We've been....

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. 

Is there blood?

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?

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!

Catching up on September

I know- I've disappeared for awhile. Here's a summary of our latest happenings, but there's also posts with pictures.

* We blessed Tad. (Stressful as I tried to clean the house, keep him on a schedule, and attend the State Fair. :} It's tradition!)

* Family Pictures - when Tad was 3 weeks old, but I'm barely getting them posted.

* Trip to Kansas - Highlights: Renaissance Festival people watching, Psycho wedding planner, disappointing Wizard of Oz museum.

Hopefully life will get back to normal now and we can get Tad on a good schedule without always running off to another event. He's 7 weeks old tomorrow and already a tubby 13 lbs!

Thank goodness we're not driving across Kansas anymore!

Wow - I don't know how people live in Western Kansas. There is absolutely nothing to see!

Fred's cousin was getting married near Kansas City and we decided we'd drive out (we're still on a flying strike from our trip to Miami last year where we were stuck in the airport for 2 days without luggage). We stopped in Colorado to visit my sister's family and had fun letting them play with Tad.

The drive from Denver, CO to Hays, KS was the worst part. We made it with just enough time to get cleaned up and go to the rehearsal dinner. We had the perfect housing arrangement for our trip.... the bride & groom's house! They moved out for the wedding & honeymoon & we moved in along with Fred's sister Charlee, her husband & 2 kids.

Saturday we met at Aunt Julee's for breakfast then we ventured out to the Plaza with Charlee's family. The Plaza had a lot of stores but nothing overly exciting. It did get us out of the house while the rest of the family worked on flower arrangements. No time for a nap, we showered and headed out to the wedding. As we drove I questioned whether Fred had mapquested correctly as we turned down several dirt roads. The wedding was held at a reception center in the country. The wedding party was lovely.... the site was also nice..... the wedding planner? .... from heck! There were several run ins between our family members and her, I'll just tell you 2:

1) I asked for a place I could feed my baby. I was told "You can use the smoking patio, nobody smokes." (I ended up using the bride's dressing room.)

2) Fred & I sat at an unlabeled table in the reception, a bunch of the tables had "family table" papers on them. The rest of his family joined us. Soon the psycho lady comes over and tells us we have to move to another table, that one is for the wedding party. Is it just me or don't you think that that's the FIRST table you would label in the room? Of course we moved, but I'm still bugged.

The ceremony was outside at dusk, then they had a nice dinner, dancing, cake, a chocolate fountain inside. We didn't stay too late because of our tired little boy.

Sunday we went with Fred's immediate family to the Renaissance Festival. What a great place for people watching! And evidently dog watching.....

Fred enjoying a smoked Turkey leg.

Monday we had planned to see the Medical School & a couple of museums before the Royals baseball game. Nothing went as planned. It was pouring most of the day. Museums are closed on Mondays. And since we bagged the game we didn't drive out to the school either. We did get a nap and ate at a great BBQ place.

Tuesday it was on the road again. We got a later start than Fred & I usually like (we prefer 6am, but with a baby that's tough, so we left at 8am). Plus we stopped to see the Agriculture Hall of Fame Museum (Random huh?). Which also featured the National Poultry museum. (That's just funny!) It was surprisingly interesting. Then the Wizard of Oz museum - totally not worth the money. They could have done an awesome little place, but it was just every Oz toy ever made in every country. We had to stop and see the largest ball of twine. Then it was back on the rainy road. We drove to the Western border of Kansas then stopped for the night. The next day we drove through Colorado, across Wyoming and home. (Even Wyoming is better than the stretch across Kansas!)

I'm glad we went - not only for time with the family but also to see the area a little bit. I think I could handle it if Fred gets into school there. It is definitely not a one day drive with how boring it is.

Tad did very well sitting in the car for so long. Now the only problem is he thinks he needs to be held when he's not in it. He was spoiled with attention for the whole trip.

I never thought I'd love snow this much!

We're back.... finally!

Here's the quick rundown of our vacation:

Sunday- night Fred's parents drove us to the airport. We almost missed our first flight because we were being spacey- luckily they were barely closing the door and let us on! :} Then in Philly a plane slid off the runway and our flight from Philly to Miami was delayed 5 hours. Did I mention I hate flying? We finally made it to the hotel Mom D. reserved for us at 2am.

