Little Monsters

On Monday I started going to a fun place in Hyrum called Little Monsters Day Care. Ms. Natalie looks forward to having me there on Mondays and Wednesdays. We play all day (with breaks for eating and napping, of course) and I'm fascinated by the other kids. They love making funny faces at me and showing me the finer points of the various toys and books. I know that Mommy misses having me with her at work so I'm still joining her there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Daddy misses me too, so he gets me to himself when he's home on Fridays. Some babies think it's pretty tough to be so popular, but I must say I'm pretty good at spreading the wealth of my affection.

Chicago - Day 8: Departure

Our wonderful visit came to a close on Friday. We stopped to visit Great Gram one more time, then went to lunch with Nana and Papa, then headed to the airport. I saw lots more new faces and enjoyed our long wait in the check-in line and our long wait at the gate. We finally boarded the plane (which was 35 minutes late) and left the gate, and drove around on the tarmac for about an hour before returning to the gate due to thunderstorms. We sat at the gate and awhile and then they kicked us all off the plane for about 45 minutes. We got back on the plane only to find out we couldn't leave yet because the storms were still hanging around. We finally got into the air a little after 10 pm - SIX HOURS later than our original departure time. I was incredibly good and didn't cry for more than 30 seconds total. I was awake for the entire 6-hour delay but slept for most of the flight. I was wide awake again to enjoy the action at the SLC airport (see picture of me waiting for the parking lot shuttle) but went to back sleep in the car. We got home to Hyrum at 2 am. I was as happy to see my crib as Mommy and Daddy were to see their bed!

Chicago - Day 7

And on the seventh day, we rested. Visits from a couple different relatives were canceled due to illness and work schedules, so we had a "free day" to just relax and eat carrots.

Chicago - Day 6: Botanic Garden

On Wednesday we continued to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and met up with Aunt Michele, Chris and Sami at the Chicago Botanic Garden. What a glorious selection of plants! My favorite part was the tropical greenhouse. I liked it so much I forgot to take pictures of it. There were orchids, a cacao tree, and banana trees with real bananas on them. Sami thoroughly enjoyed all the water features throughout the Garden and Chris stayed close by the stroller and reassured me that he would protect me from vampires and any other bad guys. It was already beautiful this early in the season - lots of daffodils and hyacinths - and I can't wait to get back there during the summer when the plants are in their full glory. The statue in the picture is of Carl Linneaus who I learned is the father of modern taxonomy (the Genus species naming system of biological stuff).

Chicago - Day 5: Cubs Game

Mommy and Daddy went to a Cubs game with Papa, Uncle Dave, Uncle DJ and Chris. I got to stay home and play with Nana all day. We listened to the game on the radio and heard all about the grand slam that helped the Cubs to beat the Mets 8 to 1. Nana and I greeted the Cubs fans as they walked home from the bus stop. I don't know who was happier to see who, but it sure was nice to be back with my parents again. That was the longest we'd ever been apart!

Chicago - Day 4: Morton Arboretum

On Monday we went to the Morton Arboretum with Nana, Papa, Great Gram, Linda, Aunt Michele, Chris and Sami. It was a gorgeous day for a ride in the stroller.

Chicago - Day 3: Living the City life...Guitar Hero style

So, mommy says that daddy has no rhythm and daddy knows it, but my Uncle Dave INSISTED that mommy and daddy come and play Guitar Hero with them at their house near Chicago. Upon further investigation, my crazy parents not only LIKED it they decided to have a play off to figure out who was better. From what I hear, I only hope I got my mommy's genes for musical inclination!

Chicago - Day 2

On Saturday I got to meet my Uncle Dave and Aunt Missy (and their baby-to-be), my Uncle DJ, Aunt Michele, and cousins Chris and Sami, AND my great uncle and a bunch of my cousins who were visiting from Minnesota. My cousin Henry is only a few days older than me, so it was fun comparing notes with him. It was another exciting and exhausting day.... whew!

Chicago - Day 1

After Nana and Papa picked us up from the airport we went to visit Great Gram at her apartment. We had a nice visit with her and I was a huge hit in the dining room at dinner time. Great Gram's lady friends couldn't get enough of me and said that I was "beYOU-tee-ful". Therese (the fiery redhead in the picture) couldn't keep her hands off me and Lillian did her darndest to get my attention by banging her silverware together and clanking her water glass. By the time we left there I was even more worn out than Gram was!

First Flight

On Friday I flew with Mommy and Daddy to Chicago. The airport was a treasure-trove of friendly faces and colorful stuff to look at. The plane ride was kinda long but I hardly fussed at all! Then again, what's there to fuss about when you have nonstop toys and cuddles and food? This picture shows me during my one 30-minute nap in the whole 3-hour flight.

