It's only been 6 months... (lots of parentheses to follow).

Wyatt's last day of preschool

Where did my blog go? Last I wrote it was freezing and January, and now it's beautiful and June. I've been taking care of m'boy, the dogs/cats/fish/yard/plants/trees/house, etc. Briana moved back in bringing with her an additional pet, Sylvester the cat, because we just didn't have enough dog barking and cat hissing going on.
(Hmmm, this is about the time I stopped blogging. Coincidence? Probably not.)

Wyatt has finished preschool, and we were so ready for him to be done. (Side note: He didn't go to a preschool that does a graduation ceremony. I think so many preschoolers are going to be confused when they have to go back to school this fall. Won't they be thinking "But wait. I graduated. What is this?") Definitely looking forward to kindergarten, and if there are tears on my part they will be tears of joy and gratitude because he'll have somewhere to go each weekday. (You are reading the blog of someone who has never spent a night away from her child. Please don't judge. I need a break).

 He'll be a mature 6 this November. He loves video games, swimming, soccer (but not t-ball so much), and Dodgeball at Hang Time. I think he wants to play Dodgeball professionally. I really hope this is an Olympic event.

Hang Time has become our version of Cheers. Whenever we go there, the staff yell out "Wyatt!" so enthusiastically. (Lest you think I'm super rich, I bought a 6 month pass and have used it A LOT so each visit works out to be less than a dollar, I'm sure). Now, if only they had a lounge for Mommies.

Jason is still working out of state. What can I say without sounding like a total boob? I don't like it, I hate it, it's not cool at all. We did contemplate the idea of moving there, and we both had strong feelings against it. So we're hoping that this situation is temporary. He keeps looking for work here in Utah.

I need to catch up on blog posts. Maybe another one about our trip to Disneyland in April tomorrow.

Freezing Cold FrontRunner

Standing outside in the bitter, bitter cold for over an hour. But Dubs was determined to wait it out.

Oh look, here it is again and we can't get on yet.

We made it Mom!

Checkin' it out, Natch.

Trying not to let me take a good photo. Jokes on him though!

Wearing his Pirates of Croatia shirt Grandma Sandy picked up in... Croatia.

 

On the big opening day, (December 8th), we waited in line for over an hour for our "free" ride on the FrontRunner. Apparently everyone else thought it would be a great idea too! (Did I mention the bitter freezing cold?) When we finally got on, I found a seat for Wyatt, but I had nowhere to sit until we got to the Thanksgiving Point stop. I had daydreamed about looking out the window as we rode along. Reality: It got dark in about five minutes, and we spent the rest of the ride staring at our own reflections and the unsavory characters on the train. There was one bathroom and a very long line. Finally Wyatt could hold it no longer and had to go in, only to find an overfull commode. One of the workers said there are actually 2 bathrooms, but they decided to just hook one up. (Brilliant move UTA!) The plus side of this trip was that Wyatt really liked it and thought it was cool.

Thanksgiving 2012

Jason & Briana

Main house, so fun for everyone

Me and the Old Man

Briana and her cousin Jessica

Wyatt and his cousin Michael on the balcony

Trampoline with a view

Bunk Beds for Big Boys

Jason's sisters and Dad L-R: Emily, David, Elizabeth (w. Wyatt)

 

Ranch in Birdseye. Fun was had by all. And chicken herding.

Wyatt stayed on the bunkbeds w/ the big kids and thought that

was great! Briana's horse tried to run off w/ her. We stayed 2 nights.

The weather and the views were so beautiful.

Nickel City

Grandma Sandy and Wyatt

Max, Wyatt and Josh

Opening present

Rubin, Max, Josh and Wyatt

Jason looking forlorn

Working on the cool fossil egg thing

Believe it or not, this cake was sitting at the store made in these colors and just happening to match my soldier theme.

 

Nickel City birthday party w/ some friends. Soldier theme in the Jungle Room. Picture quality not great due to all pics being taken w/ cell phones (and not smart phones, either).

Wyatt's 5th Birthday

Wyatt turned 5 on November 1st! We had a family party for anyone that wanted to stop by and have cake and ice cream.
Side note: My baby turned 5. It's bittersweet. He is always telling me he loves me, especially when he knows I'm having a hard time. We play the "I Love You More" game often. So grateful for this little guy and the pure love and joy he brings to us.

