Summer Fun

Playing in the dog crate.

We are treating our house with DE (for the fleas the dogs brought in) and Wyatt sure had fun helping me spread it all around the living room before I vacuumed.

Love that face!

Making a mess is so much fun!

On the boat for Father's Day.

Wyatt likes to "jump" off the side of the boat to Daddy.

Happy Father's Day to Daddy and Pawpaw!

Wyatt loves "swimming"

We had a fun weekend trip to the lake to celebrate Father's Day.  We went tubing on Saturday (my first time ever).  It was funny - I rode first and had a great time.  Then Justin rode and first thing that happened was he broke one of the handles.  He finished his ride and David (my father-in-law) took his turn.  He managed to break the other handle.  They were creative and figured out a way to use a rope and the old grip cushions so I rode again using the new "handle."  Then Justin took another turn.  While he was riding the entire tube cover broke off - so we were done tubing for the weekend!   Now I know why they joke about Justin breaking things.

Parker and Wyatt enjoying some apples and peanut butter as a snack before we got in the water.

Wyatt loves "swimming."  I have an NRH2O pass so we go to the water park with my friend Christine and her little boy Parker once or twice a week.  At first Wyatt was pretty timid, but now he loves it!  We play in the various kid areas and he loves to do the water slides.  Sometimes he amuses himself by "jumping" in the water (he just falls down on his rear).  He thinks it is hilarious!  He also likes to splash and loves the slides. 

19 months

Well the big guy is 19 months old.  While we were on vacation he kept talking more and more.  He can now say "Grandaddy" and it is pretty close to the real word.  He is now putting two words together more frequently, and sometimes even three or more.  He loves to copy almost anything we say, and is always surprising me with new words he has picked up and is able to use independently as well.  He can label "rocking horse" and "dolphin" just to name a couple. (Any words in quotes in this post are things that he says.)

Wyatt is really loves to read and be read to - as was seen in a couple of the vacation photos.  He loves to sit and look at books while in the car, and at home.  He also loves to go get a book and then ask me to "read" it - usually in the "rocking chair".  Looking at books during church services is even more problematic now because he knows all kinds of things and loves to talk about what he sees in the pictures.  This past Sunday we were visiting the Kemp congregation (down close to the lake) and I had to take him to go sit in the nursery during the sermon, because all he wanted to do was talk.  At least back there I was the only one he disturbed with his constant chatter. 

Wyatt loves "animals".  Naming animals, looking at pictures of animals, and making animal noises are all fun.  (Seeing live animals is great too - but other than his "puppies" that doesn't happen too often).  We were at a friend's birthday party last week and they had a basket full of animal masks.  Wyatt loved the "animals" and wanted to try them all on, one after the other.  He wore the monkey one the longest.  He is our "monkey man."  He picked up that phrase when he was wearing some monkey covered pajamas and Justin called him a monkey man.  Now he loves to call himself a monkey man any time.

Wyatt's biggest loves are still "balloons", "baseball", and balls.  He now says "upball" for football and attempts to say "basketball" and even "soccer ball" though the last one is not very clear.  He is also getting more and more into cars and trains now to go along with his love for tractors.  Wyatt also loves to "tickle" and give hugs and kisses to lots of people - including his little friends.  It is so fun to see him starting to interact more with other little kids.

It is getting harder and harder to keep Wyatt away from sweets - because if there is food around he wants to mooch off someone.  He even got to share a little bit of cookie with Daddy the other night when we had some friends over for dinner.  He also requests things that he wants to eat sometimes.  I think the first thing he asked for when we were back from vacation was a smoothie ("moothie").  I guess he somehow knew I couldn't make one on vacation - because he never asked for one then.  I make us smoothies with spinach, frozen fruit, banana, milk, yogurt, and sometimes a splash of orange juice if I have it.  They are delicious and pretty healthy.

Wyatt is starting to throw little fits when he doesn't get what he wants.  Thankfully he recovers quickly and is easily distracted right now.  Sometimes he even pretend cries.  He hides his head (usually while lying face down on the floor) and makes some kind of crying noise - it is quite amusing.  Overall though he seems to have an easy personality like his Daddy -  so that is nice!

Wyatt got two new teeth while we were on vacation.  Then this weekend I noticed two more poking through - but this time they are molars.  Now he is up to 9 teeth!

He loves to make this silly/sad face with his lip sticking out!  He has a hard time not smiling while he makes that face.

Red River, New Mexico

We just got back from our vacation to Red River, New Mexico.  Justin's company has some cabins there and we took my parents (Wyatt's Granny and Grandaddy) with us for the fun.

