JT and the Boys

Vallecito

2011-06-15T08:43:00.005-06:00

This past weekend we headed up to Vallecito, just East of Durango. OMG, it was amazing. I miss the green so much and this was a healthy dose of it! We packed up the tent, cooler and whatever else we could fit in the back of the VW (not much). The kids did really great considering Archer had a cold and Ollie had some sort of stomach bug. We hung at the campsite, played at the waters edge and hiked a bit. We can't wait to go back!

Master marshmallow cooker

Abiquiu reservoir and Los Alamos

2011-06-15T08:33:00.004-06:00

We went for a drive a couple of weekends ago and ended up checking out the reservoir in Abiquiu. It was beautiful and sunny but so windy. We didn't stay long, just long enough for Oliver to skip some rocks. We then headed over to Gallina and had some awesome green chile burgers at a little restaurant (the only one in Gallina?). The kids fell asleep in their car seats and John and I enjoyed a quiet, scenic drive down a forest service road. We stopped in Los Alamos on the way back to stretch our legs and let the kids play. We often stop at this park for it's wide expansion of grass which we don't get to see in Santa Fe. It was an awesome day (until we got home and I realized I had left my keys on top of the car and they fell off somewhere during the drive)!

El Rancho de las Golondrinas

2011-06-15T08:26:00.002-06:00

John took Oliver to El Rancho del las Golondrinas a couple of weeks ago. It is a living history museum on 200 acres just South of Santa Fe. I've never been but it looks like they had a blast! I'll have John edit this with some of what they did while there.

a few randoms

2011-06-15T08:19:00.003-06:00

My sweet mischievous boy getting into something he shouldn't.

pouring water from cup to cup

just chilling

omg, so so good shrimp and grits

things we've been doing lately

2011-05-19T10:44:00.005-06:00

turning one, walking first steps, flying kites, eating waffles, taking swimming lessons, riding bikes, peeing in the bushes, playing superheroes

another birthday

2011-03-30T14:31:00.005-06:00

We really pack all the birthdays into the first half of the year here in the Hutchison household. Last week we celebrated mine, and I won't say which number. We went down to Albuquerque to check out Explora, the children's science museum. The museum was a lot of fun but most of the science exhibits were geared told older children. Oliver still dashed from one thing to another to check it all out. Maybe in a few years he'll stand still long enough for us to explain how they work to him. After the museum we had lunch at Flying Star, one of my local favorites. Kid friendly and they serve good local ingredients. Then we walked around the campus area a bit and hit up Cold Stone Creamery for a little yum yum. It was 70 and sunny so really a perfect day! When we got home, John whipped up a carrot cake for me! I'm not sure which member of the family most enjoyed the cake. :)

Blowing out the candles

2011-03-05T10:55:00.002-07:00

Oliver turns 3!

2011-03-05T10:26:00.007-07:00

Oliver turned 3 yesterday and he had a fun little birthday party at the house. He has so many new super hero toys and is pretty excited about that. Archer is getting bigger and bigger and we wouldn't be surprised if he started walking soon. He's such a good baby! We recently drove out to the Rio Grande to walk around with the kids and throw rocks in the water. This is always a favorite for Ollie! Things have been busy here in NM just trying to keep up with these wonderful little rascals!

John's Birthday

2011-01-15T08:23:00.002-07:00

John and I got to go out to dinner for his birthday and enjoy a quiet meal. We celebrated with cake the next night which was a hit with Oliver.

2011-01-15T07:58:00.006-07:00

We had a lovely holiday season! Mom and Bob stopped in for a few days before Christmas and the kids had a blast with them. We're half way through the month and still trying to get back into the swing of things!

December is here!

2010-12-02T18:23:00.011-07:00

We had a great and lazy Thanksgiving! Lots of food, crafts and football. On Friday we got to visit with our friends Joe, Marisa and Miles who recently moved to Denver and that was really nice. Yesterday, John took the afternoon off and we went up into the Santa Fe National Forest near Pecos to pick out a tree. It was a long bumpy ride into the woods in a car with low clearance. Our next car must be higher off the ground! There was a bit of snow up there and Ollie had a blast - it was like he'd never seen the stuff before! We settled on a nice 10 foot white fir, which looks much larger in the house!

Archer has been crawling around like crazy and pulling himself up to standing on everything he can get his hands on. In terms of mobility, I think he's about two months ahead of where Ollie was at seven months... That's the news for now. Pictures of the decorated tree to come soon!

pre turkey

2010-11-24T14:22:00.003-07:00

The holidays are upon us!

