October highlights

McKinley is now 3 months old and really has a great personality! She loves to smile and she's starting to laugh which is so cute. We love having her in our family.We took a trip up to New Hampshire and Maine (we also were in Vermont and Massachusetts) for a couple of Kris' interviews. We went to Sharon, VT to the birthplace of Joseph Smith. It was a beautiful and peaceful place. We definitely felt the spirit while the missionary shared the story of the place and of Joseph Smith's life. This monument was built in 1905 so they had to move all this granite with oxen and horse power. This stuff is heavy and it took lots of smarts to know how to get all of these pieces to the place. Pretty amazing.

In Maine the kids and I went to a lighthouse. Denzil tells me frequently what a lighthouse does. He was more interested in picking berries and rocks and such but we had a good time.
Then we went to a narrow gauge train museum. I guess that a standard railroad track is 4 ft 8.5 in across so anything less than that is a narrow gauge. Well, this one was 2 feet and the only place in the US that used them. They were used to connect the rural areas to the big railroad.

Then we did Halloween at our friends house just outside of Boston. We didn't get there until kind of late so we just went to a few houses but Denzil was more than happy with what he came away with.
This last picture is of him wearing the cabbage patch kid clothes. He was determined to get them on so I let him. I couldn't resist taking a picture though!

Utah again

These two had a great time together! One night we made cookies with Carver and Maddie too and these two wanted to get in on the action and help so bad! It was fun to have them each put something in the mix and then to enjoy the cookies afterward.So I found this tub to use for McKinley and then Denzil decided that he wanted to take all of his baths in it too. I had just finished bathing McKinley and was getting her ready for bed and then it got really quiet...
We were able to see my friend Janae and her family who were also in town visiting. We went for a little walk to Bridle Veil falls in Provo Canyon. As soon as we saw the water Denzil said "wanna go swimming!" It was too cold for that but he still managed to get his feet wet.
He also learned how to peddle the tricycle! He spent quite a bit of time just riding up and down the sidewalk and driveway. I'm glad there were people willing to let us borrow their toys while we were there.
All kids like to wear the mom's shoes right?!
Between the 2 trips to the cabin it had snowed so Denzil got to eat some and throw a snowball or two. He didn't want to leave! He still talks about the cabin every now and then.

Last night Denzil prayed about the bear and mommy's elk. Cute.
Maddie is such a good cousin! She loved holding McKinley whenever we got together with them and she does such a great job.
Remember how I said he can't resist any body of water...well here are some more pics to prove it.

Conference Weekend

Since Kris found out that he could do an away rotation at the U of U, I wanted to spend conference weekend up at the cabin. We it is just right with the leaves changing colors and we had a fabulous time. This little row boat was at the cabin when we got there so we took Denzil for a little ride on the lake. Check out that sweet life jacket. That was what I used to wear! It's a pound puppies one in case you are wondering;)

Denzil loves the 4 wheeler. We spend another weekend in Moroni and I rode the 4 wheeler around the house countless times to try to charge the battery and also to take him for a ride.
This is what Saturday afternoon conference session looks like. I'm sure they were just resting their eyes and feeling the spirit and getting inspired to be better!

Remember the swing, well this year someone got the idea to make a kid swing. It was a hit for Denzil and Nicalee.
This is the sweet fort that Jack and his grandpa made last year or something. Denz was a little nervous the first time we went in but I think he got over it.
Then we stopped to give the horses a treat of some ears of corn on the way home. Denzil wasn't too thrilled but he was totally pooped. We had to wake him up when we got there and then he fell back asleep as soon as we put him back in the car.

