Compilation

This post is a collection of a lot of stuff I've been meaning to blog about but just never got around to doing it.

Michael learns to say "Boo!":

Here's Michael scaring daddy. He only does it if we react, so Jeff's using the manliest reaction he can. Michael's a lot harder to hear, sorry.

Doesn't he look fabulous in stripes and plaid? Not everyone can pull that off.

There's another version of this game where he runs into the room, yells "Boo!", waits for a reaction and then runs back out. He goes back and forth for as long as you're willing to scream when he yells.

Michael loves to help his Mommy by swiffering the kitchen, reorganizing the lower portion of the pantry, and finding his own milk in the fridge:

While Michael loves to help his Mommy, he loves to copy anything his Daddy does. They are so stinking cute together:

Michael even has his own keyboard and mouse for when he sits on his Daddy's lap in the office:

Ever since Michael could crawl, he has loved "catching" Sadie (it would be more of a challenge if the silly cat would just run away):

The poor thing puts up with a lot, including us telling Michael multiple times a day "Do not step on the kitty!", which is why it is so funny to watch her follow him around the house and nudge him for attention:

My last bit of news is probably the best. We've been trying to teach Michael sign language for a while and it's finally paying off!

He knows More, Please, Thank You, Milk, Water, Cracker, Apple, Bird, Tree, and Truck.

We watch Signing Time almost every day and he loves watching other kids doing the signs. Jeff would like it noted that Signing Time was created by Rachel de Azevedo Coleman, daughter of Lex de Azevedo, the man who wrote the music for Saturday's Warrior and My Turn on Earth.

We're really excited for Christmas tomorrow and I'll make sure to take a lot of pictures!

Thanksgiving

I guess now that we've been home for well over a week it's time to post about our Thanksgiving trip to Colorado. It was a lot of fun and the food was amazing.

Michael was relatively good on the airplane to and from Denver. They were still the most stressful times of our trip, but Michael let us bribe him with food, toys, and books for most of the flights. And the reading light buttons above our seats. He just could not leave those alone. But turning the lights on and off kept him happy. That was the important thing.

We got to Colorado Tuesday morning and spent the first few days entertaining ourselves by playing with Ki and Tess:

And watching Signing Time with them:

And playing with the chickens. I had a lot of fun with the chickens too and took my turn feeding them, collecting eggs, and fending off Big Red attacks (a gorgeous, cranky, red rooster that hates people). He pretty much just runs into the back of your legs and puffs up. He can't do a whole lot when he's that small and doesn't have hands.

It took Michael a few minutes to warm up to the chickens, but after that I had to keep my eye on him. It seemed like every time I turned around Michael was running for Big Red and I had to jump in between them to keep Michael from trying to pet the murderous bird:

Here's a quick video of Michael laughing at the chickens and Tess looking adorable in her outfit:

Screecher is the rooster crowing in the video. He is a nice rooster that my family raised from a hatchling, soI don't have to stress about him pecking Michael's eyes out.

We also had a great time lounging in front of the fireplace. I forgot to get a picture, but it was glorious having a fire going almost the entire time.

Thanksgiving meal was amazing. Here's my dad carving the turkey (sorry about the lighting):

And here's my full plate:

Everything was delicious. Jeff was especially pleased at my first attempt at making cranberry sauce.

After lunch, my dad got out his tractor:

Michael wasn't too keen on it until Daddy got on and let him play with the steering wheel:

Then he was willing to sit with Grandpa:

We're really grateful we were able to go visit for so long. Happy late Thanksgiving!

Halloween... Finally

Halloween used to be fun. It used to be one of my favorite holidays. I even used to be one of those annoying older kids trick-or-treating well beyond what was appropriate. In fact, I went trick-or-treating every year right up until I went off to college, long after having the ability to buy my own candy with my own money.

I guess I'm growing up, because I've decided that Halloween is a lot of work for very little payout. We definitely had fun, but it wasn't up to my usual Halloween standards. Maybe as Michael gets older it will get fun again.

In any case, we kicked off the Halloween season with Michael and I going to a local pumpkin patch with our neighbors. Everything was free and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the free entertainment.

There was a corn pit which Michael did not like unless I was sitting in it with him on my lap. I'm still finding the occasional kernel from what was smuggled into the house in clothes, shoes, and diapers.

Michael's reaction to being placed in the corn pit:

We also went on a hayride:

And visited the petting zoo where we found a pig that could have easily eaten every kid there. Whole. Michael thought the pig was hilarious and didn't seem the least bit concerned that its fence was simply a decoration placed there to make us feel secure:

The only other animal Michael really liked was the kangaroo, but I wasn't able to get any pictures of him petting it since it was housed with a stupid, mean llama that kept trying to bite people and I needed both hands to keep Michael from getting nipped.

