July 20, 2012

Summer Adventures

Our summer has been packed full of activities so it is flying by!  Palmer loves being outside so we spend a lot of time outdoors and he usually manages to get wet or dirty which means a lot of changing clothes.  We didn't have any big vacation plans (other than a quick getaway to Lava Hot Springs with my family) but we've kept ourselves pretty busy and entertained just close to home.  One of the things that we have loved doing is going on bike rides with our "new" (off KSL) bike trailer.  We love exploring around town and it's such a nice way to do it.  We also we were lucky to buy the Pass of all Passes for dang cheap ($10 each) so we have gone to Raging Waters multiple times and also to Trafalga, Tracy Aviary, a Bees game, and bowling all for free!  I absolutely love living so close to all of these places and family and friends so Palmer and I can keep ourselves entertained during the hot summer days.  I just feel bad that Brad has to go to work each day and miss out on the fun.  Luckily summer is only half over so we can keep on having a blast for awhile longer!


Tracy Aviary with Rachel, Annie, and Ashley

Brad's brother Kevin graduated from Bear River High School

He's already riding his 4-wheeler like a pro!
Yum!  Frozen Go-gurt!
At the Splash Park by my parent's house.




Every year we spend the Fourth of July with Brad's family in Deweyville.  We go to the Deweyville Breakfast and Parade.  It is always a good time.  The parade lasts for just a few minutes (until they turn around at the end of the route and you get to see everything a second time) but it's always a very patriotic event.  Palmer rode in the parade with Grandma Leann on a prowler and loved it.  His cousins rode in a tractor with Kenny.  After the parade all the kids run to an open field and an airplane flies past multiple times and drops little parachutes with candy hooked to them.  It's quite the event!  This year after the parade we all met at Brad's parents house, had a bbq, and set up a huge slip 'n slide on their back hill and had a fun time playing in the water.  I was sad when I realized I didn't get any pictures of the slip 'n slide (just video).  We ended the night by going to see some fireworks in town.  It was a fun filled day!






















May 16, 2012

Palmer- 16 Months

Palmer has become so full of personality (the good and the bad) the past few months.  Here are some tidbits about life with Palmer!

I feel like he is like the nursery rhyme:  "When he's good he's very very good but when he's bad; he's horrid".  He is such a cutie and loves to laugh and tease us.  He is also learning how to throw some good tantrums and purposefully ignore our instructions.  I've realized that it's about that age to start "time-outs"!   When he throws a tantrum he arches is back and throws himself backwards.  A few times he's done this when he's standing with no one near and to his surprise he falls back and hits his head on the ground.  Maybe he'll learn that is not the most enjoyable way to throw a fit.


Palmer started really walking President's Day weekend.  It's been craziness ever since.  With the walking comes a lot of falling which has resulted in many tears, bumps, black eyes, scrapes, fat lips, and frustration.  He didn't learn how to stand himself up without the aid of furniture or something else until the end of April so he was still crawling a bit.  Now Palmer has no fear which in turn gives me a lot of fear!  He has been trying to go up and down stairs the adult way for a couple of months now and I don't like it one bit!  I'm terrified he's going to fall and hit his head on the hard cement.
One of the many battle wounds from the adventure of walking.  Poor kid!
I just had to take a picture to show off his tiny and super chubby feet.  I think this is part of the reason for all of the falls.  It's a pity he inherited my small feet.  He is wearing shoes that are way smaller than he should be for his height.


He has become such a great napper and as long as he as his blankie and binky he will pretty much go to sleep at anyone's house which is fantastic!
Don't you just love pictures of sleeping babies?  They look so peaceful.


Brad was gone for two whole weeks on business trips and then a guy's trip to Moab.  This was actually pretty good because I think it leveled his attachment to the both of us.  He used to always want to go to his dad but now it's about equal which is nice.  He gives the greatest kisses in the world.  Except the ones where he sticks his tongue out and slobbers all over you.  However, he gets mad if he sees Brad and I kiss and will pull us apart.

Happy Easter!
He loves to imitate anything that Brad does.  This made remodeling our front room very difficult because he wanted to do everything.  He loved to sand objects with the sanding block, hit things with his toy hammer, and even pick up our mini paint roller filled with paint and start painting the doors (yikes!).  We learned that we really couldn't be productive until he was in bed.
Luckily it was white on white!


