nice outfit

Colin has decided that he really likes to wear socks, crocs, and a tie. I guess it makes him feel fancy. We'll be playing in his room, and he'll bring me each of those things and isn't happy until I put them on him. I think it looks pretty classy, but Nate always takes the tie off as soon as he sees it.

Colin's cousin Sara came to play on Monday while her mom ran some errands. Sara and Colin played pretty well together—no crying, no grabbing of hair or eyes, and no hitting. Colin mostly liked just walking over to her and pointing. He was so excited to see her.

My son is adorable.

So is Sara.

I had to move Colin's highchair over near Sara so he could watch her eat. He really couldn't get enough of her.

Colin found the ironing board in my room and decided it would be a fun place to jump and dance. I have some video of it, but I'll have to put that up later.

I'm not sure why I even took this picture.

I thought our zucchini plants were dead, and then I went out and picked 7 enormous zucchini. We made 3 batches of zucchini bread, froze 10 cups of shredded zucchini, and I still had 4 zucchini left on my counter. Ridiculous. Remember the last picture of Colin and some zucchini that were bigger than he was? Well, he's bigger now. He was trying to take a bite out of it in this picture.

He was really excited that I let him hold it.

We also picked 3 bags full of green beans. Nate helped me trim and snap them (for a while), and then we canned 12 pints and 8 quarts. Wow. I was impressed because I thought we'd never get enough to can any.

Nate helped his dad work on the van on Friday, and Colin and I went over to play too. This is what Colin did to pass the time.

He also developed a taste for soccer.

On Saturday Colin and I drove to Star Valley, Wyoming with my mom and brother and sister. We went to a cousin's wedding reception. Then we drove home. All on Saturday. It was a long day. Colin was very well behaved on the 4 hour drive there. And he was very well behaved during the reception. But on the almost 6 hour drive home (we had to drop my brother off in Logan) Colin was tired and uncomfortable and screaming. Anyway, we saw a rainbow.

Colin played in the nursery at the church before the reception started. He liked this truck.

And here's Colin's outfit from today. Notice any familiar accessories?

Colin and I spent about 6 hours at Granny's house today. Colin played in the car a great deal of the time.

Nate and Caleb spent more like 12 hours at Granny's house today. They worked hard on building her swing set, and it's probably 95% complete. Here are some pictures of their progress.

Putting on the roof.

The slide is up, but not the proper ladder, so the kids used the big ladder.

Trimming the roof so it looks nice.

The swings are added and Bryant is pouting because I told him not to swing until the ladder was moved out of the way.

The slide had to come back off because a board split, but I think it will be up and running soon. Other than that all it needs is the rock wall rocks, the tire horse swing, and the cut ends of the roof stained and I think it's done! Huzzah! Well done Caleb and Nate and Sam! The grandkids are all super excited to play on Granny's new swing set!

I went to the doctor this week and everything is good. I'm measuring right on target, the baby still has a heartbeat, and I'm not vomiting!

I have a few videos from the week, but as I am tired and don't wish to upload them now I will post them later. Use this interim time to prepare yourself for how awesome they are.

ha!

Take that Oklahoma. Take that BCS. Take that Big 12. Take that ESPN. Take that Ute fans. Take that people who don't know what I'm talking about. GO COUGARS!

(Now I just wish I had actually seen the game. I listened to most of the 4th quarter on the radio, so I did hear most of the good stuff. Anyway, I'm super excited that my boys are winners.)

new sibling

I found this on another blog, and it made me laugh. Good thing Colin is too young to realize how drastically his world is going to change when his sister gets here.

two dollar tuesday

Every Tuesday in August all of the exhibits at Thanksgiving Point are only $2 a person. My mom and I decided to take Colin up to see the farm animals and the museum. The only problem was that we waited until the last Tuesday in August and the place was a madhouse. Seriously. There were so so many children running mad. We had a good time though. The first stop was the plastic cow so Colin could take a ride.

Yes, he was saying "Boo" (which is his cow noise) while he was up there. I was surprised that he was happy up there and not screaming to get down.

Next we saw a real cow. He tried really hard to pet it on his own, but in the end Nana had to give him a hand.

He wasn't super interested in going inside the little buildings, but he did like watching the other children playing in there.

