VACATION Cont - AZ

From September 8th - 12th we were in Arizona on Vacation. We saw Mike's sister who has recently relocated down there as well as Mike's Dad, Grandpa & my Aunt & Uncle. We tried swimming, but Gavin thought the water was WAY to cold, so he walked around the pool. We took 4 Generations Photos with Mike's Grandpa, Dad, Mike & Gavin. Friday night we all went out to the Horney Toad Resturant as a big group for All you can eat Fish & Chips. It was a lot of fun to meet new people & catch up with others we haven't seen in a while. We took some family pictures as well on Saturday. We also celebrated Miss 'P' 2nd birthday while we were down there. Fun family times. We had a very nice, relaxing stay with family & had a great time catching up & having fun! The drive from NM to AZ was only about 7 hours so Gavin did great & he enjoyed playing with his cousins. Enjoy the pictures.

Grandpa & his Grandkids

All of us

4 Generations

Family Photo

VACATION - NM

We went on Vacation a couple weeks ago. We were in New Mexico from September 4th through the morning of the 8th. It was a great time & we loved hanging out with my family the whole time. Gavin did great on the 11 hour drive. He only fought the car seat for about 1/2 hour. We did have to take plenty of stops for him, but we still made it there. He had lots of fun playing with my mom's cupboards & emptying them out. He slept great in his pack-n-play & I think secretly liked sharing a room with us so he could see us in the morning. We went to Church, tried to go out to dinner Monday (Labor Day) but the restaurant we were going to go to was closed. We helped my parents with the lighting & siding at the garage. We hung out with Aunt Cathy & Uncle Jason & Tucker. It was a great time for Mike, Gavin & I to have an opportunity to spend some time with my family! It was a great relaxing time! Thanks family for putting up with us & letting us spend some time with you! Love you! Enjoy some pictures. We didn't take a lot in NM, I just took some on the drive down there.

Moab

Hot Air Balloon just before Moab

Angel Moroni on the Monticello Temple

Date Night

Last Friday Night, Mike had the day off, so we decided we would have a Date Night. We haven't had one of those in so long without Gavin. When Mike has a Friday Night off, we just go do something fun as a family usually. Gavin spent the night at Grandma Mary's house. It was my & his 1st official night away from each other. It was kind of hard at first, but we made it through just fine & he had a grand ole time with Grandma. Mike & I went to Dinner, A movie, Cold Stone & shopping. It was super fun! We just might have to do it again in the future.

Little Stink Butt

This just BARELY happened! I was getting rice ready for dinner & Gavin was getting into something that he shouldn't be, so I turned around & said "Gavin, no no" while shaking my finger at him. He in turn did the same thing back to me & starting shaking his finger back at me. I couldn't help but laugh! So cute.

Like Daddy

I can wear a belt like daddy!

Last Saturday I was getting ready for the day & Mike's belt was sitting on the chair. Gavin was having the best time dragging it along everywhere with him, so I decided to do a little experiment & put it on him. He walked around the house like he was the king of the castle! It was cute. I had to get pictures.

Cowabunga Bay

On Saturday, August 7th, we took Gavin to Cowabunga Bay. This is the first time we have ever taking him swimming, & if you know his bath stories, you know that this was going to be an interesting time. He wouldn't really relax unless we were holding on tight to him & he didn't want to be anywhere in the water that wasn't even remotely close to us. I tried to sit him in the shallow water & he would just do everything he could to get to me. At the end of our stay there, he was starting to warm up to the tube on the lazy river. He would hold on to the handles like it was going out of style while we floated around & around. Here is a picture of him in his swim suit before we left. It was a fun time & we can't wait to go to AZ in a couple weeks & swim down there! Maybe after that trip he will more used to & enjoy swimming!

17 Months

Gavin has I feel like changed so much in the last month.

*He is now running...He laughs & laughs like it is the funniest thing he can do & feel!

*He likes to sing to himself, or to anyone who will listen. You can't understand it but he will just move his voice up & down along with his own words. It is especially cute when you put him down for a nap or at night & he is singing to himself!

*He talks so much now, I thought it was crazy before, but he just keeps saying more & more. His new thing to say is "Here you go." He also likes the word go. He also likes to repeat a lot of the words you say.

*He still only has 6 teeth. I think he is getting more though.

*He understands what do to with a pen or crayon, he will try to draw on things if he can.

*He loves to give hugs & kisses & will if you ask.

*He can throw a temper tantrum like a champ. If he can't get into something, he will drop his hands to his sides & scream! It is sometimes cute.

*He hasn't been eating very well lately, but I think it is because he is teething. Hopefully he will get back into it.

*He likes to cuddle with stuffed animals & take them for walks in his cart walker.

*He knows how to work my cell phone, he can open it & create text messages & make phone calls to people. He mostly calls Mike but he has been know to call other people as well. I always have to hide my cell, because he always wants it.

Next month he will be 18 months old & going to Nursery. It is kind of sad, but exciting at the same time!

New Big Changes

Our lives are about to change as we know it. I have been wanting to write this post for a while, but also dreading it at the same time. We had the appraisal done on the house yesterday, so now it just needs to be sent to the bank for funding & then we will get our closing date! (as long as the bank is willing to fund the loan) We have been looking for places to live, but since we don't know when we can move & are still paying our mortgage just in case, we can't put $ down for a deposit yet. We are batting around the idea of maybe not staying in Utah. Mike would love nothing more then to move back to AZ & we could end up in a coastal state or HI if Navy Full Time is an option for us. Mike is putting in for a different rate this weekend at Drill! He is a Construction Mechanic right now & wants to change to an MA (Military Authority) which is Military Police. So if he gets that, then we might consider putting in for full time, then he will have to get his training, so another 13+ weeks of A school for him. But we both have stable jobs in Utah! There are just so many options for us. Mike is also in the Managment program at Home Depot now & is training to become a Department Head. As soon as we get things stabilized, we will solidify plans & let everyone know!

Another big change. We also sold our doggie yesterday! We get to keep him until we move out or go on Vacation in September, which ever comes first. It hasn't really hit me yet, but it will! It is for the best though, it will be so much easier to move without a dog to have to worry about. I didn't have a dog growing up & I always wanted one, so when Mike & I got married we said that we wanted at least a little dog around for our kids to play with & learn a little bit of responsibility. It will be different, but it is what needs to happen for our little family right now. That is the update as of today...Will continue to keep you posted!

Petting Zoo

Yesterday after I got off work, we had an appointment to go look at a condo in Lehi. After we looked at the "ghetto" place, we decided that since Thanksgiving Point was right down the road, we would go see what they had going. We got down there & there was a sign for 50 cent cones, so we decided to go get some. Gavin got his first ever Ice Cream Cone, & let me tell you, he loved every minute of it!

We then decided that since we were already there, that we would go check out the petting zoo. It was free for Gavin & we saw Horses, Cows, Goats, Turkeys, Bunnies, Ducks & Geese, Chickens, Roosters, Peacocks, & lots of other fine animals. We had a ticket for a Horsey ride, so we let Gavin use it & he LOVED IT!

After that, we took a trip down to Orem to look at the Barnes & Noble Nook (I want one so bad...My birthday is coming up) & went to dinner at SmashBurger. It was such a fun evening with my two boys. We have decided we need to do stuff like this more often.

ps - Sorry for the crappy picture phone pictures. We weren't planning on going anywhere fun! At least we documented it!

Walking Monkey

Here Gavin is walking. He is officially a walker. He has been walking everywhere. Now I will REALLY get the exercise I need chasing him around! Enjoy.