Ryan's New Toy

So, Ryan is the new yearbook adviser at Lakeridge next year and he got a toy to play with over the summer: a nice Nikon SLR camera. He's had lots of fun trying to get used to it and has taken some really great pics of the kids while I'm at work. Here's just a few of them:

I can't help it, I love these little rascals!

Happenings

Adelyn has been taking ballet since January and has really enjoyed it. This past week, she got to perform with her whole studio in a full-length ballet. They presented Coppelia, which is really fun Russian ballet. She was one of the little Jack-in-the-Box dolls.

She was so darling at the performance. She held her head high and did such a great job performing the dance she had practiced over and over. Ryan and I were so proud of her. My parents were able to come too, and they loved it. I totally cried as the ballet started, just realizing that my little girl was part of this big production. It was pretty overwhelming.

We finished off the evening with dinner at this Asian buffet by our house (Ryan and Addie's favorite) to celebrate Adelyn's performance and Father's Day, which was the following day. Then we relaxed in the front yard for awhile and let the kids play. Adelyn was so excited that we gave her these flowers; she wouldn't put them down.

We got a little blow-up pool from Costco that we've put to great use to this summer. It has a built-in seat, slide, and sprinklers. We've found that there's nothing better than some cool water and an otter pop on a hot sunny day!

Preston is especially pleased with the otter pop...

But he wouldn't ever pass up the opportunity to play and have fun with Daddy.

And a new development is that Preston finally loves the swings! It has taken awhile because I think he gets motion sickness pretty easily. But now he tells me to push him "really high!"

Once a princess, always a princess. Adelyn did her own nails, lip gloss and hair in this picture. She is such an independent little girl.

"Happy Birthday to Me"

I had a really great birthday this past Wednesday. I woke up early and went running with my friend across the street. Then I came home to a delicious breakfast of gingerbread waffles with bananas, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream (okay, it was more like morning dessert, but I wasn't complaining) made by my fabulous husband.

Then I went up to my mom's house to see my family because my sister from Seattle was in town. We hung out and went shopping, and my mom even made me a cake. The above picture is me with my girls just before I blew out the matches (my mom didn't have any candles :).

I came home to a big surprise. Apparently Ryan had spent his entire day shampooing the carpets (something I had been procrastinating, but totally wanted done), then scouring the stores looking for a perfect birthday present for me. I had been trying to save up for a bike for a long time, unsuccessfully, so this was so perfect! And look, he even wrapped it!

Then, Ryan's mom watched our kids so we could go out on a date. We went to this little place in Provo and got authentic Italian pizza. Then we went for a long, enjoyable bike ride along the Provo River trail up through Provo Canyon. Ryan did such a great job planning everything! I absolutely love doing active things for dates. We had a great time.

And to cap it all off, Ryan and I finished the day with these yummy treats after the kids went to bed. Growing up with so many siblings, I've never been one to expect too much from a birthday. But I have to say, it sure is nice when you get a day like this one at least once in while.

Ostler Reunion in Heber

We survived another year of the Ostler Family Reunion at Heber Valley Camp. It was a lot of fun this year. I love seeing my kids playing with their cousins and having such a great time outdoors.
We saw lots of wildlife including two deer that we almost ran into with our car on the way up and a moose that walked right through our camp site. We went on some hikes, ate lots of yummy food, and just relaxed for a change. It was lots of fun.

Preston loves being outside. He had been anticipating this camp out for several weeks. His favorite pass times included playing soccer and baseball with the boys and "borrowing" all of his cousins' toys. These two dinosaurs were a few of Preston's favorite loans, as well as a large Lightning McQueen car, a John Deer tracker collection, and a Star Wars ship. Good thing his birthday is coming up; we know exactly what to get him--LOTS OF TOYS!!

Ryan with the kids at the water front. They had a great time out on a canoe together. Oh, and don't you just love Adelyn's hair? She won't let me touch it anymore and she's recently gotten very creative with it. It's a little crazy, but I love to see what she comes up with and it makes her very happy to do it herself.
Addie with her cousins Eliza and Halayna. These girls were nearly inseparable and had such a great time together. For some reason this rock has become a favorite hang out spot for them. They also played Barbies and Pollies on the top bunks in the cabins.

