The Cast is Off - Hurray!!

This brave young man sat perfectly still and had a smile the whole time his cast was being removed.  It took about 10 minutes, but the only thing he ever said was that his arm was hot.  Way to sit still Ev!  I forgot to get an after shot, but I did snap some before and during pics.  I have a feeling this will not be our last cast experience, but one can hope!

 Waiting for the Dr.

 The process begins

 Almost done, just need to cut the sock and Everett will have his arm back.  I thought cutting the sock would be the easiest part, but it seemed to bother Everett the most.  The whole time the Dr. cut the sock off Everett kept saying "owe".  I think the metal rubbing on his already irrated skin didn't feel very good, but it's done now and we've already enjoyed the sandbox and the pool.  Hurray for no cast, modern medicine, and a healed wrist!  The body is truly incredible. 

Tram

Everett fell in love with the tram this year.  He loved riding it, watching it, pretending to drive it, and everything tram.  He was lucky enough to be able to go into the motor room and learn all about how the motor works.  He was surprised that it wasn't very loud in the room.  A big thanks to dad and uncle Roger for arranging a mini tour for this boy.

Since we've been home all make believe games include the tram.  We walked around the block and while playing "I spy" the only two colors he would say were blue and red and the answer was always the tram.  He has drawn pictures of the tram and drives them around the house.  He even uses my i-phone to ring the bell for loading.  I love seeing his mind grow and learning what interests this little guy.  He seems to take after his dad with a love of electronics, gears, and learning how things work.

Snowbird

 Every year Ryan's family gathers for a week at Snowbird and once again we had a great time enjoying swimming, hiking, all day passes, and fantastic conversation.  Big thank you Ryan's parents for putting together such a great vacation for everyone.

One of our favorite activities is walking to the point.  Here's a great shot of our little guy with Grandma.

 Family picture at the top of the point

 Annual Tie-dye shirts.  So much fun!

 Irresistible smile!

 Dad and Everett on Zip line!

 Mom and Everett on zip line!

 More Hiking with Grandma

Slingshot fun with Grandpa!

Hannah Is Off To School

My baby sister headed off to college today.  I'm so proud of her for taking this leap.  I know it's hard to leave everything you know, but I know you'll be incredibly successful Han!  Keep your chin up and study hard!

Ready to go!  

Last hug with Mom!

Hannah and my mom were having a tender goodbye and Ev pushed is way in to share in the love.  

And they're off - Good luck on the drive and welcome to Dallas!

A day at the park

Today we headed to a local splash park to let the boys burn off some energy.  Everett played at the splash area for about 10 minutes and then enjoyed the rest of the time at the normal park or just laying in the grass.  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  We enjoyed the not-so-hot Utah dry air and the very soft and comfy Utah grass.  Good times with the family!  Missing our dad though!

Everett talking into the microphones at the park.

Chillin in the soft, ant-free Utah grass.

Mommy and little Sherm hanging out watching Everett play.  You can faintly see in the background two girls with an ice block.  They put the towel on top of the ice and then used the block as a sled down the hill.  Pretty fun idea.  Everett really wanted to try and they were nice enough to give him a turn.  He didn't weigh enough to make it down the hill, but he had a fun time trying. 

A Trip to Vernal

I was lucky enough to have time to drive and visit my sweet sister Whitney in Vernal.  We had a fabulous time catching up and letting the kids play.

The first day we arrived late in the afternoon and headed straight to the dinasour museum.  The kids enjoyed seeing the dinasours and bones, but mainly they loved climbing around in the play area and rearranging the cushions.  Good times!

On day two of the trip we headed to Dinasour National Park.  We enjoyed seeing the bones at the quarry and then headed to the river to let the kids splash and play.  I forgot Everett's cast cover, so I tied a grocery bag around his arm to help keep the splashes off the cast.  It only took Everett about 5 minutes to stumble and fall into the river.  The grocery bag helped, but the cast was still pretty wet - oops!  I should know better.  I'm pretty sure that I am going to be more excited than Everett when the cast comes off. 

Since the lake was a little to hard for Everett and his cast we packed up the kids and headed to the caves.  They had a great time running in and out of the cave and yelling different sayings into the canyon waiting for their echo to return.  Thank you so much Whitney for hosting us.  What a lovely home you have.

 My big sister asked if her son could tag along on the trip with us.  It was so fun to spend some quality time together. Sage checking out the fossils!

 Digging for bones.

 Lola and Ev.

 Playing on the cushions...they played here for nearly an hour. 

 Aaah...Dinasour!

 Taking a break at the museum.  This is the longest they all held still the whole trip!

 I'm sad this picture is blurry, but I'll post it because it's the only one of me and my sis!

 Sherm hangin out in the river!

    The cave and sandy goldfish!

BBQ Reunion

My good friend Lisa hosted a bbq at her house for a bunch of Texas friends that were either visiting Utah or recently moved to Utah.  It was so much fun to see each other again and really made me miss our good old times at Oaks Riverchase Apartments.  There are a lot more kids now, but they still love to play together and the adults really enjoy catching up.  Thanks so much for hosting Lisa!  Hope to see you all again soon. 

The kiddos and their silly faces.  This picture is missing two babies and one little girl.  What a great party!  Wish these kids still lived close and could play.  

Bath Time Fun

Sherman is almost 11 months.  I can hardly believe that my little baby is about to turn one.  Time really does go fast.  This little bundle of joy is nothing but fun.  He is very smiley and pleasant and loves to play with people.  Just recently he started waving and saying "hi" clear as day.  It's so fun to see him grow and see how proud he is when he learns something new.  He also has started to stand unassisted for a very brief period of time.  I think I'll have a little walker before I know it.

I think Sherman is going to take after his big brother when it comes to swimming.  He already LOVES the water.  Nothing makes this kid happier than splashing in the bath.  Got to love these smiles!  I sure do!

Zoo with Eli

Eli is Everett's best friend from Texas.  Sadly they moved a little over a year ago and we've really missed our weekly play dates.  Eli now lives in the same state as Grandma and Grandpa, so we always make sure to play with him when we come to visit family.  

Last week, we met up with Eli at the Zoo and although it's been probably 6 months since these two have seen each other, they grabbed hands and ran all around the zoo together.  They did have one little argument about whether or not lions are scary.  Pretty cute to listen to.  Love these two boys and love that they still get to see other from time to time.  I don't have any pictures to prove it, but Eli's mom and I sure had a fun time catching up too.  Wish you still lived close!    

 Pretending to eat grass like the elephants.  Everett actually ate it, Eli just pretended.

See mom, the grass is all gone!

Hanging out at the park!

Everett the fish

Everett Learns to Flip

Not even a broken wrist can slow this little guy down!  Way to go Everett!!