Happy Birthday Luke!

So I am a little behind on blogging events for our family. Luke turned 4 years old back on November 14th. So I am only a month late. But it is not all my fault, I do have to wait for the pictures to be uploaded to the computer. Luke is such a cute, fun, wonderful boy. We are so glad he is in our family. Here are some of the reasons we love Lukas.

L: Loving & loud. He is a cuddle bug, but also makes plenty of noise.
U: Unique. He is one of kind with his personality and interests.
K: Kind. He is so sweet and always says please, thank you, and I love you.
A: Active. He runs, climbs, wrestles, and plays hard everyday.
S: Silly. He makes us laugh all the time. He is a silly boy.

Luke picked out his own present from mom and dad. He picked a Buzz Lightyear lego spaceship set. He loved putting it together with dad.



His birthday was on a Sunday so we celebrated the day before. We went bowling and he and Liza tied with 68 points. He loves to bowl and is pretty good. Then that night we went to the Olive Garden for dinner.



On his birthday we had a little party at home with cake and ice cream and opened presents. Don't you love his long hair? We cut it a few weeks later but we thought it was fun to have it long for a while.





It was just our little family but it was fun. Maybe next year we will attempt a friend party. We sure do love our big 4 year old boy!

November in SLC

So I know it is a little late to do a Thanksgiving post. So this is not one, it is a recap of our fun in SLC at the end of November. We were in SLC for Thanksgiving time and we had such a fun time being with family and hanging out. We got to enjoy two wonderful dinners and great company.

Here is Eliza with Abby and Belle.



Here is Eliza again with Hailey, Samantha, Hannah, and Abby.



Here is Luke with Isaac and Nick.



I had fun playing basketball with the guys on Thanksgiving morning. It was nice to see that I was not the only one who was a little slow and rusty after a year of not playing, just kidding. I went shopping on black Friday with Lindsay and Lexi. We as much fun as you can at 4:00 in the morning after eating way too much food. I got some good deals but the lines at Target were ridiculous. Michael also went shopping with his dad at 4:00 am. They hit more stores, saw less crowds, and got better deals than we did. Who knew they were such expert shoppers.

Eliza and I went to Great-grandma Ruth's house with Grandma Kay to see all her wonderful Christmas decorations. We were lucky because she was setting up her amazing village and Eliza got to help. She had so much fun.





We also went to hang out at Aunt Allie's house and play with Hannah and Nick just like the good old days in Vegas. It was fun to catch up and let the big kids play without the babies JJ and Jack, they were napping.





Nana and Papa invited us to the Utah Ute basketball game. Thanks for the tickets Nana and Papa! We went to dinner at Zuppa's before the game and had such a fun time with them.



Grandma and Grandpa also went to the game and moved to sit by us. Our kids are so lucky to have such loving, wonderful, involved grandparents. Eliza and Abby tried so hard to get on the jumbo-tron. They would dance during every time-out and they looked so cute. Their hard work finally paid off and the camera guy put them up on the jumbo screen dancing away. They actually made it twice. They loved it! Luke and JJ loved cheering for the Utes. JJ met Swoop and they shared some popcorn. Surprisingly he was not scared of him. He called Swoop a duck.



Our kids just love hanging out with cousins and catching up. We love coming to visit and see everyone that we miss and love!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun October getting ready for Halloween. The kids loved decorating the house with window clings, pumpkins, a skeleton, and lights. Eliza painted a few decorations and made pictures at school. We decorated a haunted halloween gingerbread house and sugar cookies. We put pumpkin face stickers on small pumpkins and carved a big jack-o-lantern. The Friday before Halloween Eliza had a party in her class at school. I got a babysitter for JJ and took Luke to the party. He knows her teacher and had so much fun with her friends. Then we had great time watching the parade of all the kids in their costumes. That night the school had a carnival with games and treats. Eliza loved seeing her friends and getting prizes. Eliza and Luke had been counting down the days until they could go trick-or-treating.



Eliza was a witch. She painted her face green and wore a wig on Halloween night.



Luke was Spiderman. He loved being a hero and flexing his muscles.



Jameson was a garden gnome. His costume was a little small so he was busting out of it and his beard was hilarious.



Our neighborhood is great because we know most people and the houses are not too far apart. So we walked until Luke got tired. Then I drove Eliza to another neighborhood to do more becaue she is a die-hard. She did not want to stop. I guess the idea of getting free candy is pretty awesome. Luckily the weather was nice, no rain and it was pretty warm for the end of October. We had so much fun!

Like father, like son.

We bought Luke his own little golf clubs this summer because he showed interest in playing golf. He loves to hit practice wiffle balls in our backyard and is really pretty good. After a few pointers from dad he had decent form and made nice contact with the ball. So a few weeks ago Michael took Luke golfing for the first time on a Par 3 course by our house. They both had so much fun! Mike was really impressed with Luke's ability to hit the ball and keep interested in the game.



They walked and played 9 holes. Par for the course is 27, and Luke shot a 94. Not bad for a 3 year old. Next time they may take a cart for added fun. Look for this kid on the PGA tour in 15 years.

