Well Traveled Toddler

*WARNING:  Super long, verbose post, with lots of toddler photos*
I'm trying to get all caught up (so we can go through another blog post drought... lol.. just kidding)

I can't keep pants on this kid! LOL!  He loves wearing hats.  But pants?  Forget it...lol! 

Maybe he just likes showing off those cute cloth diapers ;)

Also, let me just say, God bless snaps!  He can't take his diaper off!  (& he's tried!)

In April, David & I took the opportunity to visit my family & friends in California.  It was right in the heat of tax season, so Jamin had the opportunity to work overtime AND get some uninterrupted sleep. ;)  He's such a hard-working man & I can't say enough just how grateful I am to be his wife.  He's so dedicated & loving & just wonderful.  I just want the world to know how awesome he is & how much I appreciate him.  xoxoxo

But this post isn't all about Jamin ;)  It's all about David... as usual!  LOL!

 David, on the way to the airport.. he was excited about going in an airplane (or maybe just seeing them)

 

David & I flew down on a Thursday & stayed with Debbie for 10 days.  Her parents came up from Southern California to visit for most of the time we were there, which was a lot of fun!  
There was a lot of visiting & enjoying the nice weather (mixed with the rain I brought from WA), cooking & laughing at David being his cute little self.

 David is 'roaring' with his tiger mask from the Elephant Bar restaurant (with Dad & Aaron)

I met up with my dad & brother a couple times & that was nice to visit & catch up.  Dad & Lisa gave David another stuffed animal & book.  It's the orange guy from Dr. Seuss' Foot Book.  I called Jamin that night & asked what we should call it... Marvin is now one of David's favorite stuffed animals.  ;)  All of David's stuffed animals (except one that my friend Ashley gave us when they visited us in the hospital when David was born) are either from my Dad or Jamin's Dad.  It's cute.  He likes to cuddle with them when he sleeps

David, another goober pic of myself & my brother, Aaron

I was fortunate to be able to visit many friends (love you guys!), but there never is enough time to do all the visiting I'd like, so I'll have to plan to visit more friends next time I go down ;) 

 We took 3 pictures & one of us has a goofy face in each one!

The last Friday we were there, Debbie & I ventured into Old Sacramento (can I just say I LOVE GPS?!  umm yeah) to visit the California State Railroad Museum.  What a HUGE hit!  When you walk in, there's a lot of displays with plaques talking about the timelessness of trains, etc. (we were there for a 2 year old.. we didn't read the plaques in detail)  The first display case we came across, David ran right up to it & exclaimed with great delight, "Trains! Trains!" 

Clearly, David was not there for the photo op

 

The main floor has several steam engines as well as other rail cars that you can walk through.  Every time you turn around there's another train... and David continuing to exclaim, "train! train!"  Upstairs, there were displays of miniature toy & collectible trains & a Thomas the Tank Engine play area.  We certainly had a lot of fun & I look forward to visiting the RR Museum on our next visit.  We didn't leave without first stopping at the gift shop & picking up a new Thomas book for David to enjoy on the ride home.  After we stopped for corn dogs, of course. ;)

 
That night, Debbie & Jim had a BBQ with a bunch of friends & neighbors.  We made fresh lemonade & enjoyed some yummy food.  David had a lot of fun with any guys he was around.  David especially loved playing with Elaine's (Debbie's longtime best friend) two boys (tween & teen). 

 He seriously ate at least 3 pieces of watermelon.. where is he putting it all?

 

Another fun thing about our trip is that I got Debbie & Jim set up with a web cam & a microphone so we can Skype!  We Skyped with Jamin just about every night.  And every time we Skyped with Jamin, David requested that Daddy read a book.. most of the time it was "Stinky Face, please" ... one of our favorite books is "I Love You, Stinky Face" ... if you haven't heard of it, you have to check it out... super cute & perfect for boys! ;)  We have yet to get on Skype again, just with busy schedules & all; but I really look forward to video chatting.  We enjoy phone calls, but it's so much better for Grandma & Grandpa to actually see David & he can see them as we talk.  Isn't technology wonderful?!  If you have Skype, let us know!  We'd love to do video chats with you!