He loves anything motorized (or not) with wheels.  He would sit on a bike, ATV, front car seat, etc. all day long if he could. 
He loved this lil' coupe.  We went to visit my sister in Rigby and he didn't want to get out of the car.  He also loved being with his cousins!
We went to the Sand Dunes with Brad's family.  He wanted to be on the ATV's so bad that he was willing to be outside in a dust storm.  We made him wear these goggles so he wouldn't get them sand in his eyes.  He didn't mind!

He has become Mr. Independent when it comes to feeding himself.  He has gotten quite good with a spoon and fork and it amazes me what he can stab with his fork.  His most recent love is cold cereal with milk.  He LOVES it! He says "Please" when he wants more food and it's in the cutest little voice you've heard- I have a hard time denying him something when he says it so sweetly.  He has all of his teeth for a little while!  His 2-year old molars will be next.
Can you tell he LOVES spaghetti?

He loves his friends:  Alex, Amelia, Lucy, Ethan, and Lucas.  He gets excited when we play with them and is attempting to say their names.  It's great having so many friends so close!
Here he is with Alex.  They are only 4 months apart and have so much fun together. 

Amelia and Palmer have fun together as well!  We went on an outing together downtown to ride Trax and we visited the Clark Planetarium.  They are currently on the moon in case you were wondering...


He LOVES being outside.  He discovered some gravel that is near our house and loves to hold the small rocks in his hands and drop them in our watering can and then fish them back out. He's learned how to throw a ball in the air and attempts to do this with the basketball in our garage which gives me a good laugh.  He also loves playing in the water whether it is coming from a sprinkler, straight from the hose, or the watering can which means in a lot of changing of clothes (especially when dirt/mud becomes involved)!



He continues to amaze us with his knowledge of the world around him.  I can tell him to go do something (i.e. to get a book out of his bedroom) and he will do exactly what I said.  He has to be saying 50+ words and is learning new words every day. 
We went to visit ducks since that is one of the words that he can say.  He loved ducks and birds and is learning to tell them apart. 

We love this little guy so much and can't imagine life without him.  He is growing up so fast which makes us sad but we are VERY excited for June when he gets to go to nursery!  

April 23, 2012

Family Pictures (and Palmer 12 Month Pics)

My wonderful sister Kendra, did a fantastic job taking our family pictures at the end of December.  Here are some of my favorites! 










March 6, 2012

My One Year Old

























Palmer turned one years old on December 20th!  I can not believe that I have a one year old.  My baby grew up so fast!  A few things about Palmer when he turned one:  he is showing so much personality; he cracks us up daily.  He continues to try to walk, but is really only successful a couple steps at a time.  He has really turned into a daddy's boy and gets quite upset when Brad comes home and then has to leave quickly to go to scouts or something of the sort.  He is still in the 90th+ percentile for his weight and height.  He weighed in at 26 lbs. 10 oz.  and I'm still hauling him around!

We didn't do too much to celebrate his birthday on the 20th due to the craziness of the week.  We gave him one tiny present, sang him "Happy Birthday", and that was about it.  We then had a party with both of our families in January when life had calmed down a bit.  Palmer did so good at his birthday party and loved all of the attention.  I think he loved the cake even more!  He was spoiled by his parents and other family members with more gifts than what he needed but I'm sure he didn't mind.  He was so cute with his cake.  When we sang "Happy Birthday" to him he just looked around in awe.  Then it took him forever to dig into his cake.  He would poke it but wouldn't do more than that.  He would look at me as if he wanted my permission to dig in more.  We eventually had to demonstrate how to eat it.  Once he took a bit he didn't stop for awhile!  Here are some pictures of the celebrations!

On his actual birthday:  He was so funny and would pull a cheesy grin whenever I pulled out the camera. 

What a cutie!



Grandma Leann, Great Grandpa Jerry, and Grandpa Bob


Opening Presents

First taste of cake!

Aww man I love this kid!

Can you tell he loves his chocolate cake? 

Being a big boy and using a spoon!
With Grandma & Grandpa D