Mowing the Lawn

Austin has loved mowing the lawn with Grandpa Todd this summer. I took this picture a few weeks ago and I love it!

The Zoo

On our way back from Arizona we stayed in Salt Lake and took Austin to the zoo. His favorite animals were the meerkats. He got so excited watching them run around. He would just giggle and chase them back and forth across the window. He also liked the zebras and the elephants. He took a ride on the carousel and the train. The carousel he wasn't crazy about but the train was a whole different story. After the ride was over and the train stopped everyone was getting off but Austin wouldn't budge. He sat there gripping the handles not wanting to get off. It took both Chris and I to pry him off and he kept saying "choo choo! choo choo!". It took a little while to get him out but there was no tempertantrum or major meltdown thank goodness:). It was so fun to watch Austin get so excited about the things he saw. I think Chris and I almost had more fun them him. It so amazing to watch everything through Austin's eyes. It makes me appreciate the little things that as adults we sometimes take for granted. Thank you my sweet boy!

Arizona and Graduation

So I have been a real slacker and haven't updated the blog in a REALLY long time. But in my defense we have been very busy the last month and a half. In the middle of May we took a trip to Arizona to go to Chris's little brother Jeremy's graduation. He was the last of the siblings to graduate high school. It was so fun to see all the family and watch Jeremy. The graduation was really nice. Austin was a really good boy but got tuckered out and didn't make it through the whole thing. On Sunday there was Seminary graduation where Jeremy gave an awesome talk. We were really proud of him!

Jeremy with Charlotte and Will

Austin asleep on his daddy

Austin had a blast playing with all his uncles, his auntie, and grandma and grandpa. Gordon, Chris's brother that lives in New York was able to come. Austin hadn't seen him in a year but he warmed up to his uncle Gordon pretty fast.

Austin and Uncle Gordon having a nice visit :)

We had such a good time and wished the trip could have lasted a little longer.

Dying Easter Eggs

Here are some belated pictures from Easter. Austin had so much fun dying Easter Eggs with Aunt Tiffany! He decided it was just too big of pain to use the spoon and much easier to use his hands. When he thought an egg was done he would grab it with his hand out of the dye and then give it to grandman. Then he'd hold out his hand to mommy and say "egg... egg" wanting a new one to drop in the dye. The dye doesn't wash off to well so he went to church on Sunday with orange and green fingers. :)

Mr Money Bags

Elderly people seem to love Austin. It doesn't matter where we go...the grocery store, Walmart, resturaunts...they all want to stop and talk to Austin. As any mother does, I love to hear people tell me how beautiful and cute my child is so I stop and let them. This past Saturday we went to breakfast at a little cafe and as usual Austin had many admirers...Only this time they started giving him change! Thats right change...coins...money. He had one couple give him 2 nickels and another give him a quarter. Since when do kids get paid for being cute? Chris and I got a kick out of it. If we take him there a few more weekends he might be able to fill his piggy bank up :)!

Like Father Like Son

When we lived in New York there was this bakery in the city we used to go to called The Magnolia Bakery. You might recognize it from the TV show "Sex and the City".
They have awesome cupcakes, cakes, and all kinds of desserts. Most nights you would have to line up around the block and wait to get in the door. Whenever we went there Chris used to the Banana Pudding. He loved it. Its the kind that has the Nilla Wafers in it. So this week I found a recipe on the internet and made it to suprise Chris. Chris wasn't the only one that LOVED the dessert. Austin thought it was the best thing EVER! Here are some cute pictures of him eating his pudding.

Hanging out with Great Grandpa

These are some pictures of Austin with his Great Grandpa Stoddard. He has lots of fun going to visit his Great Grandma and Grandpa.

Date Night

Chris and I had a date night on Friday and we thought you'd like to hear a few of the things that happend in the ridiculous city of Butte, MT.

We had bought tickets online to go to a movie. We drove an hour there and when we get to the theater we find out that they had cancelled the showing that we had bought tickets for. They let us exchange them for a different movie but it didn't start for an hour. So we walk up to one of the workers and I say, "Are you seating for this show yet?" and show him our tickets. He looks at us with this blank stare and proceeds to say, "Ummmm we don't seat you...You have to seat yourself". So while trying to keep a straight face I ask him if the door is open yet. It was. We made sure to seat ourselves. :)

We had not eaten dinner yet, so after the movie we decided to go through the Wendy's drive through. This is what we ordered:

2 Large Cokes
2 Jr Bacon Cheeseburgers
2 of 5 piece chicken nuggets

We get to the first window to pay and the following dialogue takes place, "
WENDY'S WORKER: "$18.79 please".
CHRIS: "I don't think that is our order"
WENDY'S WORKER: "Did you have 2 Large cokes, 2 jr bacon cheeseburgers and 2 -5 piece nuggets?"
CHRIS: "Yes"
WENDY'S WORKER: "$18.79 then".
SHELLY: "Thats impossible"
WENDY'S WORKER: "Things have gone up a bit"
CHRIS: "We had 2 jr bacon cheeseburgers @ $1 each, 2 - 5 piece nuggets @ $1.29 each, so unless our drinks are over $6 a piece it cannot be $18.79"
WENDYS WORKER: "Thats what it says"
SHELLY: "Can we talk to a manager?"
MANAGER: "Did you have 2 Lg Cokes, 2 jr bacon cheeseburgers and 2- 5 piece nuggets?"
CHRIS: "yes"
MANAGER: "That will be $8.14 please"
SHELLY: "thank you!"