My 2 front teeth!

Last week I did something I did not think I would have to do as a mother. I was the family dentist, twice. Eliza's 2 top front teeth have been loose for a few weeks. She was always having trouble biting her food and brushing her teeth. They were loose but not falling out. One was more loose than the other and I offered to pull it for her. She of course freaked out and said no way. I told her I was just going to wiggle it and see what happened. I had flashbacks to when I was a little girl in my parents bathroom. My dad sitting on the edge of the tub with his Chevrolet pliers and me waiting while he counted to 3 and pulled my tooth on 2. It worked and so I did the same thing. I did not use the pliers for Eliza's sake. But I held her tooth with my fingers and counted 1, 2, pull, 3. She did not even know that I did it. The apprehension was the worst part. Here she is with one tooth missing.



A few days later the other tooth was getting looser and she wanted to be rid of the annoyance so she asked me to pull it for her. The same technique with the same results. I was proud of myself and her. She of course was visited by the tooth fairy which made it all worthwhile. Her is our big, beautiful, toothless girl!

Kindergarten!

I wrote this post just days after school started but did not get the pictures downloaded until last week. So here is the very late post about school starting.

Well little miss Liza started kindergarten on September 1st. She was so excited and counted down the days until it started. Mrs. Clark is her teacher and she really seems to like it. On the first day she was not nervous at all. She said she was a little shy but that did not last long. On the second day she wanted to walk in all by herself. She already has made friends and wants to have them over for playdates. I wish I could be as outgoing and brave as she is. Eliza loves to write and draw pictures. She is a great artist. I know she will pick up on reading very quickly because she knows all her letters and sounds. She has such a desire to learn and a great memory. The elementary school is just down the street so she loves walking to school and we are there to walk her home. We love Eliza and are so proud of the student she is becoming.



Once a week I get to come to Eliza's class and help the teacher. Tuesday was my first day. It was fun to see Eliza interact with her friends in class. She was using the restroom when I first came. When she returned to class to see me there she ran up to me and gave me a big hug. I felt very special. The class divided into 3 groups and rotated stations. At my station the kids had to match up magnets of capital letters to the corresponding lower case letter. Not only did Eliza not need any of my help, she was the fastest at completing the task. I was very proud of her. She is not afraid to talk to her teacher and is very polite. It was a joy to be able to watch her.

Spudman Triathlon

So this post is a little late, but better late than never. Michael did the Spudman Triathlon in Burley Idaho at the end of July. The triathlon consisted of a 1 mile swim in the Snake River, a 26 mile bike ride, and then a 6.2 mile run. Michael trained for this race for several months. He was very dedicated to running in the evenings and biking to and from work when he could. I was very impressed with his level of commitment and ability to stick with training. All his hard work paid off because he was able to finish the race with a better time than he expected. His total time was 2 hours and 41 minutes.



The swim was first and his time was 24:41. Not bad considering he did not practice at all for the swim.



Next was the bike. He finished in 1 hour and 13 minutes. It was fun to watch him come in on his bike and wave to us. He did not look tired at all. Then we got to watch him put on his running shoes and take off for the run.



He finished the 6 mile run in just 57 minutes and did not have to walk at all, he was able to run the whole time. I was so glad to see him running toward the finish line. He looked great and very happy. I was so proud of him for finishing so strong.



Eliza, Luke, and Jameson were his fans cheering him on to the finish line.



Out of his group of 5 friends he took 2nd place, and only by 9 minutes. Overall out of 1545 participants he took 684th place. Finishing in the top half for your first triathlon is quite an accomplishment.



I was so proud of Michael and I was glad I got to watch him participate and do so well. Thanks to his parents and Cameron, Brennan, and Abby for coming to cheer for him and support him. Way to go Mike!

Vacation!

At the end of June we went to Bryce Canyon for the annual Griffiths family camping trip. We rented a tent trailer and it made things much more pleasant. We slept great every night.



We spent the days hiking, swimming, and 4 wheeling. Eliza is quite the little hiker. She walked on her own on every hike. Luke and JJ got the easy ride in the backpacks.



My favorite hike was a short one to Mossy Cave and there was a waterfall, Luke's favorite. We got to walk in the river and it was very refreshing.



Our evenings were spent eating and playing games while visiting with family. It was a fun trip and the kids loved seeing their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.



On our way home from Bryce we went to Lagoon. We had such a great time with Liza and Luke. Jameson stayed home with Nana for most of the day and then joined us later. Thanks so much Nana! We spent most of our time in Kiddieland but we did go to Laguna Beach and hit some big kid rides.



Eliza was almost tall enough for all the big rides. They let her on the Big White Roller Coaster without measuring her. She loved it! We did not get away with that on other rides though. Luke loved the Dinosaur Drop and the Dragon ride. Jameson did the train, Carousel, and boats.



Everyone got to win a stuffed animal playing a game as well. On the way out of Lagoon they all got soaked running through the water fountain at the front. What a way to end a fun and fabulous day!

Sporting new looks!

