It's Grand...

...at the Grand Canyon. Way back in June.





He took plenty of walks with his Grandpa. We took a long hike and saw 2 deer!



Austin had lots of fun with his cousins.











And yet something seemed to be missing...
Should there be a dog on the end of that thing?


As usual Austin was a great helper.


All in all we had a grand time.

Ready a go?

That's what Austin always says when he is anxious to leave.
"Ready a go?"
Here are some pictures of Austin at the ready.



Ready to hide.



Ready to read Curious George - his current favorite.



Ready for church.



Ready to walk a mile in Mommy's shoes.



Ready to ride his bike.

Father & Sons Campout

Way back in May, Mike and Austin attended our ward's Father & Sons Campout. I advised Mike to bring Austin back in the same condition he left. Mike cooked mac and cheese for dinner. Austin's good friend Crew came with his daddy. Austin helped set up the tent and slept very well. Mike on the other hand was up all night checking to make sure Austin was breathing, warm enough and not wet. Mike worried about Austin falling into the outhouse toilet as Austin is so skinny and the hole so deep Mike would be unable to retrieve him. I lay awake 'til 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning wondering about all the peril that may befall a 2 year old on a camping trip without his mother. Falling into the outhouse hole was not one of them. It will be next year. And yes, they had such a good time there will be a next year.

Clowning Around

I posted the book nook painting on facebook but some people who actually wanted to see it aren't on facebook so here it is for those folks...



This was my going away present to my boss. It is a portrait of his daughter dressed up as a clown. The actual frame was a nice thick wooden one but I cropped the photo in.


More posts featuring the star attraction of this blog to come at a future date. We've had lots of fun in the past couple of months. You won't want to miss it. ;)

Let's Celebrate!

So, here we go again. I'm behind a couple months and have missed some major celebrations... Valentine's, Easter and, last but not least, Austin's 2nd birthday!
Here are some pictures of our celebrations.


Valentine's morning we made heart shaped banana pancakes.



Followed by yummy chocolate cupcakes.



With pink frosting.



Easter began with an Easter egg hunt.



The Easter egg hunt ended by finding the "handsome duck" as Austin called it.



Toting his snuggly.


And then the birthday. We celebrated twice.
Once with Grandma and Pa Duncan earlier this month.



Where he got lots of cute clothes and fun toys. He needed a picture to document how cute he looks in his new outfit. He chose to model 2 poses - 1 sitting and 1 standing.



And then we celebrated again with just us 3. We started by eating "PIZZA!" while watching a "moovsie" - Horton Hears a Who.



Then we opened presents including "LIBRARY BOOKS!" and some very clever cards.



And a bubble blowing lawn mower that he wants desperately to
take outside - when it stops snowing.



And we topped it off with a cake, a candle and a song.

Consolidating

I know how I am. You know the type. I don't post for a long time and then I inundate you with multiple posts. Well, not this time. I've taken several pictures and consolidated them into one post. My second post for the day, but still that's better than last time....


Hey, good lookin'. Whatcha got cookin?



Since Austin is obviously lacking quality seating, he decided one night that it would be funny to steal his dad's seat. We were eating pizza and watching a movie downstairs. Austin grabbed the paper towels off his Dad's tray table and ran to the opposite side of the room where he threw them. Mike got up to go retrieve them at which time Austin took the opportunity to hurry back to the recliner and climb in. The following events were predictable but no less climactic. A tickle match ensued which led to Austin's first black eye...


The rule still stands. Move your meat - lose your seat. (You should see the other guy.)


Always a willing helper, Austin cleaned the bathroom mirror and Mike took the opportunity to take a classic shot.



Sometimes you just need a different perspective to capture your MagnaDoodle creativity.


After watching mommy paint for so long, Austin finally got his own turn. It was a hit.



Austin fell ill one night and didn't get much sleep. Later that morning he zonked out in a corner of the basement. How tired do you have to be to fall asleep like this? Poor kid.

The Alta View

We took a trip up to Alta Ski Resort to watch the skiers coming down the mountain and to get out of the smog. (Yucky inversion.) On the way we passed Snowbird. Austin saw all the people coming down the mountain, looking so small. He said, "Children, children."