Bring on summer

Mommy and daddy bought me a new tent for camping this summer. They set it up in the yard this past weekend to make sure we all could fit inside it. There is plenty of room for me, them, the dogs, and probably half my toys! They keep telling me about camping in the desert and the mountains and going to Bear Lake...If any of those places are near as fun as they make them sound, then I can't wait to check those awesome places out!

Hy-dee-ho, neighbors!

Andy and Lindsay live across the street from me. They're good friends and they seem to love me, so they obviously have great taste in babies. Today was a beautiful, warm and sunny day - and it's a good thing that it was! Mommy and Daddy took me into town to get some stuff from the hardware store and when we got back the house was full of delicious but overpowering ham smoke. Mommy forgot to turn the stove off before we left, so the ham bone that was simmering it's way to being split-pea soup turned into charred ham jerky instead. A few hours with the windows open and fans going has mellowed it out a bit, but we're all going to smell like a Eddie's BBQ for days to come. At least the house didn't burn down!

Sweater

Papa & Nana's friend Linda Brooke made this sweater especially for me! It's soft and snuggly and came all the way from Truckee, California. Thank you, Linda!

You can call me 'Crazylegs'

Tagged

This is a guest-post. Gavin's asleep so I hope he doesn't mind! I've been tagged by Melanie, so here goes...

TEN YEARS AGO.....
I was a newlywed attending graduate school at USU in the very same lab in which I work today. I had very short hair and enjoyed nothing more than mountain biking and hanging out with my hubby and our cat in the tiny little house we rented in North Logan.

THE PLACES I HAVE LIVED.....
Naperville, IL – Bowling Green, OH – Escalante, UT – Jonas Ridge, NC – Cedar City, UT – Billings, MT – Cache Valley, UT

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST.....
Find the best dang day care provider in the greater Hyrum area, pack to go to Chicago, spring cleanup in the yard, exercise, SLEEP!

FIVE THINGS I ENJOY.....
Weekends at home with my family, hikes with our dogs in Blacksmith Fork Canyon, a good bargain, feeling like I’ve accomplished something, watching Gavin grow.

THREE BAD HABITS.....
Biting my fingernails, talking on the phone while driving, my internet addiction

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME.....
I can’t function unless my bed is made, I’ve been to all 48 continental United States, I have horrible vision and wear contact lenses 24/7, I prefer the desert to the ocean, I can say the alphabet backwards.

FIVE+ JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD.....
Shampoo girl, florist, lift operator at Brian Head, biological technician for the Forest Circus, seasonal ecologist for the Nature Conservancy, bartendress, MOM!

Ok, I tag Raecale and Lindsay!

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Gavin program.

Sean and Emily

My old friends Sean and Emily came up from SLC for a visit over the weekend. Sean was nice enough to feed me some oatmeal (that picture is for you, Grandma Janie - note the bib!) on Saturday evening. On Sunday we drove up to Maple Grove Hot Springs for a soak. We stopped at the Stull's on the way and visited with Brad, Raecale, Maizy, Hope and Laik for a little while. It was colder than we thought it would be at the hot springs and it even snowed a little while we were there. I hung out in my stroller while everyone else soaked for awhile, and then I tried it out for myself. I liked it, but I would have liked it even more if it was a little warmer outside and if Mommy and Daddy had remembered to put my hat on me sooner.

I'm 5 months old!

Man, am I growing fast or what? In the past month I've started playing with toys, sitting in my backpack & high chair & jumper & exersaucer (yes, I have more equipment than my parents do), and eating rice cereal. I'm getting better and better at getting my hands to do what I want them to do and I'm getting more expressive with my emotions. My squeals and giggles are enough to melt the heart of the coldest Cache Valleyan.

5-month photo shoot

I started out today's photo shoot in my awesome striped wienerdog overalls with my matching wienerdog button-up shirt. I typically go around in pajamas, so wearing these fancy duds is a big deal. It took mommy 10 minutes to dress me and halfway through the photo shoot she decided that my overalls were in fact too small. By the time she changed me I was hungry again so I had a snack and got my jeans on and sat back down in the chair. By this time I'd had quite enough of the whole picture-taking thing so I figured out a great way to cut it short. I'm so clever.

Big boy food

On Saturday night I chowed down on my first bites of rice cereal. As you can see, I'm awesome at eating off a spoon. I even add my own little fluorishes like stirring my food in my mouth with my fingers. I'm such a big boy! My tummy is getting stronger all the time and this new food didn't hurt me one bit.