MIN and NOAH'S ARK

Grayson

2012-01-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Grayson Noah Fritze's official Kindergarten picture. He is quick to remind us he has finished Adventure Kindergarten and is now doing "Adventure 1st grade" as we call it. The whole point for me is to NOT kill the love of learning and curiosity to know everything that he has always had... tricky but I must try! *I look at the this photo and all I can think is how I never thought I would see the day that he would actually wear clothes more than just underwear! We had over 4 years with friends asking, "Does he even have any clothes?!"

Grayson's Camera

2012-01-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Grayson got a camera for Christmas and became quite the photographer! So fun to see the world from his prospective. Here is his collection:

Winter Fun @ Duck Creek 2011

2012-01-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

And of course Grayson is all about the GEAR. Are a motorcycle helmet and goggles really necessary for some sledding? Uh yeah, of course they are!

Cute couple Michael and Chandler with their baby, Thor (the spazz!)

For being a Vegas kid, this guy was pretty tolerant of the snow and letting me dress him like a marshmellow man who could hardly walk!

I love that the other photo I have of him doing this is at the beach! Thank goodness for the seasons!

So serious watching all his cousins "eat it" on their sled run with a huge jump at the end!

He was quite sure everyone was crazy for barreling down the hill at record speeds! (see proof below!)

McKay and Emily tearing it up!

Paige with fun daddy Marshall!

Hannah catching some air!

The run was so fast I could hardly even get any clear photos!
Don't you just love that look of terror in his face!

Cousin Haylee cruising like a pro!

Gray literally went down 100 times before the jumps got a bit too dangerous!

So glad Kainoa and Alana came to stay for a few days! The boys had so much fun with them and finally gave me a moment of peace!

Gray and Haylee ready to launch an attack of snowballs on me!

Paige figured out the snowball maker and quickly got us all!

Atticus loved that his girl cousins would play work vehicles, too!

From the first day, Atticus ate so much snow! I finally took a bite and it was delicious!! It was like that perfect crush ice that is so fun to chew!

He also gave me a lot of "fwozen ice kisses"

Making "peanut butter-birdseed-pinecones" for the chipmunks to munch on!

One scoop for the chipmunks, one scoop for me!

Atticus loooooves the "4 Wheel!"

Atticus came and swiped Mama Mimi's hammer the moment he realized she had it! She had chipped away all the ice on the front steps!

I have a feeling these boys are going to make Noah be the passenger soon!

The weather was perfect! Cold enough for the snow to stay but days were warm and sunny! The air is amazing and I feel renewed every time we get away there.

Grayson is suddenly looking so grown up to me! He still likes to spend a lot of time on my lap and just barely fits anymore! Time is flying...

And my "baby" Atticus is seeming like a mini-adult these days! He has a memory like Grayson's recalling every important event and even what people were wearing! He misses no detail, can smell gum on my breath a mile away and demands equal treats for all!

These boys demand so much of me everyday it is actually astounding (mostly I referee fights and teach about the 'law of possession' for the hundreth time) but the more I give the more I love them... more than I ever imagined.

And the sledding goes on!

Alana takes a ride... in a tshirt!

The boys discovered the swings are just as fun in the winter!

This boys loooves cousin Alana!

Oh I love this gal! And actually not that unusual of a sight to see Mama Mimi with a shovel in hand!

Now that is a good looking couple! They celebrated 45 years of marriage this month!

If the stick is good enough for Thor... it's good enough for me! He did have it in his mouth at one point!

The boys adore Mike for obvious reasons. He asked if we brought any toy guns, when I said no, he then proceeded to make one out of legos!

Tried snowshoeing for the first time and it is so fun!

Note the Ranger hanging on the edge of a cliff! (Papa G parked it perfectly for his project at hand)

I love it! That sign hung up at my childhood home at Murdock Mountain!
Papa G let him hold tools, sit on a branch hanging over a cliff... it doesn't get better than this!

Alana made a little snow couple to hang on the same level as Atticus!

Gray's eyes were opened to just what a pile of legos could become!

I love Mimi and her dinner table stories with props and all!

Celebrating 2012 New Year's!! Luckily, we convinced the boys the clock was on the 12 (it was 8:00pm but they went for it!)

I think Atticus was trying to figure out exactly why we were all suddenly acting so looney!

Wow! An actual family photo!

Christmas @ Duck Creek 2011

2011-12-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

The boys were SO excited to see Santa. Grayson would not share the lap with Atticus! He wanted his own time to chat!

I was frantic trying to pack and get everything ready for our trip to the cabin... this is where I found Noah! I really need to be more like him and just have a little more fun!

Boys were SO excited to find snow at Duck Creek and of course get to wear all the appropriate layers of gear!!

Duck Creek Cabin = the only place they get hot chocolate!! Such a treat!

They actually stayed busy for quite a while shoveling around the same pile of snow on the front steps! Yay for kid sized shovels!

So serious about their work!!

This was about the only official "Christmas photo" we got of these two this year. Ironically, they put the Santa hats on themselves and decided to pose in front of the tree. Now, if it had been MY idea... things would have gone a bit differently!

Atticus is singing "Angels We Have Heard On High" (the one with the really long Glooooorrrrorrrrr-ia and they boys are STILL singing it!) They were the loudest ones belting it out in church for the closing hymn!

Traditional Bethelehem dinner on Christmas Eve.

I LOVE this tradition where we kneel around a table to eat with our fingers by candlelight... the way many may have at the time Jesus was born.

Mimi has had this kresh from Jerulsalem since I was little. Atticus especially loved playing with it "vewee cay-fully" after he put on his cd with Silent Night of course!

Christmas morning we started a new tradition of lighting a "birthday" candle for Jesus as we were celebrating his birthday by opening presents!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Fritze for the kids Baking set!! These boys are involved in making EVERY SINGLE MEAL... yes, I apparently need all the help I can get!

Atticus was soooo excited to open a gift from big brother, Grayson that included a Bobcat on a trailer!

Darling animal hats for the boys from Mama Mimi and Papa G!

