Staying Busy

We have been trying to stay busy around here to make time go by more quickly and it certainly feels like we're succeeding(almost six weeks done)! Right after we returned from Cedar City, we headed up to Logan for Rachel's last day of gymnastics. They called it a "show off day" for parents, and it was really fun to be down on their level (we usually watch from the observation room) and see their cute work. Rachel's teacher, Rosanne, is adorable with the kids and we will miss her.

Here they are with their "handstands" (Rachel is the closest to the teacher).

And they received a fun medal for their great work this year.

Even though we have moved, one thing has not changed: Rachel's unique style.

Since the camera was out, Ian wanted to show his awesome pose.

One night Rachel decided to make a "movie" of her favorite scripture story - Daniel and the Lion's Den. We seriously simplified an idea from the Friend and she drew pictures and narrated her story. She dressed up for her movie premiere and showed it to Grandma, Grandpa, and a naked Ian. It was almost like a real Hollywood party!

Brady has been unbelievably great with the kids and Ian was feeling a little Dad-deprived so Brady took him on a really fun outing. They played at the Boondocks arcade and...

did a little Rollerball. Ian loves Brady so much and he had a fantastic time.

Grandma with her two baby girls.

Rachel and Ian couldn't pass up the opportunity of splashing in the monster lake after some of the huge rainstorms we had a couple of weeks ago. Even the freezing water was not a deterrent to the joys of getting soaked and filthy.

There must have been something in the water, that is the only explanation for this picture.

Brady is also teaching the kids all things baseball and Rachel is actually getting pretty good at hitting and catching. But the the thing they are really trying to fine-tune is their sunflower seed spitting skills (say that five times fast).

Because she appreciates her uncle so much for the extra time he is spending with her, Rachel made him a special drink of milk, almond milk, lemonade, lime juice, Italian dressing, and caramel sauce. She even tried two sips and Brady the good sport drank a disgusting sip as well (before he knew the ingredients, of course).

One of the best ways we have been staying busy is lots of visits from friends. Kendra came by with her boys while she was in town visiting family and we had a great morning catching up. As you can see in the background, Bridget made sure her kids were adorably attired that day. You can tell Kendra is a true friend!

Ian loves Brady so much that he even "helps" him mow the lawn. While Rachel and Grandpa went on a date to the nursery to pick out her own flower (she picked a salmon colored poppy), Ian helped and watched Brady do the yard work. We are definitely appreciating living with family!

We also had Josie's 9 month check and she is a tiny girl, weighing 14lbs6oz (1%), 25 1/2in (3%), and 44% for head. At 9 months, she has eight teeth (six of which broke through in the last four weeks), sits, claps, give fives, and is almost crawling. The doctor referred us to a dietitian to double check she was getting enough and since we'd moved down to the Salt Lake area we ended up at the very poorly named "Failure to Thrive Clinic" at Primary Children's. After they reviewed a food journal we did for her and Bridget convinced them she wasn't a totally negligent mother, they were nice and gave us quite a few suggestions to help her gain a little more weight.