Wind, Lots and Lots of Wind

I don't have any pictures to add at the moment since they're all on Ryan's phone.  However, I can still describe our rather unusual weekend.  Wednesday night there was a weather warning of high winds coming through, supposedly the worst Utah has seen in 10 years.  I've seen wind storms here before, but this was something else.  The wind started howling late Wednesday night.  We lost power sometime before 3 in the morning.  When morning came there were already shingles littering the ground and trees threatening to topple.  Ryan could barely stay on his feet when he went outside. 

The wind got worse as the day went on.  Pretty soon we were loosing vents and other important metal things off the roofs, as well as drain pipes, and siding from the eaves.  The fences at the end of the road were half way blown down, there were tree down everywhere.  The house was shaking from the force of the wind.  I was worried something was going to go flying into one of the windows.  Our windows didn't break, but there were plenty that did.  I could hear metal flapping around on the roof for a while.  It was hard to hear inside because of the noise outside.  It was a category 2 hurricane minus the water (thankfully). 

The wind died down in the afternoon and we went out.  Half the roof was on the ground outside and the stucco was smeared with tar from all the flying shingles.  There were broken power poles and street lights.  Streets signs were down and bent in half, there were trees on top of houses and in the roads.  The Smith's sign from the grocery store that was cemented in had fallen, taking the cement out of the ground with it.  Anything left outside had been donated to neighbors anywhere from feet to miles away.  We now have a door mat that landed itself outside our front door.  We also had an "absolutely no street parking" sign from a neighborhood behind us and across the street wrapped around our air conditioner. 

Needless to say, it was a mess.  Clean up was happening, but slowly.  Then, Sunday, there was another storm warning given for another wind storm (though tame this time, only 65 mph gusts instead of the 102 mph gusts we got the last time).  With all the debris lying around, it was a recipe for much more damage.  Our church was cancelled and we were asked to go clean up.  We spent 3-4 hours picking up shingles, metal, fencing and trees in our neighborhood and loading them on trucks to take to the dump.  The line at the dump was an hour long. It was neat to see the whole neighborhood come together to get things cleaned up.  Many hands do make light work.  It was amazing how much we accomplished working together.

The wind storm came.  There are more shingles on the ground, though not nearly so many, and probably some damage elsewhere.  I'm glad the debris is all picked up though, much less damage that way.  I never want to be in a hurricane.  This was scary enough.  I am grateful for a roof over my head and that all of us are safe and well.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Andrew!

Oregon

We took a vacation out to the Oregon coast in October.  We stayed with Ryan's aunt and uncle in Eugene.  It was great to see them and spend some time there in their home.  Ryan and I went to the BYU vs Oregon State game with some of Ryan's friends from high school.  We had a blast!  The game was a close one, which made it more fun and BYU won which made it even better.  We thought it was fitting that the stadium was black and orange since it was so close to Halloween.

Before the game, we went to the BYU tailgate party they had set up at a local stake center.  We ate some food, threw a football, talked with friends and enjoyed the beautiful weather (it was sunny the whole time we were there!).  Before leaving to head over to the game, we went into the stake center for a bathroom break.  Amazingly, there was no line to the ladies room, but the line for the men's room snaked out into the hallway.  I was waiting in the hall near by and got a kick out of it.  Every guy who came in made some comment, "Are you sure this isn't the women's bathroom?"  "Why is there a line?"  "You've got to be kidding, a line for the men's restroom?"  Some of them got impatient within seconds of getting in line and promptly left to go find the other men's restroom in the building.  Funny enough, there were so many looking for that bathroom, I'm sure that it had a line just as long as the first.  I was nearly giggling by the time we left the building.  I just found it so comical not only that there was a line, but all those waiting in the line were intolerant and vocal about it. 

One of the days we drove out to the coast and took Andrew to an aquarium.  He wasn't quite sure what to think at first, but he started to enjoy it pretty quickly.  The fish in the oval tubes and the sea lions were his favorite.  We went to a fun park in Eugene with Nick and Roxanna while there as well.  Andrew was going down the slides all by himself with no fear.  He loved the swings and the fountain (thought we wouldn't let him play in it) and the fact that he got to run all over the place.

