Gobble, Gobble

It has been another fabulous Thanksgiving Holiday. We were able to spend a few days up at Zane's parents cabin where we also indulged on wonderful juicy turkey and luscious rolls and salads. It was great. I guess I was either too busy making Caleb's Christmas blanket or having too much fun because I completely forgot to take any pictures. I will do better next time.

My family all met in SLC to go see the lights together. Everyone was going to be there except for us so I got a far out crazy idea and asked Zane if we could travel down to SLC from Palisades on Friday to go meet up with my family to see the lights. He so graciously said yes and off we went. We managed to make it through the windy roads of Soda Springs and out to the Freeway. It was the THE longest road I've ever been on but I couldn't complain...I mean, we were taking this trip to SLC for me.

We got to Layton and met up at my sisters house with all the other 19 family members. We managed to get this little photo of all of us. We are a handful when we are together but it's fun. We then hopped on a train for a 40 minute ride down to SLC. It was awesome! As most of you know, I am fascinated with trains so I loved this adventure! We then saw the lights and made the 3 hour drive back home that same day. I know...I was crazy to want to do that but it was worth it.

The whole Clan!

On the train! It was great!

Caleb and my parents

Caleb loved looking out the window. He was having a good time.

Loved the red tree! There wasn't a branch without a light.

We had to see all the water fountains due to Caleb wanting to watch them.

SLC Temple. It was freezing!

The three of us.

It was a fun filled weekend that allowed us to spend lots of time with our families who we love and appreciate so very much.

How pumpkin pie is made

So I realize this may not be the most appropriate picture but I HATE pumpkin pie and this is the perfect picture to explain why. Seriously...this is what it looks and smells like. With that note...Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Sleep Eating

Caleb does not want to nap during the day anymore but I still make him have quiet time in his room. Because he won't nap, he is extremely tired by the end of the day. He goes to bed real early now but seldom makes it through eating dinner cause he's so tired....see for yourselves...hilarious!

Boo at the Zoo!

Zane and I took Caleb to "Boo at the Zoo." I was worried about taking him in fear that he might still be too little but...He LOVED it!!! We went to the Zoo a lot this past summer and I was happy to see that he remembered the place so well. It was fun going from booth to booth getting all sorts of fun things. I thought it was funny that half the booths set up were dentist's handing out candy and then toothbrushes. It was great fun and I'm glad Caleb loved it too.

How does he know???

Lately Caleb has been getting up "way too early" in the morning. I realized that it might be due to the fact that our lamps in our living room come on about 5:30 am and he can see them. They are set on timers. So last week I changed the timers so the lights would come on later. Perfect! I thought until last night. Is it the fact that I was going to attend the temple at 5:00 am that made Caleb not want to sleep all night? How would he know that I was going to be gone??? I didn't even tell him. Well, I was down in my kitchen around 11:30 last night working on some stuff. All of a sudden, I hear these little feet coming down the stairs. Apparently he saw the light on and felt it was time to get up. Needless to say, he didn't go back to sleep until 3:00 am!!! He kept coming out of his room and then I'd take him back. I was tired but loved that I could try and comfort him. I got an hour of sleep and then got up at 4:00 to attend the 5:00 a.m. session. When I got up I noticed little feet over by Zane...yes the little toad was in our bed! This is a huge rule we have never broken. Zane and I both feel that Caleb needs to sleep in his own bed but apparently he got away with it for the first time. I was honesty too tired to care. It seems like Caleb always knows when there's going to be a slight change in his schedule whether I tell him or not. Crazy how that happens. He has NEVER had a night like that. He has always been a great sleeper so he must have just had a hunch that "mom" was going to be gone a short time and wanted to make sure his dad wasn't going too. I let the two of them sleep the morning away while I headed off. He is too much like me, the poor kid.

Have you Ever...

Had such a rough night sleep you might wake up like this, and realize..."No wonder I am tired, I slept on my knees."

Or that you wake up and mistake your dog for being a "real" one and try to feed him Oatmeal?

Or Maybe you just felt like picking up your cousins pink violin and playing a little tune.

Best of all, have you ever used a Beach Ball as an Exercise ball and felt good after a workout?

This is what makes me laugh everyday. Caleb has become my workout partner and let me tell you, I'm not so sure if it's the workout I get tired from or tripping over my buddy. Either way, we both feel great after we are done.

Love this Lady!