2010-11-19T08:22:00.006-07:00

Seriously, where did this year go? My baby is almost 7 months old and Oliver is going to be 3 here soon! 3 I tell you! We seem to be extremely busy just maintaining. You know, packing lunches, bath time, laying on the floor tickling the kids. Oliver had a great Halloween, his friends Olivia, Emilio and Graciela came over. Even my co-worker Kindra brought her 2 kiddo's over. It was chilly trick or treating but the kids seemed to enjoy it. Oliver gave up his cowboy costume which he had been wearing the previous 2 weeks and decided last minute to just stay in some skeleton jammies and wear his new Winter boots. I am going to be more diligent about posting on here. Goal being once a week. We'll see how that works out.

No big plans for Thanksgiving, just eating and watching football.

Oh, Archer started CRAWLING these last couple of weeks! Time needs to slow down!

ok then

2010-08-16T07:36:00.006-06:00

I've been a bad girl by not posting lately but I'm not sure that anyone reads the blog anyhow. Since mid June, we've really just been busy with life. We have taken a couple of road trips, one up to Boulder to visit Jeff, Maris and Zach. It was a quick one with a long drive considering we have a baby who doesn't like to be in a car seat. We discovered that Oliver likes hotels and if he were saying it you have to say "HO-tel" with a Southern accent. On the way up to Boulder we stopped in Raton and spent the night. He was so excited to be in that room. He kept getting out of bed in the dark to look for Buzz although he really knew exactly where Buzz was. We've also road tripped in to Southern Colorado around the South Fork, Monte Vista, Alamosa area. It's an easy 3 hour drive up there and we get to explore.
Neither of us has gotten a lot of "me" time in the last few months so I'll admit that my personal joy has been in baking. I've tried out so many new recipes and now we're talking about how it needs to stop because there is a constant supply of cakes and cookies in the house! How will I ever lose this last 10 pounds?!
The boys have been great. Archer is very well behaved and only wakes me once during the night. He's sleeping in a crib most of the night but I usually cave and pull him in for a feeding and end up snuggling with him the rest of the night. Oliver is talking SO much. My favorites lately are "Mom, be quiet" when John and I are trying to have a conversation and "it's too loud!" when I'm grinding the coffee beans. He wants to play. ALL the time. He's a good boy if we keep him busy but if we slack for too long, boy does he let us know. One day, in the car he said "mom" 22 times in a 10 minute drive. I also have counted him saying "i want to go to the park" nearly 20 times during a drive. He's funny like that.
John has been keeping busy at work and has been riding his bike there most days. He's good about taking us exploring on the outskirts of town. We went on a terrific hike where we had to cross a stream (maybe the Tesuque?) 6 times. It was fun getting wet and traipsing through the woods. We let Oliver walk through the stream on the way back. His favorite thing to do is throw rocks and sticks into water so I think we all had a pretty good day.
Other than that, we're just looking forward to a visit to Michigan at the end of the month. Ready to show off Archer to all those family members. Can't wait to see you if you're reading!

Visit from Grandpa Ernie and Grandma Susan

2010-06-22T18:17:00.004-06:00

Dad and Sue came out for a week and we spent a lot of quality time hanging around. I think everyone was happy just spending time together, especially because it was so hot.

2 more

2010-05-30T14:44:00.002-06:00

just took these 5 minutes ago.

the beginning of Summer

2010-05-30T14:27:00.003-06:00

Well, we've been pretty busy the last 4 weeks but are settling into a routine of sleepless nights and days spent trading off holding Archer and chasing Oliver. It's been a bit crazy but wouldn't trade it for anything. Oliver has been great with Archer and likes to sing songs to him if he is crying. Oliver also gives him lots of kisses and calls him "tiny". We got out of town last weekend and drove up to Sipapu ski resort and rented a cabin for the night. Oliver was content to sit by the river and throw rocks and sticks in for hours at a time. It was a beautiful drive up and nice to get out of dodge for a bit.

Archer has arrived!

2010-05-05T17:11:00.008-06:00

At 1:46 this past Saturday morning, we celebrated Archer's birthday. He weighed 6lb 11oz and measured 18 1/2 inches. He's a tiny handsome little guy! Tracie was amazing during labor and she's bouncing back so quickly. She's a tough gal! Ollie is a proud older brother and we're all really enjoying our time off together...

