New Year's brings New Life, but No Blogging - sorry

So, we've had quite a year, but haven't had any blogging. Good thing that wasn't a goal.

However, to report, we have done quite a bit on the bathroom and it is nearing completion. Ivin may have his first tubby in the bathtub upstairs in the next few weeks (knock on wood). Funny thing is I remember telling Kelly when we first started this gig that I thought we could finish the bathroom over the weekend if I took off early on Friday. Well, that was over a year ago now and we are still nearing completion.

We've had some great fun this year with little trips here and there and getting to spend time as a family. We've had a quite a bit of fun with the youth in our area and are finishing up the summer camp adventures for this year at least.

Now that we are feeling a little more on top of things and back to some kind of a schedule, we'll see what we can do to BLOG our little lives away again.

New Year's brings New Life

I'm glad we didn't set any goals surrounding our BLOG last year, or this year. We would have failed really miserably. Kind of like the 100 pushups a night goal from last year. I was hoping to get up to 100 pushups a night. Because, according to my grandpa's diary he was doing that at 80. Well, as much as people like to say I look like my grandpa, my body was telling me when I hit about 70 a night that my shoulder's were going to pop off my body if I kept it up. I'm still feeling the repercussions of that endeavor.

But, despite the lack of the BLOG goal we do have some goals in mind for the coming year - 100 pushups a night is not one of them (I like my shoulders right where they are - on my body).

Some of the new life that has come to our home this year is fueled with the completion of school. I made it through one more degree. This has brought numerous nights of fun at home with Kelly, Ivin and a torn apart bathroom. Yes, that project that started probably 6 months ago, yes that one that we posted pics of a while back, it is still in the works. And while the main problem that started this whole gig is fixed (the bathtub area is all tiled in) the rest of the bathroom has been in disarray for a few months now. Tearing everything out was so fun, I just kept on going and now we have a stripped bathroom that we have to piece together. It's coming slowly.

Ivin has been a little sicky that past few weeks. The poor little guy has a cold or something. Not to mention the whole set of teeth he has clawing through his gums. He now could be affectionately referred to has Niagra Falls with how much juice he's got coming out of his mouth constantly. And, I have to admit, I am a little worried that he may take up being one of those metal or glass chewers that you see at the circus. Anything that could almost fit in his mouth, now finds its way in there to ease the pain. I'm working on not complaining too much about my trials at the dentist and a 6 month long root canal job. Next time I'll start chewing on a book. I don't know if the dentist felt bad for how many house payments I made for him this last year or what, but last week when I went in for my checkup he let me off the hook with no cavities this go-around.

One of my goals this year is to get back into shape. I have set-up a few measureables that will keep me going, but have scaled them back from original 4 marathons this year. My body started telling me no when I was building up miles so fast to be ready for the first marathon in April. I did get asked to run on a team at the Lake-to-Lake relay in St. George in March. I've committed to that much, along with a few other things I'd like to do as far as running goes this year. One includes Ivin on a half-marathon. If anyone knows of any half-marathons that allow baby strollers, let me know. That will probably be towards mid-summer/fall time, after I can get him out in the stroller for a few months.

Good luck to everyone else with your goals. Maybe I'll fill you in on some of my other goals this year as we get going. They say that the more people you tell your goals to the more likely you are to accomplish them. Now the whole world knows a few of mine. Wow, talk about obligation. I don't want to let you all down.

Mutterings of Fall...

So, Ivin has had kind of a rough week, but whatever it has been he's laughing about it as you can tell. We've had some little flu-like symptoms going on through our house and we don't know if that's what's been bugging Ivin, or if its been a couple of teeth that are breaking through on the top of his mouth or what. But, he's still a cute little guy despite the middle of the night rampages and yoga-defying backbends that make a parent wonder what he is doing wrong.

Maybe Ivin is semi-like his father and doesn't have Halloween on his list of best events of the year. Or, maybe its all the running around to Halloween parties and being drug around town in the beautiful fall weather we've been having that he doesn't like. Despite this running around, he's been having a great time as have his mommy and daddy at the fall/Halloween festivities.

We went up to a sweet Halloween party at Jefferson Square in Ogden. Yes, Jason this is the building you were looking at buying on the corner of Jefferson and 26th Street. It was a very fun, family friendly party full of games, headless horseman rides and one little pumpkin man. We got to go on a tour of the mansion there that the owner/party organizer is refinishing. It was quite the good time. We were glad that our friends the Philpots went with us, because we didn't know anyone there. Ivin was the cute little pumpkin man, Kelly was a witch and as you can tell, Jeremy was a broomstick.

Then, there was the annual Halloween party at Kelly's aunt's house. The theme this year was Mary Poppins. As you can full tell from the picture, Kelly was Mary Poppins and Jeremy was Burt. Ivin was supposed to be sleeping in the other room, he actually was crying quite well. He could have been crying because he was dressed up as soot. You know the stuff that Burt sweeps out of the chimney - as he is a chimney sweep.