When I taught special education I had the most incredible person to work with. I have known Pat for almost 5 years and I just love her. She was the best person to work with and taught me so much. We went through a lot together but I think that is what made us become such good friends. Caleb loves her! He even went with her to get a snack and then sat on her lap. I was pregnant while teaching with Pat so he must remember her voice or something cause he really took to her. Anyway, last week we were able to meet up and have lunch together. It was great!

Confusing?

Ok, so now that I have gotten by skin and bones back in order from being at the doctors office for so long yesterday, I thought I'd share this picture with you.
I was looking at this magazine and came across this picture

Does anything confuse you about this? It's a toy made for kids 18 months and older but it's not recommended for kids under 3? Is that weird? Maybe I need to go find something to do that's more productive.

Waiting

Do you ever feel like this when you go to the doctor? A visit that should only take 20 minutes that turns into 2 hours? I had the receptionist take this picture of me before I finally got to see the doctor. So, here's my question, do they put you in a room to see the doctor and make you wait there for two hours just so you feel like you are getting CLOSER to being seen? Just wondering.

Name Spelling

Here are a few snapshots I took of Caleb the other day. It's kind of hard to see him grow up so fast. He is so fun to be around.

Caleb has been spelling his name for a few weeks now but I finally caught it on video. I hate my voice so just ignore it :) Caleb's "L's" sound like "i's" but he really is saying "L".

The Old Highway

I have always been fascinated with history. I love to see how things were "back in the day." Old buildings, roads, bridges, railways...you name it. I love reading books that tell of what a town used to be. I love to see what made it thrive and what made it turn into a "Ghost Town." I could sit and look at old pictures for hours and never get bored.


This past weekend we went up to the cabin at Palisades. Zane and I ventured off and took a drive while Caleb stayed and played with his grandparents. I knew there was an old highway that used to be the main road that runs right through the middle of Palisades. When the water is high you can not see it but when the water drops, you can actually drive right on the road.


There are old foundations that used to be homes and now it's all covered in water. Palisades reservoir used to be a valley where people lived and thrived. Now it's all gone...the whole town rests under the water. It's fascinating to me. I want to see what it used to look like before they built the dam and had to move the road to where it is today. Zane and I took a drive on that road right up until we hit water and couldn't drive anymore. Here is what thousands of cars used to drive on to get from Alpine to Idaho Falls.

You can see where the road just keeps going in the water.

This just is amazing...the yellow lines are still visible on the road. It hasn't been the main highway for nearly 55 years! You can still see the lines...crazy!


We also took advantage of seeing the fall leaves. I love the red and orange leaves. They are my favorite!

It was pouring rain so this picture isn't very clear but the colors were so beautiful!!!

More colors

And just for fun...we pulled a mattress out from one of the beds and had Caleb sleep in our room with us. I was awake at 4:00 am and decided to go check on him. This is how I found him sleeping. Hilarious!

Really???

This is such a random post but something I hear everyday...I can't tell you how many people I come in contact with during the day and ask me if Caleb is 5. 5???? for real??? Does he really look 5? Come on...he just turned 2! Yes I know he is tall but seriously...I really don't think he looks that old. Hmmmm....just something that was on my mind.

Guilt settled in

I really don't have anything spectacular to blog about. Not unless I go on and on about how well Caleb did in nursery last week but I don't want to jinx myself. Ok...I'll do it anyway...he did awesome! I'll just leave it at that.
So...it is the season for canning once again. Did I talk myself into canning more peaches??? NO! I'm still recovering from last year not to mention the 40 jars I still have sitting in my storage room because they are just simply to beautiful to eat. So no I did not do peaches. Apples??? Ha I should seems I have a big apple tree in my back yard but um...no. About my garden??? Ha yeah...my sweet sister came and helped me plant it back in May while I was looking like this: (as I'm sure you all remember)

But she was not able to finish and as anyone can see...I didn't finish it either so I have nothing to harvest. So sad.
So...feeling a bit guilty for my loss of desire to can, I broke down and canned plum Jelly. I picked the plums from my in-laws tree and came home and got to work. I did quite a bit. I have plans for this jelly but will not reveal that at this time. I don't particular like jam and jelly but feel a sense of accomplishment to have done something.



Here is what my mom and I did a few weeks ago as well.

Tell me what your favorite thing to can or do in the fall time is. I'd love to hear.

Ribbit!

I thought this was pretty cute. I took Caleb to the library for story time and he loved it. After they read a few books they let the kids make this cute craft. I thought he did a great job!

Love our Cowboy!

