FrednMarcinda & a wee little lad... named Tad.

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Tad had a runny nose Wednesday, the 5^th. Thursday, he woke up and had really labored breathing. He was breathing fast, his collarbone area was sinking in, and his tummy went from round to flat with this ribs with every breath. I set him down to watch a movie to see if it got better once he was resting. It didn’t, so I took him into the doctor. Besides the breathing, he was acting fine.
Visit #1 - Saturday before Christmas, I’d taken Tad into Instacare because he had spots all over his side and thought maybe he was getting pneumonia (he'd been exposed to it a few days before). The red spots ended up being Viral Xantham. The spots are caused when your immune system goes into overdrive, there’s nothing to do for it, they’ll go away. The doctor also told me signs to watch for pneumonia, one of which was the labored breathing and sinking around the collarbone.

Visit #2 - Tuesday before Christmas, Tad complained that there was something in his ear. He finally started crying his pain cry. I took him to the doctor and he had an ear infection. The doctor rated it an 8 out of 10 for how bad it was. And said it was the worst one he’d seen all week. (At least Tad does it right if he does it.)

Visit #3- While we waited at the doctor's, Tad told me he needed to go potty, of course the buzzer saying it was our turn went off as soon as I got him seated - but he went! Dr. Spencer was pretty concerned and wouldn’t really say what he thought it was. He just kept looking at him like he was almost nervous. He debated sending us straight to the hospital, but finally said, “Let’s do a breathing treatment and if that doesn’t help, we’ll send you to the hospital.” What? How did that happen? Right before the nurse came in to do the treatment Tad told me he needed to go potty again.   (I'm not a fan of this potty training stuff!)

The breathing treatment helped, and he set up a hope nebulizer. He told me to do treatments every 4 hours, but if I felt like I needed to do them every 2 hours, after a couple of times, take him into the hospital. Tad also still had an ear infection, so we got another dose of amoxicillin.

I had my mom come over and watch him for a little bit while I ran to get groceries and his medicine. The homecare people finally brought us a nebulizer around 7pm. 5 hours after his first treatment. (They didn’t come sooner because they said they were waiting for the doctor to let them know that we were home and could bring it.) Crystal and mom were nervous about his breathing. I did a treatment at 7pm and Tad was still breathing hard. When Fred got home from work, he started timing Tad’s pulse and breaths. After a treatment at 9pm, Fred called the nurse line to see what they thought. We did a treatment at 11pm then drove to McKayDee Hospital.

We were put in a room right away. It was annoying to have to tell “the story” of our day so many times: to the nurse, to the doctor, to the respiratory therapist, to the xray tech, to the resident doctor, to the pediatric nurses, at the same time, I do see the point for some cases that they see.

They put a pulse monitor on his left thumb. He didn’t love it there, but he managed to leave it alone. Even at 12am-2am in the morning Tad is pretty pleasant. He entertained himself and us pretty good as we waited. I was happy with the ER staff. The doctor made sure to stop by often to double check on us as she monitored his breathing and waited for x-rays (negative for pneumonia), but showed Bronchialitis. Bronchitis is generally in your Bronchi that come down from your esophagus. Your Bronchial are the smaller parts that connect to your air sacs (lungs). Bronchialitis is inflammation of your bronchial. It’s often caused by various viruses, including RSV, which is why they get so concerned.

While we waited, Tad colored in a coloring book and looked around the room. Then he asked me for his tools. I told him we didn’t bring his tools. He insisted, so I pretended to reach in his diaper bag and gave them to him. He happily went around the hospital bed “fixing” it. He’d also step on the wheels and say “whoosh” filling them up. :}
The respiratory therapist was impressed that Tad would hold the treatment mask by himself. Several of the hospital workers also commented on how big he is for a 2 year old. Our favorite person was the one that came in and said “They say he’s 2 years old?” then looked back at the paperwork to figure out his age from his birthdate. “He’s not even 2 ½ yet!” Nope, he’s just big. :} After the respiratory therapist gave him a treatment, we waited awhile, then the nurse came in to release us, papers in hand. The doctor came in one last time and saw that something on the monitor had dropped to 89. She was afraid that as he fell asleep it would drop even lower, so she admitted us overnight.

As we waited for them to get paperwork and a room ready, Tad finally started to get grumpy. I can’t blame him, it was 2:30am. He’d tried to suck his thumb to go to sleep, but the monitor was on his left thumb (the only one he sucks). I climbed up on the bed and held him so he’d go to sleep and so I could hold the oxygen up to his mouth.

The resident doctor from the pediatric unit came in and had to do some chart information, then they were ready for us to go upstairs. I moved Tad to the bed so I didn’t have to be rolled through the hospital. The nurse driving the bed was a little crazy in her steering, but we made it without scraping any walls or waking him up.

The worst part was getting settled in his room. The nurses were not very good, maybe they were just overly excited to have something to do in the middle of the night. They made us wake Tad up to get his weight. They couldn’t just take his weight from when we got to the ER. Tad wasn’t happy about being woken up at 3:30am. Inside his room 3 nurses seemed to attack us. Tad continued to cry, almost hysterically, completely unnatural for him. I sat in the bed and held him to try to calm him down. Before I could get him calmed down, one nurse tried to put a nose oxygen tube on him and taped it down (I’d freak out too, if someone tried to tape something to my face). The 2^nd nurse was hooking up monitors and moving the pulse monitor to his toe instead of his thumb. And the 3^rd nurse was talking over Tad’s crying to give us instructions about the pink wristbands she was putting on our wrists and telling us what codes we needed if we left the area, or called in for information, etc. Tad ripped the oxygen right back off, and eventually settled down as he watched Cars. After he was asleep again, the nurse told us they come in at 6am to do blood work, and they needed to do another breathing treatment. Fred and I shared our displeasure. I also tried to convince them to set up the oxygen now, so that if he needed it during the night it was there and I wouldn’t have to come searching for one of them. They said he could actually drop to 88 and be fine. I was annoyed, but left it alone (the oxygen was there when I woke up). We finally settled into our uncomfortable recliners at 4:30 am. I didn’t sleep well at all, as I was awakened each time a nurse came in to check Tad’s vitals.

The morning nurses were MUCH better. They worked well with Tad and actually listened to Fred and I. Tad still freaked out about the monitor on his toe. He wouldn’t even stand on that leg, like it was broken. :} He had breakfast and watched cartoons, snuggled with Dad and looked out his window. The media trailer for the Ogden Police shot earlier in the week were right below our room. Tad saw the trailer and told me there were horses in there. I told him I didn’t think so. The thing that entertained him the most was the connector for his monitor. It was about 1 in x 2 in. He called it soap and used it to “scruba-dubba” daddy’s face and arms.

The doctor for the day just happened to by mine & Fred’s doctor. Dr. Tensmeyer looked him over - Tad’s gotten really good at lifting his shirt and taking deep breaths. They had told us they’d release us after lunch, but the nurse came in shortly after the doctor with release papers. We opted to go home and get some sleep. Of course they had to wheel him out in a wheelchair.
We hadn’t moved our car from the ER parking so we had to be wheeled out through the ER. There was one lady sitting there, waiting to be checked in, holding a barf bag. I didn’t think too much about it, until we all got the flu the next week.

After lunch at home, Tad went down for a nap and Fred went into work for a few hours. I don’t know how he did it, I was exhausted. Tad ran around all afternoon, making me even more tired. We ended up giving Tad a treatment that Friday night because he was sounding wheezy, probably from playing so much. He’s been fine since then.

Saturday night Tad woke up throwing up. We thought maybe it was just all the medicine and some food he’d eaten. Fred & I hadn’t recovered from our lack of sleep, but stayed up together to manage Tad. He was fine the next day, Sunday we stayed home from church to recover and per the doctor’s suggestion. Monday, Fred and I went to the ranch to go hunting. We took our snowmobiles. One needs a new drive belt, so we rode the other one double. 5 minutes into our ride that one stopped working. We hiked for awhile to look around. I am SO out of shape!!!! We hiked back down to the truck, drove to the snowmobile and loaded it. Our picnic lunch on the back of the trailer in the sunshine was nice. On the way home I started to not feel good. By 6pm I had figured out that Tad had really had the flu, not just indigestion. My dad came over to help Fred give me a blessing. Fred caught it around 1am. Luckily, my parents came to get Tad in the morning so we could spend our lovely 9^th anniversary sipping 7up on the couch. Unluckily, they all caught it that night. Tad was spending the night, but they said he was asleep by the time it hit them. Fred calls it the plague- 6 or 7 hours of feeling like you’re going to die & wishing you were going to die, then 1 ½ days of exhaustion.

Wednesday we took Tad to his regular doctor, for a follow-up appointment. The tests they ran in the hospital to see if it was caused by RSV were negative, it was Rhino-? (basically just a strong cold virus that had caused all of our trouble!)   The student Physician’s assistant pointed out that all of our trauma had started 6 days ago. Only 6 days? It’s been the longest month of January ever! :} We weren't even 2 weeks into the new year!

Christmas 2011 pictures

2012-01-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

So, I have another hobby....

2012-01-04T19:45:00.002-07:00

Something I enjoy and have fun doing, and if I ever learn to not stress so much before and after, I'd do it more! I'm not as amazing as some, but I don't plan to ever make it a career- just a hobby.
**Photography**
In high school, I got a job at Target Portrait Studios when my sister was getting her picture taken and I made a comment about how to pose her. The photographer told me I should apply. I not only got the seasonal job, but they kept me on afterwards. I worked there for about a year while starting college. I haven't really done anything with it since, except state my opinion :} or give ideas of how to pose.
I've only done engagements for a cousin (and my brother a few years ago) and some bridals for my sister-in-law's sister, but it's a start! And I just got an AWESOME new camera to play with!
(Don't critique too much, they're fresh off the camera, un-edited.)

Christmas 2011 Slideshow

2011-12-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Tad has been a lot of fun this year.   He shouts "More Christmas Lights!" whenever we're driving.   He's been good about leaving the tree and presents alone.
I asked Tad if he wanted to sit on Santa's lap. He said "Um, nope." I asked if he was going to tell santa what he wanted for Christmas? "Um, nope." Is it because you were naughty? "Naughty". :}
When you ask him what he wants for Christmas he tells you "Purple, green, orange." (These were the color of lights up at my mom's house during Halloween and he loved them.)
Earlier this year we were watching a Christmas movie and asked what animal pulls Santa's sleigh? He said "Elk". :}
Christmas morning we woke him up and asked who came to his house last night? He said "Daddy".
He seems to have an answer for everything, even if it's not the one we were expecting. :}
Christmas morning started at 6am (earlier, because Fred & I couldn't sleep, but we waiting patiently to wake Tad up). He noticed his baseball glove right away, then had to go get a ball for it before we could move onto any more presents.
7am we were off to gma & gpa lyons' for breakfast quiche and presents with the cousins.   Tad got a spring horse but decided he's scared of it.   He's starting to warm up to it and will feed it a plastic carrot and show it his new clothes. :} Fred & I were spoiled as always!
10am off to church. It was nice, they told the Nativity story from Mary's point of view.   Tad slept stretched out across Fred & and I.
Noon off to gma & gpa Drysdale's for blueberry/lemon scones and more cousins! Tad got a shopping cart and a cash register to go with the kitchen set he already has. I got a new camera!   Yeah!!!!
A quick stop at mom's. Home to put Tad down for a short nap, while family came to see what Santa had left us.   We woke Tad up and joined them as they ventured to my brother's house. Tad was beyond grumpy, but can be distracted by cousins, which was good because we were off to dinner at Fred's parents' house. Turkey, a game, and of course the GB Packer game for Fred - must be his lucky new GB tie I got him!
I'm loving Fred's new schedule. He was able to be home all weekend and part of the week.   We even spent a day cleaning out our closet to fit all of our new toys. :}
I have to add, I got 4 new games to add to my collection:   Nab it (Love it!), Telestrations (haven't played it yet), Logo game (love it!), and Up-a-bit (haven't played it yet).   Tad also got a couple of kid games so he'll leave mine alone. :} And Fred got a new game - Trigger.
As soon as I figure out how to do a new slideshow, I'll put up pictures, I just didn't want to torture you, or me by downloading them into this post. :}

I help you.

2011-12-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

We have the MOST helpful 2 year old on our hands. He's a pretty good kid, but I don't really need help doing EVERYTHING. "Mommy, Mommy, I eed you help" is the phrase of the day! or he'll find me and say "I help you".

He helped daddy open his birthday presents. A new fire pit for the backyard. We celebrated all weekend. Friday was with his parents for Grandpa's soup, per Fred's request. Saturday, we went bowling with some friends from Fred's work. Sunday, we enjoyed dinner and spice cake with my family. Finally, we celebrated with our little family on Monday. We ended up trying a new Mexican restaurant (excellent chips!) and the dollar theatre for "Johnny English Reborn" (fun movie, and clean!).

Tad has been helping around the house. He washed his truck windows. :}

Helped mommy fold socks. Whenever I fold laundry he takes the socks and folds one on the top of each of the piles I have on the couch.

Then when I do actually fold the socks we use his dump truck to put them away. I load up one person's socks at a time and he takes them to the correct room and dumps them in front of the dresser.