We've been doing a little fall cleaning. We cleaned out the storage room and the garage. Oh ya, didn't we start a bathroom project 4 months ago. Yes, it is still waiting. Maybe we'll get that done over Thanksgiving break. Jeremy had the week off of school, so we took advantage of having a few nights to actually be married and go out on the town together as a family. It was nice. Being a family is a good thing. It is even better when you actually spend the time to be a family. I haven't been the best at this while in school and I'm excited to be done to enjoy this wonderful thing again as school draws near a close. I start my last class tomorrow night. That means 7 weeks and we have a huge celebration party. On the other hand, I guess I could really work on being a better husband and daddy while still in school. This is far more important than the degree will ever be anyway. Its easy for me to say, now keep me in check so I do.

Ivin is Mobile... see for yourself.

So, as you saw, Ivin has given us a warning that he will soon be more mobile and able to get into things. I guess we'll have to start prepping the house for a mobile child. While this may not seem that urgent, he has been rolling for over a month now.

Usually, I try to play the piano a little bit every day. OK, so it really turns out being maybe a few times a week. Anyway, I'll put Ivin on the floor with a few toys, or in his saucer guy and he'll sit there and listen and join in quite often - he is quite a good singer. Anyway, the other day I got done playing a few songs and singing with him, he was doing quite well. When I got done I got up and turned around and Ivin was nowhere to be seen. I glanced all over the room, then looked down at my feet. He was lying right next to the piano bench grabbing and biting at it. Luckily when I stood up I hadn't moved out the bench. I would have really hurt him.

He sure is a cute little guy. Kelly took a few photos this afternoon. Here is a small assortment. Isn't digital photography a great thing? He's just past 7 months now and we love him so very much.







Not any real big news from us. Jeremy finished one more class. He now has one and one-half classes left before he completes this degree. The light is oh so close and feels oh so warm. Kelly has been a little ill. Not with this SWINE, but just a little sniffle in the sinus'. She'll be up in no time though.

The Cat and The Chihuahua

Wednesday afternoon Ivin and Daddy decided to go for a stroll around the yard. We needed to get out of the house, and it was a beautiful day. We tromped through the garden a bit and foraged for the last few squash and peppers that we hadn't picked yet. With the cold spell the past few weeks we're not expecting much more out of the garden, though it is supposed to be nice (70s) this weekend.

While tromping through the garden we spotted a new little puppy next door. He was a tiny little Chihuahua. Daddy only knows this because Mommy's family has a Chihuahua that is just as cute, if not cuter. This little guy was a bone thin, light brown tiny guy that could fit in Daddy's hand - in two hands for most people, but Daddy has huge hands. We talked to the little guy a little bit then moved on to the front yard. We had unwrapped the tarp we had tied around our tomatoes to keep them from freezing, that was about three weeks ago with the first frost. It's been pretty cold since then. We had the rope we used to tie the tarp down in our hands and were playing with Sully, the big, beautiful, orange tom cat we adopted (or that adopted us - I guess there is mutual consent here) this summer. We were having a blast playing with the string and Sully was chasing it all over the yard.

We sat down to rest and wind up the rope we were using and Sully came to join us. Ivin loves patting the kitty and Sully doesn't seem to mind it. So, there we were all enjoying the rest on the bench when our new little Chihuahua comes prancing around the corner. This immediately perked Sully's attention, as he proudly defends his territory nightly. Kelly and I chat regularly about how neat it would be to see one of these cat fights. Unlike most cat fights that can go on for minutes, or hours, most of the "fights" that happen in our backyard are like a single ninja blow with surround sound effects that make the hair on your spine jump out of their slumber. With our Chihuahua friend prancing onto the scene Sully went to work defending his territory. I think most of the northern Utah area heard Daddy yell, "SULLY." He gave me a look that said, "What, I'm workin' here." He seemed to have an Italian mobster drag to his look, you know like the ones you used to hear on Dick Tracy movies. He did back down a little, but the Chihuahua pranced on.

A small voice in the back of my head as saying, "I wonder what will happen if..." But, that small voice was only a voice speaking in the background as I dashed across the yard to snap up the poor little creature, unaware of the black ninja territory that he had pranced himself into. It was at this time that Daddy came back to the real world and realized that he was still holding his son and now had a bouncing bundle of joy in one hand, and a bouncing bundle of Chihuahua in the other. The Chihuahua was still a little unaware of what might have happened, but the scamper in his now airborne legs was showing a little fear. Daddy's new job was to now keep the scampering Chihuahua legs and claws away from his little boy's face. All the while, Ivin sprawled in Daddy's arms ready for his long awaited nap. Which by the way is the main reason for going outside. Little Ivin needed a little calming down to relax before his nap. He had become all riled up from his exciting afternoon with Daddy playing with him at home.

