Exploring in Utah

We like to explore. Kyle especially likes to explore. He likes to explore so much that it is often hard to get him to stop exploring one thing and move on to the next. Here, it is a rock. I believe he sat down and played with that rock for a good 2 minutes before mean Mommy picked him up and carried him off. Naughty Mommy. Once we got to the little pond it was all this boy could do not to jump in. He was good, but I know he wanted to.

And then there is naughty Daddy. I specifically said,"Turn around so I can take your picture!" and he specifically said,"No!" and kept walking. Darn him.

Goofy Boy and Preggo Mama

These are my boys. Yes, they are goofy. The picture turned out a little blurry though. Kyle did NOT get his big radar ears from me. I have small, dainty ears thank you very much. Can you say monkey boy?And then there is the funny mama. I did not have time to smile. My belly is getting big. I have no idea what was on TV. But my belly is cute!

The belly baby

Does this make my fetus look fat? Just joking! I am not far enough along to have anything make my fetus look fat, and given the fact that I have lost 4 pounds, I feel pretty good.
One big thing that people do not tell you about pregnancy is the stabbing pain that round ligaments stretching causes. Ouch! Sneeze...ouch! Cough...ouch! Out of nowhere...ouch! At least it reassuring because I know the baby is growing. Grow baby grow!

My big (determined) boy

Last weekend we went out to Antelope Island for the day, which was great fun with the exception of the bugs. We saw some antelope (go figure) and some buffalo (bison if you want to be truthful, but everyone in the west calls them buffalo anyway so just deal with it!), and a lot of open space. Kyle thought it was great fun.
We went to the ranch house to look around and it was GREAT! You could actually touch things, there were not a thousand cameras watching you, and it was very interesting. Larabee and I kept telling each other how neat it would have been to live out there back in the day.
Kyle liked the rail fence and climbed through it several times. Here he is in all of his determination to figure it out. Such a boy!

See Mom, I am a big boy!

Yes son, you are. But you are still my baby. So there.

Not a good day for the boy :(

So it finally happened. Apparently the screen door was not latched all the way or Kyle pushed it so hard it popped open, but the boy flew out the door and down the stairs. Poor thing. He bit his lip, got a bump on his head, bruised his cheek, and scraped his chest. The scrape is pretty superficial, but I imagine the scab it is bound to leave will not be fun for him. I am just thankful he did not get hurt worse and that he had grass to land on instead of concrete. Maybe he will steer clear of the door from now on and stop thinking he is invincible.

Swimming with Livie and Tiffy

While at home we went swimming with Livie and Tiffy. Talk about a great time! What a blast!

Kyle had so much fun trying out his new water wings. They seem to work alright, especially considering the fact that he is JUST A BABY! Why do they have to grow up so fast?Thanks for taking this picture Tiffy. I am sure you simply wanted to show the world how magnificent preggo ta-tas are. I am ready to bust out of this top! Sheesh.

Oh yeah, Kyle is having fun. Water water everywhere! Just his cup of tea.Oh the slide! Up, down, up down, up, down. He would have stayed there forever!

What? Get out!? I don't think so! Such a little water baby! He is taking a nap right now and I am almost positive he is dreaming out swimming. I am sure of it.

Home is where your hubby is

Kyle and I spent a wonderful couple of weeks in Idaho recently and had so much fun! We spent a few days in Boise celebrating a mini-family reunion (super fun!)

Kyle loved his Great Great Aunt Iverna and Great Great Uncle Alan (Alan is my Grandma Nila's brother). I think they liked him alright too.

We spent a day in Garden Valley with the Grandparents (super relaxing!)

Yes, there are two baby ducks swimming in the horse trough. That is how us country people do it! And yes, we were feeding them worms dug out of the horse poo pile. They liked it. And yes, if you must know, I washed Kyle's hands very well after this little bit of fun!
Zoey and Kyle get along so well! Very cute. The jury is still out on who gets to drive the tractor though.

This picture is just an example of how cousins plot against their parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. Or maybe they were plotting against Riley. That would be OK. And look how grown up little Darrianne is. Stop right now Missy!

This picture has to be included for two simple reasons. It is one of Larabee's all-time favorite pictures of his boy. Mine too. And Also because you can see the lime green fingernail polish on Darrianne's fingers, thus proving that while she looks grown-up, she is sooo not! Phew!
Finally we spent a little over a week at home in good old Emida. Lets just say being home was not nearly as relaxing as GV. It was with good reason though, since I was going to tear down our porch and get some work done. It did not help that we had broken pipes ALL OVER our house though! THANK GOD for Merle. How likely is it that you will find a licensed plumber in Emida of all places? Not likely, but someone was watching over me. Kyle did not care about busted pipes. He just loved the space to run. Uncle Levi really liked getting in there and helping with the porch destruction. Even though the poor kid was running a really high fever all weekend. Kyle just liked getting into stuff, particularly the buckets of old nails/bolts/screws (see below for explanation). The dogs liked going outside without leashes, but Summer tended to get into things that upset her tummy. Poor girl never learned. There's no place like home, there's no place like home. We miss you home! We will be back someday! And you will have new landscaping and be spruced up all the time!
We got everything fixed and my Mom came down for the weekend and helped me tear our porch down. What a project that was! The man who built that stinkin' porch used every type of fastening device ever invented, then added a few more for good measure. When 2 nails will suffice you might as well use 2,184. Obviously. But, as I said, it is done. Yay.

It was wonderful to see everyone in town and get caught up on everything that is going on, which really isn't much. We loved spending time with Auntie Tiffy, Uncle Wayne, and Livie! I miss them so much when we are gone. Sometimes I feel like I will come home someday and we will be so out of the loop that Tiffy will not want to be my friend anymore. And then I remember that she wouldn't know what to do without me. Problem solved. I could not believe how cute Livie is. She is going to be a real heart breaker someday, much to her Daddy's dismay. Sorry Wayne. Deal with it.