After putting up lights outside and having Tad be ENTIRELY too helpful as we were sorting lights, I wondered about having him at home to put up our tree. First we picked out our tree. This is the first time we've gone during the day. It was warm enough we made it all the way to the back of the lot and found the perfect tree for a good price.

Tad ran to help dad carry the tree to the truck.

While I put the lights on, Tad was surprisingly good. He would hand me lights and I'd let him plug in the next set. A couple of times he'd take a strand of lights and stand on the step stool and call for daddy. "Daddy, I eed you help with Christmas lights". (He is talking in pretty clear sentences and we love it!)
Ornaments..... if we would have left them up to Tad would have been tucked away in the inside of the tree.

I have to say I'm a genius. We have bell ornaments that I usually only put one or two on. As I was vacuuming our mess, I bumped one and thought that would be a perfect way to "booby-trap" the tree. We put the whole set around the bottom branches and about as tall as Tad is so that when he touches the tree, I'll hear the bells. :}
Unfortunately, I don't trust Tad enough to put presents under the tree, even though we had a talk about if he touches presents "I get in trouble, go time out." Sad that I love to hear him say this. :}

November 2011

2011-12-10T18:13:00.002-07:00

For Thanksgiving this year, Fred decided to go play football in the morning. It was freezing! Tad and I went to watch for a little while. Unfortunately, the rest of the day he had a headache, and for the rest of the week he hobbled. No broken bones..... just an old man!

Tad helped Aunt Lauralee make rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. "Roll, roll, roll." He actually did pretty good when he wasn't eating the dough.

We enjoyed dinner with my family. After Grandpa and Tad took a nap, the girls had ordered things online to avoid Black Friday, we were ready to stop at Fred's family for a 2nd helping. Tad loved playing with his cousins and we finally got to meet 8 month old Marcus (Sunny's little boy, they live in VA).
We also took family pictures while they were in town. I'll post some soon.

We went to the Festival of trees.

What happened to all of the stories that are usually posted? That's what keeps me in there for a long time. We were in and out in less than 2 hours. But I did see a couple of cute quilts. (I just started a farm yard one, so it'll be awhile before I can look into how to do them.)

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. I have more pictures to post of the beginning of December.... if the computer will cooperate.

Watch what's on TV!

2011-11-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

What do these pictures have to do with Tad?
Saturday night at Nannies house, Tad convinced Nannie to let him paint.   Nothing new, he HAD to paint earlier this week when I was painting a craft.   This time though, he lifted his shirt and painted his belly, then his forehead and cheek. :}   Nannie rushed to put his clothes in the wash after a slight scolding. Fred's dad laughed pretty hard because he saw fans on tv with painted bellies.
That is the ONLY place we can think of where he would have learned about painted bellies!   I couldn't help laughing when he told me that night "Tad paint belly".   My 2 year old is too smart!   Surprising that he could already figure things out like that.   We are in for some big trouble if he keeps this up! And we definitely have to start watching what we have on the TV and what we say (no more roadrage..... Tad says "Come on cars" everytime we get in the car now). :{
He's using a lot of sentences. Our favorite from the weekend was when Fred was teasing him, he said "Don't eat me daddy." :}   And later when he was hiding, "Where's Tad daddy?"

What to do WITH daddy!

2011-11-02T16:53:00.000-06:00

Tad is getting really, really tall, and smart! And..... helpful.

He helped carry the pumpkins inside the house and up the stairs (one day after grocery shopping he carried a gallon of milk from the car to the steps. Awesome!)

I asked if he wanted to help draw faces on the pumpkins. He took it literally and found a pen to start drawing. :}

Daddy cut them open and we helped scoop. Tad helped for about 2 handfuls and a couple of pictures, then he was done.

He continued to "draw faces" on the pumpkins even after Fred and I had started carving them.

Of course he wanted to blow out the candles. After a few times telling him "no" he's been good about leaving them alone.

Then we made carmel apples! I THINK Fred likes them...... He couldn't let a single bit of carmel stay in the bowl. :}

Monday, for Halloween, I ran errands, stopped by a trunk or treat, then went to my parents' house for make-your-own-pizzas. Tad loves to ring their doorbell before he goes in.

After pizza, we went to their ward Trunk Or Treat and visited a friend. Instead of candy, my parents gave him a pig book and some cars that shoot off when you push a button. Probably the hilight of his Halloween. The only candy he really likes is M&M's and now pop rocks. :} He was NOT a fan of a Hot Tamale we tricked him into eating.

When Daddy got home (He switched jobs within his company--- FINALLY! and started training on Halloween, which meant he was home earlier!) we took Tad around part of our neighborhood. He loved it. I'm not sure if it was because he got to ring doorbells, or because they gave him attention. He'd set his bucket down to ring the doorbell, we had to remind him to pick it up, then he was good about saying "Trick or treat" and "Thank you" (unless there was a dog, then that's where all his attention was). He'd turn to where I was at the end of the driveway and yell "Mom, I got trick or treat!" :}

He got more candy than any 2 year old should have! Luckily, he doesn't like the same kinds that Fred & I like!

What to do without Daddy

2011-11-02T15:47:00.001-06:00

Fred had to fly out of town for the weekend. It was a busy week before he left and seemed even busier with him gone. But we made the most of it. I raked the leaves for Tad to play in. I found out I'm too compulsive to do this without Fred. I made a big pile and all Tad wanted to do was walk through them, dragging the leaves out of the pile. (see the 3 lines to the left) When Fred helps us play I don't feel as much of a need to keep raking them up! While we were outside I had told Tad that daddy was on an airplane. When a plane went over he looked up and yelled "Daddy, can you hear me?!" :}

I made a dinosaur costume for him this year. He did much better at keeping the hat on.

Friday, we went to visit Aunt Crystal at work for her Halloween party.

Friday night I had a Mommy/Daughter Activity Days Party. We had soup and bread bowls. I was a little stressed, but it turned out great. We even had 16 girls show up!!!

The next morning we got up early, picked up Aunt Lauralee & Crystal and headed to the zoo to trick or treat. The place was packed! We skipped a lot of the lines that just had candy since Tad's not old enough to care. Would I do it again? Probably not- it was too crowded and the lines were long.

The train came while I was trying to take this picture of Tad. :}

"Proof" we were there on probably the craziest day at the zoo.

Finally, we headed to the airport to pick up Daddy! Tad was a little hyper and ran around in circles while we waited. He loved watching the bag carousels. And spotted Daddy right away!

My new hobbies

2011-10-26T22:15:00.000-06:00

So, a few new hobbies for us!

I've learned how to needlepoint / applique quilt. This was my first attempt!

We've spent some time enjoying the fall covered mountains (dreading the freezing cold).

We evidently have a new hobby of visiting Instacare. Not to get my stitches out, nope, we took those out ourselves. This time (13 days after my stitches) we visited the Logan Instacare for Fred to get some stitches! We were up visiting my sister and helping put a new door in. She was weed whacking her yard and flipped a rock at her glass door. You might say bad luck runs in the family. :{ He slipped with a chisel and off we went to Instacare. It was a very pleasant experience though. :} 35 mins in and out! We still made it perfectly to enjoy the Pumpkin Walk which was our main reason for being up that way.

And my final hobby of the month....... Hanging out in the bathroom! But, we are up to successfully peeing in the potty at least 2 times a day. Not on his own, but I'll take 2 less diapers any day!

This morning "Dolly" was using the potty too. After Tad went he had to show Dolly. :}

Come on, that's funny!

Mini Fred

2011-10-14T11:22:00.000-06:00

I realized the other day just how much Tad looks like Fred when I saw this picture.

I showed it to Fred and he said "When did you take that picture of Tad?" The little boy in the blue shirt and tie is Fred at about 3 or 4 years old. Such a mini Fred - in more ways than one!

And it was going so well.....

2011-10-04T09:43:00.001-06:00

Actually, the whole roofing project didn't start out well. We ordered shingles over 3 weeks ago. Delivery day came and went. Fred called and they said "didn't your daughter tell you they were backordered?" "We don't have a daughter." Well, it'll be another week. Delivery day came and went again. Fred called. "They were supposed to be on the truck but they weren't" Fred's reply was something about ordering them from another store. "No, we don't want you to do that." So, we got a discount! But it was still going to be another week. They finally called and suggested we use a different distributor, same cost, matching color, same warranty, and they'd be here Friday. Um, of course! The "garbage truck" as Tad called it, came Friday morning and lifted the shingles to our roof. (I HIGHLY reccommend splurging for this service for anyone who plans to roof their own house. 80lb bundles up a ladder? No thanks!)

By lunch the first day

Our parents have been lifesavers! They've kept Tad so he's not trying to climb the ladder. They've kept us fed for 2 days! And Fred's dad has been up on the roof with us.

It seemed to be going pretty well. Fred, Dad & I working on the back part to get all the cutting around vents done first. Evidently I did a little more cutting than I should and ended up.... in instacare. :{

I drove myself so Fred and Dad could continue working. Crystal joined me to keep me entertained while I waited 2 hours for my 4 stitches. The doctor said he could either do stitches or just put a splint on it so I didn't bend it. I chose stitches since it was the first day of our roofing project and I knew I'd be moving it ALOT. The funniest part is when they asked when I had my last tetanus shot? Um, the last time I was here, check my chart. :} Really, about 4 months ago, when I had my toenail ripped off. Nice that I'm making quarterly visits to instacare.

My "goodies" in a Biohazard bag! :}

Nashaela & Paul came to help while I was gone. Fred told them someone needed to cut, once one of them said they would, he said "Now I'll tell you where Marcinda is...." He's funny. They came back the next day and helped in the morning. Then Crystal came to help in the evening. We were exhausted and sore, but got the roof of the house done in 1 1/2 days.

Sunday we took off to watch Conference and recover. Monday, Fred and I were back on the carport roof working. It's raining today (Tuesday). I guess it's time to catch up on the inside chores. Which for me, do NOT include doing dishes for 7 more days!

A Perfect Fall Day for a ride.

2011-09-26T11:08:00.000-06:00

Trucking out day with the sheep. I always look forward to this day. Sometimes it's bitter cold, but Saturday it was PERFECT! The trees are changing colors and it was a beautiful drive up to the Uintahs. We saw a lot of deer and even a cow and bull moose.

We left early and hoped Tad would fall back to sleep in the truck. He didn't. He actually jabbered most of the way. We start with Sour dough pancakes and then join the fun of loading sheep onto semi trucks. Everyone helps in one way or another. Grandpa and Fred helped hold the canvas and gates, tackled sheep that jumped out. I got the easy job of chatting with cousins and eventually recording numbers as they branded the sheep we were keeping (I got sunburned on one side because it warmed up so much. Even after I jumped the fence to equal out my burn, it's just the one side of my neck!).

We even taught Tad how to herd the sheep into the corral. Later he got to help at the front of the line poking the sheep so they'll climb the ramp onto the trucks.

Since he didn't get to Mutton Bust during the State Fair, we put him on a couple of sheep while we were there. His smile was pretty big, he thought it was fun.

My little cowpoke

Climbing the fence with Grandpa.

Playing fetch with the dogs.

Tad was beyond tired after being up for 12 hours, but we let him ride a horse before we left. He liked it until the horse moved. I rode with him for a short ride and he bounced up and down "Yeehaw". Another year and he'll be going by himself for sure.

Within minutes of getting in the truck he was asleep, even on a bumpy dirt road.

We ended the day with a quick shower and off to join Fred's family for his dad's yummy turkey meatballs. Now we're looking forward to next weekend and General Conference. Did I mention Fall is the Perfect season?!

September - month of the State Fair (& camping)

2011-09-23T09:19:00.000-06:00

We took Tad camping for his first time in the camper over Labor Day weekend. Whenever we're working on it he loves to climb the ladder up to the top bed. He was more than happy to climb in and out all evening (without any accidents!).

We cooked stew for dinner and tried to get Tad to roast marshmellows. He didn't want anything but the chocolate! For some reason, he kept crying during the night. I got up a couple of times to make sure he was covered. Finally, I put him in bed with Fred & I. He slept, we didn't, he's a bit of a bed hog! The next morning he was ready to play again. Fred took him down by the river to throw rocks in while I sat peacefully by the fire and read my book! We had planned to go tubing in the river, but it was too cold and windy.

The weekend before Labor Day the State fair starts, at least for those of us working! I LOVE the State Fair, it's work, but I get to spend time with Lauralee, I get to compulsively organize,I get out of the house for a few weeks, and do a little playing. And this year, I got a private quilting lesson! (I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll have my first one to show you before the end of the year.)
A day of set up, a day of entering exhibits, a very long day of judging exhibits (we were short judges and didn't have ribbons so we had to do double work). After Labor Day weekend we have 2 1/2 days of setting up exhibits. Then my reward for working- 3 days of rodeo and showing Tad the animals!

He'll willingly pet them this year!

Farmland with Crystal

Of course the Butter Cow Sculpture!

Rodeo with Tad and.... Tad!
He was pretty confused for a little while as we tried to explain that both of their names were Tad.

We got to hold the baby pigs this year.