Santa must have heard about the boys huge obsession with vehicles like cement mixers, garbage trucks and cranes!!

Atticus now owns the worlds largest spatula!! (He carried around his Bobcat and piece of gum on it for a while)

And the annual "can you spot Atticus" photo!

I love Christmas morning!!

This boy is so much fun. He makes me laugh every day with his antics!

Early December 2011

2011-12-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

This is the "usual" outfit for a day of adventuring. If you cannot tell, there are knee pads, elbow pads, shin guards, harness and repeling ropes! Ironically, it isn't because he has a fear of getting hurt without all the protection, he just loves gear!!

This WAS the little Christmas tree in the kitchen but after a game of tag got a little crazy, the tree took one for the team!

This is the BEST kids nativity set! It won't break! Found it online at www.christianbook.com

Yes, the spelling lessons get more creative all the time. Grayson has an obsession with mustaches lately... as you can see from photo belowl! Ugh.
(In case you can't see it: MOM HAS A CHARCOAL MUSTACHE SHE KNITS INTO SOCKS) Where does he come up with this stuff?!?
Grayson is still loving school at home that we now call "Adventure 1st Grade" because he finished up the Kindergarten curriculum in October. Onward and upward!!

This was so fun for them to make a tree out of felt. They can move all the ornaments around and redecorate it everyday!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Fritze for the Agent Oso toys!!

Fun morning at Panera Bread where the manager gave us a great tour. They were so excited to decorate gingerbread men and then bake some bread!!

It is really confusing for kids to learn about the four seasons when you live in Vegas. December is when all the leaves finally fall at the park but sooo much fun!!

These boys are still 100 mph all day long! I love this shot with our buddy, Beckett playing dead man in the swing behind Atticus!

Honestly, our livingroom is a FORT more often than not. The boys are so proud of their building capabilities! They even ate dinner in there that night!

This guy is really figuring out how to pose for the camera...

I wonder where he learned it??

Every now and then, we all end up in "normal" clothes at the same time and it must be documented!!

Family Pictures Summer 2011

2011-12-01T22:01:00.000-08:00

The family was finally ALL together this summer to celebrate Bentley and Michelle getting married. We always do a "funny face" photo and you sure can tell how seriously we take this!

November 2011

2011-11-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

Love this pic!! Grandma Fritze read a reallllly long Batman book to Gray who loved every minute of it!!

Uncle Marshall was in town for a helicopter training and Grayson turned into a pilot for days! Here he is flying his "helicopter" with his pilot suit! He even drew a helicopter design, gave it to Marshall and said, "Give this to a real helicopter designer and have him make one for me!" I don't want to be the dream-crusher but he may be waiting a while on that one!

Raw brussel sprouts on the stalk! It just doesn't get better than this! Thanks for giving us what we love, Kathy!

Glow sticks in the bathtub. Turned off the light and they were just giddy! Finally, a bathtime that didn't end in someone screaming. Seriously, a first.

World War III starts early in this house and seems to go all day long... really, a month ago I thought they were really becoming buddies. Ugh. I feel like I have to document the rare occurence that they seem to actually play nicely! (Funny that they always want to dress alike, however.) Usually, all I hear is, "Nana nana boo boo... I have a bigger truck than you, I have the better guy, I have more yogurt than you!" Then the other bursts into tears. They dish it out equally and I get caught in the crossfire. "Mom! Get out of my way! I really need to tackle him down super hard!"

Just had to document the Atticus' spatula obsession! He needs one near him at all times. He draws pictures of them, talks about them, has loved them for over a year now! The bigger "patt-chee-uh" the better!

Thanksgiving morning "fun run" tradition lives on!! Munro is sponsered by Marathon Bar so we were set!! Oops on giving them to the kids however! They are called energy bars for a reason... that energy really did go on and on!!

This is one of the few pictures I have from Thanksgiving. We had nearly 40 family members and of course, the fun was bound to graduate to roof jumping into the pool. (Yeah, because a rock waterfall isn't dangerous enough?!) The big guys went first then of course Grayson and the others were up that ladder in a second. I finally had to stop watching... this kid freaks me out!

Mama Mimi draws quite the crowd for her storytelling! Atticus has to do a quick hand hold of his buddy "Pop-sey" (Papa G)

The cousins had sweet fun making apple turkeys with all kinds of treats. Atticus just stood there and stared at it all for a few minutes, I am sure thinking, "What kind of grand blessing is this!!?" Then... he went straight for the marshmellows!

Fall 2011

2011-11-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

The boys were super excited to hang out with cousin Dashell

Atticus said to me later, "Have one Baby Dashell for me?"
Uh-oh.

Dash seems to be overdosed on kisses but Juno had to add one more! (Inger told me his head always smells like spit from the kids mushy kisses all day long!)

Love this pic!

We finally got to hike up Mt. Charleston to Mary Jane Falls, two days before it got covered in snow! It was the perfect temp and smelled soooo good!

This photo is literally after we had been hiking for 3 minutes and Grayson was already whining, "This is so hard! When do we get to the top! Put me in a backpack!!"
Funny that as a baby he pretty much REFUSED to go in one for hiking!

Then of course we had to get rocks out of boots at 12 minutes...

And let Noah cool off on the cold boulder...

I love nature soooo much! I just kept smelling trees and rubbing fresh pine needles between my fingers... Grayson decided I am a little odd but he says he still likes me.

Of course logs are only great if you get to launch off of them!

The hike was actually quite a bit longer than anticipated but after Grayson got into the groove of exploring, he LOVED it! The trail zig zagged really high and had a beautiful view at the top. The boys were so proud of themselves for making it... we won't comment about then having to get back down the really steep, rocky mountain!

Noah had been missing dirt lately and def needed some mountain air so he kept hiking higher!

We had never been to the Secret Garden downtown and the kids loved it!

The animals were so majestic and beautiful. Pictures don't quite capture that! And of course, Atticus wanted to get inside with the tigers and play in the waterfall!! Yikes.

We checked out the Bellagio where the boys were obsessed with this talking apple tree. Actually, I would say Atticus was a bit more horrified with it and talked about it for days!

