Thankful for great kids

I just have to post a few words with these photos of how thankful I am for three wonderful kids! They amaze and inspire me everyday (as well as drive me insane). I am so proud of Cass--this past week she learned to swim! She is an amazing swimmer and a really fast learner at almost anything she tries. She is ultra-helpful with Garrett and just fun to be around.

The boys are wonderful too. Ben is a great big brother to G. I love coming down stairs in the morning and finding those two snuggled together, side-by-side on the couch, watching a show. I know they are not perfect, but I'm just so grateful they are ours. I'm so lucky to be the one to get to watch them change and grow. Here's to B, C, and G!

Yee Haw!

I do have to say that I totally love the Lehi Roundup Rodeo! For some reason it makes me want to put on my boots (that I got for a steal at DI) and buy a pink cowgirl hat (I'm too cheap to pay full price for one so if you ever see one on clearance.....) and buy a pair of Wranglers (sorry for that visual---I really would never wear Wranglers), tuck my fringed, sparkly shirt in and mount a horse! Our family had a great time Thursday night at the rodeo. We had great seats, Garrett managed not to fall to his death on the bleachers-of-death, and Ben even stopped pulling his sister's hair and/or giving her bunny ears for most of the night. I think our favorite event is the bull riding, followed closely by the awesome motorcycle stuntmen. I think Garrett might even give up his career in the rodeo to jump motorcycles 65 feet in the air! (Gotta be proud) My favorite memory of the night? Cassidy cheering for the cows the entire night! Whenever a calf got away from being roped or wrangled, she would literally clap and cheer and say "Good! The cow won!" We tried to explain to her that she should be cheering for the cowboy and not the cow, but she couldn't be persuaded. I think she might be right--as fun as the rodeo is, it is a little barbaric! Can we buy tickets for next year, yet?

Thanksgiving Point

I wonder how many times over the years I have been to Farm Country with Ben and Cass for various preschool/kindergarten outings! And yet, this was Garrett's first time. It's funny how family dynamics change, how a lot of times the oldest child sets the tone for family activities and the youngest one gets the shaft (and sometimes vice versa). Anyway, Ben was spending the day with his grandparents and so Cass and G-Dawg and I visited our furry friends at the Point. The kids really enjoyed feeding the goats grains of corn one by one (that took a while, but it did stretch our 25 cents worth of corn), but the pony ride was by far the hit of the day. Garrett would have gladly moved in there if it meant he could continue to ride his pony 24/7. Do I see a career in the rodeo in his future? Which brings me surreptitiously to my next post.......

"We're Bored"

Only three weeks in and already I'm hearing this famous phrase! We tried in vain to come up with a plan for today to ease the boredom, but we were at a standstill. Then suddenly I remembered this spot that begged to be explored, just minutes from our house. Everyone loaded into the van and in a few minutes it felt like we had entered our own private forrest/jungle. There were trees to climb, a swift flowing creek, tree swings and tree houses and even a tire swing hanging over the water! Why is it that kids can spend hours just throwing rocks into water? We took our time exploring and snapping pictures (well, only me) and all was fun and good times until Cass accidently slipped into the creek up to her chin! I wish I could teach my children to go with the flow (no pun intended) and laugh at themselves, but.....let's just say that she'll probably still be touchy about it for many weeks to come. It didn't help the fact that Ben and I could not stop laughing because it really was so funny to watch her fall in! (Please, don't mention this to her). Anyway, I think we mostly had a good time. And the price was fabulous!

What's new in the King Family Zoo...

It's tough being the youngest. No one will play with you so you are forced to "read" books to your stuffed animals.

Smoky rallied for his last game on Friday and even had the couraged to step up to the plate again! Fortunately he escaped unscathed. Congrats to Ben and the Rockies for a fabulous season!
Swimming season is here, and not a moment too soon. Maybe someone should teach Garrett not to lick the metal railing. (or drink the pool water)
One fish two fish (okay, three fish)
Watch out, Miss Lehi!

Slumber Party

Our kids have just realized the immense joy of slumber parties! We had a grand time last night with the Knox girls. They are such wonderful friends and we just love them to pieces! All five kids slept downstairs, even Garrett, and I only had to ask them to be quiet once. They ate popcorn and watched movies and stayed up until almost midnight and then were all up bright and early this morning as they plowed through an insane number of pancakes. Everyone seemed to have a good time and now the proverbial question is....Can we have another sleepover?

Black and Blue

We are sad to say that Smoky took a fast ball to HIS FACE in Monday's regular season closer. I was a few minutes late getting to the game and so (thankfully for the other pitcher) I missed the wicked pitch. When I got there Ben's face was swollen to three times its normal size and an EMT was there checking for broken bones, deciding if we should go to Insta Care or not. Ben actually did amazingly well, and ended up with no broken bones, just bruises and swelling. Today it is looking much better! He woke up with his eye swollen shut but we are just so grateful that he didn't lose any teeth or break his nose. And don't worry, a pinch runner was sent to first base in his place. Unfortunately we didn't hang around to see who won, but hats off to Smoky for being a trooper! When people ask about his bruises we have two answers we give---see which one you like better:

A) He got in a fight with Garrett and Garrett won

B) Our fat cat Tyler sat on his face and squashed it

Hang in there Smoky! We love you and your squashed face!

A (photo) trip down memory lane...

Benjamin Richard King

Cassidy Lyn King
Garrett Preston King
I realize not a lot can be said for Rich and I, but I do think (without bias) that we make beautiful children!