Emma & Connor

I couldn't resist posting this darling photo of Emma & Connor who fell asleep in the car on the way to Grandma's house. :)

Another 2 year old--yikes!

Connor turned two just before Halloween--he's such a big boy! Literally. All the clothes we bought him were size 4 (the same size Aspen is wearing). He is such a delightful boy. He is always smiling, and when he wakes up (in the morning, from a nap, etc.) he calls, "Mooooommmmy, I looooove you!" I love you too, son.

Connor especially loves to snuggle, and I hope he doesn't grow out of that too soon. He is also his father's son and loves to cook. If I'm in the kitchen, you can bet Connor isn't far away. He's quite good, too. He has no interest in potty training, but that will come, and he wants to be just like his big sister Aspen--not a bad role model, most days.

Connor loves to play with dolls and action figures and animals, especially animals. He got a selection of safari animals and dinosaurs for his birthday, and he was sure he was in seventh heaven.

Here's my handsome boy at his "party" with our family, his grandparents, and Aunt Breezy the Sunday before his birthday:

Opening presents with dad--this is the car race track from Grandma Pearson, which Connor adores (I thought we banned all toys that make noise?).


Aspen wanted to help him open his presents. Always in on the action.

Modeling his new (size 4) shirts:

Nice warm winter beanie, which Connor has not taken off since that day--guess he likes warm ears.

I don't know who enjoyed the animals more, Connor, or the rest of the family.



Grandma and Grandpa Brown made it up for the occasion as well.

The cake turned out all right if you ask me (Connor loves dinosaurs):


Blow out the candle, Connor (with a little help from Grandpa Pearson, he got it out):

We did save a couple of presents to open on his actual birthday--by this time, he had totally figured out what to do with them.

What's a birthday without a new book? Where the Wild Things Are is one of my favorites (and I have now read it at least 2,751 times! including several times from memory).

Happy birthday sweet boy!

Random October Madness

As you may have noticed, I haven't been much of a blogger lately. Instead, I've been spending time making memories with my kids--but how will we remember them if I don't capture them somehow, right? So here is a random collection of pictures of some of our events in October.

First, on our way to Salt Lake to show Emma the temple we stopped at an all-American buffet, Golden Corral. She really enjoyed it (of course the other kids did as well).



We also got to take a tour of the conference center, which we had never done before. Other than the cold, I think the roof was the highlight (see previous post with temple pics).



The girls had to try out their Halloween costumes as soon as I brought them home from the store. Shaylee was a tiger and Emma was a cat--too bad you can't see their tails!


Aspen and Connor and I have been enjoying storytime at the Lehi Library every Tuesday morning. Not only do they read great stories and encourage the kids to memorize poems and give fun homework activities, but they also play fun games like Aspen here with the giant parachute.

Connor is truly my book-a-holic--are you surprised?

Aspen and Connor enjoyed decorating jack-o-lantern cookies courtesy of our neighbor Rebecca.

They especially enjoyed eating them!


Hey good looking, what you got cooking? Connor in the witch's cauldron.

Shaylee is a master of self-portraits:

She even includes others in her professional work:

Aspen and Connor are always a big help with household chores. They especially love to rake leaves and then jump in them!



Fall fun at the park before the snow came.

Connor Cast Off

Because it took so long to figure out that Connor's arm was broken, he only had to have the cast on for three weeks. So the Monday after General Conference, we took him in to get the cast off. Does he look excited or what?

Here's the stick to protect his arm when they use the saw to take off the cast:

He was so brave, even while they were sawing (kudos to Devin, our photographer):

The nurse had some trouble prying it off:

Oh Connor, the stink! He was glad to have it off!

Devin

A couple photos of Devin over the past couple of months. First, at the Court of Honor in October he received his Tenderfoot, Second, and First Class ranks in Scouts. Below that are some pictures of him playing soccer, and Connor and I watching the game. Devin is truly an amazing soccer player, and we love to watch him. He's decided against playing basketball this winter but is holding out for spring soccer. Go Dev!

The Zoo

On September 24, I took a neighbor and her kids with my two youngest to the Hogle Zoo for the morning. We had Summer Blast passes from Jiffy Lube, so the kids got in free and we decided to spring for passes on the train and the carousel. We got there right as it opened, and there was NO ONE there. It was awesome! Thanks for coming with us Rebecca, Alisha & Luke! P.S. Baby Elephant Zuri & Baby Giraffe No Name (why no fanfare for him?) & Tiger Cubs & Prairie Dog Pups were soooooo cute.

Baby Zuri with her mom.

Trying to lift a log all by herself--won't be long till she can fling it!

The girls imitating monkeys.

No name baby giraffe

The carousel

Connor did not want me to let go of him.

The train

The playground . . . Connor the turtle

Giant spider web