Tad was distracted by every tractor or trailer that he could climb on. Oh, and he got his own cowboy hat so he'll leave daddy's alone! (This was another moment of confusion for him when he saw both he and dad had a hat. He was looking at both trying to understand. I love this 2 year old stage of figuring things out.)

We tried signing him up to Mutton Bust (ride the sheep during the rodeo- for you city slickers). I'm guessing he wasn't picked because of his age. When they weighed in to register, the 4 year old before him weighed 39 lbs. Tad weighs 38 lbs at 2! The only requirement to sign up is they had to weigh under 50 lbs. He might not make it for next year! (We're guessing he'll stop gaining weight and just get taller actually.)

Grandpa and Fred were cheering at the rodeo. Tad joined in. Fred cups his mouth to yell, this is Tad's version. :}

After 3 days of fun it was back to work. Ending with an evening at the hypnotist with my sisters. When everyone else is done having their fun, we come in one last day and spent only 4 hours taking it all down.

Tad had fun staying with Grandma and Grandpa. He now requests often "Grandma, Grandpa house". He's learned to say the last word of each page while reading books with Grandma. And, thankfully, Grandma worked on potty training. He'll go for her, but when I try, he still won't. Grandpa spoiled him by blowing bubbles on the front porch with him every day.

This kid has become pretty fun lately. He learns things so fast! Like how to steal the beaters while I'm making a salad and lick them clean.

And he can almost do up all of the buckles on his carseat. Lucky Dolly, gets to go for a ride!

My favorite is after Dolly is securely in the seat he says "Here go Dolly."

Unfortunately, he's finally started saying "No" more often. I'm grateful it's not a firm, defiant "NO". It's a "No mom, No nap." :} Sometimes when I ask if he wants a nap he says "Stop it, No, Shhhh." But once he lays down, he always takes his naps without a fuss.

Zoo we have a good excuse for not blogging?

2011-08-30T20:51:00.001-06:00

Yes we Zoo!
There are a lot of pictures from the 2nd half of the month of August.

We took a day to SMELL THE FLOWERS. Tad has to smell the flowers, even the dead ones on his way in the front door.

We spent a day at the COUNTY FAIR. The petting zoo was great this year! A baby camel and a baby zebra (Tad loves to say "ebra" now.)

Waving bye to the animals so we could go get a free pony ride. (He looks so grown up!)

Fred and I even managed to get an evening out, while Tad spent the night at Nannie & Pompa's!

Tad and I spent one afternoon at the PARK feeding the ducks & geese. Tad's getting better at tearing the pieces of bread, but he doesn't understand that he has to stand still to throw them. He would chase them around "Here quack, here quack."

We spent a day making TREATS for daddy- I left the room to get something and he'd gone to get his "dolly" to help. :} Then this is what he did when I told him to put the marshmellows in the bowl.

We spent a day, a whole day, trying to work on POTTY TRAINING. (I'll blog when I find something successful.)

I spent a day making SALSA! I told Tad to quit squishing my tomatoes, so I couldn't resist taking this picture! :}

Finally, a few days at the ZOO! That's right, not one, but TWO! The dinosaur exhibit is ending this month, so we went with Aunt Crystal on Monday, and Daddy on Tuesday!

Tad was so scared of the T-Rex. He'd walk this close, but when I tried to tell them to stop so I could take a picture he kept pulling Fred's hand. Fred said there was no way Tad was going to let him stop!

I know camels are usually gross, but this is just a funny picture!

Since Daddy still needed to work, Tad & I rode the TRAIN home! He thought it was pretty cool.

When we got off the train and it started to go, he took off running after it. :} He must have liked it!

Rocks & "Bees"

2011-08-17T08:14:00.000-06:00

Crystal & I went to check out some places to take my cousin's engagement pictures. Being the compulsive person that I am, I wanted to get some scenery in mind so that I could start sketching some poses. Crystal was a big help, hiking down by the river to find some places with easy access. :}

We had a great time playing in the river. Tad loves to throw rocks, even as I took his hand to move on he'd continue to bend down and pick up more rocks.

On the drive home something hit the passenger mirror- a small bird or bug. I didn't think too much about it, until Tad said "Bee, Bee". I turned around and saw him holding a dragonfly in the palm of his hand! (He calls all bugs bees.) I pulled over, then decided I should move further out of traffic and pulled into a gas station. When I turned around again it wasn't in his hand. Being the good parent that I am, I made him hold it again so I could take a picture. :}

Too much water.

2011-08-16T16:34:00.000-06:00

Great Gram invited us to go to the Splash pad with her. I was afraid Tad would be overrun by the older kids, but it was surprisingly not too busy. He loved walking around the outside, but didn't like to run through the middle. Gram held him so they could get dumped on by a bucket of water. He didn't even whimper. It was a special day to be able to play in the water with Gram.

Gram brought lunch for us and we visited as we ate. Tad played peek-a-boo and ran around.

We went swimming at the wave pool. Tad loved it! He kept trying to go out too far and the waves would splash in his face. He was freezing by the time we left. But was just fine to jump back in water when I fixed him a bath!

The next day I let him play in his pool after we ate popsicles. I'm not sure if it's all the water, or allergies, or teething, or an ear infection but he's been grumpy and crying because he doesn't feel good.

Daddy also played with bubbles for Tad. I know he's not in focus, but I think it's a cool picture with the bubbles in focus. And it still shows what I thought was funny. Fred told him to turn around his hat so he could see the bubbles and he turned it to the side. (He wears it often like this.) :}

Toddler Tad Turns 2!

2011-08-08T17:53:00.000-06:00

After a long night at the wedding, Tad was nice enough to let us sleep in until 9am! He got cute jammies from grandma and grandpa (They took him home early from the wedding because he didn't get a nap all day and was ready to go.)

He helped mommy get ready for church while wearing his "Cowey Hat".

Since he's obsessed with ties, we got him a few new ones.

After church we found a birthday card from my sister's family in CO. Tad was so excited. (He now goes around the house and takes everything out of any envelope he finds.) (When they called and sang happy birthday on my vm, Tad kept trying to blow the phone like candles.)

Tad got a nap after lunch, while Fred and I scurried to get the party ready. BBQ chicken, Roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, cornbread, and a lemon-lime tractor cake!

(Don't look close, it's probably the messiest cake I've ever made!)

(Tad is sitting on my lap as I type, singing happy birthday to himself and trying to blow out the candles again.)

More presents than any 2 year old should get! Thank you families for spoiling him - and helping stock his wardrobe.

He had to clap with everyone else after he blew out his candles.

Pushing "Dolly" in the swing. (Funny moment at the party, I was opening some clothes for Tad from Gma & Gpa and found 2 baby outfits, I thought for sure they were for my sister-in-law, and turned to give them back to my mom, nope, they're for Tad's Dolly! They're size Premie and fit perfectly!)

A friend made this for Tad- it is the cutest stuffed horse I've ever seen, and it's crocheted!

We found a helmet and cheap scooter for Tad's birthday present. We're hoping the 2 front wheels prevent too many accidents. It'll take awhile to get down the coordination of pushing off, but he seems to like it.

Tad had his 2 year appointment today. 35lbs, 37.5 inches, 99th percentile. So glad that we're just moving to yearly appointments now.
He did have to get one shot. He's been kind of emotional today and I thought for sure he'd cry, but he just gave the nurse a weird look, and checked out his cool orange bandaid. (His new word of the day.)

When we got home, there was another package in the mail from Fred's sister back east. A cool farm set that makes animal noises.

I'm not sure which aunt taught him to stick out his tongue for pictures.

Such a long week!

2011-08-08T17:11:00.000-06:00

We knew we were going to have a long week of crazy schedules, so we took time to go on a bike ride and a picnic to have some family time. Can I just say how out of shape we are? Not to mention we went during the hottest part of the day. Tad loved it though.

Tad found Fred's cowboy hat and has now claimed it. I love to hear him ask for his "Cowey Hat".

The first few days of the week were spent with Fred working long hours and when he was off he was gone doing some volunteer work for 3 days. In between all of that I ran a few errands and weeded the garden. I think we saw each other a total of 3 hours, then I did see him for an hour (helping him pack) before he left for scout camp for the last 3 days of the week.
Lucky for me, Tad is an incredibly mild kid, but I still don't think I could ever do the single parent thing.

Tad and I spent a long, hot morning at the zoo. It was nice to know we didn't have to hurry back and try to catch dad in between schedules. We saw the Elephant show, the Bird show, and part of the Discovery Show (where they let you pet smaller animals).

Of course we had to eat out at Wendy's to finish off our "date". Tad took a good nap, then we went shopping, to a birthday party for K, and Aunt Crystal slept over. The next morning we found out there was a standoff down the street - that's the closest I'd ever want to be to a SWAT team! Fred made it home from scout camp on time (I threatened his life). He was home long enough to shower and head out the door for a cousin's wedding. (He still hasn't unpacked.)

He was so sore from his 10 mile hike the day before. Aunt Crystal was nice enough to watch all 3 young nephews while we were in the temple. (3, 2, and 1 year old. She survived! That is good birth control!)

The happy couple!

They had planned it well, we went to the temple, straight to a church for yummy dutch oven dinner, then outside to a bowery for the reception. There wasn't any sitting around waiting for the next part to start. My sisters, cousin, and I ran the refreshments so we continued to be on our feet all night.
Such a long week! And we still had Tad's birthday the next day....

We've been....

2011-07-26T16:20:00.000-06:00

Working in the garden. He'll ask "ready?" before he picks them. :} We've already picked 27 cups this year!

Tad has learned how to swing in the big swing by himself. I swear he's not afraid of anything!

We finally visited the HAFB museum. Pretty cool.

Helping dad wire the truck for our trailer. Now Tad "fixes" everything. Last night he laid under the foot rest of the couch and "fixed" Crystal's feet. :}

Can you tell he wants to be just like daddy?

Fred and I took off for a week to help trail sheep with my Uncle. It was supposed to be a glorious week in the mountains, while Tad stayed with Grandma & Grandpa..... We came home after 3 days because I got the flu from my cousins' kids. :{

It was nice while it lasted. :}

The Days of '47 parade in SLC.

We had great seats and enjoyed lunch at the Gateway before a 2 hour nap for each of us! :} And fireworks at our house.

He can talk!

2011-07-06T10:44:00.003-06:00

Tad has started talking the end of June and for the most part it's pretty fun! (After about the 30th time of hearing "Mom" I get annoyed.)
He's been learning a lot of things the past couple of weeks. (I put pictures in a slideshow below because there were so many.)
* Words he knows: Tie, hat, church, juice (means a drink), bus, truck, Cars (he loves the movie), horse, candy, bye (he says it with an accent, I really need to get it on video), hello, nks (thanks), trick, shoes, socks, purse, dolly, daddy, work (if you ask where daddy is), mom, keys, please, book, TRACTOR, pompa, Nannie, Crystal, Lauralee, Ernie, hot, knock-knock, kitty, go, "Where are you?", cookie (sounds like truck-key), teeter-toter, swing, ready, Battery (he wants me to put it in the exercise bike so he can play on it).
* He's getting better at tearing bread for the ducks- we still need to work on his throwing the bread.
* He taught himself how to swing on the trampolene frame. Now he always tries to swing if he's holding 2 people's hands.
* He taught himself to go down his slide head first.
* He learned he can go swimming in his pool in his clothes..... Mom's a sucker and didn't get mad, just changed him into a swimming suit and let him continue playing.
* He ate a whole hot dog without freaking out on the 4th of July. He'll loves watermelon.
* He's obsessed with his church tie and tries to put it on himself, he also wears his hat all day (if mom's not hiding it).
* Unfortunately, he's also learned to throw tantrums. When you ask him to pick something up and he doesn't want to he'll grunt and reach out, like he can't reach it, or he'll try to pick it up and grunt like it's too heavy (even though he just dropped it). The other time is when you make him come inside, he sits at the bottom of the stairs and acts like he's dying.
* He can climb on his teeter-toter by himself, but can't quite get it to go.
* He can make his bed with help!
* He pretends to say his own prayer or help dolly say his prayers.
It's fun to see him learn, but also scary wondering where he learns some things.
** He's also learning to tell on himself when he does something wrong. He reminded me of two words I forgot he knew: Color.... He colored on my exercise bike. When I asked him if he knew why he was in trouble he said "Color". And just a minute ago, he put something in the fish tank. After another timeout, I asked if he knew why he was in trouble and he said "fish". He makes this easy huh?!

Growing fast! (4th of July)

2011-07-06T10:22:00.002-06:00

Why do we make June so busy?

2011-06-21T12:42:00.000-06:00

Now that the sprinkler valve is FINALLY fixed- everything that could leak, did and it took a few days. We were able to turn the sprinkler system on. We've got a great strategy: Fred runs the system from inside and I get to be the one that stands in the water and turns the sprinkler heads up or down to make sure they get everywhere. I put Tad in his swimsuit so he could play in the water. He's not a fan of the big sprinklers, so when we were done I put his little hose sprinkler on and he was much happier. I think he'd spend the whole day outside if I'd let him. Of course after watching mommy use a screwdriver to fix the sprinklers, Tad had to too.

