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!