4th of July

I wanted to make sure we got home from Idaho to spend the 4th with Ethan. We kept it fairly simple since Nixon is not quite old enough to appreciate all of the really cool fireworks. Luckily, sparklers were a hit.

Later that night, after we put Nixon down, Ethan and I went down near Carowinds (a theme park here) to see the firework show it puts on there. We were pretty impressed and agreed that if we're here next year, we'd definitely do that show again. I'm excited to pull out some bigger ones next year to play with!

Bear Lake

After my parents dropped me off in Utah, I stayed with my best friend/old roommate Brennan and her family. We had a fairly low-key week, but decided to take a trip to Bear Lake. With 3 adults (Brennan's sister came with us) and 3 kids, we made the trek!

The day was beautiful, but the spot we went to wasn't ideal, in the sense that it was pretty muddy. Everything we brought was instantly covered. 

The kids didn't seem to mind it though, so they dug and played for a little bit, but then they went wild!

I spent more time trying to keep Nixon from drinking the water and staying out of the actual lake than enjoying our time there. He was ornery and whiney and it didn't take long before I was over it. It could have been worse, but it definitely could have been a lot better! Maybe next year when they're both a little older.

I'm hoping our next beach experience, coming up, with be a little bit better.

Snake bite

I debated posting about this because I didn't want people to think I was a mom who didn't watch my child. But I thought about it and told myself that I would be disappointed in myself if I didn't because this blog is my family's journal. Just like I would write about it in a private journal, I'm going to write about it on here. 

While we were in Idaho, we are at my brothers house. My nephew had been outside looking for a garden snake and had finally caught it. He decided to bring in the house to show everyone. All of the kids were touching it and holding it, and I thought it would be fun to get a picture of Nixon touching the snake at "The Farm." I was looking for my camera when all of I sudden I heard a scream followed by a cry. Nixon had gone to touch the snake, but unlike the other kids, he went straight in to grab the head. The snake quickly bit him twice before my dad was able to rip his hand away. He cried for  a couple minutes, but eventually was calm. It bled some, but it definitely made it look a lot worse than it was. On the second bite, my dad had pulled his hand away, so the fang had sliced the skin, which caused most of the bleeding. 

We got him cleaned up and everything was fine. I sent these pictures to Ethan, and he was quite concerned. To his defense, I had just sent him the picture and said, "Well Nixon just got bit by a snake. But he's ok. :)" Of course he wanted to know the kind of snake and how it happened. 

I swear this kid is going to give us a run for our money! I'm pretty sure he's had more happened in his 15 months of life than most kids his age. From chipped teeth to snake bites, we'll have all sorts of nicknames to pull from!

Saying goodbye

I swear, every time I say goodbye to my parents, it gets harder and harder to say goodbye. I love that I was able to spend as much time as I did. Seeing Nixon bonding with my parents and the rest of my family made my heart burst with happiness.

After St. George, my parents drove Nixon, Ethan and I back up to Utah. Ethan flew out of SLC and I was continuing on to Logan where I would spend the next week with my best friend Brennan and her family. The goodbye was heartbreaking. I sobbed, my dad sobbed, my mom sobbed, and all I could think of was how long it would be until Nixon would see his grandma and grandpa. It broke my heart. I would say the hardest part was seeing my dad goodbye to Nixon. They were the best of friends the whole trip and I could see how hard it was for him to say goodbye.

All I have to say is I am so grateful for modern technology that allows Nixon to see his grandma and grandpa in a box (through the computer screen)! Until next time Idaho..

Reunion in St. George

One of the main reasons for the long trip was for our family reunion in St. George. All of us are fairly spread out, so we decided we'd find a more central location (for those in the west) to meet up. I was at my parents  We found this amazing place that almost resembled a small compound! There was the main house, a pool house, and another house with the game room, theater, and loft.

The weather was steamy! It reached 114 degrees so we spent a good amount of time in the pool. I didn't take a ton of pictures, but one night I pulled out the camera.

