Island Park Camping Trip

Casey's mom (Mona) had a fun idea & planned a 24th of July weekend camping trip up to Island Park. She rented a van so that the girls and the kids could all ride together & the boys came up in Brad's (Casey's dad) truck. The boys needed to get poles for their Teepee's and Casey needed some poles for his canvas tent.

Thursday: On our way we stopped in Blackfoot at Wendy's for lunch. I sat Caleb down on the table so that I could put the diaper bag down, & somehow he lost his balance & smacked his face into the back rest of a chair. His first shiner. It broke my heart every time that I looked at him. Poor guy.
The girls & kids arrived in Island Park around 3 or 4 on Thursday afternoon...found a camping spot & set up our tents. Mona's mom has some property in Island Park & we went to check that out & see how that group of campers were doing. Mona also showed us a fun little spot called Eagle Ridge (I think) where you can rent cute 1 bedroom cabins that have a hot tub out on the front porch. I think that would be a lot of fun for our upcoming anniversary in November. It's a lot of fun to sit out in a hot tub when the weather is nippy. We were going to make dinner, but the boys had half of the food in the cooler that was on the back of the truck...and they weren't arriving until later that evening. We ended up eating at a local restaurant in Island Park called Macks's. I recommend their pizza...nothing else. We arrived back at camp around 8 & Caleb & I grabbed the portable DVD player & got into our tent to watch Shrek 2 and go to bed. The boys showed up around 11:30 that night.

Friday: The boys were off to the woods to cut down their poles, so the girls loaded the kids into the van & we headed off to Yellowstone. I learned that my niece & nephew LOVE to torment each other. If we didn't have a movie going, it was almost constant fighting. I wonder if my siblings & I were like that? Logan is a bundle of energy that NEVER stops & Kaetlyn is a little mother. Their personalities are both so cute, but they drive each other nuts. Entertaining to say the least. My other nephew Nathanael is just a sweet little guy. Have you all seen the commercial for 'bump-it'? That hair piece that makes you have volume in your hair? Little Nathanael was playing with a bandanna on his head & said to me "Brittni...does it look like I'm wearing a bump it?" Quite possibly the highlight of my trip. It freaking cracked me up. We saw a bald eagle, some buffalo, a few elk & two coyotes.

At a mud pot.

This bison was HUGE!

I love rodents.

What is wrong with me?

Don't you just want to hold it?

We went to the artist paint pots & walked that loop & guess what happened?!?! We were on our way DOWN the hill and my ankle just quit on me. I fell right to the ground & I was pushing the stroller, so Caleb came down with me. I'm so happy that Caleb nor I ended up falling off of the edge. My ankle makes me so mad! It's so frustrating & embarrassing when it just quits like that. Stupid ankle.

Caleb never stops unless I pull out a movie-& I was worn out!

This picture is one of my favorites.

Saturday: We had a 2 car caravan traveling to Old Faithful. Note to self - DO NOT go to Old Faithful on a Saturday. Holy people! They were everywhere! We drove around for at least 15 minutes just trying to find a parking spot. Insanity. Then we ended watching Old Faithful in he rain. Caleb wasn't very interested, but I enjoyed seeing it.
Yellowstone is just full of bizarre nature. It's a strange place. Mona takes every side road or scenic roadway possible. I really enjoyed that because I don't remember when I was younger going on those little side roads.

I need a better camera.

Pictures just aren't the same as the real thing.

This is on one of our 'side' drives Since it was raining still when we got back to camp, we headed to the restaurant for pizza. Casey's brother, Colby, was the only one that had a little bit of wet bedding when we got back. So 1 out of 4 isn't too shabby.

Sunday: We loaded up & came home! We stopped at Idaho Falls for lunch. This place is beautiul. This picture does not do it justice. There were also hundreds of ducks & geese at the other end of the falls, but I wasn't ready with my camera. It is so nice to get away...but so nice to come home.

Caleb slept so good every single night and was so good in the car. He learned how to squeal at the top of his lungs & it cracked him up every time. I just wish he hadn't learned that on a road trip. He was quite the trooper. We were camped right next to the ATV parking...so he was in heaven. That boy & his obsession with tires is weird.How to tell when you are really bored...

Think someone needs a haircut?Captain Underpants!!

(don't worry..it's clean undies)

Happy Birthday Casey!