Friday night we helped Crystal with her Work Summer BBQ. It turned out great and people actually stayed to play the yard games. Even though we were exhausted, we still got up early to go to the Zoo Sunrise Safari. I love the zoo and I'll get up on Saturday to go - especially if it means LESS people and MORE active animals!

The picture is blurry, but it's the 3 of us and the gorilla that was hanging out right by the window.

We got to see the zoo keepers fill up the Alligator pond. (The Alligator did not like the cold water and moved faster than I've ever seen them move.) It was cool because the zoo keeper took time to tell us about the animal and what they do for them each day - with only 5 of us standing around.

I'm really excited for them to finish the new part of the zoo with the polar bears and seals! They have a new area where the kids can dig in the dirt right by the construction sight. Tad was in heaven- "dirt!" "dirt!"

He just learned how to do an elephant sound from his cousins this week.

He's finally brave enough to climb up and go down the slide by himself! And loves it!

We went to the Bountiful Car show with Nashaela and Paul. This suburban was HUGE - and had a ton of leg room inside! Then to finish off our already eventful Saturday, we drove to Logan and got a free truck liner from a guy off KSL! It fits perfectly! We stopped to help Lauralee de-weed her yard, but she was already done. So she went with us to the Logan Park Festival to look at booths and to get some Aggie Ice Cream!

This jug is leftover from Crystal's BBQ. I knew sooner or later Tad would see it and figure out how to push the button. Sure enough, Sunday after church I heard water hitting the floor. He was trying to get a drink like he does from water fountains. :}

Continuing his helpfulness...... I was making banana cupcakes this morning and he got his stool so he could lick the beaters. I'm just happy he's trying new foods - maybe we'll get over his dislike for textures after all!This week he has started to look a lot older to me. He's not even 2 yet but he looks more and more like a 3 year old every day!

Cousin Fun

2011-06-21T12:05:00.000-06:00

I found this random place (Gilgal) to visit in Salt Lake. The description said it was a garden with LDS related statues. Not exactly what I had in mind, but it was free and kind of interesting.

Then we went to Red Butte Gardens. None of us had ever been there, but I'd like to go again, this time without Tad so I can take time to actually look at all the plants. If you're into plants or want a nice nature walk, this would make a great date!

We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed their shady tables. Then started around the trail. There were lots of cool plants and they're all labeled. The favorite part for the kids was obviously the Children's Garden.

There was a cool snake maze that ends at the snakes mouth with a fountain. Tad was drenched from standing too close.

Tad hurried over to the snakes spraying water. I'm not really sure why he thought putting his shoe in first was a good idea...... but he loved it.

Everybody loves a puddle.

2011-06-13T23:07:00.000-06:00

(Evidently, Tad is quite the poser.)

Tad is loving having his cousins in town! Today J. and Tad jumped in the gutter in the rain. Such a simple thing, but I loved watching them and it gave me a chance to start teaching him to move onto the sidewalk if there's a car coming. (Hard to believe J. is 6 already- my kid is a giant!)

I also REALLY appreciated the older boys and Bro-in-law coming over to spend their vacation day digging a hole in my yard so Fred could fix the rusted out valve to the sprinklers. Good thing it has rained a lot so we haven't NEEDED them yet.

Tad's a pretty impressive puddle jumper (probably because it combines his two favorite things - water & jumping)!

Powerwheels are dangerous! (** warning: gross pics!)

2011-05-23T10:18:00.000-06:00

Little boy + powerwheels jeep= Mom in instacare!

I don't blame anyone, but myself. I HATE shoes. I don't wear shoes. Except when I absolutely have to. I dislike shoes, even if they're comfortable. They are the first thing I take off when I get home, even before I put down my purse or car keys! So of course I went outside Friday evening without shoes on (just socks). Tad was playing in a powerwheels jeep that is at grandpa's house. He's too short to reach the pedal, but I taught him how to sit forward and push on the pedal. He drove around a little and when I turned him around he headed for the house. I tried to stop him before he hit the house and the Jeep lurched forward on my foot and the tire spun. I went in the house to sit out the pain, but when I took off my sock I saw....

Since the nail was pulled up I went to instacare to have them rip it the rest of the way off. Seriously, I didn't realize a dumb toe injury could hurt so much. The visit to instacare was amusing. Crystal took me, and while sitting in the waiting room, a lady from my old job came in, we had a nice chat while we waited.
We were taken back to a room, but the nurse looked at my toe and moved us to the "Surgery" room. Crystal and I had a good time (for 2 hours!) making jokes. The doctor looked at my toe like she didn't even know where to start. I ended up soaking it, and getting 2 numbing shots (the red dots lower on my toe). Then she pulled some of the nail off. It looks like my toe was "scalped"! This is the after product of the doctor's work.

Finally, we were on our way home, with a very numb, bandaged toe and a sore arm from a tetanus shot. Dad had milkshakes waiting with our dinner when we got home. Tad looked at my toe then continued playing.

Fred was sympathetic and came home from work with a frosty and fries - perfect comfort food as the numbing wore off. The worst part is the tip, I never realized how much touches the tip of your big toe.
Of course a sore toe couldn't keep me down. Crystal, Tad and I went to the zoo at 7:30am (!!!) to see the animals waking up. It was pretty fun though. Tad laughed at the Kangaroo jumping around. It may be his new favorite animal.

"Tractor, tractor, Tractor, tractor"

2011-05-17T11:23:00.000-06:00

They've been doing some road construction by our house and now every time we drive by that part of the road, even if Tad can't see it, he says "Tractor". Evidently they're all over town because he'll say "tractor", I tell him there's not one right here, I look over, and of course there's one!
We knew he'd love a ride on Grandpa's tractor...... now he's even more obsessed with Tractors!

Riding on the tractor with Pampa.

After his ride with Grandpa, he insisted on "driving" it. And the smart little dude has already mastered climbing up and down off of it. (At least 10x while we chatted outside.)

Now he says "tractor, tractor, tractor" constantly! The other day we were talking to Fred on the phone and Fred asked him about tractors. Tad's reply was singing "tractor, tractor, tractor, tractor, tractor." I asked if he knew any other words? He said "Yes, Dirt". :}

And obviously, he does know DIRT. While we were planting our garden he fell head first off the front porch (less than 2 feet). He didn't cry very much, I distracted him by having him help me water the garden (water solves everything for this boy!). By the end of using the hose, he had more dirt on his face than from falling off the porch! (You can't even see the red spot on the right side of his forehead, just dirt!)

Weekend of Firsts.

2011-05-10T13:06:00.000-06:00

mOTHER'S dAY weekend.

Saturday was super busy! I ran to pick up our Bountiful Basket and of course, because I was in a hurry, they were running late. Fred was supposed to meet for a work picture at 8am in SLC - we didn't make it, we barely left our house at 8am. By the time I sped to SL they had closed the roads because the Race for the Cure was just starting. He had to jog the last few blocks to even start the race. Things worked out well because there was a parking spot right where they made me turn. (Did I mention in my speeding I ran a red light, infront of 3 cops?- no, I didn't get a ticket.) I unloaded Tad and we tried to watch for Fred. There were MASSIVE amounts of people and we never saw him. Even though we tried 3 different places. We met up at after-race party so I could finally get a picture of him.

Tad was too distracted by all the people!

Then we hit the zoo! We got there right in time for the bird show. Tad seemed to enjoy the birds (next time we'll have to sit closer). We stopped to eat our picnic lunch. Everyone sitting around us had zoo food. Each one said how good their burger was or how surprisingly good the pizza was - one day we'll save up a little $ and splurge on zoo food. For now, Tad loved his pb&J!

Fred had planned for Easter weekend to visit This is The Place Heritage Park, but they were having their baby animals day and admission was more. We decided to pack it into our SLC day. We rode their little train and visited a few old farm houses and buildings, and of course the animals!

Fred tried to teach Tad to push a wheelbarrow. He can almost do it!

Tad's favorite part was probably letting the goats lick his finger. He'd get close, then giggle and back away. We'll have to go again when we have more time to spend. By the end of what we did see, he was tired - asleep before we got to the freeway!

The day wasn't over though! Tad transfered well (also a first) to his bed and continued his nap. He got to watch his first Kentucky Derby - he loves horses. Then we were off to a baptism for 2 of my activity day girls. One of the older girls took Tad up front to watch (his first baptism) by the water. When she brought him back he kept pulling on Fred's hand to go back up there. We stopped by their open house to visit for awhile and ended up staying so long we were overloaded by sugar and starving! I love $5 pizza on days like these.

And as for my first..... I got my first sunburn of the year! Also, it was the first year I didn't see either of my moms on mOTHER's dAY. My mom is cruising in Alaska and Fred's mom is working in NY.

Mother's day itself wasn't too exciting, but I did get a card written by Fred & colored by Tad- the BEST kind!

Easter, Air guitars, Cell phones & Frogs - Every boy's dream

2011-05-02T16:19:00.000-06:00

My friend Jen taught him to play the air guitar. I found him this little guitar, but he still plays his belly like the air guitar.

Making Sugar cookies with dad (I found a recipe that is amazing!)

Why did I believe the package that said "spill-proof" bubbles? He had them spilled in less than 10 minutes.

K. helping Tad at Gram's Egg hunt.

Daddy & Tad looking for more eggs. Tad LOVED running around with the older kids as they looked for eggs.

Tad taking his own picture with my phone. "Cheese"

It looks like he's getting ready to dissect the frog, but he's actually letting the frog blow bubbles with him. :}

Early Easter Excitement

2011-04-19T15:48:00.001-06:00

For activity days we taught the girls how to make Bread in a bag. Tad helped me measure the flour.

Tad also helped me wash the truck this week. Fred & I tried to go snowmobiling but both machines were stubborn and we ended up loading them back up and coming home without playing in the snow. The area was muddy though and my truck was a mess.

Tad liked helping dye eggs, except he'd drop them into the dye instead of dipping them.

Friday night Tad & I went to Lehi to play & SHOP with my friend Jen! Saturday while we went to my cousin's wedding at the Mt. Timp Temple, Tad stayed with Jen. She spoiled him rotten- and taught him how to play Air Guitar! It was probably his favorite part of the day. We didn't want to drive home so we stayed down there and played games at a church while the kids ran around. Tad did manage to take a nap before the reception. We ate entirely too much sugar that day. Then.....

Sunday we had Easter festivities with my family. Dinner, read the Easter story, an egg hunt (Dad hid the eggs REALLY well, he finally had to tell us where the last 2 were), made chocolate truffle eggs (I'm addicted to the coconut ones- more sugar!), then Egg bowling!

All you need is: 1 boiled egg per person, a boxed chocolate rabbit (that will stand on it's own- test them in the store!), and a flat surface.

Jayne, Cannon, Christopher, Me, Nashaela, Paul, Fred & Tad, Lauralee, Crystal (and Kaysen in the background).

I'm pretty sure we found a new Easter Tradition - EGG BOWLING!

Where did the good weather go?

2011-04-12T16:04:00.000-06:00

Memories of the good weather a few weeks ago..... what happened?!

The end of March was wonderful weather! I NEEDED to go to the zoo!

So Tad & I went Thursday, then Crystal took off work early and we went again on Friday!

The tiger decided to hang out right by the window. We waited for our turn to take a picture and the tiger decided to yawn right when Tad got up there. It scared him a little, but surprisingly he still stood there and looked at the tiger.

This has nothing to do with the zoo - but everything to do with good weather. We were finally able to finish the toy shelves for Tad. Fred built it, I got the easy job of staining it. I am an organization freak and LOVE having his toys in separate bins!

Thank goodness for generous people!

2011-03-27T18:20:00.001-06:00

I got a call from my sister-in-law last week asking if we wanted a swing set? Is it free? OF COURSE WE DO!!!! Her friends wanted it gone so they could plant a garden. Saturday we went to pick it up.
Fred & my brother lifted it without taking it apart (except for the slide), loaded it on a trailer and within an hour we had a new swingset in our yard!

We had stuff going on so we didn't get a chance to let Tad play on it until Sunday afternoon- I couldn't take it anymore, I wanted to see what he thought? He loves the basket swing and kept climbing on that.

He also loved the slide (we haven't hooked it back on yet). First thing he did was try to climb up it (Thanks Aunt Crystal for teaching him that!) Then Fred showed him how to climb up the ladder. By the 3rd time he can climb up by himself and get situated to go down the slide.

And, just as I predicted, the tantrums when we make him come inside have already started. :{
But for FREE- so worth it! I'm so glad she thought to ask if we wanted it, and SUPER glad the people only charged us the removal of it!
Of course it only makes me want Spring to hurry faster!

I'll do it myself.

2011-03-20T10:37:00.000-06:00

Tad was so excited to go for a bike ride. He loved helping Dad get the bikes ready by spinning the wheels- I really thought he was going to get his hand caught. When we got to the park he kept trying to climb on by himself.

He didn't want to smile for my picture of him and dad, until Daddy took him for a spin. Then he'd smile! (Fred got the cool bike seat off KSL for $10!!)

We went for a quick ride (it was freezing!) Then we ate a fried chicken picnic (still freezing). By the time we were done Tad was shivering.

