Oh, brother(s)

I really love having two little boys. I laugh sooo hard watching as they interact with each other . . .

even when they're wrestling (mostly because it means they're not trying to wrestle with me).

Ah, a nice Sunday afternoon sitting on your brother. What more is there to ask of life? (Don't worry, as always I made sure Will was able to breathe before taking pictures).

Another day, we went from a sweet brotherly hug

to a quick pin. And it should be noted that, contrary to the photographic evidence presented thus far, Will can definitely hold his own against his big brother.

On occasion, they go and just melt my heart by sweetly taking turns on the trike.

Snap, they're cute!

Hey, they could drive in the carpool lane!

Once they readjust so Clyde gets to pedal, of course.

I really hope they stay close as they grow up :).

Speaking of grown up brothers, I couldn't help but include a few pictures of Chuck and his brother Lee goofing off a couple of weeks ago:

Turns out the urge to smack your brother around a bit never really goes away :).

Then they opted for some more healthy competition by racing through the bouncy obstacle course.

Chuck sliding down to victory. Silly boys!

And finally, here's another set of brothers that clearly haven't grown up yet - Cody and Quinn:

It's a good thing I like being surrounded by goofy boys!

Utah part three.

Oh yes, there is still a bit more to share about our trip to Utah last month. You're welcome.
The occasion for our visit was my sweet niece Bailey's baby blessing. It was so nice to be there; Sam gave Bailey a beautiful blessing. It's so fun to see my brother as a dad, totally wrapped around his daughter's little finger! Of course, right after the blessing Clyde's little incident occurred, so there went the majority of our afternoon. We did make it over to Sam and Terri's house eventually to visit and eat delicious food.
Heidi got to hold Bailey!
Will tried on Bailey's shoes.
Uncle Cody got some Bailey time, too.

The next day it was time to head home, but we fit in a little more fun before hitting the road.
Clyde happily sat and watched Heidi teach a swimming lesson. He was well aware that he himself couldn't swim because of the stitches, but he loved watching!
Then we stopped by a farm! Well, not really a farm, just the backyard of some Smith family friends, the Franks. They very nicely let us walk around and see all of their animals, which Clyde and Will both loved.
Chickens! When we left, Clyde enthusiastically shouted, "Bye, black chickens!!" Apparently I have not successfully raised 'colorblind' children :).
Clyde had been excited all weekend to see 'Reed's pigs'.
Will and Unky Quinn. Best buds.
Clyde and Big Will. Likewise best buds. Thanks for being our tour guide, Will, and thank you to the Franks family for letting us 'city folk' traipse around and see all your animals!

After that we piled into the car and drove home to be happily reunited with Chuck :). We miss our Utah family and friends - luckily our next visit is coming right up!!

Some recent happenings

This post is a lovely mishmash of the latest camera-worthy events in our lives. Do enjoy.

A couple o' weeks ago we went ice blocking with a group of friends - thanks to the excellent planning of the Dayleys! We brought along some family, too: my brothers Cody and Quinn and Chuck's brother Lee, his wife Aleesha, and their daughter Bri. It made for a very fun evening!!
Clyde loved hitching a ride with Chuck, who was happy to oblige.

After the fun last year, we knew to bring Clyde's trike this time.

Cody was the daredevil and went down on his stomach, even giving the boys rides - crazy kid!

Here's our proof that Quinn and I took a couple rides down . . . well, I went once. I prefer to watch/clap for/laugh at the ice blockers than actually ice block myself :).

Chuck works every other weekend, which means that every other Sunday, I get to wrangle the little boys by myself at church. Most of the time I do all right . . . meaning that by the time sacrament meeting is over, I feel like I've just finished an aerobic workout. Will does not enjoy sitting still, so I get to hold him in my lap for that hour and try to keep him contained and occupied, which is doable most weeks. . . just not two weeks ago. So we sneaked out and found an empty classroom to play in until the blessed time I could take Will to nursery and Clyde to Sunbeams. And I just happened to have the camera in the diaper bag!
Will's masculine side: showing his muscles.

Will's more feminine side: trying on Mom's shoes.

Clyde dancing and spinning.

I love my little boys! I just love them more when I don't have to keep them quiet and still :).

We were able to host the Blue family for a quick overnight visit that coincided nicely with Clyde's birthday; having a house full of cousins to play with made for an excellent birthday morning. We ventured out to the park to get everyone nice and tired before their drive back home.
Clyde and George had a blast running around and playing together.

Cute little birthday boy!

Will took Chuck on a walking tour of the park :).

My monkeys, er, children.

This last weekend, Chuck's parents were able to come up for a visit.
We went to the zoo, where Will helped feed the goats - I promise he liked it :).

Clyde was delighted to have Grandma Izatt as a Chutes and Ladders opponent . . .

and Grandpa Izatt as a nap buddy! Thanks again for coming; we had a great weekend!

Labor Day evening brought a much anticipated event: the Boise State-Virginia Tech football game.
Naturally, we got all decked out and had a party.

Aaaand, this is pretty much how everyone looked for the last few minutes of the game :). The important thing is that we won, go Broncos!

Finally, before my mother-in-law left town, she sweetly left some money so that Aleesha and I could sneak away for some fun. So yesterday we had a wonderful afternoon of manicures and shopping - thanks so much Terri!!
Here we are after our manicures :).

Clyde is FOUR!

And absolutely as cute as ever :).

We celebrated the big '0-4' a couple days early with a very low-key Star Wars shindig.
Some of the party attendants - Lee and Aleesha (and Bri!) were also there but managed to dodge the camera :). Notice Clyde's tight grip on his old bat and ball; he had been in the backyard getting ready to hit some 'home runs' when we said it was time to come out front for a birthday present.

Luckily the long-coveted bike got the reaction we were hoping for - he quickly set down the bat and ball :).

Thanks to lots of practice riding McKenzie's bike, Clyde did great. And Will was very excited to inherit Clyde's old trike, a definite step-up from the little green one he'd been using.

Naturally, we had some cake. In keeping with the Star Wars theme and as a nod to Clyde's Yoda shirt, I decorated the cake as a swamp on Dagobah. Impressive, eh?

Grandma Pam hooked Clyde up with a new Star Wars book. He's fallen asleep reading it two nights in a row now.

Chuck and I hooked Clyde up with a new Boise State jersey, just in time for the new season. (I'd like to thank Savers, where I paid THREE DOLLARS for this jersey a few months ago. Loooove Savers).

Oh, how we love our Clyde; he keeps us laughing and on our toes day after day. Here's what you need to know about Clyde Monster: He's still a pretty picky eater, choosing to survive mostly on Life cereal, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, cheese quesedillas, and a few other items. He loves Thomas the Tank Engine, Star Wars, Wall-E, and Toy Story and has recently discovered Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. His two favorite games are I Spy and Hide and Seek. He loves playing baseball and 'swordfighting' with his light sabers. His reading skills continue to surprise me. He loves 'big hugs' and snuggling on the couch together. Clyde is sweet and kind and affectionate and hilarious, and we love him buckets and buckets.

Happy birthday buddy!