Whoahoo!

the big sandbox

2010-04-04T18:29:00.007-06:00

we took a quick road trip up to the colorado this past weekend. it was probably our last opportunity to get out of town before the baby comes... the great sand dunes and the hotel water park were definitely the highlights! ollie called the dunes sandbox and they were impressive!

dos años

2010-04-01T17:36:00.025-06:00

We celebrated a couple birthdays here this past month. Tracie turned an unknown age last week and Oliver turned the big numero dos a few weeks ago. We had a fun little party for Ollie with a few friends and family over. Bob and Trish flew out for the week and were probably worn out by the time they left. They taught Ollie several new songs, took him on long walks and they gave him some proper horse riding lessons. At two years, he's certainly getting more wise and much more verbal and independent. His vocabulary is growing at an insane rate and he's learning so many songs and sharp little phrases. He's also invented a few ways to test our patience and he wants to do EVERYTHING by himself - Ollie do it. What an age to experience as a parent!

Tracie is 35 (or maybe 36) weeks into this pregnancy and she's looking as amazing as ever! The little one is quite active and for the most part Ollie has been very gentle playing with her and the baby. I'm not sure how he'll react when his little brother is no longer just something moving in moms belly. The dynamics of this house are definitely about to change soon and we're getting anxious and excited!

The spring here has been crazy so far. We're still getting snow one day and 65 degrees of sunshine the next. The one constant element is the insane wind. There's tumbleweed blowing everywhere and the Juniper and dust seems to be disturbing almost everyone's sinuses. Luckily Michiganders are immune to the Juniper pollen.

A few pics from March...

Snow Days

2010-02-07T13:43:00.006-07:00

Time is flying by since the holidays were here. Oliver started a new daycare in January and is loving it. Lot's of kids to play with and it sounds like he's making some buddies (mostly girls). We've had several snow storms with school/work closures so we've taken Ollie out sledding a couple of times. He seems to like going down the hill fast the best. What a surprise huh?
90 days left until the due date of our new little man. He seems to be growing right along to schedule. I gained a TON of weight over the holidays but that made up for what I didn't gain in the beginning. I think I might have had a few too many Christmas cookies back in Michigan. :)
The month of March has big things happening! Oliver turns 2, grandma and grandpa Hanna are coming for a visit and I get to travel to LA/Santa Barbara for my high school friend Chelsea's wedding. We've also got spring break and my big 36 shoved in there as well. It will be a busy month but lot's of fun so that we can settle in during April and get ready for the baby to come. We haven't decided on any names yet for those of you who are wondering!

Holiday Hootenanny

2010-01-06T20:37:00.034-07:00

We had another busy holiday season this year!

The four of us had a feast here in Santa Fe for Thanksgiving. Brining the turkey was definitely the way to go! Ollie ate everything that we made - if it had cranberries on it.

This kid loves those tassels!

The winter has been sunny, but definitely a bit colder than anticipated... We escaped the temps in December with a 9 day getaway to even colder Michigan. We had a great time as usual! There were too many friends and family to visit in the time that we had, but luckily we're hardcore holidayers. Ollie did an amazing job dealing with our schedule. I certainly would have freaked out after falling asleep in the carseat every few hours and waking up in a new house filled with strange faces. Maybe strange isn't the right word. Thank you to all of his cousins that were so patient and helpful with him... he had such a great time with you guys! Anywho, we didn't take many photos of the trip for some reason and are really hoping that somebody out there will send us some. The few that made it onto our camera are...

Grandpa Ernie and Ollie opening gifts (early).

Ollie, three teddy bears and a football - asleep in Grandpa Earls wheelchair. Grandpa's doing much better by the way. Whoahoo!

Zac teaching Ollie the art of shredding Santa's paper.

Part of the fam holding that smile for 10 seconds early Christmas morning. Dude, part of your head was missing in all 5 shots.

We flew back to New Mexico Christmas night. There were a few delays at the airports, but we got home safely and with just enough time to turn on the heat and crawl into bed. We slept very well that night!

A few other pics taken since getting back...

New underwear and trains have been very popular so far this year.

His first Wings gear from Uncle Dave.

Playing a mean harmonica under the kitchen table!

During the holidays, we were also very excited to find out that Ollie's sibling is going to be a brother (thanks for your help Ginny). We had a few 3-D pics taken, but the little mans hands were always covering that handsome face. Our due date is May 7.

Halloween

2009-11-07T10:27:00.004-07:00

Halloween was great. We moved all day and were so dead tired but Ollie deserved a night out for being such a good kid and putting up with us all day. We took him over to one of Johns coworkers houses and went trick or treating with them. He didn't quite get it but he was more than happy to run and follow the other kids up to the doors of houses. I think he's had more sugar this week then he has had in his entire life! He had a great time! We are getting settled in the new house and have most things unpacked. Now on to things like actually decorating. We're looking forward to the upcoming Holiday season. Maybe it's just from working in retail all of those years but I still get excited when I feel the holiday spirit! I'm looking forward to finishing off this semester and having a whole month off of school. Oh the novels I will read!