I felt bad that I'd forgotten to do anything for St. Patrick's day (I'd even forgotten to put Tad in a green shirt that morning- I fixed that when I realized it later). After Tad went to bed, Fred & I had floats with Vanilla ice cream, sprite, and a little green food coloring. I don't usually like floats of any flavor, but I could handle those as our St. Patrick's day tradition.

Whether it was the cold bike ride, or taking care of a sick little boy, of course, now I'm sick! Grrrrr!!!! Luckily, Fred's been home for the weekend because Tad has also decided that 3am is wake up time- WIDE AWAKE! I don't know what we're going to do with him.

Bye, Bye Baby stuff!

2011-03-14T09:55:00.001-06:00

Fred & I have been working hard to pack away all of Tad's baby stuff! Yeah! Then Tad finally got his new bed set up! (Just the mattress for now.)

He did pretty good the first night. We only had to lay him back down 3x (and he fell asleep after I realized I hadn't given him a blanket he normally sleeps with.) The second night we ended up sitting in his room to keep him laying down. And the 3rd night he would come to the door but wouldn't come out. We had to tell him 3x to go lay back down and then he was out! Overall, it's been pretty good. I wish he would learn that when he's tired he can just go lay down. He'll get it eventually. :}

Sundays are still rough. He doesn't get a nap because church is later. This is the first time I've ever seen him fall asleep in his seat. We tried clapping and splashed a little water- not even a flinch. Luckily he'd eaten most of his dinner so we just put him in bed. (The high chair also got moved - and eventually packed away.)

Snow day! He hates to walk in the snow. But he loves to play in the melting snow that drips off of the house. He was soaked by the time I brought him in.

I doubt playing in the water caused it, but Tad ended up pretty sick this week. He had the flu and an ear infection. I'm SO grateful that Fred was willing to sleep on the couch and be woken up every couple of hours with coughing. Even on a Z-pack it seemed to take awhile to get him better. I think sick kids are the worst part of having a kid!

Well, I'm off for P.T.......After months of dealing with a sore left shoulder, Fred convinced me to go to an Orthopedic to have it looked at. The result: Bursitus. Aggressive icing, anti-inflamatory & Physical Therapy 3x a week. (For those of you who don't know what Bursitus is: it's inflamation in your Bursa - the jelly sac in your shoulder that helps lubricate the joint. It's buried under the rotator cuff. So, PT is supposed to help strengthen the cuff and get everything to fit together better and pinching.)

And those are all the reasons I have not kept up on our blog!

Loads of fun!

2011-03-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

I put new batteries in Tad's dino and it's a lot more interactive. Last week I saw him hiding under the table to roar at it. He also shared his sippy cup. He won't ever stand too close, but if he roars at it it'll roar back. When it walks towards him he still runs away.

We went to the rodeo with Aunt Crystal. We love that we can go to rodeos year-round! Tad said "look" at least 50 times, pointing out the horses. Usually we give him his blanket when he's tired and he'll suck his thumb. Even though it was hours after his bedtime he kept watching the rodeo and didn't really want his blanket. He stayed awake the whole drive home too. He was MUCH better behaved than the little brats behind us! And I have a new hatred for parents who talk babytalk to their kids!

I found these pants in Tad's collection of church clothes and they are adorably, nerdy! He looks like a little pioneer boy. If we had a big floppy hat, I'd have to find a parade to put him in! :}

This is his new "cheese" face. It looks a lot like his "I love mommy face". His "I love daddy face" is a smile with his eyebrows raised.
His latest obsession is keys. We found a set to our old car and let him play with them. He can say "keys please" but most of the time he just signs "please" (it's the only word I've taught him to sign, because I was tired of hearing him grunt for things.) He will literally spend hours playing with his keys, trying to turn every screw he can find. Tonight I sat on the floor to do puzzles with him and all he would do is carry around his keys.

FOOD!

2011-02-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

I print off new recipes all the time, then never try them. To help myself, & you out, I've decided to start a new blog. When I try a new recipe or create one, I'll share it!
http://www.tastebudsandbrainbuds.blogspot.com/

29 for the rest of my life

2011-02-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

29.... That's how old you stay for the rest of your life right? Good thing we spent the whole long weekend celebrating!

It started Thursday - Fred's been wanting to take the snowmobiles out. I think it's been a few years because of Tad & schooling. Tad would run away when Fred started them because they were loud. When we tried to put him on one he cried. (When dad sat with him he was fine.) Gma watched Tad while Fred & I went to Monte Cristo to play. It was a gorgeous day and it was nice to be out.

Friday was my actual birthday. Daddy took Tad with him shopping for my birthday present and I had 2 glorious hours of peaceful scrapbooking! When they got home it was time to bake a cake. Tad loves to stand on a chair to help. Evidently he already knows you need to taste things throughout the whole process.
I've decided I don't have a favorite flavor- I just like to try a new flavor each year. This year was Strawberry.

While the cake baked, Tad was supposed to take a nap - he refused. I wanted to take him to the pool to play, so I let him get away with it.
He loved the water and all the kids. Fred & I are pansies. The water was freezing! And I hate the kid area where they constantly have water spraying or dripping. It was fun to watch Tad but we lasted only an hour or less.

Fred & I went out for some great Mexian at La Puente for dinner and had cake and ice cream with Tad.

Saturday I went out shopping with my sisters. Then they went bowling with us. It was Tad's first time and of course he wanted to follow the ball down the lane. It was league day and they warned us we might get kicked off. On frame 6 of our second game we got kicked off - but they gave us coupons for a free game---- good deal!!!

Aunt Lauralee helping Tad

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with Daddy. Maybe the best part of the whole weekend is that Fred finished putting the new engine in my car! Yippeee!!! And can I just say he's a genius?! There was another part that would have cost $400 for the shop to replace- we got the part from a junkyard and he put it in himself for a grand total of $37!

The final excitement of the weekend was Tad's new trick.... I couldn't find him, because he's learned to climb in the tub by himself.

Weird that all the things I wanted to do for my birthday were things that I thought would be fun for Tad---- and at the same time the best gift was time to myself. Looks like I'll be spending the next year STILL trying to find a balance.

Happy Helper....but are we happy he's helping?

2011-02-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

First, Valentine's day. We had a Fantastic brunch outing. Tad was wonderful, stacking the coffee creamer and drinking his water. (He'd pretend to pour the creamer in his water---- no idea where he learned that!) He even tried some of our cinnamon roll & toast. I put grape jelly on his toast and he licked it off. :} It was SO nice to be out and not have to have his diaper bag of toys..... I love Tad growing up!

In Nursery on Sunday the leaders let the kids decorate cookies for their families. While the other kids devoured their cookies, Tad wouldn't touch his. I finally got him to taste it later. He ate the bumps off the top of the heart and that's it! He also practiced his licking (not sure if I like this new skill).

Daddy has been working on my car and Tad is in HEAVEN every time I let him go outside. Fred's a good sport about letting Tad play with his tools - except Tad usually "NEEDS" the one that daddy is using. We give him other tools and tell him to fix the snowmobiles. When we get out of the truck he has to walk through the carport looking for Daddy. It's so fun to watch him idolize his dad-- hopefully he always likes helping dad fix things and will learn a lot! We're going to have to get him some more grungy clothes because he's not afraid of dirt and grease at all----grrr!

Tad absolutely loves being outside and we're excited for spring! We've learned we need to shut our gate though - the other day I saw Tad in the road! SCARY!!! (The truck was parked out there and I think he was just going to it. I have a new appreciation for neighborhood speed limits!)

Since it was so windy outside today I made Tad come back inside with me. He probably would've stayed out there longer, but I was cold and had things to do. Tad decided he needed to help.......
So he helped me do dishes. Then got his chair to help me make lunch. Last night he put the broccoli in the pan as I cut off pieces. Today, he decided to taste the raw potatoes..... at least he's willing to try things, texture is not as big of an issue lately, yippeee!

Tad's latest quirk is whenever you ask him a question he says "uh-uh". Even if you know the answer is yes- occassionally he'll nod as he says it. The first day Fred experienced it he said it felt like opposite day. It came on fast, hopefully it's a phase that will leave just as fast.

What's up dude?

2011-02-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

What a busy couple of weeks! I was almost over my fear of Tad jumping out of his crib again when I saw him lift his leg like he was going to climb out. We've been moving around furniture so that we can put his new mattress in his room, it's just going to be awhile still.

We surprised my mom and repainted her hallway and back bathroom. Tad did amazing at staying out of the way! I, however, ended up with a nasty burn on my forearm when I painted down and hit it on the bare lightbulb! (Dad got a matching one an hour later!)

One day Tad decided to dump all of his snacks onto his little chair - I was just grateful it was the chair instead of the floor. :}

He loves these little chairs (and table) that I got at a garage sale for $5!! He pushes them all over the front room. His latest thing is to put them in front of the couch, side by side and try to sit on both of them. He's also discovered a pair of sunglasses.

Can you believe he has an ear infection?

Tad finally got his first ear infection. Being a good parent I waited 4 days to take him in. I refuse to take full blame. The first day he was really emotional, crying everytime I told him "no". I figured he was just teething because he also had a fever and runny nose (and I'm expecting all his molars to pop through any day now). The next day he was fine - back to being happy and jumping around. Day 3 - he was a little emotional, a little fever again. Still not pulling on his ears only crying when we laid him down. Day 4 - Fred said we should probably take him in. (My mom had told me I should on day one - but....) I was skeptical because he was back to bouncing off the walls. The doctor took a quick look, told us he did a good job, they were both fiery red.

I took this picture of him after his doctor's appointment. I hadn't given him his antibiotics yet and he was still this happy. After one dose of the antibiotics you could tell he felt even better! And, he loves to take his medicine - yippeee! (Doesn't he also look so big?!)

The only thing I don't have a picture of is his temper tantrums. I'll try to get one, but a picture won't do it justice - it's a complete flop on the ground. Hilarious! - Fred & I just walk away.

One last note - a disgusting one. Tad learned he can play in the water in the toilets. He doesn't do it at our house - just Nannie & Pompa's. We were over for the Superbowl and I heard Tad in the bathroom. I went to check and his hand was wet. A few minutes after I'd washed his hands with lots of soap, he runs through the kitchen to the other bathroom and shuts the door. Before I could get to him he'd "gone fishing" again! This kid loves water - unfortunately, that's DISGUSTING!

I bought him a little swimming pool for $2! HURRY SUMMER!

What do you do when you don't want to take a nap?

2011-01-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

You jump out of your crib.   Not even kidding. It started around 2:56AM. Tad woke up for a bum change. Fred gave him a bottle at 3:30AM. Tad sleeps through the night, even when he's sick! Not last night.... Fred & I took turns with him. He wasn't upset, he was just in his crib jibbering. Seriously, GO TO SLEEP! I finally rocked him to sleep around 6AM. I was NOT happy!   Being as stubborn as I am, I decided that I wasn't going to let him sleep in. I dragged my own butt out of bed and got him up for our usual routine. He acted tired around lunch time, so I fed him and put him down for a nap. He spent the next 1 1/2 hours practicing new noises. He'd teach himself a sound then do it 10 times. (Kind of funny, mostly annoying.) Fred & I took turns laying him down again. He never got grumpy, just hollering jibberish- and my 2 favorite words "Buh-dy" & "Daddy".
As we were reading our scriptures (conveniently we were studying how blessed Eve was to be part of The Fall so that she could have kids..... really?) :} We hear this "THUD". We went into his room and found him on the floor.
He didn't cry for a minute, I'm guessing it knocked the wind out of him and scared him. Fred rocked him for awhile and he calmed down pretty quick AND finally started to look like he'd fall asleep. It was almost time for his afternoon bottle, so we gave him one and put him back down- this time he successfully went to sleep.
So, how do you teach your 18 month old not to jump out of his crib? It's not like you can show him "If you're going to climb out, do it safely, like this." :} I guess that means we're onto getting him a new "Big-boy" bed. Maybe just a mattress so the fall is only 5 inches!
(Fred and I aren't jumpy parents, but I have to say, as I hear him jibbering in his room now that I put him to bed for the evening, I'm a little on edge.... waiting for another THUD.)

We have a puppy.

2011-01-25T16:08:00.002-07:00

Not really- but I do have a new way to get rid of the veggies I don't want to eat! The other night during dinner we were having some of the frozen veggie mix that has lima beans, corn, carrots, peas and green beans. I like everything but the lima beans, so I gave one to Tad. :} Fred looked at me and said "He's not a puppy." Tad ate it, loved it, and wanted more! I smirked at Fred and gave Tad the rest of the lima beans from my plate.
We've had more family time lately and have had a relaxing time. Fred played a board game with me (because we really did have THAT much free time). To keep Tad from playing with our game I got him out Connect Four and he played for quite awhile. Unfortunately, he's obsessed with putting things IN random places (lids in the cupboard under the sink, his toothbrush in his potty- it was empty, his car in his sock drawer, his treat cup in my dresser, etc.)

We went to the arcade for a little while and let Tad "play" skeeball and "drive" the car races.

