Bryce is so busy during the summer that we rarely have an evening just to spend time as a family.  The kids took advantage of him being home this night and kept him busy with a 4 wheeler ride and then a treasure hunt. (notice Brandt is holding the map he drew)

After taking a few minutes to read the map, they were on their way. Brandt was the first little pirate to find the hidden treasure and he was so excited about it.  (of course, he was also the little pirate who buried it and drew the map lol)

Checking out the loot-one package of Oreo cookies-a favorite of Bryce and Brandt.

Kylie loves helping with chores like the laundry; sometimes she gets into it a little more than others...

Gone Fishing! 6/26/12

Brandt has been dying to go fishing ever since he got his very own pole for his birthday.  His favorite bedtime story is of me going fishing with Uncle Eddie every summer when the California cousins would come stay with Grandma Bodily, and Brandt thought that sounded pretty fun to try for himself.  We finally had the chance to go, so we packed the kids and the poles in the car, stopped and bought worms on the way, and headed for the rearing pond up Montpelier canyon.

I love the excitement in his face

Kylie was happy to just sit and watch most of the time-she would giggle every time we saw a fish jump and every time buddy caught something.

Patiently and happily waiting, which didn't last long cause he caught the first fish within a couple minutes of casting out

And here it is-his first fish ever!  What a fun moment!

Brandt didn't want to touch it, but Kylie did.  She would squeal every time it would flip its tail at her

Trying it out for herself (not really...just holding the pole, but she thought it was great!)

Holding up his "keepers"-notice it's from a distance :)

Kylie was pretty proud of her brother's fishing skills and was excited to have a turn holding them up, too. What a fun and simple way to make memories with the kids.  Now the only problem is the two dead fish in a ziplock baggie in my fridge....

There is one thing I have always known about my father- he hates snakes!!  Which is why the following is such a shocker....

He is obsessed with these Rubber Boa snakes.  He likes them because they are slow moving and not aggressive at all, so he doesn't have to be scared of them.  He caught this one and brought it down for the kids to see.  Notice he won't touch it without his gloves on... :)

Brandt and Kylie both had a great time holding it- I stayed FAR away!

After everyone was done with playing with the snake, we returned him to his home up the canyon.

Kylie-- May 2012

The older Kylie gets the more personality she gets.  She loves to pose for the camera (when she's in the mood, of course).  She also likes to tease and make us laugh.

Playing it cool for the Hillier's after watching Sammy's team win district's for softball in Marsh Valley.

She's decided that she loves tomatoes (Grandma Bodily is loving that I would imagine).  She eats them like you would an apple.  When we were visiting teaching at Cindy Garner's recently she snatched a tomato from her kitchen and ate the whole darn thing.

I can't imagine our family without this little girl!!  I love watching her grow and learn and I hope we'll be the best of friends as she gets older.



Best friends....for a moment anyway...



Kylie and one of her favorite people-Sammy



Brandt and one of his favorite people- Mariah



"hiding"

Brandt despises getting his hair cut and it has been nearly impossible to get it done without fights, tears, and massive bribery.  He decided that he would let me do it this time if Mariah would come help.  So, here came the troops (Mariah and Sammy) :) at 9 pm to offer whatever assistance they could.  There were still some tears, but the impossible was accomplished!  We couldn't ask for better friends- or relatives!!

Preschool Spring 2012

Brandt has been in Laurie Rich's Paris Preschool for the past 2 years, and we have loved it!!  It has been the best thing for him.  On most Tuesdays I would go in and volunteer and I learned so much about how to help him with learning in a fun way and especially with his behaviors.  Here are a couple of highlights that I was able to get pictures of...

Buddy was so excited when he got to bring home the "estimate jar."  The 4 yr olds get to take turns filling the jar with some kind of treat/toy and then they get to guess how many items are in the jar.  Whoever is the closest gets the extra treats after the rest are shared equally and then gets to take the jar home. 

Students and parents were given the instruction to make sure there were at least 15 items in the jar so each of them would get at least 2 items.  Some kids had some pretty off the wall guesses, like in the 90s or single-digit numbers and didn't quite get the concept, yet, but Brandt picked it up pretty quick.  He soon decided that 26 was his favorite number to guess and he often won with that lucky number.  Thankfully, we still only had to fill the jar once, but he came home with all the extra treats many, many times.

This spring the class "visited" many parts of the world and their centers for the day were centered around wherever they were traveling.  This is a picture of Brandt on an African safari.

One of Brandt's favorite days was when he got to bring the show and tell bag.  He decided he had to have 2 items-the "decoy" item that would fit in the bag (he chose "Moody" otherwise known as Woody off of Toy Story), and the real item which his dad brought in shortly afterward...

...his new blood hound puppy, Sarge.

I'm not 100% sure who he was more excited about having in class-his dad or the dog.  Both were a hit with buddy and his classmates.

Working hard in a building center.  He sawed away at that piece of wood for a long time before he finally made it all the way through it.  Then the best surprise for me was that he brought the end home without me knowing and wrapped it up to give to me for my birthday.  So sweet!

One week for snack center, they got to sit in this bus to eat.  It always amazed me to see the creative ways they made preschool so much fun.  The aides, Miss Stacey, Miss Julie, and Miss Laura were the best in the business and we will miss them so much!  I hope that he enjoys kindergarten and learns as much as he has in preschool.  He is so excited to go now that he's a "5 yr old tid."