Fall Fun

2009-10-11T18:39:00.004-06:00

September and October have gone by so fast! Olivers Grammie Trish and Papa Bob came for a visit in September and sadly we have ZERO pictures from the trip! (Mom, send me some!) Oliver warmed up quickly and had tons of fun playing with them. He learned the words "apple" and "bubble" while they were here. Papa Bob showed him how to juggle apples and he thought that was pretty cool.
October has started and it's time to begin thinking about Halloween costumes already. We haven't decided yet for Ollie but I think he should be something scary this year.
At the beginning of the month we attended Christina and Alexi's wedding. Christina takes care of Ollie sometimes at his daycare and he loves her to pieces. It was an amazingly beautiful wedding that took place outdoors at the lodge at Hyde Park. They had PERFECT weather for a Fall day.
Today we went down to McCall's Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty. There were so many fun things for Ollie to do! I think the slide and pumpkin bouncer were his favorites though. We saw lot's of animals and even got to pet some goats. O thought the pigs were pretty silly with their quivering snouts poking through the fence at him. We picked out a few pumpkins and will hopefully carve them soon.
Kara and Edward are coming for a visit next weekend and we're all excited for that! Maybe we'll get them to help with the pumpkin carving.
Last but not least, big news, we're very excited that Oliver will be a big brother at the beginning of May!

Picking out pumpkins

Helping carry like a big boy

CORN MAZE!

Pumpkin bouncer

Watching the bunnies

Measuring up

Hyde Park

Having some lemonade

August Flew By!

2009-08-30T22:02:00.035-06:00

We took Oliver to the Black Canyon campground for his first overnight hiking/camping trip. What a GREAT experience! Some of the highlights were...

examining hundreds of rocks along the trail,

Ollie singing his favorite songs from the backseat,

helping build the campfire and cooking delicious foil dinners,

and staying up late listening to 'those' noises outside the tent.

We also took a quick day trip on the High Road to Taos... It was a great drive weaving through the New Mexico Rockies and through several small Pueblo areas.

El Sanctuario de Chimayo

Many people make a pilgrimage to this church for the Miraculous Healing Dirt. We weren't in need of a miracle on this day, but it's good to know the option is there.

Ollie has been spending countless hours reading books to his buddy 'the cow'... I'm sure Grandpa Hutchison will smile hearing this news.

If the shoe fits...

Eating bananas on the go... He's just growing SO FAST!

Our friend Tracy stopped by for a visit from Boston. She, Tracie and Oliver had a quick snack at the park and toured town for a couple days.

I unfortunately missed the visit from Tracy because I got called on a fire assignment up in Fairbanks, AK... It was a LONG two weeks away from T and the Boy!

2009-08-26T11:16:00.002-06:00

It's been a while

2009-08-26T10:35:00.003-06:00

Just a few pictures

2009-07-20T07:24:00.004-06:00

Ruins of a Pecos Pueblo

2009-07-05T12:47:00.039-06:00

With over 1000 years of human history, the Pecos Pueblo area at the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains was a great spot to explore this weekend.

The three of us stepped down into a couple of the Kivas, which were used for ceremonies to balance the underworld and the above world.

The Kiva above is now fully exposed, but as you can see by the figure below it was once covered and surrounded by several other structures.

The remnants of a massive network of attached houses that were once 4 stories high.

There were so many Cholla Cactus blooming near the site... Lots of rain lately!

In the early 1600's, the Spanish had already forced their way into the Pecos area to colonize and start a mission. The first church was completed here just south of the Pueblo in 1625.

Ollie had an absolute blast at the Mission!

He ran around and explored ever little corner...

... and at the end of the day, those chucks were dirty!

Update

2009-07-01T07:27:00.003-06:00

Well this isn't much of an update. John posts the really nice informative long ones. But I thought I would at least post a few pictures and let you know how we've been doing. We were back in Michigan in early June for Daniel and Lauren's wedding. We had a great time seeing family! Ollie had a blast too. So much space to run around and play at the farm and my parents house. We are back to the swing of things here and enjoying the weather. Still trying to explore as there is SO much to see around here!

Kasha-Katuwe

2009-06-03T20:54:00.008-06:00

This past weekend we drove out to the Cochiti Pueblo to explore the insane geology around the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. The cone-shaped formations were formed over 6 million years ago from volcanic eruptions.

The three of us rambled up through a really cool arroyo canyon apparently cut by wind and water...

Ollie took advantage of the time out of the backpack by sprinting up the canyon towards his mom. He's way too fast these days!