The flight home was David's TENTH airplane ride!  Can you believe it!  I didn't take my first flight til I was almost a teenager!  He's a great traveler.  It's most likely the last time he flies for free, since airlines want you to pay for tickets as soon as little ones turn two.  We were fortunate & had pretty empty flights, so David had his car seat on the first flight.  However, after lugging his huge carseat, my purse, his diaper bag & David through the airport, I decided to nix the car seat on the plane & he sat on my lap (which is where he wanted to be anyway).  I expected him to nap on the flight home, but he was enthralled with looking out the window & telling me, "I fly on a airplane," as he saw the wing out our window.  He was happy to see Daddy & promptly fell asleep as soon as we were in the car... clutching Marvin, of course ;)

Camping

We took the opportunity as summer was closing, to take David on his first camping trip. We skipped the Labor day crowds & met up with my dad & his girlfriend, Lisa, the following weekend, just outside of Sweet Home, OR. It was a nice relaxing 3 day trip, with a few walks in the beautiful outdoors, cozy time around the fire (with s'mores of course! David loved those!), & time around the picnic table, playing games & catching up. It was a lot of fun hanging out with my dad & Lisa. They had a couple fun new toys for David to play with while we were there (& he's still having fun with the bowling set & truck) We took a few group shots, but I think all the good ones ended up on my dad's camera.David was way too curious about his new outdoor surroundings to get a nap in the first day, much to our chagrin. But he slept well that night, cuddled between Jamin & I in our sleeping bags. He enjoyed the tent quite a bit - I see a future fort-builder in him. ;) He also very quickly caught on to the little boy notion of always having a stick in his hands. It was pretty cute. We had a nice spacious camp site near a river & went on a few supervised wanderings with his daddy. I am very much looking forward to next summer when we can take a few more trips with David. Camping & hiking created many favorite childhood memories for me & I am sure Jamin as well. We are looking forward to help David cultivate his own appreciation of the great outdoors. (and a clean shower after 3 days of camping! hehe)

A Fun Surprise

David & I were gone most of last week, making a trip to California to surprise my stepmom, Debbie, for her birthday. Debbie's birthday was Wednesday & her husband, Jim, said he had a hard time keeping our visit a secret for all these weeks. David & I flew in on Tuesday & Jim picked us up from the airport. Debbie had no idea! It was such a treat to see the huge smile on her face when Jim came home with us! The last time we saw them was in January, before David was even crawling.. now he's walking & babbling away. There were no plans for the week, except to enjoy each others company & catch up. I helped Debbie with some paperwork & David tested the kid-proofness of Grandma's house (he kept us pretty busy!) Jim grilled dinner for us a few nights & we enjoyed beautiful summer weather! It was the perfect time to go to California, as we totally skipped the 107 degree heat at home! yuck! I even had the opportunity to catch up with a couple of friends! We had a wonderful trip & it ended all too soon! I am looking forward to the next opportunity to visit again!

Visit with the Coates

We had such fun a couple weeks ago when Jamin's best friend, BJ & his wife, Lindsay stayed with us for a few days. We explored Portland & showed them the temple, made pizza & watched movies, relaxed for Father's Day & explored Seattle for a day. It was a busy & fun extended weekend! Thanks so much guys for making the trip! We can't wait to visit you again!

Utah Pictures!

Sorry I'm lame. It's been pretty crazy since we've been back. Jamin's fighting a cough/cold & now I'm feeling some kind of crud creeping in. Add in a nearly 5-month-old who's quite possibly teething & we're just having a grand ol' time. David's actually doing pretty well, all things considering. The toughest part is that his sleeping is totally out of whack. So we're hanging in there. We know it won't last forever!
Enjoy the pics - you'll see them over a few posts.