Fun Times

We had quite the busy weekend, trying to have some fun but at the same time trying to get things done before Gary leaves. We are trying to dig up the posts from the fence that blew down so that I can put up another fence while Gary is gone. It was a bit of a challenge, especially with Josh thinking that he needs to crawl into the holes and play in the dirt.

We intended to take Josh to the zoo Saturday, but ended up having too much to do and it didn't work out. Instead we took him to Salem Pond to feed the ducks. They aren't as much fun as the ducks at Flowserve, but Josh thought it was funny to feed them and giggled. We took him to the park by the pond and let him try out the swing and slide.

Josh loves to bite his dad's nose. He doesn't usually bite anyone else's nose, but loves to bit his dad's.

This is what happens when we turn our heads for a few minutes. We left the pantry door open and Josh took advantage of the opportunity. He took the animal crackers off the bottom shelf, dumped them on the floor, and helped himself. I found him with his mouth completely stuffed full and crackers in both hands.

Gary leaves Thursday (May 3) for his annual training in Boise. He will be in Boise for two weeks and then Camp Williams for one week. Then he will be home for a week and a half before he starts his active duty time on June 4.

New House

I thought it might be fun to start a blog for our family. Gary isn't exactly the greatest at staying in contact with people, and so I thought this might be helpful for while he is in Iraq. I am hoping that he will be able to post things as well while he is over there. Things have been pretty hectic for us these past few months. In March we bought our first home in Payson. We are very excited to get away from our landlord and have a place of our own. It is so nice to lay in bed at night without listening to someone else's child throw a tantrum. The days are much more peaceful as well, not having to listen to little boys thumping around above me. The new house has kept me rather busy. In fact, I don't think I'm ever going to be bored again. I have accomplished a lot, but there is still so much to do. Moving was quite the project with Josh as my little helper. We had quite the system--I would put things into a box and he would take them out. Unpacking was an endless cycle of putting a few things away, then getting Josh away from trouble, then back to unpacking and so on. I tend to work double time while he is sleeping since that is my most productive time. The previous owners left behind a huge mess in the food storage area. Between the garbage from that, moving boxes, and things we removed from the yard we had quite a load for our first trip to the dump. I love having a yard to work in, though it has been A LOT of work. My first major accomplishment in the yard was pulling out all the ivy by the front porch. I didn't expect it to be that difficult to pull out, but it took hours. Mom, Dad, and Melissa helped me finish the job. I never thought I'd be that excited to see a flower bed of just dirt, but I was.

We spent the first month in the house without having TV hooked up. We were so busy trying to get unpacked and organized and cleaning things up that I didn't miss it at all. It was nice to take a break from working so hard for a little trip to Grammy Debbie's for Josh's first birthday. I can't believe it has already been a year. We let Josh go for a swim in Grammy's pool, though it was a bit cold for him. He didn't dig into his birthday cake like I thought he would, but he was pretty tired at the time. While we were in Phoenix we went to a Western village and Gary ended up getting arrested for "excessive gas". It was pretty entertaining. We took Josh to the petting zoo, which he really liked. All the animals were "dogs". There were a couple 14 day old goats that were adorable. It was a lot of fun.