When we headed home, we timed the drive to the airport so Andrew would sleep through part of it.  It was about 2 1/2 hours to the airport.  He slept most of the way, but as we were getting close, he was getting more and more upset.  He was hungry and wanted out of the carseat.  I tried to make a bottle but all the water in the car was ice cold and he wasn't about to take that.  We were trying to find a gas station to fill up the rental and the closest was 7 or 8 miles from the airport.  We had gone to the rental place and had to turn around.  By this point Andrew is screaming, I'm crying and Ryan's not sure what to do.  We finally stopped at a hotel, Ryan filled a water bottle at the coffee machine with boiled water.  We then mixed ice water and boiling water to try for the right temperature.  It worked, Andrew ate.  We found gas, and made it to turn in the rental with a few minutes to spare.  Now we had to unload.  I think you have to pack the whole house when you travel with children.  There were things scattered here and there that Andrew had played with and goldfish crackers, etc.  We told the rental guy it was going to take us a few minutes to unload.  He said to take all the time we needed. 

As we unloaded the shuttle driver (to take us to the airport) loaded our baggage onto the waiting shuttle.  He began to get impatient as we tried to hurry faster.  Then he says, "the next shuttle arrives in 4 minutes and I need to go."  No big deal, other than he had already loaded most of our stuff.  In the intervening rush we managed to get us and all our gear on the shuttle, in a very unorganized fashion with things sticking out of all pockets, bags not entirely zippede etc.  When we arrived at the drop off point the driver told the other passenger that he may as well walk to his stop as it would be faster than waiting for us to unload.  Once unloaded we organized on the sidewalk and then made the trek in, both Ryan and I loaded to the gills (5 bags, a carseat, the stroller and Andrew)

Walk in, stand in line, unload, check a bag, load up, go to security, unload, hold on to Andrew, go through, reload/organize while chasing Andrew, find gate, starving, find food.  Ryan went to get food while I waited at the gate with all the stuff and Little Mr.  While waiting for Ryan to come back they asked that all those with things to check at the gate come get tags (stoller and carseat).  No way I can get over there with all the stuff and Andrew, so I wait.  As soon as Ryan gets back he takes the stroller and car seat to get checked in.  While he's gone, Andrew fills his diaper.  Once again, I can't leave to change him and take all the stuff.  When Ryan comes back, he grabs Andrew and goes to change his diaper.  As his diaper is being changed, they call for all families traveling with children to board.  I waited since my family wasn't there and I couldn't carry everything (4 bags, a stroller, a carseat and a bag of food).  We were among the last to board, bumping everyone as we walked the aisle.  Finally, we got settled and were able to relax.  Andrew promptly fell asleep and we were able to eat and have peace on the ride home.  Whew!  Next time, I think we'll check all the bags.

Zoo Day Among Other Things

Andrew and I went to the zoo with some friends this week and had a blast.  It was so fun to go now that Andrew is so much more aware of the things around him.  He really liked the porcupines (probably because they were right up against the glass and easy to see).  He liked the elephants and giraffes too.  I took him on the carousel.  He was okay with it until the little girl next to us started crying, then he got scared and had one arm wrapped around me the rest of the time.

We're still working on getting Andrew eating solids.  He'll eat them if I put them in his mouth, but he'll rarely put anything in his mouth (unless it's paper, then he chews away).  If I put him in the high chair, he immediately clamps his jaw and won't eat even the stuff I know he likes.  I think he wants to eat big people food.  I had a subway sandwich the other day and he grabbed it with both hands and tried to take bites out of the whole thing, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, meat, the whole thing.  It was pretty funny.

Football season at our house.

Andrew is walking like a pro, has been for about a month and half now.  He's starting running now that his balance is better as well.  He still doesn't sleep through the night, sadly.  I thought something was wrong with him, ear infection maybe, and took him to the doctor.  He's perfectly healthy, he just has all 4 molars coming in simultaneously.  I don't blame him for not being able to sleep.  Poor kid.

