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"!

"My kind of puppy!"

I think I am going to try and convince Ryon that this kind of "stuffed puppy" will work just fine for Hoyt right now. I do believe he is the perfect dog - no barking, no messes in the house, he does not shed, he lets Hoyt pummel him on a daily basis, when I'm tired of seeing him I just throw him in the toy basket....I could go on and on.

Hoyt is loving his little Dalmatian puppy these days, and wherever Hoyt is you can bet the puppy is there also! One morning Hoyt insisted the puppy sit in the high chair with him. While it was a squeeze, it was also pretty darn cute.

Here is Hoyt having a snack, sitting on his car, holding his puppy. Needless to say the fishy crackers ended up all over the floor!

He had to let the puppy drive the bus!

Laying on the couch (with the puppy of course) watching his "show". Hoyt will bring me the remote and say "show...show..." which means he wants to watch Imagination Movers. The kid cannot get enough of it, and will sit and watch an entire episode!

I doubt Ryon will be persuaded to put off getting a "real dog", but it was definitely worth a try!!

I Heart You!

Heart-shaped waffles and eggs over easy!

Hoyt and I taking a Valentine's Day nap...heaven!

Watching Imagination Movers with Dad

We had wonderfully lazy Valentine's Day this year. Ryon always says that the best present is seeing money stay in the savings account, so his day was completely "homemade". I was pretty proud of my heart shaped waffles and eggs for breakfast (Ryon's favorite) , and the strawberry shortcake we had for dessert that evening (another one of Ryon's favorites) was pretty good too...if I do say so myself! I got to take a nap, which was a wonderful Valentines present and Ryon grilled salmon for dinner.

Our first Valentine's Day together was when we were dating, and we spent at least a good two hours trying to find somewhere to eat. The wait at every restaurant was ridiculous, and at one point I suggested we go to A & W to get a root beer float and hamburger. Since then, we have decided to eat at home on Valentines and Ryon usually takes it upon himself to cook the main course. Most years he grills steak or tri-trip, but this year he mixed things up and grilled salmon - good job babe!

The day ended by watching Imagination Movers with Hoyt....it doesn't get much better!

A Few Days in California

Having fun with Aunt Marissa

Trying really hard to drink water out of grandma's dishwasher!

Sitting at the bar like a "big boy" eating Lucky Charms...yum

Having Uncle Caleb wheel him around the house!

Hoyt and I were able to spend a few days in California last week while Ryon was out of town. We had fun spending time with family - Hoyt loved playing with Aunt Marissa, and Uncles Caleb and Brandon. After a few weeks of being stuck inside because he was sick sick, Hoyt had a great time running around in a house filled with more people than just mom and dad!

One of his favorite things to do while we were in California was to "check in" on Uncle Brandon's guinea pig (at least 20 times per day). The first words out of his mouth as we would come downstairs in the morning would be "pig...pig", and he would proceed to pull someone with him to Brandon's room to check out the pig. He even got to feed it a carrot with grandma.

Ryon has informed me that it is time to get Hoyt a pet; he thinks a small dog would be perfect. It is true that Hoyt absolutely loves animals, especially dogs, but a dog that would spend some time in the house is a very big commitment for me to make. I think I told Ryon that it would have to be the perfect dog....no shedding, no messes, no chewing on furniture, etc. I don't think such a dog exists!!

"Average" for a 2 1/2 year-old

We had a doctors appointment for Hoyt a few weeks ago - he needed to get a shot and even though he was only 17 months our doctor decided to do his 18 month well baby check-up at the same time.

After he had weighed in at 30 pounds, with a length of 34 inches, the doctor said "Well...he's about average for a 2 1/2 year-old." We all laughed!