He wouldn't even take his eyes off it for a picture as he was sure it would eat him or something!

Biggest pumpkin ever!

Painting made with only flowers!? Amazing.

And then... it was time to put those kids back to work!!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween for the boys is a BIG deal because they dress in costumes 365 days a year... this day just happens to be one that the masses finally join them! For me, it just seems to be a day I justify wearing hideous makeup and odd clothes! Noah just gives me the look and laughs... the little boys dig me but don't ask what I am!

Our friends Kathy, Emerie and Brandon joined us for Trunk R Treat at our church

Kathy "reminded" me about the Candy Fairy that can come on Halloween night and switch your candy bucket for a cool new toy! (Only if the kid wants and only after he takes out 5 pieces of candy to keep!) Grayson jumped on the idea in 2 seconds.

They loved the "toy ferry" that the "Candy Fairy" brought. (I love how they copy each other and become legless, rolling around the house yelling for someone to find their legs.)

Grayson enjoys a new hair-do every now and then!

Halloween night, I somehow find hideous make up again! Can't help myself!

Grayson took his Transformer title very seriously!

I love how Atticus totally has lipstick on from kissing me!

Noah was a good sport and found his inner Superhero!

October 2011

2011-10-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

These boys have now taken to going out on their own "adventures" down the drive way and exploring the front yard they have named Africa and Australia. (at least the gate holds them in for now!) It is so fun to watch them play together and be such buddies!

Who says superheroes are only on Halloween! These dudes work all year long!

Weather has been so nice lately that we have taken our "Adventure Kindergarten" outside. Grayson still loves it (as long as he can take as many trampoline breaks as he wants) and in reality we end up doing school in 3 minute attention span increments!

I love this photo! Grayson spelled all his own words and was apparently into weapons that day! (Note the words he spelled: army gun holster velcro clip... and the FAKE gun in the holster on his hip!)

Juno let us teach her about baking because Chinese homes do not come with ovens! Can you imagine? No brownies, cookies, or baked potatoes!?? Although in my case, that would just mean I burned a whole lot less food if I had no oven!

My little bakers: more help in the kitchen than you can possibly imagine!

Superheroes need a piano break sometimes too!
Grayson is loving piano lessons (praying that lasts!) and so of course, Atticus thinks he can play just as well!

SeaWorld Oct. 2011

2011-10-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

The boys have been so obsessed with all ocean creatures lately that we were so excited to take a trip to California and SeaWorld.

Cousin Kainoa got to come with us and as far as the boys were concerned, we had a rockstar in our midst!!

The boys made sure we were in the splash-soak zone for every show!

These guys wanted to be front and center to get as wet as possible!

And we got soaked! Atticus was not quite as thrilled about the wet!

Luckily, we had some good weather and the ocean was actually swimable!

But Grayson is still a Vegas boy and cold is not something he is accustomed to... this face tells you he is surely on the verge of death by freezing!

The cousins had so much fun for hours in the sand!

That would be my darling 60 something, MOM boogie boarding with Kai...
know many boogie boarding grandma's out there?!

From the shore, we could hardly tell these two apart!

We had such a great breakfast on the beach at Kono's and I love that I didn't have to burn breakfast that morning ; )

The boys were so happy to explore and play all day, especially with daddy around!

Noah celebrated the big 40 with his best buds...
Juno was so sweet and ordered a cake made special for him.

My "little look alilke twins"

2011-10-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

I was bathing Atticus the other night as he stuck letters to his chest, trying to make the sounds, all I could think was... DEJA VU!

Baby Grayson

Atticus 2

September 2011

2011-09-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

The boys created their "new house" and were so excited to decorate it and play in it!

Then Grayson decided to move his room to... under the kitchen table. He packed his bag and set up camp!

Atticus really likes drawing on everything, so we finally taped paper to the wall to make it... work.

The boys loved watching a huge crew of guys trimming trees in the yard. It tooks days to do them all and Noah was grateful to not have to do the job himself!

Juno made us a cute little growth chart. Atticus had grown a full inch in only 2 months!

Atticus now asks, "Go im-ass-kicks, like Gayson?" (translation: Go to gymnastics like Grayson?)

This map we found at Costco is so great! It finally made it onto the wall in Grayson's room and the boys love finding new pictures on it and laughing at the funny drawings.

Science experiment of Coke and mentos = explode!! It all lasted only a few seconds but they talked about it for days afterward!!

My three boys building stuff!

Noah is a brilliant daddy who made sweet potatoes into volcanoes with maple syrup oozing out and a broccoli cheese forest! Probably the first dinner in months that Grayson didn't say, "Eww. Disgusting!" (Before then eating whatever it is because he knows he will otherwise starve.)

Storytime with Daddy

Mr. Dashell Knox Murdock Durkin (Inger and Frank's #7)

Sis in law, Chandler (far right) put on a darling baby shower for Inger and Dash.

This is why we seem to own two of everything!

Hoping this wonderful Grayson invention doesn't end up in injuries...

The boys were soooo excited about their autumn pumpkins that they literally carried them around EVERYWHERE for days!!

Summer Wedding! 2011

2011-09-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

The boys loved staying at fun Uncle Matt's house!

Yes, this is just what it looks like: a normal day with a little roof jumping at Matt's.
Gray thinks about it... gets the nerve... then goes for it!

These boys are finally having longer stretches of fun play that doesn't end in a battle! Hurray for siblings!

This guy takes his park play VERY seriously!!

The boys LOVED the zoo!! Atticus still talks about it everyday.

Rachel met us there with Malia. The kids loved the train!

Grandpa Fritze and Atticus just before the sun went down and we had a fun yet freezing BBQ!

The 3 cousins: Isabel, Ella and Gigi

The boys still get very excited about anything with a fire involved!

Gigi and her beautiful mommy, Christian

The happy couple, Gabrielle and Eric

Sand cupcakes!

I will admit getting a little sweaty trying to keep the kids
(by singing crazy-like and other odd antics) in the stairwell until it was time to begin!

Gabe looked absolutely stunning as she came down the aisle!

