Kandell Family Update.

It seems like all I have been updating on lately are events an activities, so I thought I would do a quick post to update everyone on what we have really been up to, the other "real" stuff in our lives. Since summer hasnt been all boating and pool play.

Eric

Eric's new office has been so nice and convenient for him being located 2 mins from our home in AF. He still is loving what he does and has been so busy for the past year it has been nice he hasnt had to commute far.

Eric is now the Gospel Doctrine teacher in our new ward. He is doing a really good job, from what I hear of his lessons, Max still is not in nursery being only 16 months so I stay in class as long as Max is not disruptive. Eric says he is learning a lot from having to teach and really likes the calling. We are starting to really like our new ward, it always takes some time when you first move some place to get used to the new people and area. But, this summer has for sure helped in getting to know our ward.

Eric has enjoyed doing a lot more boating this year than last year, it's fun the kids like the boat so much. 

He also LOVES coming home from work, eating dinner outside in our finally completed yard and swimming with the kids until bedtime.

Another one of Eric's new favorites is HARMON'S in Draper. Our new favorite grocery store, its about a 10-12 min drive around the point of the mountain...but well worth it. We go every Monday night all together. They have the coolest stuff and biggest selection, it reminds us of a Whole Foods, we love it!! Its paradise for an aspiring secret chef like Eric.

Eric above all continues to be such a great daddy. Both the kids just love him and want to be with him as soon as he gets home. He and Ady have been on a couple of daddy/daughter dates as well, once to a movie and once to the rodeo. I love how hard Eric works to take care of our family (and he does work.... very hard) and what a hot/helpful/funny/entertaining/great husband he is.

Eric and I will be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary this next month in August. I hope this dosent sound bad but is seems like we have been married way longer than just 4 years. (but in a good way)

ME - Hailey

Ha Ha, that postcard is misleading, I do not cook as much as I should or even as much as I did 4-5 months ago. I need to get back into it. But the warmth of outside and the pool make it hard to do much more than clean and care for the kids.

I spent the first half of the summer with the kids searching for parks, pools and things to do, now that the backyard is done, I don't care if I never leave home for 3 days, unless we run out of  milk or fresh fruit, sometimes I don't. It has been such a fun summer, having 2 toddlers, both can feed themselves, walk, talk (kind of max) I mean I almost feel like a little guilty, I am enjoying their ages so much and they are such good obedient kids most of the time. I am trying to savor the moments with them cuz I know it is going to continue to go so quickly. 

We have also had a lot of family time this summer, in the picture above I am with my family at a Bee's game in Salt Lake, we also have been to Ohio twice since May, those things are my favorite. I love making family memories and starting new traditions. And just being with family.

I also have a new calling in our new ward, (I think I have had it for 5 mos now) I am the Activity days Leader for the 10 year olds. It has been fun, I have never got to work with the girls until this calling, I have done relief Society, a lot of scouts, and primary so I am enjoying doing the girl thing. Just last week for the 24th of July, our girls were in charge of the Childrens Primary Pioneer parade, we make posters and helped the primary kids decorate bikes and wagons and did a parade around our ward.

In the picture below you can see, Max and Ady enjoying being in the parade.

I am also still working on the Ladies Auxillary Board at Riverside Country Club, we have out first event on August 27th  that I am fully in charge of. I really do love doing the work there, it gives me a little creative/event planning outlet, but dosent take up too much time since it is a volunteer position.

Adyson

I almost feel like Adyson has been spoiled with fun activites this summer. All sorts of BBQ's, ward parties, swimming. This girls has had a full agenda. But, oh well playing is what childhood is for. 

Ady's latest and grossest obsession is BUGS, she loves them , potato bugs, rollie pollies, moths butterflies, ant and Beetles. LOVES THEM! Always catchin them and scoopin them out of the pool. So, eric got her an old aquarium we had and put grass in the bottom of it and so he has a bugs home to put all her "catches". But, dont worry the bugs home is outside. 

Now the nickname Ady bug which originally came from her "bug eyes" has 2 meanings. 

Ady loves swimming, she is 100% confident and happy in the water. Which is so fun. I could just kiss Camille Miner for telling me about survival swim, its has done wonders for my kids and how much they love the water. Ady will now even jump off our diving board, and she loves kicking around in this little tube everywhere in the pool.

Ady's cousins and friends are also a big part of her life, Easton, Gavin, Sammy were her original best buddies. She is starting to meet some more girls up here in our new ward and has been able to have some dress up tea party play dates.

Ady has been attending 2 days a week this summer preschool at Montessori Learning Center, which we really like but at the end of this month she will switch to a new school a little closer to us, The Challenger School at Traverse Mountain. We are excited for her and know she will love it. She is still going to only be going 2 days a week just in the mornings.

Maxwell 

Mr. Messy is right, most the summer Max has been in just a diaper and tee shirt because in true boy fashion, he is always getting dirty. 

