September was full of big events which have already been blogged like Shark Bait's blessing, Man Cub's 3rd birthday and the Super Moon lunar eclipse. But, as always, there are still plenty of little things in need of recording.

September started off with a bang when one of my most favourite photo clients ever gave birth to her third baby, and I was invited to be part of the special day! Oh how I love being a birth photographer! Jess rocked the birth and Baby M is just adorable.

 I painted a Totoro peg for my brother Tarrant. It might be one of my most favourite pegs ever... but I think I say that about all my pegs Ü

Man Cub and I enjoyed a Costco lunch date with his best friend, Yatee. These boys have known each other since birth and it is so fun to see how much they have changed since then. One thing has stayed the same though- they are self proclaimed best friends. 

Bruce was still working graves back in September... and one of the perks of graves was that even at nap time, Shark Bait had someone to snuggle with. 

Man Cub started the treacherous road to being potty trained just before his third birthday. After two good weeks, we thought he had it so we gave him his reward- a new train. He sure played us! Once he got the train, h e quickly decided that being potty trained was for the birds and we ended up putting him back in diapers after several days of deliberate, non-stop accidents. With a new baby to care for, I just couldn't handle the added stress of a stubborn almost 3 year old deciding he no longer cared for using the big boy potty. Luckily, a few months later he was ready to go and it's been relatively pain free this time around. 

As always, I took lots of pictures of Shark Bait... 

September brought the beginning of a new preschool year. This year I decided to teach a one day a week toddler class, for those who were not quite old enough for a full preschool program but perhaps would benefit from getting out of the house and being with friends one day a week. Man Cub loves preschool days since it means seeing Yatee and his other best friend, Grace. 

Man Cub loves to hide under a blanket and watch movies on the iPad. And it's even better when he has a friend to join him! 

The weather sort of, barely cooled off enough that we braved the mountain one Saturday morning. It was a good hike despite the heat. I just love any opportunity to get some exercise with my family in tow. 

Shark Bait watched his first Spartan football game. He looked so cute in his MSU onesie, but clearly he was over me taking photos of him. Ü

I went for my first post baby run and was absolutely astonished to find that I hadn't completely lost my ability to run. I truly thought I'd be starting back at square one, where I could only run for 2-3 minutes and would then have to walk for about double that to regain my breath. I was so surprised to find that I could run a full mile without stopping, and at my typical 11:30 pace. I couldn't go farther than a mile, but I did not even care! I was just so glad to not be starting from scratch.

A few weeks later, I had my first run in 49 weeks with my favourite running buddy, Nicole. We hadn't run together since our half marathon, the weekend I found out I was pregnant with Shark Bait. She gave me this awesome headband which must have super powers because we did a total of 4 miles- 2 running and 2 walking. It felt amazing and it was so nice to spend some quality time with one of my most favourite people.

Beebs had her first family project for school... she had to make something that moved. She designed a caterpillar pull toy and I got to help her make it come to life. 

Shark Bait enjoyed some lovin' from his siblings... I love how happy Beebs was to get home from school and cuddle him each day. She sure misses her baby when she's gone all day. 

 The girls got cute new uniform dresses for school and proudly wore them twin style.

We ended the month with Shark Bait getting a round of shots and for the first time ever, my happy boy was a sad little mess. He just whimpered and wanted to be held. Luckily, Beebs was more than happy to snuggle him while I got things done around the house and cooked dinner. So grateful for such a wonderful little helper! 

Shark Bait's Blessing Day

Let's rewind almost seven months and attempt to catch up on some September fun. We started the month off with a bang over Labour Day weekend when Bruce gave Shark Bait a name and blessing at church. Almost all of my family was able to come down from Utah to meet baby Shark Bait and celebrate with us. Due to the holiday weekend, my brother Cooper and Tressie's husband Matt were unable to join us as they had to work, but they were very much missed! The rest of my siblings rented a house through Airbnb and my parents stayed with us. It was the perfect arrangement, especially as our house has become quite cozy since Shark Bait's arrival, but I wouldn't have it any other way! 

The whole weekend was a lot of fun. Shark Bait enjoyed loads of snuggles and the rest of the wee ones enjoyed spending time with aunts and uncles and my nephew, Bodhi. 

My mum brought us donuts from our favourite little grocery store in Utah. I decided I was totally justified in eating one (or more!) on my way home from the Zumba class Tressie and I did on Saturday morning. 

Tarrant brought a few games from his collection so we spent each evening sitting around the table laughing and joking and playing board games. I gave in and agreed to play Dead of Winter, despite my extreme dislike for zombies. (And then in November I let Tarrant talk me into watching iZombie... it would appear I am joining the masses in the zombie obsession) As always, our game nights were a highlight of being together. 

