Little Cowboys

Since Cooper was here for the weekend of Round-Up, Kirk got the boys matching cowboy hats. We had hoped to get some great pictures of them together, but kept catching them at bad times. Our first attempt yielded the following:

Trip actually kept his hat on, which was a very pleasant surprise.




Cooper was on the move the whole time, so we got some good action shots.

We attempted to hold the boys so that we could get pictures of them together, but that obviously didn't work! Plus, the camera batteries were dying and it was getting dark, so we called it quits.

The next day we tried again. This time we got a few pictures of the cousins sitting together.



Poor Cooper was so tired and just wanted to crawl around the grass.

Trip just kept posing for more and more pictures. It was pretty cute!

More Fun at the Fair

On Sunday afternoon, Trip and Cooper ended up taking naps at different times so while everyone else was having their Sunday nap, I loaded Trip up in the Sleepy Wrap and we walked over to the fair. He loves riding this way and enjoyed the fair much more than he did in the stroller.

First, we went to see the 4-H and FFA animals again. Trip giggled and had a great time looking in the stalls and cages. We found a rabbit that reminded me a lot of a rabbit named Dr. Pepper that I had in high school.

Trip has recently learned to make barking sounds when he sees dogs or stuffed animal dogs. He was "barking" at the cows, so I was trying to teach him what sound cows make.

After making our way through the barns, we watched the last two events of the rodeo. We saw the women's team roping and the bronc riding. Trip was a pretty good sport even though the action was far enough away that he probably didn't enjoy it much.

Tammi, Cooper, and Kirk came to join us after the rodeo and we visited the indoor exhibits together. We saw the art, flowers, baked goods, jams and jellies, produce, photographs, quilts, and such that both adults and children had entered. With such a short growing season and unpredictable climate, the produce entries were not much to boast about. Some of the flowers were amazingly beautiful, however. There were some absolutely stunning and intricate quilts as well as some great photographs and paintings. Kirk and I are already thinking about what we might enter into next year's fair.

Our last stop was to see the elephants. Last Wednesday when they were setting up the carnival, Kirk was standing in our driveway and could hear elephants trumpeting. He came in the house laughing, telling me that there must be elephants at the fair. Sure enough, there was a man there with two of them. It was $8 per person for a ride so we passed, but it was still fun to see elephants just a couple of blocks from our house.

Cousin Time!

Yesterday we drove to Reno to pick up Tammi and Cooper from the airport. They arrived at 6pm, so we got there a few hours early and did some shopping. As soon as we left the airport, we headed down the street to an amazing sushi restaurant. The boys were tired and not too thrilled to be there, but we still had a good time and loved the food. It was about 8:00 by the time we got on the road, so we didn't make it home until midnight. Fortunately the boys slept until almost 8:00 this morning. Today has been a relaxed but fun-filled day.

This morning, the boys got out all the toys and littered both the living room floor and Trip's room with an assortment of trucks, balls, stuffed animals, books, and such. We've been impressed with how well they play with each other. Last time they were together, they were four and five months old, so they didn't interact much. It's so sweet to see them enjoy each other's company.

Here they are listening to Kirk and Erik choose songs for church on Sunday. Notice their matching shirts, a gift from Great Aunt Margie.

This afternoon we went to the Lake County Fair, which is taking place just a block from our house. We walked around the barns and saw the 4-H and FFA animals. There were a few horses, and lots of cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats. This is Trip with Steve, a pig that one of the boys from our church raised this year.

These were our favorite sheep.

There were a few chickens, turkeys, ducks, and rabbits too. Here Trip and I are looking at the prettiest pair of chickens. The hen has really beautiful feathers.

Tammi and Cooper with the cool chickens

When we got home, we took advantage of the warm weather to fill up the water table.

They sure enjoyed playing in the water together but then got distracted and just wanted to crawl around the carport and porch.

Once inside, they decided to take all of my baking tools out of the drawer while I was working on dinner.

The day ended with a much needed bath for two exhausted little boys.

Grandpa's Tools and Noni's Watch

Grandpa and Noni came to visit us for the weekend. As always, Trip loved all of the attention and enjoyed two of this favorite things: Grandpa's tools and Noni's watch.

Grandpa was helping us with several projects around the house and in the shop. He had his electrical tools in the hallway so Trip yet again too advantage of the opportunity to explore the tools and make a big mess.

Trip also had fun watching Grandpa change outlets.

