Trevor & Lesley

The First Father/Son Camp Out

2012-02-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

You know what I wish? I wish that this - Trevor and Riggs camping - was a reality TV show. That I could just sit on my couch and watch the highlights, the lowlights, and all the in between time.

But if that ever happened, it would seem the world would lose all balance it once possessed. It's just meant to be. Us mom's are never suppose to know what happens during those two half days and one night. And when left to only imagine, we see crazy things like feeding our sons full bags of marshmellows for breakfast, letting them run around in a poopy diapers for hours on end, sending them in fields of wild horses and off to chase other "high risk" animals (these activities have neither been confirmed or denied by the two attendees in our family).

Nonetheless, it's just another one of those things that I'll be left to wonder about for all eternity...along with what the heck actually happens in Elders Quorum (which may not be a whole lot).

Trevor did happen to capture a few priceless photos from their weekend. And from what I gather, it may have been the best weekend of Riggs' life.

Oh, and I just remembered the best part of this trip. It was actually a trip with our young men and young women where they were going up to this big cabin to have fun. Everyone else in the group slept in this big cabin. But not Riggs and Trevor. They slept in the big outdoors. Thus, it became a Camp Out. And from what I can tell, an epic camp out at that.

All excited, or serious, and ready to leave.

Setting up home base. Everyone contributes in our family.

Then the real fun begins. The "scavengering." A talent only those of the male persuasion have.

A pit stop by to see what the youth are doing.

A pit stop to see what the wild horses are doing. Awesome.

Night time activities.

Bed time. Trevor said they each went to bed in their own sleeping bag, but by morning Riggs was in his sleeping bag with him.

And hello morning.

And hello scavengering with an apple.

And hello awesomeness.

Result of the weekend. I'd say that's a success.

Their second father/son camp out is coming up soon. But it will be a serious camp out. Riggs will again have the time of his life.

It's All Downhill From Here Folks....

2011-12-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

Uuuuh, yeah, right. It's all awesomeness from here folks. And by here, I mean 30. Yeah, who would have thought, I turned 30:) And I got to be honest, I've never felt so good. I keep joking with my spring chick of a husband that it's all downhill from 30, but frankly, I couldn't disagree more with my joking self. Life truly does just keep getting better.

To begin, my hunk of a husband, just keeps getting hunkier (and by hunkier, I definitely do not mean chunkier, he is turning into a lean muscle mass machine!)

I couldn't have asked for 2 more different, sweet, fun, and beautiful children.

Our temporal blessings make life wonderfully comfortable an enjoyable. Everything from a home to live in to practically 365 days of sunshine in this wonderful state. It's not possible to get depressed with that kind of weather.

I feel great physically. No hip replacements, yet. Although....I sure complain about my back a lot.

I really feel amazed and humbled by my view from 30. Life is good and always getting better!

For the big 3-0, my hubby granted me my wish and sent me to wonderful Minnesota to hang with my sisters and a handful of my nieces and nephews. It was a great break and good opportunity for dad to get some Riggs time and me to get some Mere time.

Here we are braving the elements, and by elements I mean inside the MN airport.

This trip made having one kid seem so easy. Why was that so not the case when we actually had one kid?? Hmmm.

Our pre-church photoshoot.

Look at all of that chubby goodness. Mere loved all the attention she got from her cousins.

Mere the Older with Mere the Younger.

Again, taking the opportunity to sport our sweaters and beanies.

It truly was an excellent trip, now I just need to make it happen every year!!

On my actual birthday I tried to get a picture with my son. It was impossible. This was the best I got.

That night Trevor took me to dinner and low and behold an entire group of my friends were there. He really pulled a fast one on me. It was a fantastic collection of my favorite people. It was also a fantastic collection of my favorite food, TX Roadhouse. I think I ate a roll for each year of my life.

Not pictured below, because I think he's hiding on purpose, is Garrick. Laura M. is also only half in photo. Our waitress did the best she could. These guys really made my night. They also make up most of my life out here in Florida, and for that I'm very grateful!

Oh yeah, and this is just to show that we still got "it."

-Signed, The Newlyweds

Zie Pumpkeen Patch

2011-11-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Family day at the pumpkin patch. And a great day it was. Riggs and Meredith did that pumpkin patch like it ain't no thang. Makin' mama proud.

It's the best we could do you know...

(Don't you just love Riggs in a hat? I do.)

This is just video of Riggs walking. Something about it you know. Makes me smile.

Some Randomness for Anyone that Cares

2011-11-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

But even if no one cares, google so wonderfully stores my photos and this blog journals our family's adventures, so HA, there is a purpose!

We've got a nice outdoor mall in our area that does these weekly reading or music or random activities. On this particular week they had the crocodile man in town, so Riggs thought he'd get to know our neighbors....

