How DO monkeys taste?

Grandma Cindy joined us for the last half of our vacation, and being the veteran vacationer, Boden was more than happy to fill her in on things when she arrived.  After the house tour, it was ice cream time and he told grandma the flavors: chocolate chip cookie dough and chunky monkey.  As he was showing her the cartons, he held up the chunky monkey and said in a matter of fact tone "That's not what monkeys taste like, though."  We all got a good chuckle and then I asked him "what if that IS what they taste like??  We might really be missing out."

Boden and grandma on the beach building something important.

Family field trip

A Year with Frog and Toad was being performed at the Old Log Theatre so I thought it would be fun for Boden to go with his cousin, grandma, and uncle.  I would have loved to have gone, too, since I remember the stories of Frog and Toad from my childhood and I do love the theatre, but at 4 weeks old, August is still quite unpredictable.  So we stayed home and I waited for everyone to tell me about it.  Boden continues to have about a 20-25 min attention threshold after which he asks when "it" will be over and starts to lose interest but he made it through and I continue to get bits of info about the play from him so he must have been paying attention.  If I ask directly about it, though, he says "I don't remember" which is unbelievable because he remembers nearly everything.  But, if I'm patient, he'll bring it up and say some little tidbit of memory from the play that he found amusing or boring--eventually, I'll be able to piece together the whole thing.  Thank goodness my mom provided some reliable details for me.

We got spirit, yes we do!

This December and Holiday season was so much fun because Boden had so much holiday spirit:  Santa, being good, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, the Grinch, the Advent calendar, presents, the Elf on the Shelf--all of it! 

Early in the month, Todd and I went to Southern Utah for a short weekend hiking trip in Snow Canyon State Park and Zion National Park.  We LOVED it and I'm already planning for my/our (sorry, hon, I'm willing to go with or without you!) next escape.  It was a bit chilly while we were there, but the hikes warmed us up plenty--I couldn't imagine doing it in 80 degree heat (or warmer).

Enjoying Serenity and an Exhilarating Uphill Climb

While we were off gallavanting in another time zone, Boden spent a couple days with his grandparents, thoroughly enjoying being the center of attention from what we were told :)

Boden was also introduced to his own personal elf this year--Sammy.  Our little Elf on the Shelf came to live with us the first week of December to help keep an eye on Boden's behavior and report naughtiness and good deeds back to the Jolly One each night.  Amazingly, this did seem to help keep him on the "nice" side sometimes.  I considiered keeping Sammy around year-round--for those boys that Santa wants to keep a real close eye on.  But, he went back with Santa on Christmas Eve and is vacationing in Aruba until it's time to start working on next year's Christmas inventory.  I'm sure Sammy will be back around Thanksgiving.

We loaded up the trusty family sleigh and headed to my mom's to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family.  Boden always has a good time checking the chicken coop for eggs with my mom.  Unfortunately, it was very cold out while we were there, so we didn't get as much outside time as we like.  His behavior was less than savory, but I've learned that keeping boys indoors and cooped up goes against their nature. Just like animals, free range children are well-exercised and have a better temperament.

Off to the Chicken Coop with Grandma

But, we did get a chance to get a sleigh ride in with Molly and Dolly again this year.  They were feeling a little feisty so Boden didn't get a chance to take the reins, but he still had fun.

On board with Grandma, Mom, Uncle, and Cousins

While the cold weather put a nip in my running plan for the weekend, I did get a chance to slip away one afternoon and meet with one of my high school friends at a coffee shop in town.  While I would have liked for our kids to play together, it was great to have some 100% one-on-one friend time! We were talking and talking and then noticed that the place got incredibly quiet, other than our voices--turning off their music was the subtle sign to "please leave" :)  I do regret I didn't get our pic together!! 

We got home on Christmas Eve afternoon and Boden had time to set out cookies and carrots for Santa along with his first handwritten note (so cute!).  The note won't last, but I was glad to get a picture for posterity.

First handwritten bribery note to Santa

With all the travel and fun of the previous days, we thought Boden would have slept in on Christmas morning.  But, we should have known--if it's not a school day, but is up before 7.  For someone who can't quite tell time, yet, he has an amazing inherent ability to distinguish between school vs non-school days.  Todd and I had set up a rocket ship from Santa the night before and were excited for him to come down and see it.  He played with it until Nana, Papa and Uncle J came later in the morning when we could open the rest of his gifts.  It was a great time and so fun to see his genuine excitement over everything--so sweet.  Boden continues to ask what day it is so he can check the Advent calendar for his treat and why we only have one day of Christmas.  He's got so much holiday spirit, he wants even more Christmas :)




Okay, everyone but Doug and Susie, make a silly face!



Farmer Brown

Boden and I made our first car trip together to my mom's house.  It's a long drive and he did well--he definitely watched more videos than I would have preferred, but there's only so much construction and farm equipment you can point out on the way. 

As soon as we got out of the car, Boden headed for the barn and the four-wheeler and wondered where Papa Leo was.  Leo held off on feeding the calf until we got there so Boden could help feed her.  He was all into helping to prepare the bottle, but when it came time to feed her, he was happy to just watch. 

He also helped transfer pheasant chicks to their new home in the chicken coop, fed chickens, rode on the four-wheeler, and pestered Sassy the cat.  That was all in the first few hours of arriving :)