4th of July and Things

Well we survived the festivities of the 4th of July!  Unfortunately I didn't take more than two pictures throughout the day!  Ross got us up nice and early to go see the hot air balloons take off, but we found as we trekked our way there that everyone was leaving without a balloon to be seen in the sky.  The wind apparently ruined everything and none of the balloons could go up.  We did get our all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast though!  We headed over to the parade and had fun watching...except for Ross at the beginning as you can see:

 

Ross was not pleased with all the sirens OR the jets flying over - actually that was the last straw for him.  He decided he needed to take a break from all the excitement and take a stroll with mom exploring the parking lots behind the house we were in front of!  We headed home and Ross enjoyed a nice quiet nap before we headed up the canyon for the annual 4th of July golf tournament.  Let me tell you...I was quite the addition to our team...let's just say the rule was on the last hole you had to take the worst tee shot...and guess who's it was!  I also hadn't been used for another rule of having to use everyone's 2nd shot once yet...we had a great time though!  I love Hobble Creek Golf Course and laughing with family and attempting to play some real golf.  We then went to Steve's parents for some dutch oven cooking which was delish...just a bit belated due to some coal issues.  We entertained ourselves by getting Ross to take a nap and then play some volleyball outside.  We watched some fireworks afterwards from around the neighborhood with the law allowing fireworks to reach 100 ft. in the air now.  It was quite fun and Ross survived the craziness. 

Ross was ready to golf too...unfortunately his swing was having an off day so he had to offer his regrets on attending the game.

He sure looked stylish though.

Steve was a little worn out from all the festivities.  You can see that Ross is ready for more!

Lets get crackin!

Having some tummy time before the tantrum sets in.

That little potato bug getting into our laundry! 

He enjoys eating it.

Yum!

What could taste better than hands and shirts together?

Going!

Okay - so I have said we're going to Oregon all along, but now....we're REALLY going.  I really had to take a long time to be okay with how much money we are going to go into debt, but I got the answer that in no uncertain terms - we need to go to Oregon.  Alright then!  Here we go.  I have been doing some serious investigating on to how we are going to live throughout a loan filled 3 years.  I have found that I'm pretty much going to have to wait until we actually move to Oregon to get some of the resources we'll need.  The apartment hunt begins - Hillsboro is the place!  Wow - and we're leaving August 5th - we decided to put a date on it to get us moving.  I'm heartbroken to take Ross away from his grandparents, but they are just going to have to come visit an awful lot!  I was telling Steve how I'm going to have to get back out of my hermit shell again to make friends so I don't go out of my mind being alone with the cutest baby in the world.  We'll have to invite a lot of people over for dinners to see if they are friend material out there. Haha.
At the moment, Steve has finally put in his two weeks at work and we are going to play and pack up the rest of the summer.  I'm trying to soak in all the time I get to have him home with me and Ross right now, and dreading when he's going to be spending those long days at school.  It must be done though right? 
Steve got a couples massage for his Father's Day present (yes I invited myself in on the present I gave him) and we went to get them yesterday - SOOOO nice.  I love a good massage.  I would get one every day if I could.  Steve is addicted too - he begs for one any chance he gets, so getting a professional one was beyond this world to him.  The only other massage he has gotten like that was on our Honeymoon cruise.  I, however, forgot to ask how much it would cost which ended up with us paying about $250 for massages.  Needless to say, our penny pincher, Steve had to go to our room and lay down for an hour dwelling on how we were already in debt (not really) after only being married a day!  Haha - we got over it though and this massage was much better for him since I already bought them before we went.  
Ross is just growing like crazy.  He gets better and better at holding up his head, but it is still a chore for him.  His head was measured in the 75th percentile though so I understand it would take him a little longer to hold that brilliant brain up with his little neck.  He loves to arch his back now when you pump his legs and continue to blow raspberries all the time.  We just can't get enough of him.  He loves attention and gets annoyed when you are out of the room and he's by himself.  Lately he has pulled another Houdini act of wriggling his arms out of his swaddled blanket and laying them in the hail mary position by his head.  It's funny though - he can't get to sleep officially unless his arms are pinned down, yet he wants them by his head to sleep.  Such a cutie.  
I am getting more used to being at home all the time.  We have taken to going on walks early in the morning with Ross which has helped me feel more energized and easing into that exercising I need to do.  Steve and I quite enjoy them.  I get to stay with my little guy and keep our house together like I've always wanted to do.  It's funny though when you come from being busy like crazy at school juggling everything around.  I think it will hit me more once fall comes and it's time for school to start again.  I love being a stay at home mom though - it's the best job in the world.

