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.