Last week was the Fair. Yipee! We really do love the fair for some odd reason. I love going and seeing people I haven't seen in years and catching up on their lives. So last week on one particular day, Caleb took a super good nap. As a result, we decided to meet up with Zane's parents and go to the Rodeo. It was awesome! It was so fun seeing Caleb get so into it. He was laughing and clapping the whole time. It was all worth it just being able to see him have so much fun.


All ready to go!

Yee Haa!

Caleb would not take his eyes off the action (Not even to eat his corn dog). He was so into it.

I guess it tired him right out. He was sound asleep by the time we hit the freeway.

I seriously LOVE this age! Caleb is so stinken fun! We love taking him places just to see his eyes light up.

Great Friends and Good Food

Caleb and I ventured off this past weekend to spend some time with some great friends. It was a lot of fun hanging out and catching up on each other. I love this family and wish we lived closer! B was one of my mission companions. We entered the MTC together and then we were each others back up trainers only after being out in the mission for three months! Great times!!! We still can just sit and laugh forever about experiences we used to cry about at the time. She is the greatest person ever and is such a huge example to me! Caleb had so much fun with her kids. They played cute together. We spent time riding through the hills on some four wheelers too. It was beautiful! We were then spoiled with an awesome dutch oven dinner. After that Caleb and I got back in the car for the two hour drive home. What a perfect day.

No More Crib

We have been going back and forth for two months now debating if we want to put Caleb in a bed. We know that he is indeed tall enough and old enough but...he has never once tried to crawl out of his crib so we figured we'd just let him stay there. This past week we just decided to do it...he has to transition to a bed sooner or later so why not just do it...and that's what we did.
The first night was a breeze. He was ecstatic about his new bed. He stayed in it all night...no problema! Day two...rough during nap time but a breeze for bed. Then there was day three. After two hours of playing in his room this is where I found him


I felt so guilty. He never cried, never came out of his room, just played with...Nothing. I have nothing in there for him to play with because I want him to be able to sleep. He never complained for those two hours and I guess he just decided he better take at least a cat nap (which that is what it turned out to be).
I have the worst time with change. I am awful to be around when there is change. I can only hope that Caleb will continue his naps and things will go as smooth as they did when he was in a crib.

On another note...We have had a super busy week. After getting back from Lake Powell we had a lot of catching up to do. We had our big Zweifel family reunion which was a lot of fun.

The three of us

All the siblings on my dads side of the family and their kids, and their kids...and so on.

Also...this past Monday my patience finally paid off. I sold my car! Yes, my Jeep is gone. I'd be lying if I didn't say there weren't a few tears to shed because there were. I have so many memories of my car. So many trips to Utah, Boise, Home, Moab...the list goes on. It was a perfect car for me. I will miss it. We sold it to a nice couple that seem like they will really take care of it.


My dad and I went out to the farm this past week. Here are a few pictures I took. Harvest time is in full swing and it was fun to see how tall the grain is and to watch the combines.

Sitting on the tractor.

Caleb in the grain

Wow...that was a lot to report in one week. Lots of changes going on but fun things to look forward to.

Lake Powell

Caleb seemed so excited to go somewhere fun where he could wear his life jacket and Du-rag. What better place than Lake Powell!!! Of course this trip has been planned for quite sometime but Caleb didn't know where we were going. We left at 3:00 am last Wednesday morning and got home this morning at 2:00 am. After 8 days of having fun in the sun...we were exhausted. We played and ate, played and ate, and played some more. Caleb has never been on a boat before so we knew this was going to be fun for him. Here are a few pictures of our trip.

Caleb couldn't get enough of the water. Every time we would put him on the jet ski he wouldn't get off. He loved it. The whole time we would go and splash in the water he would say "More! More!" What a bast he had


We loved being able to be together and play in the water. Our favorite thing to do was go to Dangling Rope and get ice cream. We did this everyday! It was so much fun.


I LOVE the scenery at Lake Powell. I could live there year round. I think it is beautiful. I love Rainbow bridge and was proud of myself for making the hike to get there. My ankle seemed to hold up real well and I can see so much progress with it.

A HUGE thanks to Zane's parents for taking us down there and showing us how to have fun. We had a lot of fun being together with everyone. We know it is NOT easy getting everything ready but Zane's parents always make it happen.