A wedding, a reunion and some relaxation



The two youngest nephews Dean and Quinn.  So cute sleeping in their carseats.




Andrew learned how to pull himself into a standing position at the reception.



This is a long post so don't expect a short one.  Cheryl (Ryan's aunt) and Blake got married the first weekend of August.  They were happy and looked fabulous and completely in love, just like it should be.  Cheryl is close enough in age to Ryan and his siblings that I often find myself thinking of her as a sister-in-law, so we're excited to add another uncle/brother-in-law to the family.



Some of the guys just chilaxin'




The happy couple

 There was to be a Holmes family reunion but it turned into a Ryan and Rachelle reunion.  We went to Idaho and spent 3 days up near Ashton.  It was relaxing and a beautiful area.  We went to Mesa Falls and up into the mountains near Driggs and walked around Treasure Mountain scout camp that Ryan's dad was the camp director of when Ryan was young.  We saw fresh bear scat by the lake; kind of made me a little nervous.  Andrew found a pile of pebbles and promptly sat down in the middle of them to play.  That made me smile. He's 100% boy.

We were able to get some nice family pictures from Eric's aunt who was kind enough to come and take them for us.

Since then we've just been hanging out at home trying to get Andrew back on a regular sleeping schedule.  He's lately decided that he wants to go up and down the stairs.  He'll head straight for them and attempt to go down head first.  Thankfully, we've caught him before he's managed it.  We're teaching him to do stairs, hopefully he'll learn quickly.




Andrew's new trick.  Love it!





Can't get enough of these curls!



Ready, Set . . . . and He's Off!

Life just got crazier; we've got a mobile baby and he gets faster everyday!

4th of July weekend

We headed up to Idaho for the Henry Reunion.  We had fun reconnecting with family, playing games, working and eating great food. We weren't able to stay the whole time, but greatly enjoyed the time we were able to spend there.

After Idaho, we headed to Provo to spend some time with Ryan's family.  We went to breakfast, made a valiant effort to see the balloons and met a Storm Trooper.

We went to the Skinner's to have a BBQ, homemade ice cream and more fun with family.  Ryan's aunt and uncle own two English Mastiff's that are just over a year old, so still puppies.  They are huge!  All the little kids were terrified of them (I would be too if a dog that stood taller that my head came my direction and all I could see was it's mouth), except for Andrew.  He loved them!  He sat on them, petted them and was looking for them constantly when they were out of their cages.  No tears from him.

And last but not least, water fun!

Encounter with a Celebrity

Ok, maybe celebrity is taking it a bit far, but we were excited for Andrew.  We entered him in a baby contest just for kicks and giggles and he took 2nd place for his category.  He wasn't too impressed with the judges; he thought their toys were boring and so only smiled at them once.

He got a medal (which he thought was very tasty) and a onesie and some coupons for frozen yogurt and we were invited to be in the 4th of July parade.  We weren't in the parade, but our family cheered for Andrew when all the other babies came by.

Daddy Daughter Camp

We went on our annual Daddy/Daughter trip a couple weeks ago.  We spent a couple days in and around Bryce Canyon.  We camped out in a tepee, ate good dutch oven food and ate s'mores.  The canyon has some beautiful country.  I would love to go back in the winter time and see the red rock covered in snow.  The bus driver mentioned that park is open year round.

We went on a nice hike down into the canyon and took lots of fun pictures.  The hike ended up being around 5 miles.  We were all pretty worn out by the end.  It's mighty hot down in that canyon in the middle of the day.

It was a good trip and great to spend time with my sisters and Dad.  We were sad Lynette and Jen weren't able to make it.  Hopefully next year.

We rode the bus into and out of the park.

We went ATVing and had so much fun!  Looking classy with the helmets and bandanas.  I even drove.

Bandana girls

Two Years Ago, Yesterday

 Happy 2nd Anniversary!  I love you Ryan!

To celebrate this year, we went to Park City for a couple days and rode the Xtreme Zipline at the Olympic venues and enjoyed riding the Heber Creeper train.

Can you see me?  I'm pretty tiny.

What a rush!