8 Month Photo Shoot

Adysen turned 8 months old on Friday. How exciting! She is growing so fast (and moving fast too). Sunday we tried taking some pictures of her. Our camera is a little slow and we took about 120 pictures. However, we came up with a few really cute ones. The bow and dress were made by one of our friends in our ward and her mom (www.peekaboobowtique.com).

Ensign Peak and Hogle Zoo

We had a lot of fun last weekend. On Friday we hiked up Ensign Peak with one of Alton's friends from work and his fiancee. It was a fun little hike, but quite steep. There was a beautiful view of the valley from the top. However, it was a windy, hazy day so we couldn't see very far. It would be fun to try going back when it is a little more clear.

Then on Saturday we went to Hogle Zoo with our same friends and another couple that Alton goes to school with. We really enjoyed ourselves. Adysen is still a little young to be interested in the animals. However, she really liked watching the turtle swim. She followed it with her hand. She also liked watching the monkeys run back and forth.

I found it especially interesting because one couple we went with is from China and the other is from India. They were able to tell us a little more about the different animals that are found in their countries. For example, the peacock is the national bird of India. The told us about the rain dance the peacock does right before it rains. They were surprised when the peacock at the zoo spread its wings for us, because usually they only do that before it rains. Interestingly, it rained that afternoon after we got home.

What an awesome experience!!

Baby's Best Friend

Adysen was so excited to chase after Cocoa. She is a slow little scooter, but she eventually caught up to him. She wasn't sure what to think when she actually got close enough to touch him. She would reach out and touch his fur, then he would try to lick her. She would back up a little bit and take a big look at him. Then she would scoot closer again. It was so much fun to watch her.

Calene's Graduation

On May 29th we went up to Blackfoot for Calene's graduation. It was neat to be able to listen to her give the closing remarks (she graduated in the Top Ten with a 4.0 gpa). I enjoyed watching some of the students I taught graduate. On the graduation program I counted the names of at least 52 students (out of 238) I taught in 2 1/3 years I was teaching at BHS.

Alton's sister Kelsey is also graduating this year. We are so proud of our sisters and wish them luck in their futures. What an exciting time in their lives.

New Carpet

We decided with Adysen starting to move around we wanted a little softer surface for her to be playing on. Our floor was really hard with a thin carpet and no padding. We also are planning on living in this apartment for the next 4 years. So, we want it to feel a little more like home. After spending a couple of hours looking through all the carpet remnants at RC Willey, we found a section with small pieces for $19.99. We found one that would fit almost our entire living room and decided it was perfect for us. What an awesome deal! We are thrilled to have our new carpet.

I have to admit that my cinder block apartment is really starting to grow on me. That week we also purchased a used washer and dryer from someone moving out of the apartments. Now I can do the laundry myself during the day without having to worry about Adysen. It is so wonderful! I can't believe how much easier laundry is now!! I think it is my favorite household chore. :)

Adysen scooting on her new floor.

I think she likes it as much as we do.

On the Move

On May 21th Adysen started scooting herself forward. She is getting faster every day. She is helping us keep our house clean. No matter how many toys or cool things we have for her to play with, she always seems to want to find "big people things" - shoes, cords, books, magazines, etc. Why did they make the power button on our computer such a pretty blue color? :) Anyways, we are loving every minute with Adysen. Here is a little video of her scooting around. This is when she was first learning to scoot (May 25th).

Sometimes Eating is Just Plain Messy

One day I accidently mixed up too much cereal. So when Adysen was done eating, Alton decided it would be a great learning opportunity for her to play with her food. At first she didn't like getting her hand to be messy (she must get that from me), but it didn't last long. Alton also cleaned her up after her adventurous meal. What a great Daddy! :)

Lagoon

This year we decided to get season passes to Lagoon. On May 16th we went with Uncle Mark and had a lot of fun. Alton and I learned that we can wait in line together and then just take turns going on the ride and holding Adysen. It turned out being a lot easier than we thought it would be. We also took Adysen on her first train ride around the little lake. We are looking forward to spending more time at Lagoon this summer. :)

Recap of April and May

I cannot believe we are already half-way through May. Alton finished up his first year at The U working on his PhD in BioEngineering. This summer he will be working full time doing research. We are also keeping busy with our wire business and Alton is working on a new Christmas card holder website. We are excited to watch our business grow.

I am just finishing my second semester teaching pre-algebra online. It has been a lot of fun. I enjoy having a job where I can work from home and spend all day with Adysen.

Adysen is now 7 months old. She is growing fast and is so much fun to play with. We are constantly being entertained by her stories and the funny things she does.



Adysen enjoys sitting in the bathroom while I am getting ready. This day she discovered the basket we put the toilet paper rolls in. She had so much fun playing with the plastic. She likes to chew on her two fingers.

For about a week Adysen had her tongue sticking out all the time. It must have just been a phase she was going through. How funny.

Adysen was being a great helper and finding yummy recipes for me to cut out and try in our food magazines. She looks so grown up.

Ah Oh....I think I'm in trouble....What a silly face!

We have a neat playground right outside our door. Adysen is now big enough to swing! What a cutie!

Adysen and I have been going on walks with one of our neighbors and her kids each day. We enjoy getting the exercise and being outside. Adysen really enjoys riding in her stroller and seeing the world.

One Monday we went had a picnic in the park. It was a fun FHE activity. Adysen enjoyed munching on an apple. It is hard to take a bite without teeth, but she enjoyed "eating" with us.

Fun with Food and Gardening

From baby food to exciting fruit smoothies (we had a watermelon-grape smoothie this afternoon), our blender has been getting quite the workout. This week we tried making baby food for the first time. We steamed some carrots, blended them up, then froze them in ice cube trays. Adysen loves carrots and we thought it would be more economical to try making some ourselves. Next, I think we will try making applesauce.

For Mother's Day Alton made these delicious cream cheese stuffed strawberries for me. He even "plates" the food when he cooks so it looks gourmet. :)

Calene came down a couple of weeks ago and we ate a yummy breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. We all ordered the Pain Perdu. Which is french toast stuffed with orange marmelade and cream cheese. It was so good that I did a google search and found the recipe on the ABC4 Website. The next day we tried it ourselves. We even topped them with a fresh strawberry syrup. Now we can make it anytime. Super delicious!

As I was reading my friend Sara's blog, I found a link to Bakerella. She makes truffle treats by mixing a cake with cream cheese frosting. Her Cupcake Bites looked so adorable, I just had to try them myself. They didn't turn out quite a cute as Bakerella's but she has had a lot more practice. I might have to try them again sometime. The hardest part was not eating too many of them. :)

Here is a great picture of our wonderful plants growing in our window. They were growing so good in the house. Big, green, beautiful looking plants. Well, then we decided it was time to transplant them. We finally received our garden plot. We made awesome rows, bought cool bamboo stick for trellises (we have planted pole beans and pole peas). Well, then we put the plants in the ground. Needless to say, they do not look quite as lively as the plants in this picture. Hence, we still have not taken a picture of our outdoor garden.