Autumn Outings

Here is a smattering of the various activities we have been doing in this nice fall weather. I have several more activities on my list of "Fall Things to Do," so stay tuned.
First, I have been going on walks with Dane again. I didn't go on many walks during the summer because 1) It was hot, 2) Dane is very fair and burns easily, 3) I hate the smell of sunscreen and hated smelling it on him all day until his bath. You could probably just combine those three reasons and call it "Ami is lazy," but whatever. Fall is here, and we're out walking again.
You might recall a post from last year detailing some of our autumnal walks. We relived a few of those moments, and I like seeing how much Dane has changed.

Visiting the sheep:

Staring contest


I couldn't capture it on camera, but Dane would laugh whenever one of the sheep would walk. I thought that was funny.

The Grapes
This experience requires some explanation. I was out walking with Dane when I passed a house with grapevines all over the front fencing. I thought, "I would like Dane to experience a grape straight off the vine. I would also like to eat one." So I grabbed one grape. At the exact moment when I picked the grape, the owner of the house pulls up. I am a little bit mortified, and I prepare myself to own up to picking her grape and apologizing when she comes up, comments on how cute Dane is, asks if I tried a grape yet (I said no, which was technically true), gives me a whole bunch of grapes, and tells me to come back with a sack and pick as much as I want. Whew. Crisis averted. And she was really nice. The grapes were delicious, and I haven't been back to get more because I am too embarrassed.


The Park
I have visited little playgrounds with Dane before, but he has been too little to enjoy them. He is still too little, but he can at least get around and try to climb up the slides, so I tried again.


Here he is very carefully trying to make his way down the incline. He has figured out that he can get down stairs/the couch/the bed backwards, but he still prefers going headfirst and tries that first.

There were some other really cute things he did, like walking across the bridge, but I was too scared he'd fall off to walk away and take a picture.

Wheeler Farm
Joel hadn't ever been to Wheeler Farm, so we made a little family outing out of it. I guess they were having some big activities there because it was quite crowded, but we had fun.
Looking at ducks





After looking at the animals, we went down to the creek bank. Dane loved playing in the sand. And biting leaves.




Then, we got some shots of Daddy tossing him up into the air



Then, our real purpose for going, picking a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.





Happy Autumn!

High School Tag

1. Did you date someone from your high school? Yes...? For some reason I feel like dating doesn't count until college, but I guess maybe it does.
2. What kind of car did you drive? I didn't drive until my senior year. I started the year off by driving the family minivan until my parents got me a Mazda Protege that I named Fat Dog II: The Search for Curly's Gold. I loved that car.
3. What is your most embarrassing moment in high school? I fell over a lot. Small feet.
4. Were you a party animal? No.
5. Were you considered a flirt? I was and forever will be flirting impaired.
6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Orchestra. We made t-shirts that said "dorkestra."
7. Were you a nerd? See #6. I also got good grades and wore funny clothes.
8. Were you on any varsity teams? Varsity diving. I was often captain by virtue of the fact that I was the only one on the team. Swish.
9. Did you get suspended/expelled? No.
10. Can you still sing the fight song? I never knew the fight song.
11. Who were your favorite teachers? Mrs. Langston, Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Greear.
12. Where did you sit during lunch? The cafeteria. Are there other options?
13. School Mascot? Huskies.
14. Did you go to homecoming and with who? Homecoming at our school wasn't a formal dance. And no.
15. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Why would anyone go back to high school?
16. What do you remember most about graduation? My friend Alistair came up to me and gave me a hug. For some reason, hugging him made it all sink in, that we really made it and would all be moving on.
17. Where did you go senior skip day? I don't remember. I probably didn't skip because I am a nerd.
18. Have you gained weight since then? Yes, although I still wear a lot of my clothes from high school. They are still unfashionable.
19. Who was your prom date? Junior: Keith Mehner. Senior: Josh Hallman.
20. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I'd like to, but it depends on if the main people I want to see will be there.
21. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Mellow out, man.

Laurie Jayne Wedding

Joel's younger sister, Laurie Jayne, got married, and it was a joyous time. We had fun hanging out as a family, witnessing their sealing, enjoying a fun reception, and getting to know Adam and his family. We are very happy for them.
I didn't take many pictures at the reception for some reason. I actually only took one. But let me assure you, it was a fun reception.

There was cotton candy, popcorn, milk, and snow cones. Allow me to go off on a tangent for a moment. I always called them snow cones. I even worked at a snow cone stand. We sold snow cones, or, alternatively, sno cones. However, most people at the reception was calling them shaved ice. Is that a regional thing? An Arizona thing? I think they call it shaved ice in Utah, too. Anyway, fun food. They also put cucumbers in the water instead of lemon. That was super yummy. You should try it.
Then, the sealing the next morning. Here we are, waiting for the happy couple to come out:



And there they are!

I think they like each other.
All of the siblings were able to come, except for Jake, who is on his mission in Peru. There were also many aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends.
Stephen, Molly, Meghan, Lauren

Jen, who came from Houston, and Nate, who came from Japan

Monique, Makenna, Allen, Addie, Carter

Cousin Carol Ann, who became Dane's best friend when they shared the backseat all the way home.

Kissing cousins

Joel and Paul don't really get along.

Just kidding!

Now, I'll spare you the commentary and just give you pictures.





One last comment: I found these shoes for $4.99. Swish. I never would have bought them if they weren't so cheap, but they were fun. I thought Joel would make fun of me for buying them, but he said they reminded him of Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews is his celebrity crush). So yeah. Swish.

Dane 12 Month Stats

This is a bit of a belated post, but I wanted to get it out there. Dane's 12 month appointment wasn't quite as enjoyable as the last one because his pediatrician, whom I love, was on maternity leave after having a little boy of her own. The nurse practitioner who looked at Dane wasn't quite so great, but oh well. Also, he needed to get his shots again, which is always sad. But he is such a brave boy. He cried two bellows and then calmed right down. Here's the lowdown:
Length: 28.86 inches (21st percentile)
Head: 17.7 inches (14th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs. 5 oz. (7th percentile)
He is still a little guy, but gained a bit on the length. He also likes multiples of seven. Maybe he will be a nerd like his mommy.
His favorites currently are:
Spaghetti-Os
Cheerios
Yogurt
Fresh fruit
Spitting out his food to signal that he is done eating
Playing peekaboo
Clapping
Walking/tripping/getting up again
Magnetic letters
Remote controls
Cell phones
Rubber balls
Getting excited when the phone starts to vibrate because he knows Daddy is calling
Making a big, scrunchy faced, cheesy smile
Saying yummyyummyyummy, menomenomenomeno, tepatepatepa, and dada. He was saying Joe Biden for a while (really), but he hasn't in a while. I think he became disillusioned by the campaign.

I think that's a pretty good list. Over conference weekend, he had been fussier than usual. Then when he had a pretty rough night Friday night and didn't want to eat on Saturday, we took him in to see a doctor. Result? Not one, but two ear infections. Poor baby! I felt really silly going to the doctor on Saturday and was sure they'd look at us like overreacting parents, but no. Two ear infections. If only Dane would exhibit those classic signs of fever, screaming, tugging on his ear (or ears, as the case may be). But he didn't complain enough for us to know earlier. I probably should be glad for that...? I don't know. It has its pros and cons.

Anyway, we also got some 12 month pictures taken. He is an exceptionally handsome boy, if I do say so myself:






Our happy family.