Wah, Wah, Wah

The other morning, Warner who had gotten up late, was eating breakfast by himself. I could hear him talking to himself and leaned in closer. "Wha, Wha, Wha. . . I need a towel." He was re-enacting a video we've watched a million times of his cousin Nicole.

Warner is super observant right now. He folds his arms for prayer just like the brother he's sitting next too. He wants the same amount of food as everyone else. He knows where all the goodies are hidden (and like today, he gathered ALL the pillows off of our bed--this required SEVERAL trips--and stacked them next to the pantry in an attempt to get a graham cracker). He knows everything about Eragon, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, & Harry Potter from listening to his brothers.

One Year Older & Wiser Too

Talmage turned One on Friday.
Nicknames: Mudge, Tal, Tally-Wag, Wag
Hair Color: Undecided Eyes: Blue but changing probably something like C&T. Skin Tone: Still our darkest by far
He's taken about 8 steps and can stand on his own for about 30 seconds, but still prefers crawling as his most reliable form of transportation
He eats everything, in part thanks to Warner who was convinced he was capable of eating everything like peanut M&Ms the second his first tooth appeared.
At the doctor today, he graduated from the >5% for weight into the 25%.
He loves the tupperware drawer, the bathroom drawers, the book basket.
Not interested in stairs (yet), I may be imagining this but he is starting to wave bye-bye, is a thumb sucker, and has recently become a little bit of a biter.
I am his favorite person in the world (both a blessing and a curse)!
He sleeps on his tummy and loves to nestle up to a soft blanket.

Symphony Lake

Our dear friends the Holts (I serve in Primary with her, we have kids all born the same years, and we do the dinner swap with them each week) invited Christian, Tanner, and Sam to tag along on a 11 mile (yes eleven mile) hike to Symphony Lake. The boys LOVED it. They came home "exhausted" and proceeded to play basketball and jump on the tramp. It was absolutely pouring when they left the house (extra kudos to Kyle for taking them and giving them the ponchos), but they seemed to weather the adventure just fine.

The boys forded streams, crawled over boulders, and managed to put one foot in front of the other.

Table Rock

This is Table Rock.

We Never Tire

We've been here three years and still find ourselves rushing to windows and leaping out on the deck to see the Moose and Calves as they tromp through our yard (hopefully not eating our raspberries and strawberries). This year we were gone during calving season, but were lucky to have a Mother Moose and her two calves frequent our backyard for several days in the early days of June.

We're Not Going to Take It

My SIL Jess has a great video on their family blog of their most adorable daughter Auburn pulling things out of the bathroom cupboards, meanwhile my brother Greg is putting on baby locks, and in the background the song "We're Not Going to Take It" is blaring. It is a classic.

While we find ourselves too lazy to acutally put baby locks on all the kitchen cupboards, we know EXACTLY how our Arizona Family feels. This little friend is enjoying all the perks of mobility. He loves to unload the dirty dishwasher. He pulls out dishclothes, and Tupperware, and dishwasher tablets. Todays find. . . a permanent marker.

Dedicated to You

Mom, these two pictures are dedicated to you.
I couldn't help but remember a time, 18 or so years ago, the family shoved in the opening of a mine, wearing hardhats, and for some reason scowling. I had the boy help me recreated that memorable moment. I'm just giggling inside.

More Hatcher's Pass

Hatcher's Pass

After driving Stanley, the new family van, for a short 6 weeks the transmission went out. It was a long 11 days without a family car, but I was truly grateful for the excuse to wipe the calendar clean and be focused on the family. Yesterday after Eric called the dealership, they informed us that Stanley was back in working order. I was filled with a surprising amount of enthusiasm and excitement and couldn't wait to be a two car family again.

Today we decided to truly test Stanley's limits and drove to Hatcher's Pass. It is beautiful country. Specular views and a historical Gold Mine. The kids did great. The van did great.

Mudge

More Matanuska Galcier

Eric took LaNae and Carissa (our sitters for EFY) to this Glacier. Talmage was lucky enough, bless Eric's heart, to tag along.

Fingerlake

Camping with the Speaks at Fingerlake.
Great friends. Canoeing. Hot Dogs & French Toast. Badminton. Four Square. Campfire and Smores. Scrabble on the iPhone. Tinfoil pot for a late night bottle. Shakes to Cross the Lake.