Catching Up.

We have been busy, busy, busy around here but things are finally starting to get back to normal. Following are some of the things we have been up to.

The last week in September we went on a business school family 'outdoor adventure' trip. We drove an hour and a half south and stayed at a Best Western on the coast. It was delightful!

We ate fried artichokes!

The kids played in the lobby, in the sand pit area (they had a big wooden train there as well, Jorgen was in heaven!), and all over the place.

Saturday was our beach day.
We flew kites...or attempted to...

We played in the sand.

We watched the surfers.

(Yes, that is my white son! Jorgen is going to look like an albino when he sees his tan Hawaiian cousins next time!)

We smiled and smiled and smiled!

Daddy chased Jorgen and his friend with a fake snake made out of kelp.

We did not bring Jorgen's swimsuit down to the beach so for the first hour he played in his Thomas underwear and shirt until I ran back to get his suit.

We ate lunch. Shelley was loving having her own bag of chips!

We jumped kelp.

We soaked our feet in the hot tub.

Jorgen swam in the hot tub.
(The tub was not that hot)

It was a fabulous trip and it was fun reconnecting with everyone after being away for the summer. We are loving this time in our lives! Being in school and living where we do has been such a blessing! I cannot believe we only have eight months left!

Jorgen just playing around and being sweet.

Hugs all around!

Justin loves taking pictures of Shelley while she makes cute faces when she eats.

My favorite one!

She loves her veggies!

Justin is the best dad! One night last week I had to go to a meeting so Justin put the kids to bed. I came home to find this...

Justin and Jorgen asleep on the tramp!

"Just teasin' Mom!"
After putting Shelley down, Justin and Jorgen played with trains and then took some blankets outside to go star gazing on the trampoline. What fun! It made me so happy to see them there when I came home, even though Jorgen was up an hour past his bedtime! It reminded me of warm summer nights sleeping on my parent's trampoline when I was younger. I cannot wait to do that with my kids!

Jorgen was thrilled to show me the most amazing track that his Daddy made him!This weekend was conference weekend. I LOVE conference weekend!
Unfortunately, Jorgen woke up abnormally early Saturday morning and fell asleep for most of the first session. Justin loved getting lots of cuddles though.

Shelley was her perky self all morning long!

One of the games that worked so well for Jorgen for the rest of the three sessions was having a candy bowl and every time he heard certain church words, he would get to pick a piece of candy. I did not realize how motivating this would be for him! He was the best listener for most of conference! He started picking out so many words and it was cute to see him tuning in and recognizing the First Presidency each time one of them would get up.
Another activity that worked well for Jorgen was making collages. I cut out pictures from an old Ensign and he got to glue them on pieces of paper. He loved it and it kept him busy for awhile.

Shelley was not as easily entertained, but was all smiles when she was awake!

What a fabulous weekend!!!