My Baby...

(...but don't tell him I called him that!)

With so many posts about the big kids and their activities, I want to talk about the smallest man in the family. Declan is just one sweet kid. He has a great imagination and can play on his own for hours. Right now he is loving his train table; when we can't find him, that's the first place we check! He loves reading and art and singing.

He is a deep thinker, often coming out with profound words of wisdom like, "If all the dogs were gone, there wouldn't be any more dogs in the world." He is also a daredevil. Today on our walk he said, "See that big tree, Mom? I would climb to the top and jump off it."

He is super-athletic and has great endurance, his little legs keep up with ours on the longest of hikes and walks. And boy, does he have a serious addiction to milk.

Declan has the happiest little personality, and as a lady told me in the store once, a "million dollar smile." He is hilarious and fiercely independent right now.

I love his Beatles hair and his round little face and his laugh.

I love his scooter tricks and his dance moves and his hugs.

I love his energy and his curiosity and his easy going-ness.

He is such a joy to have in our family... even with all the potty talk.

(Hey, at least he's moved from "bumcrack" to "poop")

Oh, how I adore this boy!

Vancouver Temple Open House

Last Saturday we went up to the open house of the Vancouver Temple, which will be our temple - for the next few months, anyway! We went with our friends the Livingstons and it was a special day. It is a very beautiful place and we are excited to go back.

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home

We are adjusting to our new temporary routine of Garreth living three nights at home and four nights in Wyoming. (And I tell you what, this single mom stuff just isn't for me.)

During the week we stay busy with school:

(Here's Grace all dressed up for 80's day)

and sports.

Grace loves volleyball and is really good.

At last night's game, she won the "Stuffed Animal Award," which the coaches give for team spirit and for playing your best. Above, she is blindfolded and reaching in for her prize.

I love watching her play, even though a lot of my time is actually spent trying to keep these three monkeys out of trouble.

Not having come from a very athletic family, I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I love watching my kids play sports. I thoroughly enjoy days at the soccer field and the gym, and I love watching the kids enjoy themselves so much and improve at their game. Liam scored his first goal in soccer last week and I thought Garreth was going to burst with pride!

I'm glad we are able to stay busy while he's away. I was even talked into a trip to Chuck E. Cheese:

And late every Thursday night, the man of the house comes home and we spend a great weekend all together. Here are some pictures from a walk down to the beach with Sam and Declan.

Hovander Park

Last week the little boys and I found ourselves in Ferndale with time to kill between running errands and taking Sam to preschool. So we headed to one of our favorite places.

Preston, part five: Hangin' with more Ratchfords

On Friday, we headed down to Salt Lake to see Nanny Flo and the other Ratchfords. My sister Cait lives in SLC and met us there, too. The zoo was packed, but we had a lot of fun.

A bunch of wild animals... and some giraffes.

This tortoise came close enough to touch.

Three gorillas and a monkey in a tree.

Thanks for hanging out with us, Flo, Rachel, Cait, and kids! We can't wait to live closer and hang out more!

On Saturday morning, we packed up and hit the road. Garreth started his new job in Wyoming and wasn't with us most of the week, so my dad drove us back up, then turned around and drove Garreth's car back down to Preston. What a guy. Thanks so much, Papa! It takes a patient man to spend two days in a van with me and my monkeys! We love you!

Here we are at the restaurant where we ate in Idaho Falls. The boys wanted a picture on this giant skateboard. On the way back, we took the "scenic route" up through the corner of Montana and across northern Idaho and Spokane, and it was beautiful. I was happy to get to see that part of the world.

It's hard to be without Garreth. On vacation, we were busy and distracted, but now that we're home, we miss him like crazy. Lucky for us, he comes home tonight and gets to stay until Sunday afternoon. In fact, we are pretty sure BP is the coolest company ever. They are giving him every Friday off and flying him back to us EVERY WEEKEND until the kids and I move out there when school gets out. How great is that?! It tells us a lot about this new job (which Garreth loves, by the way!) and makes us feel even better about this decision.

Preston, part four: Cowboy Up

We got to up to the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, and Sam relished the opportunity to wear his cowboy clothes. (Not that he needs a reason - he wears them to school almost every day, too....)

The kids all got free horses - yee haw!

The Zollingers, minus their "Dancing King" dad. He was off at a club somewhere, bustin' a move.

Back in Preston, we made a trip to IFA to see all the new baby chicks.

And of course, Nana patiently took each kid for a ride on Blue.

(I love this picture of my mom. I wish I was a cowgirl just like her.)

Thanks for the rides, Nana! And thanks for having us! We had so much fun!