The goats were a big hit. I found some corn and tried to get him to let the animals eat it out of his hand, but that didn't work so well. I fed the goats, and Colin enjoyed poking at their faces while they tried to get the food.

It was much hotter than I anticipated, hence the red cheeks. Colin tried on Nana's visor because he kept grabbing at it. It didn't last long on his head either.

Back inside there was a little kids' area with some farm puzzles. Colin was very precise as he picked up each piece and carefully dropped it on the floor. I think it annoyed the other kid who was in there.

We never went inside the Ancient Life Museum because it was just too crowded. The line to get in was all the way outside the doors. We just went back to Farm Country instead and took a wagon ride and saw the horses again. Colin enjoyed the ride, bouncing up and down and trying to make horse sounds.

One afternoon Colin tried climbing up on top of his truck. I was lying on the bed and didn't even notice he was standing up there for a few minutes. He has pretty good balance. Of course when I tried to take a picture of him standing on there he wouldn't cooperate.

He figured out how to work his shake-n-go Mater truck a while ago, but he kind of stopped playing with it for a while. Recently he has rediscovered it, and it makes me laugh to watch him play with it. He shakes it and then throws it behind him and runs over to me for protection. Then he laughs, picks it up and starts all over.

My friend Bekah and her two kids came over to swim Thursday afternoon. This is the only picture I have that proves someone else was actually there. It's not a great picture. Kaitlynn is around somewhere, I think.

We let Colin swim again on Friday. He had more fun splashing Mom and Dad than playing with his toys this time around.

Today my sister Heather came upstairs to make cookies. Colin watched and begged for some of the dough. He pretty much wants anything he sees in the kitchen. He doesn't have a concept yet of "raw" or "not ready" yet.

Nate watched Twilight while Colin watched Heather. We had a good laugh over the "special" effects.

Colin is figuring out how to take pictures all by himself. He's even starting to say cheese when he holds the camera.

And here's a picture of Nate taking a nap with his friends. Note which special one is snuggled up close.

And here are a few movies. We had a lot of fun playing with Colin in his room one evening. The first three videos are all from that night. I think this was just after bath time before pajamas and bed time. If we put Colin's pajamas on too early the shirt is soaked in drool by the time he goes to bed. Colin had just been lotioned up when the first video was taken. My favorite moment is at the end when Nate says something about bacon. Listen for it.

Colin loves to spin in circles when he's being silly. He'll also do it when you sing Ring Around the Rosies, but he usually doesn't fall down at the end on his own. He also plays with BumbleLion in this one. I wanted to give Papa proof that Colin does love his special present.

This last one is Nate hiding the fridge farm from Colin. I liked watching Colin try to burrow his way behind Nate's back to get the farm.

I was really just entertaining myself when I took this last video. We were driving to the store, and I was bored. I like the sound Colin makes when he's pushing really hard on something, like the ball.

I think that's about it for us. I go to the doctor sometime this week or next, so I'll have a baby update soon. Bye.

i have no idea what to name this post

It's amazing how many more pictures I take when I keep the camera in my pocket. This week really wasn't too eventful, but I do have a lot of pictures to post. Colin and I went to the park one day with some families from the ward. The Relief Society put together a Park Group so that mothers with young children who aren't in school can get together and let the kids play. It was fun, and Colin didn't hurt any of the other children, which was a relief. Sometimes he can be a little too affectionate with his friends Wesley and Benjamin. I don't have any pictures from Park Day.

I got the pool out again, and Colin had fun splashing around in there a couple of afternoons this week. I cleaned my bedroom up and made room for my scrapbooking/crafting stuff. Now when Colin naps I have access to the projects that I keep telling myself I'm going to work on. Time will tell if I actually accomplish anything or not.

When Colin gets up in the morning and from his naps he likes to bring a "friend" with him out of his crib. (Lenna called Mason's stuffed animals his "friends" and I guess I picked that up. Nate teases me about it. Colin has yet to form an opinion about it.) This is his Frogosaur.

He kept getting really excited and showing it to me.

We had some corn on the cob for dinner one night, and we gave Colin some. Nate didn't think he would know what to do with it, but Colin proved him wrong and went to town on that cob.