As always our family spent time playing volleyball, basketball, tennis, and new game my brother brought called Spike Ball. We like to pack a lot into our time together.

On Saturday, we decided to go into town and see the St. George temple. I've never seen it in person before and it was beautiful. It was such a magnificent white!!

Thankfully my sister got the next pictures on her camera!

I feel so blessed that this is my family and that we were able to spend time together. It never feels long enough and I miss them when we're away. It does however, make me even more grateful for the time we do get together!

15 Months

Nixon had his 15 month checkup and is doing great!

Here are his stats:

Height: 31.5 in (59th percentile)

Weight: 23.2 lbs (54th percentile)

Head circumference: 47 cm (54th percentile)

Looks like we've got ourselves an average kid, and we'll take him! He also had a couple shots to get him up to date and he took them like a champ. I'm not even kidding. I gave him a raisin right before she stuck him. He looked down at the nurse, and just watched. No flinch, no tears. Second shot? Same thing. As we were walking out I overheard the nurse saying how she'd never seen anything like that before. We have ourselves a tough guy!

What is Nixon doing at 15 months?

The biggest difference from the last update is that he's walking, in fact he's almost running! He started walking while we were in Idaho and has been having me chase him ever since. He's been off a bottle since we got back from Idaho, which was a pretty easy transition, and is a great eater. He sleeps and naps like a champ, and is always excited for us to come in and get him. He is still a finger sucker which is great, but I'm hoping it will also be an easy transition to get him to stop when he needs to (right..). He really only watches one show, and that's Curious George. He goes to his seat in Pa's big Lay-Z-Boy, finds he fingers and watches the little curious monkey. And finally, he has a decent list of words (we've been introducing Spanish words to him as well): Mama, dada, Pa, agua, mas, please, yes, uh oh, hi, tickle, Jesus, Nana. 

We love watching him grow and learn, and feel so blessed to call him ours. 

Boise Temple

One of the things that was on my to-do list in Idaho was going to the temple. I hadn't been since I was 5 months pregnant, so I was definitely overdue! My brother and sister-in-law were nice enough to watch Nixon, while my parents and I went to the temple. 

I always love the feeling I get when I get out of the temple. I feel rejuvenated, and wanting to be a better person. I'm felt so lucky to have been able to have that special time together with my parents. 

Black Canyon Reservoir

We decided, one Saturday, to hit up Black Canyon Reservoir with my brother Derrick's boat.

I decided I'd be the first one to jump on the tube. Holy mistake!!!! First of all, I now know why no one else was jumping to go. Little did I know, his boat is a jet boat which means being on a tube consists of a brutal beating to your face by the powerful stream of water jetting from the back of the boat. It was MISERABLE! And to top it off, because I couldn't keep my eyes open, it made it a lot easier to dump me off the tube because he could catch me off guard. I was done after a couple passes. The kids took a couple passes each, going slower so the jet wouldn't blow them off the tube, and then it was time to ski. He may have dumped me a couple times off the tube, but isn't he a handsome guy?

This was Kim's first time skiing in almost 10 years. She struggled the first couple times, but then popped us and did great!

It had been a while for me as well, but just like riding a bike, it came right back to me. 

Cameron is always fun to watch, he's pretty good.

Whoever wasn't in the boat got to hang out on the dock. It was a nice little area that the kids were able to swim in right next to it.

Getting these two to pose normal for a picture was a little painful, so I've just come to the conclusion that this is their normal and that's ok with me.

Cameron and Donovan practicing their Dirty Dancing lift. 

One of the things that was so fun for me on this trip was to have my own baby wear the same lifejacket I wore when I was his age.

This boy is my favorite little boy in the entire world! 

We had an awesome time, and I love that Nixon enjoyed being on the boat just as much as I love it. I loved spending time on the water with my family because it brought back fond memories I have of growing up and being on our boat. I hope that my kids will have those same opportunities.