I was very happy that I remembered to bring up Annalise's little eating seat. It is nearly impossible to feed her without it. She is almost 10 months now and is eating all kinds of food, crawling and cruising around everywhere, and getting into everything. She is so much fun.

The kids did some really fun art projects while we were up there. This is Adelyn making her first sand art picture. She loved doing them and made SIX! The kids also did tie-dye shirts and lots of sidewalk chalk drawings.

Three of my beautiful sisters and my mother. I really don't think it's fair that they always look like super models, even while we're camping, but oh well.

Ryan holding my niece Kaitlin. I love Preston's little face in this picture. He sure loves his daddy. Well, we had a great time. My favorite part is always being able to just see everyone and talk for hours about whatever. I learn so much from all of my sisters especially and I feel very fortunate to have such an amazing family.

My Five-Year Old

Adelyn's Favorites at Five--

Favorite fruits: strawberries, oranges

Favorite vegetables: broccoli, carrots, green beans
Favorite vacation: Seattle to see Eliza (her cousin)
Favorite breakfast: gingerbread waffles
Favorite lunch: grilled cheese and tomato soup
Favorite dinner: sour cream enchiladas
Favorite games: Chutes and Ladders, Dora Bingo,
Monopoly, Candy Land, Scrabble

Favorite color: pink
Favorite snacks: apples, carrots, graham crackers and milk
Favorite activities to do with Mom: play games, cook, read stories
Favorite activities to do with Dad: play outside, work in yard
Favorite activities to do with siblings: play games, make forts
Favorite treat: gingerbread cookies, chocolate ice cream
Favorite movie: "Angelina Ballerina"

Favorite book: "Pinkalicious," "Big Hungry Bear"
Favorite TV show: "Dinosaur Train"
Favorite pass times: listening to music and drawing,
play-dough, dress-ups, bike riding, arts and crafts, dancing
Favorite animals: kittens, puppies
Favorite songs: Disney Princess classics, "Peanut
butter," "Bubblegum," "I Like School" (preschool songs)
Favorite toys: Barbies, Build-a-Bears, Pollies
What she wants to be when she grows up:
nurse, astronaut, teacher, mommy

I love you so much Adelyn, and I am amazed by you everyday!

Boston

I took a last minute, emergent trip to Boston at the end of April to go meet this little guy for the first time...

This is my newest nephew Bryant Andrew. Now, I'm sure that just by looking at him you can tell why the trip was completely emergent. He is truly precious; seeing him would certainly have been reason enough to go. But in reality, I took the trip because his mother (my sister-in-law) had some health problems after the delivery and had to return to the hospital. She was given the order to "take it easy" after she got discharged. But she has four young kids, so she obviously needed some help.

It was a wonderful trip. I took Annalise with me and left my other two kids with Ryan and my mom. It was fun to spend some quality time with her and her girls. They are so sweet and fun. The above picture is 6-year old Savanna holding her baby brother. She is so loving and gives the best hugs.

This is Abby. She is so darling and fun. I love her little smile in this picture.

This is the oldest, Kiley, who is almost eight. She is such a big helper and is so smart. It is so hard to live so far from them now (they used to live only five minutes away). I will always treasure the week I spent with them and hope it won't be too long before we see them again.

Fun Around the House

Preston got this new helmet as a hand-me-down from his cousins. Since there has been a shortage of bike-riding weather this Spring, Preston has had to invent excuses to sport this little treasure. In this picture, he and Adelyn thought that playing with clay presented some potential cranial dangers.

What a little princess! We also got this Ariel dress and Tinkerbell doll from cousins. Ever since she could walk, Adelyn has loved to dress up like a little princess. One of these days I should line up all her pictures in dress-up clothes as she's grown older. Now that would be precious.

This is a darling little picture of Annalise cheesin' it with a ridiculously dirty baby-food face. She LOVES big-people food. In this picture I think she has just polished off a whole jar of baby food and a gingerbread waffle.