There have been a lot of intense rain and thunder storms lately, which isn't ordinary for this time of the year. There were several wild flowers and cactus in full bloom along the hike. I think this is an Engelman Prickly Pear.

At some point there was a wildfire that probably swept through the area leaving behind some really gnarly dead Pinon Juniper trees.

We think you the reader should come visit us so that you can experience this place!

The new New Mexicans

2009-05-20T20:03:00.045-06:00

We packed up the wagons and headed Southeast for a fresh start in a new town. Ollie was excited for the adventure and he strapped on his hat for life on the road...

Santa Fe was our destination and we rambled through the pouring rain for two days through beautiful areas such as Arches, Canyonlands, Manti La Sal, Mesa Verde, Durango, and the San Juan National Forest... They were almost all buried in the clouds and it was REALLY tough passing through without a stop, especially with Ollie "the anxious one". When the rain finally did subside, we found ourselves just over an hour from Santa Fe near Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O'Keeffe spent 50 years of her life painting... what views!

Once in Santa Fe, we took a few of days to explore the sites and absorb the sunshine...

Museum of Fine Arts

Santurario de Guadalupe, built in 1781

Cathedral Basillica of St Francis

The Plaza downtown

The Inn at Loretto

On Mother's Day, the three of us had a great time at the Cowgirl BBQ. Ollie was given a balloon hat, Tracie had a much needed margarita and we all sat around enjoying live music and great company.

A few random pics of the boy...

This past weekend, we drove West towards the Jemez Mountains to check out some Native American (Anasazi) Pueblos at Bandelier National Monument. These amazing cliff dwelling in Frijoles Canyon date back almost a thousand years.

The remnants of the Village of Tyuonyi.

Tracie peering out the kitchen window.

Several of the dwellings were accessed by ladders,

while the Long House, an 800 foot stretch of adjoining homes was accessed by navigating up through several stories.

Well, I suppose this blog is now caught up... Good night!

Spring is here!

2009-04-13T20:10:00.004-06:00

Walking and Tooth Brushing!

2009-04-05T08:38:00.007-06:00

Testing his feet in the grass at the Warm Springs Park

Taking care of those teeth

Watching the fish at the Aquarium

Sporting the new cap from Aunt Trinna

Oliver has been walking all over the place! He is into everything these days and loves it! We can't wait for Summer to get here so that he can explore outdoors.

Is summer here yet?

Ollie's first birthday party week in no sequential order!

2009-03-12T19:53:00.026-06:00

We celebrated Oliver's first birthday party this past week! Grammie Trish made him a healthy little cake and surprisingly all he wanted was the blue frosting...

Great Grandma Shorty made him this really cool red sweater with little train buttons.

He sized it up for a few seconds...

... and then decided that his mouth was big enough.

He was so excited to get his own chair!

Grammie Trish distracting the wiggle worm
at the Sundance Ski Resort.

He love's the little dinosaur toy from Aunt Cory and Uncle Dan.

Chomping on a lemon at Squatters Pub.

Grandpa Bob and Ollie strolling around the neighborhood.

The crown stayed on his head for maybe a second. The photographer was very fast!

Learning the buttons on his own cookie monster remote.
Thank you Grandpa Ernie and Grandma Sue.

Ollie also had his one year doctor's appointment on Tuesday. He got a clean bill of health and was 30.5 inches and 21.4 lbs. He also started walking much more this past week and his record at the house is 15 steps in a row!

Rambling on... Dry Creek and Stansbury Island

2009-03-02T17:37:00.010-07:00

Tracie, Oliver and I have been enjoying the warm temps lately and have journeyed out for a couple hikes these past two weekends. On Saturday we drove out to Stansbury Island to explore some cow trails and to catch a view of the surrounding peaks around the Great Salt Lake. We all had a great time and Ollie enjoyed chatting with the cows.

He definitely enjoyed the time out of the backpack!

We stopped at a little rock outcrop for Ollie to grab a bite to eat and to watch him ramble around on his own.

Tracie and I got a decent workout while Ollie slobbered on dad's shoulder.

This massive flat Paleozoic feature was the perfect height for Ollie to walk around.

Tracie showing proper GPS etiquette... I borrowed one of the new GPS units from work to test in the field. The Dry Creek trail runs up a little narrow Canyon near the University and was perfect for challenging those satellites.

Laundry baskets and a visit from Uncle Dave...

2009-02-21T17:39:00.016-07:00

RAWR! It's naked time!!

My Doctor appointment with the Plastic Surgeon went well, I don't have trigger finger, it is just a cyst that will either go away or have to get removed later when it starts to get in the way of holding on to a baseball bat and things of that nature.