Gotta have some bug-eyed sunglasses for summer!

Smiley faces in the car!

Steve was trying to pass the Queen Amidala look on to Ross.

Our adopted brother Yung!  He left to go back home to China for the summer before his mission.  (He was standing on his tippy toes - he's not THAT tall.)

Ross saying good-bye to Yung

The 21 year old T-bird!

So we're actually selling my ol' high school Thunderbird finally.  That car has just kept running and running and running - even though it's dented and rusted.  What a good car. :)

Cute smiles while getting burped!

The Adventure of Life

Well life just keeps happening doesn't it!  It is quite the adventure.  You start out as a kid just having fun - enjoying the zest of it all, and then you start having dreams the older you get...and then you finally start trying to make those dreams happen - which can be a very scary yet adventurous endeavor.  Steve has been accepted to PT school in Oregon which has been wonderful - it is a long dream of his and we have both been so excited over it...and then came the sickness of how much money that it is actually going to cost.  We have two bachelors degrees, two cars, good insurance, and an apartment debt free.  That hasn't been too bad of a way of life so far.  The idea of having expensive insurance, less of an income, a more expensive apartment, and a $150,000 graduate degree just doesn't sound as cozy now does it?  And thus the adventure of life takes another turn.  But it's not an adventure without having to step into the unknown!  I have been thoroughly enjoying staying at home with our cute Tarzan boy.  Ross has discovered he can yell with his voice so he tends to enjoy stretching out across a blanket, raising his chin to expose his seldom revealed neck, and belting out a very close rendition of a Tarzan yell.  He was happily sharing his talent during relief society yesterday disrupting almost the entire lesson while I tried to get him interested in his binky.  It was hard though, because he's so dang cute!  
Ross has also been discovering his hands and that he can bat at things with them.  I think he's also practicing to be in the circus by attempting to fit his entire fist in his mouth.  I have a feeling the putting-everything-he-can-in-his-mouth phase is soon to follow.  He's also been laughing more when someone talking to him laughs which makes your already melted heart into complete mush.  He really just gets more and more fun.
Steve is enjoying his summer of just working - which he should be quitting soon to have a vacation before PT school.  He has also decided that he must be going through a growth spurt like Ross because he is exhausted at night all the time!  I find him always wanting to watch a movie or something after Ross goes to bed and then zonking out within five minutes!  He did have a nice first Father's Day yesterday.  I made him breakfast, and then Ross and I let him sleep in and take a Sunday nap.  He also got a couple's massage certificate (yes me included). :)  Steve really is an amazing father to Ross.  He has been so involved with him and me.  I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful husband.  I couldn't do this on my own!  Here are some pics of what we've been up to.  

Ross playing the guitar.  This is what he looks like while he investigates his hands. 

Ross is getting quite the belly!  Steve had to do the Huckleberry Finn look with shorts and no shirt to show off the belly.

Here we have a low-riding belly baby!

Ross is the complete bobble head when he's put in his bumbo.  He usually is okay being in it for a little while and then gets annoyed...as you can see.

I really just LOVE baby feet!

Ross and his little friend Addison at their daddies' soccer game.  Ross looks like Bob from What About Bob.  Ready for vacation!

This hat is a bit too small for his 76 percentile head, but we've got to keep the sun off somehow!  Cute boy!

My Very Own Quiet Book

So I have been working on a quiet book for Ross when he's older and we're at church.  I borrowed my mom's old one I used to play with as a kid and I have done some researching on the internet.  Let me tell you - there are so many ideas out there it is nuts!  I want to do all of them, but then his book would be as larger as an encyclopedia...plus I don't have that much patience.  I like the idea of being able to get a page done within an hour or so.  Here is what I have done so far (I've taken these ideas from my mom, other websites, and my own pretty little head):

This one was super easy to make - just draw the picture, sew together the boat and sew on the buttons to button the boat to.  I LOVE my new sewing machine that sews the button holes for me in 1 flippin' step!