I always try to plan something fun for Casey's birthday because it's in the summer & I'm envious. My birthday is in December & there isn't a whole lot you can do that's super fun...we always want what we can't have & I want a summer birthday!! So - I'm living vicariously through him. Tee hee. We usually go camping because it's usually inexpensive and fun. We went camping at this place called The Sinks. It's in Logan Canyon, pretty close to Bear Lake area & on a road that connects to Hardware Ranch. There was quite a few campsites on this road & they were FREE sites!! No potties...but one will live. This was Caleb's first time sleeping in a tent & he did better than expected. He did fall off of the air mattress & had a panic attack for about 20 minutes, but slept really good after that. I didn't sleep well AT ALL. I'm paranoid about a bear eating me. Stupid news. Why do they have report crap like that. I need to take NyQuil or something when I go camping so I can get some shut eye.

Taking a picture of the view on the sinks road.

Casey drank two 24 oz Mountain Dews

& had to do the guy thing.

Can you say addict?

Caleb 'helping' getting the fire going.

Enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Attempting to entertain a toddler while camping.

We only camped for one night, then went for an hour hike and headed to Bear Lake for some fun in the sun. I don't have any pictures, but we have an inflatable wave runner for Caleb & after I blew it up, he couldn't stop touching it and calling it his "air-puh" (airplane) It was pretty stinking cute. Caleb was NOT a fan of the sand on his feet. He would curl up all of his toes and walk so careful. He eventually got over it, but it really took some adjusting for the tyke!

Casey's shares a birthday with his nephew Logan. I think that it would be a lot of fun to share a birthday. One big bonus is that it's one less day a year that I have to stuff my face with cake because you are killing 2 birds with 1 stone! We got Logan a Nerf gun which I believe he loved. Nerf guns are always a big hit (ha ha...no pun intended).

We had our families over on Sunday the 12th for peach & cherry cobbler & ice cream. Gooooood stuff. I've never liked cobbler, but really enjoy this peach cobbler that we've made these past couple of times. In a 9x13 pan I use 2 quarts of my yummy bottled peaches (dump the juice out of one of them) sprinkle a yellow cake mix on top of the peaches, dice up 1 cube of butter & scatter on top & sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. It has a very crunchy top on it. Delish!!

Caleb's new do!!

18 Month Novel

My cute Caleb is already 19 months old!! Time flies! At Caleb's 18 month appointment in June he was a whopping 19 pounds (I can't remember how tall) My little tub of lard! NOT!! He's a runt. My mom claims that I was a runt for the first few years of my life...so he'll probably snap out of it. Caleb's first recognizable word was CAR "caaaahhhr" at 14 months. He started walking (finally) at 15 months & also started saying AIRPLANE "airpuh" He also loves to babble and will growl when asked what a bear/tiger/dinosaur says. It's stinkin cute. His favorite foods are macaroni & cheese, McDonald's Cheeseburgers, applesauce, yogurt, lunch meat & nilla wafers. Nutritious, right?

I expressed some concern to our family Dr about Caleb not talking more & how he gets frustrated really easily & he didn't seem to think I needed to worry. He was concerned that he was so skinny, so he recommended that I buy some Carnation instant breakfast mix & give him that with his milk a couple of times per day & bring him back in a month.

During this 'month' of Caleb needing to gain more weight I've been thinking that something just isn't right with they tyke...which I have also thought about a bit in the past, but told myself to stop worrying. But - for those of you that know my gene pol - it is impossible to stop worrying. This worrying certainly explains the zit factory that has opened up on my freaking face. With the assistance of my older sister, we discussed some signs of Autism that she found off of the grand Internet. There were several red flags that came up. AND come to find out, my parents also had researched it, but didn't mention it to me because they didn't want me to get all concerned. So, there was a smidge of comfort knowing that others were also wondering about his development.

Casey & I took Caleb to a pediatrician who observed him for a bit & said that I definitely had reasons to be concerned, but he didn't think Caleb was autistic. The Dr said that children with autism are much more distant & not as observant as Caleb was being. (he also weighed almost 21 pounds at this appt, so the carnation is working!) When checking Caleb's ears, the Dr noticed that his ear drums weren't vibrating. I guess if they aren't vibrating he can still hear, but it's like he's hearing under water. I am taking Caleb to an ear/nose/throat specialist this week to have his hearing checked. I'm hoping whatever it is. . . if it is anything, that it is fixable.