It was also Firemen day.

And every week they have a bounce house set-up...which is really why we go to these things. At this point, Riggs was in the bounce house for the 2nd time and Mere and Dallas were just playing it cool, as usual.

On the way home from this outing...my job here is done folks. Check and check.

We finagled a couple more pool days at the end of September, but the water has begun to get a little too cool I'm afraid. We lived it up while we could. The weather is still perfect pool weather, but people in Florida don't invest in heaters for their pools, fof.

Dad and Riggs also got a couple pool dates in. You can see they were getting some great use out of our new indestructible camera that Grandma and Grandpa Winn got us.

Then there's the fact that my little kiddos are getting big way too fast. Riggs' mullet was getting way to big too fast also, but it was awesome. I tried to capture it a few times before I chopped it off.

Finally, I'll leave you with a few pics.

Riggs loves his heels.

What you talkin' bout Willis?

A Visit from Grandma Pammy Jane

2011-10-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get a visit from Grandma Pammy Jane a couple of weeks ago. The kids and I loved it! (Trevor was out of town for most of it...thus, how I finagled her to come visit). Luckily, it was SWAPTember with our annual zoo pass, so we got to hit up some other fun places for free. Awaaahoo.

First, we took a trip to the Tampa Aquarium. It's a great aquarium, topped off with a big splash pad type place. In the video below, you can see Riggs sprinting to go on one of their little slides again. He literally went down it about 20 times. And as you'll see, he moved VERY quickly between slide sessions.

Gratefully, Grandma's think to take pictures of their grandchildren. Thus, I got a lot of great photos of the kiddos, which was much needed.

We also hit up MOSI (basically OMSI, for those Oregonians). Riggs ran us through the exhibits pretty quick, but still managed to have a great time.

The beginning of his mullet.

Enthralled by the wildfire exhibit.

Probably my favorite day was the evening we went down to St. Pete beach. The weather was perfect, and the sunset was beautiful. We also had some pretty killer deserts and onion rings to top it off.

If you look closely, you can see Trevor, Riggs, and Grandma out riding the....waves....or just floating.

Just a few other pics from the trip.

Oh, and yeah, mom and I both stayed up until well after midnight to watch the implosion of BYU vs. the "Yewts." Ugh, don't the cougars know a mother's sleep is very precious? How dare they make me waste it like that! Even after I dress my kids up for game day!!

A Visit Home

2011-09-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

We got to spend a couple weeks in Oregon during July, visiting family, having fun, and getting relief from the Florida heat. It was a great visit, filled with quite a few special events.

First, we got to go to Klamath Falls, OR where Illa hosted her family reunion. All I have to say is, what kid is lucky enough to get a great grandma that teaches him to jump on the bed??? Riggs sure thought it was great.

While there, we stopped by Crater Lake (I had never been, sad I know). And when I say "stopped by," I mean it. We drove there, stopped, got out of the car, took a picture and left. I suppose that's how things work now with 2 kids?

We then headed north from Klamath Falls, to stop at Smith Rock where Trevor joined the 13.1 club, for the second time. We were all very proud of Dad, because from what I could see nothing about that would be enjoyable, besides the free breakfast burrito after you finish.

A fun treat over the race weekend was getting to stay with Deanna (THANK YOU!!). The kids loved her, as pictured below, while Trevor and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to visit with her.

We then took advantage of so much of our family being in one place at the same time, that we blessed Meredith in mine and Trevor's home ward. She was definitely the star, with a lot of fans!

Time with both Grandma's on the big day.

Of course, there were congratulatory hugs all around for the big brother.

A little great grandpa time on the big blessing day.

Finally, Riggs turned 2 and what better way to celebrate than with the family! Thus, we took it to "Turner Ranch" and had quite the partay!

Complete with the very chocolatey cake.

Pinata.

Pinata candy (Riggs, obviously had a preference for which pieces he picked up).

The home-made waterslide that may or may not have hurt very badly on such hard ground.

Many cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma's, grandpa's, great grandma's, and great grandpa's....oh, and sisters!

And just a few random pics for your viewing pleasure courtesy of Aunt Mere and others...

(For some reason I feel like this could be a billboard for cigarettes or something...just a vibe I suppose)

Our Little Meredith May

2011-08-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Very Welcomed Visitors

2011-07-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of getting almost a full week's visit from Aunt Adge and her side-kick Mr. Sawyer. They were a real treat (especially since Adge so kindly got up with BOTH boys each morning!!). Riggs really enjoyed having a little buddy around and I really enjoyed having my sister around! Just a few pics from their stay...

Our visitors, poolside.

Pretty much all Riggs does in the pool, "Ahhhhh, jump."

The cute boys - one whose mother cares about his skin and one whose mother cares less about his skin.

