Coy's First Day of Preschool~September 2015

Coy was very excited and ready to go to preschool this year! We decided to wait a year on Kindergarten since he just barely turned five in August, and we are so glad we did! I am enjoying having him home with me an extra year and letting him be little just a bit longer. He is really enjoying preschool and is learning to read and write so well. I think he likes the social aspect the most though. I love that he is friendly to everyone and thinks everyone is his friend. He is a very outgoing and social boy.

He left as my cute little boy...
...and came back a super hero!   More cute photos before he left. He is looking so grown up!   Excited to wear his name tag:   Nora had to jump in a photo, too, of course! More of my smart little super hero:

Bennett and Mylie's First Day of School 2015

I'm glad these two both get so excited for school to start. Bennett entered the fourth grade this year and Mylie second grade. They grow way too fast!

Cute Piggy Tails

I was so excited when I could finally slick this little girls hair into little piggy tails. It is still my favorite little hair style on her. These pictures were from back in August.

Coy's 5th Birthday!

My little Coy turned FIVE back in August! Wow, how I love this kid. He is such a joy and makes us smile and laugh every day. He has a spunk and zest like no other. I am so happy and blessed to have him in my life. Even though he turned five in August and could have gone to kindergarten this school year, we decided to wait a year and I am SO glad we did. This has been such a special time for me having one more year with him before I send him off to school. I have enjoyed this school year so much getting to spend extra time with him and Nora. I am glad Coy can be my little boy just a little longer. He just loves life so much! He loves to play, loves to help do anything and everything, and can be a bit mischievous

We let him open a couple presents first thing in the morning.

That morning, we also woke up to a tree that had fallen in our yard from the windstorm the night before. It was the first, and I am sure it will not be the last based on our location! We had some nice neighbors help Russ chainsaw it down and get it out of the yard.
I always have to get some pictures of the birthday boy on his special day! All of his faces and expressions crack me up.
I have always been afraid of fondant, but finally gave it a try. I am so glad I did! It really wasn't bad at all! I am glad I have expanded my skills on cakes and am excited that I have opened more doors since trying fondant. That doesn't mean I particularly like making cakes. I really don't enjoy the process all that much, but the end results and the kids' reactions make it all worth it!
In addition to the cake and ice cream and presents that night, we played some games outside and also had a movie night out in our back yard. We had little sodas and bags of popcorn for that. Coy got Big Hero 6 for his birthday, so we watched that...He also got How to Train Your Dragon 2, which went with his cake, but he chose the other movie instead.
  No one could resist the little oreos, especially Coy! Bennett was such a sweet brother and wanted to make Coy something for his birthday. He had the idea and vision for a Baymax beanbag toss. It was fun making it with him and it turned out so good! (It also came in handy later for our Ward Halloween Carnival when I was in charge of a game!) Gotta love the Oreo beard that Coy is sporting in the rest of these pictures!

Nora All Dressed Up

One day in July, sweet Mylie got Nora all dressed up. She is too cute. She wore the little crown to the summer movie later that day because she wouldn't take it off, and unfortunately it got lost there.

July 2015~Cabin in Malad

Each July we head up to a family cabin in Malad, Idaho with the Harkness family to spend the weekend. The kids really love it and look forward to it. We play games, watch movies, eat food, and just have some fun down time.

Aunt Mary did some amazing face painting on the kids!


Every year we do water games outside and the kids last about 2 seconds because it is always so windy there and cold. But they still insist we do it every year. Nora didn't care much for it, of course.    But she did like the squirting elephant.   Coy was probably the bravest in the cold water.   We usually make tie-dyed shirts as well. It is fun to see how they turn out each year.   Nora really didn't like going to or being held by anyone but her parents for a long time. She still is hesitant at times. After my surgery, there were a few weeks when she wouldn't even have anything to do with me, and only wanted Russell.