William is 4!

For William's 4th birthday, we took a trip to the Museum of Flight.  William loved being there with all his siblings.  He especially loved looking at all the planes. 

 And driving the planes.

We all took a turn in the simulators.  They were a lot of fun!  It was hilarious to hear these two yelling and talking during their ride. 

 We have a toy space shuttle that looks just like this.  William was so excited to see it bigger.

 Happy 4th Birthday sweet boy!

After the museum we came home to celebrate some more.  We had William's birthday dinner of sausage (his all time favorite food), mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots, and diamond rolls.  He picked the menu, but still only ate the sausage and diamond rolls.  Then it was finally time to open some presents.

William's favorite things ever are gum and mints.  He got some of each for his birthday.  Plus, a few things he needed, like socks. 

Grandma gave him an awesome workbook to keep him busy this school year--and get him ready for kindergarten next year. 

 William was the last one to get a fleece blanket.  Ben helped me pick out the fabric for him. 

He also got some planes, and some Batman, Spiderman and Captain America figurines.  He has played with them constantly since he opened his presents. 

 To go along with our trip to the Museum of Flight, William wanted a rocket cake. 

 Love this sweet boy! 

And then it was off to bed.  I couldn't resist peeking at this sweet sleeping face.  With a nerf gun. 

Four things I love about William:

1.  William loves to snuggle.  He gives great hugs and kisses every day and often comes and finds me just for a snuggle.

2.  William loves to pretend.  He spends much of his day dressed as various superheroes or animals.  He has a great imagination!

3.  William is happy.  He rarely throws fits or gets upset, and has probably had less than a handful of time-outs in his life.  He is definitely our most even-keeled child.  He goes along on family adventures without complaining and is excited about each new day.

4.  William has a gentle and kind spirit.  He is kind to animals, babies and pretty much everyone.  He comforts someone if they are upset.  I banged my head the other day and he kept kissing it better for me. 

A few facts about William right now:

Favorite foods:  sausage, noodles, eggs, bacon, apples
Favorite color:  red
Favorite toys:  superheroes
Favorite treats:  gum and mints, popsicles, fruit snacks
Favorite books:  Pickles the Fire Cat, Corduroy, Once Upon a Potty
Favorite song:  Winnie the Pooh
Favorite shows to watch:  Kipper, Blue's Clues
What he wants to be when he grows up:  Garbage man
Favorite trip:  Lake Powell
Favorite thing to play:  Superhero pretend
Favorite friends to play with:  Clara, Porter, Kate and Ben

Happy Birthday William!

Summer Iphone photos

Here's a few pictures from my iphone from the last few weeks of summer:

Kate and William made "recycle man" one quiet afternoon.

 Our friends have installed a climbing wall in their garage.  The kids have had a great time with it. 

William and Kate got to do a little horse backing riding at a local church's community fair.  They both thought it was the best thing ever!

I got a new shower curtain for the kids' bathroom.  It was time.  Or maybe even past time.

 I took William, Kate and her friend to the children's museum. 

Ben and Rachel did string (orchestra) camp for a week.  Despite the fact that they thought it would be boring, they loved it.  The week culminated with an outdoor concert.  I had William on my lap and didn't think to take any pictures until the end when I snapped this horrible one.  Don't bother looking--you can't see either of the kids in this picture. 

The aftermath of school supply shopping and sorting. I made four separate trips--one with each child. 

I took the kids to ride the new trolley in our town.  Yep, I think it is official.  We live in the cutest town ever. 

We had fun celebrating Rachel's friend, Brooklynn's, birthday.  Love that girl! 
We made a couple of trips out to our favorite nearby beach.  We had to soak up as much sun as possible before school started again!

I'm definitely not ready for summer to end! 

Franklin Falls

We first hiked Franklin Falls a few years ago with my sister Karen.  David was deployed then and didn't get to go.  And I knew Grandma would love it.  So when Julie came to visit this year, one of the spots we wanted to go all together was to Franklin Falls. 

The hike is only about a mile each way.  It is so beautiful. 

The falls at the end are spectacular!

It was a busy, sunny Saturday--lots of other people had the same idea as us. 

 We all had fun putting our feet in the water and playing at the base of the falls. 

Love seeing these boys together!

I had such fun hanging out with my mom and my sister.  I wish we lived closer!  Thank you Julie for flying all the way across the country to come visit!