August

Another month has come and gone- I need to quit blinking!  As always, I had so many fun pictures, that I need to share just a few more- enjoy!

Our little Alfalfa!

Tori was so excited about her birthday present from Grandpa and Nana Harrison!

Jumping for joy in her adorable new hat!!!

So, if you flip back the pages a bit, you might remember that Tori has never been a big fan of playing in the rain.  Until now- she all the sudden loves it!!!

She loved it so much, we couldn't get her to come inside...

until she was soaking wet!

These two are becoming good buddies- especially since Garrett has discovered the joy of throwing his food over the edge to feed Prince!

Check it out- standing up and playing like a big kid!!!

I honestly don't know how many pictures I have of Tori and Garrett like this.  But every time I see them looking out the window, I run for the camera- I think they look so cute there together!!!

Tori and Garrett enjoying a "horsie ride" at WalMart- hurrah for doing great at potty training, Tori!!!

We had an Elders' Quorum activity at a park a few days ago.  Garrett loved playing with Daddy!

And, true to form, Tori tried out every single piece of playground equipment- she has no fear!

I love, love, love it when these two play together!!!

Oh my goodness- my heart melts when I see this smile!

Going down the slide together- sort of!

Garrett has discovered the awesomeness of the ball pit- he loves it!!!

Thanks for being so fun August, and now on to September!!!

A Bunch of Firsts!!!

We have had so many big and fun firsts in the past couple of weeks, that I felt they deserved their very own post!  Garrett has finally figured out how to crawl up on his hands and knees- no more army crawling for this little guy!  Here he is in action:

There is a little carousel ride at our WalMart that Tori absolutely loves.  So, as incentive for going potty, she gets a penny to go towards a "horsie ride" every time she goes.  We were so proud of Tori this week when she finally saved up enough for her first ride- a whole 50 cents.  That's a lot of potty trips!  So, for our FHE we learned all about tithing.  It was a really neat moment for Jared and me to start teaching Tori another aspect of the gospel.

Here's Tori with her very first tithing slip!!!

I am not really excited that Garrett has figured out how to climb up the stairs.  I think I have too many memories of Tori falling down them.  But, like it or not, he loves the stairs!

Tori has been having a  ball showing Garrett the ropes of stair climbing!!!

Garrett got to try ice cream for the first time- I think he's not quite sure what to think of it yet!

Tonight was a really big first- Garrett got to go to his very first football game!

Garrett was so into the game-we couldn't even get him to turn around for a picture!!!

Hurrah for fun firsts!  Our kids are both growing up so fast- I wish it would slow down just a bit!

Getting Ready...

To go where you might ask? Why, to go to the ball, of course!!!  Tori has hit a really fun stage with playing dress up!  Anything and everything is a necklace- even a pink tutu!!!

One afternoon she went in to take a nap in normal, everyday clothes.  When I went in to check on her, she had this fun outfit on!

Tonight, after we got home from the fair and got Tori ready for bed, she went into her room and came out a few minutes later all dressed up!  I love how Snow White's bow has become a lovely necklace!

This is quite the ball gown!

And wearing it backwards makes it much easier to do the splits!

My favorite part was when Tori asked Jared to go to the ball with her!

They had a fantastic time dancing the night away!!!

Oh, how we love out little princess- she sure keeps things entertaining!!!

Let's Go to the Fair!!!

This evening we went to the Indiana State Fair!  We had a grand time taking in the sites, and yes, we did even look at a few tractors!  To start out our trip, the kids got to learn about life on a farm.  They each got a basket and had to collect things along the way.  Our first stop was to get some grain!

Next they got to collect some eggs!

Tori and Garrett each got to pick out one vegetable!

Garrett was thrilled with his onion!!!

Next, Tori got to take a little ride on a tractor!

Yep, those cows needed to be milked- Tori was a pro!!!

Being the year of the dairy cow, we got to see a lot of cows.  Tori had so much fun feeding them!

And Jared was so excited to milk a real cow!!!

I know you can only see the tire- but this tractor was huge!  It was a great spot to take a few pictures- Tori, Garrett, and Daddy fit inside nicely!

And so did Tori and Mommy!  (Just in case you were wondering, this machine costs more than our entire house- crazy!!!)

Tori loved riding on Daddy's shoulders while we took in the fair parade!

By far, our favorite spot was the FFA building (props to you Amber!)!!  Tori could have fed the sheep and goats all night long and been in heaven!!!

Garrett even got in on the feeding a bit!

How cool is this- the FFA building had a mini golf course!  Tori and Daddy had a fabulous time taking in a little golf!

Tori's mad mini-golf skills...

or lack thereof!  Apparently we need to take her golfing more often! 

Along with checking out different exhibits and buildings, we ran into many friends, and enjoyed a tasty dinner from the Dairy Bar!  I am so glad we braved the crowds- it was awesome!  Can't wait to come back next year!!!

Wedding Bells

 This afternoon we were able to travel to Rising Sun, Indiana to attend Greg and Sarah's wedding!  Greg has been the second assistant swim coach along with Jared for the past two years at Pike and they have become really good friends.  We first met Sarah when she came to a swim meet the first season both Greg and Jared were coaching.  We chatted through the entire meet- she is just plain awesome!
The wedding ceremony was beautiful- and yes, I did get teary-eyed a few times.  It was so wonderful seeing two people so devoted to each other and starting their new life together!
As we were waiting for the happy couple to depart from the church to the reception, we were each given some bubbles.  Tori was in heaven...

 and went through hers well before Greg and Sarah came out!  

Our next stop was the casino for Greg and Sarah's reception.  It was kind of the running joke that we were hitting all parts of society for the day- we started out at the church and ended up at the casino.  But, the reception hall was absolutely gorgeous.  They had an awesome idea to have a kid entertainment table.  We picked up a couple of balls for Tori and Garrett (and Jared, Rachel, Mason, and Danielle) to play with, along with these awesome glasses!

 Tori had a ball on the dance floor!!!

Tori saw how much fun we were having with the glasses and decided to give them a try!

 Both of my boys cutting a rug!!!

 Sadly, this is the only picture I got with Greg and Sarah- they are directly behind Jared!

 No reception would be complete without a Daddy-Daughter dance!

 I love watching these two dance together!!!

Congrats on your wedding, Greg and Sarah!  We wish you the best of everything in your new life together!!!