Jesus or Belle?

Yesterday in church, Piper was trying to be extra churchy or something and decided to draw a picture of Jesus. She wanted him to be wearing a gold robe.

After she finished, she proudly showed it to me.

Then she looked at it again and said, "Actually, I think it's {Disney Princess} Belle."

The Joy

Before my kiddos were born, my mom & I volunteered a time or two with Special Olympics. It was always inspiring. When we adopted Max, my mom was thrilled at the thought of someday cheering on someone we actually knew.

Today, our friend Lily competed in her first Special Olympics swim meet. Piper especially adores Lily, so we went to cheer her on.

Go Lily!

She came out of the water yelling, "I did it!" She was so proud of herself.

Look at these faces... Pure joy.

Some had coaches helping them. Some were young. Some were old. Some were blind. They were all beaming as they came out of the water!

Congratulations Lily! She won two medals. Way to coach, Suzie! :)

{Lily with her parents and grandparents}

I can't wait for Max to compete!

She's in LOVE

Last night when we were getting ready for bed, Piper says, "oh, I forgot to tell you about what happened with these two boys at school today - at recess and when I went to the bathroom." I could tell from her giggles that it wasn't a bad thing. She then leans over to me and whispers, "I'm in love with two boys."

Of course, I want details.
So I ask they're names... I don't know.
Are they in your class?... No. They're older!
Are they cute?... I don't know!

Still confused and trying to figure out if one was actually in the bathroom, I ask if she talked to them, or if they teased her, or what?
No No No... they were at the end of the hall.
Uh huh... Did you see them in their classroom?... No - they were going outside to play football (PE? I'm guessing.)
So did you talk to them?... No! And I'll probably never see them again :(

So I told her that her school is pretty small and she probably would see them again, maybe at the open house next week and then we could actually say hi (not sure what I was thinking - stay away from boys - you're 5! is what I should have said)
Would you remember what they looked like?... Um probably not. They were wearing blue. (yeah - everyone wears a uniform!)
What color of hair did they have?... Shiny (hahaha - I'm trying to hold a straight face here)
So I gave her my advice on love... say hi next time :)

Ahh. True LOVE.

Steve's response... Maybe a convent and not a private school is what we need.

Utah State Fair

We hit the fair Saturday. Piper debated all year as to whether or not she was going to be brave enough to go down the 'big yellow slide' with her dad.

She decided she wasn't ready for the big slide, so Steve took Max down.

He seemed to enjoy it...

Later we saw this kiddie slide and she wanted to give it a try.

This video makes me laugh every time (and makes her mad every time I do). The look of terror is priceless.

Let's see it again in stop motion...

Are you giggling yet?

She loves the 'little hands on the farm'.

Milking the cow.

Driving the tractor. Max wouldn't even stay on the tractor long enough for a picture. He's all about running.

Steve's all about looking at the hot tubs... too bad the electrical in our 1926 bungalow barely even supports a hair dryer.

Giant animals are always a must see.

And then there's the swine. Piper's favorite part of the fair. Not sure why.

 I think it has something to do with a pig always trying to eat the stroller...

Max loved the animals. They loved his fingers. Somehow he came home with all ten.

Awww. Three week old baby calf. So cute.

The fair isn't complete without a pony ride. Meet Rusty.

One of the most bizarre things I've ever seen. Yeah - they're dressed up. And not just one. A whole gaggle.

And, they follow this guy around. Who also has a ferret on a leash.

The butter sculpture this year - the royal wedding; cow version.

These signs were all over. 'Cause why? You think I'm going to steal your great idea. Hmmm.

3rd Place - looks like 1st place wheat to me - I think they got ripped off.   And of course, someone is always crying as we leave the fair. She really wanted one of those hats...

Acorns

Fall is in the air, finally!! and on the ground...

Pinterest is calling....

Tanner Park

Lucky Us

Look what we got in the mail last week! Kristen's light is shining - thanks so much Polly! The kids love them.

And look what Piper won at the Buddy Walk. You had to guess how many candies were in the jar. Her guess... 180 :)

I didn't think it would happen so soon...

I was a pretty good student. I graduated high school with a 3.6 ish GPA. College a bit lower, but hey, I do have a business degree. I figured at some point... maybe 8th grade??? that I'd be stumped trying to help Piper with homework.

But NOT kindergarten.

She and her friend, Grace, came out of school yesterday saying, "comment allez-vous?" OK. I knew it was french. I sort of knew what it meant. But I had no idea how to respond. "Wi wi" was my answer. They giggled and asked their teacher who knew how to respond in french to 'how are you?'.

Today it was, "s'assoeir" and "s'est levé" as they pointed to where I was sitting (sit down, stand up). My response... "bibbidy bobbidy boo"! Take that kindergarten french talkers!

Bring on the math.

Bucket of Fun

More school

The first day of school, continued....

I picked up Piper from school on her first day. She was just as thrilled as when I dropped her off.

Seeing her friend Grace come out of school (who is not in her class, but at the same school). Hugs.

She was wired after school. She kept jumping around and asking when tomorrow would come, because she was ready to go back. We called Daddy and both Grandma's to tell them about her day. I was nervous because she really didn't know anyone in her class. But she came home telling me about her new buddy Mia who she sits next too. She does know a couple of other girls at the school and they do get to have recess together. So she was happy about that, too.
We were getting lunch ready in the kitchen and she said, "But I didn't learn how to read today!" She was so bummed. I assured her she has all year to learn!

Her call to Daddy:
{slightly distracted by the TV}

part 2...



Buddy Walk 2011

We attended our third Buddy Walk Saturday.

Rachel Coleman and the Signing Time gang was there again.

Max was mesmerized by Rachel.

He couldn't see well enough from the stroller, so he found a seat higher up.

We met a new friend, Alyssa.

And saw many old friends, as well as some that seem like old friends thanks to blogging. {Kenzee - the pic I took of Gage was messed up :( }
Anya.

Camden.

Justin.

Mia.

Morgan and Mia.

Piper was a little intimidated by the shark at first.

Daisy & Bree.

Frankie and Henry.

The train was there again. Max didn't really dig it this year...

He did love the toilet paper toss game. He's had lots of practice at home :)

When we got home I realized we hadn't taken a group photo. Steve was already off at work, but I told Piper we should take one on the porch. She replied, "We can't. Rachel Coleman isn't here." We did it anyway :)

{trying to upload videos.... blogger not cooperating today}