1st Trip to the Beach

I know Im a bit bias, but aren't these two just so handsome? Seriously though. They are my favorite.

Ace's Grandma passed away on the 2nd of February, and Ace's brother Mars and his wife Kaitlin had a baby on the 3rd. We were able to go to Florida for a week and enjoy a bitter sweet visit with lots of wonderful family.

My camera spent the entire week in Albuquerque in the trunk of our car. But my mother-in-law, Christine, sent me some wonderful pictures of Garret's first trip to the beach. These are the only pictures I have of our trip and I really love them so I thought I'd share.

Garret was a little unsure about the waves coming into the beach. Before they reached him, he would run back to Ace and throw himself on his legs. But Ace finally took his hand and they walked out until the waves came flowing over their feet. After that Garret wasn't afraid of anything, and he didn't stay dry either.

As far as parenting goes, I think Ace and I are a pretty good mix.
I don't like when Garret's clothes get wet or dirty. I only have enough energy to get him dressed once a day so if he gets dirty, the clothes just come off and stay off. That's probably why we have so many pictures of Garret just in his diaper. However, Ace does not care one bit if Garret's clothes get messy, and honestly he could careless about his own clothes too.

So Garret was wet.

On the other hand Ace doesn't like when Garret has food or dirt all over his face and hands. He is much better at keeping Garret's face, hands and body clean. Since Im home all day with Garret I find the battle of keeping his little face clean a lost cause. He is always sticking something in his mouth and often times it ends up all over his face. So on my watch Garret has dirt, chocolate, food, marker/pen/crayon, and other various things all over his face and body.

There is no exception for sand.

(although after he tasted it once, the sand and shells stayed out of his mouth)

He was wet and sandy but I think Garret's first trip to the beach was a great experience.

BUT SERIOUSLY, handsome boys huh?

New 'Do

Garret finally got a haircut. I didn't really want him to but it started to get harder to control and so more often then not he looked homeless.

My mom cut his hair and I think she did a great job. We put him in a high chair and went to work. Everyone had a job and did it well. My mom was in charge of the haircut and not cutting Garret's ears as he moved his head back and forth trying to see what the heck she was doing; I was in charge of shoving candy in his mouth to try to keep him distracted from what was happening on top his head; and Ace was in charge of recording the whole experience. Shay was there too but, we didn't feel he could handle a job in such a challenging situation:-).`

BEFORE

AFTER

My favorite Christmas memory of 2011

On Christmas Eve my parents had a little concert in their home. It was so fun for EVERYONE! I remember seeing home videos of Shay and I dancing around just like Cayson and Afton are. Garret decided in order to keep up with all the other little kids he had better start walking.....and so he did.

October Family Photos

Im going to be straightforward and say that this post is on picture overload. And honestly this is narrowed down. I just love my little family and love how these pictures turned out. We love our photographer, Jeremy Shockley. He works at the Drum with Ace and he did our pictures last year as well. So if you ever need a great photographer; he is your guy.

Colorado is beautiful in the fall! Im so grateful we live in such a colorful area and Im so grateful to be able to spend my life with such an amazing family. Hope you all enjoy a little glimpse into what I am blessed with every day.

The relationship between Garret and Sully goes something like this.

(hyper Sully going full speed)

(but when he does slow down he will kiss everything better....lucky Garret)

Like I said we have an amazing photographer. He somehow manages to catch us at our best. BUT this is what we look like most of the time.

Happy Holidays

The Pumpkin King

In days of yore, legends told of a Great Evil Pumpkin that sapped the very life from the ground upon which it grew, leaving none for the world's plants and trees. The pumpkin swelled to epic proportions while the rest of nature's creations withered and died.

With the fading of the flora, it was only a matter of time until the animals and people followed, and soon the whole of life on Earth threatened to crumble under the wrath of the Great Evil Pumpkin.

The same legends spoke of a young warrior who would appear and free his people from the oppression of the Great Evil Pumpkin and retrieve its life-giving seeds, restoring balance to nature and hope to the tortured world.

On Oct. 24, the warrior appeared. As foretold, he wasted no time locating the pumpkin and waging battle upon it, undaunted by its man-sized proportions or thick, nigh-impenetrable hide. Like a bolt screaming through the sky, he tore into the beast with his bare hands. To the surprise of the frightened onlookers -- as much as to the Great Evil Pumpkin itself -- its calloused shell ripped apart beneath the might of the warrior.



The Great Evil Pumpkin released an earth-rending shriek as the warrior delved into its depths, undeterred by the swirling murk that licked and pulled at his hands, pulling him ever closer to its core -- and his potential demise.



The warrior gripped with all his might and tore backward, freeing his arm and tearing free a chunk of tendril-ridden ooze with it. But alas, there were more seeds to be found.



So the young warrior steeled himself and trudged back into the mire.



All of creation held its collective breath during the ensuing struggle, for nothing less than the future of life itself hung in the balance. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed, and, for a brief moment, there were no perceptible signs of movement on the field.

Then, slowly, deliberately, something stirred. The tip of the sun's pale ring crept above the horizon, casting a pale light over the grisly scene.



There, in the pallid light of a morning that was one more than most dared hope for, the young warrior stood -- or rather, knelt -- with head bowed in reverence to the hard-won spoils he now studied as they trickled between his weary fingers.



And that is the story of how Garret saved the world and became the Pumpkin King.



Later that night, the young warrior was slightly congested, and woke his parents no fewer than three times in the night.