The fun was endless and to make it more fun I turned a year older while we were gone. I kept making the joke with everyone that I left on our trip in my twenty's and came home in my thirty's. Yikes!!! It is true...I had a birthday on this trip and turned 30! Honestly....30! I feel so....OLD! I have had a blast with teasing all my friends that have turned 30 before me this year. Now what am I going to do??? This is what I came home to last night.



Fun gifts from Zane, his family, friends, and my family

A survival kit from my friend Kellie

A cake from my parents

I have the greatest Husband, family and friends. I was spoiled with lots of great stuff and I just want to shout out a big THANK YOU to you all! You made by birthday memorable!

This one's for you Kellie! These glasses rock and I can't believe how much better I can see. Thank you!!! (I really can't believe I just posted this picture of myself. It is proof that I need more sleep. Off to bed)

I Love this kid!

I think Caleb is trying to tell me he wants to go have some fun in the water. I'll have to see what we can do :)

Family Pics!

Zane's family has been wanting to do family pictures for quite sometime. We were all able to finally get together and say "Cheese!" Here are some pictures I really loved. The photographers name is Carolyn Anderson. I have her link on my sidebar. She is awesome and does a great job! Check out her site and other pictures at www.carolynandersonphotos.blogspot.com


The whole Family

Caleb

Caleb laughing. This is his new way of laughing...it is hilarious!

The three of us.

Thank you DIY

Zane and I often enjoy watching DIY (Do It Yourself). We have learned a lot about remodeling rooms, bathrooms, kitchens...the list goes on. Last week I had (what I thought to be) a great idea! Let's redo Caleb's room! The most exciting discovery was that Caleb had hardwood floors underneath his carpet. I am a hardwood floor lover! To make the job even more fun we pulled out all his carpet and tossed it! I seriously thought everything would be a cinch! About day 2, I realized I was wrong. I felt like we still had so much to do. We were able to send Caleb down to Blackfoot for two days so we could work a bit faster. Zane still had to put in long hours at his work so when he got home he didn't get a break. Anyway, here is how the room turned out.


The Before picture


Zane pulling off all the trim. We ended up putting up all new.


Me painting the room blue. Looks scary I know but it gets better.


It's all blue!


The final touch.


I didn't get pictures of us putting up the bead board and trim. Things got a little intense :) It was late and we didn't have all the right tools for the job so we just had to do with what we had. So after painting, installing bead board, trim, pulling out carpet, and doing a lot of final touch-ups, we were pretty happy being able to accomplish this in two days. I'm thinking it might be awhile before we do another project like this again though. At least not until we get the right tools :)
There will be more room once we get Caleb in a bed. Now that he is two we figured it's time to move on and say goodbye to the crib. We will do this when we get back from our next great adventure.

Tough Love

Caleb is a very clean eater (For the most part). He usually doesn't make a mess or throw his food. As his mother, I am very grateful for that. However...there are those few moments where he just simply does not want to eat and he shows it by dumping his plate on the table and food goes everywhere. This has only happened a few times but I decided that tough love is sometimes the best lesson learned. Here is Caleb picking up every last piece of chicken, noodle, and crumb. I had just mopped the floors so I knew everything that was on it was a result from him dumping his lunch. It took him about 30 minutes to fully clean up his mess.

1,723 Miles Round Trip!

Many hours have been spent on the road this past week but we did it! We managed to load up late Sunday night and hit the road bright and early Monday morning to go here...

Can you guess??? The Oregon Coast!!! Wahoo!!! My parents took the whole family there. All my siblings and their kids...21 total! It was absolutely Beautiful!!! I loved that place! I could live there year round and be quite content. So, for all of you who are hitting the road with little ones, may I suggest a few ideas.
We found out that Caleb loves pipe cleaners, glow sticks, slimy things that make noise, me and Zane singing (Ha...we only do it for Caleb), smarty suckers, his puppy wrapped up in his blanket, and a DVD PLAYER! Get this...we watched "Signing Time" 27 times on the ride home yesterday. Crazy I know but Caleb LOVES sign language and communicates 90% of the time using sign. I took sign language classes in College and have been determined to teach it to him. We Love it! Anyway, enough about that...I just have to say what a stud Caleb was in the car! He rocked!!! We hardly knew he was with us because he was so quiet. We drove 14 hours to get home yesterday and he never complained about one thing! He only slept for 30 minutes as well...he does not sleep in his car seat which is fine if he's still happy :) One thing to mention though...a car seat tray is a MUST! What a handy little thing to put food, drinks, toys...you name it.