Grayson was so excited to escort the girls down the aisle.

Atticus however, wanted to be his own escort and went when HE chose, not when the wedding planner said. Oops.

Jason, Isabel and Charity looking so fab!!

Alta was so beautiful! We miss Utah mountains all the time.

Looks like big brother has now taught Atticus how to smile for the camera!

My little men looked so grown up to me that day! I can see time flying so fast...

These two lovebirds made me think back to my wedding day... so magical. We are so happy for them to enter the world of the marrieds!!

Atticus turns 2

2011-08-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Grayson is now the "picture police" and forces Atticus to look at the camera.
"Now smile, man!"

I love how the cake is totally missing pieces out of it before the candles are even lit! Grayson took part in making the whole thing, right down to the frosting. He was quite proud.

For Grayson's 2 year part,y he got a bran muffin and was VERY excited about it.
Ain't none of that happening here. Oh well, I tried!

Atticus was SO excited about all the vehicles! He and Gray have really bonded over truck playing since the party.

Ryan and Noah enjoying the perfect pool temp!!

The kids were all tricked into eating the green smoothie popsicles we make.
They loved them!!

And that would be barely 2 year old Atticus doing a back flip! He yells for more before he can even get a breath out of the water. I guess it's better than the trick where Noah throws him up in the air as high as he can, lets him splash down into the water and waits for the bubbles to clear while he looks for him to pull out.
This kid really IS a fish and daddies really ARE more fun!

August 2011

2011-08-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Grayson is into drawing submarines lately, especially since he heard our friend Jeff Flagg tell great stories of being on one for years in the Navy! Atticus now draws his own rendition as well!

Papa G is logging some great story time with the boys!

Papa G reads with the "fun voices" and everything!

Uncle Bentley with handsome nephews Gabe and Christian

3 of the Bros.

Atticus on his favorite perch!

Neice McKaylah and Heather (who has #7 baby on the way... yikes!!)

These two are so cute with each other!!

I ran a quick errand, leaving Noah in charge of the kids at the park. I came back and found the kids playing, "Uh, where is your daddy?" I ask Grayson. He pointed to the biggest tree you could find. Why am I not surprised! Daddies totaly need tree time, too.

Cousins Kainoa, Mosiah and Jefferson! I watched these guys play and have fun for hours inventing the coolest games at the park!

Atticus got Juno to go down the slide with him by climbing the really tall ladder and then not wanting to come down! She is always a good sport with the bossy boys!

When you run out of chairs to sit in the shade... you can just pull up a miniature stroller like Mimi does! I love her.

This is how Atticus likes to play hide and seek.

The older kids got a little more inventive!

Morgan and Heather went on an Anniversary trip for a couple days so we helped entertain kids. I did my best! I must admit I am proud of how many nursery rhymes and songs I know!

Juno got baptized! So unexpected from our end and I take NONE of the credit! Juno has such an amazing and sweet heart. She seeks out truth on her own and is very teachable to all things new to her. She is such a smart girl with her own mind and opinions that I admire her so much. My parents took her and her friend, Kadong (pictured) to Hawaii to visit BYU-Hawaii. She is now taking an online class there and hopes to go there next year!

Grandma and Grandpa Fritze sent birthday presents for the boys and we turned it into a bit of a treasure hunt (which Grayson goes crazy for!) Here, he is trying to decipher the very elaborate map and LONG way to get to each clue!

Ah victory! Luckily, these boys are into the same things and have now played together with the new toys for days!

My friend Kathy is so great! She just had a baby weeks ago and is happy to entertain all the little geniuses!

I will call this a victory day. It is EARLY and the boys meltdowns had already begun over everything. The thought of lasting all day with this vibe was... depressing. So, I went and put on my costume (the one that Gray would like me to wear every day I am sure!) I came downstairs and said, "Super Mommy is here!" The boys immediately wanted their Super costumes on as well and we proceeded to save the world. Mission accomplished: Day saved... for now!

Atticus playing with his buddy, Beckett

All four boys happy (at least for a moment!) Gray, friend Big Atticus, little Atticus and Beckett

July 2011

2011-07-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Juno and Gray really "get" each other's sense of humor!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Juno!!! The boys were very happy to open all her gifts for her!

This is the biggest, most alive crawly-thing we have encountered here in Vegas. There just isn't a whole lot of nature to say the least! So when the boys found this caterpillar, they were overjoyed and kept it for days before it was happy to be set it free in the garden.

Cousin Nixon came to visit and the boys had so much fun!!

The boys got to meet cousin Nyla, too. What is not to love about this little darling!!!?

Gee, I wonder who rules this kingdom?

Dessert AND cousins!!

Of course it did not take long for the roof jumping to begin... Gray will probably be climbing up there soon... stay tuned!

Looks like Uncle Bo got the job of paddling the Pirate Ship!

Watermelon + tanks for breakfast

That little blur is my BABY! Spare me. I know bungee jumping is just around the corner.

Mama Mimi's smoothie is a hit!! Does it help that we call it "Alien or Monster Smoothie?" Maybe.
Recipe:
frozen banana
spinach
ice
pina colada juice
(the 100% juice kind in quart glass jar)
BLEND!!!
(you can also freeze as popsicles and every kid loves them!)

I admit I will be sad when he grows out of the sink downstairs! It has been the perfect rinse off place all day! (sand, pee, dirt, food, pee...)

Beautiul bell pepper for my beautiful boy from our garden! The boys were super excited to pick something that actually grew!

I so dig this kid! He is super funny, opinionated and LOUD. He talks literally ALL day long and every thought and demand MUST be acknowledged (or it will be repeated 100x until it is). He keeps me BUSY!! (It helps to blog on a day I feel okay and can have a happier take on all the madness!)

Atticus decided on his own that he wants to, "weh undah-weh like GuGu and pee on potty by self!!" I know better than to talk him out of this one so... here we go!

Our AM smoothie sometimes becomes a color that is... well... less than appealing but the boys get creative and name it something like, "Dirt Smoothie!" "Grassy Dino Smoothie!" or my least favorite Gray came up with, "Throw up Smoothie!"
I am just glad they will still drink them... the days may be numbered.

