Moving On To May

And May officially began! I always seem to be behind, no matter how hard I try.

Since I was away in Colorado during my birthday, Jason and I celebrated the next week when we had a free night (life has gotten really busy for us lately). We left Charlie home with a sitter (can’t quite remember who it was now...thank you to all of the family members who have helped tend Charlie in his short life so far!). We headed for The Riverwoods. Jason wanted to get me some sandals from Called To Surf, so we shopped around there for a little bit and I found a perfect pair of orange sandals. They are so comfortable and I love the unique design of the sandal. They look awesome! After some shopping, Jason wanted to take me to a restaurant that his business partner, John, has been raving about. It is called Black Sheep Cafe...and it was so delicious! They serve southwestern food, so their menu includes mexican type dishes, as well as navajo tacos. Yum! We got their hog jawl taco appetizer and it was fabulous! We will definitely be getting that again when we go back. It threw us off a little bit at first that the tortillas were purple...but don’t let that fool you! They are good! And then for dinner we split a “try three sampler” of their different navajo tacos. I am a huge navajo taco lover...but my experience has started and ended with the chili and salsa kinds. They have three different navajo tacos with three different meats and sauces. Our favorite was the red beef one (I believe). I was worried it was going to be too spicy, but it wasn’t at all. We also tried their pear lemonade...it was so refreshing!

Our hog jawl tacos

That weekend we wanted to take advantage of the great weather, so we headed up the canyon for a BBQ. Charlie loves the outdoors, so we were excited to share that with him. We decided to go to Mutual Dell and see if anything was open there. I had never been to Mutual Dell, so I was excited to see what that was all about. It was a Saturday evening, and we were shocked that there was hardly anyone there. As we drove up the canyon, every single fire pit and grill seemed to be taken and packed, but Mutual Dell had so many open spots and room to roam. There were only maybe one or two other families there. It was beautiful! We cooked up some pork ribs, red peppers, and asparagus. For dessert: tin foil banana boats. The food tasted great and it was really fun to walk Charlie around in the stroller to let him explore the area.

Letting Daddy fish a bit at Tibble Fork before heading home

I got to celebrate my very first legitimate Mother’s Day! It was great! I still can’t believe I’m a mother! I can never go back for as long as I live! I’m so lucky to have such an amazing husband and adorable little boy. Jason got me some gorgeous hydrangeas, new perfume, and a couple attachments for my Kitchen Aid (a juicer and slicer/shredder). Such thoughtful gifts! For dinner we headed to the Arbons to celebrate with my family. After dinner, we went on a nice walk around the neighborhood...I love being able to do that now. As a kid, going on walks was kind of a drag sometimes...but now I love going with the family and taking Charlie. Probably because I know he loves it so much.

Dropping off Nancy's Mother's Day gift the night before (on our way back from Mutual Dell/Tibble Fork)

My stunning hydrangeas

A stop at the park on our walk

I love being a mother!

Jason helped his friend, Parker, lay some wood floors in their new house. He put in many hours and lots of labor to help him out. As a surprise “pay-back”, Parker had a brand new fly rod delivered to our house. (Parker is the friend that calls Jason at least once or twice a week to update him on the latest fishing adventure and tall tale). Jason has never been the fly-fishing type...until now. He still loves his jigging, but he is broadening his skills. I think this was a very strategic gift from Parker, as he is a fly fisherman and loves going fishing with Jason. This way, Parker can get him to go even more often and fish the way he likes to fish!

My brother, Bryan, is just 14 years old, and he already achieved his Eagle. We were able to help out with his Eagle Court of Honor, so he is now officially an Eagle Scout! Bryan has always been such a go-getter when it comes to things that he really cares about. He is very dedicated and persistent. We are all very proud of him for earning this great award, and it was great to be able to have the evening dedicated to him. It was fun to see his tribute video and to have his leaders give their compliments and remarks about Bryan and his hard work and creativeness. Bryan is definitely one of a kind. Congrats, Bryan!

Wouldn't be a "Bryan-sponsored" event without construction cones and reserved parking

And here is a look at the beginnings of our garden in the beginning of May:

...complete with super-fantastic tomatoes, roma tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, green beans, jalapenos, another random pepper plant, basil, spinach, and cilantro.

Can't wait for harvesting time!

Holding Down The Fort

(written by Jason)

Ah, girls week had finally come around again...and this time for me it meant "babysitting week" rather than fishing week.  Truthfully, Charlie and I ended up having a lot of fun together. 

We spent a good amount of time indoors playing with toys, food fights (meal times), and of course the daily diaper change. Oh, and Charlie learned a new trick: climbing the stairs.

The boy will not sit down anymore in the tub

On Friday, it was our ward's fathers and sons, so I wasn't about to miss out on my first opportunity to participate as a father rather than a son.  We went up to mutual dell, and had a lot of fun exploring.  Charlie loved going on cruises in the stroller whether it was on the pavement or some dirt trails.  We didn't spend the night. Of course, on the way back down the canyon we stopped briefly to throw the line in the water - 5 minutes, and luckily ended up catching a fish.