We bought Tad a little kids' digital camera - so he'll leave mine alone! It was on clearance at Bed, Bath, & Beyond- they had a ton if anyone wants one for their kids. Tad sees it first thing in the morning and has to play with it most of the morning. He can turn it on, take pictures of his shirt and a few random pictures of the wall. His favorite thing is to just look through the pictures. I've taken pictures of random things in the house and of course we need to fill it with pictures of relatives. Unfortunately, the delete button is easy to work. It's nice because it turns itself off after a few seconds too. And Yes, so far he's left my camera alone!

Fred decided as part of our family time to make homemade ice cream! I was surprised that Tad loved putting the cold ice cubes in the ball. While Fred and I were rolling the ball back and forth, Tad wanted to play part of the time, and when it came to eating the ice cream.... he ate a few bites, then cried because it was too cold. Whenever he eats ice cream he gets a pained look on his face, but after a few minutes he'll come back for more!

Eating on his own.... occasionally

2011-01-17T10:14:00.003-07:00

Between Christmas and New Years Tad decided he finally wanted to work on feeding himself. He does pretty well, but his desire has faded. He is a really good eater -- I'm going to have a hard time being patient as he learns to feed himself because it's going to take 3x as long as if I just did it. On a happy note, he's doing a ton better with textures. Probably because he has a mouthful of teeth!

(His "cheese" face - looks more like squinting.)

He's starting to show more and more of his personality.

He also decided the first part of January that he needs to climb. On EVERYTHING! The laundry baskets were hours of entertainment climbing in and out. And lately it's been climbing in and out of dad's boots. :} Oh yeah, and moving his little table around the front room. He'll push it clear across the room then pick up the chairs and carry them to the table's new location to tuck them in.

Tad's new words are: Ta-da & Uh-oh. Example: I can tell what he's doing in the morning when he wakes up because you hear "Ta-da" (as one blanket is thrown out of the crib) followed by an "uh-oh" (when the other one is thrown out).

One day last week he threw his tie in his garbage can, when I took him in his room to get socks he said "look" and pointed to the garbage can. :} So helpful!

8 years and counting.

2011-01-10T09:40:00.009-07:00

Fred & I actually met in July 2000 and dated until January 2003 - occassionally we still date. :)
In celebration of our 8 year anniversary, here are some pictures to see how we've changed (or stayed the same).
2001 - Mexico with Fred's family

2002 - College at USU

2003 - Married in the Jordan River Temple

2004 - Fred deployed to Afghanistan

2005 - Vacation in Europe (2 weeks during his deployment)

2006 - Hiking & Rafting in Moab

2007 - 2 family trips to DC

2008 - Snowshoeing in Bryce Canyon/ Vegas trip / Bahamas Cruise (aka - living it up before a baby comes)

2009 - Tad arrives

2010 - Fred graduates & family time

2011- ?

We are excited for our adventures this year. We're really hoping to move so Fred can continue schooling. Tad is able to climb on everything so I'm sure we'll have plenty of adventures in the home. I can't wait to see what picture will represent 2011 for us.

We spent a nice anniversary by dropping Tad at my parents' then having lunch in Park City. It was clearer there, but freezing! We did a little shopping, rented a movie to watch at home then took Tad to dinner with us. Nothing spectacular, just relaxing.

The end of 2010

2010-12-31T14:58:00.006-07:00

I'm just about partied out! We had a Family party on Christmas eve, then Fred & I came home to set out Christmas. It was fun though trying to guess what Tad would go for first.
The only thing we had to put together was a little remote control car track (that I found at the DI for $8!!!)
We were off to bed by 11pm and up at 6:45am. Tad was groggy and wondering what was going on, but he did really well. He opened his stocking and a few presents before sitting close to daddy. Fred picked out a new game for me that I made a face when I opened it - "Killer Bunnies". I'd never heard of it.... I'm now addicted!

8:00am we were off to my parents' for Christmas. Tad was getting better at opening presents until he found something to play with (a new car from Paul & Nashaela). At least he was good at showing everyone what he got. He was spoiled with a box full of books and a new tricycle.

Tad opened Crystal's crockpot so she got to open his trike - it was better that way because it was up where he could see it. (He loved being in the way as we put it together. He kept picking up the tools and trying to do what we did.)

10:30am and we were off to Fred's parents'. Tad was exhausted but still trucking along. We were spoiled by all of our parents like usual!

Tad fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the car and slept while we drove to Henefer. After visiting cousins we headed back to Fred's parents' for Family dinner... and my favorite present - a new Santa painting from Gram. (This year's is the second from the right.) I've loved having a grand piano to set out my display of Santas.

Tad also got a present from his Great gram and had fun opening it. Part of what took so long to open presents is Tad would rip a piece of paper, then have to hand it to someone before he could rip another piece off. :} Finally at 10pm we headed home.

Tad got a new tie for Christmas and looks so grown up. He also got a mini trampolene from Aunt Lauralee. He loves to jump and say "ump ump ump".

Sunday was church, visiting family and another Family Christmas party - including a game of Bunco.

We got Tad the dinosaur because it scared him and I thought it would be funny. It was the first thing he noticed Christmas morning and it only took a day to warm up to him. He now shares his toothbrush with the dino & tries to feed it toy cars. :}

Fred had Monday off and we had a great day! We returned a few things and went to Salt Lake. We hung out at the zoo until their Christmas lights came on. It was fun, but I probably wouldn't go if we didn't have a membership. We stopped by the new downtown foodcourt (they close at 6pm-- but McDonald's stayed open). Then we walked across the street to Temple Square. We ran into my old roomie which was a fun surprise! Tad was exhausted when we got home.

Wednesday night we were supposed to have a baby shower for Fred's sister, but the snow was too slippery and we cancelled it. Thursday night we had our annual cousin party at our house with my side of the family. I always look forward to it - individual pizzas, WII, games, a puzzle, movies, and of course a couple rounds of Mafia.

We had a lot of extended family time this Christmas. It's nice that Fred finally has a job that gives him the holidays off. It's been really nice having him home to play with Tad.

Tad has learned how to turn his dinosaur on and roar at it so it'll roar back. I love that he plays on his belly now. Unfortunately, he's been learning a lot of other things that are going to make things more challenging.... he can now climb on kitchen chairs, the coffee table, the toilet lid, ALL BY HIMSELF.

Getting ready for Christmas

2010-12-20T16:04:00.005-07:00

I know, it's been awhile. After Fred & I were sick, Tad got a REALLY bad cold. This kid never cries, but he sure cried a lot this week. I don't know how parents handle whiney kids-- I'd die! I guess it made me appreciate that we have a REALLY good kid.

So.... in the past few weeks we've put up our Christmas tree and saw the fun park lights. I really want to go to Temple Square to see the lights and the Zoo-lights. I doubt we'll make it before Christmas.

Funny story - After we got our Christmas tree, I saw Tad put one of my decorations shaped like a Christmas tree in the back of his dump truck. :} Amazing that a 1 1/2 year old can catch on like that!

Of course he had to stand on the stool when I wasn't. Doesn't he look so grown up?!

His favorite ornament is one of our family last year. He loves to point at it and say "daddy". He's been AWESOME at not taking the ornaments off the tree.

Daddy's buddy - one night when he was sick he cried for 30 minutes. The only time he paused was when he looked at our bed to see if that's where his daddy was. It's ridiculous how much he loves his daddy.

Tad LOVES lights! The other day we drove less than 1 mile and he said "Look" at least 10 times pointing to all the lights in the neighborhood!

Tad in his AWESOME geeky Christmas sweater. I actually really like it, Fred says it looks too Christmas-y. But, since it was the Sunday before Christmas Tad got to wear it - and then he was forced to stand infront of the tree for a picture? He'll love this picture when he's older right? :}

I doubt I'll have anything exciting to write before Christmas so HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

What did I do for entertainment before?

2010-12-09T09:51:00.004-07:00

This kid is a riot!
We leave his toothbrush where he can reach it and he's gotten pretty good at brushing his teeth. We let him brush for a minute then help him and he does just fine. So grown up!

He continues to love bath time. The other day I told him to take off his shoes so he could get in the tub and he starts pulling at his shirt like he can't get it off fast enough. (With help) he got down to his diaper then tried to climb in- I wonder where he gets his impatience.... :} He's learned to blow bubbles in the water and has almost learned how to dump the cup of water on his own head.

The other night I was doing something in the kitchen and I looked over to see this. He likes to hide under a dishtowel and walk towards you to scare you. He runs into things all the time because he really can't see. I have no idea where he learned this, but it's hilarious!

He still doesn't love food unless it's pureed. I even tried jello jigglers the other day. He'd move them around his tray and hit his tray to make them jiggle, but he didn't eat a single one.

He's also learned how to open doors (aaaahhhhh!), unlock the front door, and open the microwave door when he knows his bottle is in there.

He loves to have you put on his shoes even if he's not going outside and he knows how to get a matching pair- yipppeee!

It's hard not to laugh when he does something he's not supposed to and runs away before we even say anything. He'll push the tv buttons then pull his arms up tight to his sides and start to run away. He always looks back to see if he got caught.

He thinks all of our remotes turn on the stereo and he'll push buttons then look intently at it waiting to hear the music.

I have to start watching what I say. I was jokingly calling Fred a "jerk" and told Tad to call daddy a jerk. Next thing I heard was "erk". OoopS!

Winter fun & not so fun

2010-12-09T09:27:00.003-07:00

First there was that "blizzard" we were supposed to have. It was a white out for a few minutes so I'll give the weather guy partial credit. The next day it was FREEZING! - but of course I bundled Tad up to go play anyways. We walked into the yard and he did fine while he was holding my hand, but when we got to the middle of the yard and I let go he wouldn't move. (See his finger pointing? His favorite word right now is "Look"- if you don't look, he'll turn your head for you!) He liked walking on the sidewalk a lot better and followed Daddy all the way down the street. He did fine until he tried to walk in the snow and face-planted it, then he was ready to go inside.

We went to see the Ogden lights- if you've never been, you should go! Tad LOVES lights and points them out when we're driving with some excited jabbers and pointing. It was fun that he's big enough to walk the whole way and we didn't have to keep lifting him in and out of a stroller.

Of course we're starting to get into the usual holiday parties. We had my family one early this year which was nice..... except I was sick. I thought it would pass but we left the party early and I thought I was going to die for 2 days! Gotta love the sickness that comes during winter months.

The worst part was..... it was Fred's birthday! He spent a couple of hours at my family party, then the rest of the evening on Tad duty and fending for himself. I was too sick to even sit on the couch to watch a movie with him. And of course, now Fred has it himself! I really hate how sickness travels back and forth, but I guess I'm just glad we don't get it at the same time!

Here's wishing all of you a HEALTHY winter!!!!

T is for ...

2010-12-01T20:43:00.006-07:00

Thanksgiving, Taking pictures, Tangled, Temperatures, and Toddler appointments.
THANKSGIVING= We spent Thanksgiving at Gram's with Fred's family. It was a small turnout, but nice. We stopped for a quick visit (and an extra slice of pie) at my parents'. Tad was exhausted because he wouldn't take a nap earlier. He slept about 15 minutes as we drove from one house to another. He loved playing with cousins all day.
TAKING Pictures= We only take family pictures every other year. I had hoped to do them outside, but I finally conceded that it was too cold after our mini-blizzard. We'll have to photoshop a couple of things- overall they turned out great!

The family

The girls

The boys

My siblings.

Mom & Dad

Our little fam.

Nashaela & Paul

Janae's Family.

Christopher's Family.

Afterwards we ate leftovers and played games at my parent's.

TANGLED = Saturday we took Tad to his first movie theatre! The prices are ridiculous!!! Other than that it was a delightful experience. He loved the horse in the movie and was happy to sit in his booster seat and snack on his goldfish. Fred took him for a short walk the one time he got restless. He also seemed to almost talk to the characters which was fun for Fred and I to watch.

Sunday Tad was a little fussy, we figured he was TEETHING. Lucky us! Monday night was rough! He woke up around 5am crying and the only thing that would calm him down was laying by his daddy. After a TEMPERATURE of 101 degrees and taking a nap with dad, he finally started acting better. Tuesday night he went down without any drugs and slept all night. (I did give in- for MY sanity and put him in my bed so I could get a little sleep. That was a mistake, he's a wiggly little guy and I didn't sleep well, even though he slept 10 hours.) He woke up chatty and has been fine all day!

He had his TODDLER dr's appointment today and was fantastic. He let the doctor check everything he needed to, he did fight a little when he tried to look in his mouth - he fights us too, so luckily he doesn't often put things in his mouth he shouldn't! He had to get 2 shots and didn't even whimper!!! He's 95+% for height & weight and the doctor is still expecting he'll be 6'4". I let him have a sucker after his shots, he sucked on it as we drove home, then grunted. When I turned around he handed me his sucker. (In my dreams he does that all the time instead of throwing it on the car seat.)

First day of Nursery!

2010-11-22T16:25:00.004-07:00

Sunday, Fred & I subbed in a primary class. I thought it would be too distracting to have Tad in with us so we asked if he could go to Nursery (he's technically not supposed to go until February). They agreed and off he went. I don't think he even looked back after he took the leader's hand and she said "let's find some toys". I have to say it was DELIGHTFUL to not have to entertain him in a confined area. I kept glancing at the door expecting them to bring him back (not that he's fussy, I just didn't know how he'd do for 2 full hours). When we went into singing time I peeked in the Nursery and he was sitting quietly at the table waiting for the lesson. After church I went to pick him up and he was still sitting quietly at the table having a snack- even nibbling on cheese, which he'll never do for me! He saw me and jibbered excitedly. They said he was very good and loved to sing "The Wise Man & The Foolish Man." I don't know where he learned the actions, we've only sung it once at home. They made a little hat with feathers saying things they are Thankful for. Tad hates things on his head, but I had to take a picture because I can't believe he's old enough for Nursery!!!