The pediatrician also recommended that I have Caleb observed by an Early Intervention Program. I called them today & they asked me a million questions that made me feel like a terrible mother. They asked if when I kicked a ball towards him if he would imitate me & kick it back.......well, I've never kicked a ball towards him. I don't even own a ball that is kickable. They also asked if when he was given a crayon & paper if he scribbled back & forth........well, I've never given him a crayon & paper. So - is something really wrong with Caleb, or is his behavior a reflection of bad parenting? I'm totally crying right now. My brain NEVER stops thinking about all of the 'what ifs'. I just want a healthy, happy boy. Hopefully things will turn around soon.

Fourth Fun

On Friday, July 3rd my sister Ashely & her friend Derrick had Caleb & my brother Dylan & I over for some delicious food. We had teriyaki chicken and some BBQ salmon - roasted potatoes & suddenly salad. I need to cook/eat more fish. It's just so stinky & slimy, but doesn't taste terrible. I just don't want to prepare it. After dinner we met my family in Logan to watch the fireworks. Caleb liked them for the first half of the show, but got bored after that. Go figure. He's such a freaking baby!

I said to Caleb

"Don't show any emotion whatsoever"

He minds so well.

I'm going to assume that he was sleepy.

My cute nephews.

Dylan just told an intense joke.

Check out my dad's concentration.

This wasn't even a 'staged' photograph...Dylan had just asked

"What is an owl's favorite subject"*

On Saturday, July 4th Casey, Caleb & I went out to his parents property in Dove Creek. They have gotten a well drilled & were just getting the finishing touches done on it. What I don't get, is why we all decided to set up camp around a mud puddle. You'll NEVER guess who ended up in the mud puddle within our first 10 minutes there. We had a good time. Ate our lunch, shot some arrows (I'm a pro) and got rained on a bit.

What is with the hump on my back???

Playing with his cars in the dirt.

Right when we got home.

Please don't call child services.

Here is my weird child. Our faucet has a pretty good leak and I just let it run while I water all my flowers & bushes. This is why Caleb loves to help. He loves to catch the spray in his mouth. Notice how soaking wet the front of his shirt is.*owlgebra. HA HA HA HA HA HA

I hate Holidays.

Thanksgiving 2008 = Emergency Room
4th of July 2009 = Emergency Room

On Friday morning Casey went to help his brother with a car pick up from his Brother's ex-wife. Later that day we find out that she had tested positive for Swine Flu that day. She didn't know at the time...but holy crap. I guess they did go into the house & got a bottle of water from her, but I didn't freak out...no biggie to me I guess. UNTIL....
The Brigham City fireworks startled Caleb who was sleeping so I got him out of his crib around 10 and took him outside to watch them...he was sooooooooo warm. The thermometer I have doesn't work too great, but when a baby has a fever, mom just knows.
After the fireworks I put him back into bed & he wouldn't go back to sleep so he got to stay up until midnight with Casey & I while we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I cried!!)
Caleb was acting fine while we were watching the movie & wasn't as warm, but got warm again by the time the movie was over. Casey went into panic mode thinking "What if I brought home the virus & he got it?!?!" So - I called the Dr on call and he said that he should be checked out whether it be that night or in the morning - so an Emergency Room visit regardless. Hooray.
The nurse at the hospital was really nice, but not very reassuring about anything. We told her the situation & she said "We don't even test for that anymore. We don't test for it & contact the health department until the patient is hospitalized" Okay lady...let's wait until my 18 month old is hospitalized and then check...idiot. Then she said "We can test him for influenza A and if he had swine flu it would test positive under that category as well" So - she shoves a huge q-tip up his little nose and swabs away. Poor guy. He was bawling his face off...and to boot she said he didn't have a fever!!!!
Long story short...the Dr visited and said "It's virtually impossible for him to have the swine flu because it needs 4-5 days before symptoms start to surface." So - the verdict is a bilateral ear infection (both ears) and a viral respiratory infection. It was nice that they could just hand me a bottle of amoxicllin & I didn't have to wait for a pharmacy on Monday - but I can't WAIT to see this bill.
Cast your vote.....did we jump the gun on taking him the the ER? Or....is this what any parent would've done? I need to know where I sit on the sanity fence :)