Gardens @ Thanksgiving Point

If you have never been to the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point I would highly recommend going! It was gorgeous! Tyson and I spent the morning there with Uncle Rob (Ben's uncle). Ben wasn't too interested in going so when Rob said he wanted to go I jumped at the chance. It was a great opportunity for Tyson and I to get to know him better!

The flowers were beautiful and the weather was perfect for a stroll through the gardens. I think Tyson found every bird that was there and he spotted all the flowers and topiaries that resembled balls. The fountains, stream and waterfalls were also favorites of his; he even found a rock or two to through in when he could. I had a great time taking pictures and could have spent a few more hours there snapping more.

By the time we left to go to lunch Tyson was worn out. He fell asleep as soon as I put him in the car, which is unusual for him. The two minute drive across the property to where we ate was not much of a nap for him, but he did quite well while we ate. Tyson had warmed up to Rob and was holding his hand by the end of our outing. Rob even bought him a soft little ball while we were there.

Thanks uncle Rob for treating us to a special day and spending time with us!

Discovery Gateway adventure

Last Saturday Ben and I decided to take Tyson to the Discovery Gateway museum. We were pretty excited to go and we made sure we got there right when they opened to avoid crowds. Am I glad we did too, by the time we left it was pretty crazy in there with all the kids and adults running around.

Tyson had a great time. He got right in there and tried everything. He loved the balls and of course the water area (which had balls too). Ben was pretty fascinated with the animation exhibit. They had little figurines that you could stage and photograph allowing you to make your own little animated movie clip. There was an area where you could create your own comic strip too.

Both Tyson and Ben were getting creative with the wall of pipes. There were several different pipes that were different sizes and angles that you could move around to create your own "ball shoot".

There were things to do for people of all ages. We had a great time playing and experimenting. I can definitely say that we will be back!

Canyon Outing

We decided to take a trip up one of the canyons a few weeks ago to explore and take some pictures. We happened to pick the same random spot that we did almost two years ago when Tyson was just a baby. Tyson was in heaven with all the rocks he had to throw in the "wahrrr" (water in Tyson tongue), one of his favorite pastimes. We had a great day together!

Cleaning Tip

Okay, for those of you out there who are always looking for a great new miracle cleaner I think I have one to share. I like to keep my eyes and ears open to great cleaning solutions especially if they are non-toxic ( I don't like to use harmful chemicals around Tyson if I can at all avoid it). Well, I had a little mishap in my oven yesterday when cooking dinner which made a mess all over the bottom. Yes, I do have a self cleaning oven but who wants to heat up their living space by having the oven on for several hours and then of course the awful smell that goes along with that that lasts for days? My solution, that works pretty darn good in my opinion, is cream of tartar and vinegar. You simply make a thin paste by adding vinegar to some cream of tartar (you might need quite a bit of cream of tartar if it is a big job)! Next you apply the paste to the spills and spatters in the oven. Let it sit for a few minutes and then take your trusty ole steel wool and scrub away. Actually it shouldn't take too much scrubbing. Then wipe it out with a wet sponge or cloth. Voila, you have a clean oven.

Grandma with her special grandsons!

Emy and little David have been down for the past week and boy has Grandma and Grandpa loved it! It has been fun to play with Emy and see the joy the two grandsons bring their grandparents! WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA!

Father/Son Bonding Time

When daddy gets home from work it's Daddy/Tyson playtime and boy does Tyson love it, as you can see! On this particular day Ben took Tyson out to play in the water. It started with just the hose, then when daddy attached the different sprinkler heads Tyson made daddy his target. Tyson quickly learned that the sprinklers sprayed further so he was able to catch Ben off his guard several times. It's so fun and cute to watch them play together!!!

4th of July Weekend

We had the opportunity to head up to Idaho for the 4th to spend some time with Emily, Mike and little David. We had a BBQ with Mike's parents and rode the 4-wheeler and go-cart they had. Tyson took one ride on the go-cart with daddy, but I think daddy scared him by going a little faster than he should have. Tyson sure got off in a hurry and he wanted nothing to do with the go-cart when mommy tried to coax him on with her. Mike and Ben moved on to the bigger toy (4-wheeler) shortly after and they sure seemed to have fun with that. Mike was pretty good at driving on the two side wheels and Ben would leave us in the dust as he sped down the road. By the time they were done playing Tyson was done with all the noise, so when we finally broke out the fireworks anything that made a whistling noise made Tyson upset. We managed to get a picture of Tyson with a sparkler, but that was the extent of the fireworks for him.

Ah, too cute!

"NO WAY, MOM!"

Go Speed Racer(s)!

We thought (uncle) Mike would lose it a couple of times but he is GOOD!


Tyson's first and only firework for the night.


On July 5th, we all headed out to the sand dunes to play. Ben and Mike rode the 4-wheelers while Emily, Tyson and I hung out by the shallow lake playing in the sand. Tyson loved to have Auntie Emmy make sand balls for him.




Tyson actually got on the 4-wheeler with daddy and let him take him for a short ride. I was surprised considering his experience the day before!