(He's not afraid to take anyone's hand, last week he took our neighbor's hand at church and walked off. He turned and looked at he me when I said "bye" then kept walking. When they passed the Senior Nursery he let go because he saw the toys. They told me where he was and a little while later when I went to check on him he was happily playing. We stayed for singing time then went back to the library with Daddy. I guess we're not going to have any problem getting him to go to Nursery!)

Little red stool

2010-11-16T22:06:00.004-07:00

Stools are not just for looking out the window. Evidently they are now the ONLY way to be able to color. :} He's also decided that anything that is about 6 inches off the ground is a stool or bench (including the dishwasher door).

We're still working on eating anything that hasn't been pureed first. Rolls, apples (only if they're whole), sometimes cereal (I've tried just about every kind out there!), and.... OREOS! I was surprised he ate the whole thing. Not the healthiest thing, but I'm trying everything to get him used to textures.

I'm excited he's also learned how to smile and say "cheese"- without too cheesy of a grin.

Tad's new hobby

2010-11-09T15:15:00.003-07:00

I held Tad up to watch the snow the other day and he kept grunting to be lifted again. No way was I going to stand there all day. So, I brought his stool upstairs and he does it himself! He loves to move the stool all over the house to stand on it.

The funniest part is what he says when he climbs up on it. (I tried to teach him how to stack blocks by saying "stack" each time I did it. He finally demonstrated he knew how in church.... he said "stack" then proceeded to cheer for himself. What a helpful kid.) Now when he stands on his stool he says "stack".... yeah, I guess you're stacking... yourself. :}

We also played in the leaves last week. He learned quickly how to throw the leaves in the air. Aunt Crystal helped teach him how to shuffle through the leaves, kicking them. Unfortunately, that's how he walks through piles of everything, including his toys - kicking them all over.
As for the bruise on his cheek - I'm the best mom ever - I was messing around and pushed him in the stroller towards Aunt Crystal and the stroller tipped. A tiny bit of road rash never hurt anybody. :(

Drysdale (Halloween) Zoo

2010-11-01T21:24:00.005-06:00

Tad was a Giraffe for Halloween! I have to say it is the easiest costume I've made yet (less than 5 hours!!!!) He can't even say "giraffe" but I found the material on sale a few months ago and thought it was adorable! This might be the last year I get to pick what he is, by next year he'll be talking and tell me right? (Fred says I get to decide until he moves out.... I'm sure that would go over well as a teenager.)

He tried to take the hat off every chance he got, but didn't mind the jumpsuit. He did finally leave the hood on for trick -or-treating.

I can't believe how much rain there was! Luckily, we only had a handful of friends to visit before going to Fred's parents' for Chili. (Nannie was Cindy-lou-hoo. Fred wore a "Nudist on strike" sign, and I found a halloween shirt for $2!) I was surprised how many trick-or-treaters they had.

On Halloween we dressed up a little more (I had planned to both nights, but was too lazy because of the rain). I pulled out my old Kangaroo costume, made Fred a badge that said "zookeeper" and off we went. My little sister borrowed my Octopus costume for work. My brother's little boy was a Cowboy.

Can you believe they're a year apart and my kid is almost as tall! We made individual pizzas at my mom's then my sister had made a fun Halloween game. It's like Apples to Apples, but all Halloween words. I like it a TON better than the actual game--- super FUN!

I guess eventually we'll have to start attending the "trunk-or-treats" but it really makes me miss walking between the houses, I think that was the funnest part - when else do you WANT to walk that much? :}

What do you do on the first day of snow?

2010-10-27T21:44:00.004-06:00

Off to the zoo you go!
I'm pretty sure that going to the zoo was to make ME feel better about getting my flu shot. I Hate shots & my arm still hurts. I think Fred used the zoo to bribe me....
It was definitely chilly but nice that it wasn't crowded.
Tad & the Rhino
Even the animals thought it was too cold!
We didn't stay long. It started to snow again when we were leaving. I've heard that the animals are more active in the colder weather. I don't know if they really weren't because it was lunch time or because it was cold, so I guess we'll have to go again next month!

FALL is FULL of FANTASTIC fun!

2010-10-26T16:38:00.006-06:00

We had a great long weekend! Thursday we did a little Christmas shopping then met my family in Logan for the PUMPKIN WALK! I went one time in college for an FHE and ever since then I've been hooked! (For those of you who've never been, they use pumpkins to make scenes. Sounds slightly lame, but once you go, you'll think it's amazing!)
How cool is this tree made from corn (and Crystal of course)!

Monsters Inc & Madagascar
They have one area with carved pumpkins. I guess there are 2 areas - this one with the cool carvings and then the whole path has hay bales with carved pumpkins lit lining the paths.

Friday we went to the PARK. My little guy is TOO independent - he won't hold my hand to walk in the park, he wants to go by himself.

Then, since Daddy couldn't go to work because they were doing computer maintenance, we met up with my bestest friend Jen to celebrate her birthday!
Tad loved the MAYAN and watching the water and divers.

Then we found a new place I may ---- probably am hooked on! FROGURT! It's self serve frozen yogurt (16 different flavors) and a 50 toppings. You make your own and pay per ounce!

I met Jen my first year of college and I swear we were meant to be twins!

Saturday morning Fred, Tad & I took some of the scouts for a HIKE.... in the rain.

Tad of course loved it. Fred & I realized how out of shape and old we are!!! It rained harder the further up we went and stopped when we got back down. The boys did awesome - I figured they'd run ahead of us, but they were good about stopping and waiting until they could see one of us before running further.

Saturday night we went to the GRIZZLIES HOCKEY GAME with Crystal and one of her old roomies. First we stopped for BBQ, then off to the game. The seats were fantastic, the game was pretty good, they won (6-4), but the best part was when the other team's goalie went to hit the puck down the ice and pegged his own team member in the head. :} I was disappointed there weren't more fights- I guess we'll have to stick to college games!

Sunday we went to Fred's parents' for HOMEMADE RAVIOLI!

and.... Monday our BASEMENT FLOODED because of all the rain. :}

Where have we been?!

2010-10-19T15:15:00.010-06:00

I didn't realize it's been so long since I posted. So, here's the picture version of the past few weeks.
Tad sleeps in the corner of his crib.

We drove up to Logan to see the leaves and took a few pictures. Too bad it was so dark by the time we got up there.

Tad loved trying a piece of sausage - he's still not a fan of textures, but we're slowly getting there.

He loves to hang out and jump on the bean bag chair and will sit on it to watch part of a movie.

He's mastered the stairs, but insists on walking up or down them if someone is nearby to hold his hand.

Tad helped us test the grapes so we could juice them. We LOVE grape juice! We have 3 different kinds of juice so we get a variety of colors when we juice them.

He also "Helped" mom wash tomatoes to make sauce and salsa. Really he just splashed in the water.

We had Nashaela & Paul over to paint pumpkins. Tad knows how to turn on the hose by himself and loved playing in it while we cleaned off the pumpkins.

We each painted our own, then a couple one.

We've loved going to the treehouse museum and took daddy with us this time.

I never lose him by myself, but he walked off a couple of times with both of us distracted - maybe the museum isn't just for kids!

So, in a nutshell: Tad growing, teasing, playing, helping mom & being daddy's buddy. More pumpkins to come.... we've got a busy weekend planned and a lot more pictures!

A Family Day!

2010-09-30T21:07:00.005-06:00

We finally had a family day-- ALL day! I was going to make Fred take me for a canyon drive to see the changing leaves. Then I got a craving to go to the zoo - I think I'm addicted. I packed a lunch and we headed out.

Tad seemed to enjoy sitting outside to eat and did really well even though it was nap time. He was asleep within seconds of being loaded back in the truck.

I think sometimes Fred & I have more fun than he does. (Look how huge he is when I'm holding him! He's very tall.)

We enjoyed a nice drive through Emigration Canyon and East Canyon. I told Fred it was time to head home and he defiantly turned the opposite direction. We ended up in Park City and did a little shopping! Then enjoyed a third canyon, coming back through Parley's. I had planned to stop and take our usual Fall family picture, but Tad was asleep and I didn't see an "amazing" backdrop. Don't get me wrong, the leaves were pretty, I think they might need another week or two for more to change.

I make Fred drive up to see the leaves every year during the last week of September since that's when / where he proposed.

We ended the day with a nice family dinner and Daddy & Tad coming with me to ward volleyball (we're a challenged group- lost both games). Now that Tad is peacefully asleep it's time to catch up on some shows that Fred & I don't get to watch together.

Unfortunately, all the things we didn't accomplish today are on my mind. I already have plans to get up before 7am on Saturday to get things done. I think "A day to sleep in" might be on my Christmas wishlist.

Proof I listened to my mom as a kid.

2010-09-29T08:10:00.004-06:00

I spent Monday canning- almost all day. I don't mind doing it, but Tad seems to mind. He played well as I got everything ready. As soon as I stood in front of the sink to start peeling pears he'd wiggle in between me and the cupboard and push me away from it. So, after his afternoon nap, he went to play at Grandma's. Then, while I knew he was happily playing I not only finished my pears and fruit cocktail, I also made a batch of tomato sauce and peach pie filling!

See, I really did listen when my mom tried to teach me how to can. When I was little I thought it was the end of the world to have to can (everything but pears - I'd sneak some bites and was pretty happy).

Now, I'm proud to say we bottle so much we have to buy more bottles every year. (If you hear of anyone getting rid of bottles, we'd love more!)

This year we made: Nectarine & Apple Juice, Apple & Peach pie filling, Peach jam, Tomato sauce, Fruit cocktail, Raspberry jam, Peaches, Nectarines, Pears, for a total of .... 150 qts, 74 pints, & 53 half pints.

Unfortunately we still have stuff to bottle, but grape juice is our FAVORITE to drink & Tad has lived on butternut squash for the past year, so I guess we better do it.

Fred wants to learn how to can meat - I'm still not sure, I think it'll look gross on the shelf. Either way, I'm not taking it on by myself! If any of you have amazing things you can, we'd love to try new things. (Carmel Apple jam was a bust last year!)

Now if only we had room for everything!

State Fair withdrawls

2010-09-22T09:30:00.003-06:00

Rodeos, the smell of greasy food, vendors, animals, exhibits, people watching, what's not to like?! It's not all play though. My sister works for 4-H and actually runs the 4-H building. I decided I needed some time out of the house so I worked for her- setting up, entering exhibits, judging day, displaying the exhibits, and finally watching the displays and telling people not to touch. Besides a little cash for Christmas I get a few free tickets- which are always spent on Fred's entry so we can go to the rodeo- 3 nights in a row! We love it!
This year was a little more fun to look at the animals. Tad didn't love them, but he'd let me help him pet them a little.

Then off to the rodeo with the family. He was gpa's buddy for part of the night.

The next night was cousins and friends with us at the rodeo. The guy holding Tad is.... Tad! :}

Each day we'd help him pet the animals (gross nose, I know!).

The last night of the rodeo was just us & my sisters, and I didn't get a good picture.
By the 3rd night of visiting the animals Tad was finally willing to pet a few of them on his own.

I enjoyed my time out part of the time, some of the days were really long, and a couple of days I didn't see Fred at all. It was a good reminder of how lucky I am to be at home. Tad got to hang out with his gma's & gpa's and has learned to say "gampa & gmama". I'm sure he was spoiled!

I was bummed to think we might be moved by next year's fair - but if we make it to our new state's fair I'll be sure to post pictures!

Is there blood?

2010-09-08T21:45:00.005-06:00

Yep. We always joke that we'll be concerned about Tad's crying if there's blood. He's a little boy and he's walking on his own so we don't jump everytime we hear a crash and wimpering.

Over Labor Day we went to the Uintahs to go camping. It was BEAUTIFUL - but a little chilly. I was excited that 3 of my sisters were going with us. Tad loved being outside playing. Especially chasing the dogs and letting them lick him.

While he was in the camp trailer he was standing at the door -wishing to be outside. Wishing came to pushing and he pushed the door open and fell down the 2 steps. Fred and I were setting up our tent and heard "I knew that was going to happen." I looked over and saw Crystal picking Tad up. We finished putting up the tent and then I went to check on him. I jokingly asked if there was blood. Crystal said "Yes" and took the ice pack off of his head. He was done crying, so we let him play for a minute and then cleaned it. He doesn't even notice it's there unless I'm bandaging it.

When I took him to show Fred, I said "There really is blood." He continued to count the charcoal he was starting. Finally he looked up and chuckled.

Tad still had a good time playing outside and helping daddy cook dutch oven, sitting on the 4-wheeler, and going on a horseback ride.

