Onward and Upward Cougars!

So I promised more Utah pictures, and I know you have all been on the edge of your seats waiting for more, so here is (drum roll please...) The Hike to the Y! Thank you, thank you...
The day after we arrived in Utah, Steve decided to tag along with the Jensen family and hike up to the Y. Seeing as Sydney and Carter are still a little small for that adventure, I, regrettably, stayed home in my parents nice, air conditioned house. I did walk up and down the stairs a few times...
Anyway, here are some fantabulous pictures of Y hiking...
Apparently, merely walking up to the Y was not enough for Kristin and her girls, they decided to run instead...

Spencer really enjoyed being in the mountains again. He declared that they are in his blood, and you know, I think he is right.
Sydney was certain that she could see "her boys" waving to her from the Y! She must have better vision than I do.



They all came home pooped, but very happy (especially with the ice cream they got afterwards). And they were all mysteriously sore the next day!

Trek to Utah, The Saga...

At the end of June we began our yearly pilgrimage down I-80 on our way to Utah. This year we stopped for a night in Ankeny, IA, as Steve had some work to do there. While Steve was working, the kids and I toured some old stomping grounds, one of which being the Des Moines Zoo. It was fun to be in Ankeny again, we absolutely loved living there.
Sydney was excited to go to the Zoo, but really there were only three things she was interested in. The penguins...

the train...
and the flamingos. She was really only excited about flamingos because she has a shirt with flamingos on it (fashion is everything, right?).

Carter was excited to see the inside of his hat. He spent a good hour or so asleep like this...

If my scanner worked I would show you a picture of Spencer by this very same hippo, but looking a lot smaller (Spencer, not the hippo). We made many trips to this zoo when we lived there.
Carter did finally wake up and enjoy a few of the sights.
This is only a small portion of our Trek to Utah. More to come! (I know, I know, the suspense...)

Ah, The Joy of Having Older Siblings...

Apparently the boys needed a Three-Eyed Monster for the game they were playing yesterday (that is a googly eye if you couldn't tell), and apparently Carter was willing to oblige...

That's My Girl...

Every now and then cute little things are said or done and I think, "I need to write that down." Well, the blog has become my tool for that very thing. And, because Sydney is three she does a lot of those cute little things, three is a good age for that.
One of those cute things that I love is the way she calls her brothers, "My boys". She will come and ask me, "Mom, where are my boys?" I love that and I hope she always thinks of her brothers as her boys...
The other day we went to sign up the kids for the library summer reading program. The lady started with Spencer and asked, "What's your name? What school do you go to? What grade are you in?" She asked each of the boys these questions. I looked down at Sydney and could see her little wheels churning. She started twisting her hair around her fingers like she was feeling a little nervous, knowing that her turn was coming. Finally the moment arrived, the lady looked at Sydney and asked, "What's your name?" Sydney, still looking a little nervous, but determined to be just as big as the boys, proclaimed, "Sydney Arlene Gordon, Ballerine School." (If you need a reminder about "Ballerine School" you can go here).
Last night, at about seven, I realized that I hadn't seen Sydney for awhile. This isn't too uncommon, as she likes to go up to her room and look at her books (which we then find in a mountainous heap on the floor later). Steve went up to see if she was there and sure enough found her in her room, but not reading. Sydney was curled up on her new Dora couch (a gift from her cousin Parker, who now lives far away. SNIFF, SNIFF) fast asleep, and remained so until seven this morning.
And last, but not least, here is Sydney's latest in fashion design. This ensemble (yes, that is a Halloween skirt, and it is July) is only complete with Princess shoes that are much too small, but oh, so beautiful!