The house my siblings rented had a really nice pool, so we spent plenty of time over there swimming. It was a nice break from the scorching hot temps. The wee ones had fun being thrown into the pool by Bruce and having jumping contests. It made for some great photos. 

Shark Bait's actual blessing day was a good one. We were blessed to have lots of our closest friends and family join us for the occasion- friends from the girls school, my family, Bruce's family, police department friends... we were surrounded by so many people we love! Shark Bait was an angel baby all through church, not making even a peep during his blessing. Then, after church we hosted a dinner and he was passed around by the crowd. He was still happy as could be.

I love love love his blessing outfit. My mum got it for him and it's an all white sailor suit. He was cute as could be in it. I wish I'd gotten better photos of him wearing it, but I was still in that "just had a baby" fog and a few phone photos are the best I got, but we did manage to get a great photo of our entire family together on his blessing day. I'm very grateful for that!

As always, saying goodbye to my family was tough, but I was so so grateful to have had them all here to celebrate our sweet little guy. I know it is difficult and expensive to be traveling and away from home, so I really appreciate that my family made the necessary sacrifices to be here with us. And how lucky are my parents to have such a cute bunch of grandchildren? Even if they are prone to having dirty bare feet and scraggly hair. Ü

Happy 9th Birthday, Sunshine!

Happy, happy birthday my sweet Sunshine!

Nine years old! As Nana informed you this afternoon- your last year in the single digits. We'd better make it count. Soon you'll be old, and have two numbers in your age. Ü You have grown and changed so much in the past year, though I can't quite put my finger on what is different. You've always had an "old soul" and been mature for your age, but lately you just don't seem like a little girl anymore. You are growing up and I'm not ready for it!

You are an excellent student who is eager to go to school each day. You love your teacher and friends, both at school and church. You are always willing to volunteer for things and it seems like you give the talk or scripture in Primary at least once a month. You are enjoying Activity Days and doing such a great job of memorizing the Articles of Faith. You enjoy reading, for fun and for learning, and are especially enthralled by the "Teachings of the Prophet" manuals the adults use at church. On a whim, I grabbed a copy of this year's book, "The Teachings of Howard W Hunter", and you immediately took off with it, eager to learn about this great man. You are excelling in math and spelling and take great pride in your school work. We are so proud of your hard work and effort.

You continue to be very kind and tender hearted... not always towards your siblings, but they know how to push your buttons! You are friendly to everyone at school and church and you are always thinking of ways to serve those around you. Your kindness and friendship have blessed the lives of many we come in contact with and a few months ago, you received a very sweet letter from a lady in our ward, thanking you for being so kind to her grandson and playing a part in his desire to come to church and be baptized. I know your sweet spirit will continue to bring others closer to Christ.

We love you so very much and are so blessed to be your parents. Enjoy your last year of single digits, but don't be in too big a rush to grow up! You will always be the precious little baby who made us parents.

Love always,
Mom & Dad

P52 | Week 8: Black & White

This week was a crazy one. The youth basketball team that Bruce coaches had their big tournament Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings which is so much fun to go watch, but takes up a big chunk of time. Then we were asked to speak in church today. Yup- that's right. I spent my 31st birthday speaking in church. My topic was the power and purpose of the Book of Mormon and the preparation was nerve-racking for me. There was so much information and not enough time to absorb and ponder it all, never mind put it into a 20ish minute talk. 

As I was studying for my talk and also thinking about the fact that I needed a photo for this week's project, it occurred to me that the theme of Black and White went along perfectly with the things I was pondering for my talk. I ended up focusing on the importance of understanding that the Book of Mormon was written for us, specifically for our day and time. The last days are ugly- Mormon described our days as being filled with wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes in divers places, great pollution upon the face of the earth, murders, robbing, lying, deceiving and all manner of abominations. He was right! Yet, the Book of Mormon offers us peace and guidance, direction and hope. It is a black and white guide to living righteously in these latter days. 

This past week we started a new practice in our family... one we've been talking about since the beginning of the year but only just put into action. We decided that instead of reading the Book of Mormon during our already chaotic evening routine as we have done for years, we would instead get up half an hour earlier, eat a big breakfast as a family then study the Book of Mormon around the dining room table. It has been so much fun! It is hard to get up at 6am. I don't love it, but I love sitting around the table with my family and hearing the girls take turns reading verses. Even Man Cub wants to be part of reading. He insists on having his own Book of Mormon opened in front of him and he repeats a verse or two, one phrase at a time so he can read like his sisters. It has been such a blessing. Our mornings are more peaceful and so much less rushed, despite having added several new aspects to our routine. I love feeling the Spirit first thing in the morning. It helps me to do the things I know I should be doing and be quicker to repent when I do things I know I should not, like raise my voice or speak unkindly. I love that I then spend the day thinking back on the things we've read and reminding myself and my children to "be like Alma", the prophet we are currently reading about. 