I made this one up which I am very proud of.  I've decided felt is my new favorite material - it is so easy to use for a quiet book. 

This was another of my brilliant ideas ;)  Haha - okay - but you either velcro or snap on the different parts of his suit.  He's already "wearing" a shirt though.  I am going to sew a little suitcase next to him to keep the clothes in.

I love this one.  I had a lot of fun sewing the numbers.

Nothing like a good ol' Lace the pattern deal.

Button the flowers on at the temple.  Always a good idea!

My next page I'm hoping to do is unpacking the picnic basket (with a buckle) and setting the table.  I also want to do a lace the shoe and a road to drive a car on....and a whole lot of other ones.  We'll see how it goes!

I love this one!  They have to undo the buckle and set the table.

This one took forever because of the finger puppets (yes a random array of animals).  Steve designed Noah.  Ross is going to love this when he's old enough!

Tie the shoe - it turned out quite cute I think.

I love this one - I cut out cars and trees from some extra material I had from a baby blanket.  Love it!

Growing Growing

Well summer has officially begun!  Steve and I cleaned out my classroom.  I think he might have had a mini mid-life crisis with everything I had there.  Steve is our organizer of the family.  Whether it's clean or not doesn't bother him - but if it's not organized he can sit, sleep, or rest until it's done.  Now - I'm not a messy or particularly cluttery sort of person, but being a teacher requires lots of manipulatives, files, posters, etc. to teach. I left a TON of stuff for other teachers to hoard and savor, and I was quite proud I only used 4 large bins to keep all my stuff in - two of which were solely books.  Steve kept saying how we'll never need to go to the library ever as he packed them away.  Hey - I got some GOOD deals on all those books and every one was bought with the intention of using them for our kids.  Ross will definitely be a reader!  So basically we've cleaned out my classroom and are adjusting to our summer-fun life!  Steve only has to work afternoons right now so we get every morning together with Ross which is nice.  We are way tempted for him to just quit his job for the summer since I still get paid as a teacher.  It would be the only time we could do it and get away with it!

Ross and Daddy ready Conference talks together

You can tell Ross is very interested! Haha.

His smiles just keep getting cuter and cuter!

Smiling at Daddy

My brother's girlfriend gave us this outfit.  He looks so handsome in it.  Too bad this picture makes his feet look giant and he looks shocked! :)

Here's the cute outfit with the still shocked face!

Cute Ross

These are Ross's little friends.  We got him this little gym since he loves laying on his back all the time.  He is quite entertained by it.  Steve and I have been debating for some time now as to what the toy in the middle is.  I fully believe it is a mouse - however, Steve thinks it's a crane because it has long legs.  Cranes don't have whiskers though.  Tell us what your vote it!  For now we have deemed it "Crouse."

Ross stares down his little ball.

This is one of the only pictures where you can actually see his neck!  Hilarious :)

Ross made himself modest all by himself in the bathtub!

We use Louie the monkey to help keep in Ross's binky...you can see he's slacking on the job right here!

He's sooo happy right now to be burped in the middle of his dinner!

Aunti Rach came over for a walk one day.  We had a grand ol' time!

Steve was trying to get Ross to smile.  You can see how intently he is watching him.

There we go!

I still have these moments where it dawns on me that I actually have a baby.  No - I'm not babysitting for anyone, he's mine all the time.  It's overwhelming in every sense of the word.  He is so fun to have and keeps us on our toes all the time.  Just when I think we've got him figured out and into a routine - he throws another loop in!  Right now we're working on naps.  He's decided 45 minutes are enough even though his little body is saying he needs more.  Steve has a method of getting him to sleep that involves rhythmic shushing and bouncing.  This is both good and bad!  Steve calls him a cute little poo - whether or not it is endearing - we don't know.  Ross also discovered his hands yesterday.  He gets completely mesmerized by them until they get too close to his face and he goes cross-eyed.  He prefers his left hand to look at though which makes us wonder if he'll be left handed.  He has discovered many things he can do with his spit as well.  He can slobber all over his hands or drench his shirt.  His favorite is blowing bubbles with them though - he's been doing that for a week now.  We weighed him yesterday and he's almost 13 1/2 pounds of baby!!  My arms are getting their workouts.  We made it through 3 hours of church yesterday and by the end of relief society my arms were dying!  He is definitely chunking up which is fun.  He really is the best little baby ever.