We have been having a lot of fun this summer soaking up time together as Dan is out of class. Dan planned a really fun day a few weeks back for the family to all go to the zoo. I happened to be scheduled for a Saturday which meant Dan and I were both home the Monday before and got a day off together to do something fun! (This also meant Dan's sister watched Shad for us on Saturday- thank you, thank you, thank you!! We are so lucky to have great family that is so willing to help us out!) Dan was so cute about it, he planned it as I mentioned and even packed a lunch for us and found out when the elephant show and bird show were in advance so we would be able to see as much as possible without being there too long. We had a great time and were lucky that ALL the animals were out.
Despite going to the Hogle zoo several times before, I had literally never seen ANY of the tigers before because they were always hiding, but we got up close and personal this trip.
It was a fun day, Shad was so excited about everything that when we tried to sit down for lunch he shoved his sandwich in his mouth and went running off like a dog carrying a toy. Maybe we should have him spend more time with other kids and less time with Solo . . .
We have also spent a lot of time on our bikes. Unfortunately I can't keep up with Dan and it isn't safe to pull a bike buggy on the road so we trade off watching Shad in the mornings so we can each ride. Dan is always awesome about encouraging me to get out and ride my bike despite the fact I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON and usually always have an excuse. Thanks to his encouragement I did a fifty mile ride with my sister-in-law up in Bear Lake last week and felt pretty good about it. Thanks for waiting up Myndi! Getting out more got us really pumped up for the Tour de France this year, but it is pretty apparent that the US is just waiting for Shad to grow up and become the "next great american cyclist" as Dan says, we will just have to bide our time cheering for foreign teams!
As I mentioned we were in Bear Lake last week, Dan's family does an annual trip for the fourth of July. We had a good time being together with all of his family and Shad had a great time eating way too much junk, staying up late, sleeping in our bed (despite having one of his own) and spending time with his cousins. His grandparents even hauled the wagon up from their house and he had a great time riding around. He generally tried to stand up in it but we had a fun afternoon racing down a hill as fast as I could pull him and then running back up.
ride slowed down quite a bit when his cousin Zaylie joined, but he has a great time with her regardless, we frequently warn him she is trouble . . . I may not have had quite as relaxing of a time as he did during this venture but it was a lot of fun and he kept busting up when we would go fast. One of those moments where it was really fun just spending time with him and not feeling so much like "the mom". He obviously won't remember it but I took a picture so I would and can tell him about it later. They also had a pinata and Shad gave it a pretty honest effort on his own, he seems so much like a little boy in these pictures.
We went swimming as well which Shad still really enjoys and had the annual talent show, prepared and presented by Shad's very organized cousin Abbie. She would be an excellent wedding planner, detail-oriented with all the enthusiasm and dramatic flair required for the job. She loves pulling-off an event. Shad was concerned we were going to leave him behind and climbed in my suitcase when I was packing up to go home again. Unfortunately, right after this picture he decided he wanted more space and began throwing everything else out of the suitcase.
We were lucky enough to see my parents over the weekend of the fourth as well since they came into town for my father's high school reunion. He is one of the few unusual people I know who would actually trade places with their high school self to be able to experience it all over again. I guess that means he had a great time at that point in his life, but a million dollars wouldn't convince me to go through those years again. We had dinner with my mom and younger brother one night and stayed up late playing card games. It was clear I don't pull late nights too frequently anymore, my brain went to bed at the usual time even if my body was still up. It made for an interesting card game and plenty of fodder for everyone else to make fun of me, not that I blame them. My dad decided to relive his high school days to the fullest and spent a lot of timing riding (and fixing) motorcycles with friends and his brothers and then got home just in time to go to bed. I am glad he had a great time but it was a brief visit for us. Friday night my older brother stopped by for a while too so it was a weekend full of family. Too bad we didn't get to see my sisters as well.
Shad has been quite the character lately, he is still all over the place and has a funny way of standing and talking to himself, looking back at you and going on in gibberish for a while as though you should know exactly what he is saying and then going back to his own conversation. This is one of the moments where he felt I should know what he was doing and let me in on the discussion. Generally in an instant such as this, one arm would be stretched back at me and the other one pointing to whatever it is he is "talking" about.
I am glad he is showing a desire to communicate but he still doesn't really use words consistently. His vocabulary keeps growing if you count all the words he has said a couple times and never repeated. He seems to feel the same way about repeating words as he did rolling over, it was cool the first few times and then not really too interesting after that. Hopefully he continues to catch on and can express himself more completely soon. One of his other favorite things is still hide-and-seek or any other type of wrestling. Despite the fact I hate to be startled or scared, Shad LOVES IT. He thinks it is the very best if I hide somewhere dark and jump out just as he finds me, practically making him jump out of his skin. I guess it is the innocence of not knowing what kinds of other really scary things are out there. This picture is during a wrestling match before bedtime.
of course as soon as Dan saw me with the camera, he told Shad I had ruined the moment and proceeded to move on to something else. He only makes this face when he is feeling really silly (thankfully! It is hilarious and adorable but perhaps not the best everyday expression)
Hope everyone else is having a great summer, we have to enjoy it while it lasts and before Dan starts classes again in the fall.
Last but not least, does this hairstyle look familiar to anyone? I took this after Shad's nap one day because I liked the lighting but then noticed his hair looks just like mine when I had my "peacock" hairdo. Way back before the shaved head . . . Wish I could just wake up and have mine styled, rather than taking forty five minutes-I would still have that hair-cut if that were the case!
