Halloween Hike - October 31, 2012

It was 74 degrees in Salt Lake City today.  On HALLOWEEN!  James was in class, so I took my little dragon out in the woods on the trail to Dog Lake.  It was only 54 degrees at the trailhead, but it was sunny and the little dragon was in fleece.

Not everyday you see a dragon in a backpack - it makes a really interesting shadow on the trail!

I let Lincoln out of the backpack after a 45 minute hike.  I thought he would play for a few minutes and then go back in the backpack and down the trail we'd go.  Stubborn little dragon insisted on hiking down the trail for half an hour.  He would cry and arch his back every time I picked him up to carry him across the muddy, slushy parts.  After an especially long "carry", I set Linc back down and he continued to cry even as he trekked down the trail.  Finally he got distracted by a rock or a stick and was happy again. Funny little dragon. 

When he finally turned to be picked up, I carried him in my arms for a while.  It was getting dark though, so I stopped to put him back in the backpack and discovered that Lincoln is missing one little green croc.  It was too dark and getting too cold to go back up the trail and look for the shoe.  I might be doing this hike again on November 1st!  I did get some cute pictures of our dragon out in the woods.

We didn't make it all the way to Dog Lake, but we did make it to this sign. This sign was one reason I wanted to hike this trail this fall and it was my goal for today's hike.  I really wanted to take our picture by this sign because I have another picture by this sign from 7 years ago.  Looks like they've replaced the sign sometime in the last seven years.

October 22, 2005 - McKayla (3), Kim, James, Carter (1) and I hiked to Dog Lake. We went earlier in the day and James hiked the entire way with one kid pack while Kim and I took turns with the other. And we made it all the way to the lake. I remember McKayla telling James that he was a moose, or a bear, or a turkey. What a difference seven years makes.  Wish the rest of my hiking buddies could have been with us on the hike! Maybe next summer.

McCalvys come to Utah - October 17-29, 2012

We got a special treat this month - Grandma and Grandpa McCalvy came to Utah to visit us!

Lincoln had a stomach bug the first few days they were in town, so he took a few days to warm up. But then he was his usual adorable, fun little boy self. Grandma let Lincoln play with her cell phone ("Hi!" he says) and he sat in this toy and talked on the phone.

Uncle Brian and Aunt Tiffany came for one weekend and we had an apartment full!  We loved it! 

The weather was amazing most of their visit and they took Lincoln out for lots of walks. And one hike - we hiked along the old water trail above Ledgemere Campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Most of the leaves have already changed color and fallen.

At the end of the hike (because of a pretty significant ravine) there is a bench for sitting and taking in the view.

I'm pretty sure Lincoln loves going for hikes - don't you think so? (He does, he's just making a face.)

We found some snow at the Ledgemere Campground after our hike and James taught Lincoln about snow balls. Lincoln would pick up the snowball, throw it, laugh, clap for himself, pick up the biggest remaining chunk of snow, throw it, laugh, clap for himself, and over and over again.

The major project of their time in Utah was spent working on James' XTerra.  The night before the McCalvy's flew in, The Outlaw broke down. If it had to break, we are so, so, so, so, so grateful that we had extra help to work on it!  Lincoln tried to help, he kept examing all the tools.

The couple days that it did rain, showed us that the covered parking isn't very dry over our spot.  They hung a tarp under the roof and over the car to stay dry.  Every so often, James would take ski poles and guide the water over to an edge of the tarp.  James guessed, and Dick proved, that the timing belt was the problem. So they had to take apart the front part of the engine just to get at the timing belt.  And then they changed the water pump since they were already in that deep.  Then they got the car put all back together and it ran!!! And it leaked. So they had to take it back apart and tighten up somethings. 

But in the end, The Outlaw is running again and we are so grateful! And now we have a couple new automotive tools and a tarp too.

We had lots of plans for their week-and-a-half in Utah that were put on hold because of the Xterra Project.  But we did get to explore Ikea and we got in lots of walks. We stopped by the kitchen store that Dick wanted to visit and we spent an afternoon at Gateway. We took Linc to the Instacare and Lincoln shared his stomach bug so everybody had a day or so of feeling under the weather.  Wasn't that generous?  We visited and we ate and I worked and James went to class and Lincoln played with Grandma and Grandpa. 