We didn't "do" a whole lot.  A little hiking, rented an off-road golf cart for a half-day trip, a lot of reading and relaxing.  We also went to Taos one day.  Taos Pueblo, a place where Native Americans have lived from before all the white people came, was kind of neat.  A few people still live there with no running water and no electricity.  Some are artists and sell their work to the tourists.  Dad got a really neat piece (a bear) that was made out of clay and then the colored part was from horsehair.  It looks like some kind of stone.  They charged extra for cameras at the Pueblo,  so I got a couple of post-cards and didn't take any pictures.  In the town of Taos there were some neat shops we looked at.  If we had money we didn't know what to do with we all agreed we would have dropped a few thousand in the rocks and minerals store.  They had some beautiful amethyst geodes there that would have made beautiful home decor.

Another major thing we didn't photograph were all the motorcycles.  The Saturday we arrived (Memorial Day weekend) there was a motorcycle rally in Red River.  It took 20 minutes just to drive down the one main street in the town to get to the grocery store because of all the bikes.  I have never seen so many Harley's or so much leather before.  We even worshiped with a bunch of bikers Sunday morning.  What a special experience!  The Saturday we left they had a classic car show.  I didn't take any pictures there either - but we did enjoy looking around for a few minutes before we hit the road to Amarillo.

Sunday morning in Amarillo we went to the church where our old preacher is now at (well, we placed membership the week before he announced he was leaving - but we overalapped a little bit).  We even ran into some friends from our young married class there in Amarillo.  It is a small world sometimes.  After church and lunch we headed for home, only to be stopped on I-40.  People were getting out and walking around trying to see what was going on.  We had seen smoke in the distance, so we guessed that the fire reached or got close to the road and they wouldn't let anyone pass.  Justin got on his phone and found us a different route after awhile, so at least we didn't have to just sit there who knows how long.  We drove through the grass to do a U-turn and went around a different way.  We ended up adding an hour to our drive time, but we did make it home safe and sound.  It was a great vacation, and it is also great to be home and back to normal life again.

On our hike up to a beautiful lake.  (My parents)

Wyatt loves riding in the backpack!  Daddy really got a workout carrying him up the mountain.

Here are all of us at the top.  The lake was beautiful, and it was very cold up there.  Wyatt got really cold even with all his layers, hat, and mittens.

This was a river we had to cross in order to get to the top.  Justin took off his shoes and socks and just waded because it was difficult to balance with Wyatt on his back.  He even helped my parents make it across.

Justin trying to feel his feet again after that freezing cold water.  You can't see it in the picture, but just to his left a little bit is a big pile of snow.

Beautiful view from the top

Wyatt with his grandparents enjoying the view.

Deer we spotted off the dirt road on our way back to the cabin from the hike.  We saw several deer while we were there.

A very common sight during the week.  Wyatt enjoyed having people read to him (and it was really cold in the cabin sometimes - thus all the bundling up)

Mommy reading to Wyatt.

Local park (one of three different ones he played at while we were there).

The first two nights he took a shower with Daddy and screamed the whole time.  Then we gave him his baths in the kitchen sink - which was a success.

That boy loves his Daddy, and the backpack!

Loving the playgrounds here in NM.

Doesn't he look cool in his shades!  We got him new ones (that actually have all the UV protection - I don't know if the ones he is wearing in the picture have any) for his souvenir.  He loves his glasses!

With Granny and Grandaddy down by the river behind the cabin (well, behind and down a very steep hill).

Throwing rocks with Grandaddy - his new favorite past time.

He loves his Granny!

We rented this off-road golf cart for a trip to Goose Lake.  It sure was fun.  Great views, old stuff to look at (old mines and old log houses), and lots of bouncing.

Checking out an old mine.

Here we are at Goose Lake.

An old log cabin on the way to Goose Lake.

The view of Goose Lake.  Gorgeous!  I hiked around the whole thing which was kind of fun (an adventure not to fall in at one point when I was walking on slippery snow).

We went to Taos one day.  Found this great play area behind a toy store.  Totally free play area and children's classes.  Wish we had someplace like this here.

Still at the play area.  We left shortly after this picture when he fell and hit his head.  It was way past nap time anyway.

Rio Grande Gorge - It was spectacular.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  We drove across this bridge, stopped and took pictures at the rest stop and then drove back.  We didn't try walking on the bridge (although there was a sidewalk and overlook places for pedestrians).  I was close enough for my comfort from right here.

Other view of the gorge.

Wyatt is quite the little reader!

Daddy put Wyatt on his tummy to swing all by himself and he loved it!  He also laughed every time his feet drug on the ground.

These little flower shaped seats spin around and around.  Very unique and fun for Wyatt and Daddy.

Throwing rocks in the river with Grandaddy.

This (and the above pics) were at a little park in Red Ricer that had a nature trail that crossed back and forth over this little river.  This was probably our favorite spot of the whole trip.  Fun, peaceful, and beautiful.

Grandaddy came up with a new game.  He would "ribbit" the little frog and then throw it "attack frog."  Wyatt thought it was hilarious and it scared him both at the same time.  I guess he must enjoy being scared a little bit since he was always ready for more attack frog.

All of us in front of the cabin.

In front of the property.  You can see the cabin and the rental van in the background..

And just another pic of the cutie (when we were back home).