Easter Weekend

We had a wonderful Easter weekend - starting with a "photo shoot" of Hoyt in his Easter outfit on Saturday afternoon. I had just bought a new camera on Friday night, so I thought I would test it out. I took far too many pictures; he looked so cute that I couldn't help myself!!

Hoyt loved searching for eggs in the backyard, and was thrilled when his basket was full. He just kept walking around the yard saying "Egg! Egg!" And the joy on his face when he realized there was candy in some of the eggs was priceless!

We loved going to church on Easter Sunday and feeling the spirit that was there. What an uplifting weekend!

FHE on the Farm!

Well, it's that time of year again. Ryon just went "over the hill" to bring Annie (one of his horses) to Reno for the Spring/Summer. We keep Annie at a little arena close to the house, where there are goats, chickens, dogs, and other horses. Hoyt loves it, and most warm evenings he can be found hanging out with dad on the "farm"!

We decided to go over yesterday for Family Home Evening. Hoyt got to pet a baby goat, pet Annie (he kept saying "up...up" because he wanted to ride her) drag the hose around pretending to fill all the waters, and throw as many rocks as he could find. He was certainly a busy little boy. After about an hour it was time to go home....take a bath....and go to bed!

Petting the baby goat with mom

Trying to fill every water trough he can find!

Really getting into it...

Filling Annie's water

Taking time out from his chores to trow some hay!

Sweet Dreams

This is what Ryon and I see every night when we go in to check on Hoyt before we go to bed...

Two little (they are actually pretty big) feet propped up and Hoyt sound asleep. He loves to fall asleep with his feet in the air - I'm not exactly sure why - but it works and I'm not complaining! We just put his feet down and "rearrange" him in the crib and he sleeps his guaranteed 12 hours a night. What a good boy!

Aren't they the cutest things when they are asleep?

Idaho....Again??

Not everyone can say that they have been to the Idaho Potato Museum; lucky....lucky....lucky for us we got to pose for a picture in front of it last week. Hoyt and I can now mark that off of our 100 places to visit in our lifetimes!!

We traveled to Pocatello last weekend with my mom, dad, sister Marissa and brother Caleb to see the blessing of my nephew Landon. It was a 9 1/2 hour drive (UGH!) but Hoyt did amazingly well! Bless the person who came up with the idea of putting DVD players in cars. While we all now have Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and 101 Dalmatians memorized word for word - it was definitely a lifesaver! At one point while watching 101 Dalmatians my dad asked..."Do they ever show them (Roger and Anita) getting married?" He was really into the story line!

We had a great time visiting with Kyle, Noelle and Landon, as well as grandma and grandpa Murray. The day of the blessing it snowed 3 inches, so Marissa and Caleb were in heaven. Growing up in California you never get to see snow actually falling on the ground. They had to go outside and play in it, and Caleb worked for at least 40 minutes to build a 1 foot snowman. We arrived back in Reno on Monday evening, and Hoyt was elated to see his crib. (He has a hard time sleeping when we travel...and he goes completely off his schedule!) It's always good to get back home.

Grandma Petersen

Ryon's grandmother passed away last week, so we made a trip to Boise for the funeral. Grandma Petersen was 93 years old and had lived a wonderful life. Her husband died when she was 38 (Ryon's mom was four at the time), she raised five children on her own, went back to school and became an elementary school teacher, and was a widow for 55 years. Ryon and I agreed that she had to be so happy to leave this life and see her husband again!

The funeral was a tribute to a wonderful woman, and we enjoyed visiting with family. What a blessing to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, and that families can be together forever.

A picture of grandma and grandpa Petersen's wedding. I love old photos!

Ryon and Hoyt at the luncheon

With grandma and grandpa Murray and cousin Marcus

The two men in my life...

Feeding the Ducks

While we were in Boise last weekend, Ryon made sure that we made it to the park to feed the ducks. He remembers visiting his grandma when he was a boy and being able to go to the same park and feed the ducks - so Hoyt had to experience it as well!

We went to IHOP for breakfast with grandma and grandpa, Aunt Kelly and cousin Marcus, and then took our left-over pancakes and toast and headed for the park. It was kind of a chilly day, but Hoyt did not mind in the least. He loved the ducks, and became quite a pro at throwing bread. When we had finished feeding the ducks we noticed a sign that read "Kindness can Kill! Please refrain from feeding the ducks". OOPS!!

Hoyt and his "girls"

What is better than sitting on the couch with "your girls" and Mickey Mouse, watching a show, and waiting for dinner to be served? If you ask Hoyt....not a thing!

Little Helper

Last weekend, Ryon and I decided that it was time to clean up the backyard a bit and get ready for spring. We cut back some bushes, raked leaves and trash (thanks to the wind!) out of the flower beds, and pulled a few weeds. While it probably wasn't the most exciting Saturday morning chore....Hoyt had a ball. I really can't wait for spring when we will be able to be outside more often!!

Hanging out by the tree

Here he is trying to attach the hose to the faucet....

Trying to drink water (from the UNattached hose) is much more fun!

Working hard to try and rake leaves like dad

18 Months

Hoyt turned 18 months at the end of last week, and we can't believe that it has already been a year and a half since he joined our family. He has certainly brought us more joy and happiness than we could have ever imagined. He is such a funny little guy (and if you ask me...pretty smart!); every day is an adventure. Here are a few things he is "up to" these days.

Continuing to wear hats - especially backwards

Having all sorts of fun with his legos

The other night while I was making dinner he built a tower all by himself. We might have an engineer on our hands!!

Finally going into nursery. This picture was taken after church on his first day of nursery. He had one meltdown, so Ryon stayed with him the entire time, but he loved playing with the toys and snack time was a hit. When we got home he was definitely ready for a nap!

Sledding....oh what fun!

Last Saturday we decided that we just had to get Hoyt up to the snow and go sledding. Now, I told Ryon that I thought we should go, but I definitely needed to buy Hoyt some snow pants. He replied that he thought it was crazy to buy snow pants that Hoyt would wear once and grow out of....so we improvised (and looked a little like hillbillies)! Hoyt had on two layers of pants, which seemed to keep him pretty dry, his slightly large sunglasses, and a stylish hat with matching gloves.

Regardless of what we looked like, Hoyt had a marvelous time and cried when we had to leave. He thought he was pretty special being pulled around on the sled (up the hill, down the hill, across the meadow, etc.) and even found that he liked the taste of snow. He loved exploring and found a tree with "prickly" needles that was fascinating.

After about an hour of sledding, which entailed Ryon and I getting a pretty strenuous workout, we decided it was time to leave. On the drive home, I informed Ryon that next year Hoyt will have his own "snow clothes"!