August Update

What I remember most about August was out trip to Nevada. We drove all night to get there and met up with my parents who were on a motorcycle ride. My dad's whole family was getting together for the first time since any of us can remember to celebrate my uncle's birthday, which is normally an unremarkable thing and not worthy of calling all the family together. But Randy has been diagnosed with cancer and was not given very good odds, so it was time for a reunion of sorts. This picture is my parents and my dad's parents with Tyler, Van and I. The next pictue is just one I took of him in the yard where we were staying.
I finally got a decent picture of Van's Famous Tough Guy pose that I wanted to share with you. (forgive the red-eyes, I was too lazy to fix them at this point. Besides, it kind of adds to the intimidation, right?) He has been doing this since he was 9 months old, and it never gets dull! We tell him to show us though guy and this is what he does. He flexes so hard his whole little body shakes, he holds it for a few seconds than crack s up with us! Love it!
We finally moved into our house- the day before school started! (more on that later, it gets it's own post) One day I went into Van's room and found him in our chair reading stories to himself! I can't believe how big he is getting. He grows more independent every day and he is constantly learning new things. I never knew motherhood would be so emotional!

July Update

More boating.
A trip to Boise.
A visit to Utah.

We went out on the boat a few more times and when Van saw his older cousins out on the tube, he HAD to go for a ride too. I could not believe I was taking my 1 year old out onto the open water for a tube ride, but you should have seen the fit he threw! Obviously, we survived and Van had a great time- he LOVED it!

We went up to Boise for a weekend because Tyler was finishing a job up there and we hadn't seen Scott and Ashton's new house yet. It was good to spend some time with them- it seems like we don't see them much since they moved. We also met up with a family from Tyler's mission in Detroit. They live on a ranch with lots of animals for a 1 year old to see. Van's favorite was the horses, especially since they kept "getting" his hands. They were such a nice family and we had a really good time with them. I feel like I missed out on a lot of Tyler's life before we met, so I loved hearing the stories of him on his mission. We also went to Utah for a weekend to visit more family. My grandma's neighbors have the most amazing pool I have ever seen. It was heated and it had a water slide, a separate kiddie area with underwater benches, really cool lights, fountains and water arches. And probably a few more sweet features I didn't see. Van loved to splash and play in the kiddie pool, especially when the geyser was turned on. I know we have already established that he is a big time water lover, but the delight he gets from it always surprises me. I love being a mom and having that constant sense of excitement and wonder at my fingers tips all the time. He really brings the magic back into everyday life and I am so lucky to experience that through him.

June Update

We went camping & hiking with the Coffins just outside of Poky. I am always so proud of how well Van camps. For a wee one, camping means leaving the familiar comforts of home, the warmth of the indoors, no baths, very few toys and a pretty big glitch in your sleeping schedule. Despite all this, Van loves to be outdoors and really enjoys camping. He also likes to be put in the backpack with Daddy for a hike in the woods.



One of the reasons why we love summer so much is going out on the boat with the Stuckis. We love feeling te heat of the sun, the cool water, the wind in our faces and watching the family play in the water. Van really thought he wanted to get in the water, but after one dip, he was content to just splash with his feet. I love to watch the wonder and excitement in his eyes as he discovers new things and decides what he likes and what he doesn't. It is so much fun being a mom!

May Update

Alright, I know it's December, but I haven't posted in a long time & a lot has happened that I wanted to update every one on. So bear with me, and forgive me for my absence.

What a fun month May has been for us. We love the warm weather and being able to be outside in the sun. I would turn the hose on very low and let Van run around with it. He loved to try and drink the water as it rushed out and would gasp and laugh every time the hose sprayed his body.It was so much fun for both of us!
And his clever new trick this month? While being chased around the house, he will suddenly jump down to "hide" behind a piece of furniture. Although he is almost always in plain site, he truly believes that he can't be seen and he thinks it is pretty hilarious to stump all the adults!

Senior pics

Tyler's little sister asked me to take her Senior pictures for her, and while I am no Sara Schwab, I agreed to do it. My tactic was to take as many as I could and then pray with all my might that she liked a few. They actually turned out quite well, so I though I'd post a couple of my faves.

She is such a fun sister in law, and a wonderful aunt. She is a lot like me when I was in High School, so I am pretty exited about her graduation, because I know what it means to her. She's a cute girl and I wish her lots of luck (& cute boys)!