AZ Trip

Sorry I've been MIA. The boys and I took a last-minute trip to Arizona and it was so much fun. Leo spent a lot of time playing with grandpa's tractor.

(This one and the riding mower.)

And we got to spend a lot of time playing with cousins.

These three were all born around the same time. (Jay is actually two months behind, but Ryann and Gage are just weeks apart.) Poor Ryann has the least hair of the bunch.

We also went swimming several times. It was freezing and I didn't take any pictures. Leo turned blue both times but he wouldn't get out while everyone else was still in. 

Jay got to meet a couple of his great-grandparents for the first time.

Here he is with Great- grandma Reber.

He spent a lot of time naked because it was hot and also because I love his rolly belly.

Grandma and Grandpa Reber got a new puppy a few weeks before we got there. At first Leo was afraid of him but by the end of the week Kaiser was the one running away.

Another one of Jay Alvin, just because he's cute.

And one of the boys with Grandpa Wheeler who was a huge help all week long. (I think he put Jay to sleep more often than I did.)

Thanks grandpa!

Hiking

On Saturday we took the boys on their first hike. We did the Stewart Falls trail up by Sundance. There was still quite a bit of snow so it was a bit treacherous in places. It was a lot of fun though. Leo started out on Ty's shoulders (so he wouldn't slip on the snow and fall to his death).

I carried Jay Alvin in the Snugli.

It wasn't too bad except for the fact that I couldn't see where I was putting my feet. I slipped and fell about five times, but Jay never even woke up.

Once we got past the snow Leo took off. He kept tripping over roots and rocks at first. Then he figured out how to look where he was going and he did really well.

(He's pointing out a root so we don't trip on it.) Eventually he got so confident that he did part of the hike backwards.

Except for the parts with snow he hiked in all by himself.

When we were almost to the falls we came across a place where an avalanche had covered the trail earlier this year.

It was an adventure to get over. (This was the first place I fell.) But it was really cool to see.

You could even see where the fault line was.

(I'm a big nerd and this was exciting for me.)
Shortly after this we made it to the falls and sat down for a quick lunch.

Leo wanted to go swimming until he got close enough to feel how cold the water was.

Because it was now his nap time Leo started getting a little cranky.

And Jay Alvin just slept the whole time. (I'm not trying to look contemplative in this picture. I just didn't know that my face was in it.)

Any how, Leo wanted to be carried the entire way out. (And I didn't blame him. I wanted to be carried out too!) He actually fell asleep on Ty's shoulders and didn't wake up until we got off the mountain.

I was laughing at him the entire way. It was pretty cute.

I think we'll be sticking with shorter hikes until he's a little bit older. :)
Here's one more of Jay Alvin that we took at the very end when he woke up.

P.S. I love the way Blogger uploads pictures now. Way easier!

Jay Alvin is turning into quite the smiley little guy. (Especially when Leo is napping. :))

I love his little gummy grin.

I'm pretty sure Ty and I make the cutest babies ever. (Sorry to disappoint all of you other parents out there who think your kids are the cutest.)

He gets a little upset if you try too hard to make him happy.

Lately Leo has been spending a lot of his time here:

Even though I am constantly getting after him and pulling him down, he just waits until I'm not looking and climbs right back up again.

Duck Pond

A few days ago we took the boys to the duck pond on the south end of campus. Leo was so stinkin' excited. He thought it was so much fun to throw Cheerios into the pond and watch all the ducks swarm them. (I would have gotten more pictures but every time he threw in a handful he almost went in himself so I had to keep grabbing him.)

Leo chased every duck he saw but couldn't quite catch any of them. At one point he asked us to take off his shirt and pants. I'm pretty sure he was planning on going in after one. There were even quite a few baby ducklings running around. It was pretty cute. We'll have to go back before we leave for AZ.

I might have started packing already.

Just a little.