halle goes straight

most would say halle's signature feature is her hair

her perfect blonde ringlets that we all wish we could have

she loves them too

most days

but today

she wanted to go straight

straight like mom and grandma dell

so we tried

hair blower and round brush

then a straight iron...

it won't go straight straight

it's just too curly

but it looks darn cute

twice the length now

only lasted until naptime

and the curls were back

Church Clate style

Last Sunday morning, Clate was excited to get dressed and put on his tie for church. This alone was odd because we can't ever get him to wear a tie. So he went down and got himself dressed and this is what happened. After I took the picture, he wanted to see it, so I showed it to him...and his comment was, "That's one good-lookin' boy! Except the socks." I asked, "Why don't you like the socks?" He answered, "They don't match." I didn't tell him that they weren't the only things that didn't match. Luckily, he gave up the tie before we headed to church.

The girls, on the other hand, with their new wardrobe from cousins Elley and Kinley, looked exceptionally cute, at least I thought so. Thanks Elley and Kinley!

What the kids pick up on...

Last week as I was preparing dinner, Clate and Halle were playing; Clate was the dad, and Halle was the mom. They were pretending to be on the phone talking to each other...and this is how their conversation went:
Halle: "Hi, are you coming home?"
Clate: "Yep, I'll be there in a little while."
Halle: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Clate: "Watch for me out the window, okay?"
Halle: "I can't wait to see you. I love you!"
Clate: "I love you too. See you in a minute."

As this was going on, I thought, "Oh, how cute...they are mimicking my conversations with Adam." Part of me was proud that they seemed to pick up on the positive things they hear. Then the conversation continued.

Halle: "When you get home, we'll play, okay?"
Clate: "We can play for just a minute, but then I have to go in my office and work some more."

That's when I knew...they pick up on EVERYTHING! Not that Adam having to go back to work when he returns home is a bad thing...but just kind of funny that Clate picked up on even that.

I told Adam about this conversation when he got home and we all laughed!

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary today, and this was Adam's surprise for me!!! Isn't he sweet! He will actually drive it most days since I need the van to haul the kids around, but it really is my car...you know, nights and weekends. :) Okay, maybe not, but I did say it was okay to buy it...so maybe that was my surprise for Adam! Either way, we have a new car now and we're both happy. It's a 2010 Toyota Corolla Sport...cute, eh? We decided to take advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program and turn in the Jeep before it sucked our bank accounts dry with repairs...which were only a matter of time away...not to mention the fact that it was a gas guzzler. We'll save $100 a month just on gas! I'm not sure how Adam will make it up skiing now, but I'm sure he'll figure that out! I must say that part of me will miss the Jeep...it was my first SUV, and it really was a good car, but I definitely think this was a good move.

I also think it was a good move 7 years ago when I decided to marry Adam! It has been an adventurous ride, no doubt, but I wouldn't change a thing! I am a better woman because of him and I am grateful to him for that. He is a hard worker, a dedicated father, and a loving husband...and he is mine! Thanks babe for the last 7 years...I look forward to 7 million more!

Summer soccer is over!

Today was Clate's last soccer game for the season, and this is the only action shot I have of it all...and as you can see, I'm on the field too. Yep, just call me coach. I was lucky enough to coach Clate's soccer team and I had a really good time. I had signed up to be an assistant coach, which I was assigned. However, they didn't assign a head coach to our team...so I was the assistant coach to no one (aka head coach). I was nervous at first, but after reading some soccer coaching web sites I got really excited. I had Adam go and buy me 14 soccer balls (he thought I was crazy) so I could have fun, effective practices with my little team. We were almost undefeated (I'm not sure who won today's game), not that anyone was counting! :) And not to brag, but Clate was one of the top scorers on the team. He did awesome! It was fun! I would do it again; in fact, I've already signed us both up for fall soccer. GO GREEN!

Help me...please!

Can anyone tell me how to make the writing space on my blog wider, you know, so its not so narrow???

He's 2-wheelin' it!!

Clate has had a 16-inch bike that will NOT ride without the training wheels, even though he can ride a balance bike just fine. When we got Halle a 12-inch bike for her birthday, before we put the training wheels on, we let Clate try riding it. I helped him once or twice down the driveway, and then he picked it up and rode off on his own...I couldn't believe it! I was so proud. In the next 2 days, I probably took the training wheels on and off about 10 times as Clate wanted a turn, then Halle wanted a turn. Needless to say, that wasn't working for me! So, the next day I went to Wal-Mart and for $40 I got Clate his own 12-inch bike...that he has ridden EVERY single day. He loves it and I love it!!!
Clate has even figured out how to stand up and ride!

Halle loves her bike too. Now, instead of wanting to watch TV every morning, they ask if they can go out to ride their bikes!!!

A much needed family vacation!

Adam's parents treated the ENTIRE family (our family, Jon's family, Casey's family, Michael and girlfriend) on a vacation to Island Park, W. Yellowstone, Old Faithful, and Jackson Hole. And when it was all over...EVERYONE had had a great time! We can't thank grammie and pa enough for such a great trip.

The trip started with a float down Henry's Fork in Island Park. We opted for rafts, which I think turned out to be super fun for everyone. It may have taken longer than canoes would have, but we all got to stay together in 2 rafts and spend that time together. The kids loved it too!

