Creature outings with daddy

I haven't posted in awhile. We're all doing well, healing up pretty good from our car accident. I am flying to Salt Lake City tomorrow for a quick weekend get-a-way (childless) for my cousin Guin's wedding. I'm really excited to see a lot of my family from my mother's (Hand) side. Matt and the boys are going camping while I'm gone. I think we will all have a good time!

Here are some great shots of what the boys have been up to lately. Matt included... I'd say our summer vacation is off to a good start.

Frog catchin'

Fly fishing

Snake hunting with friends, love how Ridge is peering over Matt's shoulder.

Catching tadpoles

And snakes (this one really creeps me out)

Turtles

A 2 y(EAR) old is in the house...

Dear Mom,
Do you remember your blogging post about how I love to stick food in my ears? Well that should have been a hint of things to come. Luckily I am young enough that my second birthday probably won't scar me for the rest of my life.
Love,
Ridge

Here's how we/I spent Ridge's 2nd birthday June 1st 2009.

Birthday Eve, Ridge starts saying "eea, eea," and constantly putting his finger in his ear. Matt decides to try superglue on a Q-tip, since he could see something in there. That didn't work.

Birthday morning I load up all 3 boys and head to the Urgent Care.

Ridge did wonderful for the first little while...

The doctor decides to irrigate the ear with water to try and flush it out.

2 irrigations...

A "scooper" thing, and another irrigation only lodged the object in further/farther. We are then referred to an E.N.T. (ear nose throat) specialist.

Here he is after the Urgent care visit. The poor guy was wiped out from screaming. I was too.

One hour later we went to the ENT, while my dear friend Tiffany graciously took our older two boys swimming.

Waiting patiently doing a puzzle.

The ENT specialist (who also removed my tonsils) declares he doesn't want to try to get it out with Ridge wiggling and so therefore, let's do an out-patient surgery the following day.

Ridge sitting on my donut pillow, eating a sugar free sucker. This visit was a breeze. Basically b/c they didn't do anything, but look in his ear.

I stop by Costco and pay $16 dollars for giant cupcakes b/c I am too wiped out to make anything, and by golly this kid is going to have some happy memories!

Next morning, signing himself in at the hospital.

Waiting.

20 minutes later it's out!

Here he is holding the specimen.

What is it you ask? An air-soft pellet. Yup. I think I'm going to work on a post tallying all of our doctor's visits since our wreck.

P.S. Ridge also shares his birthday with his Uncle Seth who is serving an LDS mission in Honduras. Love you Seth!

P.S.S.
Just for memories sake,
I just took Jay to the urgent care and he has an ear infection with pus and everything. Poor kid.
Hopefully we are done with urgent care for awhile.

Well, I've never seen this before...

These are pictures my brother Seth sent from his mission in Honduras. Apparently, the maintenance man used the BAPTISMAL FONT to wash his lawn mower! No lie.
That's my brother cleaning it out. He was so mad!

California: Cedar Creek & Cabin in the Greenhorn Mts.

Backtracking to BEFORE our wreck.

We took a family trip out west in May to visit my maternal grandparents in California. They had never met Ridge and we hadn't been able to see them in about 3 years.
So what's the most cost effective way to get a family of 5 to California AND Utah?
You fly to L.A. and then rent a car to drive back home of course! It was very worth it.

Ted & Nevada Hand are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. However, DO NOT get in Grandma's way on the road, no sir. She's a lead foot and will run you down!
It was so fun to see them, and my sister Brenna & her family drove down from Monterrey to party with us as well!

Matt & grandpa at the Cedar Creek property. It is so beautiful and holds many childhood memories. We made S'mores and roasted hot dogs. Brenna gave grandpa his first s'more to try. We think it was a success.

My sister Brenna posing for the camera

Self portrait

Posing again. Love that pretty sister of mine!

The Conroy's
Brenna, Lily, Sean & Daisy

Cousins with lizards.

The Jeppson Family *if you click to enlarge this, it's huge.

Father & Son

Lily the Gansta'
(she was supposed to be in bed but was putting on her dad's clothes in the dark so I took some pictures.)



Ridge, Daisy, Asher & Molly the dog. I have a picture like this of me when I was little somewhere...

Jay with Great Grandma Hand

Great Grandkids

Smile Grandpa!

Favorite Quotes of the trip:
On our way to church in Mt. Mesa CA:
Jay: "Other grandpa's drive slow, but not THIS grandpa!"

After telling Grandma that we weren't leaving on Monday:
G-ma: "When ARE you leaving?"
Truly so funny.

*I love this one for multiple reasons, but mostly b/c of how polite my grandparents are to each other even after 56 years of marriage.

Conversation between G&G:
G-ma: What are you looking at over there?
G-pa: Just checking the temperature.
G-ma: What's it say?
G-pa: I forgot already.
G-ma: That's o.k. I can look at the one over here.
G-pa: No, no, (walking back to the temp. gauge) it's not that far...it says 52 degrees!
G-ma: Well, okay!