Autumn

 Wyatt and cousin Michael

 Wyatt with friends RJ and Graham

 Ghostly at McCoard's Corn Maze

 In the bath at McCoard's

 Birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse

Wyatt as a low key soldier

 

 

I love fall and most everything about it! Back to school, corn mazes, pumpkins, cooler weather, the colors, my birthday, Halloween and Wyatt's birthday (tomorrow)! Lots going on, and  we've been having a good time. 

Fishing

Daddy sent a present. Technically he probably should've gotten this for his upcoming birthday, but Jason got a gift card from work and decided to get this for him now to cheer him up (he hasn't been able to come back for a visit in 6+ weeks). I need him to teach me how to fish so I can take Wyatt myself. Looks pretty fun!

The Heat

Today I mowed the lawn and wanted to clean up the driveway and sidewalk, but I couldn't get the leaf blower to work and almost had a breakdown. It snuck up on me, and all of the sudden I felt like I was losing it. Too tired, over the heat. And over Jason being gone!!

My little buddy

My pretty girl

Some recent photos of my two lovely kiddos. The past 7 months that Jason's been working out of state have definitely been an adjustment. Wyatt is growing so fast, too fast, because I love this age (4, turning 5 in November). I can't put into words how the little things he says warm my heart. He loves his Sis, her boyfriend Scott and their kitty "Sylbuster" (Sylvester). He loves video games, recently got Cars 2 for the Wii. If we go to an arcade he has to play the driving games, and he's pretty good. He loves mini-golf, and riding his scooter. He's been taking swim lessons this summer. Loves to play with his friends on the street.
We (Wy & I) went down to Vegas this past Sunday to pick up Jason. While we were there we went to the Secret Garden at the Mirage to see the dolphins and tigers (last time it was the sharks at Mandalay Bay). We stayed at the Stratosphere this time, and I do not recommend it. Unfortunately, Jason lost his wallet on the plane so ever since we were scrambling with getting all kinds of wallet stuff cancelled and replaced. There's always so much to do when he gets home as it is.
Briana is living on her own and is working, getting ready to start college this fall nearby.
Me and Jason, just being home together when we can is a vacation now. But I wouldn't mind a real vacation.
To the sea. ;)

Shaggy to Chic

Riding Shotgun

"Before" Shaggy Sheepdogs

Beautiful Mapleton!

Mapleton- Like the Swiss Alps But Closer

Otis "After"- A Lovely Gentleman

Sweet Charlie boy

These boys had not been sheared for over 5 months, but now thanks to groomer Chelsea they are looking good! She lives in Mapleton and every time I drive out there I'm struck by how gorgeous it is.

North Dakota Trip

A couple pretty photos from Pinterest before getting to my less exciting ones:

I did see some abandoned churches
from afar, they are so neat!

A photo on my way out of town, the countryside was prettier than I expected!

 (I wrote most of this post after we got back but didn't finish so it's a few weeks old).

We left on Easter evening around 8:30 p.m. Jason's ride back was having car trouble and we had to get him back in time for work Tuesday morning, so before I knew what was coming out of my mouth I said "I'll just drive you up"! Since Jason's been there I've been wanting to see it, and this seemed like a good time because Wyatt was out of preschool this week for spring break. It was so spur of the moment, I stuck a basket of dirty clothes in the car and grabbed whatever I could and left. Luckily, I thought to grab some ramen and other food that would travel, which was great because we were eating in 90% of the time.
Our first day there I met another Mom with young kids at Walmart who kindly offered to show me one of the local parks. There happened to be an Easter egg hunt going on and face painting with this group called Mothers of Preschoolers (Minot MOPS). Wyatt had a shark face painted on, cute.

Sunset from Jason's apartment balcony

The rest of the week, we went to the local library, bowling alley, Mcdonalds (huge, massive playland), mall, and cooked dinner every night in the little kitchenette in the hotel room. It felt like a luxury to see Jason at lunch and after work each night! Wyatt had a lot of fun, but also missed home and kept asking when we were going back.

Scandinavian Heritage Park, I wanted to
see this but the weather got too cold and windy.
(Photo from Pinterest).

All in all, I'm so glad we went. The drive home was really hard, we didn't stop other than gas and potty breaks, and then when it got late I slept in the car for an hour or so.
Driving back into Utah, it seemed much bigger and more cosmopolitan than I ever would've thought! It's good to be back home.