We were really grateful that the manager could add.

We started driving home joking about there being something in the Butte drinking water and how we should have asked for no ice in our drinks. About 10 miles out of Butte we're driving in the left lane and Chris sees lights coming straight at us. He moves into the right lane and sure enough some idiot passes us going north on the southbound side of I-15.

I think the favorite part of the night was the comment "Things have gone up a bit". Chris and I keep saying it and laughing. It was a crazy night but it was lots of fun!

West Yellowstone

This weekend we took a little trip to West Yellowstone. Austin had a blast swimming and on Saturday we took him to see the Bear/Wolf Exhibit. He had fun watching the bears but the highlight of the trip was all the snow. Austin loved playing in the snow! There was at least 3 feet of it. Chris and I decided we're going to come by ourselves one weekend, rent snowmobiles and go through the park. Here are some pictures:

Weekend Trip

This weekend we went to Billings so Chris and I could go to the temple for our Stake Temple day. We stayed at the Cmon Inn and I just have to say it is my favorite hotel ever! It is clean, nice, and it has a regular pool, a baby pool, and about 8 different hot tubs all scattered around an indoor waterfull and fish pond. Austin had so much fun! He swam in the big pool and waded in the baby pool. He loved the fish pond also! Saturday morning my mom watched Austin while Chris and I went to the temple. That afternoon we did some shopping and drove home. Below is a picture of austin swimming, the hotel and of the Billings Temple.

Vaseline Boy

So yesterday I was busy doing some things and Austin was watching a cartoon in his chair...or so I thought. I only left the room for maybe 10 minutes and he comes walking out with Vaseline all over him from head to toe. It was in his hair, ALL over the front of his clothes, and his arms and hands looked slippery. I said, "AUSTIN! WHAT DID YOU DO?!!!" and he started to laugh! I had left a container of it on our dresser (which he couldn't reach until today). In 10 minutes he had somehow found the time to get it down, open it and lather himself. I picked him up so he wouldn't touch anything and guess where his vaseline covered hands went....right in my hair. Then I took a look at the carpet where he had wiped his hands trying to get the vaseline off. Does anyone know how to get Vaseline out of carpet? I took all of his clothes off and stuck him in the tub. The clothes later ended up in the trash can because there was no way all of that vaseline was coming out. I washed his hair 6 times. Twice with his shampoo, Twice with my deep cleansing shampoo, and twice with DAWN dishsoap. His hair was still greasy. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to clean up the vaseline out of the carpet then researching on the internet how to get Vaseline out of hair. Just a little FYI there are many different methods: baby oil, eggs, peanut butter, and coca cola. I decided an a milder one of glycerine soap so when Chris got home from work off we went to get the supplies. Glycerine soap does not work. So after 3 washes with the glycerine soap Austin got a bottle of Coke dumped over his head. It was at this point that he stood up in the tub and said "Done ma...Done". Amazingly the coke took most of the vaseline out of his hair. I washed it one more time with DAWN and then again with his baby shampoo it and seems to be back to normal. I'm a little worried about his scalp being irritated but so far it hasn't seemed to bother him. I used my moms steamvac carpet cleaner and it looks like most of it has come up but if anyone has any good suggestions let me know!
Sorry there are no pictures...Our hands were a little to greasy!!

Only in Montana

We woke up to this beautiful fellow in the yard this morning. Thats right a bull moose decided to stop by for a visit. He wandered around for a while and then bedded down in the willows by the pond near the house. It was fun to watch him. A bunch of the neighbors had driven down to our house to take a look also. Here are some pics:

Happy New Year!

This year for new years we went out to Uncle Seth and Aunt Pams and celebrated with their family and the missionaries. The missionaries have to be either in their apartment or with a members family by 6pm on New Years so it was fun to have them come celebrate...at least until 9pm :). Aunt Pam made her yummy clam chowder and rolls and we played Yahtzee and toasted in the New Year with Martinelli's sparkling cider at 8:45 pm before the missionaries had to leave :). I have not played Yahtzee since I was a little kid and we had a blast. Especially Austin. He thought it was so much fun to throw the dice out of the cup. He had a blast with his cousins. We had so much fun that Chris and I went and bought a Yahtzee game the next day and played with my parents for hours. I am the ultimate Yahtzee champion with a score of 485 on New Years day. I got 4 yahtzees in one game. I think I will save the score card and frame it. j/k. Below are some pictures from New Years.

Austin Toasting with Aunt Pam

Austin playing Yahtzee with Whitney

Austin with Elder Snyder and Elder Blatter

.