California

Collin and I were lucky enough to spend 5 weeks in California with my family this summer! Michael's busiest time at work- the budget season- falls from July to August. Which equals super long hours for him (80-90 hours a week!) and me home with Collin day after day during the hottest time of the year. No thank you! So we decided to skip out of town. It was an adventure with 11 people at my parents house (My sister's family of 7 is living there as well while they are in the process of moving) and it was a long time to be away from Michael, but we had so much fun with family and enjoyed the great California summer weather. I really miss being able to have my windows open all the time and being outside without feeling like you just got out of the shower. I could write a novel of all the things that we got to do, but I'll try to keep it short and let the many pictures do the talking. :)

• Beach trips. We actually ended up going only a handful of times, but we had lots of fun. Collin is a little scared of the water- its cold, and I think the sound of the waves scares him- but he loved playing in the sand...and trying to eat it ;) One of my favorite memories was holding his hands and him walking all the way from our place on the beach to the water. 

• Breakfast in the gazebo and Collin's first taste of Grandpa Al's famous eggs. He loved them! 

• Fun times with Truly. She is 15 years old and such a good sport with the kids. And Lincoln, the Terry's dog. Collin learned to say dog (well at least the "duh" sound) and would say it every time he say the dogs. And I nearly forgot about Miso, the cat. Collin LOVED crawling after him and Miso was surprisingly patient (for a cat) when Collin would try to attack him. 

• A day at the Ventura County Fair. I hadn't been since high school, and I realized that not much had changed. But it was fun to go, see the animals, enjoy a balloon show, admire the many creative things people submitted and laugh at some of the things :) Also, it was a momentous occasion when Collin fell asleep in his stroller! This was the first time since he has started sitting up and not riding in his car seat. 

• Playing with cousins, aunts and uncles! This really occupied the majority of our time in CA. With naps and early bedtimes it wasn't always ideal to go off for the whole day. So we would just hang out at home and take advantage of all the fun toys and great outdoor space and weather to enjoy. Collin loved all the attention he got from his 5 Terry cousins and his 3 Jenkins cousins. They were all great with him. Brittany and Kaitlyn are naturals with kids, definitely great babysitters! I loved how the boys could make him laugh. Tyler especially- one time he got Collin laughing so much that he fell over backwards! And Ashley was cute with him, as long as he wasn't playing with her things...its a good thing she doesn't have a younger sibling ;) One of my favorite memories with Ashley is that one night after his bath, she gave him a kiss and exclaimed "He smells like my lotion!" We use the same bath wash and lotion that Lindsay used for kids and it was so cute that 3 year old Ashley remembered the smell. Collin and Uncle Shaun formed a very special bond. It took about a week for Collin to warm up to Shaun- the longest of anyone- but once he did he loved him! Shaun called him "little man" and Collin loved to crawl to him when he walked into the room or he got home from work. And he got excited when he heard his voice. Especially in the mornings when Shaun got home from his runs and Collin was in the kitchen eating his breakfast. I loved/really appreciated that Shaun took the time to play with him like he was one of his own kids. 

• We dressed up as cows and went to Chic-fil-a for free food. Collin got his first kids meal. Too bad he didn't get to enjoy any of it (he wasn't doing many finger foods at that point) but he loved the little book that he got with it! 

• Did lots of laundry...somethings don't change much, even if you are on vacation ;) Collin loved to watch it spin around and to help pull things out of the washer

• A 6 day road trip to Utah and Wyoming for a Jenkins reunion. Collin was a great little traveler- much better than I anticipated. His last long car ride was when he was 2 months old. But there is lots I to write about this so it will get its own post. 
  
• Bonded with Auntie Chloe (my best friend since 6th grade). 

• Rides in the Scout. None for Collin though. I decided he'll get to enjoy it when he is forward facing in his car seat

• Movie night in the gazebo

• Collin cut another tooth, bringing his total to 4, which also meant a couple long nights. We enjoyed watching The Sound of Music at 2 in the morning. 

• A day at the Santa Barbara Zoo. This was Collin's first zoo experience. He loved the flamingos. We also loved seeing the giraffes, gorillas, lions, and feeding the lambs and goats. Loved seeing his reactions to the different animals, and makes me really excited to get our San Antonio Zoo passes.We also went down the hill in the kids area once, but I think the video must be on someone else's camera. Its pretty fun you sit on a piece of cardboard and ride down a grassy hill.

• Collin's first taste of In-N-Out! He only tried the french fries, but he loved it. Maybe at Christmas I'll let him try some shake. 

• And speaking of foods, Collin got to try lots of new foods while we were in CA. He really mastered his finger food eating abilities during those weeks! 

• Oh, and I nearly forgot my "nap time project"- a denim quilt!! I nearly finished it during those 5 weeks- if only Collin and I hadn't gotten such nasty colds that last week. I just have the binding to finish and then to do some tying to hold all the layers together. But so far I am really happy with the result and proud that I did the whole thing myself (with just a little guidance here and there from my Mom and sister) Well I guess I should admit that my mom cut out all the squares, which is arguably the hardest part. She has been collecting them for years so she had a great assortment. But this project has given me the confidence to (finally!) finish the quilt I started for Collin before he was born...just in time for his 1st birthday! 