When we left, I bought a few pumpkins and ended up buying Michael's new best friend. He ran around with his tiny pumpkin in his hand and occasionally spiked it on the ground, I assume to show it he didn't need it in his life and it should be grateful for whatever attention he bestowed upon it before he abandoned it:

I was way more excited about Michael's puppy costume than he was, and we had to practice wearing it the week before so he wouldn't cry all Halloween night. But it was worth it. He was stinking cute as a puppy.

I was able to show him off at the ward Halloween party. That was the best thing about the party. I signed up to make a pie and cupcakes and kicked myself thoroughly for it when I had to spend the day actually making them. My chocolate cream pie didn't have time to set properly, and I didn't realize the cupcakes were for a cakewalk where the kids chose their prize, so I made pumpkin cinnamon cupcakes that tasted amazing but looked... unappetizing to children. It was frustrating. But at least I had the cutest kid there:

I invited my little sister, Katie, to come with us to our Trunk-or-Treat on Halloween night and take Michael around to other cars while I handed out candy:

We were done about 5 minutes after the trunk-or-treating started. They visited a few cars, but Michael quickly tired of it and Katie wasn't comfortable begging candy off strangers for a one year old who could care less. I was close to running out of candy by the time they got back and we decided to call it quits and save some candy for the actual trick-or-treaters. I shouldn't have bothered.

What happened to trick-or-treating etiquette? You only knock at doors that have the porch light on, right? That's how we signal to trick-or-treaters that we have candy to share if they say the magic words, right? Maybe they thought my neighbor's light meant my house had candy too. I don't know. I do know that I still had kids knocking and ringing my doorbell long after I ran out of candy and shut off my porch light. In the end, I made a sign stating I was "Out of Candy. Sorry", and hung it on my door. I don't think they caught the sarcasm in the "Sorry", but they left us alone and I was able to put Michael to bed.

Next year should be better. I think Michael might actually get excited about Halloween, I'll plan ahead and won't scramble for a costume the morning of, and I'm not going to volunteer to bring anything to the ward party.

Do As I'm Doing

Michael is getting bigger and wants to do more and more things on his own. Things he sees Mommy and Daddy doing every day. Things like vacuuming:

We finally got a new vacuum cleaner, and while I'm ecstatic that Michael is no longer terrified when I vacuum, I wish he was maybe a little scared. Now he refuses to get out of the way and wants to do the vacuuming for me. It's almost harder to get it done than before when I had to hold him.

He also loves to brush his teeth. Not only does he love it, but he thinks it's a privilege! Only good little boys get to brush their teeth with yummy toothpaste:

Michael especially loves to go outside. When Mommy and Daddy are tired, they take a seat on the porch and watch Michael run back and forth. When our little boy sees us sitting, he'll come running to sit next to us. He even has a preferred side to sit on. The left:


It also shouldn't shock anyone that we're starting him early on one of our favorite things- gaming. So far he's just really good at dying, but we're working on it:

Canning on her own

Cyndi canned while her grandma was in town and enjoyed it. Inspired by her aunt and grandma (I suppose she's known a few other people who've canned here and there) she did this on her own last night. I think it is pretty awesome to see Cyndi embracing her homemaking.

I see deliciousness in my future.

Haircut

Michael has been needing a haircut for a while, but I tend to put them off for as long as I can. They are, in general, bad experiences for both of us. This time, though, my friend agreed to help me and to teach me how to buzz Michael's hair. There was so much hair on the floor of her kitchen, it was hard to believe, but we took off over 2 inches in some areas.

Ready? It's a bit of a shock...

Before:

And after:

Doesn't he look thrilled?

What We Do For Fun

Life has gone back to normal, leaving me not a whole lot to blog about. Jeff is working, Michael and I stay home, and I try to get things done during the day.

Lately, a typical day for us consists of...

Michael feeding himself breakfast and tossing what he doesn't want on the floor:

Some relaxing time, kicking back in our respective chairs:

Something to stimulate Michael's developing brain. Sometimes it's just a walk, reading books, or even just playing with the neighbor kids. But sometimes we do something especially fun, like...

Going to the splash park, which has fountains! Michael has a great time sticking his hand in them and spraying himself:

Or going to the aquarium up in Sandy where Michael loves to splash in the stingray pool (he once accidentally touched a stingray and really didn't like it. He's just there to splash in their poopy water), and watch the fish in the tiny tanks for small kids:

This picture is from the other side of that tank. He thought it was the coolest thing that he could see me and kept coming around to look at me and run back to the tank to look through the glass:

The last time we went, the penguins were playing and Michael loved them. He laughed and laughed at them as they jetted through the water, right past his face:

Then Jeff gets home and Michael usually drops whatever he's doing to greet him and spend some quality time with his Daddy:

Then dinner, bath and bed. Not terribly interesting, but that's life right now.

In closing, random pictures...

Eating fruit loops with a fork:

Michael recording his own height:

Michael's first sucker. I had one and let Michael hold it for a bit. He strutted back and forth across the downstairs sucking on it and holding it above his head as he ran:

This is a bad picture, but you get the general strutting image.

