Watering our.... kid.

I put the sprinkler on a dry patch of our yard then put Tad down to play on the sidewalk for a couple minutes. He crawled directly over to the sprinkler to play. Not just to the side of it, he crawls in until it hits his head then sits up to play. I love cheap entertainment!

Not so little anymore - 11 months!

Tad has grown a lot this past month. I LOVE sitting on the couch and watching him play - he's HILARIOUS!!! I dug out some of mine & Fred's old toys as well as our collection of balls and outside toys. The other day he stuck a plastic bug net on the shelf of our entertainment center and another toy on the shelf above it. He's also learned to stuff things under chairs or his playpen. (Hopefully I can catch it on video.) I'm absolutely adoring our little boy and the fun things he does.

* He still LOVES to walk everywhere. He's so proud when he walks by himself, but he still won't do it often.

* He goes from standing to falling face first onto his hands (in a bear crawl) to get down to crawl.

* If the bathroom door or refrigerator door is open he "runs" to it.

* He's starting to eat cheerios - but overall not a fan of texture still.

* He's 26 whopping lbs! (He lost a pound when he started to crawl.)
* He loves to shut doors and has mostly learned how to open them to get back out.

* He has 7 teeth (4 on top, 3 on bottom).

* His hair started out dark brown but now it's a really light brown.

* He has daddy's smile & momma's eyes.

* Seeing a blanket automatically forces his thumb into his mouth - it's magical!

* He thinks he needs to be lifted up to see everything momma does. He'll wiggle in between me & the counter and bounce up and down until I lift him up or move him to another room.

* He still doesn't realize his daddy picks on him. He loves Fred and cuddles most with him.

(Fred teaching Tad how to roll down a grass hill- is this child abuse? )
I took Tad's 11 month pictures a little late. I know I'm biased - but he's adorable (and so grown up)!

Sprinklers & family party

Tad LOVES water! As soon as you turn on the tub he hurries as quickly as he can to the door because he thinks it's for him. I was still surprised that he loved playing in the sprinklers as much as he did. He played in the sprinklers with Elizabeth & Brandon 2 days last week. When you try to take him out of the sprinkler he turns and tries to walk back to them! He didn't even shiver very much. Both days as soon as we changed his clothes and layed him down he went right to sleep.

Usually my mom's side of the family does a big Christmas party - held at a church because we're talking 100-200 people. (Fred makes fun of us because his family get togethers fit in the family room of his parents' house!) This year they decided to try a summer party. It was supposed to be mid-June but got rained out. I liked the idea of a summer party - and the salad selection was much better! :} They grilled burgers & hot dogs, then had games for the kids, bingo for the adults, and a mule drawn wagon ride for anyone who wanted to. My cousin Breanna stole Tad and took him, then I went the second time around. He doesn't look thrilled in the picture, but as soon as he got off he jabbered away like he was telling us all about what he saw. Sometimes I can't wait for him to be able to talk and hear his side of the story.

It was held at the Henefer Park so of course Tad had to swing and slide. After several attempts to not hold onto him, and finally putting my hands behind my back, Tad has gone down a slide by himself a few times! If you set him at the top he can push himself off and everything! It still makes me slightly nervous, but he loves it! Now if only aunt Crystal wouldn't teach him that you walk up the slide to get back up!

Holiday catch-up

I'm a slacker and I know it. Here's a jumbled review of our past few weeks.
* The end of June I was able to hang out with 2 of my favorite past co-workers (funny that they ended up being from the same town). Kirie and I met up for lunch so she could meet Tad. Usually when Tad meets new people he just stares, but he smiled at Kirie through lunch and thankfully sat pretty well. We had our favorite Thursday pasta! Then surprised our previous boss and visited for awhile. I think we're both glad we're not there anymore- they took away our temple view and moved the department to the construction side of the office!
* Saturday we met up with Jen (I met her while working up at Utah State) for the Lehi Rodeo. The livestock wasn't as good as past years, but I always love a chance to hang out with Jen.
*Fred's dad engineered us some new hinges for the gate at the top of our stairs and Tad is thrilled that he can hang out by the stairs without mom freaking out!
*We loved being able to celebrate the 4th of July all weekend! Usually we're rushing from one thing to another to make sure we celebrate with both families but this year was a little more relaxing. Saturday we drove to Henefer for Bingo & 10 cent ice cream cones! (The hilight of my 4th!) We watched the parade and Tad didn't cry as the firetrucks passed with their sirens. He loves to bend over to pick things up, but it always goes straight into his mouth. It's nice to have a kid so they'll actually throw candy towards us! We bbq'd with the cousins, played a game then headed home. I went shopping with my sister to pick up last minute things for her house. Then Lauralee, Crystal, Fred, Tad, Mom & Dad & I went to watch the Clearfield fireworks. Tad was beyond tired since he'd only taken a 10 minute nap since 10am that morning, but he seemed to enjoy the fireworks. The seats were fantastic, but the parking was PACKED!
* Sunday- the 4th- Fred & I grilled steaks before he headed to work so that he at felt like he at least got some kind of holiday. I spent the evening hanging out with my family.
* Monday - We met Fred's family for the park breakfast & the parade. I bought a cute wagon for Tad for $20 at a garage sale and it worked perfect! He even took a quick nap before the parade in it! After the parade we headed home and Tad took a good 3 hour nap! Dinner was grilled hamburgers with Fred's family, a quick stop at Aless' birthday party, then off for more fireworks. Tad was pretty cute - he was sitting between Fred & I on a blanket, when I put his blanket over his lap he put his thumb in his mouth and leaned over to lay on Fred. I'm amazed he doesn't cry when we keep him up so late, he gets giggly.
* This week my niece and nephew are in town from Colorado. Tad loves having kids to play with! We went to the park to feed the ducks and play on the toys. And yesterday Brandon hung out with us all day while my parents helped my sister move. We (Fred & Brandon) made paper airplanes (I just helped fly them) & walked to the library and to get shakes!
* We've still got a lot planned this summer and hopefully I'll keep up better on my posts. This week: Family reunion, sprinklers for the kids, & more fireworks, Tad's birthday, the zoo, med school applications, possibly a short family vacation, and Tad eating real food (I'm counting down the days until I don't have to buy formula & puree his food)!
*Since there are so many pictures you just get a slide show. *