baby cay

so it's actually not lost on me how there are far few pictures of my third child than there are of my first two.

and a couple of reasons come to mind for why that is:

1) our year this year has been a bit "unusual," as far as most years go, and we simply haven't gotten out the camera as often as we'd like (70 blog posts so far in 2013? come on, wheelers).

2) caleb is SO, SO hard to photograph.

it's not like i haven't tried. the child just absolutely will not sit still. and if i ever do decide to get out the camera, he comes running at me in full force, arms waving, ready to tackle me and take the strange contraption for himself.

he also suffers from a little condition we like to call "angry resting face." meaning that his face in a neutral position is quite grumpy looking, so if i happen to snap a shot of him that isn't blurry from movement, he usually looks peeved with the world. which i don't think he is, really, it's just how he looks (how he's always looked).

anyhoo, i've decided to stop my whining and try harder.

above i've captured him eating, which generally slows him down a bit and brings a smile to his face.

a kinder in my garden

here she is:

and there she goes:

summer was so excited and so ready and had a really fantastic first day experience (bytheby, for our faraway friends, summer is in morning half-day kindergarten, so she's really only gone two more mornings a week than she was last year).

she has already made a new best friend in her class (lilly, she tells me), and she sat with all sorts of great kids on the bus who helped her know the rules and find her way around the school. the only snag of the day was that she forgot her jacket on the bus ride home, but good news! the bus driver has it, and she'll get it back tomorrow. disaster averted.

unexpectedly, i didn't even shed a tear today. i guess i was just all cried out from playing and replaying that doggone perfectly pointed music by mr. folds.

back to school nite

last night we had a small back to school devotional for summer and afton.

first, we talked about our theme for the new school year. in coming up with the theme/goal for the girls, bryan and i took into account specific challenges they might face this year, as well as their personalities and temperaments, and came up with the very original and poignant "try your best."

we had the girls talk a little bit about what they were most excited about and most nervous about as they entered new schools this year, and afterwards, bryan gave each of them a father's blessing. 

then it was on to the celebratory pizookie! (a warm chocolate chip cookie dough baked almost through and topped with vanilla ice cream). bryan and i both had a bit of trouble downing all the delicious richness in one sitting, but our little ladies had their ramekins licked clean in no time flat. sugar monsters.

can you tell how excited they are for school to begin?

self-timer fail

"exhibit A" as to why we don't attempt pics like this more often:

at temple square, august 29th

first day of pre-k

afton has grown up quite a bit this summer: shedding the rest of her toddlerness and becoming so much the little lady.

we have also been able to learn a lot in the past few months about what makes her tick. afton, as it turns out, is a true introvert. meaning, not necessarily that she's shy, but that she draws her strength from being alone (summer, on the other hand, thinks it's absolute DEATH to ever, EVER be alone). 

we have therefore been more diligent about making sure that afton gets enough time by herself to jive her own jive so that she's all powered up and less likely to melt down during the times when she has to engage with the rest of humanity.

back in june, i was uncertain as to whether or not she would be ready for preschool in the fall (playing well with others, following directions, remaining calm, and overall compliance were not on her list of accomplishments at that time), but september 4th came and afton was not only ready, she was eager! 

she had a great first day.