who I think would like to see it. If I forgot anyone just send me an email and let me know.

they're cousins, identical cousins

Okay, I know not identical, my title comes from the theme song from that old show with the identical cousins played by Patty Duke and Patty Duke. Elizabeth and I were talking about how Michelle reminds us of Cali at about the same age so I decided to put some pictures of them here together. What do you guys think? Well, they are both pretty cute, that's for certain.

Weekend in Boise

I drove up to Boise this weekend with Christine to see the new nephew. Ryker is such a sweet tiny guy. Just looking at these pictures made me wish I was still there so I could cuddle him some more.




























He was in his "tanning" bed when we got there. I know that it was for medical reasons, but I still thought he was so cute chilling under the lights.


Michelle's smiles for the camera cracked me up and I had to get a few of the new big sister.
Thank you to Elizabeth and Tory for letting us come visit!

baby's first pictures

So, who was right? If you can tell by the pose of the hand resting against the forehead it looks like we are looking forward to another drama QUEEN. That's right, time for me to start fluffing all the little dresses again because a girl is on the way. YEA! I have been dreaming that I was having a baby girl since before I knew I was pregnant, so I am glad to know I am in tune with something.

Thanks to Elizabeth for her secret to moving due dates up. According to how big the baby is I am due Feb. 22. I don't know if the doc will move up the date, but the girl is a-growing. Good thing I had an extra helping of chocolate cake at the in-laws yesterday.

I know the picture is small, but you can see the cute little profile in the last one.

if there is anything virtuous, lovely. . .

I will probably delete this post soon because the picture freaks me out, but I had to show everyone what Christine and I found in her apartment when I took her home yesterday. Yikes! This was one of TWO posters. Notice up on the shelf is the little "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly" quote. I just couldn't let the irony of this shot pass us by. By the way Christine said her roommate took them down when she got home and had basically done it just to freak Christine out. We should have burned them and she could have come home to a little pile of ashes. "Gee, I don't know what happened, I think their evilness caused them to spontaneously combust."

boy or girl

I go in for my ultrasound tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully get to find out what we are having. I don't know how many of you will see this before I can write an official notice, but if you do, what do you think we are going to have? Here's hoping for a cooperative baby!

(almost) flushed away

Kimi came to me last night while I was still eating dinner (for some reason I am always the last one still sitting at the table eating after everyone else is done) her sleeve was soaked, and she handed me the pieces of her "ruby" ring. "My ring fell way down in the potty and I had to get it out." So my next question inevitably had to be, "Was there anything in the potty?" Of course, she had just peed and the ring was lost in a wiping incident or something. I was actually able to be happy about the whole thing for three reasons. First Scott was over by the sink and since I was still eating I assigned cleaning Kimi and her ring up to him. Second it was so funny that her ruby almost made it to the sewers because of the movie "Flushed Away." If you have seen it you will understand, if you haven't seen it you should. Not only is it darn funny, but you get to hear Hugh Jackman with a lovely British accent and even singing. Sigh. Anyways, the third reason was that instead of yelling for me, or even coming to get me, Kimi reached down into the toilet and fished it out herself. I have to say it was one of her finest moments.

a boy of few words

I realized that I am failing to report milestones when people have come to visit us and didn't know whether or not Ian was walking. By the way, Ian started walking at the end of June.

Talking doesn't seem to be a big priority to him though. Out of the words that he uses the only ones that are really clear and consistent are "ball" and "throw," often used in a combination. He also would rather watch baseball, football, or even golf than other shows we put on. He is definitely all boy.

the colton's home for imaginary friends

If you aren't an avid PBS Kids watcher, the above picture is of Nadine, D.W.'s imaginary friend from Arthur. We have had a revolving door worth of imaginary people cycling through our house lately. The girls "become" other girls at random times who are from Provo or Disneyland, depends on the day. We have had Sara, Jennie, Clara, and the more exotic Bo Blossom, Cedar Blossom, and Bass Boom. Cali and Kimi don't respond to their own names when they are the other personality and seemingly don't recall what happened when they "get back." We would worry about multiple personalities except that we are pretty sure that is not contagious.

Out of all of the visitors, Clara seems to have taken up a permanent residence at our house now, usually as Kimi's invisible companion but sometimes possessing her, and is constantly telling Kimi how things are different at her house so she can inform us. Clara's house seems to be a lot more fun and relaxed especially concerning what they eat. I am glad to have Clara around though now that Cali has started school because Kimi still has someone to color with and play games with during school hours. We will see if anyone else decides to move in.

and so it begins

Cali came home from school yesterday convinced that she needs her own cell phone because some of her friends have them. Again after school today she tells me she NEEDS her own phone. I thought this would happen sometime, but I wasn't really ready for it yet.

girls gone camping

When I found out that Cali wouldn't start school until September 2, and that Mom and Dad were planning on going camping the last week of August I starting hatching my own plan. I couldn't miss this last opportunity to get away, and asked Janice to watch Ian during the day and I would take the girls up camping. Scott ended up just taking the days off to stay home with him and have some guy time. Sorry there are going to be an awful lot of pictures for this post, but I ended up with about 300 pictures and had to choose. I had a lot of videos too, but probably lucky for you guys, I can't upload those. The trip was fun and fabulous and it was so great to get away for a while and go to the place that I consider "God's country." Sitting around the campfire on the first day.
Kimi being Kimi.

A real stagecoach in West Yellowstone. (It was pretty cold that day and there were not too many shoppers around. It was funny that the most tempting thing to buy was down parkas.)
There are cool bison statues all over the city of West now.

Kissing the bison.
Posing in one of the stores with their cool new hats.

Now we are inside Yellowstone.

There were a ton on elk in a meadow, and I uploaded the wrong picture. Just imagine a lot more.
We kept passing bison on the side of the road and I had to snap a picture every time. The Japanese tourists just make it look so fun.
By one of their cool rebuilt tour buses.

Holding our noses by the stinky pots.
Checking out a geyser.
On the boardwalk.

We waited and watched Old Faithful from inside the lodge.
Cali waiting for what they decided was the most "boring" geyser.
Christine noticed this cool shot of Kimi looking out the window in Grandpa's truck.
Tino and Cali hanging out in the back seat.

Checking out a waterfall.

Looking through the "frinoculars" or "goggles." I don't use the words I just repeat them.

Can you see the glowing red eyes on this bison? Good thing the truck never came to a stop.

A rousing game of "paper, rock, scissors" back by the campfire.

Kimi and I weren't quite in sync.

Down at the Buffalo river fishing dock.

Splashing in the water.
Hi, Tino.

Looking for fish.
That water was cold, but they didn't care.

Painting at the campsite. They only painted pictures, no rocks. I guess they aren't the entrepreneurs that we were.
Blowing bubbles with Grandpa and Grandma.

Chasing bubbles.

Looking for fish at Big Springs.
This was the fish that we nicknamed "gigantor." He was a whopper.
The little cabin and water wheel at Big Springs.
Thank you, Tino, for being willing to spend so much time in that back seat.