Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 did not disappoint. We had a great Chrsitmas Eve dinner and gift exchange at Aubrey's parents' house. Then on Christmas morning, Tyler loved waking up to all of the gifts from Santa. Even better for Aubs & I, Tyler slept in till 8:00!! Santa brought Tyler a cool slide, a remote-controlled train set, clothes, and his very own broom (Tyler loves to sweep the floor & carpet with a broom). This kid was in heaven all morning long. We made a little Christmas morning breakfast as a family, before opening gifts from each other.

Christmas as a parent is very rewarding. Even more rewarding than when I was a kid. To see the look on Tyler's face when we walked from his bedroom was priceless. I wish I had the camera ready to capture the look. Thanks to everyone for a great holiday season.

We wish everyone out there a happy and heathly New Year. May 2010 be better than 2009.

Check out my new Elmo slippers!!

Tyler loves this present thing.

Tim, Robyn, & Maddie on Christmas Eve at the Perry's.

Mimi, Tyler, & Maddie on Christmas Eve.

Tyler really loves this present thing!

What cute kids we have in our family!

Tyler couldn't believe all the toys & gifts he received on Christmas morning.

TyTy and Uncle Zachy.

This dude can dress!! Thanks to Nan & Pop for the cool jacket.

Poor Tim

From 2006. . .The creator of the post below & Tim. Poor, poor Tim!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS...LOVE: MATT!!!

Merry CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
"O" Christmas Tree!!!!!

Zoo Lights 2009

A few nights go, we went to Hogle Zoo for their annual Zoo Lights exhibit. The 3 of us went with Maddie, Robyn, and Bampa. This is the 2nd straight year we've gone to Zoo Lights. We had a great time walking around the zoo and seeing all of the cool lights and displays. Tyler and Maddie loved the different lights, especially the elephant ornament lights hanging in the tree outside the elephant exhibit. We also saw a few of the animals that happened to be out at night. The tiger and her cubs were playing in plain sight in their shelter. We had so much fun, even though it was on the chilly side. Enjoy the pics from that evening. . . .

Thanksgiving 2009

The past month as a family has been crazy for us. For Thanksgiving, we travelled to North Carolina and visited my family. We had a great trip, seeing family and hanging out with friends. Tyler loved spending time with his Nann & Pop (my parents). There are a lot of pictures from the trip and a sampling are below with a few captions.

The boys watching a video before the

feast.

Nann and Tyler walking off the amazing meal.

All I can say is...p-i-m-p!!

Trying to find the perfect Christmas tree in the hills outside Boone, NC. Man, it was cold on top of that "mountain"!

Tyler helping Nann sweep leaves off the deck.

We visited Panthers stadium in downtown Charlotte. Tyler showing his Utah pride after a tough loss to BYU the night before.

What a cute stinkin' kid! :)

Walking around my family's property one morning.

Tyler & Pop watching the ceiling fan make it's rotations.

Tyler was a little sad in the airport that we have to leave and head home. It was a great trip!

Yummy Snowball

It's a snowy November weekend day in SLC. A great day to stay inside and watch college football, especially tonight's big Utah vs TCU game. Also, it's a great day to enjoy a few treats, such a hot cup of joe or hot chocolate. But for a 17 month old boy, a treat on a day like today is a snowball! Take a look at the photos below from this morning when Tyler was enjoying the snowball that Momma made for him. Note the color of the snowball is not yellow, which is always a good thing. :)

Halloween 2009

Tyler's 2nd Halloween was very memorable. From a great breakfast with Aunt Donna and Uncle Ken to seeing Mimi and Bampa to trick-or-treating with Maddie and Kate, Tyler made out big time yesterday. As you can see in the pictures below, Tyler was a cheetah for Halloween. He was so cute, except when Momma put his whiskers and nose on him. Tyler was not a fan of that process. But he loved going from door to door and getting candy. Which I have been tasting for quality purposes! :) Maddie was so adorable in her bear costume. The first 2 pics below are from breakfast with Donna and Ken. As you can see, Tyler loves his Donna. The other pics below are from our evening at Mimi's and trick-or-treating in Sandy. We hope everyone had a great Halloween.

The Light Switch

Tyler has always had a fascination with lights, especially turning them on and off using the wall switch. But recently, he's added a new dimension to it. Now, he can say "on" and "off". He doesn't quite understand what each word means, but he knows to say either "on" or "off" when he flips the wall switch for the light. Sometimes, Tyler will stand in the middle of the room and point up to the light and say "on" "off". Hard not to have a big grin on your face when he's just so cute! Below is a quick video I shot earlier today of Tyler playing with the switch in his room.

Hike in the Fall Colors

Fall is a great time of the year in Utah. It's definitely my favorite season here in Utah. As the temps drop, the leaves burst out in color in the mountains. With an approaching storm next week, I thought I would take advantage of a perfect fall afternoon and take Tyler up Big Cottonwood canyon to check out the fall colors. Yesterday, we drove up to Guardsman Pass and took a little hike.

It was perfect, colors were vivid and the weather was awesome. Tyler wanted to get down from the backpack to test his new skill.....walking. But I was the mean dad. :) Tyler seemed to enjoy the hike, especially the part where he fell asleep in the backpack (check out the next to last picture below). It was hilarious, because all of sudden, he was quiet behind me. Then I felt his hat hitting the back of my neck. I had to use the camera to take a picture of him behind me, to make sure he was asleep. He was out cold, with his head moving all around as I walked down the trail. I guess it was too much fun for him. It was a very refreshing hike atop the Wasatch Mountains.

The last picture is from today, with Tyler wearing his Michigan State hat and U of U jersey. A special thanks to Charles and Nancy Wing for Tyler's MSU hat, which Tyler loves. My boy looks great in green and Tyler actually keeps this hat on his head. But he's a Ute at heart.