• Our days were so jam packed with excitement, that they often ended like this...conked out before he could even make it to bed. Unfortunately, Collin was not the great little sleeper like he is at home. Most nights he woke up at least once, but usually twice. He didn't do very well with sharing a room with me. He doesn't need to nurse at night, but knowing that I was so close he always wanted to. Near the end of the trip he was usually just ending up in bed with me part way through the night. Thankfully, since being home he has gotten back into the habit of sleeping through the night and in his own bed! 

And of course I can't forget the many bonding moments with Boppi and Grandpa Al! Boppi always seemed to have the magic touch to help him relax, just like when he was a newborn. And Collin loved Grandpa Al's whisker kisses. Sometimes when it was just the 4 of us doing something then it felt like I was back in high school, just with a baby tagging along. :) Its hard living so far from family, but we love the many chances that we get to go visit. This trip made me especially grateful that I have a home to go home to. (And that they are so welcoming for such a long visit) Thank you Boppi and Grandpa Al. We love you!! See you in December!




Packed up and ready to fly home to Daddy! Collin and I are really getting the hang of this whole flying thing...where to for our next adventure??

4th of July

Collin and I are back from our 5 week adventure to California. So now that means its time to get this blog up to date! First up is a recap of our 4th of July!

The 4th of July is a big holiday for my family. And its always a little hard for me when we can't celebrate with family. So since we couldn't be in Camarillo this year, we did the next best thing and celebrated with many of our friends here in Texas!
In the morning we joined our ward for a pancake breakfast and flag raising. Although Collin and I missed the actual flag raising because he decided he wanted his breakfast then. We had a great time visiting with friends and getting to know some newer families in our ward better. Our friend Becca was able to get these great family photos for us. I love them! They are my new favorites :)

Love that this one looks like we are in a big park when really we are on the front lawn at our church.
Becca has some great Photoshop skills! 

A few days before the 4th Michael and I really didn't have any idea what we were going to do, so we sent out an email to a bunch of friends inviting them to a potluck picnic lunch in the park. We supplied the hot dogs and everyone brought sides and desserts. It turned out to be a big hit! We were so glad that so many people could join us. It truly felt like I was back at home, enjoying my parent's traditional backyard bbq. Sadly no pictures though...we were too busy stuffing our face with yummy hot dogs ;)  

And of course we ended our day with fireworks. We met up with some ward friends again to watch the Fiesta Texas (6 Flags) show from the mall parking lot. Great location, but leaving afterwards was horrendous! But it was worth it. And I was so impressed with Collin- he did great with it being so far past his bedtime and he LOVED the fireworks. He didn't get scared and just seemed in awe during the whole show. It was a special moment to share with him- holding him, with our heads close together and staring up at the beautiful explosions in the sky. I loved it!

Waiting for the fireworks.
We nearly got rained out, but thankfully it cleared up so we could enjoy our show. 

Love this picture and Collin's arm resting on Michael's shoulder 

I love this holiday! I love this wonderful and beautiful country I have the opportunity and privilege to live in. And I love the chance to celebrate it each year with family and friends! 

Oh, and a little Pinterest inspired craft I did to get in the holiday spirit. :) 

Capturing Collin

This was from Collin's 7 month shoot. Now he is nearly 9 months and I still have to take his 8 month pictures!
I also need to upload pictures from my phone. So much to do so little time.

I have tried multiple times to articulate into words what a fun stage Collin is at right now. But nothing I write seems to adequately describe his personality. However, reading this Ensign article tonight helped me realize that it doesn't matter if I record everything perfectly, just that I record something. So here it goes- capturing into words a little snippet of Collin at 8 months old. 

Collin makes me laugh, he makes me cry, sometimes he can be extremely frustrating and Mr. Independent, and other times the only thing he wants in the world is me. He is so smart and constantly amazes me with the things he is discovering and how quickly he can master something new. I think he is going to be a bit more of a risk taker, like his dad, not so timid like me. Which is good. Being timid is not always the best quality, but I know it’s going to make me worry about him a lot over the years. But as much as he loves to explore and get into mischief, he does not like it when I leave his sight! I love his smile. I love to hear him giggle, especially when he is playing with Daddy. I love his quirky little mannerisms. I love to snuggle and sing to him before every nap or bed. I love that he usually quiets down when I pray with him before bed, like he knows that this is not my usual talking. I love his scent- slightly spit up, slightly baby, and a little lavender and chamomile like his lotion, but all Collin. After every nap I go in to get him and wait for the moment that we make eye contact- he gives me the biggest grin and starts moving around with such excitement. I look forward to it every day!  