Sometimes Atticus gets more love than he wants...

But he's learning it pays to get in big brother's good graces!

These two do SO much better outside the walls of a house. Fresh air and DIRT does them well and they actually get along for MINUTES at a time!!

Mama Mimi (a true saint) had A LOT of grandkids at Duck Creek for 5 whole days! Grayson LOVED every minute of playing with cousins in the forest building forts, jumping on the tramp, campfires, dirt... when we came to pick him up he was filthy and so happy (and he had even bathed the night before!)

The Ranger was brought from up north to its new home in Duck Creek! And I will admit it is a much more comfy way for me to explore the wild than a 4 wheeler!

Papa G always has some big project he lets the boys help him with. It usually involves very heavy lifting and moving things. As you can imagine, the boys are VERY helpful!

I saw an empty box (from one of those Papa G projects) as a great place for a little rest...

The little dudes thought it a great place for a fort of course!

The Ice Cave

Just watching them climb down there freaked me out! It was so cold and slippery! (of course to the boys, that just made it all the better!)

The cave literally has snow and ice all year long

And the best part of an adventure is the snack of course!

Birthday Party Grayson~ July 2011

2011-07-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

POOL PARTY! Grayson was a good sport and waited for his friend bday party because we were on the airplane to Hawaii on his actual birthday.

Gray and his friend, "Big" Atticus ready to pull some big air tricks!

Jack and Grayson stopped for exactly 45 seconds to eat a quick bite before jumping back in!
P.S. whenever Gray looks like this in a photo, he is TELLING me how to take the picture.

One of Noah's oldest pals (as in known him so long!), Ryan is still good fun!

As soon as Grayson learns there are Cirque Shows downtown... we may lose him forever!

Best swim buddies, Beckett, "Big" Atticus and their Daddy, Derek.

Because just jumping in a pool is not fun (or hard) enough!

Grayson has really perfected that... smile!

He was SO excited about a soccer cake! So happy I didn't have to make it because it would NOT have looked like that!

This guy slept through the whole party!

Ready for church with a tie like Daddy and a bracelet like Mommy!

I continue my quest in trying to be fired from the job as the cook. My Dad just says that I seem to have plenty of "fire" as it is!
My mom and I take turns burning things that give maximum stench throughout the house: beans, broccolli, etc.
One day I even burned dinner... twice!!! Who does that?!

4th of July 2011 ~Cabin

2011-07-06T02:25:00.000-07:00

We had been in the mountains exactly 6 minutes and a campfire was begun! This was Juno's first experience with any of this. She loved it!

These boys ADORE their Papa G. There is never a shortage of action when he is around. Just check out all the pictures below!!

I am quite sure there is a photo of me as a little girl wearing that same yellow helmet! Off road machines are in our blood!!

Cool horny toad that Gray could NOT convince me hold!

Papa G treated us to a 4th of July trail ride! The kids were thrilled and I realized I have missed riding so much!

Days after our trail ride Atticus was still saying, "Horse. Big, huge pee!" Yes, we did witness a very big pee. I guess it was just that memorable!

Yes, it took skill to ride while this monkey climbs all over you!

So how did you spend your 4th of July weekend? This guy? Oh just your standard chainsaw into firewood about 1000 fallen trees!

Doing their best to "help" Papa G with all the manual labor!

Even Atticus just stood there in awe at what all Papa G could do!! He's a machine!

Duck Creek's July 4th Parade was great. Lots of vehicles which the boys loved!

This was Juno's first American parade and she decided she loves America!! (They throw candy at you... what's not to love?)

Atticus learned what suckers are... I had Grayson convinced they were tiny balloons until he was 3...

I do have a photo of me in this very swing when I was little! (It was hanging in our livingroom, however!)

Kainoa and Gray had such a fun time for nearly a week!

Apparently this is Grayson's new signature photo face!

Leave it to Papa G to create tire swings hanging 30 feet above the ground in the middle of a forest! Just watching them up on the high ladders building it was freaking me out too much and I had to stop watching!

Atticus made Papa G push him in the swing for nearly an hour... by saying, "More some!!"

McKay, Emily and Hayley came to hang out one day and Hayley loved the swings!

Mama Mimi does such a good job of grooming Papa G's "pets"!!

Just a little trampoline Kung Fu. Kai taught Grayson plenty of moves that he has since been using on little brother...

Juno got into the spirit of this workaholic family... this is what we do on vacation, rake rocks!

These photos are ALL on different days by the way! Does this guy ever sleep?

My parents are the ones who actually keep us "young!"

One last ride before we had to trip back to the real world.

June 2011

2011-06-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Cousins: Ben, Alana, Kainoa and Gracie

Gracie missed her only sister while she was gone to Hawaii, so Alana turned her into an island girl the moment she returned!

Slip N Slide time!

Of course Atticus was right there with the big boys pulling the big tricks!

Daddy has the best "helpers" to take out the trash every week!

Who knew Halloween teeth could be so fun in June! This pic makes me laugh so hard! It only took Atticus 10 attempts to cram those into his little mouth!

Just like when Grayson was this age, Atticus is NOT happy about having to wear a "floatie" while all the big people swim free! Let's hope he'll learn to swim quickly then like his big bro and be done with it!

Atticus is ready to brave the slide on his own!

He went so fast it freaked me out to watch! And then... he wanted to do it 50 more times!

Thanks to my friends, I get a photo with ME in it every now and then!

I am constantly amazed at how Noah can get his body to defy gravity!

Gray's favorite part of swimming is getting people to do tricks with him off the rock (at the same time of course!)

I NEVER want to be too old for this kind of fun!!

As close to a family picture as we have gotten this year!

And that would be me explaining why it isn't a good idea to go down the slide on your feet... or your hands! I guess it's at least on record that I tried to warn the dare devils.

Yeah, no one likes to stand next to Michael in pool pictures... for six obvious reasons.

Michael and his beautiful wife, Chandler

Juno who has so much style in that hat!

