Camping

This past weekend we went to the ward camp-out. We had a really great time. I so enjoyed watching how super excited Tyler was about the whole thing. He helped me pack and get ready and he was running on super speed once we arrived at the campsite. We could barely get him to sit still long enough to eat dinner---that says a lot for Tyler.

Tyler and John did a great job roasting hot dogs and marshmallows

Once we got the tent set up, Tyler seemed to think he had found his place to sleep. He must have forgotten that our tent has a very nice, large vestibule. He assumed the mat in front of our door was where he was going to sleep.

Once we settled INSIDE the tent, he discovered how much fun it can be to sleep with your mom and dad. We told stories and cuddled until it was time to go to sleep. Tyler scooted his sleeping bag right close to my side of the air mattress and kept wanting to hold hands while he fell asleep- I was all too happy to oblige!

Now we're really looking forward to our next camping trip in a few weeks. Hopefully the weather will be just as pleasant and the conditions just as nice!

Happy Earth Day

This was my contribution to Earth Day yesterday. Yes, that's right, instead of cranking up the AC during my run, I used two fans. Al Gore can thank me later. Although, I suppose this doesn't make up for the two showers I also took yesterday.

Oh, well. Happy Earth Day everyone. Just trying to do my part.

By the way, is anyone else sick of all of this "go green" stuff? It's driving me crazy. I won't bore you with my soapbox on this topic, but if you ever want to get me going, just ask me how I feel about this topic as well as how I feel about Barak Obama.

Anyway, I have two words for you all on this lovely "day after earth day."

NUCLEAR ENERGY

no joke, we are the only country in the world that hasn't figured this one out. Everyone here seems to be too scared of it and too caught up in trying to "capture solar energy" that we never give it the consideration it deserves. It is WAY safer and cleaner than you think...I should know, I happen to be married to a former employee of an atomic power lab...I'm probably not supposed to know, but hey, he doesn't work there anymore so it's all good, right?

Okay, I'll get off my sopbox and go back to cranking up my AC.

Why Tyler would make a good big brother....

The proof is in the pictures...take a look for yourself.

Last week a friend of mine asked me to watch her baby- who happens to be an adorable miracle for many reasons: first, she was brought to this family through the miracle of adoption, and second, she miraculously survived emergency open heart surgery when she was just two weeks old. She is a miracle!

Anyway, I was thrilled when my friend asked. Who doesn't love free cuddles and an opportunity to see their "big boy" in action? When I told Tyler that baby Katelyn was coming, he was so excited. I was a little afraid that he kind of thought we might get to keep her.

He was a pro. He immediately sat down and held out his arms (looking more like he was ready to catch a football then hold a baby), and said "I want to hold him." (Everyone is a he or a him these days).

He was so soft and cute. I couldn't hardly stand it. I didn't hardly have to coach him on how to be soft with her. He loved rubbing his cheek on her head and giving her sweet, soft kisses. It melted my heart to watch how tender he was.

When it was time for Katelyn to go in her swing, Tyler decided she might need a little entertainment, so he showed her a few of his toys and even put on a brief puppet show.

I was so proud of my sweet, big boy. I know that someday he'll make a WONDERFUL big brother! Until then, we may have to borrow, beg, and steel some of your little ones. But beware: Tyler isn't so fond of giving them back!

Strawberry Picking

Saturday we headed out for our annual strawberry picking event. Tyler enjoyed finding lots of big, red strawberries and surprisingly enough, he even did quite well at following the "no eating in the fields" rule.

Then we headed home to make lots of yummy strawberry jam. As a side note: this morning I made some whole wheat bread to go with the jam...Tyler is convinced that we are acting out the story, "If you give moose a muffin." He may be right.

Another side note: You are all invited to come on over, sit on my new reclining patio chairs and eat toast and jam in my lovely 70 degree weather! However, if you come, John may put you to work at laying a few more of those stones into the ground (right Mike).

Because I believe in honesty in blogging, I'm going to tell you that, YES, I did kick all of the backyard toys out of the way before taking this picture-so there!

Tyler Fun

Just wanted to thank everyone for your concern about John's bike, but I must admit, the picture posted is not acutally his bike. I searched the web for the most mangled bike I could find...that one took the cake so I thought I'd post it. I'm sure that if the damage to John's bike had been that extensive, we would have had a funeral or something. Anyway, all is well. I'll post pictures of the newly fixed bike soon.

ANYWAY, just thought I'd share a few fun pics and stories about Tyler. He is our greatest

source of entertainment these days!

*Caught red-handed!

Anytime Tyler is being too quiet, I know exactly where to find him...either the pantry or the fridge. On this particular occasion, he hit the jackpot and helped himself to a box of fruit snacks.

He may be extra fond of his snacks, but he's not above sharing with all of his buddies!

Hmmmm...another Tyler moment involving food. Remember those strawberries we planted a few weeks ago? Now you see them...

Now you don't!!!John and I have yet to try a single strawberry. Tyler gets to them before we even know they've ripened. And let's face it, I think he's had a few green ones too.

And last of all, to try to prove that not all of our fun involves food, here is a picture of Tyler having some fun on the trampoline. I bought one of those giant bubble wands (if you don't have one, you need to go to Walmart and get one...it's the best $1.97 you'll ever spend). Ty loved chasing after hundreds of giant bubbles. And I enjoyed just sitting in a lawn chair, dipping the bubble wand and letting the wind do the rest!

I guess it could have been worse...

When I saw this picture, I realized that it all could have been a lot worse!

(not it to be the guy who owns this beauty)

Well, if you want an update of the bike race on Saturday, you'll have to check out Jen's blog since she was actually there (way to go Jen and Shayne).

We didn't quite make it. Here's the sad story-

Thursday night we headed out for a ride at the race track, had a great ride, and headed home. That's when we pulled into the garage....with the bikes still on the roof rack. My stomach seriously lurched when I heard the terrible sound and realized what we had just done.

At first glance my bike looked fine and John's looked done. Yes, I cried a little. Granted, our bikes are about 5 years old with lots of miles on them, but they are still in good shape, and they're the only ones we have. New road bikes are out of the question right now. So in that instant, I saw all of our summer riding plans go down the drain.

After further inspection, we discovered that minus a few scratches and even a small dent (good thing the frame is steel and not carbon or aluminum), the only major thing broken was the front fork. We replaced the fork Friday and put the bike back together Friday night in preparation for our Saturday event. Turns out, the bike store gave us the wrong size fork, so John was once again out of the event.

My plans were to continue without him. I figured I'd go ride the 20 miles with Jen or crank out the 40 miles alone since I didn't have to worry about a baby sitter. And then I threw out all ambition Saturday morning when the alarm clock went off at 5:30 and it was raining and cold.

Oh well, maybe next time!

Now we just gotta replace the load trays on the Thule rack, put a little paint on the garage, and smooth out a few dents on the roof of the car, but I'm pretty sure that's one mistake we'll NEVER make again!!!