We went for a little stroll at the mouth of BF Canyon on Sunday. Gavin promptly took a header in a muddy part of the trail, which left one side of his face comically coated in mud. Nothing a little river water couldn't fix. And we wonder how this kid could have gotten giardia.
We got to see Brooke's family again this weekend. We dropped Gavin off at their house in Ogden and went to the Real Salt Lake soccer game at the new Rio Tinto Stadium. Before the game we enjoyed a bbq dinner with Larissa and Blake and some of their friends at their house in Sandy, which is not far from the stadium. We bought the Real tickets was to support the group that Larissa works for (TURN Community Services). It was worth every penny - yes, even including the price of beer inside the stadium. We left the game early so we could get back to Brooke's in time to hang out with Brooke and Kenny and their friends Jason and Paula. They said that Gavin had a great time and went to bed for them really easily. Even after the girls (Samantha and Kenzy, 7 and 6, respectively) went into the room where he was sleeping and turned on the lights and woke him up, he went right back to sleep with no fuss. That's a real relief to me and Brandon who wouldn't mind having a night out more often! We stayed the night there in Ogden and headed home this morning after a tasty breakfast followed by a visit with Grandpa Dale at his new house. One of the highlights of my weekend after we got home? A nap.
Today Gavin and I drove up to Smithfield and hung out with Laik and Raecale for a couple of hours. What fun! At first Gavin was in a panic because he thought I was going to leave him there (an artifact of his experiences with day care and nannies), but it didn't take long for him to come out of his shell. The boys played with Laik's toys while Rakal and I chatted away and then we all headed outside to take advantage of their fun-filled yard. The boys slid down the slide a few times, played on the teeter-totter, blew bubbles, and chased Dudley the kitten all over the yard, both of them chanting "Tiddy! Tiddy!". Dudley was a great sport, as is apparent from the pictures of him being pushed around in the stroller. 
The Stull's garden is AMAZING. Not only are their veggies growing like gangbusters, they look tres cool in their delightfully arranged raised beds. My favorite was the bean house, which you can see part of in the foreground on the left. Beans grow in a box around the bottom perimeter of the house and climb up strings all the way to the top of the roof. Then you can pick them from the outside or you can walk inside the house to harvest them. Neat!
Our friend Tamera got the honor of giving Gavin his first haircut today. We neglected to bring our camera so these pictures are from my phone. They don't do the enormity of the event justice. Gavin was wary of sitting in the chair by himself so he sat in Brandon's lap. Once Tamera hooked him up with a sucker Gavin was much more cooperative. I saved a couple of his little blonde ringlets (because that's what you're supposed to do, right?) in the DumDum wrapper. I never would have guessed it possible, but the little bugger is even more handsome than he was before!
On Tuesday the world lost a good citizen and a kindred spirit. Our hearts are aching for Brian's wife Anna and their two daughters. In the eloquent words of our mutual friend Ben, "When a light is put out is when it's missed the most. I see that I should shine brighter myself. Brian, your light, your influence, and your memory will shine long in the sad hearts that are thinking of you and your family."
My mom and dad (Nana and Papa) came for a visit last week after my dad and his Chicago-area bowling team made their annual trek to the USBC Open Championships in Las Vegas. My dad fared pretty well on the slick professional lanes he and my mom were very glad to leave the heat of Vegas and come to Hyrum. Their friends George and Linda drove in from Truckee, CA to join them at our house for a few days. The four of them got to babysit Gavin one night while Brandon and I went to see Neko Case at Red Butte (awesome). They called it "babysitting by committee" since each of them contributed something vital to the mission. It went pretty well but at the end of the evening Mom missed a step coming down the stairs holding Gavin and landed on her back with a sprained ankle. At least she didn't bruise the precious cargo she was carrying! My poor klutzy mama. I guess we know where I get it from. Gavin and I joined the old folks on a trip out to Golden Spike on Tuesday, after which George and Linda pointed their truck back toward California. We said goodbye to my folks on Friday morning after our requisite breakfast at Angie's in Logan. They took the more scenic route and are still making their way home.
Yesterday was the fourth annual Four Paws Yard Sale. In the past we've collected items both at our house and at a storage shed in Logan, then on the morning of the sale hauled it all to the sale location in Logan. This year we decided to scale it back a little. We didn't get a storage shed and we held the sale here at our house. It was MUCH easier but still really successful. We raised $850 for the doggies and kitties and we saved the leftovers so we can have another sale later in the summer (so for those of you who intended to donate stuff but didn't get around to it, we're still collecting items and will be happy to take what you've got). Many thanks to all who did donate items and to all who volunteered their time and effort (including my dad who helped me make signs).