I found myself a few minutes later on my neighbors doorstep. Airborne scampering Chihuahua in one hand, should-be-sleeping baby in the other. I wasn't quite sure how I would knock on the door after noticing the please knock sign on the doorbell button. But, cleverly used my knee-foot trick that only Daddy's know how to do. I'm sure this skill could be used in ninja classes, or on the soccer field. When nobody answered the door, I decided to do the only reasonable thing. Separate the two fighters. So, the smart man Daddy is, he tromped back through the yard up to the back door, where Sully was sitting with that look on his face that says, "I will kill you little Chihuahua" and "but Dad, he started it" all at the same time.

This is where the part of the story about Sully comes into play. While Sully has been a welcome addition to our house, he has not been welcomed into the house. No matter how hard he tries to come into the house, he is met with a swift foot block that leaves him on the doorstep. True, true, Sully does take care of keeping cats, mice, birds and rats out of the entire neighborhood and he should be treated like royalty. Other people in the neighborhood welcome him to their yards like he is a prince. Feeding him warm milk and cookies (otherwise known as kitty treats). But, due to Daddy's allergies and Sully's ability to shed his entire fur coat with a mere glance, he is not allowed into the house.

So, back to the current situation. Daddy, carrying baby and Chihuahua walked up to the step where Sully was bantering with said Chihuahua and walked right into the house, Chihuahua, baby and all. I can only imagine the thoughts that must have gone through Sully's head. If any of you have ideas of what he may have been thinking, please send them our way. Daddy, put down Chihuahua, put Ivin down for he long awaited nap and went to answer the phone that he caught on the third ring. It was Mommy. Daddy relayed the entire story to Mommy who wanted to see the Chihuahua. So, Daddy grudgingly (not really though) played with the little guy who could barely bit the baby donut sized chew toy that had been purchased for Mommy's parent's Chihuahua Jax. The poor little guy really struggled. It was at this time that Daddy realized that he had saved this little pup for sure death in the arms of ninja start Sully.

A few minutes after Mommy got home, Mommy notice a young girl running down the street in distress of losing her puppy. A few houses behind the girl was a few adults obviously looking for something. While the Sully adoption home was considering bringing a tiny Chihuahua into the mix, they it thought that this little girl should have her cute little friend back. Mommy stepped outside and handed the wimpy, could have been cat food, Chihuahua over to the girl and she pranced gleefully down the road to her home (out of Sully the ninja's territory).

Tonight I thought about the cute little Chihuahua. While it was fun to have him around for a few minutes to play, its probably better that he's home with his family.

Family Pics

I'm not going to attempt to catch everyone up on what we've been doing for the last month. Too hard and too much information to write down. Suffice it to say, we've been busy but have been having fun and are doing well.

Recently we attempted to take some family pictures out in our backyard using just the camera timer. We actually got some really good ones and had fun trying to figure out how to best make things work. Even Sully the cat got involved and seemed to enjoy himself. Here are a few of them for your enjoyment.

One of our first attempts
The cute, cute little man smiling
Another one of the smiley Ivin
Out behind the garage with the fruit picking ladder
Sometimes it's hard to be tall
Creativity gone awry - I was stuck and Ivin was crying because I bashed his head on the ladder
Exploring nature. Our little man loves trees and leaves. Look at that cute little hand!
And last, but not least, Sully the cat chasing after the camera.

The Past Month or So

The past month or so has been pretty busy. Our bathroom continues on in much the same way. Jeremy and I will occasionally have a good laugh when we think about our conversations before tearing down all the tile. "I'll get started Thursday and we should be able to lay the tile this Saturday and have it all done this weekend." Oh how wrong we were. I have no pictures of the progress. It looks much the same as it did on our last post.

In other news, we've had the opportunity to have our nephew Forrest come spend a couple of weekends here with us. He was able to be with us for the 24th of July and we had a blast attending the Rodeo up in Ogden. My Dad and Kayla were able to come with us too. We ate some really sweet cotton candy and enjoyed the show. Ivin was a tired kid and finally fell asleep right before the fireworks. He managed to sleep right on through them, which we were all quite impressed with. The theme for the Rodeo the night we attended was 'Tough Enough to Wear Pink" and they donated money to breast cancer research for every person that wore pink. Hence Dad's pink tie. We even had an outfit for Ivin, but it was a little bit warm to put him in pink long underwear.

While Forrest was here we invented the song "Chewy Chompers." I'm sure if you ask Forrest to sing it for you he will. He hummed it all weekend long and even now if I happen to break into song while he's around, he joins in with a big smile on this face. It was really fun to have Forrest with us. We made pancakes and waffles and went to Costco and Home Depot and had a barbecue and read books and had a grand old time.

We've also had some fun with Jeremy's hair. It was about time for a haircut, so we decided to put some curlers in it and give him a good afro before shearing all of his hair off. He got lots of great comments and not very good sleep a couple of nights, but it was well worth it. The price we pay for beauty, eh?

And finally, to end with, a picture of the cute little man. No post would be complete without one!