Monday Fun Day

Mondays aren't always fun days but since this Monday was Labor Day it was a fun one. Ace had the day off and that is always fun no matter what. I am pretty obsessed with that guy and so any extra time with him is a real treat.

We had a few random plans but then my sister Kali called and her husband cut his finger while working and needed stitches (apparently not a Fun Monday for him). Ace and I took the kids with us for lunch and then to the Fish Hatchery while Brad got stitches. We were sad for Brad but somehow we still managed to have a good time:-)

Ace and I never have cash or change on us, and this time was no different. We rummaged around in our wallets and found 2 quarters. We didn't get to feed the fish much but it was still fun and we got to see this mama deer and her baby as well.

I sure do love my boys and love spending my time with them. Never a dull moment with these two fellas.

That evening my family invited us to the Bar-D. It was Garret's first time but it won't be his last. Ace is pretty certain that we have to go at least once a year and this was the last show of the season so we barely made it this year.

The night started off kind of rough because I locked our keys in the car. This is the second time I've done this in just a few months. And about a month ago I drove off with my phone on my car. I seriously think Im loosing my mind. Luckily, the Bar-D employees own a bag with every kind of device to break into a car imaginable. Made me wonder what goes on in the parking lot while the rest of us are enjoying the delicious food and fine music:-). We got our keys out and managed to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Garret actually got a free rock out of this. When we tried to pry his hands off the colorful rocks he started balling so when we asked how much one single rock cost they simply gave it to us. Kids can be expensive but Garret does his best to make it up to us.

Both my blue-eyed boys were actually pretty sleepy so we left during the last song and beat all the crazy traffic.

Not a bad Monday at all!

Exploring Miller Creek

My childhood friend Amy lives in Michigan. However, she has been the driving force behind my exploring beautiful Colorado this summer. She has been urging me to show Ace all the fun things we did during the summer as kids. Ace and I have lived here for almost two years now and I am just barely introducing him to a few of the things that make Colorado so beautiful and amazing. Thanks Amy for showing Ace and reminding me of why we love Colorado.

Miller Creek is this beautiful creek just 20 minutes north of where I live. It winds through the mountains and offers not only relief from the summer heat, but also a beautiful view of Lemon Lake and the Colorado mountains. The creek was really low so we didn't get in, but earlier this summer Amy and her family went and were able to slide down the creek bed into pools of cool, clear water. Even though we didn't get into the water, we still got wet after about 10 minutes because it began to rain. We didn't get to explore too much on this day, but we had a great time and are looking forward to exploring Miller Creek more a different day.

The best looking hiking buddies I've ever seen!

The Bailey family joined us for this quick little adventure. Here is my friend Meeca and her daughter Bree.

Garret is a natural when it comes to Colorado exploring.

Garret gives mom a piece of his mind

HELP!

This stage of Garret's life has definitely been the hardest for me so far. Restless nights were hard, sensitive stomachs were hard but nothing has been as hard as this. Garret is mobile! He isn't crawling but scoots along the floor so quickly that it makes me wonder if he will ever want to learn to crawl. Part of me thinks that if our house was more carpet he would be crawling because when he is on the carpet he crawls more, still awkwardly but he tries. But when he is on the hardwood floors, which makes up most of our home, he glides across the floor like a water skipper on water.

The scooting around was difficult just because Garret made more messes but I could handle that. It is the pulling himself up on EVERYTHING that is causing me great stress. I want him to learn and be independent, but it breaks my heart every time that little head smacks the hard floor. He cries and I want to cry. However, as soon as I put him back on the ground he is climbing on something else and the vicious cycle starts again.

Notice the wonderful hard tile under his chubby little feet. He hit his head this morning doing this same move and so I put a blanket at the foot of the stairs.

Now he is happy and safe again right? Wrong. Then he scoots over to the excersaucy. He is happy again but it doesn't last long.

This time he is reaching for the disco ball toy to the left and slams the floor hard. The noise made me sick to my stomach. Luckily he only has a little bump and out of all these bumps and crashes the past few weeks he has only had one bruise. It was small and wasn't noticeable unless you pulled back his hair but it made me sad just knowing it was there.