Gray was SO excited to see some real LIVE animals (not much here to see animal and bugwise in the desert!)

Checking out the animals with his buddy, Big Atticus (yes, same name as little bro so we have to nickname!)

And Superman is off to the next cage!

Ahh the pure joys of childhood. So excited to be at a zoo!

Atticus was so excited about this frozen juice box (treat) that he nursed it for hours!

This is his best elephant imitation!

June 2011~ More Hawaii

2011-06-04T01:30:00.000-07:00

Alana caught every creature you could find and Atticus wanted to hold them all, even kissing them!

I witnessed exactly 1 sunset of the 2 weeks we were there. Bedtime just came too early!

Alana doing a cute little pose under the umbrella...

This is Grayson's interpretation of the pose...

Atticus had to get in the action but could not figure out what why he should hug a pole!

When you ask Atticus how old he is, he says, "Five!" Grayson turned 5 while on the flight to Hawaii and Atticus really does think he is the big brother equal!

Karate and dancing on the beach of course!

Atticus will mimmick exactly, anything he sees his big brother do... yes, I somehow got 2 who seem soooo much the same!

I love how Grayson spontaneously feels the need to just launch off the ground!

He REALLY wanted to climb those trees and cut down a coconut to eat.

So Atticus had to try, too.

Pretty sure he will be jumping out of airplanes one day.

Hummus + beach sand + a kid who hates sticky hands = drama!

Atticus was so obsessed with being nearly naked that every guy he saw on the beach without a shirt, he would yell, "Nake nake!" Meaning, if he is naked then I need to be, too!!!! Now get my clothes off already, lady!

May 2011~ HAWAII

2011-05-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

Alana (my darling neice) and I actually got some time away to shop at the Swap Meet in Honolulu without kids!

Atticus became obsessed with lime and ice but only from Papa G. Everytime he saw him he would yell, "ICE! LIME!" Soon he'll be making margaritas in his crib at naptime!

This is one of the FEW shots of these 2 boys NOT moving and actually sitting in the same frame for a photo! I had a million blurry pics of these crazies! (You can tell from the zombie eyes they are watching Barney on tv!)

I love this kid. He is possibly the loudest 1 1/2 year old on earth, however. He lasts about 6.2 seconds on church before his loud mouth must be relegated sometimes as far as the parking lot! He gets such delight out of unnerving people with his noises!

May sound funny but we spent a fair amount of our vacation...
in trees!!

And... we spent the rest of the time chasing. These boys can run for HOURS!!

I actually started calling him the "Running Man" because he would just take off and get super far away before I could actually catch him! People on their leisurely walks got a kick out of watching me try and catch this guy!

Digging for pirate treasure... of course!

Atticus was quite disappointed that we didn't go to any nude beaches. His new fave thing is to yell, "NAKE NAKE!!" as he pulls off his diaper and RUNS free! It can take 10 minutes just to get shorts on this kid... so we just let him go!!

And still... running.

Our nanny Juno went home to China on vacation for 2 weeks, so we brought cousin Alana with us to Hawaii!! Gray was thrilled to have such a cool playmate all the time!

Only Papa G would provide a REAL, metal, dangerous but great for digging shovel for the kids at the beach! This is serious work they have to do!

And finally proof that I was actually on vacation with my kids! Because I rarely make it in a picture, Grayson will see photos later and ask, "Mom! Why weren't you there?!" Um, I am always there!

We love Hawaii sooooo much! It heals my soul to swim in the ocean and roll in the sand. I also love the time with my boys although we missed Noah who had to work :(

Grayson fell in love with snorkeling again and REALLY wants to scuba dive now! Gotta wait a few more years, buddy.

This boy has a serious cement mixer obsession! He even took naps with this one, "Ment mixuh!"

When we get my 2 workaholic parents to the beach, Papa G goes for a run at the hottest part of the day (because he is busy giving Atticus ice!) then does emails and important calls on his Blackberry (see photo). Mama Mimi runs and swims the lagoons then does a face plant right onto the towel for a moment of quiet! (Can you see her there in the background?!)

Gray was super excited to get to play with his Hawaii buddy, Phoebe. They made "sand cupcakes" for hours, then dive bombed all the fish in the lagoons they could find.

And still... running.

Papa G didn't really get that tan this trip... kidding! Here he offers a ride, per usual with whatever his is currently using that has wheels!

I pretended I to be young again and Alana and I snuck away for Pirates of the Caribbean movie. (Too bad everyone else brought their crying babies!) We got to giggle and fawn over Johnny Depp without any boys to make fun of us!

Alana was such a great help and so much fun. How many 12 year old girls are beautiful, easy going, a great cook, and will go crab hunting at night (and actually pick up the huge crabs! She called me a baby because I wouldn't hold it.) She is my new role model.

It's about time Atticus learn how to drive the golf cart!

Alana caught tons of tiny crabs and hermit crabs! She even took Atticus crab hunting at night with a flashlight! He loved it and picked up a big one! (Grayson was asleep already)

Pirate of the Caribbean ship from the movie! Last year we saw it out in the ocean filming but now it is parked in the harbor right by Ko Olina so Papa G cruised us over to check it out!

It really was cool to see up close after having just seen the movie!

For weeks now, Atticus will yell out, "AHOY MATEY!"

These were their best Pirate faces!

Took the boys to a train ride in the mall. This was the first 5 minutes when Atticus thougth it was cool. Then... not so much. Oops. We tried!

Grayson Turns 5

2011-05-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

I cannot seem to wrap my mind around the fact that my 1st baby is going to be the Big 5 years old!! I won't lie... it has been a long 5 years for me! This guy had my number from day 1 and has been on cruise control of 300 mph ever since!! So, here is a re-cap of the amazing life of Grayson Noah (thus far at least!!!)

After 7 years of just me and Noah (and plenty of fun trips to Mexico!) we were SOOOO excited to have Grayson join our family!!

Grayson seemed like a baby for very short time. He quickly saw himself as our equal and would not let ANY event happen without him... taking it over entirely!!

Yes, the multi-tasking starts early in this family!

