An Afternoon At The Ranch

I try to get Hayden out and about everyday. Yesterday afternoon, we decided to go and visit the horses at the Strickland Ranch. Hayden played with the horse brushes and Diane's dog, Katie, while Diane and I visited. It is really nice to sit in front of the barn, in the shade, and chit-chat.

Hayden loves to watch the horses as Diane leads them out to their pastures. For the first time, Hayden got to see this year's foal, Joe. As with all new things, Hayden is curious of the horses. Who knows?...Maybe mummy has a riding buddy in a few years time!!

Here Boone....

...TAKE IT!

"Hanging" Out With Dad

When I got home from work on Saturday evening, Hayden, Shane and Boone were all outside in the front garden playing in the sunshine. It was nice to come home to a greeting party!!

Shane decided that Hayden is not too young to start climbing trees....Hayden had a great time - like father, like son!!

Catch-Up

My apologies for not getting on here sooner and updating the blog. Hayden is continuing to grow...in both height and personality. He is an amazing amount of fun to be around;so, we have been taking advantage of his "fun-loving" personality by going to the pool once a week and spending lots of time outside. He knows a variety of signs now and can tell you when he is thirsty, hungry or if there is a bird, fan or light in the near vicinity! He understands more signs than he is able to do at this point - he is just so smart! However, he cannot differentiate between the signs for mum and dad...so, Shane and I have the same sign!

We had an amazing thunder and lightning show about 5 days ago. The lightning was intense and went on for hours. Apparently, there were over 1800 lightning strikes in the local area. Despite having a little rain with the storm, the lightning set off over 30 fires locally. A couple have affected houses. Burney seems to be the eye of the storm, with fires all around us. Thankfully, the wind has kept the town relatively clear of smoke...so far at least.

August is a slower month for the Lodge...which, honestly, is nice. I am tired and it is nice to be spending a little more time at home with Hayden. He has been coming to work with me more and more as it is so quiet at the Lodge. I am lucky that I get to take him to work.

Shane, for those of you that don't know, passed his RPF (Registered Professional Forester) examinations that he took in April. I am, as always - in everything he does, amazingly proud of him. He was not motivated or excited about studying the material; but, managed to do what he needed to. He has also built a sprinkler system in our front and back gardens. It is so lovely to not have to go out and move sprinklers around. It would be an under-statement to begin to talk about how incredible Shane is when he puts his mind to something.

Well, I think that is all for now. I will continue to do better on uploading to the blog.

Much love, Marisa.

Cowboy Hayden Playing In Water

Hayden got a new hat. Like it?

Oh yes, and he found out the fun that comes in every hose pipe.

A Play Date In Shingletown

Yesterday, Hayden, Meghan and I headed over to Shingletown so that Hayden could have a play date with Nicholas. Nicholas has many, many more toys than Hayden...so, for a while, Hayden was completely overwhelmed. He soon set his sights on a large fire truck that had flashing lights and noises.

We went outside to play in the pool; however, Hayden was not as impressed as he had been at the Burney pool on Tuesday and preferred to play in the grass with the inflatable ball.

Meghan took many great pictures of Hayden while there, and it was hard having to choose which ones to put on the blog...hence why there are so many of them!

Swimming In Burney

Today, Amanda and I took Hayden to the Burney pool for some outside fun. Although he was a little tentative at first (he was content to stand and watch the other kids), he quickly became aware of his surroundings and their capabilities. He splashed, giggled and played with the best of them. He is not afraid to get water in his eyes, up his nose or anywhere else. He had a blast. We stayed for a couple of hours before he got tired and wanted to take a nap.

He played in his inflatable crab for a while too. His legs go through the crab and, as a result, he was able to walk, by himself, around the pool. Let me tell you, he was moving! I had a hard time keeping up with him!

It was so, so lovely to spend the afternoon outside, in the pool, with Amanda and, especially, with Hayden. A great, great day.

The July Day At The Lake

Last year we had a rather large get together at the lake for Shane's 30th birthday. Well, this year, Shane wanted to do the same thing. We managed to get a few friends together to enjoy BBQ burgers and each other's company for a few hours. It was nice to be out in the sunshine rather than at work or in the house.

The top picture shows Hayden at last year's party...the others are, obviously, Hayden from this year. It's amazing what happens in a year.

How Big Is Hayden?

He's so big!! This is one of Hayden's party tricks. It is so cute and he will do it for just about anybody.

Check, Check, 1, 2, 1, 2

Is this microphone on?

Hayden's First Wheelbarrow Ride

Playing in the dirt can be so exhausting for a baby boy...thank goodness there is a wheelbarrow going in the right direction.

Playing With Boone

We spent the day outside playing in the shade. Hayden continues to love his doggy, and Boone?...Well, he is starting to acknowledge the baby.

Helping Mumma Clean House

Apparently I missed I spot....

Playing In The Shade Of The Lodge Trees

After his second nap, Hayden and I went outside to play in the shade. He got to practice his fly cast with his very own fly rod (otherwise known as a sycamore twig), push his tractor and pretend he was in jail using the bench.

The Lodge is the best place for dogs to play and kids to grow up...trees to climb, squirrels to chase and grass to run, run, run! Hayden is, however, pretty sure that the maintenance man, Ramon, has the best job of anyone out there; because, Ramon gets to play in the mud and water, drive the ride-on lawn mower, push wheelbarrows and get paid!! He cannot help but watch whatever Ramon is working on...and yesterday, it was mud! Oh, boy!

Walking At Work

I took Hayden to work with me yesterday. It was the perfect day to spend at the Lodge...the weather cooled off, we were relatively quiet and the phone was not too busy. It meant that Hayden and I got some quality play time together. We used this time to create beautiful works of art (mostly on the paper), talk to Nanna and Grandad in England, play outside, and walk constantly around the building. Hayden quickly figured out that he could comandeer my chair and use it as a means of transportation; but, owing to the lack of breaks (and the fact that I no longer had anywhere to sit), I had to go too.

Hayden is great to have at work. He does not fuss (except when he is telling me that he is ready for a nap), he is social and smiles at everyone, loves everything and he can easily entertain himself. AND, he sleeps in whichever Lodge Room is unoccupied.... This kid really is too easy! He is the kind of child that lulls you into a false sense of security of wanting more children - thank goodness we are on to THAT ploy!