It was four years ago today that Jeremy and I decided we couldn't live without eachother.
Since our wedding day we have experienced many adventures with one another.
We visited the cabin in the Redwoods that had been our original honeymoon destination (we gathered news the morning of the wedding that the Redwoods were on fire and we would have to spend two weeks in Maui instead). There we met a wonderful chocolate labrador who inspired us to begin our own family of labradors.
We had years together to act like kids and attend a wide variety of music concerts. One of my favorite memories was the Warped Tour in Boise, Idaho, I believe the year was 2003. I was parading around like a groupie and Jeremy was my photographer. We met many rockers who I mauled to get a picture with.
The biggest and best highlight of our time together, however, was becoming parents to the wonderful Munchkin who has stolen our hearts. It is a delight to see similarities of us in Munchkin. He is such a fair combination of the two of us, it makes us happy to know that he is truly ours. Each time I witness Jeremy snuggling or playing with Munchkin it makes me proud that I chose him to be the daddy of my children. He is a wonderful and loving husband and father. I am so lucky!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Happy Anniversary to Us!
Monday, July 24, 2006
An Afternoon at the Cabin
As an attempt to escape from the sweltering heat presented today in the valley we took Munchkin to the cabin for lunch with our family. Following lunch and a game of ping-pong we took the kids for a nature walk. Kenyon enjoyed the beautiful flowers that were scattered along the hill-side. We were all excited by seeing a deer walking through the brush who took a minute to watch us too.
Snap, Crackle, Pop
Munchkin enjoyed throwing these snappy things around as a way of celebrating the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers to Utah (also known as the days of '47). Playing outside with miniature explosives was a great way to end a wonderful day full of fun and festivities.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Chai
It's no wonder that Munchkin loves chai tea, it's delicious. It is a bit concerning that he, no doubt, has an overwhelming addiction to it.
One week ago my parents took Munchkin and me to Starbucks for drinks. Munchkin was completely content until he saw my mom and sister walking towards us with fully loaded chai cups. He then threw both hands in the air in exactly their direction and sprung into a backward body arch as if he couldn't get out of my arms fast enough.
As I tried to restain him from crawling across the Starbucks toward the chai he totally lost it. He went nuts-o, screaming, in no uncertain terms, "give me the damn chai".
Being at a Starbucks located within a Barnes & Noble book store, we obliged his request to prevent angry on-lookers.
When faced with another chai today, he did not surprise us or let us down. We played "musical chai" moving the chai from place to place making him work for the delicious reward. He was willing to work as hard as we requested, the reward was well worth it.
Summer Time
Munchkin, as usual, thoroughly enjoyed his time at the cabin today.
It is amazing to see how much he can learn in just one day. He dramatically improved his walking skills , prancing all over the cabin on foot. Yesterday his "all time walking record" remained at nine steps in any given time. I watched him go from one end of the living room to the other without hesitation today.
Munchkin is at such an important stage of his life, he is learning from everything he observes. He is a little sponge, absorbing information from everything around him. We have to be careful about what we say, he is picking up on more than I realized. Each time I drop something or make a mistake I say "uh-oh". Today when he lost his balance while walking he dropped to his bottom and said "uh-oh". His captive audience (Grandma, Grandpa and myself) all replied "uh-oh" and giggled with delight because he speaks! The rest of the afternoon was full of "uh-oh's" because Munchkin loved the reaction he got from displaying to us his new ability to communicate through words.
He's walking like a champ and speaking too. What more could I ask for?
To Mikelle
If only you were here today, Mikelle. We thought of you while eating our garden fresh tomatoes.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Happy Birthday, Leo
Sweet Leo has turned three years old this past week. As the years go by I am certainly better off having this wonderful companion in my life. I can depend on him to wake me each morning in the 6:00am hour for breakfast, to always be in the mood for a good time at the park on any given day and to love me unconditionally. I feel so safe with Leo here at home. While he is nothing except loving to me and my family, I know that he would go to any limit to protect and defend us against harm. Leo is a wonderful dog and we sure are lucky to have found him.
Skinny Dipping
"My Mama and Daddy took me swimming in the river today. I didn't even have to wear my diaper. The sunshine and water felt good on my cute bum. It was so much fun to throw rocks and splash Daddy!" -Munchkin
It's a good thing I love him!
It has been weeks since Munchkin has successfully taken a bath without relieving himself in the tub. Each time we bathe him he drops logs comparable to those found in the Redwood forest. I think that the bath relaxes him to the point where everything just flows.
The problem is that he doesn't always bathe alone. Quite often either Jeremy or I will bathe with him as a way of conserving water and time.
Because of this our tub is scowered every day. We must have the cleanest (or dirtiest) tub in the world.
Tonight, for example, we had just finished rinsing the soap suds away. I was moments away from an incident free bath until... Munchkin looked me in the eyes and squinted. His whole face turned red and the corners of his lips curled as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
I shouted for help as I sat in poopy water holding Munchkin's body out of the water, away from the floaties.
I apologize for not having pictures to accompany this post. Perhaps I will keep my camera handy during Munchkin's next bath.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Our Independence Day
We were feeling free and independent today at the family barbque. Everyone gathered to wish Robin a happy birthday and visit with her daughter, Shara, who was in town for the holiday.
It has been hot and muggy inside our house with high temperatures and the unusually humid weather we have experienced. Jeremy decided that the dogs needed an outing too. The entire family loaded into the van and began our journey. Anyone who witnesses us driving with the van full that we had today would just chuckle.
Jeremy drives while I sit in the back seat with Munchkin. Leo paces from the back of the van to the front passenger seat, yelping with glee from the very moment we exit the drive way. Lola is a bit more reserved and is content to chill in the back seat for the road trip.
We arrived at the barbque and were greeted by an abnormally obsessive pomeranian (abnormal for most pomeranians, not abnormal for this particular pomeranian). I suppose the diminutive dog was intimidated by Leo and Lola in her space. She dropped bombs on the deck...no big deal, we all handle fear in our own way. As we walked into the house the lab's followed , rushing through the back door as though there had just been a Britney Spears sighting. I'm surprised the door remains on it's hinges.
Leo was so excited to be out of the house, and to top that, we brought him to a barbque. Holy shit, it smells like cooking carcus! What, I ask you, could make a dog happier? He simply couldn't contain his joy and everything he was experiencing exuded from him in an undeniable manner.
Everything, infact, exuded from Leo in the living room by the front door of Bob and Shauna's home. Initially, somebody had blamed the poor pomeranian for the mis-hap until we realized that this mis-hap was the very size of the pomeranian's body. That was indeed a labrador sized shit.
Jeremy attended to the pile o' shit that Leo had placed ever so carefully for him. He took the mess into the bathroom to dispose of in the toilet. Jeremy flushed the toilet and only moments later returned to his family in the kitchen asking for a plunger.
Yes, infact, Leo layed such a monsterous sized shit that it clogged the plumbing in Bob and Shauna's bathroom. Ee-Gads! Plunger in hand, Jeremy cared for the situation and returned the bathroom to full functionality.
Thanks Jeremy, you're the best!
We proceeded to have a lovely time at the barbque following the poopastrophe.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
An Evening to Remember
The folks invited everyone to their place for dinner and games because Mikelle is in town for the weekend. We all had fun and the kids were adorable.
Croquet, Anyone?
Everyone brought their "A game", but nobody was able to defeat the reigning champion, my father. Way to go Dad.
I Challenge You!
Jeremy takes his ping-pong very seriously, as a result, he usually slaughters the competition.