I love watching his little personality emerge more and more every day and to imagine what he is going to be like when he is older. He seems to have a mix of our personalities- a little bit sensitive and easy going from his dad, and a bit of stubbornness from me (hopefully he’s inherited some better qualities from me too!). But he is also a little bit more extroverted than either of us. Although he always clams up in new situations and takes a little while to warm up. Sometimes his laugh is what reminds me to laugh more. The best days are the ones that we end up having a good 5 minutes of solid belly laughs together.  He finds joy in the simplest things and reminds me to not take life so seriously all the time. He is such a great fit for our family and I can’t wait to see the type of man he will grow up to be. This is making me sad thinking of him as a grown man. I want him to always be my baby. Sometimes I get frustrated that I can’t record every instant of his life, and capture his big personality (that’s how his Auntie Court described it, big. Which I think fits him perfectly). I know that I will forget the little details over the years and that makes me sad, but I also know that someday I will be able to perfectly remember everything. That knowledge gives me faith and helps me remember to live in the moment and to just savor Collin as he is now. I love this happy, chubby, spit-upy little boy. He brings so much joy and greater meaning to our family. I am one blessed momma! 

The Hotel Coon

If you ever find yourself in the area or are looking for an exotic destination vacation come visit The Hotel Coon! Located near the heart of San Antonio, we provide friendly company and excellent accommodations. Guests can enjoy a peaceful slumber in our nautical room featuring a queen size bed and crib (if you decide to bring a wee one along) and access to your own private bathroom. We had several good friends come join us at The Hotel Coon during May. It was so much fun!

First we had Lisa and her husband Stephen for a night over Mother's day weekend. Lisa and I met in our Interior Design class back in 2010, we kept in touch via Facebook, ended up in some other classes together, and eventually planned to have classes together! She also graduated in April, but they are still living in Provo while her husband finishes school. It is sad not living close anymore, but thankfully her family lives in Austin. They came up Friday evening, joined us for dinner, we stayed up way too late playing Ticket to Ride and talking. Then Saturday we hit up the Alamo and Riverwalk and we went to Rozario's for lunch. Michael has been raving about their fajitas- they didn't disappoint! If you come visit we'll take you there! :) Sadly, they had to head back after that, but we sure had a fun less than 24 hours with them! Hopefully we'll get to meet up again when Collin and I travel through Utah this summer.

A pretty bridge along the Riverwalk

Collin loved Lisa...and I think the feeling was mutual ;) This was also Collin's first time in a high chair. 

Collin loved having company in the backseat. 

Sunday the 25th we had a very quick visit (like less than 4 hours) with Michael's best friend/old roommate, Ryan. He had just gotten off a week long cruise and was flying back to Utah via the SA airport. He joined us for Sacrament meeting, had a little time to visit, and then Michael took him to the airport. This visit was way too short, but hopefully he will come back soon! I remembered to snap a picture of they guys, but sadly we didn't get one of him and Collin. Ryan's middle name is Collins, which is how Michael first came up with the name Collin. So naturally we needed a picture of the two Collins together...next time!

Our final visitors for the month were our friends from our summer in St. Louis- The Wheatly's (Josh, Erica, and their little boy Charles). Josh and Michael were both doing internships with cities in the St. Louis area and we all became very good friends. Many of our adventures that summer were done together! We haven't seen them since that summer (2012) so we were really excited to hear they were coming through Texas on their cross country road trip. They arrived Sunday night (25th) and stayed through Wednesday morning. Monday, Memorial Day, was rainy, so our original plans to see some parks and do things outside didn't work out, but it all worked out. After staying up way too late the night before we enjoyed a lazy morning, and then after lunch we headed to Bass Pro Shop for a little indoor entertainment, let Charles get out a little pent up energy and to see the fish and animals they have there. Thankfully by dinner the rain had cleared and we were able to take our picnic dinner to the park. It was great we had the whole park to ourselves, well we did have to share with the mosquitoes :) We enjoyed yummy St Louis style ribs, some of the usual picnic fixin's and this delicious banana pudding (seriously, you have to try it...it's my favorite on the 2nd day).

Visiting the fish at Bass Pro Shop

Playing at the park. Charles loved being spun around by Michael and would get SO dizzy! 

It was past Collin's bedtime and the swings totally relaxed him. I loved the snuggles! 

Thankfully, Tuesday was a fairly clear day so we headed downtown to hit up the Alamo, the historic King William's District, and the less populated stretch of the Riverwalk near there. I love all the historic homes over in that area, one of my favorite places we have discovered downtown. And we ended the day with an exciting game of Ticket to Ride- and for posterity's sake I have to record that I beat Michael by 1 point!! Michael is a pretty competitive game player and I have only beaten him at this game one other time. Needless to say I was feeling pretty proud of myself! Then the next morning they were on the road again. After so much excitement, Collin slept 2 hours in the morning, and 3 hours that afternoon- a sign of a fun filled weekend!

Taking shelter from the rain

Erica, Charles and Collin 

Turns out rainy days are perfect for a shot in front of the Alamo- hardly any tourist to get in your way! 

Feel free to come for a visit, The Hotel Coon is always open!