Neighborhood Pioneer Day Celebration!

Last night was our Neighborhood Pioneer Day Celebration put on by our ward.  It was so much fun.  The evening started out with a Children's Parade.  There were so many kids that spent a lot of time decorating their bikes, scooters, and strollers.  Sophie and Collin enjoyed covering their stroller with blue crepe paper and then a few minutes later, ripping it off!  During the parade, Sophie was really into waving and saying "HI" to all of the spectators.  After the parade everyone met at a neighborhood park and ate, played games, got wet, and of course socialized.

Here is Sophie and Collin enjoying their plated full of chips and cookies!  You can't really tell from the picture, but there were so many people.  Our blanket became Collin's safe spot.  If he ventured far from it or me he would start crying.

There was a fish pond, slippery slide, candy cannon, and face painting.  So much fun for the kids.  Sophie and Collin loved the fish pond.  Sophie figured out how to swap prizes and went back and traded hers two or three times until she found a prize that she thought was worthy of coming home with her!

Here is Collin looking handsome in his prize from the fish pond!  It was a fun night with fun people.  The kids were worn out afterwards which makes bed time so much better:)

PaRtY tImE!

We celebrated Collin's birthday on Saturday with both sets of grandparents and Logan's sister, Andrea, and her husband who were visiting from Seattle.  It was a Thomas party and everyone, especially Collin, had a good time.  Collin was so excited he could hardly wait for his party to start!

Here is the birthday boy!  Let the party begin!

Collin was so excited to open his presents.  They were tempting him all morning.  He loved opening them and he had a ton.  It seemed just like Christmas.  What a lucky boy!

This trumpet was a hit.  It was actually a present given to Sophie by Logan's mom, however both kids love it and Sophie won't let it out of her sight.  This is probably one of the only times Collin has been able to use it.  I didn't get a picture of Collin with his presents, but he loved them too.  He got lots of cars, books, trains and clothes.

The cake!   Collin loved the cake and was so excited for this part of his party.  This was the first time I didn't stay up all night making one.  I must say that it was so nice not to stress about how the cake was turning out.

Collin sang Happy Birthday to himself like a champ and gave blowing out the candles a great big blow, however his sneaky older sister managed to blow them out before he had the chance.  He was still happy with the outcome though and was ready to eat cake!

Happy Birthday bud!

2 Today!

Holy cow, I can't believe that my baby boy is 2 years old already.  I can remember the day he was born like it was yesterday.  He is growing and changing so much.  I must admit that he is much easier today than he was back then and for that I am grateful.  I love Collin so much and and am so very grateful that he is a part of our family.  Life wouldn't be the same without him.

Here is some interesting things about Collin at 2 years old:

• Favorite Foods:  Collin loves frozen bean burritos, chili, fresh fruit, vegetables, yogurt, ice cream, and treats of any kind.
• Likes: "B Lovey" (which is his binky and a burp rag), cars and trucks, animals (especially the elephant), reading books, playing with Sophie, playing outside, playing in the sand, and coloring.
• Dislikes: Collin hates being told "No", getting his hair washed, wearing a bib, and being left out of the action--he wants to be doing just what everyone else (especially Sophie) is doing.
• Commonly Used Words and Expressions: Collin can say most anything, but these are a few of the things that he says all of the time-- "Logan!", "My name is Collin Curtis", " It Is!", "No like it", "Ya", "No take a nap", " Love you", and "Be right back".

Happy Birthday Collin!  I hope that you have a special day and know just how much you are loved by everyone.

Road Trip

We took our first road trip last week to St. George with our good friends the McReavy's and their family.  We stayed in their super nice condo and enjoyed the relaxation and the heat.  It was so hot, therefore we spent a lot of time in the pool!  The kids did awesome on the drive thanks to a borrowed DVD player--it was a lifesaver.  Once in St. George we swam, took lots of naps, saw Kung Fu Panda, went to a 4th of July carnival, swam some more, created our own firework show, and took a trip down to Vegas.  It was so nice to get away and spend some good quality family time together.  

The kids loved the blow up slides at the carnival.  They went over and over again!  Collin also loved the swings.  He doesn't get to go high too often on swings because we don't have baby swings at the park near our house.  He was laughing away!

The kids were so excited to do fireworks.  We did a pre-show a couple of days before we left at our house--it left them anxiously awaiting more.  Sophie was thrilled when we bought them.  She took them to her room and insisted that she take a nap with them.

A family photo shoot.  Sophie was insistent that she not have her picture taken, hence Logan practically tying her down.

The kids enjoying the games at Circus Circus.  Daddy won them each a stuffed animal!  They couldn't have been happier--oh wait, there were many tears due to the fact that dad didn't win exactly the right stuffed animal!

The carousel at Circus Circus.

The Parade!

I love July because of all of the activities that take place throughout the month.  I have always loved parades and fireworks and I look forward every year to taking my kids to these event.  It is fun to experience their excitement with them.  We were lucky enough to see a 4th of July parade before we left on our vacation to St. George.  The kids and I went to the West Bountiful parade with my parents and then enjoyed a yummy BBQ.  The parade was shorter this year, but there was no shortage of candy.  Both Sophie and Collin brought home a gallon size Ziploc bag full of candy.  These are some cute shots of the kids in their "parade clothes" enjoying the parade.  The only thing missing was Logan.  I was sad that he had to work this year, but it was still a lot of fun.

Good Times in Colorado

After our failure of making it on our flight for Father's Day, Logan talked me into trying it one more time.  This time around the flights were looking better, and I actually had Logan to help me in the airport and on the flight to Colorado.  It was fun for the kids to see their Dad at work and to experience flying "high in the sky!"  Sophie loved the little things about flying--the "pop" as the landing gear raises and lowers, the briefing card, and the shade on the window.  Both kids were wonderful on the plane and I might even think about doing it again.

Once in Hayden, we had a blast doing nothing special.  We went swimming, spent some time at a taxidermy (the kids thought it was just as great as the zoo), and played at the park.  It was fun just being together as a family, when normally we wouldn't have been.

We ate at a Mexican restaurant that had these saddles.  The kids thought they were great!

The park we went to had these teeter totters.  Sophie and Collin had never been on one and couldn't seem to get enough of them.

Water Fun!

The kids love swimming and playing with the water in our yard.  A couple of Sundays ago, the kids went outside and were gone for quite a while.  Logan and I were enjoying the solitude and didn't want to disturb their play so we put off checking on them.  When we did, we found both kids drenched from the hose.  They were having the time of their lives.  

These are just some cute pictures from a few of our water play dates outside!  It is so nice to be able to cool off on these HOT days.  There have been a few times when I have wanted to jump in with them!  When we go to the swimming pool, Collin is afraid of the water and doesn't have too much fun however, in our yard he loves it and gets right in, especially if the water is warm!