Even this little box caused him some pain last night. He would pull on one end and the other end would come flying up and smack him in the face. No serious damage but my happy little boy is finding lots of reasons to cry these days.

He thought the bar stool would be a fun thing to explore. He crawled in the center of it, pulled himself up, sat back down and tried to explore elsewhere but every time he tried to lay on his tummy he would bonk his head on that circular bar of the chair. No matter which way he turned that bar was there. Finally, he just sat there and cried until dad moved the chair for him and he was free!

Some days when I think his head and my heart just can't take anymore pain I put him in the pack-n-play and try to put plenty of toys in with him to explore. But the joy that comes from this type of exploring is short lived and not nearly as satisfying for him. So I'll take him out, he'll pull himself onto the stairs, smile and giggle like he is on top of the world, and I find myself gasping with every move he makes.

This is tough!

A Colorado Adventure

Cascade creek is the river you see running right behind us in the picture below. It winds through the beautiful Colorado mountains and occasionally turns into these amazing waterfalls that fall about 10-12 feet into a clear pool of ICE COLD water.

I had done this adventure before a couple of times in high school but don't remember it being SO COLD. This was the first time for Shay and Ace. It took us forever to get started because it was so cold. We tried jumping from rock-to-rock without touching the water. But before you know it, you come to a small waterfall and you have to jump in. The funny thing is Florida boy Ace was the first one in. He had to cheer Shay and I on; but once we left that first fall there was no turning back.

We didn't have a waterproof camera and so we only have pictures from the start of the river. We took these pictures after we had completed our journey when we felt pretty awesome for having finished the adventure.

When we finished we were exhausted. Our bodies had worked so hard shivering and trying to warm us up and we lived in fear waiting for the next waterfall. Every time we jumped and then hit that water, it took our breath away. We couldn't wait to reach the end. And when we did and returned home, we all had a nice long nap. But now, I think we are ready to do it again.

Just another sweet thing about this baby

We just can't get enough of this baby and are assuming that others can't as well. He is getting sweeter and sweeter every day. He started clapping about 2 weeks ago and it is amazing. He claps pretty much any time I start signing now and if we start cheering about anything. The other day we went for an adventure with my younger brother Shay and left Garret with Grammy. When we got back to my mom's house Garret gave Ace and me the biggest smile and started clapping his chubby little hands; it melted my heart. Love this little boy.

Some things never change

I consider myself a really blessed girl! I have a great husband, great family and great FRIENDS. Most of my really close friends I've known since elementary school. I made a few really great friends in college, a few in high school, but most of them started back in elementary school and have just stuck around all these years.

I feel it is a rare to have stayed in touch with so many of my friends, but I know they are one of a kind type of people so I try not to let them get out of my sight, or at least out of my cell phone range.

I got together with a few of my really good friends today. When we get together it is easy to see just how different we are. We all have kids, live in different parts of the nation and have aged! But when we get to talking, I realize that some things never change.

Saffire and her son Ketcher just enjoying a summers day.

Little Lucy Priddis, spending a few weeks in Colorado as a cowgirl.

Meeca and her daughter Kambria

I really just thought this picture was so cute. I think the added help didn't make leading the horse any easier, but it made for an adorable picture.

Lucy's first time on a horse. She did great!

Lincoln Priddis, up from a nap and on a horse. Not sure he was fully awake yet.

And of course my sweet nephew Brock who just LOVES riding the horse

Ketcher wasn't too sure about the horse; but when the horse left with other people on it he didn't like that either. He did end up getting on the horse but again wasn't too sure about it.

We can't forget about this handsome little guy. Garret's first time on a horse too.

Saffire, Amy and I have been friends since Elementary school, it was an off and on thing. But by middle school we were inseparable. Ashley Harris was always right there with us but sadly we couldn't quite convince her to come from Arkansas.....hopefully next time.

(the boys crack me up in this picture....I swear they are all happy fellas)

Group picture, minus the Bailey girls who, sadly, had to leave early.

Even with babies in the mix, some things never change.

