Down to the river

One evening while in Idaho my dad was taking Sam, his dog, down to the river and we decided to tag along. It was ridiculously hot, so my mom, Nixon and I spent our time in the shade.

I've never seen my dad more attached to an animal, than he is to Sam. Sam is one of his best friends and they spend a lot of time together. Sam's a bit of a goober, but a good dog and Nixon spent a lot of time watching him out the window and became very fond of him. 

I feel like this picture should have the caption, "A Man's Best Friend."

I won't lie, going down to the river brought back many memories of taking dogs down to swim. I used to love it, and I still kind of do. 

A visit to "The Farm"

One of the first stops we made while in Idaho was a trip to my brother's house, which has been dubbed "The Farm." He has multiple dogs, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, and more than likely, other animals living there they don't even know about!

He breeds dogs, and one of his labs had puppies six weeks before we got there, which meant there would be puppies to play with! Nixon loved it, obviously. He would have sat there for hours letting them pounce, nibble, lick, etc.

Swinging with Grandpa.

I just have to say, chickens are some of the funniest animals. They have this thing called head tracking that allows them to maintain their head in a still position, even if their body is moving around. My brother, Derrick, decided to show us in action. He moved the body in a circular motion, while the chicken's head stayed level. It looked like it was dancing and it was hilarious!

Grandma and Grandpa Oxnam with Donovan (my brother Cameron's boy) and Nixon. 

We had a blast as always! It's fun to see your child experience new things, and to see Nixon in a totally different element was exciting. It makes me want to give him every opportunity to try new things and have new experiences!

Thanks for letting us come visit again, Derrick and Kim. Can't wait until next year!

Fontana Lake

After traveling for a solid five weeks, it's safe to say we are finally back home and back on our schedule. I'll be catching up on some of our fun adventures and the first stop was Fontana the first week in June!

Fontana, not to be confused with Montana, is a place Ethan and his family vacationed almost ever year. They have a time share up there and it's one of the places they grew up going to, and have many fond memories. I was excited to finally see what all the hoopla was.

We drove up on Thursday morning and got ourselves settled in the little cabins. We stayed in one cabin with Ethan's sister, Vanessa and her family, and Ethan's parents stayed in the other little bungalow cabin. Once we were settled we made our way to the the pool.

 

I was a little surprised at how nice the pool was. It was decent sized, had a cute little area for kids, and also had a lazy river we made good use of. Nixon loved being in the water, but he got a little chilled (as did I). 

Ethan's sister Vanessa with her family

We wrapped it up at the pool and went back for dinner. Later that night we made our way to the Fontana Dam. The surrounding area was beautiful!

Friday was lake day and it was awesome! We rented a pontoon boat, which in theory doesn't seem like it could be much fun, but when you have a tube to pull behind it, it works just great. I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

 Nixon's first time on a tube. Although his face may not show it, he actually really liked it.

Notice I'm on the tube out of the water. The water was a bit chilly, but those born and bred for swimming in cold water obviously didn't mind too much!

Saturday was a bit of a struggle in the morning. Nixon had an awful night, so Sarah and I opted to stay at the cabin while the rest of the crew went for a hike. Thankfully, Vanessa took my camera so I could have some pictures of the event. 

 Clearly is was an exhausting feat.

The resort actually had a couple fire pits where they do S'mores every night, but none of our kids were going to be kept up late enough to go, so we did our own roast and it was just as good, if not better than the resort's!

The moments not captured by camera were some of the most fun. We did anything from putt-putt golf (where Mason, the oldest of Vanessa's boy seriously had like 6 holes in one, or some ridiculous number), shuffle board (which was my first time), partner Settlers of Catan, Mille Bornes, and plenty of great conversation. It was a trip that we didn't want to leave, but are so grateful for the memories made and look forward to a trip next year!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers in my life!

We'll start with my dad. He's amazing. I'm so grateful for him and all that he's done for me. I love the relationship he's building with Nixon while we've been in Idaho, and I know that it will only continue to grow! He is one of the most generous people I have ever met. He would give you the shirt off his back and continually serves others. He is such an example to me and I'm thankful to call him my dad.

Next is my father-in-law Dwayne. I have to admit.. I got pretty lucky when it comes to my in-laws. I've had a unique opportunity while living in their home to get to know them pretty well. Dwayne and I were even in a production put on by our church together. It was so much fun to get that chance to get to know each other just a little bit better. And just like my dad, Dwayne is such an example of hard work and service. I am so blessed that my husband was raised by this man because he taught his children well, and I'm benefiting from his love for them. He's such a hard worker and an amazing man. 

Last, but not least, is this amazing man, the father of our child. I love him more than anything! He is my best friend, my partner, and the best dad I could ever ask for Nixon. Not only is an absolute heartthrob, but he works so hard for his family. Making this decision to go back to school has not been an easy one, but we both know that it is the right choice. He spends hours studying, working, and doing his church calling, and yet he still makes enough time for us. I could not ask for a better husband and father to our child. He is my perfect match. 

Happy Father's Day everyone!