Showing off new jammies from Uncle Dave

Looking forward to turning 1 in a couple of weeks and for Grammie Trish and Papa Bob to come have birthday cake with me!

Uncle Dave was in town for a week and we had a great time with him. He and Charlie gave me my first football and the awesome fire truck that I'm riding in one of the pictures.

avocado, a new flannel and the do...

2009-02-05T20:27:00.015-07:00

Seriously!

just a few in the gray sweat pants

2009-02-03T20:39:00.008-07:00

Pulling up the pants, grandpa style

He's not a fan of the purple head band for some reason.

Ollie's doing great at the end of his tenth month! He's SO close to taking his first solo steps. He stands by himself when he's distracted, but the second he realizes that he doesn't have a hand on something he drops to the floor. He definitely knows how fast he is at crawling and would rather use those skills to outrun his parents rather than attempt to get away on his inexperienced feet.

This week he has another doctors appointment to check out his little trigger finger. We're not sure if he'll have to get surgery yet and are hoping that we can wait a bit longer until he's older. There's a good website on trigger finger if anyone is curious at http://www.handuniversity.com/ ... The condition is essentially swelling in the tendon on his right index finger, usually caused by repeated trauma from pistol-gripped power tools or long hours grasping a steering wheel... who knows how Ollie got it.

Agility and the new chompers.

2009-01-16T19:49:00.011-07:00

Oliver turned ten months a couple of weeks ago and he's becoming insanely independent and curious. Gates are up all over the house and the cupboards and drawers are getting locked this weekend. He's developing a great sense of humor and as you'll see in the following photos, he's got a decent little smile too... His speed, striking demeanor and skills around the coffee table remind me of a jaguar kitten. He's SO much fun right now!!

Tylenol and a good ol' fashioned shirt on the head is all it took tonight...

'I totally think I could grab that ceiling fan if I could build up enough speed!'

The new top teeth truly complete the smile!

Huge smiles and outbursts of laughter followed 10 seconds later by huge yawns with the head down...

Holidays 2008

2009-01-11T17:12:00.004-07:00

Here are some photos of my family from over Christmas. If you have any from the Hutchison Christmas, please send them our way so that we can post them!

Thanksgiving and others..

2008-12-15T13:46:00.004-07:00

Ollie and Uncle Cousin Josh

Lately

2008-12-14T08:19:00.003-07:00

This morning

Oliver's favorite new thing to do when I step out of the room

He likes his food better on the spoon

Sorry we haven't been posting much lately. Life has been busy and Ollie has had one cold after another. There are only so many snot nosed pictures we can post. We are getting excited for our trip to Michigan next week. Oliver can't wait to see everyone!

Thanksgiving week

2008-11-30T19:15:00.007-07:00

Memory Grove Park

Bison near the Great Salt Lake on Antelope Island

Hiding in the leaves... Thanks for the camo Grandpa Ernie!

Uncle Dave and Ollie enjoying some tractor time at the Garr Homestead

Charlie and Dave developing some important skills

Hanging in the back yard

Helping Dad with laundry

More Memory Grove Park...

crawling

2008-11-22T19:04:00.002-07:00

2008-11-22T18:47:00.002-07:00

2008-11-22T18:37:00.002-07:00

Weekend fun

2008-11-22T18:09:00.001-07:00

Been busy lately

2008-11-18T19:10:00.005-07:00

I started working full time about a month ago and there just doesn't seem to be much time for blogging anymore, among other things. We are all doing well, Dave is in town right now and we're excited to be able to spend time with him. Ollie started crawling the day before he turned 8 months old. He followed suit by pulling himself up to standing in his crib just days later. He is BUSY! He wants to be everywhere at once!

Halloween

2008-11-02T16:48:00.004-07:00

best picture ever

sweet sleepy face

Pumpkin carving

2008-10-31T06:21:00.001-06:00

Today

2008-10-26T22:26:00.002-06:00

Timpanogos Caves

2008-10-26T12:00:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we drove down to American Fork and hit up the Timpanogos Caves. It was way cooler than I expected it to be! There are 3 caves with man made tunnels dug out in between. We were inside the mountain for over an hour. The hike up was a little strenuous but completely worth it. The views were beautiful! A great time was had by all!

Poor little Ollie

2008-10-23T17:12:00.003-06:00

Ollie has been feeling very boo boo kitty these last couple of weeks. A cold turned into an ear infection, the amoxicillan used to treat the ear infection causes a terrible rash and somehow now he's had a fever since Monday afternoon. Today was a good day, no Tylenol, I think the fever is lessening. His mood has been great and he's been a trooper through it all. He still has remnants of his cold but it's clearing out. We're hoping to have the old smiling Ollie back by this weekend.