Yes I realize it's not the healthiest lunch but chicken nuggets and fries are easy and don't make a mess in the car.

Ok...So moving onto the pictures. Enjoy!

Mount Hood. Look at how much snow is still on it! Glad we weren't driving there :)


Beautiful waterfalls just outside of the Dalles. We stopped and hiked up to the bridge. It was awesome!

We visited the Bonneville Fish Hatchery as well. There were a lot of cool fish to see and feed.

Next was the Cheese Factory! This place was cool! I love watching "How it's Made" on the science channel so this place was just for me! I am fascinated by how things are done.

We couldn't leave without Caleb's face in the cow. So fun!

Cheese Factory. I have never seen so much cheese in my life! We saw from start to finish how cheese was cut in all sizes, wrapped, and packed. Way Cool! Maybe the block of cheese here will be on one of your kitchen tables in a week or so. Hmmmm...it could happen (If you buy Tillamook Cheese that is)

This was the house we all stayed in. It was a ton of fun being there with everyone. We all took turns making meals and cleaning up.

This was so funny! This picture was taken just seconds before Caleb fell back into the water. This was the first time he stepped foot in the water and when it came rushing up to him he tried to back away and fell on his bottom. We busted up laughing...not Caleb of course, he felt quite differently about the situation.

Caleb just chill’ in on the beach. He really liked playing in the sand.



We had fun writing our names in the sand.

The three of us at the Newport Aquarium. This place Rocked! Loved all the sea life and exhibits.

Me and Caleb

Zane and Caleb. Caleb was getting SO tired of the camera so check out the face he is pulling. What a nut!

Halibut. Looks delicious don't you think? Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy.

Jelly Fish! I love the look of these!

Now this is a crab that would feed an army! It's the largest one ever!

A stingray inside a walk through aquarium. I wonder what it would look like with lipstick...check out those lips.

Caleb would bust up laughing every time this sea lion would swim by him. It was so funny.

The ocean got to be real foggy at times.

Then it would clear up and be like this. Awe, so lovely :)

The last night we were there. The sunset was beautiful. I was a bit late catching a picture but you get the idea.

The Whole Family!

Thanks so much Dad and Mom for a great vacation!!! We can't wait to go back!!!

2 Year Pictures

I took Caleb into JCPenny's today for his two year pictures. He did really well for the most part. Towards the end things were getting a bit rough for him. Zane's parents bought Caleb some cowboy boots, shirt, and a hat. I thought he'd love wearing them for his pictures...which he did. He's a little cowboy at heart and loves riding the horses whenever he can. Here are a few of the pictues they took.


He loves looking like a little cowboy.

Still smiling...

I LOVE THIS! This is so Caleb. The look and facial expression says it all. I love this kid!!!

Round 2! He was getting a bit impatient by this time but he was still hanging in there.

Caleb and his puppy are seriously best friends. He feeds it, gives it drinks, takes it for rides. I just had to get a picture with them together.

Enough!!! I'm outta here!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

I just have to share this picture. Caleb was about two weeks old here. He was so fun to dress and take care of. I loved the infant stage...so fun!

I know I have said this before but I really can't believe our little guy is two years old. He was born at 10:05 pm and I have thought all day about how sweet it was seeing him for the first time. I really hate to see how fast time is flying by. It doesn't seem real for him to be two already. We have had such a fun day doing what Caleb loves to do. We love this little guy so much and can't stop giving him kisses all the time. I hate to think of the day when he tells me to stop because he's embarrassed. I hope that day is still a long ways away. Here are some of the fun highlights of his day.


Of course, what is a day without a kick start with Cheerios? Caleb loved cheerios for breakfast so that is what he got. He is not hard to please for breakfast.

Opening gifts. He was excited! He's been picking at his presents for two days. He was happy to finally get to open them.


One of his toys was a remote control fire engine. He had so much fun with this and hardly put it down.


We went to the river and fed the ducks. Caleb loves this. He didn't however love when the duck bit his finger. It really was kind of funny though to see his reaction.


I know these look hideous but the magazine made them look so easy to make...they weren't though. If you are wondering, these are monkey cupcakes. They took time to make but we gobbled them up in no time.


Singing happy birthday to Caleb. We had lots of family here. It was fun and we appreciate all our family did to make this such a great day.


Caleb's cousins. They are all so cute together.


We ended the day with feeding Twiz. Our neighbors are so kind to share their cat with Caleb. He loves it. We go out and feed it treats almost every night.

We love you Caleb!!!