He was very pleased with himself.

Colin is getting very good at pointing out his various body parts. He likes to point to his (and other people's) eyes, nose, mouth, ears, etc. He also likes putting on and taking off his sunglasses now that he's figured out where they go.

I peeked at Colin during his nap one day to make sure he was asleep, and this is what I found. I had to walk across the room to the crib to even tell that he was inside there. Don't worry, after I took a picture I did uncover his head.

Every morning we start out with all of Colin's toys neatly put away in their bins. This is what it looks like at the end of the day. First he empties out the bins, then he throws all the bins on the floor.

Nate loves this outfit. No, he doesn't. But Colin was pulling at his diaper when I left him sans clothing, and it was almost time for bed, and I didn't want to deal with clothes, so I just put him in the first thing I pulled out of the drawer. I almost just spelled drawer droor. Pathetic. Anyway, Colin liked the turtle, and he liked to point it out for me.

I decided to create a little more work for myself and let Colin help me clean out and fill the pool. He was so funny shaking the hose and splashing himself. I think he might have enjoyed that part more than actually playing in the pool.

He also liked trying to get a drink.

And here are the pool pictures. There are a lot. I will try to keep my commentary to a minimum.

Yes, that is my foot.

I was splashing him in this picture too, hence the funny face.

He loved playing with this bucket. I brought it so I could carry the rest of his toys in it, but of course he preferred it to the rest of his toys. He kept putting it on his head, and then he would fill it with water and try to drink it, but it would pour out in front of his face before he could get it to his mouth.

After the pool I took Colin inside so I could lotion him up and get him dressed. Before I could even get his diaper on he took off and climbed up on the bed and started dancing. Now, normally I don't allow him to stand up on the bed, or to be naked on the bed, but he was so proud of his little naked self, and he was so happy that I just laughed and took some pictures.

One of Colin's favorite things is to read books. Sometimes he'll sit and look at them quietly on his own, but usually he brings me a book and wants to sit on my lap and turn the pages.

Colin loves to play with his uncles. This is him pulling Uncle Seth's hair.

When he was done torturing Seth he did give him a nice hug.

BumbleLion has become a favorite toy. He is often requested after Colin's naps. Colin likes to carry him around by the tail, which is what his dad did as a child. (Colin doesn't hit with BumbleLion yet, which is what his dad did.)

It makes me laugh to watch Colin try to carry these huge teddy bears we have that are bigger than he is.

My sister Heather returned home this week after spending the entire summer doing humanitarian work in Fiji. Her friends decorated her room and bought her balloons, which she then shared with Colin. He played with them while I got his lunch ready.

I don't know what he's looking at either.

He really does love his stuffed animal friends. Can you tell?

This morning Nate and I went to the Oquirrh Mountain temple dedication. It was a really sweet experience. I've been to several temple dedications before, but not since we've been married. I liked it even more now that I have a greater understanding about temples and families. I think we might even name our little girl Oquirrh in honor of the temple. It's such a pretty name.

Recipe Tuesday—For Amy Edition

My friend Amy said she was actually using the recipes I had been posting and asked me to keep sharing. Per her request, here are some of the recipes I've tried lately.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

I ate an entire loaf of this today, and I don't even feel bad about it because it has so many healthy parts.

3 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil (I used 1/2 c. oil and 1/2 c. applesauce)

1 tbls. vanilla

2 c. sugar (I used a mix of white and brown)

2 c. shredded zucchini (I used a little more than that)

3 c. flour (I used 1 1/2 c. white and 1 1/2 c. wheat)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tbls. ground cinnamon

1 pint fresh blueberries (I've used frozen too, about 2 c.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 4 mini loaf pans. In a large bowl beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini loaf pans. Bake 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Blueberry Pie

I made this with a graham cracker crust, so my real-pie-crust-loving husband didn't love it as much. My graham-cracker-crust-loving brother thought the crust was the best part. I probably ate more than half of this dessert all by myself.

4 oz. cream cheese (I used more like 8)

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped (I used cool whip because that's what I had on hand, also it was fat free)

1 (9 inch) pastry shell, baked

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. lemon juice

3 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread into pastry shell. In a large saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until serving.