The second day we made our way through W. Yellowstone to Old Faithful! We roughed it in cabins that night that turned out to be pretty nice, for roughin' it anyway. We got there just in time to see The Beehive go off (which only happens once a day and is even more impressive, I thought, than Old Faithful) followed by Old Faithful 15 minutes later. I don't know who was more fascinated by them, the adults or the kids...my guess is the adults. Later that night we walked along the boardwalks to see all the other geysers...the kids enjoyed seeing the bubbling holes and all the colors.

Day 3: On our way to Jackson Hole we stopped at Colter Bay in the Grand Teton National Park...one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It's not a sandy beach, but its a beach...and we all had a great time. Halle and Chloe enjoyed throwing rocks in the water. Clate most enjoyed catching minnows with pa. Adam and I (along with Casey, Aubrey and Ashley) practiced our open-water swimming and swam out to a buoy. I think I'll have to practice a bit more before I attempt another triathlon. It was fun still.
We also stopped at Jenny's Lake and jumped onboard a little boat that took us to the other side of the lake where we hiked up to Hidden Falls.

Chloe crashed for the hike...she was so tired. All the kids did really well considering the lack of scheduled naps.

That's all of us.

On the way out of Jackson Hole, we stopped at Snow King Resort to hit the Alpine slides. Once again, a big hit with the kids and the adults. Last time I went on an Alpine slide I road the breaks way too much. This time I had Chloe with me and we went full speed! We raced against dad and Halle. As you can see in the picture...mom and Chloe won! She quite enjoyed it...if only she could say it with words.
And finally, to end the vacation...we celebrated Halle (3) and Jack's (2) birthdays.

SOOOO, HUGE thanks to grammie and pa for planning and making a really great vacation! Let's do it again soon!!! :)

Abby visits!

Abby with her favorite aunt...in case anyone is wondering.

Abby came to visit us this summer all the way from Georgia. I tried to convince her that Utah is better than Georgia, but she seemed to have too much Georgia pride! While she was here we went to the zoo, Murray City swimming pool/water park, temple square, and up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Unfortunately, we didn't take our camera with us anywhere, except up Big Cottonwood Canyon...so this is all we have to show for her visit! I hope she had a good time; we sure did!

Independence Day!

I'm a little behind on blogging, I know, but I'm attempting to catch up...at least a little bit.


We had a fun 4th of July this year. We didn't do anything too fancy, but we did have Casey, Aubrey and Jack over for a BBQ and to watch the fireworks. We have a great view of the fireworks at Sugarhouse Park from our front yard...so we like to take advantage of the convenience. Besides, Clate still prefers to watch the fireworks from inside the house. He doesn't like the loud noises. I was quite proud of him, though, 'cause he was brave enough to hold a sparkler, something he had never done before. Maybe next year he'll sit outside with us. Halle, on the other hand, watched the fireworks with us outside, but would not hold a sparkler. Chloe just slept through it all!




We're proud to be Americans!!!

Dog Lake

Last month we took the kids up Mill Creek Canyon to go on a hike. I had checked into some hikes that sounded like they would be easy enough for the kids, at least Clate and Halle, since we only have 1 child backpack. The hike to Dog Lake said that it was 3.6 miles roundtrip with 1000 ft climb (not sure how steep that makes it), and easy. It sounded maybe on the long side for little short legs, but as long as it was easy terrain, I figured we could take our time and the kids would be okay. As it turned out, the path was well-groomed, but it sure was steep! Much steeper than I would have chosen for the kids had I known. Clate almost hiked the whole way by himself, but he did require some cheerleading and encouragement, and a short piggyback ride toward the top. Luckily I had brought along my baby sling...at least it was something to help carry one of the girls. We ended up having to carry Halle about half the way up, and Chloe the whole way. At the top, the lake wasn't very clear at all, but the scenery was beautiful. The kids enjoyed playing at the water a bit before we headed back down. It turned out to be a pretty fun afternoon!

Three!!!

Halle turned 3 on July 25...about a week and a half ago. She shares her birthday with her cousin, Jack, who turned 2 this year. We were at the end of a family vacation to W. Yellowstone when we started the week long celebration, so she was lucky enough to have all of her cousins on the Bergeson side there to sing her Happy Birthday. Lucky girl. For her birthday she got the movie Tinkerbell, a Tinkerbell plate, bowl, fork and spoon set, the movie Horton Hears a Who (the old version), diapers for her baby dolls, and a diaper bag with some other baby accessories...all from grammie and pa. Jack (aka Casey and Aubrey) gave her a Barbie lawn chair...so cute! Mom and dad got her a pink Hello Kitty watch (the only thing she has asked for for the past 2 months), some baby doll outfits and accessories, a piggy bank, and finally a Disney princess bike with training wheels! Grandma and grandpa Cowdell got her a pack-n-play, stroller, highchair, baby swing and carseat for her baby dolls...this girl is ready to be a mom! She has more for her baby dolls than I had for my first child! :) Whew! I think that was most everything...until her birthday party with her friends, where she got more really cute gifts. She should be good for at least a year!
So at 3, Halle...

• loves to play with her dolls, or play mommy to Clate and Chloe
• loves to ride her new bike
• loves to go swimming
• is very independent
• is potty trained!!! and has been for a few months
• calls pooping "dropping a deuce" (thanks to dad)
• loves to do "homework" with Clate
• still gets comments about her hair at least 10 times a day, usually from strangers

This little girl is as sweet as can be, but also quite dramatic! Her hair fits her personality about perfectly! We wouldn't change a thing! We love her so much and don't know what we would do without her! Happy Birthday Hoo-bear! We LOVE you.