Being a mom has been NOTHING like I thought it would be. I had some serious experience under my belt with 3 older brothers and 5 younger ones... but it was NO match for what Gray would bring to the table! Since he was born, I have not worked outside the home, have not taken very many showers alone (he literally could not be out of sight of me until age 3~ yes, I am sure it was a control thing!) and have maintained ZERO hobbies...
He has taken more of my time and attention than I EVER thought one little boy could possibly demand but after 5 years I will say... it has been amazing to get to witness the beginnings of a very adventurous life for this little savant! I am truly excited for what may be on the horizon for him in the decades ahead...
Now watch out world!!

Yes, even Batman has "other" work to do.

As soon as this kid finds out something can be RIDDEN, there is no stopping him!

If I had a dime for every costume change this boy has done over the past 5 years... I would be a trillion-aire! (No, really... I would.)

The baseball obsession that began at age 2 is STILL going strong (although it has been joined with obesessions for football, soccer, tennis, ETC. as well)

When Gray was 18 months old he learned the Pledge of Allegiance and we realized he could memorize and learn literally anything I taught him... so, he learned all the Presidents of the United States and could name them out of order, upside down and tell you which ones had beards!
He learned the Preamble, The Gettysburg Address and the 50 States Song.

We still cannot teach this kid fast enough. He has questions about science and the universe that I have to go online to find the answers to!! When people ask if I will home school him, I have to say NO WAY, I am simply not smart enough to keep up with this guy!

Grayson has taught ME so much; about everything imaginable, including the most important things in life: patience, love and that it's really frustrating to not be able to control gravity!
I am so exicited to see what the future holds for this amazing little boy... although if you ask him, he knows exactly what it holds! He says, "When I turn 8 I want to get baptized, when I am 12 I will get certified to scuba dive, when I am 16 I will get a license to drive a car and when I am 18 I will sky dive out of a plane. When I go to college in a COUPLE years I will learn about science and math. Oh, and I will rock climb up the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. And when I am an adult, I will chop food up with REALLY sharp knives all by MYSELF!!"

Grayson loves Atticus more than any of us (I know this for certain because he reminds us often that we are a distant 2nd and 3rd on his love-the-most- list.) These two are great buddies and act so excited EVERY morning (at 5am) when they greet each other like long lost pals!

May 2011 ~Beach Getaway!

2011-05-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

Grayson loves to try and get Atticus to smile for pictures!

The boys continue to ADORE our sweet, Juno (they call her jie jie which means big sister in Chinese)

She has done more dishes in the past 6 months than maybe in her whole life so far. She is so amazingly happy to help wherever she is needed.

Summertime breakfast = standard uniform

Mom and I made a quick "Girls Getaway" to San Diego for a few days WITHOUT kids or husbands!! It was the first time I have been away from Atticus overnight and only the 2nd night away from Grayson. Yes, loooong overdue! I almost felt bad leaving Atticus with his terrible skin rash behind (because the ocean totally heals it) but I knew we would be heading to Hawaii in a couple weeks and he would get plenty or ocean time there.

We got to have lunch with Aunt Mel at the beach and have uninterrupted conversations! What a luxury!

This was the last day after we danced on the beach and in the waves! We love that here, no one even looks twice at someone doing anything "weird." We saw some girls hoola hooping the beach, lots of yoga classes and bootcamps with people hauling huge tires and sandbags to workout. I'll admit it felt good to lay on the beach and watch them workout while I... didn't!!

I had to document toes in the sand to remember how amazing the ocean water felt (after the intial crazy stingy part)

By the 3rd day of really great food, uninterrupted sleeping, no cooking or cleaning... my skin looked amazingly better and less itchy. Everyone at home survived great without us and we decided this must become a trend of getting away for no reason at all!

I love the ocean so much. I always have. I can't explain what it does for me but the smell and feel on my skin (even before all my crazy skin issues) it just renews me and makes me feel alive. I really think I am part fish and just start to dry out after a while. I'm actually still surprised that Noah and I have lived without an ocean nearby our whole marriage! Although, it seems every vacation we have ever taken together involves and ocean somewhere!

April 2011 ~Cousins!!

2011-04-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

Cousin Elias swinging with Atticus who just snuggled right up and kept saying, "Muh!!" (more)

Putting together the merry-go-round with Papa G. The fun projects never end with this guy!

All the boys were so excited to help Papa G re-route the sprinkler lines

Uncle Morgan put on a real baseball game. Gray was super excited to finally have enough players!
p.s. Kudos to mommy for having a FOAM bat as it seems to always find someone's face in the end!

Grayson got a real taste of surfing and is now sure he must try it in Hawaii on real waves!

Morgan was so great to lifeguard exactly 1 million kids and keep the sunscreen flowing!

Grayson was EXTREMELY excited for Jefferson to give him a real lesson in sword fighting!

Rachel and her kids made the trip down and we are soooo glad they did! So much fun! (We missed you Munro!)

The merry-go-round that I rode when I was a little girl is up and running in our backyard!! Everyone loved it and no one has even thrown up!! (yet)

Papa G was a patient chef and had plenty of helpers!

The clubhouse is finally finished and the boys LOVE having their own place to make secret plans (like how to make sure their mom stays incredibly sleep deprived and learning great lessons in patience!)

Ward Easter party and Grayson with his buddy Jack

I love this photo! The part you can't see is both of their feet sticking out of the bottom of the sacks running as fast as they can! Grayson loved all the races!

These 2 have been hanging out for a while now and the craziness just keeps on going!!

I was totally CONNED into an innocent egg toss with Noah. We actually did pretty well until he was football field away and my catch exploded! So... all week long I get to be covered in pee, ETC. and that day I got raw egg, too!? (Thanks Cherie, for being my photographer! I am like Bigfoot who never gets photographed... some wonder if I really exist!)

This was our ONE photo from Easter Bunny morning. He was running on his egg hunt soooo fast through the yard that I literally could not get a non-blurry shot! Atticus just watched wondering what all the excitement was about.