A cute little close-up of my fair little red-headed baby. She is 9 months old and is such a little sweetheart. She has become quite a proficient crawler, eater, talker (baa baa, da, da), mess-maker, etc. I cannot believe how quickly she is growing. I am already mourning her lost babyhood.

Spring Evenings

We have an amazing park near our home with a huge lake. We went there one evening for FHE to enjoy the weather and feed the ducks. Addie and Preston loved it!

Annalise is always ready and willing to smile. She is such a sweetheart and just makes me so happy.

I love this picture of Preston with the beautiful view in the background. He is wearing this proud smile because he has a strong arm and has turned into quite a competent little duck feeder. We just bought a fishing pole and we are excited to go fishing with the kids the next time we go.

Living Planet Aquarium

We decided to get a yearly pass to the Aquarium this year for something fun to do inside during this not-so-warm Spring. We have loved it so far. Some of our favorite things are the giant octopus, the sharks, and the crocodiles. My kids still haven't mustered up the nerve to pet the sting rays, but hopefully they will soon.

Here's our Addie in front of the giant slug statue by the area where they do story time everyday.

Preston, working really hard to steer the ship. Look at those muscles!

Annalise still prefers the view from the Bjorn over that of the stroller, so this is usually where she ends up. Fortunately, she is not too heavy yet, so I don't mind.

This was our first time seeing the penguins and we absolutely loved it! They were so active and entertaining the whole time.

Easter Weekend...(finally)

Although very over due (as usual), I wanted to post about Easter. I always love it when Easter falls on Conference weekend because it is such a great family time and so easy to focus on the Savior. We had a really nice Easter weekend this year. Adelyn was so wonderful and wanted to watch all eight hours of Conference. During one of the talks, the speaker mentioned children writing up a simple family tree to teach them about genealogy. I didn't even think she was listening, but a few minutes later she showed me her beautiful drawing of a tree complete with all of our immediate and extended families' names on it. She is such a good girl; I am constantly amazed by her. We went to my parents' house in Salt Lake that evening during the Priesthood session. The kids dyed Easter eggs and went on an Easter egg hunt with all of the cousins. We had a great time.

Preston with his Easter basket on Easter morning. We continued the tradition from my childhood and the "Easter Bunny" hid their Easter baskets on Easter morning.

Adelyn with her Easter basket sporting her cute morning hair! We had pancakes cooked on Ryan's new griddle (also from the Easter Bunny) topped with strawberries for breakfast. YUM!!

I made my first traditional Easter feast this year: honey-glazed ham, funeral potatoes, asparagus, carrots, and croissant rolls, with strawberry shortcake for dessert. We had Ryan's family over to share it with us, and the kids got a third helping of Easter treats from Ryan's mom who brought tons of eggs for another egg hunt. Annalise even got to share in the hunt and especially loved playing with the plastic eggs.

Adelyn's Tinkerbell Pirate Party

Adelyn turned five this past weekend. Her birthday party was so much fun! The kids all came dressed as pirates, fairies, or lost boys. We made fairy crowns for the girls as we waited for everyone to come. Then we played hot potato to princess music followed by "Pirate, pirate, Tinkerbell" (otherwise known as "Duck, duck, goose.") Then the kids followed clues to help Tinkerbell find the "Lost Treasure." They started outside and trekked up and down the mountains (the stairs), through a rainstorm (a spray bottle), went outside and inside again, and finally found the treasure chest of candy. It was so cute to see them parade around looking for the clues. Then we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. It was so much fun!

The cake turned out really cute thanks to some major help from Ryan (oh, and we bought the cake topper at Albertson's).

This is Ella and Kiera from Adelyn's preschool class. All the fairies looked so darling all dressed up.

The "Pirate, pirate, Tinkerbell" game in action.

Whatever you do, don't pick a fight with this Lost Boy.

Ryan is sure proud of his five-year old girl. They have always been such good friends.

Adelyn was completely spoiled by all of her friends. She has enough jewelry, Barbies, and Polly pockets to last her a life-time.

Look at my little Tinkerbell with her pointed toes! Addie, I am so proud of you and all that you do and are! You are my little sunshine and I am so lucky to be your mother.