3 Men and a Little Lady

There are 3 males in my life; Ace, Garret and.......Sully. Sully and I really haven't spent much time together the past few months. A quick hi here and there was really most of our time spent together. Garret and I basically went into hibernation this past winter. But now that the weather is warming up we are all getting reacquainted.

The 3 fellas and I went on a walk to Road Side Park. Sully loves this park! We took him quite a bit last summer. He really loves this place because there is a big water hole where he can jump in and out to his hearts content. We throw sticks in the water and he always brings back a stick, but just sometimes he brings back the same stick.

Garret and Sully really don't pay too much attention to each other. But today Garret was completely fascinated with our crazy dog. And when Sully bounced by the stroller he would lick the tiny feet hanging out. Im excited to see the relationship these two have in the future. Hopefully Sully will be out of his tackling stage by the time Garret starts walking.

It really was a great day for 3 men and a little lady.

Bringing back sticks

This was not the stick we threw but this stick was much cooler

My sweet bald husband who should be wearing a hat

The smart ones that did wear hats

All tuckered out after watching Sully being Sully

Changing so quickly

This was an email I sent to my mother-in-law; updating her on all the happenings with Garret. After I wrote it I just wanted to make sure I had this month captured for myself as well. The one thing I forgot to mention was Garret eating food. He has been doing this the past couple of weeks but this week, and mainly the past few days, he has caught on really well. Today he ate almost an entire container of squash. He has ALWAYS been a good little eater.

So I feel like just in the past week Garret has learned to do a lot of new things. He is getting so so fun. This past week he has laughed so hard. Aunt Carol, Uncle Mike, Amanda and her little girl Jordan were in town for the long weekend and so we were out later than usual and we blame some of the crazy laughter on Garret getting too tired. But it was really really cute.

He can roll really well but only to his right, for the time being. He did roll all the way over, from back-to-back yesterday for the first and only time so far. Brock was so excited and kept saying, "Good job Buddy. Im so proud of you." Last night for the first time time he rolled in his crib. When I went in their to feed him around 5 am. He was squawking but not doing his usual whine. When I got in there I saw the reason why. He had rolled over and was on his tummy yelling for someone to help him. I fed him, put him back in the crib and went back to sleep. When I went to get him at 7:30 to get ready for church he was sound asleep....on his stomach.

This week he also has found his thumb and bottom lip. He sucks on both but not at the same time:-). The thumb thing really has been the past couple of days and has been really cute but I don't think it is necessarily a habit I want him to get in. You can throw out a pacifier but it is hard to get rid of a thumb :-).

So besides rolling from his back to his tummy, he can also scoot really well on his back. He was laying on my mom's bed trying to take a nap. Ace was on "baby duty" so I didn't get to see this but I guess he had scooted out from between two pillows preventing him from rolling and when my mom and Ace went to check on him, lucky they did it when they did, he had his head dangling off the bed. One more scoot and our sweet little boy might have ended up on the hard floor.

He is talking and talking lots more. Lately he is making a high shrieking sound. We were watching American Idol and Garret and I we were holding some of those high notes like that rocker James contestant does. Ace was supportive but I think after about 30 minutes of this show he was nursing a pretty strong headache.

Here are just some other fun pictures of Garret as he continues growing right before our eyes.

(spending an afternoon with cousin Brynlee)

(at Uncle Beau's graduation from Vet school. Actually at the food court at CSU. Uncle Shay and Ace needed a little something from Panda)

(Brynlee in a basket....3 weeks old)

(Garret in a basket...5 1/2 months old)

(nothing like a Sunday afternoon nap in just a diaper)

Garret rolls over

He did this about a month ago but I wanted to make sure we had it recorded on our blog so here it is. He does it like crazy now! He first rolled over and did it pretty consistently for about a week and then he took a couple of weeks off and didn't do it AT ALL! He didn't even pretend like he was trying. Then one day he just did it again and now it seems like that is all he is doing when he is laying on the ground. It has gotten to the point where it is pretty hard to get things done because he will roll himself over onto his stomach and get stuck. He will start whining until I roll him over but almost instantly he flips himself back over and the process is repeated. He is getting so big and more and more fun each day.