take a hike

Last Saturday we took our little family on a hike to Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City. Our boys did so great and Wade was thrilled to go up the mountain.

This is the beautiful valley we like to call home.

trouble

I am fairly sure I did not give him permission to learn how to do this.

He also stood by himself for about 5 seconds today. Before I know it, he'll be walking.

it's time

I have fought it for a long time, but it's time to make the blog private. Shoot me an email if you would still like to view this little family photo journey of ours (jenbroadbent@gmail.com).

Thanks folks

preschool

Wade started preschool this week. He did much better than I thought. When I dropped him off he just turned around and waved and said "see you later mom." And he was rid of me just like that.

Summer Night Bike Ride

Sam has been bugging us for a while to go on a bike ride with him. Unfortunately, Wade has been reluctant to peddle his own bike, so we haven't been able to go on a family bike ride. But, this weekend Wade was invited over to his Grandpa's for an all-cousin sleepover, so Sam finally got his wish.

the real deal

We really needed to get out of the house last night, so we decided to take Wade "real golfing" (as opposed to what he normally does on the wii). We were a little nervous he would be crazy and just want to run around, but he surprised us. He really got in to taking lessons from his daddy. We may have a future pro in the family.

He was so happy to get the ball in the hole all by himself.

And this little guy was a good sport and watched from the stroller. Which was great, since he's been such a crabby pants lately. Good news is he finally broke his first tooth, so hopefully he'll get back to his happy self.

Oh, and the game was pretty close. Phil ended up beating me by one point...I choked on the last hole.

helper

Today I was vacuuming when I looked over and saw that I had a little helper. He informed me that he was vacuuming too....with his suitcase. Oh, and his tool belt. Love this guy.

(And yes, my camera battery is dead so I've been taking subpar pictures with my ipod. I'll get on fixing that!)

splash

We discovered this great little splash pad just down the road from us (that is free!). We had so much fun playing in the water today. Unfortunately, it is only open until Labor Day....boo. Well, at least we have 6 more days of fun in the sun.

9 months

Sam is 9 months old and fully mobile. Much to his older brothers dismay, his favorite toys are Wade's cars and he can often be found amoungst a pile of them. Wade is really not too happy about this and has spent more time than usual in the corner for pushing his little brother.

In the last week, Sam has also started pulling himself up on things (mostly me) so we've lowered the crib and started using the baby gates again. He also says dada and mama, although mama usually comes out quite whiney...why is that????

the lake

We invited ourselves to go to Lake Powell with my parents this weekend. As always, it was fabulous.

Thanks mom and dad for taking us!

6 years

Did you know today is our 6 year anniversary?

In the short 6 years we've been married it seems like we've been through quite a bit.

6- jobs between the two of us

5- vacations (with just us 2)

4- cars

3- moves

2- beautiful boys

1- dog

...and we're loving every minute of it.

Max's First Word

Who is Max you say? He is this lovely character from one of Wade's favorite books.

When Wade was a baby and we read this book to him, he would completely crack up. It's a cute book and all, but we never understood why he thought it was so funny.

Then tonight we pulled it out again, this time with Wade and Sam.

I don't get it, but I'm glad they were having such a good time.

tonight

Tonight we celebrated, and I'll just leave it at that.

8 months

Another month has already gone by? Instead of a picture this month, I am sharing a video. Sam finally figured out how to inch forward about a week ago. The thing that is so funny about this, is he does it the exact same way Wade did it...for teddy grams and all.

I love watching this little guy figure things out.

Oh, and for the record, he also figured out how to sit up by himself.

my boys

Because everyone keeps saying that Sam is a mini-Wade...

They are definitely brothers though.

in a week

We had a fantastic holiday weekend. We saw a parade and lots of fireworks. We had a fabulous BBQ and loved spending time with friends and family. Unfortunately, I was so busy having fun I didn't take a single picture.

I know....gasp!

(maybe my sister will send me some pics soon...hint, hint)

However, I am trying to be better about taking pictures, so here are a few from the last week I took with my ipod.

Enjoying popsicles with friends

Riding the carousel at the zoo

Enjoying Daddy's new hammock

My cute Sam

We have played with cars a lot lately

family night

For family night last night, we decided to try out our new fire pit by introducing Wade to s'mores. It was one of the best and stickiest nights so far this summer.

the start of summer

Despite the fact we had a short Spring, Summer is here and we are soaking in the sun and the warmth and loving being outside.

Wade took swimming lessons a week ago and did so great. He loves blowing bubbles in the water and I have barely been able to keep him out of the pool since.

7 months

My little baby is finally getting some rolls on him and I must admit, I love them. Is it just me, or does this little guy suddenly look so much like his daddy (and just like his brother)?

Sam is now sitting up by himself and rolling like a pro. No crawling yet, but I'm not complaining. And this kid LOVES to eat! Any time we sit down to eat he whines if he is not included, even if I just fed him. He'll tolerate baby food, but much prefers whatever we are eating. He generally looks just like he does in this picture, so happy to be a part of things.

It's what fun is!

Phil's work, Overstock.com, rented out Lagoon (a local amusement park) on Friday for it's employees. Since we didn't have to pay to go, we thought we would take the family and take advantage of a fun day together.

We rode the carousel

and the train

and the airplanes

and the boats

and much more...

Phil even rode the sky coaster...a giant swing that drops you 143 feet at about 80 mph. He' nuts!

Thanks Overstock for providing a great day!