"Painting" the Deck

At least once every day Austin will go to the back door and scream "aside! aside!"  And, lucky for him (and me), we had some beautiful sunny weather a couple weeks ago and I could let him go "aside."  He could spend hours outside just beboppin' around.  Unfortunately, though, we just had landscapers rototill and fertilize the yard so Austin could not go on the grass.  He was only partly amused with hanging out on the deck, so I had to come up with some fun things to keep him busy and off the grass.

Enter paintbrush, spray bottle, and lots and lots of water.  The first day he spent TWO hours straight "painting" and spraying.  It was heavenly.  I can't wait until summer is officially here.

P.S. Don't you love his sun hat?  My mom got it for him in Thailand.  All the school kids are required to wear them during recess to keep their necks from burning.  Austin loves it.  Thanks Mom!

The Perfect Easter

I was so excited for Easter morning.  Since I was young I've never been able to sleep well the night before Christmas and Easter.  And, if anything, it's only gotten worse since having Austin. It's not about the gifts, either.  It's about all that comes with these holidays: family, food, love, and the peaceful, joyful feelings that come from reflecting on our Savior.

So I was wide awake at 6 am ready to go.  I put a delicious french toast casserole in the oven and then waited patiently for Toren and Austin to wake up.  And when they did they were not disappointed.  A trail of candy-filled Easter eggs led Austin to his Easter basket filled with bubble bath, color wonder markers and coloring book, and a mini suitcase.  He was so happy.  Toren got new basketball shorts and I got new Pyrex pans (yay...).

I'd been looking forward to going to church because I had the most handsome outfit for him to wear.  My good friend, Kristine, sent me this outfit before Austin was even born.  I've been waiting for TWO years for him to wear it.  The wait was worth it, don't you think?  THANK YOU KRISTINE!!

After church we all took great Easter Sunday naps.  When we woke up we headed out to my aunt and uncle's house for a big family dinner.  The weather was beautiful.  We ate (way too much) while the kids romped around in the backyard.  It was the absolutely perfect Easter Sunday.

Having a little baby only deepened my love for the Savior and His Plan of Happiness.  Every day I'm grateful for the sacrifice he made on behalf of me and my family, and my knowledge that he lived, lives, and that I can live forever with Him and my family.

Ward Easter Egg Hunt

My Mom came back from Rexburg and spent a week with us.  We had such a great time.  It was hard to have her go, even though she'll be back for the summer in just a few months.  Toren and I took advantage of the free babysitting and went to see The Hunger Games (loved it), we enjoyed lunch a Chipotle quite a few times, and Austin was spoiled beyond belief.  Sadly, I really only took one picture.  It's pretty representative of how Austin spent the week with Nana.

The Saturday before Easter our Ward hosted a little Easter egg hunt for the Nursery and Primary kids.  Austin didn't need any help figuring out what to do, and he filled his basket in record time.

Austin is the one trying to walk the dog in the group picture above.  My friend brought her amazingly gentle and obedient (something we're not accustomed to) dog, Philly, to the activity.  After collecting a sufficient amount of eggs, all Austin wanted to do was walk Philly.  She acquiesced.  He walked her all around the park.

Weekend Visit to Pullman

We love an excuse to go to Pullman -- especially when we get to hold the sweetest little newborn ever.  Maren delivered little Hunter William just four days earlier, and I can't believe she still wanted us to come.  But I'm glad she did because I couldn't get enough snuggles from little Hunter.  And Austin was in need of some good roughhousing.

We arrived Friday night and the raucous began!  Austin absolutely loves his cousins...probably because they fuel his wild side.  These little boys ran and jumped the whole weekend.  It's amazing that such little bodies can't have so much energy.

But, like I said, Toren and I spent most of the weekend cuddling sweet little Hunter.  He is the most precious baby.  I don't think we ever even heard him cry once while we were there.  Austin was fascinated with Hunter when he took the time to notice him.  Mostly he was preoccupied with his much cooler older cousins.

A local photographer needed to build up her portfolio of newborns, and arranged to take some pictures of little Hunter.  She was nice enough to take a few of all the boys individually and together.  We brought candy, cookies and gum to bribe the boys into sitting still.  It wasn't enough.  They're willful little guys, and would barely sit still...let alone crack a smile.

And, yes, these are the best ones!  Luckily, the ones of Hunter are absolutely adorable.

Nana Arrives

I guess it's time to catch up...as usual.  Maybe someday blogging will be a priority in my life.

My grandpa was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in October.  Traces of the cancer had spread to a few other organs, and the doctors gave him six month left to live or 13 with chemotherapy.  He started treatments right away.  My mom scheduled a trip to come home and visit him (and, by default, us!).

His scan a couple months later showed that the tumor had shrunk by 50% and the traces elsewhere in his body were completely gone. The doctors were surprised with the results, and we considered it an answer to many prayers.  He moved on to another chemotherapy drug, and his most recent scan revealed that the tumor was getting significantly weaker.  The doctor's were so impressed and said that their might come a time when he can stop treatments all together because the cancer will be gone or benign.  It's really been a miracle for our family.

But my mom still came for her visit!  The day after we picked her up from the airport we headed for Spokane.  My mom was going to visit Laura, David and Mandy in Rexburg and Toren needed to be in Pullman for the weekend.  So, met Toren in Spokane, stayed the night, and then parted ways the next day.

Nana's iPad was the highlight for Austin.  It was an absolute lifesaver on the drive...since he only napped for about 45 minutes of the 5 hours it took us.  He's almost convinced us into investing in one before our next long trip.

He loved hanging out in the hotel, even though we made him sleep in the bathroom.

First Bloody Injury

The one thing I dread about Austin growing up is all the injuries an active boy might have.  Broken bones, stitches, or anything with lots of blood.  Well, this week we had our first bloody "crisis."  Last night Austin was playing outside.  He was gathering rocks for his stash.  I saw him carrying a pretty big one.  He had lugged it all the way up the deck stairs when I looked down to finish the dishes.  Then he started screaming.  Toren rushed out there and carried Austin in -- his hand was covered in blood.

His entire thumbnail was dangling from a little piece of skin on the tip of his thumb!  I pulled the fingernail off and we wrapped it in paper towels to help stop the bleeding and have a chance to help him calm down.  Eventually we were able to wrap it up nicely and spoil him the rest of the night (hence the little bowl of chocolate chips).  Now he's pretty proud of his "owie."  But, sadly, I'm not even exactly sure how he got it.

And earlier this week Austin tripped on the deck stairs and got a real nice bloody, fat lip.

I guess this is probably just precursor of what's to come over the next 18 or so years....

Rather Handsome

Austin looked just too handsome in his church clothes today to not post a picture.  I also wanted to add a few more things about him (for my memory's sake) that I didn't include in his 21 month update.

1.  He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.  Everything: rocks, coins, bobby pins, paper, grass, wrappers, earrings.  If it fits (and sometimes even if it doesn't), it goes in.  It's not a phase and it is not related to teething.  He's done it since birth -- it's just who he is.
2.  He has been throwing little tantrums for a while now, but the most irritating thing he does is go "limp noodle" when we try to pick him up or walk with him and he doesn't want to.  It especially happens during church when my hands are full of other stuff.  On more than one occasion I've literally had to drag him down the hall.
3.  He loves to floss, though I recently discovered that after he's "done" he eats the floss.  He says it's "yum!"

But he is rather handsome, isn't he?