Haydn's Preschool Graduation

I still can't really believe that I will have a child in elementary school next year! Kindergarten here is full day so my little buddy will be gone all day every day. UGH, I can't think about it too much or it makes me sad.

He had a wonderful year at preschool. He really loves school and the little friends he made this year. His favorite is subject is math. He continues to struggle with writing and reading, but we are trying to keep up the practice over the summer.

Half way through the year he got really into coloring and has made us smile on numerous occasions with a drawing or card he has made.

His class had mostly girls so the boys really stuck together at recess.

I was laughing too hard to get a picture fast enough, but Haydn got the award for "best lunches" That's right! I guess when you have a 5 year old who requests cucumbers or carrots and ranch in his lunch it deserves an award!

He was so funny about the graduation hats. He refused to wear it. Even when all the other kids were going up and having the teacher move the tassel from one side to the other signaling graduation. I talked him into it just long enough to snap a picture.

Ms. Angela and Ms. Brittany.

Pinetop

My parents came for a visit - yes in August in Arizona - not exactly the best time, but we rolled with it!

We took a little get away to Pinetop and let me tell you this place was gorgeous! It is crazy to think that just a few hours drive can take you to a landscape that is so different from the desert I am surrounded by every day. Don't get me wrong I love the desert, but by the end of August when every store brings out pants, sweaters, and jackets, when it is still 110 degrees out it gets a little tiresome. In Pinetop the high was in the 80's!! It even got down into the 50's at night!!!

We had a great time hanging out, going to the pool, hiking, remembering how annoying mosquitos are, and eating yummy food.

Taiter-D turns 3!

Taite's 3rd birthday was probably the best day of his life! As my husband will tell you it's tough being the middle child! There is always someone older to outshine you or younger that is more demanding of your time. It is a tough balance to make sure he gets his own special time and this birthday was pretty much perfect! We started the day with a McDonald's breakfast, which is tradition for any birthday celebrated at our house. That evening we had Colby, Jessica, and Jillian over for tacos, birthday cake and presents.

Ever since he helped Riley decorate for my birthday the end of June and then seeing all the decorations in Pine Valley for the 4th of July this kid has been so excited about his own birthday. He has been planning and planning! His plans included a pink dinosaur cake with pink frosting and pink ice cream, a watch like Haydn's, and a gold fish. Who could resist making all this little boys dreams come true!

{the goldfish}

{the cake}

I think it was the first time he felt that something was done just for him and seeing the genuine joy radiating in his face makes me so happy. He spent the rest of the night playing with each of his toys and going over and over the events of the day. He was much too excited to sleep and finally fell asleep on the couch cuddled up next to me. Yep, pretty much the perfect ending to the perfect day.

If you know Taite you can't help but love him. He has the largest heart of any little person I know. He marches to the beat of his own drum which can drive any parent crazy, but I wouldn't change a single thing about him. He makes me laugh and tries my patience every single day. It should be a big year with starting Primary in January, hopefully, finally getting potty trained, and lots of new things to learn. We love you Taite!

To see more of my favorite 3 year old go here and here!

Fourth of July

We had a great time at the annual Snow Family Reunion in Pine Valley

Megan went above and beyond for the treasure hunt. Each kid had their own envelope to open and a clue to figure out inside.

She also made these paper swords for all the boys, which were a huge hit!

Alicia made her fabulous sugar cookies and there was plenty of time to relax and catch up with every one.

See more here.

Memorial Day

We had a FUN Memorial Day. It started with a hike at Pinnacle Peak. We were trying to see how far the route is and ended up dragging the kids over a mile in before we discovered it goes really far. Oops. Luckily we had Colby and Jessica with us so I was able to pass off one of my offspring to Colby and save my back for the return mile.

That afternoon we had the best start of summer picnic with corn on the cob, hot dogs off the grill, salsa, watermelon & strawberry shortcake. I think the only "summery"

food we were missing was lemonade! YUM-O!!

We finished the day off with ROCK BAND! Colby was kind enough to bring his set over and set it up so the boys could rock out! Haydn staked claim on the guitar and started a signature side bend when he was playing. We all had a great time memorializing!

Happy Mother's Day

Wyatt is 4 months!

At his 4 month checkup his stats were:

weight: 15.10 lbs (58%)

length: 27 in (96%)

head: 43 cm (66%)

So, yep, he's pretty much perfect! See more HERE

On the road . . .

We will be in Utah again May 22-27!!

Stops will be made for sure in St. George and Salt Lake, possibly Las Vegas!

If you would like to schedule a session while I am there send me an e-mail at info@erikasnowphotography.com

Space is limited . . . meaning don't delay :)

Easter 2010

Or as I like to call it the year of the re-do! I spent last Easter in the hospital hooked up to IV's begging the Dr's not to put in a central line while my boys enjoyed themselves at the William's Easter picnic.

This year was 1000x better and, as holidays go, was not very stressful thanks to those around us. Unfortunately I'm realizing that until Wyatt starts to sit up on his own I'm usually holding him instead of a camera. So I missed a bunch of pictures that should have been taken, but wanted the memory to be written down. We started celebrating a week early out at my Grandparents "tin box". We colored easter eggs, had a picnic lunch, easter egg hunt and left with easter baskets! My boys are so, so lucky to be able to get to know their great-grandparents and they are SO good at spoiling them. We have not seen them once where Haydn doesn't leave with a bag of homemade

chocolate chip cookies :)

Next Aunt Debbie came!! She had spring break from school and headed towards warmer temperatures and got to miss all the snow Salt Lake was getting in APRIL!!

We had so much fun with her. She read he boys stories, played with them outside and we made these cute birds nests from treats Grandma Snow sent.

We also went to the Easter pageant at the Mesa temple with Colby and Jessica. It was FANTASTIC!! I highly recommend it! I'm sure it will become a family tradition. We sat on the grass and took a picnic dinner. By the time the show started the boys were getting tired which also means rowdy. We were surrounded by a single adults ward and Haydn made friends with a nice 21 yr old girl who let him sit on her lap while she explained what was going on in the pageant. It was really sweet.

After all that celebrating we finally made it to Easter morning! The boys quickly found their Easter baskets and were thrilled with their contents {baseball glove and ball, sidewalk chalk, toy motorcycle and of course candy}. We spent a lazy day watching General Conference, eating yummy ham and scalloped potatoes and desert of angel food cake with lemon curd and strawberries. Later we went to the park to play catch. I'd say it was a pretty perfect day!

And since I didn't even take a single picture Easter day - what can I say I'm a sleep deprived mom- here is a picture from the next day playing with the sidewalk chalk.

"The Snow family in chalk"

You can see our official Easter pictures here

Garden

What's that you say? I'm a total blog slacker? I apologize yet again.

We have had a wonderful Spring here in Arizona! I have been loving seeing the valley turn green and the wildflowers bloom. It is just beautiful! So in the spirit of things blooming we have planted our very first garden. We basically walked into Home Depot early one Saturday morning and bought one or two of every kind of vegetable and several herbs that they had. The boys think it is so fun that we have a garden and frequently look out the window and announce that our vegetables have grown.

Heres to fresh produce come summer/fall and teaching my kids about food! :)