Maeser's Blessing

Maeser was blessed on Sunday and Sarah snapped this sweet picture after church.

A photo essay

Sleepy

Sad

Cross-eyed

Cooing

Happy

Content

Smiling

Pacified

Swimming with grandpa!

Quiet morning.

Everyone is at church. It's been a great morning.

Sleep deprivation.

Swinging in the park.

So hot today.

Samuel Maeser Hughes

He's here! Maeser was born a week late to make the auspicious 8th, joining both his brother and sister on the same day of the month. I'm just glad he didn't want to wait any longer.

He weighed 7 pounds and is 20 inches long.

After almost 2 weeks, he is growing fast. A more recent picture shows the progress he is making on his jowls...

He is beautiful, healthy and growing fast. We are so thankful he is here.

Little Master Hughes

The baby finally came! And until I put a post together I hope this will suffice: http://looksmartbesmart.blogspot.com/
I wish I could write or take pictures like Sarah. Thanks Sarah!

Goggles

He can swim.

Some quotes from Honest Abe

After a FHE lesson by Dallin on being nice, "This week I'm going to be nice to people with sticks!"

After he had his stick taken away, "I was not playing with that, I was fighting with it."

Student becomes teacher

Mary after her first piano lesson: Mom I learned how to play the piano! Now I can teach Abraham!

Later I was talking to Sarah and she said: During that lesson, Abe was over at my house telling Dallin, "I will pinch you with my teeth."

Maybe Mary should teach Abe something other than how to play the piano.

Names

Mary: Why do we need to think of names?
Amy: Because, when you were in my tummy, we thought of all the wonderful girl names, and decided to name you Mary. When Abe was in my tummy, we thought of all the great boy names, and decided to name him Abraham, because it was such a great name. What name should we call this baby?
Mary: Rhino.

the big button

Abe pushed the big button at the top of the escalator. It was just like in the comercial where the guy gets stranded on the escalator and starts yelling for help...

Abe points to the button every time we get on now, "We don't push that button mom." Duh.

Between Abe and Mary

Between Abe and Mary:
Abe- "Mommy has two names. Mommy and mom. I have three names. Abe, Abraham and son. You have one name."
Mary- "No. I have three names. Mary, Superhero and ... I forgot the last one."

Snakes

A snake was seen in our garden last Saturday. A cool thing in and of it's self, but even cooler to a three-year-old boy: it was eating a frog.

Since, Abe has spent hours searching for a green snake. This afternoon he came running to me yelling, "I put my head in the snake's house and it didn't bite me!"

(note- it is a common snake, not poisonous.)

Negotiation

A conversation between Dan and Abe-

"Abe, you need to lie down quietly, for 10 minutes."

"No, two."

"Five minutes."

"Three."

Done.

Dallin

I don't think I ever mentioned Dallin came to visit. He also came bearing gifts from both grandparents, which Abe attributes to his favorite uncle, Dallin. (Yes, Derrick has a rival.)

Smiles and bikes.

Abe takes his Mac 'n Cheese seriously...

This summer we stopped at a dairy in Utah. I just found this picture. We oohed an awed over Mary just as much as the cheese. :)

And...

We're expecting baby #3, he'll be here in February.

Fall Twist

We don't have colorful leaves or pumpkins, but we do have apples. Try adding apples and brown sugar to your German pancakes. It was perfect.

Fall Projects

Is anyone else excited for the holidays?

Miss Mary

Mary had so much fun on vacation. She had a really hard time coming home. Daily she would remark how she was never going to leave "this land". My dad asked her what she would do without her toys and friends in Bangkok. She replied that Daddy was going to bring all of her toys back to Utah, and frankly that "she loved her cousins more than her friends." I'm so glad she loves her cousins!

(I didn't get any great pictures of Mary with her cousins, but my sister-in-law did.)

We spent one evening up at Sundance watching the play "Sound of Music". It was so fun to see her hanging out with her older cousins. She really grew up a lot. And acted older around them. She even had to wear a scarf like them.

It got a little cold, but it was so much fun to snuggle.

Mary also loved the Farmer's Market! Here are a few pictures of Mary "helping" Grandpa Skousen with his vegetable stand. He made her feel so important. Thanks Grandpa! She loved it so much we went back the next week and brought all of her cousins with us. I really miss my mom's garden and all the fresh vegetables that come with it. I can't say I miss the hours of weeding I remember doing in high school.

(Those blackberries were delicious, and Abe ate the cherry tomatoes like candy.)

It's sad, but true

My children didn't know anything about s'mores.

We had a lot of fun playing in my mom's garden and staying outside ALL DAY LONG. Even having BBQs in the evening. This night we roasted hotdogs and had s'mores. We've since had pretend campfires every evening this week.

Yum.