15 Months

PJ at 15 months:

*Says cho cho and gets so excited whenever she hears the train. She loves to watch it go by.



*Says thank you, dog, all gone, bonk, and baby.



*Points to her hair, eyes, ears, and mouth when you ask her to.



*Points to noses and makes a beeping noise.



*Is very good at finding the mouse in her That's Not My books. It is one of her most favorite things to do right now!



*Drinks her cereal milk.



*Roars.



*Gives things to Corbyn when we ask her to.



*Has her top lateral incisor teeth, but her central incisors are still working on coming in on the top. I thought Corbyn was a slow teether, but she has been even slower!



*Folds her arms and bows her head for prayers. We didn't even try to teach her this - she just picked it up from watching us!

24th of July

Our day started out bright and early with the Speedy Spaniard 10K. I woke up and got to the race myself, but Rog and the kidlets were up early as well to meet me at the finish line.

My goal was to finish in under 52 minutes and I did it in 51:10 - an 8:13 pace. I had trained well and was very pleased with my race. Most of all I was just happy that I was able to train for a race longer than a 5K without my IT band giving me problems.



My battle wound.



I only had time for a quick shower and then we were off to the Fiesta Days parade. I was able to put out a blanket the night before to claim our spot - one of the perks of living in a smaller town. We had a front row seat and we didn't even have to sleep out to reserve it!



The kids had fun watching all the floats.



But their favorite part was collecting the candy, otter pops, and other treats that were thrown out.



The "float" that stole the show was the 2,000 stripling warriors. It was an awe-inspiring sight to see 2,000 teens and their leaders walking to represent the 2,000 stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon. We even spotted our bishop and some of the young men in our ward.



Of course Cosmo was a family favorite.



It was fun to see people we know - like our cute neighbor, Hazel, with her karate school and the kids' pediatrician walking with the Canyon View Medical Group float.



All in all, it was an enjoyable way to spend the morning. (It helped a lot that it was overcast.) We may even be able to convince Rog, the parade hater, to go again next year.



Peyton made our afternoon by climbing onto the water table to test out the water. (This girl. Oh how we love her!)



The Petrosinos joined us for a BBQ complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled corn on the cob, beans, tropical slaw (from the OBB Savoring the Seasons cookbook - it was amazing!), and raspberry lemonade.

Then we headed over to the Fiesta Days carnival. We snuck Peyton on this ride even though she wasn't quite tall enough. Aren't they just too cute riding together?!



Rog, Corbyn, and I rode a scrambler ride and almost smashed Rog. And we finished off our tickets with a carousel ride. Peyton wasn't too sure about it until it started moving and then she loved it!



We shared a snow cone and then called it a day. And what a day it was!



We love Spanish Fork's Fiesta Days!

Five on Friday

1. Monday night Rog decided we needed to do indoor s'mores because he was feeling sad he didn't have any on our camping trip. They were good, but there's something about doing them outside that makes them feel more authentic.



2. My parents house is looking a lot like a house these days. It's fun for us to drive up there every few days and see the progress they're making on it.



3. Our whole family has been battling a pesky summer cold this week. Fortunately we were all healthy enough to enjoy the 24th of July festivities (more on this to come), but unfortunately the worst of it hit me the next day just when I was supposed to be hosting dinner group.

4. I saw this preview for Disney's new movie, Saving Mr. Banks, coming out this December and I haven't been able to stop watching it. It looks so cute and I just love Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.

5. We visited the BYU Bookstore for a few minutes this afternoon while the Jar bought a few of his textbooks. (They're up visiting for the weekend.) Corbyn was loving these stairs. That's my boy! Go cougars!!

Camping and Jared's Homecoming Talk

Last Friday night we went camping at Palisade State Park with a family in our ward (the Jones). It was our first time camping since having kids and I think it was a success.

We set up our campsite and then went swimming in the reservoir. Corbyn didn't like the muddy bottom, but liked it when I put him in the tube and swam him to the floating dock. (Peyton did too.)



We roasted some hot dogs for the kids and warmed up chili for our walking tacos - with some guacamole and Costco's amazing salsa, it was the best camping dinner we've ever had!



Corbyn had fun climbing trees and exploring.



And Peyton was just her cute little self.



We put Peyton to bed in her pack 'n play when it started to get dark, but Corbyn got to stay up late to watch the Lorax with the older kids.

The Jones made an apple cake in their dutch oven. Rog filled up on that, but I saved room for a s'more. It just wouldn't be camping without at least one!



The kids slept through the night and didn't wake up too terribly early.



We cooked up some eggs and had breakfast burritos for breakfast.



Then we hit the reservoir again, but this time we rented a paddle boat. Corbyn loved the idea of being on a boat, but wasn't big enough to paddle. And Peyton was not a fan of the life jacket although she looked pretty adorable in it!



Peyton didn't get quite a full night of sleep, so even though it was much earlier than her normal nap time, she fell asleep in my arms (after screaming her head off for half the ride).



We let her get a little rest and then packed up our car to head to St. George.

We didn't do too much the rest of the day. We got pizza for dinner and just enjoyed being with the Jar. It was fun seeing him reunited with Cuddles.

{While we are happy that Cuddles survived Jared's mission, my parents are now looking for a new home for him. They don't want to move him into their new house - mostly because Corbyn and I are allergic to him. Anyone want a very old and lovable cat? We'd love for him to go somewhere close, so we could visit him.}



Sunday morning Jared gave his Homecoming talk. It was spectacular, but of course we didn't expect anything short of amazing from him. You would think it would have been an easier meeting with Rog sitting with us, but their ward has very few children, so it seemed like our children were very LOUD. (In our ward they just blend in with all the other children.)

We had a brunch after the meeting with a few different breakfast casseroles, cinnamon rolls, streusel bites, a strawberry banana trifle, and orange juice.



The balloons my mom got for decorations were a huge hit with both kids. We put one under Peyton's dress and she thought that was about the funniest thing ever.



Peyton and Rog had a good Sunday nap while the rest of us played Ticket to Ride Nordic Countries. It was a close game, but I was victorious again with my dad as my partner.

And all too soon we were packing up the car to head back home again.

Last Week

*On Sunday morning after I finished blow drying my hair I heard laughter coming from our bedroom. I snuck out there to find out what was so funny. The kids were just hanging out, playing, and having so much fun together. I had a moment where I thought, "This is why I had them close together - so they can be buddies." It's moments like these that make the hard moments worth it.



*The Petrosinos threatened to jump ship on us. Bill got an offer with SAS in North Carolina. He has always wanted to work for them, but their offer wasn't for very much more than he is currently making. It was a hard decision for them, but they ultimately decided to stay here. Our ward is experiencing a mass exodus this summer and we have lost some good friends. It's totally selfish of us, but we are glad they decided to stay.

*I decided I'm not as good of a mom when it's so dang hot! Things that don't usually bother me - like the kids not actually playing with the toys they beg me to get out or the constant in/out, opening/closing of the front door - drive me crazy. I started locking the door, so they can't go in and out and one day when they asked me to get out the water table, I refused. I got out a bucket of water instead and Peyton climbed right in. Silly girl!



*I decided to brave Seven Peaks by myself with the two kids. It went so smoothly and was a totally enjoyable afternoon!  So enjoyable that we already went back for a repeat this week!