Jane also got a very cute new hair cut.

She still has a week before her preschool starts. She is very excited and I think she will do very, very well. She has taken a couple of summer classes and I think she'll enjoy the structure. She is very smart, which is almost a little scary sometimes.

Classic Jane. She has been reminded that there is no nose picking at school.

She has been so sweet during the end of my pregnancy and during my recent cold (which has dragged on 12 days now, so not normal for me! My midwife said it is not uncommon for labor to delay while the mom is sick, really, really great.) Anyway, Jane cuddles with me most afternoons so we get some rest. We slept until almost 6pm tonight, which was a little over the top. She is going to be chatting and singing to herself in her bed probably until 10:30-11pm.

As Colin was getting very shaggy, Brian gave him a new hair cut not long ago to help get ready for school. I love the photo above, so classic Colin. The morning school schedule is going to be a bit of a shock to our system, it is almost 9:30 pm right now and kids are still settling down. We have not been getting up until 8:30 a lot of days and that won't really work anymore. At least it is getting dark earlier, but so much of our kids not getting to bed early is Brian and I not having the energy to get them to bed.

Colin is very excited for kindergarten, which starts tomorrow. He got to meet individually with his teacher this last week and she seems very, very nice. I have his favorite Transformers shirt and shiny blue shorts in the dryer right now to make sure they are clean and ready for school. He also chose out some very crazy light up school shoes (we worry they might cause seizures) but he loves them. I need to let go of my own vanity a bit as I would keep dressing him in clothes I like, but it is great he dresses himself and has his own ideas too.

Also classic awkward smile, so cute!

I can hardly believe he is so big! We hope school does not take away all of his sweet little nature. There is still something so innocent in Colin.

And he still pretty much always has a toy in his hand.

He is a very delightful child.

One morning when I was having trouble sleeping, I was looking around at the Play at Home Mom site and she had some cute ideas with glow sticks. As our kids already LOVE glow sticks, we thought a Glow Bubble Bath would also be a hit. It was.

We also filled some balloons with glow sticks which turns them into cool lanterns. And we learned that if you put glow sticks in the freezer, they will last longer.

The photo above is actually from 2009, but it is one of my favorites of Colin and summertime. It's been a fun summer, but I am mainly ready for it to end and not to be pregnant anymore. My head cold from our anniversary has moved into my chest. I never get sick like this so why now? Brian is ready for me to move onto new things to complain about like postpartum issues.

We have spent a lot of time this summer in very little clothing. Both kids love undie time, which has been handy with adventures in potty training. I do not know how I will handle teenagers since getting through late pregnancy and potty training have about done me in.

Speaking of potty training (since it has taken up a lot of my time) we have made some very serious success this week with the number 2 issue. Number 1 has been no problem for months, but Jane had some very serious psychological hang ups with solid waste. Poor little thing, it really has been kind of terrible and was making her so upset. The above bubbles were one of her poopy prizes, and we have had several poppy parties this week to re-enforce her success. And today, all on her own, she hopped up and got it done. I really, really needed this small miracle this week! Let's hope there is not too much regression.

We have also spent a lot of time in jammies. Why get dressed when we mainly hang out at home?

I love Colin's bed head. Both kids have gotten cute new haircuts I need to take photos. Colin also met individually with his kindergarten teacher today for an assessment. She seems very great, can't believe he is a big kindergartner!

So many changes coming up, I will probably miss the jammie days with my 2 cute kids. They really are delightful children.

We had our 8th anniversary this week. It was pretty low key. I had a very bad night of sleep that night due to late pregnancy, and to make late pregnancy even more fun, I seem to have a head cold. I am just really fun to be around these days. To celebrate, Brian and I went out to lunch at a super great Mediterranean place, it was very, very delicious. Then I took a nap with Jane, it was awesome.

I looked through our wedding photos with Jane after our nap. She was so sweet because over and over she would say, "Mommy was the Princess and Daddy was the Prince."

We did have a very great wedding, and have had 8 action packed years. I need to formally write down how it all happened but have no energy for all the details right now. I did look up the email Brian sent to his high school friends after we got engaged so I will let him tell it in a nutshell:

I just want to let you all know that I'm engaged to be married! I know this may seem like fast work, but actually it's been ten years in the making. I'm proposed 4 days ago to one of my dearest, closest friends (I've always wanted to marry my best friend). Her name is Ann Hinckley and we met our freshman year of college. We have been kind of a constant reference point to each other since than- and we are in reality certified soul mates (according to a Ladies home journal quiz I recently took). This January as things were fizzling with another girlfriend, I began to realize that the connection I was craving- the one that made me feel like the best version of myself, that kept me buoyant and made me feel intuitively the richness of life, was the connection I had to my Ann. I had frequently said to myself, "If I could just find someone like Ann...". Then I realized that I have found someone like Ann. Her name is Ann. I am a complete genius. It only took me ten years.

Brian was worth the 10 year wait.

As part of our reunion, we headed to Cove Fort in Central Utah. My great great grandfather built the fort so fun to have some family history. It was Cove Fort days so there were lots of little activities and free hot dogs and chips. Our kids would eat hot dogs everyday if we let them.

Wagon rides!
Jane keeps telling me her wish is to go on a wagon ride/horse ride all by herself.

Here is everyone, all my siblings, most spouses, and majority of the grand kids minus 5 of them I think.

There was also a stage coach to ride in, which our family found out had a very, very long line. Colin thought it was very fancy.

My sister and a couple of her cute girls. I stood around and looked pregnant most of the time.

We stayed in Manti, Utah with this gorgeous view of the Manti Temple. My great great Grandfather on my mom's side was the architect of this Temple, so more family history!

Brian made some dutch oven pineapple upside down cakes, that were very quickly gone.

I think my Mom was very pleased with everything.

After we were back in SLC, we got together for the baby blessing of our new niece Jill. I love the photo above of all the kids crowed around to see her.

She looked very sweet, a nice ending to a big family time.

Since I have been too busy making a human to take many photos this summer, I was lucky to borrow my sister-in-law's memory card before they left to get some documentation of the summer (thanks April!)

Our kids had a fun time at Temple Square with their cousins.

We visited their other cousins at Daybreak for some Splash pad fun.

Our kids have spent a fair bit of the summer wet.

My Mom had everyone come to the Church History Museum where she works on Mondays. The kids loved the Mexican dance demonstration.

Colin and Evan were really going for it.

We had my uncle down and have had 30+ family members in town for a little reunion. It has been a fun, family filled summer!