This past week all 3 kids had some new looks that changed their faces.
First, Eliza had two loose teeth last Friday and on Tuesday she lost both of them. The first fell out during breakfast. She did not know it fell out until she felt the hole with her tongue. She was so excited and relieved when we found it.



The second one was hanging by a thread. I offered to pull it so it would not fall out at school but she was against that idea. Several hours after breakfast Eliza went into the bathroom and about 10 minutes later said it had come out. She just worked it back and forth until it was out. I was so pround of her, she was so brave! She was so excited for the tooth fairy to come that night. We told her it was neat that she had two teeth to leave in one night and that the tooth fairy might leave more money because they were her first teeth. When she woke up she was thrilled to find 5 one dollar bills. She looks so different with her teeth missing, she looks older. Because of the hole she has a slight lisp when she talks. It is adorable!



On Monday we were at Eliza's t-ball practice, it was cold and started to rain. So I put the boys in the backseat of Mike's truck to let them play while I put things away and got Eliza's jacket. I came back 5 minutes later and Jameson looked like he had been crying and Luke said, "JJ got hurt." Jameson had a huge red mark on his cheek and it was starting to bruise. I did not see what happened but he probably bumped his cheek on the console. Either that or Luke clopped him, just kidding! But by the next day he had his first black eye. Poor guy! But he was super tough.



Luke loves to eat ribs. Like father, like son. It must be the fact that he gets to eat meat off the bone and he is supposed to get messy. He really does a good job cleaning the bone and the BBQ sauce makes for great fun. Nice work Luke!



Lastly, about a month ago I bought matching PJ's for the kids. Eliza was always bummed when Luke and Jameson matched and she did not have a twin. So now I have matching triplets. They think it is great fun! I love these little guys!

Chicago!

Michael and I went on a vacation without our 3 little kids a few weeks ago. Thanks to our wonderful babysitters in Salt Lake who made it possible. We were gone 6 nights and the kids spent time with the Bensons, Grandma Kay and Grandpa Dennis, and Nana and Papa. It was so much fun! I love my kids, but sometimes it is nice to have time alone. Michael is a huge baseball fan, and I also enjoy watching baseball. One of his dreams is to visit every major league baseball stadium. So when we go to big cities we have to include baseball games. We flew into Milwaukee, Wisconsin and went to a Brewers game where they played the St. Louis Cardinals.



Miller Park was one of the coolest stadiums I have ever seen. It is covered with a roof but has windows and awesome lights. I could smell the grass and dirt because we were so close to the field. Our tickets were awesome! We sat on the first row along the third baseline. The Cardinals dugout was right in front of us. We could almost touch the players as they ran in and out.



I made eye contact with Albert Pujols, if Luke or Liza were there he would have thrown a ball to us. I actually did catch a ball thrown towards us but I gave it to the kid behind us because his dad said the player was throwing it to them. Even though I had the right to keep it I decided to give it to him because I felt stupid. It was an exciting game. The Brewers lost, but we also like the Cardinals. We didn't even leave our seats the whole game. I watched every pitch, it was very entertaining sitting that close. I thought it was one of the highlights of the trip. We then toured downtown Milwaukee and went to a science discovery museum and saw Lake Michigan.



We also went to the movies and saw Clash of the Titans in 3D and Date Night. It was nice not to pay a babysitter to go to a movie and just plan things as we went. Besides the baseball games we did not have plans set in stone. The next day we took the Amtrak train to Chicago. In Chicago we went to a White Sox game and Chicago Cubs game. The White Sox game was cold and windy but we had fun cuddling in the upper deck along the first baseline. It was opening day for the Cubs and it was crowded at Wrigley Field. There were probably 43,000 plus fans there, it was sold out and some fans had standing room only tickets. Our seats were in the outfield bleachers. It was also a fun game, the Cubs won. I must say they seem to have the best fans. We had a great time walking the streets of downtown Chicago and looking at all the buildings. We visited the Sky Deck in the Willis tower, formally the Sears tower. It is the tallest building in America. We had a fantastic night view of the whole city. Mike took some awesome pictures.



We also visited the John Hancock building during the day. There we enjoyed splendid views of the city and Lake Michigan.



We walked through Millennium park and to Navy Pier. The famous "Silver Bean" was quite the structure to see.



We walked down the Magnificent Mile on Michigan avenue which is world famous for shopping. Everyday we walked several miles, my feet got tired. The subway was very convenient and quickly got us to destinations beyond walking distance. Mike is an expert at navigating through the city. He always knew where we needed to go and never got lost. I just followed him and always felt safe. Sometimes I was cold, it is the windy city for a reason.



It was so fun to be with just Michael. I love our kids, but they can be a lot of work. I only had to take care of myself. We ate out at restaurants where our kids would not fit in. The subway and crowded streets would not have been conducive to children. It was a great place to visit without the kids, which is why we did it that way. Although sometimes we would say "oh the kids would like this." But ultimately it was much more fun without them. I am so glad that I enjoy spending time with my wonderful husband who is my best friend. It was a wonderful vacation and I loved having all that time to be with Michael. I can't wait for the next trip to somewhere fun!