Mama Mimi helped us start a garden! We hope it can make it through the summer heat. This is Atticus really wanting to take part but just wasn't quite sure of that dirt smell! He kept saying, "TINKS!" (stinks)

April 2011

2011-04-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing quite like a bit of Naked Crafting! (In this shot he is trying to GLUE HIS FINGER to the paper. Yes, craft talent runs in the family!)

Obsessed with sports does not even begin to explain this kid!!

As you can see from the sunrise... it is EARLY and the games have already begun!!

Someone suggested bathing baby in rice water to help his skin itching... he ate the entire thing and his skin then itched ALL night! Oops, we tried.

The boys love the carrots with the long green (like bunnies eat) but we found out Atticus will chow down greens and all!

They are equally in love with books (being read TO them of course). I read about 33 library books to the boys EVERYDAY! Usually while the other boy is chucking the one at me that HE prefers. I really should wear a helmet...

The boys LOVE the neighbor's cat, Rascal. All the benefits of having a pet without any of the feeding, cleaning up after, etc.

When we bought these sunglasses I was feeling nostalgic and told Grayson, "You know, I used to have a pair of these kind of sunglasses in the 1980's." He looked at me shocked and said in disbelief, "YOU were alive in 1980 B.C. !!!!?" The guy behind us in line just about fell over laughing.

A book had a recipe for GIGANTIC cookies, so we gave it a go to surprise the Utah cousins who were on their way for a visit...

It totally worked!

Atticus hanging with his buddy, Rascal.

March 2011 ~Spring

2011-03-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

Uncle Morgan: possibly the most animated story teller on earth. The kids were transfixed for about 5 books!! You are so awesome Morg!

Does this little Buddha have the life or what!?

Papa G continues to prove that THIS is what most 67 year olds should be doing for their after workout "cool down!"

Atticus has to make sure he misses NO part of whatever the big boys get to do!

My 2 little peas in a pod. A pod that is... very loud... and dangerous and did I say... loud?

I am relieved to report that Atticus is really lucky to have Grayson as a big brother. (Not sure I would have posted that 6 months ago!) Grayson is super fun and always wants to involve him in everything he does. Although, Gray is lucky to have Atticus as well, as he is ALWAYS willing to follow instructions from a daring big brother; like when Gray says, "Atticus, jump off this huge boulder! It doesn't even hurt too much when you land in the rocks!" Little brother dutifully follows the command and laughs when he lands. I cannot imagine what the future holds for these two dare devils!!

Juno has become the big sister Alana never had!

Great little hike at Exploration Park. We get to the top and Grayson said, "What? That was it?! Easy-peezy-lemon-squeezy!" These kids have energy to burn!

Adding a wiggly 25 lb "weight" is a bonus to any workout!

Just a car full of nuts on the way to Circus Circus!
They were sooooo excited!

The 3 beautiful girls! I love having GIRLS around!!

When Atticus sees Grayson get into any costume (which is roughly 12 different times a day) he insists on being part of the action!

February 2011

2011-02-28T23:05:00.000-08:00

Papa G came home with a lot of BIG boxes from Costco one day... wonder what was going to be built??

Just look at those bags of screws (some of MANY)!! Not a job for the drill impaired. Now, where is Noah?

Grayson was VERY excited to tackle this project. He immediately put on overalls, belt and gloves. This kid wants a challenge!

There was even an instructional dvd for those who couldn't make sense of the written "destructions." Like I said, NOT for the drill impaired.

These two have recently reached the stage of figuring out how to play with each other and it is PRICELESS to watch (plus, I still have stay close enough to referee)! But to give an idea of how the play goes, Grayson says, "Hurry Atticus, you need to duck down because a Karana-casaurus is coming to get us!" Atticus stands there just staring at Grayson. So, Grayson yells again, "You need to hurry and duck!" Atticus dutifully yells, "DUCK! QUACK! QUACK!" Grayson just sighed.

This is the new bedtime ritual. Superhero underwear on top of PJ's then running around like wild animals, apparently "saving the planet" like only undie superheroes can do!

Can you tell which photo was Grayson and which was Atticus? These 2 boys are so much alike that somedays I feel like I have twins born 3 years apart. (Oh, and one of them is a little fatter than the other one!)

And weeks later the action STILL continues on the new "Clubhouse!" Grandpa Fritze visits from Utah and even lends a hand!

Atticus quickly caught on that screwdrivers were important and would not be found without one!

Boys were super excited to have Grandma and Grandpa Fritze visit and have them all to themselves!

Juno decided to help Grayson make Valentine cards for us. She got some great ideas online and this is the one that was given to Noah. I have laughed for so much whenever I think of this one!! Noah was a good sport and graciously accepted the card. Juno and I have had some great conversations about how Chinese and American cultures are so different in how they approach... a topic!!

Juno the artist painted these T shirts for me and Noah in honor of our LOVE this month!! So, so sweet. I loved it!!

Papa G and Atticus doing important things like sending emails and catching up on a little reading.

Alana and Kainoa came to visit for the weekend and ended up getting to run a 5k race with some of the family!

You would have thought it was Christmas morning. Grayson got new running shoes and was sooooo excited to do a real race with a real tshirt and number!! Noah and Mama Mimi were great to help him through the cold rain the whole way. I am so proud of my runners!

Nothing like a hot jacuzzi at the end of a freezing race to warm up.

The perfect cage for a very demanding and busy little 1 1/2 year old! I realize he has his binky in so many pictures... but this dude is a serious screamer and it seems to muffle the shrieks a tiny bit. He may have it until he is 5!

Grayson and Juno working on some clay art that Grandma Fritze gave them. Good thing Juno is an artist... you would not want to see what I might attempt. No art skills here!

Grayson was sick for a few days and quiet on the couch. This unusual behavior was very puzzling to Atticus. He could not figure out what had happened to his LOUD and busy play buddy.

These 2 little guys have such a sweet bond. In the morning when they wake up and meet each other, it is like a reunion of long lost pals... they hug and kiss and giggle. As Grayson sums it up, "Mom, I do love you but I really, really, mostly love Atticus the most of the whole family. I love him about a billion and seventy."

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2011-02-14T21:42:00.001-08:00