Ollie tried green beans this week for the first time. He didn't like them.

today

2008-10-14T21:12:00.002-06:00

Ollie has been a busy boy this week. He's enjoying lot's of new foods as you can tell by the bits on his nose in one of the pictures. We must go get him ready for bed now!

This week

2008-10-12T15:01:00.003-06:00

Ollie is thinking about crawling but not quite there yet!

Snow this morning

Snow this morning off the front porch

Oliver fell asleep in his bouncer this morning.

Gimme that camera!

We've all had a cold this week and Ollie had an ear infection on top of his cold. We've been laying low and hanging out in the house a lot. The temps dropped a lot this weekend and it snowed over night and has been spitting snow all day as well. Not much is sticking to the ground but it's nice to see.
We are sad to see the Farmer's Market go but next week will be the last. I have been stocking up on zucchini and making bread with it. It seems to disappear very fast!
Ollie has been blowing raspberries with his mouth and seems to like the reaction he gets out of us. It's so silly! We hope everyone is doing well!

Utah vs. Oregon State

2008-10-06T19:20:00.002-06:00

We went to our first Utah football game and Ollie's first game ever. The stands were packed and it was LOUD! Oliver was so enthralled with everything. He was very well behaved and just loved watching all of the people. He even slept through the second half of the game. Thanks to Charlie for hooking us up with the tickets, we had a great night! Photo's courtesy of Charlie!

Fall is Here!!

2008-09-28T21:03:00.012-06:00

Ollie, Tracie, Charlie and I went on a GREAT hike on Saturday up to Lake Blanche in the Wasatch Mountains. The trail is just west of the city in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Oliver definitely had the best seat in the house!

The boys talked about grizzly bears and sasquatches...

while the girls talked about rheumatoid arthritis and Heroes Season 4...

The fall colors were already pretty intense!

Lake Blanche just below Sundial Peak. What a great spot for lunch!

Charlie packed so much great food! Thank you so much!

Tracie and Oliver relax after the journey to the top.

I truly think Ollie is going to be a mountaineer!

Whoahoo!!

We were all excited to be hiking down slope on the way back to the car! Ollie even managed to sneak in a little nap.

Ollie and mom uploading some photos to the blog.

His first experience with peas proved that they not only smelled horrible, but they nearly made him gag as well.

They are loads of fun to smear on the face though!

Thanks Aunt Amy for the sweet backpack, Good night!

a great week

2008-09-21T09:08:00.005-06:00

Grammie giving out kisses

thinking about date night

looking at the monkeys (i think) with grandpa Bob

at the zoo

riding the rhino at the zoo

sunset on the great salt lake

Oliver loves his bath time

Yesterday was a sad day as Grammie Trish said her goodbyes. Oliver even had a crying fit as she got out of the car at the airport. We had a lot of fun this past week with Bob and Trish and hopefully gave them a good taste of SLC. The weather cooperated nicely which added to the appeal of the city. It has been a wonderful Summer full of visitors and although we are sad to see it go, the leaves are beginning to change and Fall is welcome in our household. Who is coming to visit for ski season??!!

Indian Summer

2008-09-15T18:04:00.003-06:00

Ollie wasn't sure what to think of the little goats, he got his toes nibbled a bit by one!

Uncle Jeff and Ollie at the Park Silly Sunday market

Zipline at the Olympic ski park

I'm bringing my camera up on the zip next time!

Checking out the leaves

Sunny day at the State Capitol

Memory Grove Park

It's been a busy 3 days since grammie Trish and grandpa Bob arrived. We've done lot's of sight seeing in the area. Oliver had a good time today with his grandparents while his mom and dad were at work. He was a good boy. :)
Many more pictures to come...

9/10/08

2008-09-10T16:21:00.002-06:00

Labor Day weekend

2008-09-01T17:29:00.001-06:00

Heading to Charlie's for dinner so not much time to write. Had a good weekend, we finally got some rain!

2008-08-28T20:37:00.001-06:00

Oliver is learning to use a sippy cup. He loves it but can't quite figure out yet that he needs to tip it up to get the liquid out. He's been sitting up on his own better and better every day. The whole family is ready for a long weekend!

TGIF

2008-08-22T16:39:00.003-06:00

Ollie had a great week but woke up this morning with a cold. It's his first cold. His nose is running and he's sneezing a lot. Despite all of that, he's still smiling a lot and being a good boy. More pictures soon

Watchin the Bees!

