Little Update

Okay, so we're living in Avon, Colorado--which is just a couple miles from Vail. David has been here for a month, & me and Lance have been here for 2 weeks. We think we'll only be here until the end of March, so we left all of our stuff in Storage. So unfortunately I'm living without my computer & the internet. (Right now I'm at the library.) We're sleeping on an air mattress--for 4 months. Lance is sleeping in his portable crib. And we eat at a card table. The only other things in the apartment are a TV (which we bought when we got here) and Lance's toys (that he got for his 1st birthday!). We're kind of "camping out." I also had to buy a couple pans & dishes, so we didn't have to eat out every day.

Anyway, you'll probably not hear from me very often, & I can't post any pictures. I'm pretty bummed about that because I have some really cute pictures of Lance's first Halloween--he was a cute little elephant--and his first birthday!! He wouldn't make a mess with the cake because he doesn't like his hands dirty. He actually cried when Daddy helped him put a finger in the cake. :) Well, I'm running out of time at the library computer, so I better scoot. I'll try to update more frequently--but no promises. :)

Rock Paper Scissors

Last night David & I stayed up late watching movies. So of course we were both extremely tired when Lance woke up this morning. I had gotten up with him a couple times in the night (normally he sleeps through), & then I got up to give him a bottle this morning. Afterward I brought him to bed--just in case he wanted to sleep some more (a mother can dream, can't she?). He just rolled around & climbed all over David. He poked at his ears & eyes, bit his nose, pulled his hair, & climbed all over his head. With all this entertainment I couldn't sleep anyway. It was pretty funny. But finally Daddy had enough & suggested we play rock, paper, scissors to decide who would take Lance out of the room while the other slept in. I lost. David thinks this should be how we decide who gets up with Lance every weekend. I think not. He'll just have to take his turn like a big boy. :) I do have a great husband though, and later he let me take a nap while he watched Lance. When I woke up I found Lance in the laundry basket reading a book.

The Up-coming Move

So we decided a couple weeks ago that we were going to move back to Vail. I knew a move was imminent, but I'm still so sad to leave Jackson. :( I love Jackson & the people here so much!! It has been such a wonderful place for us to be. I'm going to miss it a ton.

Anyway, we are excited to go back to Vail. It's such a beautiful place, & we really are 2 hours closer to home (that's for our family who wants us closer). David is going to work for a huge company doing commercial work--that he absolutely loves. He worked for this company when we got married & he liked his work so much more then. We don't know how long we'll be in Vail, & we'll probably move around with them a bit more. But we're kind of excited about that.

The move happens next Wednesday. I know--so soon! But David will be taking us down to Utah, & I will stay with my parents for a while until he finds us a place. So that's our moving news. And I better get packing. I hate the packing & cleaning part...yuck! There's so much more to move & clean this time.

Las Vegas

It's good to be home--even if it's only for a week and a half. We left for Utah on Friday the 5th & just got back on Sunday (the 14th). We spent time with family & David & I spent 5 days in Vegas, woo hoo. We had so much fun, but home & my own bed is fabulous.

The day we left, we were trying to make it to a wedding & reception in Tooele, Utah. We got a late start, & then stopped about a gazillion times for Lance & David. So we missed both the wedding & reception. The trip should have been a little over 5 hours, but it took us 8 hours. Oh well, good intentions anyway. David's family all met at his grandparent's house, so we were able to see most everyone & visit a little. We had a great time just visiting, & Lance had fun playing with the kids.

We then drove to Milford where we stayed with my parents for a couple days. We left Lance with my Mom--I was sad. :( And on Monday we headed to Vegas!! We forgot our camera, so I have no pictures. We actually bought a disposable one, but then David used it to take pictures of the giant construction sites & all the cranes. I guess that's the plumber in him, or maybe it's just a guy thing.

We stayed at the Alexis Park Resort (not a casino) for free--we did that Tahiti Village presentation thing. Anyway, we walked around a bit, gambled a bit, ate a lot, & my favorite--we saw Phantom of the Opera. It's not the Phantom that travels all over the world performing. The Venetian has built a theatre just for Phantom (it is soooo cool), & they perform every day. Anyway, it was absolutely amazing. David & I both loved it. I wanted to get up on stage & sing, too.

We also made time to go to the Las Vegas temple. It was the first time David & I were able to go to the temple together since we first went in July, so it was probably the highlight of my trip. It was also where I realized I missed my baby boy sooooo much. I wanted to rush home to him right away. But David assured me he was doing wonderful with the grandmas, & reminded me that we don't get the opportunity often to go on any kind of vacation. It was so wonderful just spending time with David without any other responsibilities.

