big holes camping trip

I love this part of summer! Jonathan ends his job with the U.S. Forest Service soon (only 3 days left!) and he had a bunch of credit hours saved up, so he took three extra days off (which he still got paid for- wahoo!). We decided the best thing to do was to go camping of course. Surprisingly, we have only gone camping ONE other time in the duration of our being married. It was before a baby came along, back in the day when we didn't have to worry about anyone else and do whatever we pleased :) Well in the middle of the night some bears scared us off and we flew outta there faster than a jet plane. So...for Jonathan's dignity we had to do this again- the RIGHT way. Besides, Talmage is finally at the age where he enjoys exploring outside and a change of scenery.

Our campsite was complete perfection. I give kuddos to my hubby...he knows the best places to camp since he is out there in the woods every day. There was a fire pit, nearby creek, lots of run-around room, hiking trails, and huckleberries just up the slope from our tent. Talmage loved every second of it- he especially favored the creek.

During Talmage's nap Jonathan and I ventured out to pick huckleberries. They were everywhere in abundance- it was amazing to see! I have to say it was probably the most romantic thing we've done as a couple in a long time. We don't get a lot of alone time really, and the simple things are special to us. I love my husband so much, and seeing him get all excited like a little kid reminds me just how much.

This was our first time trying out the canvas tent that Jonathan inherited...it is a pain putting up but I can't complain too much because we could fit the pack n play and a queen size air mattress inside :)

Scrabble table (we don't go anywhere without our favorite game!)

Talmage's dirty little toes! (I just love taking of pics of his toes, not sure why)

At night we roasted cheddar bratwursts and drank hot chocolate, and it started getting pretty nippy.

We bundled up our little boy pretty good...

...but of course he wiggled out of it and had a really difficult time falling asleep. Once he was sleeping we bundled him AGAIN, and he stayed that way until 4 am. Then all hell broke loose. He had this terribly cough that didn't sound good and he was just plain miserable. We decided that we would leave once daylight broke and take him to the doctor. Something just wasn't right. The three of us managed to get another few hours of sleep, and then we packed up camp and headed home. I think we were all pretty sad about leaving (the plan was to stay for two nights) but the biggest lesson we've learned as parents is that our child ALWAYS comes first. And in this case, we made the right decision.

The doctor revealed to us that Talmage had a double ear infection and the beginnings of bronchitis. He wrote a prescription, and thanks to modern medicine, Talmage is now almost completely better. It broke my heart to see him in more pain, especially after just getting over a respiratory infection. But I am SO glad that we left when we did- I'm sure that the cold night air wasn't making it any better for the poor little guy. We still had lots of fun and it was only the precursor to next week!

Have I mentioned that we are taking a vacation? On Sunday we're headed to Grand Jean and then to Garden Valley (you can bet there will be a post and lots of pictures to come!). I am so freaking excited. Garden Valley is where we honeymooned, and it was gorgeous covered in snow but now we get to experience it in full summer glory. The best part? NO TENTS! We'll be staying in cabins all along the way. ahh....so nice :)

tomato pickin time!

Isn't funny when your child does something totally random and unexpected?

Today my son picked this tomato right off our vine, bit into it, and devoured it whole within about 10 minutes. It was a picture-perfect moment! (I'm glad I got it on camera while it lasted...he must have been watching that tomato for weeks now, waiting until it was just right!)

I love him so much :)

preggo stuff

I really cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with not being sick, but whoa have those other symptoms taken control. I am tired ALL the time, really all the time. Every chance I get I curl up on the couch with a blanket and go to sleep, sometimes even with Talmage awake and playing. I feel terrible about this, but truthfully that boy can entertain himself for hours. Plus when he is around I don't think I am ever fully sleeping, just halfway between reality and dreamland :)

Another big one is oriental food. I do NOT remember having cravings this early on with T nor did I ever think it possible but WOW. I have persuaded Jonathan to go out for take-out (or sit in) Chinese, Thai, and sushi so many times and our wallets are suffering because of it. BUT...once that image gets in your head it literally makes you ill until you have it in your belly. poor husband...

Last night I officially felt our little blob swimming around in my tummy. I remember being so sad after delivering Talmage that I couldn't feel him moving around inside me anymore, and its wonderful to experience it for a second time! It doesn't happen often at this stage, and the flutters are very subtle almost unnoticeable. But definitely baby :)

Oh by the way, it really ticks me off that the only (yes, only) sushi restaurant in town has been closed for two whole weeks! Who needs maintenance?! I just need my spicy salmon roll!

our hike

Yesterday with Cressa still staying with us we took a little hike up at Cress Creek (how appropriate!) It was a beautiful day and something that didn't make Talmage more sick. Yes, he is still very sick. I now know that he has a respiratory infection. poor little dude. Anyways, here are the pics from our fun day hike!

We had such a good time! There are even picnic tables and benches along the way to sit and have a picnic lunch, which is just what we did. Afterwards we went down to the riverbank and sat under the willow trees while Jonathan fished. It didn't last long because Talmage needed a nap. Later that night we took Cressa out for frozen yogurt. What a fun day! We love having that silly girl around!

new stuff

Here is what's new:

1. On Wednesday we went to Rigby Lake (not my favorite place, but it was fun to go somewhere together as a family). The water was freezing but we still managed to get Talmage in it! haha...He liked it for about 15 minutes :)

At the beginning of that day he had a runny nose, and I thought it was just from teething. Well after the lake, missing his second nap for the day, and eating lake mud and drinking lake water, he was showing more signs of being sick. I felt like such a bad mom for not keeping him home instead, because I'm pretty sure going to the lake made him 5x more sick. Well that night he was up pretty much ALL night with a fever and very runny nose and slight cough. poor baby. He seems to be getting better though, and today is acting more like himself. Anyways...lesson learned!

I think the most fun part of that trip was going out with Jonathan on the pontoon (pictured below).

We got to that open water and all was so still and quiet. It was romantic even! I love having a husband that enjoys being outside and doing recreational things like that :)

2. Jonathan's little sister Cressa is visiting us for a few days. It has been great fun having her around and cracking up at stupid things :) Last night we did no-heat curls- here is the BEFORE pic.

There is no AFTER pics because mine didn't turn out at all and Cressa wasn't too impressed either. haha...I think we have the wrong hair type :( anyways it was still fun to try. The tutorial is here.

3. We have fish. Yeah...we caved in. It's hard not having any pets, so for now this will have to do. It's hard to get a good picture but this is Humphrey, our spotted puffer fish!

And our other one is too small and fast to get a picture of...we did have three but while cleaning the tank and transferring the fish Jonathan accidentally dropped one and popped his buoyancy bubble. So he sank to the bottom and died :( You can tell we are going to be awesome pet-owners.

4. I got a Silhouette! Finally! The company who makes them is coming out with a new version and so the Silhouette SD is marked way down. I also had a promotional code so it was like 60% off! I am loving it :) Here a few little projects I've done so far...
-Labelling toy bins

-Personalizing my computer!

I'm still learning how to use it...it can be overwhelming at first. I have some other ideas of things to do but we will see if I ever get them done!

big news!

It's true! We are welcoming a new baby into our family! We are very excited to start another adventure, and for Talmage to be a big brother :)

My pregnancy thus far has been pretty glorious, which is a nice change from when I was expecting our son. I was VERY sick with him, and would throw up numerous times a day if I drank water, ate anything, or moved too fast. This time around, I have mild nausea on and off but haven't thrown up once. If I am feeling light headed, a light snack usually clears it up right away. Still, my appetite is pretty much gone and I've lost weight from not eating as much as I should. Hopefully this gets better in the next 2 weeks as I will be in my second trimester!

Although its been wonderful, sometimes it didn't seem real for lack of symptoms. I had to keep reminding myself that there was a reason why my nails were growing long, my skin was breaking out like a pizza, my tummy felt hard, eggs disgusted me, and I couldn't sleep well. It was reassuring to get an ultrasound at 8 weeks and see the little peanut wiggling around with a strong heartbeat. My midwife said that anytime I wanted to come in and just listen to that heartbeat again I could :) (LOVE those midwives)

We can't wait to meet you little one!