Boating on Lynx Lake (Part 2 of the Camping Trip)

On the way home from camping Chris took the boys boating, partially to fulfill some of their cub scout requirements but mostly as an excuse to have some fun. They went out on a row boat and a paddle boat that afternoon. The boys learned how to row and can now row frontwards and backwards and turn. They thought the paddle boat was a lot more work but really enjoyed rowing.

Andrew and Keaton getting geared up.

Andrew rowing.

Keaton rowing.

Lynx Lake north dock

Chris, Andrew, and Keaton getting set to take off on the paddle boat.

Camping near Lynx Lake

Chris took Keaton and Andrew camping last weekend with a couple of families from our ward. I stayed home with Matt, who had just been circumcized earlier in the week. We thought it wouldn't be that fun to take Matt camping anyway where he is still so small and we would be without the comforts of home. Chris and the boys love camping and had a lot of fun.

They shot blow dart guns, made a fun tree swing, played ladder ball, played by the river and caught a frog, climbed on the rocks around camp, rode a 4 wheeler, saw a skunk, and had fun being dirty, smelly boys. One of the boys who came along fell on one of the rocks and broke his arm the last day. We didn't know until we saw him in church on Sunday with a cast on.

Andrew and the blow dart gun

Keaton with a blow dart gun and playing ladder ball

Keaton on the swing

And Andrew too...

But the funnest part was:

Of course, playing with friends.

Growing like crazy!

March 2008Matt was born five weeks premature. He weighed 4lb-10 oz. He was the smallest of our three boys. He stayed in the hospital an extra day to make sure he could keep his body temperature up on his own.

April 2008

He gained weight rapidly and started to fill out nicely.

May 2008

Looking pretty serious.

June 2008

Matt on his blessing day.

June 2008

Showing lots of personality and some curiosity.

July 2008

Sitting up in his Bumbo chair with his brothers.


August 2008

Trying to sit up on his own.

September 2008We just started him on baby cereal. He is not too sure if he likes it...

He's getting so big.

Our little Matthew.

Matt is now 16 pounds and continues to grow quickly. He is so much fun. He is laughing and trying to talk. He has a bottom tooth breaking through so he drools a lot and tries to chew on everything. He is a pretty even-tempered little guy and is such a blessing in our lives. Keaton and Andrew are good big brothers. They always want to hold, hug, and kiss him.

We have our own bedrooms!

Keaton and Andrew have always shared a room, mostly because they have always wanted to be together. Recently though, they have had a tough time getting to bed and waking up on time so we decided to separate them after almost 10 years. This hasn't solved the problem (yet) but we are hopeful they will start getting to sleep earlier soon. Here are their thoughts on the move.

KEATON:

"I like having my own room. It gives me more space for all of my things."

"I like my new desk. I've found something to put in every drawer. I also have a new Diamondbacks poster." - KJ

ANDREW:

"This is my new room and my new Brandon Webb poster."

"At my desk I like to read, write and use my new desk lamp. I also have my own alarm clock so I can get myself up in the morning." - AJ

Back to School!

Yeah! It's always so exciting when a new school year begins. The boys are now in 4th grade. Wow, does time fly. They have mentioned a few times that 3rd grade was a lot more fun. Fourth grade is challenging. They are learning cursive as well as doing a lot of social studies and science this year. We were told that they would have about 45 minutes of homework each night but it usually ends up taking about 2 hours plus 30 minutes of reading. The estimate of 45 minutes was actually pretty accurate but since they spend over an hour each day complaining about homework and finding various ways to tease and bug each other it usually ends up taking 2+ hours. We put a schedule together on family night to help them manage their time better during the week (so they can play more) but the jury is still out on whether they will concentrate better on homework.

Andrew ready for another sucessful year.

Keaton ready to roll.