Despite the craziness of basketball and talk preparation, I am grateful for the moments of peace we've had during our morning scripture study this week. I am so so grateful for the Book of Mormon and its black and white principles for living righteously and drawing closer to God. I hate speaking in church but I really did enjoy the chance to learn more about the Book of Mormon and strengthen my testimony of its divine purpose. Now, time to go to bed! 6am comes early. Ü

P52 | Weeks 6 & 7

We were out of town last Sunday when it would have been time to post my week 5 P52 post. I intended to do it sometime throughout this past week, but it never happened, so enjoy a double entry!

Week 6: Waiting

I promise when I made the schedule for this project, I just took a bunch of words and phrases I had collected and allowed the computer to randomize them for me. I didn't plan for our week at Disneyland to fall under the theme of "waiting" but it worked out quite perfectly. We did a LOT of waiting at Disneyland. It was a great trip, and I'm excited to make time to blog about it soon, but no matter how crowded or not crowded Disneyland is, there is always waiting to be done.

I love this photo of Man Cub waiting. Just him and Buzz Lightyear, passing the time. The girls would typically get a little restless during any down time, but Man Cub would just grab a little toy and play.

J

Week 7: Chaos

Once home from our trip, I hit the ground running. I had several big projects on my to do list and I wasted no time tackling them. My biggest project from last week was reorganizing my preschool room. It had become quite the mess and was not functioning in a way that I felt was beneficial to me, my preschool students or the rest of the family. Bruce helped me put together a big wall unit from IKEA, then Beebs helped me sift through the chaos. We spent well over 10 hours in that room, going through every scrap of paper, every toy and every classroom item. We got rid of 3 big garbage bags of trash and 2 of donation items. I took 2 trips to the store to buy storage tubs for the shelves and I ended with a beautifully organized room that I think we will all enjoy using more. 

But for now, this is the only photo anyone gets to see... the chaos before the calm, and my cute little helper in her Hello Kitty robe. 

Shark Bait | Seven Months Old

This little guy turned seven months old during our family vacation to California. I forbid him from doing so, but he has already decided he doesn't have to listen to me. I'm trying hard not to think about the fact that his first birthday is in five short months. Thinking about it makes me want to lock myself in my room and cry. 

Over the 9 days that we were in California, Shark Bait changed before my eyes. We would wake up in the morning and it seemed that he had grown by leaps and bounds during the night. He gained a bunch of weight (for him!) since turning six months old, he popped his first tooth and he has taken quite the interest in food. And as if that isn't bad enough, he is determined to feed himself! With a spoon!!

Luckily, he is still my sweet and snuggly little guy with bright, sparkly eyes and a smile that is going to break hearts left and right as he gets older. He had every princess in all of Disneyland fawning over him. Multiple princesses and other employees offered to babysit him while we went and played. And they were pretty serious about it! 

He is still just as easy going as ever and we all just adore him. He has no shortage of affection at any given time. I hope it's true that you can't spoil a baby with love and attention, otherwise we are in big trouble! 

P52 | Week 5: Sunshine

Living in the Valley of the Sun, I kind of assumed that this week's photo would include some outdoor time, maybe a pretty sunflare. Instead, my sunshine photo features Sunshine, as she has lovingly been called since minutes after her birth. 

Sunshine is growing up so fast and this picture captures just that. How is she old enough to be styling her own hair already!? This is a typical part of our Saturday night routine. All the time Sunshine puts in at the pool each week takes a toll on her hair. Between the gobs of conditioner we use to help keep her hair from breaking under her swim cap to the inevitable chlorine build up, by the time Saturday rolls around, Sunshine's hair is in need of some TLC. It has become our tradition that I wash her hair for her, using baking soda and vinegar to remove the build up, then we hang out together and style it. Sometimes I blow dry it, sometimes she does, and while it may not seem like much, I treasure this little bit of girly time with Sunshine each week. I'm not the best girl mom... I can't French braid or do fancy hair styles, my sense of fashion is lacking, but this little bit of girl time each week is fun for me, and hopefully for Sunshine. 

I know the tumultuous teenage years will be here before I know it, but I hope Sunshine will always need my help to wash her hair.