We finally left for Utah on Friday, & David & I were both so ready to see our boy. He had been sick the whole time we were gone (what a horrible mother I am) & he was so excited to see us--which was wonderful. He mostly wanted his dad which was okay with me. I'm getting all the time with him now anyway. Then of course we came home on Sunday. It's been so great to be home, but now it's time for packing since we're moving to Vail, Colorado. More to come.......

Help...I'm Stuck!!

Along with playing under the table, Lance likes to crawl into small spaces. I think he likes the table because the chair legs make a small maze for him. Problem is, even though he can crawl in, doesn't mean he can crawl out. Today he got stuck crawling between two TV trays. No they aren't heavy, unmovable trays. But they do have a TV on top (David's cheap TV stands). And Lance was really stuck--mama to the rescue.

A couple weeks ago he got stuck between a wall & some chairs in our Sunday school class. We have a small class & usually sit in kind of a circle. Because it's small, Lance gets to crawl around on the floor (because everyone else says so). He crawled behind a row of chairs until he got wedged between the chair against the wall. He had gotten half his body past the chair & was lying on his side fighting like mad to get out. He eventually gave up & just lay there awaiting rescue. I was facing that side of the room, & so I could see what was happening. I was just wondering if I should ask a few people to stand & move their chairs to free my baby (a bit embarrassing..."could we please stop class, everyone stand & move your chairs, so I can get to the little guy that is lodged between the wall & the chairs"). But a nice older man took pity on the stuck little guy & stopped class for me. I guess I'll be limiting Lance's wanderings from now on. :)

Our Wild Weekend

David's brother Mike & his wife Kelli came to visit us this last weekend. We were so happy to have them here, & we had a great time. I'm so sad that they couldn't stay longer--like forever. Lance just loves his Uncle Mike & Aunt Kelli. Although he did seem a bit afraid of Mike at first. But they were good pals once Uncle Mike gave the bawling Lance a cracker (see, everyone can be bought).

Mike & David spent the weekend hunting. They assured me that if they even saw an elk, they wouldn't come home empty handed. Lucky for the elk they didn't see anything. Kelli & I spent the weekend plotting how we could get our husbands to move to the same town, so we could live next to each other. We have yet to come up with a winning solution to this distance problem--but we're working on it.

So, are you wondering where the "wild" comes in. Okay there is no wild. I just wanted you all to be intrigued enough to read on. But we do miss Mike & Kelli already. :( And we are actually headed to Utah for a couple days, & then we're off to Vegas. But I can't guarantee any "wild" in that trip either. We'll have to count on my wild man to be crazy while I pretend I don't know him. :) I hope the grandmas are ready for our "wild" boy!

Greasy little lips. I wonder what greasy thing looked good enough to eat.

All Dressed Up

Lance was looking so big wearing his little tie, & he didn't mess with it at all in church--he just wants to play with Dad's tie.

Can you tell that he doesn't want to wear this hood?

Lance's new favorite place to play--under the table. It's also his escape route when daddy is chasing him. And yes, he has baby cleavage.

Hunting

David's been hunting, & we've been able to go with him a few times. Lance loves to sit between us in the truck (since the car seat has to be between us) & have our attention while we drive.

Here is Daddy & his little helper. David actually wanted us to hike with him, which was fine with me, but I tried to tell him there was no way I could keep our little jabber box quiet. Daddy didn't mind one bit, he just wanted us to hike with him. Lance made sure any animal within earshot heard him. :) It was no surprise that we didn't see anything, but we had a good time on our little hike (even in the rain).

Movie Buddies

I had young women's tonight, & was getting myself & Lance ready to go when David came home. He announced he would be skipping the gym & watching Lance. I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted. Then he started quizzing me about when I would be coming home--because he wanted to take Lance to a movie. Awwww...how cute. They went to see a very lame movie, & they were the only ones in the theater. Apparently there wasn't anyone else who wanted to see this movie. But it was great because Lance could squeal & scream all he wanted. He continually grabbed David's popcorn & spilled it & threw it all over. He threw his treat container 3 rows in front of him & spilled it all over. He yelled when the movie was loud (I guess he needed to be louder). He squirmed all over the place. And because Lance was a wild boy & there was nobody else in the theater, they were able to run around & entertain themselves. David is such a great daddy. Lance came home exhausted, & I got a couple hours to go to young women's & do some shopping.