Our September

In September Nana came to visit for a little bit and we decided to head to Dollywood for a weekend of fun. Denzil got to go on his first ferris wheel. I think he had fun. We rode the elephants several times. His arms weren't quite long enough to push the button to make them go up but he had a great time anyway. There were a couple other kid rides that he enjoyed too. We got to go on a couple of big kid rollercoasters too. They weren't nearly as cool as I thought they would be and I don't think I'll make a special trip there again but I'm glad I can say that I went to Dollywood. Now we just need to stay in Gatlinburg for a night and experience that place more than just driving through.
Yes my child is putting his head in a puddle of water in a parking lot. He just can't resist a body of water, large or small.
Kris blessed McKinley while Nana was here too. It sure it tough to get a good pic with little children involved;)
After Nana went home the Winston-Salem airshow happened. We made the mistake of going around noon and the traffic was terrible! It took us nearly an hour and a half to get there and it's only about 10 or so miles from our house. We could see some of the military planes doing their thing from the car so we thought we missed the really cool planes. But alas, we were still able to enjoy a few of the awesome planes and lots of the smaller trick planes. It was the 100 yr anniversary of the airshow so that is why they had the military planes. Denzil was so worn out because it was warm and nap time but he did get to see some of the planes. McKinley did pretty well but did cry a bit with the loud noises.
The Stealth Bomber
And finally, McKinley is 2 months! She is such a good baby! The first little bit of her life she would cry in the evenings for a bit but now she is smiling and getting past that.

Someone is 2

Denzil had a birthday, shout Hooray! We were going to try to get a few friends together for cake and ice cream but in the end it was just our family. It was great though. In the morning we had him open his present, CAT trucks and a Mater truck. He loves them and can name the CAT trucks correctly. We went to church and then after nap Kris made some cupcakes.

I have a video of Denzil singing happy birthday to himself but I haven't had much success with uploading videos on here so you'll just have to imagine what it was like. We had to light the candles and sing several times because Happy Birthday is one of his favorite songs. He was able to blow the candles out himself a couple of the times.
The first thing (and really the only thing) Denzil ate off of his cupcake was the chocolate chip eyes. We put eyes on Elmo several times because he didn't really want to eat the rest of the cupcake. Kris also made Cookie Monster cupcakes.
Happy Birthday to our sweet Denzil! We are so happy to have him and to watch him grow and learn everyday. At his 2 yr appt he was 27 lbs 2.5 oz (40 %), 34 inches tall (40%), and 19.5 inches head circumference (73%). He speaks very well and loves to sing songs and read books. His favorite toys right now are cars, trucks, planes, and trains. He has been lining them up when he plays with them and now takes them to bed with him sometimes because we got rid of the paci. No, it's not because he turned 2 but because he decided to play in his diaper during nap time and it was no longer sanitary. He's done pretty well without it but now we have a few minutes of crying sometimes when he is going to take a nap or go to bed. He still is taking pretty long naps usually, 3+ hrs, and bedtime is supposed to be at 8 but we haven't been so strict with the summer time. He loves nursery now and loves his friends. We love you Denzil and hope this next year brings great adventures and lots of learning!

1 month already?!!

My how time flies and more so with child #2. I guess it's because there is never a dull moment. McKinley has been doing pretty well. At her two week appt she was 7 lbs 14 oz and apparently she shrunk because they measured her at 20 inches. She has been eating every 2.5 to 3 hrs and at night I usually get one 4 hr stretch or so between feedings. One night she went 5.5 hrs but that hasn't happened since. She eats quick too so that is a bonus. Sometimes she likes to throw up what appears to be everything that she just consumed but it doesn't happen all the time. We have had a few smiles and her crying time in the evening is getting better (for the most part anyway). Her hair is still more brown but sometimes it looks like there is a little bit of red in it. Denzil loves her (sometimes a little too much) and we are excited to see her growing and being more alert. She is a joy to have in our family and we are looking forward to all the good times to come.

1st photo shoot

Just a sampling of the cute pictures our friend took of McKinley at about 2 weeks old. She has been a sweet baby and we are so happy to have her in our family.

Fun times with friends

After spending time at home post McKinley's birth Denzil was excited (and me too) to get together with some friends. Who wouldn't like someone riding on your back;)

Cute kiddos just lounging around.
Denzil loves swimming so this was a perfect way to spend the hot late morning. He just loves the Jackson's and their house.

I made a mistake and misread an invite to a party so we ended up at the park. Since we went to visit my sister in March Denzil has loved teeter totters and this one doesn't disappoint. He still loves swinging and his new favorite is the under dog!
Denzil ate his first real ice cream cone. He has eaten ice cream for a while but doesn't really love it but we got a soft serve cone at Chick fil-A a few weeks ago and he loved it! It was fun sharing with him and seeing him get excited for another lick.

Denzil loves the water and had so much fun in our friends backyard with this water toy. He had lots to drink too from the mini fountains.

And who doesn't love a little picnic with friends??! We have been having a great summer but are looking forward to some cooler weather.