Let's Build a Snowman!

What do you do with a couped-up 2 year old, and a plethora of snow in the backyard? My answer...spend a good couple of hours in the backyard playing and making a snowman. With our first good snowstorm in December we didn't make a snowman, so Hoyt and I decided we couldn't pass today up without making "Frosty" (as Hoyt called him).

I have to admit that making a snowman is not as easy as it looks! It took us quite a while to make a very small snowman but Hoyt was pretty impressed with all of our hard work, so I guess that's all that matters! He was really excited about putting the "carrot nose" and the "snow gobbles" on the snowman...

And he had to make sure the camo hat fit Frosty just right.

He decided that Frosty shouldn't be the only guy who gets to wear the snow gobbles!

After building our snowman it was time to swing in the snow!

Before we went inside for lunch Hoyt had to give Frosty a little love.

Sunday Snow!

We woke up yesterday morning to lots of snow! We had beautiful weather (60 degrees) the week before, with lots of trips to the park, so the snow was a little unexpected. However, in true Hoyt fashion, he was ecstatic about getting out into the white stuff! As soon as he saw the snow he wanted to get on his gear and go "shobel" with dad.

After shoveling with Ryon, Hoyt had to go make "trails" in the backyard. I think he was outside for almost an hour before we forced him to come in the house. Poor kid....he has such mean parents!

Oh...he thinks he's such a big guy! (Hoyt, that is!)

Here I am in PJ's and rain boots - I didn't last out there very long!

I think he's putting snow back on the driveway instead of taking it off.

Hoyt loved that the snow was "over his boots"!

Close-up...and by the looks of his nose, he's ready to go inside.

I had to bribe him with milk to get him to come inside (he would drink a gallon a day if I let him). Here he is trying to get warm.

Swimmin' in Minden

On President's Day we decided to go to Minden pool with some friends from the ward. Since Hoyt loves to swim, and we haven't been able to do much of it lately, it was a great outing. The facility has three pools and two water slides.

Hoyt wasn't able to go on the slides, but he LOVED the kiddie pool, and would have stayed in all day if he could have! In fact, after 3 1/2 hours in the water he cried when I told him we had to go home.

"Swimming"

His favorite part of the kiddie pool was getting in and out all by himself.

He stole Gracie's goggles and kept telling me, "Mom...look I have gobbles on!!"

Valentine's Cookies

Hoyt and I decided that for Valentine's Day we would make sugar cookies. Hoyt LOVES helping me in the kitchen; whenever I am in the kitchen he pulls a chair over from the table and asks to help. One of his favorite kitchen duties is stirring (we have had our fair share of spills), and he's also a fan of anything to do with "cookies".

He loved his time helping in the kitchen on Valentine's Day, and was pretty excited about eating the cookies as well!!

Ryon gets in the pictures, BUT cooking is not his thing! Hoyt loved using the rolling pin - I had a hard time getting it away from him.

Rolling out dough is pretty serious stuff!

Taste Tester

With a plate of his yummy cookies. (I'm not sure why he had to have the gloves on in the picture....it's a little boy thing!!)

Sleepover with the Big Kids and more...

On the Friday night of our visit Ashlan, Malorie and Hoyt had a "sleepover" in the basement. This was Hoyt's first sleepover, and it was all he could talk about. They actually all fell asleep (with a little help from both moms) around 9:00, and then we put Hoyt back in my room at 11:00. I had a feeling he would wake up or wake one of the girls up before the night was through.

I think Hoyt was pretty impressed by the whole event, because the next night he asked me if he could have another "seepober".

This was the morning after the sleepover - it looks like they are pretty well rested!

While we were in Utah, Hoyt loved playing with all the big kids. Here he is riding scooters with Ashlan and Mason - he thinks he's at least 5!

With his "girlfriends". He has started calling most girls these days his "girlfriend"; I have no idea where he picked that up, but it is kind of cute!

Finally, a dinner out for the adults at Ruby River - taking me back to my days as a waitress in college. Allison and I did get some shopping in as well, so I have to say that I had just as much fun as Hoyt on this trip!

Rise and Shout...

The cougars are out - they're on their way to fame and glory! I could go on and on, but I won't (Ryon is breathing a sigh of relief).

I have to admit that I get just a little nostalgic when I go back to BYU, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few pictures with the cougar. After the Bean Museum, lunch, and ice cream at the BYU Creamery, our final destination was the stadium.

On the drive to the stadium, Hoyt kept yelling B...Y...U...FOOTBALL! I'm thinking we'll all have to go to a game when he is a bit older.

He never passes up an opportunity to be a cheese ball.

After posing for pictures it was time to...

release some energy. Running up and down the hill a few times did the trick!

This picture is out of order, because we went to the Creamery before the stadium, but I had to include it. A scoop of ice cream for about a $1.00 - it doesn't get better than that!

Having fun in OOtah!

Our first day in Utah, Allison and I took Hoyt, Mason, Ashlan and Malorie (the kids had no problem with getting out of school a bit early!) to the Bean Museum at BYU. Hoyt loved being back with his surrogate siblings, and I loved the fact that he was not begging me to play with him every minute of the day!

Hoyt was impressed by the elephant, lions, zebra, etc...

but I think he would have been happy anywhere, as long as he was with these three!

The beaver exhibit was impressive, but...

the bears were definitely the biggest hit!

Upstairs there were all sorts of water buffalo...



more bears...

and the best view...

of all the animals below!!

Flyin' in an Airplane...

Lookin' out the window, watchin' the clouds go by... Flyin' in an airplane, lookin' out the window, high up in the sky! (Barney song that Hoyt sang pretty loudly on the airplane)

Hoyt was so excited to fly on an airplane to go see Matt, Allison, Dallin, Mason, Ashlan, and Mawawie! It was all he could talk about for a week. He had his own backpack, full of little treasures, and was actually very well behaved for a 2 1/2 year-old who doesn't like to sit still for very long.

We had to take a family picture to commemorate Hoyt's first flight. Once we took off he held on to one of Ryon's hands and one of my hands the entire time. He was not a fan of any type of turbulence, or that feeling of falling that you sometimes have while flying, so his hands were a bit sweaty for most of the flight!! Other than that, he enjoyed watching Aladdin the entire time, eating pretzels, and drinking lots of milk.

On the way home Sunday night we had an hour layover in LasVegas - it was good that we had the laptop along with some favorite Disney movies!

Here he is boarding his last flight of the day....home to Reno. It was 9:00 when we boarded the plane and once we were all seated Hoyt said (through a yawn), "I go home now!" I think he was ready to be out of an airport and in his own bed! Mom and dad couldn't have agreed more!

Big Black Boots!

Hoyt is in love with his big black boots that Ryon bought him in Idaho, and he wears them every chance he gets! A few weeks ago he had fun with dad on a Saturday morning shoveling a little snow. Here they are in their pajamas, coats, hats, and Big...Black...Boots!