Saturday, we went on an adventure out to Grantsville with Nate Tadje and his family to visit Richard and Kamilla, who were having a house warming party.  It was a fun trip/adventure, although Charlie was pretty unhappy on the way home.  But, so was dad since he forgot his diaper bag at Richard's house.  Luckily, I was able to rendezvous with his parents later that evening and pick it up from them.  

Sunday usually consists of meetings, so luckily Uncle Karl was able to come over and babysit for a little bit in the morning.  I made a nice quarantine for Charlie in the back of the chapel/gym so Sacrament meeting went pretty well.  

Later that afternoon mom came home and Charlie was quite happy to see her again.  The weekend was a lot of fun, and it definitely gave me a good glimpse into the hard work Emily puts in each day to keep up with one busy little man....but a very sweet one also.

Girls Week: Colorado Part III

Saturday, May 4th: Colorado Springs Here We Come

8:30 AM - Leave House

8:45 AM - Breakfast at Manna Bakery

Air Force Academy

Lunch at Rudy’s BBQ

Hike Seven Falls

Dinner

Drive home

Freetime

And we woke up to another eventful day!

Our breakfast from Manna Bakery was delicious! I got a huge cinnamon roll, and it was awesome!

Our drive to Colorado Springs was about an hour, so we had a great time just chatting it up in the car. When we got to the Air Force Academy, we were surprised at how empty it felt. Then we realized it was Saturday...and then we realized that Winter semester was over. The coolest sight there was the chapel. It has such a modern look to it (almost space-age like), that we were shocked to find out that it was built in the early 60’s. It was really neat to go inside and see the color from the stained-glass windows. From the outside, you wouldn’t expect any color. There were only a couple people coming in and out when we were there, so it almost felt like our own private space. Today was my turn for devotional, so I got to do mine there inside the chapel. It was really cool. After seeing the chapel (both floors/sections), we went to the visitors center. It was really fun to read about the history and college life there. Such a different experience than BYU, that’s for sure!

Even the bathroom door was all modern...hidden in the wall

By the time we were done at the Air Force Academy, we were pretty hungry and ready to eat. Amy was really excited about sharing this BBQ restaurant with us called Rudy’s BBQ. It was SO good! When we got there, the parking lot was packed! When we walked in, there was a line that could challenge Cafe Rio’s! The place was huge, and almost all of the tables were occupied. It was awesome! When you order, you get to choose from a variety of different smoked meats that they weigh for you and place on butcher paper (that you use for your plate). It was a very different style than I have ever experienced, but it was really fun.

Next up on our list, hike Seven Falls. So we didn’t really know what to expect (and I was curious as to how we were going to make this work with a five month pregnant woman). Amy said the hike was short, so we went for it. I wouldn’t really so much call it a hike as I would a stair climb! When we got to the base of the waterfall we were stunned at how drastic the stairs looked. Seriously, they were like the stairs of insanity! I looked at April....really? Good luck! Here goes nothing! I can’t say I would have braved the stairs if I had been in her place. Once we got climbing...it was actually quite scary. We took it slow and gripped the handrails for dear life. I couldn’t believe that little children and dogs were doing it without any trouble. Even old men and parents holding children! Man, they are troopers and have no issues with heights.

Just don't look down!

Such a trooper!

The hike is called Seven Falls because it follows a waterfall that falls into seven different pools before hitting the bottom. It really was a beautiful sight. And we survived! (Going down was worse than going up).

After the hike, we started the drive home. We were pretty pooped, so we didn’t want to dine-in anywhere, so we ordered Indian food from India Castle to-go. We waited in the van for quite awhile before our food was ready...we were all so exhausted. It was nice to be able to eat our dinner in Amy’s dining room. We got in our comfy clothes and took a tour of the backyard (now that we were finally home while there was still some light outside). They did such a beautiful job decorating and organizing their home! I loved it! We spent the rest of the evening chatting, eating from the “adult candy bar”, giving the Mac users some Google Drive training, and planning our next Girl’s Week. Before heading to bed, Amy surprised us with a jar of goodies to take home, as well as our own sky lanterns. How awesome!

Sunday, May 5th: Final Moments

8:00 AM - Breakfast

9:00 AM - Sacrament Meeting

Home to pack and eat lunch

12:00 PM - Leave for airport

It is always sad when the final day of Girls Days comes around! But, it came and we all had to pack up. Lucky Nancy, she got to stay an extra week with the Tuttles after Girls Week. As I have mentioned countless times...I had such a great time! Amy did a fantastic job planning and executing our weekend in Colorado. So many fun memories! Now that I am home, it is nice not to have to take so many bathroom breaks! Seriously! My in-laws have the tiniest bladders! Bathroom breaks were required at least every two hours!! Good times!

Miss and love you girls! Can’t wait for Girls Week 2014!