Catching up in the Summertime!!

 

Well, it’s been a few months and so we are overdue for an update.  First of all, I am going to start by talking about Melissa (since I know she won’t).  Lately she has been able to get back into Pole Vaulting.  She isn’t able to practice or train as much as she’d like but she goes once in a while and there was an open collegiate meet here in Tucson which she participated in.  She finished in the middle of the pack but for her first meet in 5+ years and after 2 kids, I was very impressed.  I’ve never seen her vault until she got back into it but I love watching her and she definitely still has the competitive fire!!!

Back in March Austin and I went on a campout while Melissa and Cody visited some family.  We had a great time at Picacho Peak!!  Here are a few pics!

He was very excited for the campfire and we were also able to go on a couple hikes.  He really seemed to enjoy it – I hope he continues to enjoy the outdoors and camping so we can go often.  On the way to camping, and on the way back, we stopped at the Ostrich Farm – Austin absolutely loved it and I was impressed at how brave he was around all the animals – I think the Ostrich Farm is a great stop for anyone driving by!

Next up is Cody’s 1st birthday (I can’t find the pics right now so I’ll post that later and continue catching up!) 

Boys Are Fun

I have such a great time with my boys, all THREE. Here are some reasons why…
1. They like to wrestle. I attempted to catch a picture of the two little guys together because they sort of matched…

So I asked Austin if he could sit still just a little longer so I can get both of them not moving…but, same results every time.
 
And I’m pretty sure it doesn’t change when you get older. I don’t have the picture on here of Landon wrestling his dad and brother but there was some serious competition going on.

2. They keep things simple, no stress.   Landon and Austin were so sweet to make me a birthday cake. Since Landon could not find our birthday candles, they went with the massive emergency candles. Love it! Landon also sent me on a fun scavenger hunt for some awesome birthday coupons.


3. They love being in just the unders (diapers in this case--I’ll let Landon speak for himself). They were having so much fun in their train tent that I tried to sneak a picture and video, but Cody saw me too soon, and he’s quick!


4. Out is in.  Clothes out of drawers, dishes out of cabinets, food out of the pantry, books off the shelf, pillows and couch cushions into a giant pillow pile, obstacle courses, you name it. Things out of place are fun. (This one probably doesn’t apply to Landon either unless you count wearing socks with sandals—he can make anything look good. I mean it. I love you Landon).


5. Projects are fun.  Landon likes to think of projects to do where Austin can help. Austin got a new little fire truck bed so it was time to take down a crib. Austin LOVES helping Daddy with anything, especially if it means using a screwdriver or tools.

6. They love the outdoors. We’ve gone on quite a few fun runs, hikes, and campouts as a family. Austin likes to go on many bug hunts and he picks up any type…slugs included. Austin also enjoys watering the bushes and trees surrounding the apartments.  I’m not sure why he likes wearing mittens so much when it’s so nice and warm here :)

7. Dirt don’t hurt. (Cody was loving it despite the look I caught on film)


8. They help each other out.




9. They make me smile.

And now it seems like I should have ten things on my list, but I know most boys don’t care and I wasn’t trying to plan this out anyway…so that’s that. Boys are boys and I love ‘em how they come!

Happy Holidays

Well, we have a few months to catch up on so I’ll be fairly brief and try to include several pictures of our wonderful boys as they continue to grow so fast!  We’ve had a great fall and our enjoying the holiday season.

In August we were able to see several relatives which was fun – here Austin is enjoying a ‘tractor’ ride from Papa.

 

I had to work some of the time so Melissa took the boys up to Idaho and they all had a blast.  It was fun for Austin to have time with some of his cousins!

 

I’m including this picture just so you can see how long Cody’s hair was – it only grew in on top but it was very long!!

 

We celebrated Austin’s 2nd birthday and I tried to make an airplane cake – it turned out okay as Austin seemed to like it!  I can’t believe he’s already two – time has gone by so fast and he is the life of our family – we love you Austin!

 

Austin is a great brother and he can make Cody smile more than anybody – they have their moments but overall they get along wonderfully and we hope that never changes!

 

Here is Cody’s hair when it started to get in his eyes and we had to cut it……

 

And here it is after we cut it (we only cut the top but we took off at least a couple inches!) – we miss the hair but we still love his hairdo.

 

We had a few good monsoons this fall and so we had to play in the puddles – it doesn’t rain much but when it does, we enjoy it!

Another one of the boys have a fun time in the bathtub together – they keep us busy but make life SO much fun!

 

We bought a couple pumpkins for Halloween so Austin could help make a jack-o-lantern.  He wasn’t too sure about using his hands (sometimes he doesn’t like to be messy!) but he was still a great helper.

 

In November we went to Utah for an Accounting conference and the family tagged along.  My parents’ neighbors have a little pony and so I was very excited for Austin to ride – I thought he might be nervous but he did great – he smiled most of the time and he still talks about it – I’m hoping he develops a love for horses and riding.

 

First Thanksgiving on our own.  We decided to stay in AZ this year and so we made our first turkey with all the works – it actually turned out really well and was a lot of fun.

 

We tried to talk about the story of Thanksgiving and we even made indian headbands – we taught Austin how to say ‘How’ – fun times!

 

Cody is growing up so fast and is so cute – he’s starting to eat really well, starting to sleep better, and just in the last couple weeks has gotten very good at crawling and standing up on his own.  He really seems more and more like a kid rather than a baby – we love our little man!

 

I love this picture – I think he looks like such a stud – we’ll see if he turns out to be an athlete!

Life is going great for our family – we are so blessed!  We’re excited for Christmas and all that 2011 will bring!

 

Cody in Review…

Yes, Cody was born in March, and yes, I fail to update this as much as I would like. So here’s a review of Cody over the past few months!

Cody with Uncle Landon in the hospital

With Grandpa D

Cody with his mom and dad

little Super hero

A few days after being home

Right after bath and before bed

Right after waking up (styled on its own!)

After Cody was born we were blessed to have our parents come out to help us out for the first few weeks. I don’t know what I would have done without them! THANK YOU to them for all their help. My dad, mom, and brother Landon all came out the day after Cody was born. My mom stayed for about a week and then Landon’s parents came for a few days. It was so fun be with all of them. 

 

“Nana” (Dyer) with Cody and Austin

Playing ring-around-the-rosies with Dad, Papa and Gramie Mauler

 

A few weeks old

 

 

 

   

Landon let Cody suck his nose and I think Cody was stronger than he expected  :)

1 MONTH (4 weeks- 11 lbs. 14 oz.)

2 MONTHS – 14 lbs. 4 oz.

 

3 MONTHS – 15 lbs. 8 oz.

4 MONTHS – 17lbs.8 oz.

   People think I actually use a curling iron to make that long tube-like row of curls in the bottom left picture. NO, no, no—Cody’s hair pretty much does what it wants unless we really try to gel it, like this mohawk below… 

      I thought it would be fun to compare our boys since it’s hard for me to tell how much they look alike or not. Here is Austin (when he  was 4     months old and 19 lbs. 6 oz.) next to Cody at 4 months old (and 17lbs. 8 oz.)

                         We love our boys!!!