Crystal, Nashaela & I went for a ride (to the Reservoir above), then Fred, Lauralee & Melissa took a ride. Fred & I took Tad on a short ride and he seemed to like it. He's been kind of scared of the horses and will pull his hand back if you try to get him to pet it. He did pet them a few times on his own. It's got to be their size because he'll chase the dogs all over.

The poor little guy was so tired he slept the whole (2-3 hours) home!

His head really does look better - everyone that sees it jokes it's child abuse. I figure he's doing REALLY well since he made it more than a year before getting an owie. He's all boy so I expect he'll get more, especially when he learns to run.

August is over?

2010-08-28T11:23:00.005-06:00

This has been a busy month! Tad's had lots of exciting adventures!

He started walking on his own, ALL over, not just when you trick him.

My brother's wife had another baby - Cannon. (Actually, in July, but Tad got to hold him this month.)

We took Kaysen (Cannon's older brother) to the zoo to give his mommy a break. Grandma came with us.

Tad continues to love his Aunt Crystal - almost as much as he loves to go swimming. Poor kid was blue by the time we got him out of the water.

A car show! He's been able to say "car" for awhile, now he's learning to say "hello" to every person we pass. It would be embarrassing if he didn't grin so big when he talks to them.

He did NOT love the petting zoo at the fair. Evidently he hates textured food and textured animals. :}

One weekend was super busy as we went to help with the family sheep. Tad took his first ride mutton busting - he didn't love it, we'll have to work on that. We got home, unpacked, packed, and went camping with Fred's sister and her family.
Tad did surprisingly well in the tent and didn't eat any dirt!
We tried pizza in the dutch ovens and they turned out great! We also tried monkey bread and a new chocolate cake recipe.

Home to unpack, pack, drop Tad off at Gma & Gpa's then up the canyon to go river tubing with the cousins! It was a perfect day for it and we even got to see a bull moose up close! We roasted marshmellows then went down the river again. I agree with Melodee, we should make it an annual event!

Finally, a couple of trips to the park to feed the ducks. Tad's learning how to throw the bread to them. He tries to eat the bread every once in awhile.

We still have a few more days, we'll have to see what else we can cram in!

Birthday pictures have arrived!!!!!

2010-08-25T12:00:00.008-06:00

I made Tad a Tiger cake for him to tear into. While I was frosting it earlier in the day he wanted to keep touching it. When it was finally time to play in it, he didn't really want anything to do with it. He barely touched it.
We wanted to keep the party simple since he's one and won't remember any of it. We cooked dutch oven potatoes (that were amazing) and bbq pork sandwiches, corn, watermelon, fresh garden veggies, and oatmeal cake with raspberry, peach or apple fruit topping.

We've trained him not to play with his food, this picture looks like he's asking permission.

Fred smeared some on his face so he'd taste it and he made his gagging face then tried to get it out of his mouth.

Cousin Kaysen (1 yr & 1 day older) came to get a cupcake (I gave it to him, he didn't steal it).

Daddy trying to get him to play in it.
Finally, with A LOT of encouragement he dug in.

And had a grand time, but I don't think he even tasted any of the cake. I'd made oatmeal cake thinking it was a good baby flavor, but my kid still HATES texture.

Kaysen came back to try the chocolate frosting.

Finally, after what seemed like forever (to mom) he seemed to enjoy playing in the cake.
I wasn't worried about his clothes, but I sure didn't want to pick him up. So, we did what every good parent does and turned the hose on our kid! :}

Party goers expressed their concern, but look close at this kid's face. It was worth playing in the icky cake just for the hose at the end!

By the time I'd gone inside to get a towel to carry him inside, he'd been stripped of his wet clothes. Into some warm jammies and it was time for presents!
He was spoiled like usual. A new sprinkler that spins to play in and a swing for the tree. Plenty of clothes, books, a sand dump truck, a fun spikey ball, a riding dump truck, and a sports toy.

I have to say THANK YOU dear family & friends for not giving him any annoying toys. :}
Daddy tried to give him some ice cream. I think he ate about 2 bites and looked like he was in pain both times.

Don't anyone turn us into Family Services, he LOVED the hose!

Tad the two year old

2010-08-11T21:28:00.002-06:00

I know, I know, you're all waiting as anxiously as I am for pictures of his first birthday (last Saturday). Unfortunately, my camera is on the fritz. So for now you just get the 1 year old doctor's checkup update.
* He still weighs a tubby 27 lbs. (He lost a pound when he started crawling, but gained it back.) The dr said if he hadn't been big all along he'd be concerned, so we'll just watch him. He says Tad isn't fat, just built, and he'd be surprised if he doesn't play football.
* He's 31 inches tall.
* He got 4 shots, his face turned tomato red, and he cried for about 30 seconds. He's been a little fussy tonight, but not bad.
I looked up the average weight and height of a two year old male, 26.4 lbs & 31 inches tall. See! I have a 2 year old. Besides that, he's been having slight tantrums to further convince me.
He also started walking on his own on Monday! Fred's dad said he'd walk if he'd stop thinking about it and the very next day Tad was toddling around the house walking everywhere - no hands!
Hopefully I can fix the camera soon, words won't do his birthday justice. :}

As much fun as the zoo was....

2010-08-06T22:16:00.008-06:00

we don't need to pay for entertainment with this kid!

We took Tad to the zoo Thursday to celebrate his birthday (it's on Saturday, but we figured it would be less hectic if we went earlier). I wasn't sure he was going to enjoy it after he didn't respond to the first few animals, he was more entertained by the other kids around. Finally, we got to the elephant and when it moved he said "oh". After that he started talking to each of the animals we saw. We were there around feeding time so Tad got to see a couple of the animals up close. My favorite animals are the big ones, but Tad enjoyed any exhibit with a ledge he could walk along.

We also fed him ice cream for the first time. He looks likes like he's in pain, he really did like it.

So, the entertainment we didn't have to pay for was in our back yard. Fred & I were doing yard work so we could have family over for his birthday dinner. I turned on the hose to wash off a table and Tad climbed under the water pouring off of it. I left the hose while I went to do something and came back to see him getting a drink. He kept splashing his face and loved it! Fred thinks he's going to grow gills anyday!

Not so helpful things Tad has learned to do:

2010-08-04T14:40:00.002-06:00

* Push the cutting board in. (Luckily only a spoon was on it.)
* Turn the water outside up / down - this is especially not helpful when you are walking across the lawn to see if it's reaching everywhere you need it to.
* Taking the teeth railings off of his crib (so he doesn't leave teeth marks in the wood). The first time he dropped one of these I was downstairs and just about had a heartattack thinking he'd fallen out of his crib.
* Turning his sippy cup upside down to chew on the bottom. He's learned if he pushes the "no-spill" tip against his tray water comes out and he can play in it while also soaking his cheerios.
* Put things in containers: he started by putting his washrag in a plastic cup during bathtime. I thought that was cute. Then he started putting his burp cloth in the garbage, and his favorite spoon that he chews on in the kitchen garbage can. (I'd been watching to see where he put it because he'd lost his blue one. I did find his blue one after a week- in the utensil drawer.)
I spend a lot of time telling him "No". He doesn't say it yet, just smiles and shakes his head back at us.
Fred watched him the other day go into our room towards the plug. He walked half way there, turned to see if he was being watched, walked a little further, looked again. He got to the plug with both hands on the wall, looked back towards the door then reached for it. What one year old knows to check the door that many times?
This morning I wouldn't let him in our room because Fred was sleeping. I closed the door behind me and he fussed for a second then went in his room and shut the door. (If you knock he'll open it and say "hello"!)
He is a funny, funny kid.

Watering our.... kid.

2010-07-26T12:36:00.006-06:00

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!

2010-07-16T11:34:00.013-06:00

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

2010-07-13T15:08:00.008-06:00

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

2010-07-08T14:31:00.005-06:00

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. *

This picture deserves it's own post.

2010-06-21T10:22:00.004-06:00

Sappy time..... How cute is Tad with his daddy?!

We took this the same time as our quick family pictures and I LOVE this picture. I haven't given an update on Fred for awhile, and with it being Father's day weekend, it's a good time to share.

Fred's been working hard studying for the MCAT, he'll take it in another month, but we won't have test results for awhile, and we won't hear back from Med Schools for even longer! We're on our way though! Between studying, he also found time to apply for a new job! He started this last week and loves it. For privacy issues, I'm not going to name the place, but I will tell you it's a SUPER-Science-Geek job! He works in a lab and helps isolate DNA for testing. (Who would have thought I would marry such a nerd?) He also decided to keep his old job as a CNA. It doesn't leave us much time together, so I'm glad I'm not working and we don't have another schedule to work around.
Fred is such a good dad and like all dad's thinks his little boy is the best thing ever! I often have to tell him to quit teasing Tad though. He loves to tickle him, but it often turns to harrassing him, just to see if he'll respond, I'm glad Tad doesn't realize it yet.
A few weeks ago, Fred walked into Sacrament meeting and Tad walked straight to him and raised his arms to be lifted up. He sat on daddy's lap for awhile. He definitely knows his daddy and loves him. I hope he grows up to be a lot like his Dad.

Who has curls?

2010-06-21T10:01:00.008-06:00

Tad's hair has been bugging me for awhile, remember the crazy hair from January? He'd grown a few more of those and it seemed like just the hair over his ears was growing. So, enough of the threatening to cut it, I finally just did it Sunday morning. You can't really tell, but I can!
He was the wiggliest little boy, until I gave him some nail polish bottles to hold. It was starting to curl around the ears. I wonder if he'll have just a little curl like dad's or be super curly like mine? After it all fills in we'll let it grow and see.

We went to Henefer for church on Father's Day for a cousin's missionary homecoming. Tad of course was too excited about all the people to sleep. Trent's talk had everyone laughing as he compared sayings his dad uses to experiences on his mission - starting with "If you worked as much as you talked, you'd be done working by now." (Trent is a bit of a talker!) :} But we've missed him!
After a delicious meal we headed home (oh, how I love family parties!) I forgot to take Tad's 10 month pictures (seriously?!) so I made Fred stop at the park in Henefer so we could take a few quick family pictures. (Crystal rode home with us, so we had a great photographer to help Tad look towards the camera.) Maybe around 18 months we'll get a professional one done, but he changes so much that these quick ones work for now.

Crystal took this picture as we were leaving and said I had to post it to show my true feelings about family pictures..... is it excitement to be done or anxiety?

He's crawling.... but that's not what he wants

2010-06-19T10:49:00.002-06:00

Tad has finally started crawling. Belly off the ground, hands and knees moving, it's slow, but he does it. He doesn't love to be on his hands and knees unless you get down and crawl with him, then he'll laugh. But that's still not what he wants to do.

He'd rather walk, crawling is just a way to get there. He'll crawl until he can get to something to pull himself to standing. And..... he started WALKING this week! Not just the cruising along the couch or between people, WALKING! He loves to walk along the walls of the house and a couple of times I've seen him walk from one doorway to another because he can't reach to hold on. I thought that was daring of him. Thursday, Fred and I were chatting in the front room and Tad was by the entertainment center playing with his toys. All of a sudden we look at Tad and he's in the middle of the room walking towards us?!? He won't come if you try to get him to, he'll just sit there and wimper like he's scared, but if he wants to, he'll just walk wherever!

Thumb sucker

2010-06-12T10:21:00.002-06:00

Tad randomly started sucking his thumb when he was 3 months old. He's never taken a pacifier and luckily for us he only sucks his thumb when he's tired or just getting up from a nap. Lately he's started sucking it whenever he finds his blanket. I had laundry sitting in the front room and he decided to pull things out. When he got to his blanket (or bib made out of the same material) he'd put his thumb in his mouth and put his head down on the blanket. It's so nice that he tells us when he's ready for a nap!
The next day in his adventures around the kitchen (we joke that he has 4-wheel drive because he can find a way over / around anything), he found the little basket under his highchair where we keep his bibs, when he got to a cloth bib he put his thumb in his mouth and put his head down. (Thumb in, fingers straight out.)

He is a crazy kid! He's starting to understand "no" and often shakes his head at us. Digging in the laundry basket I asked him if he could find his blanket and he shook his head at me. Sometimes I wonder if he's going to make himself dizzy, but he just thinks he's funny.

We are mean parents.... (and other randomness)

2010-06-05T14:55:00.008-06:00

Today while Tad took his nap, Fred worked on my car, I did a little weeding in the garden. Then we climbed on the roof to turn on the swamp cooler - (The older I get, the more afraid of heights I am.) We also turned on the sprinklers and adjusted them. Which gave me the idea to bring Tad outside and let (make?) him play in them.

He didn't cry at all and didn't mind it after the intial shock. I'll have to use the little sprinkler on the hose next time so he'll walk right up to it.

This is how I've started finding Tad when he's supposed to be going to sleep.....

And, a few pictures from our Memorial Day weekend. Fred worked most of it, but did have Monday off and we went to Henefer for graves on my mom's side of the family and a picnic with the cousins. Unfortunately they didn't have any lambs for Tad to play with, but they did have a cute puppy. He didn't seem to like him at first, he wasn't scared of it, just more interested in watching it.

Finally, Fred thought Tad's face was hilarious while I trimmed his fingernails. It often feels like a wrestling match because Tad hates to be restrained.