A new arrival!

Logan Connor Splattstoesser is Katie and Josh's newest cousin. He was born on Sept. 11 at 5:12 pm weighing in a solid 8lbs 11oz. and 20in. long. He is totally cute and we cannot wait to meet him. Katie and Josh don't have any cousins in Utah, so we love the pictures and look forward to visits from cousins Skylar, Kayden and Logan Splattstoesser and cousin Elliot Ann Brady.

Picnic at Cold Springs Trout Farm

Friday night we went to the annual school picnic at Cold Springs Trout Farm. After a yummy dinnner we set out on our quest to catch a trophy trout. Those who know anything about the trout farm know this is about the easiest fishing experience you could possibly have. The pond has about 1,500 trout all swimming right at your feet. Everytime you throw in some fish food, the fish go into a feeding frenzy worthy of a Discovery Channel Shark Week special. All you have to do is put the fishing pole (which is really a stick with a hook) in the water and throw in the food. The fish in their confusion are supposed to bite the hook. As a kid my family did this a couple times. We had actually been fishing "for real" and were not particulary impressed since the whole process only took about 3.5 seconds. Our kids have not been fishing outside the trout farm and are always excited to catch a fish. Josh was up first, he was right in there with a firm grip on the pole and determination in his eyes. The first attempt was unsuccessful, oh well, the odds are definately in his favor, right? Well, 2 full cups of food later, Josh is completely bored with the whole fishing thing. (Even though he has only been fishing for maybe 15 min.) It was not until dad was off getting yet another cup of food, that Josh and Grandpa Don catch a fish while just playing with the rod in the water. No food, no feeding frenzy, just plain dumb luck. Katie on the other hand caught her fish on the second try. She is now the master of trout fishing, in this house at least! She spent the rest of the time running from pond to pond making scientific observations about the habits and growth patterns of trout. (Those of you who know her, know that I am not kidding about this!) All in all it was a successful fishing trip and a fun time for everyone!

First Day of School!

The kids started school yesterday, finally! They were both more than ready to go back. I think they were actually more ready than mom. Josh is in level 3, the same class he was in last year. There are lots of new faces, since most of his friends moved up a class. It will be a bit of a challenge for him to make new friends. He also has the chance to be the oldest in the class, which will be good for him since he is the youngest at home. Katie is in level 5 this year, which is a 8-12 year old class. She has a new teacher this year who is lots of fun. She is really excited for all the projects and fieldtrips they have planned. She is also going to play violin in the school orchestra again. We are all looking forward to another great year!