Vegas

Earlier this month, Adobe sent Jeff to a security conference, Black Hat, in Las Vegas and Michael and I were allowed to tag along. They set him up in Bally's, where Michael loved our view (we could see Paris's Eiffel Tower and pool, and half of the Bellagio fountains):

Black Hat kicked off with a party in a Caesar's Palace penthouse, where everything was Adobe. Jeff sent me a few pictures:

The view from the penthouse balcony (notice the Adobe logo on the glass):

And Adobe swag. Jeff was even able to bring back a couple of these golf balls:

The conference went from Tues to Thurs and, obviously, Michael and I were not invited. So, early Wed (earlier than I thought, since Michael had issues sleeping), Michael and I took the opportunity to head down to Mesa, AZ and visit Granny Veronin, whom Michael hadn't met yet.

We drove down, stopping at McDonald's on the way to keep Michael happy, and spent a day with my Granny and Uncle Matt. On Uncle Matt's birthday, no less. Lucky!

Here are Michael and Uncle Matt playing on their iPads:

And Michael and his Great Granny Veronin:

We had a really great time. I got to visit with family and see my Granny's new house, and Michael had fun playing with toys, going up and down stairs, and running around "talking" on my phone and eating cookies:

We spent the night at Granny's and headed back to Las Vegas the next afternoon.

We got back to Las Vegas around dinner time and crashed at our good friend's, the Klemms, house for a few hours before heading back to Bally's for some much needed sleep.

Check out was at 11am the next morning, so Michael and I found a Denny's for breakfast (Bally's didn't have a single buffet!) and drove by my old house on Sixshooter Dr:

On the way back to Springville, we stopped by Liz and Jon's and Michael played with his cousin Lucas (sorry Liz, I forgot to take pictures of Michael stealing your son's toys) and saw their awesome new house.

I know it wasn't really a vacation for Jeff, as he was stuck at the conference most of the time, but I had a blast taking a break from the "norm". Michael was surprisingly good for sitting through 23 hours of driving over a period of 4 days (Tues- 5.5 hrs, Wed- 6 hrs, Thurs- 6 hrs, and Fri- 5.5 hours) and teething the whole time (4 new molars, yay!). I'm so proud of my boy, but I doubt we'll be taking another road trip anytime soon.

Pioneer Day

For the last few weeks, we've mainly been dealing with illness. We all caught something and Michael has yet to shake it. Let's just say it makes for some... interesting diapers.

We celebrated Pioneer Day by hiking to the G in Pleasant Grove. In my case, I should say tried to climb to the G, because I made it just over halfway before having to turn back. I felt like I was going to die. In my defense, we were basically climbing up the mountain. No switchbacks or anything. My very kind sister-in-law, Brittney, hung back with me and didn't judge when we turned around. Jeff, on the other hand, made it all the way to the top while carrying Michael! Kudos for him, especially since I had the water. Thankfully, his family shared after I left him to die of dehydration.

After the hike, we regrouped at his parent's house for food and fireworks. I love a good sidewalk fireworks show, so I had a lot of fun putting one on for the kids. I think it went well, despite almost setting the neighbor's yard on fire. Michael seemed to enjoy cuddling with Grandma, and ended up falling asleep in her lap:

Michael is such a sweet boy and I feel so blessed to have him in my life but, in the last week, he has started expressing himself in ways I could do without. I know he hasn't been feeling well with teething and diarrhea, so I've been trying to be extra patient with him but it's hard.

Earlier this week, we were in the kitchen and Michael brushed by the trash can. Hearing the bag rustle, I turned and said "Michael, we don't play with the trash. It's gross". He gave me a look, glanced at the trash can, looked back at me, reached out and grabbed the trash can. What a butt.

He's also taken to letting me know he's ready to get out of his high chair by throwing all his remaining food on the floor, piece by piece.

It really doesn't help that he's gotten into this phase of walking like a drunk and falling every 10 feet or so. He's been doing so well walking that I think he's trying to multitask (like stare at the ceiling while walking) and it's not working out so well. And, since he isn't feeling well, he feels the need to cry and get comforted by Mom every time he falls. It starts to fray the nerves after a few times.

It's not all bad, though. Michael is still stinking adorable. He's been babbling more and is working hard at letting me know exactly what he wants with pointing and "talking". He can go up and down stairs (although I still feel the need to spot him) and he loves to put things away in an almost OCD manner.

Today has been especially fun. He was such a good boy at church and charmed everyone in our temple prep class by running around the room, laughing his head off and "talking" on my phone (it's a small class in a big room). He had a lot of fun playing with Daddy, he laughed at the rain, and danced while playing peek a boo. Then, Michael had his rubber ducky make fart noises in the tub, thinking it was the funniest thing ever. And it was.

Closing pictures that have nothing to do with the post: