Playing With The Hose

It was too cold to have the water running; but, that did not seem to hamper Hayden's fun. You can really get a sense of how well our lawn has done in the back garden with these pictures...good job, Shane!!

Boone, The Mountain

Mountains come in all shapes and sizes. Some are tall with a high peak above timberline, some are covered in clouds and snow, some are green from trees and some are...well, white, red and hairy with floppy ears, no tail and a permanent pout. Poor Boone.

A Family That Reads Together...

...stays together!! - Although, I think that Boone would be OK with no-so-together idea too.

Mowing The Lawn

Over a week ago, Hayden and I were in the local Ben Franklin store when Hayden came across solid gold...a plastic lawn mower. It has been part of his 'pride and joy' collection ever since. There has not been a lawn, or carpet, that has not been attended to! It goes to the babysitters, it goes to my work and it spends a lot of time out in our back garden! Hayden LOVES it! Not bad for less than $10!

These pictures were taken earlier this week. Hayden is modelling the latest installment of clothes sent to him by his Nana and Grandpa in Colorado. It's a good thing he is wearing camo...this way the grass cannot see him sneaking up on it. Thanks for the clothes, Mike and Shirley!

Fun At The Boat Docks

After the park, and due to feeling so sad for poor Boone, Hayden and I went down to the lake area where Boone was able to run. Hayden wanted to follow Boone into the shallows of the lake and he was not impressed when I did not let him. But, Hayden was able to have fun walking on, and collecting, rocks of all sizes as well as crawling on the boat launch. He refused to walk up the concrete path...his poor knees!!

It was cold out by the lake and, needless to say, we did not have to stay for long before Hayden was asking to go home to take his nap. Boone, however, could have stayed for longer. I am learning that I can never make both kids happy at the same time...

Playing At The Park

This morning, while the others were fishing, Hayden and I walked to the park that was close to the house we were staying in. It was cold! Hayden did a great job of keeping his hat and gloves on and liked playing in the big, metal climbing frame.

Boone was not as impressed with the park. I had to leave him outside...tied to the sign that said no pets. Poor Boone.

Our Weekend Away

This weekend, Shane, Hayden and I went away for the weekend. We took Daryl and Gayla with us to stay at a house at Lake Almanor. The house belongs to some friends of ours and they let us use it for the weekend after Shane did some tree work for them.

Daryl, Gayla and Shane spent a good portion of the weekend fishing using Daryl and Gayla's boat. There were stories of high winds, high waves and fish with herpes. Fishermen and their stories...! Hayden and I spent the weekend doing a whole lot of nothing in particular. We both managed to take naps yesterday (Saturday) which meant that we spent the whole day inside! I got to read...something I have not had the time, and/or energy, for lately!

I had cooked a couple of dinner dishes before we left to go...so we had lasagna for Friday and Shepherd's Pie last night....good, warm, home-made food - yummy!

Hayden's First Bar-Going Experience

Today, Billy treated Vanessa, Hayden and myself to burgers (a grilled cheese sandwich for Hayden) for lunch. It was Hayden's first real restaurant experience...but, his definite first bar experience. He was excellent. He was perfectly well-behaved and ate all his sandwich (including some of the crusts!!). Thanks for lunch, Billy!!

Hayden's Bed Antics

Hayden's favorite playground is our bed...especially when the sheets are getting changed. He pounds on the mattress when he wants Shane to make it vibrate and plays peekaboo in the sheets. It is so funny to watch! Hayden always ends up totally breathless and so we have started calling the mattress 'quick sand' as that is what it is like for Hayden to crawl around on.

Eating Vegetables

Hayden is a rock star. Apart from eggs, we have not come across a food that he does not like. Fruit and vegetables, however, rate pretty high in his preferred food category. Tonight he made a meal out of a Shane-Sized-Portion of mixed vegetables, five slices of chicken breast, a slice of cheese and a banana for dessert. I cannot believe how much food this kid puts away. He is a great sleeper and a great eater...I am having premonitions of what his teenage years are going to look like!

For all you parents out there that are thinking of writing a comment about how this will change over time and that he will become a picky eater in the end...don't bother! - You're just jealous anyway!!! I am just enjoying this period of time while he loves to eat his vegetables. We will deal with the next stage, if it happens, when it arises!

More Pictures From The Park

I promised these pictures several days ago. Sorry. Here are some more pictures from the other day when Hayden and I went to the park. He is just looking so good in his shades...too cool for school!

15 Months And Growing

Yes, yes...I know. It has been a long time and so much has happened. Hayden is now walking, unaided. He is pretty stable on his feet most of the time and enjoys being able to bring Shane and I things while on two feet.

He still does not say much more that "What's that?"; but, he has several signs that he uses to let us know what he is thinking about or what he needs. He knows the signs for: eat, drink, light, fan, cat, dog, shoe, sock, daddy (still not doing mummy), bath and ball. He can tell you what a monkey says (oh-oh-oh) and what a cat say (e-ow). He can point to his nose, eyes, ears, teeth, feet and toes. He prefers to eat by himself; although, when preoccupied with a new toy, he will permit being spoon fed. He loves fruit and vegetables. He still has not eaten any form of refined sugar...the sweetest things he knows about are fruit and yogurts. He can eat a whole banana in two minutes flat and is developing a taste for plain water. He continues to sleep like a trooper, averaging about 16 hours a day! - Including 12 hours at night. He is growing up to be social with adults; but, a little bashful around other children...not surprising given that he has come to work with me since he was 2.5 months old and has rarely been around other children. He is learning to brush his teeth (read: suck the tooth paste off a tooth brush) and is good about putting things away and putting rubbish in the trash can. Tomatoes give him horrible diaper rash; yet, he loves to eat them. He still doesn't like toys that make any noise; but, he loves any toy that has wheels and he can push. He tends to get fixated with any new toys and he notices any small change in his surroundings. He had his fifteen month appointment last week...in three months he has grown one inch; but, only put on 7 oz. He eats us out of house and home; but, promptly burns it all off walking around. He is still the most fun anyone can ever enjoy.

The videos were taken today at the park. It was hot today - 100 degrees. Way too hot for September. We were only at the park for about an hour before Hayden's cheeks were too pink to stay any longer. I hope you like the videos. I have some pictures to post too...but those will have to wait until tomorrow.

Hayden, The Cowboy

Hayden and I went over to McArthur today. We visited with friends at the Farm Supply for a little while and then went over to the Cutting Horse show to see the cows and horses.

While we were at the store, Hayden played with the plastic animals with Maria. Needless to say, mummy ended up buying a 3" plastic horse before we left the store because it was an obvious favorite.

At the fairgrounds, Hayden and I saw many friends so we got to visit for a long time. We watched the actual Cutting for a little while too. Hayden was very impressed by the horses and cows. Maybe we have a little cowboy in our future?

At The Pool

Hayden and I went to the local pool for a couple of hours this afternoon. The sun was shining, there was hardly any smoke from the fires...perfect. Hayden spent most of the time in his crab "walking" around the pool. He loves collecting the floating toys and put them in the front part of his crab.

He found this yellow duck there. He immediately fell in love with it. Before we left to come home, Hayden would bring me the duck and I would throw it across the pool. He would walk over and get it and bring it back! Reminded me of how we get the dog tired.....

Hayden, Boone and The Water Bottle

The above videos were recorded this morning. Hayden has a thing for water bottles and so does Boone...makes for a perfect partnership.

Do not be alarmed at the growling in the second video...that is Hayden; NOT, Boone!

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.