Max loves the pool and outdoors just as much as Ady. He is VERY good in the water, I am sure he will eventually be better than Ady in the water because he now is so good with his floating. I have had a few times when I was in the pool alone with the kids that I have just put MAx on his back to float so  could help Ady get in the pool or fix her float. he really is awesome.

He also loves picking weeds across our fence line with Adyson, they do it everyday and bring me a "bouquet" to display in the kitchen. I love it.

Max is also communicating very well, I think better than Ady at this age. His actual sentences are few but include

"want some more"

"book please" or "Read book"

"get me"

"i want go"

"oh no mommy" and A TON of other words.

He is the cutest little mimic.

Max is so fun and funny and such a different personality than Adyson which i s so fun to see since they are best friends. This is why I love having them so close together. They play and play and play together and it is so awesome. It has been hard for me to not want to get pregnant again, seeing them so cute together and all the other cute babies my friends are having. But, I am trying and I will hold of until after out family trip to Costa Rica in October... so hopefully a new Kandell for 2009. If all goes well and according to plan.

Oh and in talking about Max I HAVE to mention his love of food, this kid can eat(and eat and eat and eat some more)!!

Well, that "little" Kandell update turned into a big one. But oh well. Happy Summer Days!

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Friday Night at the Lake

We discovered a new great idea. Evening boating. I know its not a new idea but we had never done it with the kids until last night and it was great. Cuz the sun isnt beating down on them, the water was calm and it was just a quick 2 hours out on the lake. So fun!

We packed a picnic dinner and went out on Utah Lake with the Miner family (pictured above) and my sister Breanna and Christa who were spending the night with us. The kids had a lot of fun and it was pretty and nice weather for the adults to eat and relax on the boat.

Eric taught both Breanna and Christa to kneeboard. Christa was even doing 360's her first time up! And we were so happy to see Breanna out there cuz the last time (Flaming Gorge '06) Eric talked Breanna into doing something she got drug under a tube and was completely traumatized.

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Eric even took Max out on the kneeboard. I was laughing so hard, Max was just laying on his back on the kneeboard staring at the boat. Expressionless. Not scared, not excited... nothing just blank. I took video of it but since I was laughing so hard, the video is bumpy and well.... annoying with laughter.

(MAx had oreos ...that is not dirt in his teeth)

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Girl's (& Max) Day In Park City

(Me, Bree, Christa and Ady)

My younger sisters, Breanna (10) and Christa (13) have been up in Park City this week for a dance camp at the Yarrow hotel. My mom has been staying up there too, so she can shuttle them to and from classes and workshops. Sabra (the winner from So You Think You Can Dance) has even taught some of their classes, some other finalists from the show have too. But, since my mom has only been mostly a chauffer, she asked if me and the kids would mind coming up for a day and a night to visit. So, since this was a pretty non eventful week we went up.

(My mom, Max, Bree and Christa and Ady)

This picture was taken at the base of the Alpine Slide, now everyone from Utah knows about the Alpine slide and coaster, but for those who aren't from the area. The Alpine slide is a huge cement track that goes all the way down the mountain that you ride a ski lift up to the top of, then fly down as fast as you can on these little carts. It is so much fun.

(picture below is of the slide)

The ride up on the ski lift is so beautiful too. My sisters, Adyson and I did it, while my mom and Max (too young by 8 months) watched from the bottom.

(Bree and Ady on the ski lift)

I thought Ady would be a little nervous flyin down the mountain, but she was yellin "woohoo" and "this is a fun ride" the whole way down.

(Ady and I safely at the bottom of the run)

Then afterwards we stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for a little sweet. 

(Ady, Christa, Max and Breanna)

Thanks mom for having us come up, the shopping , lunches, and all were a lot of fun. Oh and thanks to Eric's Aunt Cindi and Uncle Gordy who let us stay at their beautiful condo. 

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The "Under The Sea" Party.

I am sure you are all over Ady's birthday month extravaganza. Even I am. In retrospect, 1 party would have been fine, but it was nice to have a nice family party to relax a bit then have a big friend bash on a seperate night. But, sheesh, we are tired. 

Last night was the big friend pool party. The weather was so hot all day that even though we only heat the pool to 84 degrees, it was sun heated all the way up to 89 degrees. It was like a big bath, so I am glad we had the party in the evening cuz it felt so nice in the water. The party was a lot of fun, a bunch of our favorite families came and played and ate. We ordered the food from Rumbi this time so there was much less work for us. 

I bought this dress like 4 months ago for the party since I thought it looked mermaid-ish. But she only wore it for 5 minutes then wanted in the pool. So, that was kind of a waste. But, she sure was cute for that 5 mins.

Our little family.

Yummy. Dippidee cupcakes. They are to die for good.

The party was really fun and I loved seeing all the kids loving the water. Literally every single kid at the party was in the water most of the night.

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