My Scaredy Cats

I started to post this earlier today, but David read it over my shoulder & told me I couldn't post it because it made him sound wimpy. He's not here now, so I'm typing fast, and here's the disclaimer: my husband is not a wimp--not in the least. But, we are both afraid of bears. We've heard there are lots of bears around here, and although we have yet to see one (except in Yellowstone), & we know many people sleep out in tents here & survive to tell of their camping trips, we are still very afraid. That said, on with the story.

Last night David informed me that he would be going hunting at 4:30 in the morning. He would be hunting with a man whose camp was only accessible by a hiking/biking/horse trail. He would be biking in the dark for 5 miles to get to this camp. This sounded great, but I did point out a few obvious draw-backs. One, neither of us have a bike, & two, he hadn't liked this trail at dusk (ran down it afraid bears were following), so how would it be in complete darkness?! He solved the first problem when he ran into a neighbor & paid her ten bucks to "rent" her ten year old son's bike. And he assured me he would have a flashlight.

David did leave the house at 4:30 am, but I was extremely startled to hear the shower running at 7 am--until I remembered that killers don't usually break in to take showers (at least I've never heard of that). Apparently my big scaredy cat hadn't made it more than 500 yards up the trail when he decided to head back home. He then painted a very vivid picture of his morning expedition for me.

Imagine David in full camo with his face painted, 6'2" tall with his knees hitting the handle bars of his little bike. He has on his back a very full back pack, in one hand a giant mag flashlight (maybe he could beat the bears with it), & he had his bow & arrows hanging around his neck. No, there isn't a strap on his bow, it was just hanging by it's own strings--choking him. He's pedaling for all he's worth all the while keeping an eye out for vicious animals. When all of a sudden...he sees a pair of beady eyes ahead in the dark. And my very brave husband turned tail & pedaled even faster back down the trail.

In all his terror--looking over his shoulder for his predator--he spotted his deadly foe. Now, David's always bragging about his "keen" eyesight, & it was his very keen eyes that spotted a little tiny fox behind him. Whew! What a morning adventure. But I'm glad he survived it.

I got quite a kick out of this story--couldn't quit laughing. And I want to stress again, that my husband is not a wimp. It's just that he's so entertaining I just had to share his story. Here's also a picture of our little scaredy cat. He's been terrified of this big stability ball. He cries when he sees it, crawls away from it if it rolls near him, & clings to David if his daddy tries to get him to touch the big scary ball. Today was a milestone--he was actually okay with the ball for a couple minutes. But he's not a wimp either. :)

Camping Trip

This is the one and only picture that David took of his & Lance's first Father-Son Camp out. I was really bummed that he didn't get more pictures, but apparently they had lots of fun. This picture is documenting the eating of Lance's favorite treat--licorice. And the only reason David remembered to take this picture is our bishop threatened to take a picture of dirty little Lance for blackmailing purposes. David decided to take the picture himself (before Lance got really dirty).

I was told by many people at church on Sunday that my wonderful husband took absolutely great care of our little happy boy. They slept in David's truck, & the concerned daddy had taken the top part of the cradle and put it in the back seat of his truck for Lance to sleep in. He also made sure that he wasn't too comfy so that he would be sure to wake up if it was cold. He turned the truck on every couple hours to warm it up for his baby boy--what a dad. David had packed for him & Lance, & from the amount of stuff he took, you would have thought it was a week long outing. But that's David--always prepared (or over-prepared).

When my two guys finally got home from their big outing, my exhausted little guy fell asleep immediately (before he even got a bath). He smelled of camp fire, sunscreen, & mosquito repellent, & he was dirty enough that I could tell he had a great time. He was the youngest camper--and I'm guessing also the cutest. :) They did some hiking, fishing, & lots of playing.

Lance, who usually just wants Daddy, was so excited to get home & see Mommy. I was absolutely thrilled. Because he sees me every day, I don't usually get the amount of excitement reserved for Dad. So I survived my first night without my baby. I would have even slept great except that I was freaked out by every noise I heard. I guess I'm used to having David here keeping all the boogie men away.

Shooting Weekend

What a CUTIE!! I know I'm prejudiced, but c'mon, admit it...he's pretty darn cute! I especially love the way the ear muffs squish his little fat cheeks. He loves being outdoors, so it was no wonder that he was so happy on our little mountain outing this last weekend.

