Update

Jackson and Tyce are like fire and ice.  They play SO well together but they also fight like cats and dogs.  Jackson and Josh rarely fight and Tyce and Josh rarely fight but Jackson and Tyce I think are very similar which is why they get along so well but also annoy each other.  The other day they  both woke up early for school and when I went in to wake them up I found this...

SO cute, Jackson reading to Tyce!  Sweet brothers!

The other day they were walking to the bus and I could not believe how much taller Jackson looked than Josh!  I think soon Tyce will pass Josh also! 

 I got my splint off and my wrist is healing...

Tyce's self portrait cracked me up...

Saturday morning rather than watch cartoons the boys wanted to play games together...love those moments...

Saturday Jackson and I skipped Tyce's soccer game (which I later regretted because he scored TWO goals!!!  His first and hopefully not his last but I'm bummed I missed it!) and went school clothes shopping!  This kid is growing like a weed so he needed some new clothes, especially pants.  He is now a size 10slim in pants, 10 in shirts, and 4 in shoes!  Crazy!  Here are a few pics of our day together...

Gotta love the Old Navy rocket...

 In the dressing room...

 In the car...

 After shopping Jackson wanted to go to lunch at Cracker Barrel...

 Because he LOVES the peg game and was so determined to get down to one peg...

 Mommy and her handsome date...

It was fun spending a day with just my Jackson, he is SO talkative I love it.  He cares much less than Josh about fashion sense, he cares much more about how his clothes feel.  He got some cute stuff though and I had coupons for every single item except his shoes, got to save money where we can right?!

Sunday I just thought Josh looked so handsome and grown up...

And lastly, I love how Brody curls up around Josh's face at night...

 

Grandma Bybee Comes to Visit!

My grandma came to visit me this week!  She has not flown by herself in over twenty years and her and grandpa haven't been apart for more than a day in a very long time so she was a little nervous about the whole thing but she did great! 

 

Here she is at the airport when I picked her up...

 The boys were all excited to see her AND the huge bag of candy she bought EACH of them!

 She also got them donuts...

 She enjoyed snuggling with Brody...

Tyce reading Clip Clop to her, the book she got for the twins about six years ago that has proved a favorite in our home...

We mostly hung out at home, talked, ran errands, ate, etc but one day we decided to head into DC to go to the top of the Washington Monument, the one touristy thing I had yet to do since moving out here.  It was a beautiful day as far as grandma and I were concerned...we both LOVE gray skies and cool temps and loathe the heat and humidity...

 It was cool to see a bird's eye view of our nation's capital! 

We SO enjoyed our time together, we enjoyed cooking at home together and she treated us to some yummy meals out.  We did a lot of talking and a lot of laughing.  I am so lucky to have such a healthy, active, involved, loving, hip, and sweet grandma in my life.  She is the most complimentary person I have in my life.  Everything I do she compliments me, so this week I was the best wife, cook, mother, housekeeper, granddaughter, driver, navigator, etc.  She makes me feel so good about myself in a way no one else can.  She is almost 80 and you'd never know it.  Her visit flew by and I did not want her to leave but I know one person who sure wanted her home...MY GRANDPA!  Haha, poor guy is such a 50's man and is completely and utterly helpless when it comes to any household duties.  He doesn't even make toast or use a microwave!  He lost four pounds in six days!  Listening to him and my grandma on the phone was like listening to a newlywed couple, "oh Don I miss you too.  Oh honey I know I miss snuggling with you.  Oh Don I'll be home in a couple days you can survive without me."  Haha, seriously too cute.  One night he was going to go out to dinner so he CALLED MY GRANDMA TO FIND OUT WHAT TO ORDER!  She always orders for him at restaurants so he called her, wrote it down, then went out and ordered it.  They crack me up.  Saying goodbye was hard, even though she is so healthy you never really know and I don't have any trips planned to Utah or Oregon to see her so it was hard.  I love you grandma!!!!

As if I didn't miss her enough my little sis sends me this picture last night...

They all went to the BYU game last night to cheer on our Cougars!  Seriously how cute is my grandma and how beautiful is my sister?  Love my family, wish I could be with them more but am grateful for the time I do have with them AND my parents come in three weeks to visit!  Can't wait!!!

Fall Sports Have Begun!

It's that time of year again...sports are starting up again!!!  Jackson is doing cross country on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Here are some pics from his first practice.  It was 95 degrees with about 95% humidity and he had to run a mile a couple times, I was so proud of him for not stopping!  All the other kids would walk at the end but Jackson would run all the way, so his personality...

 

I am so proud of him for really pushing himself, they had the "time bomb" workout last week where they had to run, sprint, run, sprint, etc for about fifteen minutes and it was SO hot and humid but he didn't give up!  He has his first meet next week and I'm excited to see how he does!  I would love to have a son to run with (if I can ever run again that is)!  Jack is also doing American Ninja Warrior on Mondays and Wednesdays with his friend Adam.  Since I will be at soccer with the other two, Lori takes them to that, more on that as he gets going with it. 

Josh is doing U10 soccer this year through NVSC.  We chose to do a different location this year (same league just different location) hoping that the coach, players, and parents would speak English.  This location is MUCH better!  The fields are only about five minutes farther than last year and they are much nicer fields. Josh was also very excited his coach and teammates spoke English.  Here he is at his first practice...

 Tyce also had his first practice...

Saturday they had their first games!  It was SOOO hot and miserable I felt so sorry for them!  Tyce...well...he participated!  I think he kicked the ball a total of five times and was just so not into it.  I'm kind of regretting putting him in soccer but he really really wanted to do it.  As long as he has fun that's all that matters, I have no illusions of him becoming a soccer star like his Auntie Lindsay!

Josh on the other hand...he rocks at soccer!  Parker and I were so impressed with him especially considering he's probably the youngest on the team and it's only his second year.  He was fast and had great footwork we were so proud of him!  He played almost the entire game too because other kids were tired asking to take a break but not Josh!  Here are pics of him warming up...

 Cutest soccer players on the field for sure!!!

I'll admit, the thought of sports Mon-Sat is daunting and exhausting, especially considering I will be on my own since Parker is never home early enough to help out.  But I love watching my kids challenge themselves, improve, make friends, and have fun so it is so worth the time, effort, and money!  I also do prefer being busy to sitting at home.  Here's to a fantastic soccer, cross country, and ninja warrior season!!

In other news...I got my hand splint off!  My arm is shriveled and my hand is swollen and I have little range of motion in my fingers and almost none in my wrist.  The doctor said it will take a few weeks until I'm back to normal.  In the meantime, I am to wear a brace and take it off periodically to move my hand around.  I have to push myself to get my range of motion back.  He said for this surgery and recovery they don't send people to physical therapy because the pain is too great, it's better to do at home.  Lovely to hear.  Anyways I'm hoping in a few weeks I'll be able to fully use two hands again!