Jump!

One of our summer traditions is to take swimming lessons, so for the last two weeks of our summer the kids reported daily to the Hess pool. Em was in level one.
On the last day of classes, the kids wore life jackets and were challenged to jump off the diving board.







She wasn't too excited about it, but finally jumped off when I held her hand











And then, at the last minute before class was over she jumped off by herself!

Tadpoles

Working hard or hardly working?

Ben was gone for a week to Alaska for a 'work' trip. I don't know, all I've heard about so far are the ATV's, the wildlife he saw and the hiking he did. The military excels at these sorts of trips, but it still frustrates me since I'm still waiting for that trip to the spa to 'enhance' my working skills!

Cheesy on the outside

When No wants something he will smile his cheezy grin at me. It's not really much of a smile, more of a grimace to bare his teeth. I'm not sure why he thinks that will get him what he wants, but it remains the most reliable indicator that he wants something.

Dude, you are not my nemesis

Ben and J are back from their trip with Grandma and Grandpa Cook to Las Vegas. It was J's first temple trip, and in true Cook fashion he forgot something--his recommend. I'm sure you can hear me bashing my head against the wall from here. Luckily it was only in the hotel room and they were able to drive back to get it, saving the experience. In other bad family traditions, the pictures taken at the temple have mysteriously disappeared from the memory card. We have pics of meals, though!