Next time: Jessi and James want a date night.  Grandma and Grandpa want to spend some time at the Family History Library. I'd love it if we could all go to the temple together. We want to wander the City Creek Center and maybe go to the zoo or to This is The Place Monument. 

Or lets just pack up the car and spend a week in Moab.

Idaho Adventure - October 12-14, 2012

Lincoln's birthday buddy, Carter, turned eight last month. So we brought Grandma and Granddad Great with us to Idaho for Carter's baptism and the Boise Idaho Temple Open House.

We always have such a good time in Idaho.  Bree drew our family portrait and had it waiting to welcome us. I love the boys' spiky hair and my flower. What a cute family!

Lincoln and Bree went on my walk/jog with me.  Bree was on the lookout for earthworms on the sidewalks/roads so that we wouldn't run over them in the stroller.

I decided that Lincoln needed a birthday cake to celebrate his first birthday with his cousins. Carter helped him blow out the candle.

And Oma and Opa gave him a new bathrobe.

And pajamas.  And the Davis' family gave him his first BYU board book.  THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTS!

It is always so hard to say goodbye when you're having so much fun!  Tyler, Lincoln and Christy - thanks Simpsons for Sunday lunch (and the grape and apple juice too!)

My Handy Man - October 7, 2012

Our current apartment has fewer, smaller closets than our last apartment. When we moved in, we stacked a  bunch of miscellaneous boxes along the wall in our bedroom. I kept saying I would go through the boxes and thrift what we didn't need to keep. But it has been 10 months and we still had a stack of boxes cluttering up the wall. A stack that Lincoln wanted to climb and open lids and throw out stuff...

James' friend had some lumber left over from a home remodel project. James measured our wall, drafted a plan for some shelves and went to work. He used his friend's lumber and wood cutting tools and then our front porch as a workspace to drill holes and prep for assembly.

Lincoln loved going with Daddy to Home Depot (about four times for more and more screws). This is Lincoln by Home Depot's pumpkin patch.

And Linc was a big help with the assembly in the bedroom. It was fun for James to actually use the drill he got from GandG McCalvy (thank you!) awhile back and some of his other tools.

As we added each shelf, Lincoln would test it. The next level was a perfect handrail and he would walk back and forth and back and forth.

TaDa!  I'm thrilled!  Now I just need to go through the boxes and decide what to keep and what to thrift.

James is now working on a plan for an entertainment set up for the livingroom.  That project would also require a lot of sand paper and wood stain or sealent, but I'm certain he'd do a great job!

Oktoberfest - September 15, 2012

It's now an annual adventure for us to go up to Oktoberfest at Snowbird Ski Resort. Here's Lincoln on the performance stage inside the food tent.

On the plaza, there is a mining display. Lincoln LOVED playing in the water.

 

 

Last year, we drove up the canyon twice, once "Before Lincoln" and once with tiny newborn Lincoln.  This is James and tiny newborn Linc in September 2011. 

Here's my guys in the same spot in September 2012.  Aren't they cute!?

I love this picture - Lincoln is walking really, really well and usually wants to be independent.  But sometimes he wants to hold onto your finger and walk.

 

 

 Video of Lincoln dancing to a polka.

 

 

Video of Linc playing in the water of the mining display. 

 



We really enjoy our annual Oktoberfest adventure. So fun to get a brat and enjoy the mountains. Definitely going to go again next year.

Mill B North hike - September 13, 2012

We got lucky and had a Thursday afternoon where James didn't have to be in class or at his Return to Service internship.  We decided to go hiking - we chose the Mill B North Fork Trail. Lincoln's prepared, he's got his fuzzy blanket!

We hiked for about an hour, then stopped for a break and an orange - yummy!

Lincoln likes to go hiking, but he loves to get out of the backpack and go exploring.

Family photo - the leaves are slowly changing and you can tell that it is fall!  It was really smokey across the valley though, fires in Idaho are putting a lot of smoke into the air.

 

 

A couple of short videos of Lincoln exploring on the trail. 

 

That was fun! We're going to enjoy hiking together this fall.

Recent Videos - September 12, 2012

September 10, 2012 - Lincoln has learned how to stand up in the middle of the room, without the help of walls or furnature. I caught it on video!

September 12, 2012 - After Lincoln's one year well baby appointment, we spent a long time going up and down the stairs in the doctor's office.  Linc LOVES stairs. This is about the only time Lincoln "crawls".