Outdoor Time Dec 2009

It has been cold and snowy, but we try and get outside as much as possible for the sanity of an energetic boy, an energetic boy-man, and a nature loving mom. Here are a few pics of some recent expeditions. It is a lot different having a baby in northern Oklahoma than Houston.











Yes, Sawyer was hooked up in his sled behind a world famous Alaskan Iditarod Dog. Grandpa adopted Gumbie last year when Gumbie retired and you can read about him here. I pretended I didn’t see the sled ride. Gumbie is even the poster child Grandpa never had (sorry Clint and Adam). His picture was chosen for the Yukon Quest patch and pin!

So what is going on in the world of Sawyer? He still isn’t talking much (besides jibber jabber), but is really good at using baby sign language. He is starting to experience the extremes of the toddler years. He gets super giggly, super excited, super silly, super cuddly and super tantrums. Ok, they aren’t super tantrums, but for a baby that has been so easy, Clint and I have been scratching our heads. At least he is developmentally on schedule right? He is sooo curious, and can open anything even if it is baby proof. He gives us this super cheesy smile when we ask to see his smile – see picture below. He knows all his body parts, and I mean all. He is getting better at his animal noises. For a while they all made a barking/growling noise. He is good at communicating with pointing. It really is amazing to watch him change.

New Years 2010

We have a few New Years traditions in our house. I will describe this year’s execution.

1. Make a New Years motto. Last year was “Lighten Up” (we kind of failed at that one). Previous years have included “Live in the Moment”, “Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.”, and “Take Life to the Next Level”. This year is “It is better to be kind than right.” We want to prioritize having a peaceful, loving family this year.

2. Make a sandwich on New Years Eve. We love big, fat, delicious sandwiches. I made the Pioneer Woman’s Marlboro Man sandwich. Thumbs down. I didn’t like it at all. We had some friends over to enjoy our sandwiches with us. It was fun.

Crystal and Elise eating sandwiches. Yes the blue tape is still up. I had to get over myself and decided to have people over despite not being done with the kitchen. It is finished now. I will post pictures soon.

3. Go for a hike on New Year’s Day. We like to get out and start the year refreshed. It was a high of 27 degrees on New Year’s Day so we knew we couldn’t be out for too long. We went to a lake nearby and hiked around. It was beautiful, peaceful (I guess we were the only ones crazy enough to get out), fun.

Happy 2010!

Christmas 2009

Christmas didn’t exactly go as planned, but we had a great time anyway. We had planned to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at our home and had prepared for such. Instead we went from one set of grandparents to the other. As a result we had tons and tons of Christmas goodies I made at the house. When Clint and I got back we ate and ate which now has resulted in both hitting record highs on the scale (not including my pregnancy with Sawyer).

Sawyer got so many presents. He was a little shy when the attention was focused on him so he didn’t get into the opening of the presents too much. He was so happy though to get home and play with them all. His favorites are his tools, broom, vacuum cleaner, car, lawn mower, tent and this ball thing that plays music. And of course being true to himself he loves his books, and also has developed a new passion for coloring with crayons. He really is becoming a toddler and it is so fun to see how he plays.


Sawyer is helping me bake cookies. I told him that was his last one and as you can see he is stuffing treats furiously into his mouth.

Sawyer is helping me decorate the house by winding candy cane ribbon around everything. It was too funny. Yes that is blue tape up. It took us about 8 tries to find a kitchen paint color we liked.

Christmas morning we were snowed-in in Stillwater.

Santa accidentally left one of his reindeer in Oklahoma.

Oh wait, Santa stayed in Oklahoma as well.

Christmas at our home. The decorations are pathetic, I know. We don't have much, but I did hit the 80% off sale at Hobby Lobby early, so I am ready for next year.

Sawyer and his tool belt and tools. He loves his tools.