Opus 471 - Lissa's Rapture

Right before the weather started to get cool, we pulled out the kids' old winter clothes to try them on. We also tried on the new clothes I had bought on clearance at the end of winter. After we were done, Lissa played quietly in her room for awhile. When I went up to check on her, this is what I found. I posted it on Facebook and one of my friends commented that I should post this the next time there is supposed to be a rapture :)

Opus 470 - Dentist

Lissa and Joshua had their first dentist appointment in September. They had fun (great dentist!) and passed with flying colors!

Opus 469 - Uncle David and Aunt Kenna

On August 19th, Jason's brother got married. We are so happy for Uncle David and Aunt Kenna!

The kids were so excited to hug Aunt Kenna. They adore her. She is a perfect addition to the Smith family!

Lissa and Joshua playing around while we waited to take group pictures:

Most of the cousins:

The Smith Family, August 19, 2012:

Opus 468 - Joshua Sleeping

Poor Joshua still falls asleep in random places. This no napping thing has hit him hard. When he's up, he's soooo energetic. He wears himself out to the point of exhaustion regularly*:

This is one of my favorites - he literally fell asleep on the way to the dinner table. He woke up when I said we would have cookies after dinner.

This is the first time he fell asleep in church since he was probably six months old:

*Do you notice his pillow in almost every picture? He loves that pillow and has worn it to threads. He has two more that are just like it, but they aren't his "special" pillow.

Opus 467 - Lissa's Hair

Lissa and I have been trying new hairstyles.

We tried curlers. It didn't work so well. No after pictures, sorry.

The braiding, on the other hand, has been a hit.

Opus 466 - Blocks/Building

The kids really enjoy building with their blocks. They are constantly showing us their latest creations.

They also enjoy making tents. The particular tent was "decorated."

Opus 465 - Joshua's Noises

When Joshua was in the NICU, he would make a funny little noise with his voice. The only time Lissa did it was when she came home before Joshua. She would make the noise, be quiet for a moment, then whimper. It was like she was looking for Joshua. It broke my heart.

Joshua hasn't made that noise for a long time. The other day, I caught him doing it while he was playing with his cars.

Opus 464 - Cars, Cars, Cars

Joshua is *still* really into cars. Cars 2 has only intensified his love of cars.

He organizes these elaborate races in the kitchen (one of the few rooms in the house that doesn't have carpet). He gets quite upset when I dare to try to cook a meal or do the dishes :)

In this next video Joshua is describing a scene from Cars 2.

Opus 463 - Swimming Lessons, Part 2

We enrolled the kids in a second session of swimming lessons during August. This time, they had a male teacher. He was... how do you describe him? Eccentric? Let's just say he marches to the beat of a different drummer. The first day of lessons, he ran up to the kids and pretended to fall down using a very loud and boisterous voice. He freaked Lissa out. She would not go to him at all. Fortunately, there was a female instructor available that helped out. Joshua, naturally, had no problems with the instructor. That kid has no fear!

Opus 462 - Crawdads

A family in our ward holds a Crawdad Boil every summer. Jason loves the food. The kids loved throwing rocks into the lake.*

*Don't you love the random Mountain Dew can in the pictures? I have no idea where it came from.