It's Officially Summer

Well, it's summer here in Utah. FINALLY, the weather is nice enough to swim. It snowed a month ago and then turned beautiful. Then after about a week of perfect weather, it's now in the 80's. So much for spring. But we'll take it. We went and played with our friends Jenna and Cooper Barnum and had a blast with their little pool and slide.

No, I did not bleach my son to fit in in Utah. :-) This is Cooper Barnum and he's a total cutie.

This is his big sister, Jenna. Also a cutie and Portia's new idol.

Portia's first try on the slip-n-slide. She was a little nervous but still loved it.

Try #2. Much better.Palmer was a little less enthusiastic about getting wet. He's kind of turned into a bit of a wuss when it comes to getting his face wet. But he still gets very excited.
This is the best action shot I could get of Palmer. As you can tell by his face, he's not so thrilled about being shoved down a cold slide and getting his face wet. But he kept trying.

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 4

It starts next Thursday! My favorite summer show EVER!!!

Daddy Camp

On Thursday, Bri left to go spend time with her family in Oregon and to meet our new little niece, Brizban. That left the kids to spend 4 days with dad and Bri hoping that she would come back with everything in one piece.

I've thoroughly enjoyed spending quality time with Palmer and Portia! They make me laugh and I learn a ton. I can't believe how fast they are growing. One thing I've realized is that spending quality time while your kids are young is extremely important.


Well, to add to a weekend with dad, I decided to venture out into nature with both kids to a little father son camp out. Portia was the only female presence there and I think she had a good time. (See picture below) The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they had a chance to explore several different tents before they settled down in there own little tent. They comfortably enjoyed Wall-E in the tent and then prepared for what was a cold night up Hobble Creek Canyon just of west of Springville, Utah.


I was pretty nervous for the kids since the weather dropped to 32 degree last night, but they were snug and warm in their little sleeping bags. We had a great time and I'm happy to report that I survived camping with my two kids by myself. (More pictures below. Enjoy!!)

Palmer chasing the boy playing football.

Portia laughing at the boys playing.

Tent inspection. Hmmm!

Settling down for the night...

The Newest Cottle

I'd like to introduce my cute little niece, Brizban Jean Cottle. She was born at 7:25pm last night, weighing 7 lbs. 1 oz. Lexie did a great job and pushed for almost an hour. She went in at 8:oo am, had her water broken and progressed very slowly until the afternoon and then it all went fairly quickly. We're so glad "Brizzy" is here and glad that Lexie finally gets to stop itching and start enjoying motherhood. Mom and baby were tired but doing well, as of last night. Based on those cheeks, I predict she's gonna get chubby pretty fast. Yeah for chubby babies! I can't wait to meet her next week!