A few days ago David finally took me out shooting. I've been wanting to take my shotgun out to shoot some clay pigeons. David had never shot skeet before, so I was really excited to show him up--which I did. Yes, they call me "Dead-eye." We didn't exactly keep score, but since I can hit a clay pigeon with one shot & it takes David 3 or 4 shots...I think I won. And don't let David convince you that I'm exaggerating because he probably doesn't like to be shown up by his wife. :)

We really had a good time. The mountains were beautiful, the weather was nice, and the shooting was fun. The summer is almost gone, & we're finally starting to enjoy the outdoors of Jackson. Too bad we didn't start to enjoy it sooner. But we do plan on doing some more fishing & camping before the summer's over. David is taking Lance to our ward's father & son outing this weekend--overnight. It will be mom's first night without her baby :( but David assures me he'll take good care of Lance (of course). I don't know what I'll do with a whole night to myself. I can't wait to blog that trip--I told David to get lots of pictures.

Captain Lance & his Trusty Sidekick Daddy

I love to watch David & Lance together. It's so fun to see the way David plays with his baby boy. They play so rough & silly, but David is such a big softy when Lance is sad. Daddy takes his son everywhere: to the video store, to wash his truck, to the store, & even to take out the trash. When David gets home from work, he goes straight to Lance, picks him up, & takes him to the bathroom where Lance sits in a little seat while Daddy showers. David sings & talks to Lance the whole time. And while Lance can't see his daddy, he's happy to be able to hear him (just knowing that he's home). For the rest of the night they're inseparable.

The picture above was taken about a month ago at a family reunion, and the picture to the right was taken quite a while ago this winter. And no, the picture was not set up in any way. This is just how I found them sleeping.























I had to share this because I think it is just too cute. A couple weeks ago Lance was having a hard time falling asleep. We've had a playpen set up in our bedroom because his crib has been in the living room while my brother stayed with us for the summer. Anyway, I sent David to check on a screaming Lance. It took a while and the crying finally stopped, but David did not reappear from the bedroom. I peeked in on them to find David sleeping with Lance...in Lance's crib (and then had to get the camera). Apparently Daddy had finally climbed into the playpen and fallen asleep. Lance was not asleep, but he was very pleased with the sleeping arrangements. He was grinning from ear to ear when I found them. Later David told me that he had tried to lay down next to the playpen, but that didn't appease our little prince, so David climbed into the playpen. I have to say that I never would have thought to climb into the playpen with Lance. David & Lance are quite a pair, & I love them so much. What would I do without my two guys?

Hide the Baby

Here's David's favorite game to play with Lance. He gets a kick out of finding small & unusual places to hide him. I get a laugh or two, but I do admit that when Lance was only a couple months old I was very distressed by this game. I always panicked when David would say, "Where's Lance?" I made up a few of my own rules mostly having to do with where not to hide the baby. The refrigerator, oven, & microwave were outlawed as hiding places (only after seeing David try to fit Lance in each one). It just didn't seem right to put the baby in the major appliances. Mostly he has been hidden in plain sight & in safe places like under the crib, or on the floor under an upside-down laundry basket. One very obvious hiding place was on the couch with a fortress of pillows around him. He was only a month old at the time & no pillows were on top of him, but as unconcealed as he was, I still completely missed him--thus the distress of the whole game.


My crazy (but wonderful) husband likes to give me a hard time (ALL the time), and one day told me that Lance fit in the fridge perfectly. This & the refrigerator items on the floor gave me great alarm. Looking into the kitchen--which is pretty small--I couldn't see Lance. Of course I yelled at David, & he started laughing. David was holding Lance on the counter top next to the fridge (which was behind the fridge from my vantage point). Whew!! What a scare.


The kitchen cupboard was the most recent hiding place. David was thrilled that Lance fit on the shelf. He held the cupboard closed for baby safety (like that made me feel better), and I could hear a faint scratching from the inside of the cupboard. Lance usually gives away his hiding places with little scratches or faint baby noises (sometimes very loud baby noises). And as you can see, he was fine and actually smiling and laughing at the game. Thankfully, we live in an apartment, & I think David is out of hiding spots. But I must admit that at times I have enjoyed the game. After my initial fear of "what has David thought of now," I usually laugh long and hard at his very creative game.

Finally a Blogger

David's Aunt Heidi has been telling me for quite a while to start a blog, & since I do so enjoy reading hers (I read it religiously), I thought I would give it a try. Grandma Ruth Ann has also been encouraging a blog spot so that she can see her grandson whenever she wants...so, voile! here it is.

This is us, the Shelley's. We have lived in beautiful Jackson, Wyoming for a little over a year. Our happy & very handsome son is nine months old & brings us absolute joy. Luckily for us, he's also a very easy baby--sleeps for hours & hours, takes wonderful long naps, & is still too lazy to get into much. David is a complete nut, & I love him for it. He works hard & just adores his son (he's a complete sucker when it comes to his boy). As for me, I'm just happy to be able to stay home & take care of Lance. And I couldn't be happier or more blessed.