Monday- we went to the port and that's where the never ending tipping began- tip the taxi driver, tip the Port worker that took our bags for us, tip the cruise workers, tip restaurant waiters, I felt like I was giving out our money left & right! We checked into our room then looked around the ship a little. At dinner that night the other couple that was assigned to our table threw a fit because it was "a special occassion" and they wanted their own table, so they sat somewhere else. For 3 nights Fred & I had a table to ourselves.

Tuesday-Our first stop was in Nassau. Fred & I went on a catamaran & snorkeling tour. The water was FREEZING! Fred laughed because he said he could hear me squealing even after I went under water. (Yes, I'm a wuss.) That night was a dress-up night at dinner. They have these photographers come around and take your picture and the first night we told him we didn't want a picture so the next night he didn't even stop at our table. :}



Wednesday - We spent the day at Half Moon Cay, it seemed like a private island that Carnival owns. We kayaked around the bay, which was a lot of fun. Fred & I had a little plastic kayak that wasn't as easy to manuver & very tipsy, but we managed to stay dry! We saw a starfish on our ride that was easily 12 inches across and the water is so clear - I wish I would've had my camera but didn't dare take it out on the water with us. The 2nd half of the day we spent laying out on the beach. Fred ventured out to play in the waves, but I stayed where it was warm. Since the cruise ship didn't come all the way in we had to take a tender boat into the island- thankfully they hosted a bbq on the island. That night the water got kind of rough. I was already a little motion sick from the boat in general- whoever said you can't feel the boat very much lied!

Thursday - The rough water made it so we ported late in Grand Turk. As soon as we got off the boat it started raining. We had to wait a little while for our shore excursion but it was worth it! We took a dune buggy around the little island, up to a light house, and saw some beautiful views. I drove the last little bit, after it was done raining and didn't do a very good job of dodging the puddles. You're supposed to get muddy though right?

Friday - Was a day at sea and surprisingly the day I felt best on the boat. But I was disappointed with the activities they had planned for the day. Fred & I played shuffleboard & mini-golfed, watched the hairy chest competition, took a nap & packed.

Saturday - I woke up early to try to see at least one sunrise. (As soon as I got off the boat I was fine. Fred had sea legs for the next 2 days.) After we docked Fred & I took a taxi to pick up our rental car. Probably the most random day at the rental car place ever. 1st - Fred's driver's license was expired! (So I had to drive.) 2nd - they were out of maps! 3rd - there was a lady in there wearing a silver velour track suit & 5 inch gold heart shaped earrings. She was upset that they had rented her a car without automatic locks. All we could gather is that she had locked herself our of the car and missed a funeral. The best part was when she said "Do I look like I dress like this? I look like I'm 24!" The rental guy asked "How old are you?" Hilarious!

We managed to tour Miami only turning around once! I love road trips with Fred--- even if I have to drive because he didn't renew his license. :} First we went to the Gator park- so redneck & SO fun! We road an air boat around the everglades looking for alligators. The tour guide was funny - telling us that if a gator jumps in the boat, wave a $20 and that'll get him to stop laughing and jump down from his stand to throw it out.

After the boat ride they have a little animal show. The guy had me give my camera to Fred and take a picture of me kissing a toad. I look terrified! After Fred took a picture the guide said, "There, now you have a before and after picture."

Next we went to Coral Castle. Ed, the guy who built it was left the night before his wedding and was so broken hearted that he bought this piece of land and started quarrying coral and building a castle with rooms that he and his "Sweet Sixteen" would have lived in. There is a perfectly heart shaped table that weighs 5,000 lbs!

By 3pm we were starting to get really tired, but I figured we only had one day in Miami, let's see everything, so we drove out to the Everglades. About 10 minutes into the park I decided I was too exhausted so we went back to the hotel by Miami Beach. We checked into one of the most run-down hotels that smelled awful! Not our room luckily- just the hallways. We got dinner & walked around then went to bed.

Sunday - We walked along the beach for a little while then packed our bags and headed to the airport. Which is a whole other story---- 2 days later, at 12:05am we landed in Utah! I've never been so happy to see snow!