Trip to Idaho

Last week we took a trip to Idaho ( according to Ryon the "promised land") to see Grandma and Grandpa Murray. We decided to drive and Hoyt did amazingly well for all 8 1/2 hours there and back. We had a great time visiting, eating, shopping, staying up late, etc. Why is it when you go on a trip you never seem to get enough sleep?

We also got to see my sister, Noelle, who lives in Pocatello with her husband Kyle. She is in her last year of nursing school at Idaho State University and loves to tell us gory stories of her rounds at the hospital! She will be a great nurse.

Ryon can't wait to move back to Idaho, while I could probably wait a little longer. I like to joke that I almost had to sign a pre-nup. stating that I would move to Idaho before we could get married! Whenever I ask Ryon how long it will be before we move he says "two years". We'll see - he has been saying that for three years now. Not that I don't like Idaho; it would just put me further away from my family and that might be hard for me!

Eight Months...

Hoyt is now eight months old, and he is loving every minute of it. He has four beautiful teeth, with another two on the way. The poor kid is constantly teething - rubbing his ears, drooling, etc.! He loves to sit up, wave bye-bye, say mama and baba (we're really working on dada; Ryon can't handle that he can say mama but not dada), and he's trying extremely hard to crawl. He will get on his hands and knees, but then fall flat on his tummy. Once on his tummy he'll push himself backwards, but moving forward is something that I'm sure will take a little time. I could sit and watch him all day - this is such a fun age.

Cowboy Up!

Hoyt was sick with a pretty bad cold this past weekend, so he was home-bound Friday through Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, both Ryon and Hoyt were a little bored, so Ryon decided to get their cowboy hats down and try them on. I couldn't resist taking a few picures. Hoyt was more interested in getting dad's hat off than anything else!

Surrogate Siblings

Hoyt is almost eight months old - it's crazy how time flies - and he loves to be around other children. When Matt, Allison and the kids come over he has so much fun. It doesn't matter if he had been crying 5 minutes before the door bell rang - once Dallin, Mason, Ashlan and Malorie enter the room he is all smiles. I'm sure he loves the attention he gets, and believe me, I don't mind at all. For at least two hours the child is completely entertained!! Malorie loves to hold Hoyt, even though he is about as big as she is, and she will often tell me, "You're so lucky - I want to be Hoyt's mom!" (I assure her that she can probably wait just a little while for one of her own.)

After dinner a few Sundays ago, while the adults were at the table talking, I looked in the family room and found the four kids gathered around Hoyt. I had to take a few pictures. It is wonderful to have surrogate siblings!!

First Easter!

I love Easter. It is an opportunity to focus on the Savior and His resurrection. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. The primary children sang in Sacrament Meeting, and if I do say so myself, they sounded terrific! (I'm sure I was more nervous for them than they were for themselves!) The ward choir also sang three songs, so Ryon had Hoyt by himself for the entire meeting. He was in and out, but he did a great job.

Hoyt had a new little Easter outfit for church that made his blue eyes "sparkle"! He also had to have an Easter basket. Ryon didn't know why he needed a basket, but I told him that we needed one for pictures. Ryon and I ate the candy and Hoyt was mostly interested in all of the packaging and boxes inside the basket. However, he did like his new soft duck that quacks. After church we had a wonderful Easter dinner with the Bigler's. Hoyt had such a big day, and with only an hour nap, he was ready for bed by 7:00!

Sitting Up

Hoyt has finally mastered the art of sitting up. Of course, it is his newest "favorite" thing to do. He has gotten to the point where he doesn't flop over too often, or fall backwards. He loves to sit on the family room floor, surrounded by his toys, and play. Ryon and I laugh because inevitably the first toy he reaches for is the farthest away from where he is sitting. He will reach so far for the toy that he is doubled in half with his face nearly touching the floor, but he somehow manages to right himself and sit back up. Maybe that belly of his is hiding some serious stomach muscles!!

Tuckered Out!

As you know Hoyt loves this jumper; however, one Saturday morning he had enough! Ryon walked into the family room to find Hoyt sleeping away. The poor thing just couldn't handle jumping anymore. We picked him up and took him to his room, and he slept for two hours. I think he was a little tired!!

Jump...Jump...Jump

Hoyt loves this jumper. He finally figured out how to "really jump" instead of just swaying back and forth in it. It is now one of his favorite things to do. Ryon says that it will help him with his basketball skills later in life. I don't know about that, but I do think he is buring some calories and that is probably a good thing!! :)

We Love to Sit Up

Hoyt now loves to sit up and talk. Of course, as soon as the camera or video camera comes out he usually clams up and stares. However, on this rare occasion he was pretty animated. At six months he has such a personality. He is constantly smiling, talking and yelling! He also has two teeth now, which you may be able to see in the video. Such a big boy!!

We took Hoyt to his six month doctors appointment this week and he now weighs 19 pounds and is a whopping 28 1/4 inches long. He is in the 95% for height and the 80% for weight - the doctor says that he is going to be a tall boy. (Ryon is excited about that - something about height and a better fastball?!)

All Rise...

Hoyt and I were able to go to my brother Seth's swearing in as a Commissioner of the Superior Court (judge) last week. He will be a Commissioner in San Joaquin County where he used to work as deputy district attorney. It was a very nice ceremony and I was glad that I was there. We are all very proud of Seth and what he has accomplished. These are just a few pictures of Seth taking the oath of office, members of the "Hoyt clan" that were in attendance, and Seth's family.