Mexico 2016

Hello all who might actually read our blog. I suppose it's time to post about our recent trip to Mexico. When Sam was planning his schedule we worked it out so he could go since he couldn't last year. It worked out. Barely. Sam got off the plane in Albuquerque around 8pm only to get on the road at 6am next day.

The boys did pretty good and we had no incidents (puke, accidents, etc). We were able to drive into Phoenix around lunch time. My family drove to Phoenix the day before so while they were checking out of their hotel I ran into Old Navy to buy Joey some shoes (one was nowhere to be found and we would have to unpack the entire car to get to another pair). I got lucky: I got the same exact shoes he lost on clearance, and the only pair left was his size. Win! After a delicious lunch at Zupas, we headed to the boarder and crossed it.

All the days at the beach house are a blur, but activities included: swimming, snorkeling, boogie boarding, board games, kayaking, shopping, eating ice cream and chicken, sand castles, walks on the beach, and napping. No stingrays this year, but we had no less than four jelly stings! Joey's favorite activities were playing on the porch, playing in shallow water, and playing with his cousins.

Two stories: first, the banana boat. I love love it every year. This year I rode it with my sisters, uncle, nephew, and Mariah. Got to love Mariah. We were whipped over a particular wave that sent one half of the riders (and Devery who was on my side of the boat) into the ocean. Mariah told us that her swim bottoms went clear to her ankles when she went under. We laughed and wondered she would get back to the beach house if she lost them completely. My nephew and I were the only ones who survived the ride without falling off!

Second story is about a rip tide. My two nieces were playing in the ocean when they noticed they couldn't touch the bottom anymore. My uncle spotted them and tried to help them back in, but the tide was too strong for him to carry two girls and himself. My sister jumped in and eventually they were able to get the niece with a life jacket out of the tide. That tired them out though, because they couldn't get my other niece in. Finally my nephew in high school came to the rescue and got her so my uncle and sister could save themselves. There was a similar experience in San Diego when I was young with my brother and cousins. Needless to say, it is scary business!

Original plan was to stay the night in Tucson on Friday and do the rest of the trip home on Saturday. Sam decided it would be nicest on us to get it over with. So early Friday we left Mexico and got home in decent time. Overall it was nice to be able to do nothing and relax on the beach every day. Joey did a lot better than last year in the sand. He refused to touch it in any way and now it was a joy to see him having fun!

Our sleeping arrangements. Eli was going to be in the pack n' play but Joey is too much of a wild man to have freedom during the night (although one night he was so tired he put himself to bed without us knowing!)

This was Eli's bed: pillows and blankets on the floor.

Sea turtles come on this beach to snack on the jelly fish.
Too bad this one died before he could eat them:
we had so many in the water!

Eating at the ice cream place we always hit up.

Where you will always find Joey

The day the waves took over

I had to quit because it was too hard to get out there enough to boogie board!

Family photos!

Don't know when we will be back, but it was nice to have Sam back after a month and be able to relax without too much responsibility, haha.

7 Months

ELIJAH AT 7 MONTHS

 ::Learned how to sit up from a laying position::Crawls on hands and knees albeit unsteadily::Teething with his 2nd tooth brraking through::Reaches for his mama now::18-19 lbs and size 6-12 month clothing::Eats solids 2-3 times a day::Still a happy camper::

***

I've heard some of the biggest jumps in development occur between 6-7 months. Well, this kid has become mobile and his personality is shining through more and more each day. He started with this inch worm crawl, but figured out how to get on his hands and knees. He wouldn't wait until his daddy came home to start crawling. He still doesn't pull up to stuff yet so he's not getting into too much trouble yet. Joey was a pretty chill baby and didn't crawl until 10 months old. Eli, although a happy guy, is soo wiggly and just wants to grab at everything!

He has been eating a lot more solids, but has been teething a lot this month. Drool, snot, fussiness, and chewing on his little fingers has been going on for quite a while. Now he has his two bottom teeth and can really hurt when he bites. Hopefully we can kick that habit before it starts.

Eli is very loved here in our home. It is amazing how much one little guy has changed our lices. So happy he chose our family to be with for eternity!

Decided to pick up a couple shifts at Target
because he can.

Pinegrove Cabin 2016

This was the first time since Joey was Eli's age that we got to be at my parents' timeshare near Pagosa Springs, CO. Despite Sam being in San Antonio, TX for a month I thought it would be nice to take a vacation during 4th of July with my fam. We spent a whole week there and the days definitely blurred together. Highlights included the dirt bike and 4-Wheeler, inner tubing down a couple rivers, a hike to Treasure Falls, the Malt Shoppe, daily trips to Walmart (no joke my family are true people of Walmart), and of course the 4th's parade and fireworks.

Everyone but Sam and my nephew at one point or another came up to this tiny cabin. I lucked out and got an actual bed probably because of Eli. It was crowded. First night I didn't think I could survive the week because my kids could not sleep due to the noise. After a curfew was set I felt a lot better. Eli was loved on lots and I think he l it. He was his happy, smiley self despite having a cold. Sadly he gave that cold to Joey and he acted a bit more miserable. Some others got the cold, but I lucked out miraculously (knock on wood). 