2008-08-20T21:14:00.010-06:00

We took Ollie to his first baseball game Monday night. The Salt Lake Bees didn't do very well, but we all had a great time watching some ball and enjoyed the challenge of keeping the hotdogs out of Ollie's reach.

Gimme that dog Dad!

Grandma enjoying some quiet time!

Grandma and Grandpa H are here!!

2008-08-15T15:57:00.009-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa H flew in on Wednesday for a visit. We've been having a great time showing them around town and they've been loving the time with Ollie!

Sunset on the Great Salt Lake last night.

Grandma, Ollie and Grandpa enjoying the moment!

Grandpa laughing at one of Ollie's knock-knock jokes.

Hanging at Provo Falls earlier today.

Visit from Kara

2008-08-03T18:56:00.011-06:00

Wall Lake (Uinta Mountains)

Kara is visiting for the weekend and we went on a nice hike up in the Uintas. It's been our little escape from the heat lately. We've had a great weekend and will miss her when she goes home to Southern Cal tomorrow!

The Fam

Ollie beat Kara in a long 'stick out your tongue' contest earlier today. Although much more experienced sticking her tongue out, Kara was no match for the little rookie's determination to be the best!

lazy Sunday

2008-07-27T17:29:00.003-06:00

Showing off his standing skills

Showing off his dancing skills. I wish you could see the video!

Whew! It's been a hot one this weekend. We went up to the Uinta's yesterday to beat the heat and had a picnic on a small lake. Photo's from that trip to come shortly, they are on the real camera and will be developed soon.
Today we hit the public pool and took Oliver for his first swim. Sadly, no pictures of him in the water b/c we both wanted to be in there with him. Next time, I promise.

more Ashly and Amal wedding

2008-07-20T18:11:00.005-06:00

Ollie asleep in Dad's arms at the ceremony.

TG, RKT and JC

Ashly's lovely Aussie friend Anna who demanded to hold Oliver numerous times so that John and I could dance together. We are so grateful for that!

The wedding of Ashly and Amal Srivastava

2008-07-20T18:07:00.005-06:00

Waiting for the ceremony to begin

Ashly with her parents, Linda and Bill

Right after "I do!"

1st dance

Lake Tahoe

2008-07-20T17:59:00.006-06:00

short hike to the beach

We arrived in Incline Village around noon on Friday and headed straight to the beach. A short hike through the woods and we were at Chimney beach. BEAUTIFUL! We came unprepared without beach towels or an umbrella so we sat in the shade on Ollie's blankets. The weather was perfect and the lake is absolutely beautiful!

More cereal & an upcoming wedding.

2008-07-13T13:54:00.006-06:00

Oliver loves the new food but still hasn't quite figured out the swallowing thing... He's definitely determined though!
He has a doctor appointment tomorrow and we'll probably mix in a vegetable at some point next week.
We are all heading to Lake Tahoe for Ashly's wedding this coming weekend and are pretty excited about it! Oliver is pumped to get to meet Ashly, Rachel and John. We are all excited to meet Ashlys' Amal!

Real Food & BIG Toys

2008-07-13T13:38:00.013-06:00

Ollie started eating real food (rice cereal) this past week! The habitually intense sucking motion that has been his go-to move over the past four months makes using the spoon a bit of a challenge, but he's figuring it out nicely!!

The introduction of new of toys such as the insanely huge Music Motion Activity Jumper has been a popular addition to Ollie's daily entertainment... He absolutely LOVES it! Other than a couple of stubbed toes and the fact that it takes up half of our kitchen space, I think we may just love it too! He laughs hysterically when he catches a glimpse of himself in the little mirror or when he finds a new little noise maker by fully extending his arms and little toes.

Uncle David was secretly persuading Oliver to decide that David would be his first word... We'll see if Ollie learns his middle name before a few other much tougher words like mom, dad or NO.

Our neighbor Alex is in LOVE with Oliver and has expressed interest in waiting the 18 years before he'll be ready for their first date...

Ollie Bear

2008-07-08T16:06:00.001-06:00

Ollie and I just hanging out this afternoon.

4th of July weekend

2008-07-08T16:01:00.002-06:00

Dave and Charlie visited for a week and Trinna came out for a short 2 day stay over the past week. We took lot's of mini road trips into the Canyons, walked around Park City, had breakfast at the Silver Fork Lodge and showed everyone the city. We had a really great week!

2008-07-03T15:42:00.002-06:00

Ollie fell asleep sideways in the chair!

Oliver has been a good boy all week so he got a new toy! He LOVES it! He went to town exploring all the bells and whistles and he really digs how he can touch the ground with his feet and bounce up and down.
Happy 4th of July everyone, hope you all have a good weekend!