Another fascination of his is Noni's watch. This all started a few months ago when he would touch the watch that Noni always wears. She would say, "Noni's watch" and he loved seeing her lips move and hearing the words. Each time they see each other, Trip remembers to touch her watch and Noni says the magic words. A couple of visits ago, he touched her watch once when she wasn't paying attention and was looking at her very intently expecting a response. Another funny experience came when he was sitting in a friend's lap who was wearing a watch. Trip kept touching it and looking at her expecting her to know the game. So cute!

Although we got some things accomplished this weekend there was still time for other things...

Lots of eating a drinking

Cuddling (and chewing on stuffed animals)

Reading

Learning

And a trip to Burger Queen for ice cream (or a cone in Trip's case). We have been trying to take Dad and Mom to our favorite ice cream place in town, the Polar Bear, but for some reason, each time they're here it's closed.

We are so thankful to be so much closer to Grandpa and Noni! We're also looking forward to some more special visitors in September, including Aunt Tammi and Cooper, Gram and Great Grandmama, and Jaime and Kelly. We're hoping to see Auntie Rachel and Corey next weekend as well.

Tools of the Trade

It's no secret to anyone who has been around him that Trip loves all things electrical (wires, cords, plugs, outlets, extension cords, etc.) and tools. We often wonder if this obsession will translate into him being an electrician in the future. At the very least, it's a pretty safe bet that he will be a handyman just like his daddy and grandpas.

Ever since he has been mobile, Trip has been very interested in the vacuum cleaner. I used to vacuum during his nap time but discovered one day that it's much more fun to do it while he's awake. He gets excited when I take it out of the closet and we now have a little routine established. I say, "Trip, ready?" and make a "voom" sound to let him know I'm going to turn on the vacuum. He smiles (and even squeals sometimes) and crawls a few feet away and then sits to watch. At times he follows the vacuum around or holds the power cord and other times he just watches. In any case, he gets sad when I turn it off and waits until I turn it on again and we do the whole routine once more. Anytime I stop, he also takes the opportunity to come over and inspect this wonderful machine.

A couple of days ago I had moved the dining room chairs into the kitchen so that I could vacuum under the table. Trip quickly made his way through them so that he could check his seat for any crumbs (usually cereal) that he may have missed.

Anytime there are tools available, Trip will be there exploring them. He found Grandpa's electrical tools and spent a lot of time pulling them out and looking at each one.

"Look, Noni, it's a screwdriver!"

Doing some important work

It won't be long before Trip will be doing projects with Daddy and Grandpa (and probably driving them crazy with a million questions about each tool and how everything works)!

Quick Visit to Albany

Two weeks ago we made a very quick (three day) trip to Albany. Kirk needed to attend a training just half an hour away from my parents' house, so it was a great excuse to go visit. It was also a good opportunity for Trip to try out his new forward-facing car seat. He didn't sleep much of the five hour drive, but sure did love to be able to see us.

We got to have a fun family dinner with (left to right) Trip, Mom, Corey, Rachel, Gran, Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Kirk. We had a shrimp boil which was delicious and a new experience for my grandparents. Dad and Mom made ice cream as well, which was fabulous. Needless to say, we were all stuffed by the end of the evening...

... and there wasn't much food left.

A little shopping was on the agenda of course too anytime we go to the "big" city, especially while we're still trying to get our house set up and organized. We always come back with a full car.

Playtime Fun

Trip is constantly on the go and crawling all over the house at incredible speeds. For a while, we even had our living room furniture arranged in a corral so that we could keep him in one place and out of trouble! That proved to be too much of a pain for the adults and the dogs though, so it didn't last long. He loves to play with just about anything, but just like any little boy, the things he's not supposed to have are his favorites. We still have to keep the bathroom and bedroom doors closed and are installing locks on some of the kitchen cabinets and drawers. He is getting better at leaving things alone when we ask him to do so, which is really nice

He has discovered that his toothbrush is quite fun to play with and chew on. I'm sure it feels good on his sore gums. He's also a big fan of the box fan. Fortunately he has only stuck things in it a couple of times. We found this little walking/riding truck at a second hand store. It's been fun to watch Trip figure out how to ride it. He walks with it some, but usually ends up walking on his knees and pushing it around the living room.

He loves riding with this huge moose that Uncle Erik gave him.

Another thing Trip loves to do these days is carry things around in his mouth. He especially likes to do this with stuffed animals.

On Saturday, he was giving one of his monkeys a ride.

He is at the point of being able to entertain himself sometimes, which I love. There are moments when he'll just crawl into his room and start playing, allowing me to get a few things done.