The weather was cool and rainy for a good chunk of the time, and of course I didn't think to pack jackets. But it turned out alright. It made it hard to send the kids out to play, haha. I never rode on the dirt bike or 4-wheeler, but that was all the kids wanted to do. It led to a nasty confrontation with the neighbors across the street. He was yelling so loud we could hear it inside the cabin, and they were not kid-friendly things. My dad was eventually able to calm him down and most of us did our best to not let that happen again!

Inner-tubing was really fun despite the river being frigid. We learned our lesson about how to tie the tubes properly when transporting them in trucks, though. We lost a couple with improper tube storage. On our last full day a group of us got to travel a good length down the river in town. A couple were inner tubing and during a big waterfall he fell off his tube and lost his trunks as well. His wife was frantically yelling "PETER! PETER!" when she was approaching, being scared and probably because he lost his pants. So from then on we said someone Petered if they wiped out on their tube. I also accidently got tangled in a fishing line (it is super hard to control where you want to go in tubes) and the girl got really mad at me. Whoopsy. 

The Malt Shoppe was the busiest I've ever seen it. Line out the door every time. Must have been the time and season to be in Pagosa Springs?

Lastly, the parade was really cute, but got long and hot, and we didn't get nearly as much candy as I was expecting. But we did get a huge t-shirt from Wyndham hotels...which is where Sam is staying in San Antonio. Sam's experience there included bed bugs and passionate neighbors. The fireworks in Pagosa were pretty awesome and some of the best I've seen.

And now for pictures!

Left: Joey's cute mug. Right: Hail the size of marbles.

Joey did not get along too well with his cousins, so this moment had to be documented. He also took his pants and diaper off and laid on his tummy on the deck or stairs everyday.

Little air show to start the parade.

Sadly Joey's favorite part (firetrucks) was at the beginning
so the rest was long for him.

Biggin's.

Oh my horse poop.

Not your average steed.

Funny little float. Note the Dory swinging around.

An ad for a little Mermaid play...

It's probably best you didn't see King Triton's interesting hip dance.

We made matching shirts for all the kidlets.

After the La Luz, this was nothing. Even with Joey on my back.

Sorry random people, but you are on my blog now.

Only picture I got with my boys.

The overlook view my mom loves.

I didn't ride the 4-wheeler, but Joey did.

On the way home in Espanola. Joey just woke up,
but I had him get in there anyway. I think he liked it?

We lucked out with only a few bug bites, but Sam had several.
We have to figure out how not to bring them home!

5 Years

We hit the 5 year mark! Time is really funny. Some days you feel like it's been forever but when thinking about a certain moment (like our wedding day) I'm like "wow that was 5 years ago?!" To celebrate we mainly went to Disneyland, but we also decided to go on the La Luz trail heading to the Sandia Peak, eat at the restaurant there, then hit the tram down on our actual anniversary. 

The hike feels like real life. You have to work hard before it starts to pay off. The first half was hot and not too pretty or shaded. Then all of a sudden it's green and shaded and breath taking. It was a perfect day to go (we couldn't leave until after noon and the weather cooperated). Here are some pictures, because blog posts are boring otherwise (I'm not alone in this right?).

 I didn't get a picture of the wild flowers, but there were so many colors! It took some self restraint not to make a wild flower bouquet. The little tree pictured above was interesting. The tips were this bright green and super soft. Then it transitioned into a normal bristly pine tree. Now for Sandia Peak!

iPhone doesn't do it justice.

What we just hiked.

It got super windy and cold. We didn't stay on the top for long.

We did eat dinner at High Finance. It is definitely overpriced, but the food was decent and the view beautiful. Funny story: we went to the temple a week prior and saw a temple worker that was the spitting image of Ben Stiller. Like Sam and I both totally agreed on this. We saw him again on the ride down but chickened out on talking to him. I really wanted to get a picture to say "DOES THIS OR DOES THIS NOT LOOK LIKE BEN STILLER?!" but it would be creepy and probably rude. Oh well.

Happy anniversary Sam! An eternity with you sounds heavenly :)

6 Months

ELIJAH AT 6 MONTHS

 ::A pro at sitting up now::Gabs with "da das" and it's adorable::Roly Poly bug::First tooth on his bottom right::Doesn't refuse a taste of solids::Loves to laugh at his brother::Sleeps in the same room with him too::Wiggly little guy wanting to grab at everything::Around 18 lbs::

***

Eli has made huge leaps in his development. He has been sitting up for a couple weeks now, and it's great (except when Joey feels the need to knock him over). We have our 6 month appointment tomorrow for measurements and whatnot. Poor Grandma Hobbs gets to be with him after he gets his shots while we go on an anniversary hike (I realize this as I'm typing, sorry!). He got his first little snaggle tooth, 3 months earlier than Joey!

He's doing well keeping a schedule with his sleep as long as we are home. The bassinet was getting tiny for him so we took a risk and put him in the crib, which is in the same room as Joey. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Joey is out like a light when Eli wakes up crying (so is Sam).

Eli is our wiggle butt and grabs at anything in his reach. But he's so happy. A lot of people comment on his happy countenance, and it's a blessing to have him. I couldn't have asked for a better second child at the moment.

We've been spending our days at the park:

First time sitting up for the camera.

Loving the swing.

Snuck a PB&J sandwich in while my parents
were distracted and didn't regret it!

Prunes make me blow out of my pants!

Found my toesies.

Passed out while playing 

 These past 6 months have been a party! We love you Elijah!