A sweaty day at the zoo. No trip to FL is complete without a manatee spotting.

Or a flamingo spotting.

Or a free train ride. Riggs just cracks me up in this pic and so does serious Sawyer.

It's tough when you're this cool.

Cousins meeting for the first time. Meredith thinking, "what's with little boys and hovering?":)

Lastly, we were lucky enough to get introduced to "the pushup." That's a real treat!

I felt like this today...

2011-06-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

A full day of pumping at every feeding to see how much your baby is eating will do that to you. A morning of watching Dad work in the yard did it to Riggs.

Good thing he found a little something to snack on....

...so everything could turn out A-OK in the end.:)

April Showers Bring May....

2011-06-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

....Meredith May. Yes, I just made that joke. When you're sleep deprived, your mind doesn't always work...well.

And yes, the newest member of our family is Meredith May Winn.

And yes, she shares my little sister's name, what a great namesake huh? It's a good thing Trevor and I both really like Meredith the Older as well as her name, because we stole it!

And yes, Riggs' fondness of Meredith May increases with each day.

And yes, it is the cutest thing in the whole world to see him grow to love his "sscchhisscchter" (my phonetic attempt to write "sister" as Riggs says it - just imagine Sid the Sloth from Ice Age saying it and you'll know exactly how it sounds).

And yes, labor was SOOOO much better this time around.

And yes, I wanted to take a nap during it but the people down by my feet kept lifting my legs and telling me to push....so I fake pushed until little Meredith May popped out.

And yes, she's the other cutest thing in the world (besides the one listed above).

I feel bad it's take this long to get some pictures up of her, but YES YES YES, life is twice as difficult with 2 kids. Although, tiring and at times very difficult, it just feels right being a family of 4 (4...crazy, I know).

Can you believe I carried that whole thing in my belly??? Outrageous.

A full cowlick, poor girl. Guess bangs won't be in her future.

The Final 3-Person Family Days

2011-06-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well, there's not much you can do when you're this big....

Or this big....

But we tried to make the most of our time as a little 3-person family. That is code for, there was a lot of Riggs and dad time. Good thing Riggs doesn't mind an over-flowing of dad time, because his dad is AWESOME. Just check out these buddies...

Dad also took Riggs on a boy trip to Busch Gardens.

Somehow Riggs talked Dad into a ring pop as his souvenir from Busch. It was a dream come true.

The one activity I could participate in until the end was swimming....and we did LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of swimming.

Mother's Day was also in there somewhere. My boys gave me the treatment. Here is Riggs painting his first piece of artwork for me...

Post-artwork bath (pics courtesy of dad).

Here's the finished piece of artwork as well as my frosted cookie, and my certificate for Team Eternity Employee of the Year (which I'm co-founder of). We also had a nice grilled steak dinner. It was a great M-day.

Lastly, here is my final night as an over-due pregnant lady. We celebrated by having Illa tacos. Mmmmmmm. The taco cook was trying his best to give me an awkward smile, looks kinda like his real smile to me:)

Riggs, prepping for tacos. Also, frustrated that Mom interrupted his viewing of Toy Story 3 for the 10,000th time.

A pre-dinner photo shoot of me, by me.

I had to at least try and catch the largeness of the situation.

Here's my sweetest little boy that I love more every single day. He just gets cuter by the second.

We headed for the hospital at 4:30am the next morning to welcome little Meredith May into this world and now can't picture our family any other way.

My Spectacular Shower

2011-05-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, yes, here I am. A very, very pregnant lady. But a very, very pregnant lady that was treated to a marvelous, and by marvelous, I mean spectacular, baby shower.

It was put on by these 2 beautiful ladies, Laura and Jenny. As well as the amazing Debbie Dickson (Laura's mom), who I wasn't able to get a photo of...kind of.

This was the set-up as you walked in...as you can see, it was kind of a May Flowers theme. It was the cutest thing you've ever seen.

Here's the food layout. The layout is one thing, so pretty. The food is a whole other thing...

They made 3 amazing salads - an asian type salad, a spinach salad, and a shrimp/noodle salad. They were probably the best 3 salads I've ever had in my life. Seriously.

And here's the desert spread. Cream puffs, cupcakes, mini brownies, carrot cake, and on and on.

The beautiful mini-brownies. If you can't tell, everything was beautiful.

The marvelous, home-made carrot cake. Equipped with a mini carrot and eatable grass. Sooo good.

Lastly, just a couple shots of opening gifts. Let's just say, I really hope this baby really does come out a girl...because they have prepared me well to dress a little cute girly!!

A few of the attendees (THE Debbie Dixon, far left).

The party favors, filled with candy.

It was a great night. We've been lucky enough to make some great friends in the short time we've been in Florida. I just wish I could somehow pay them all back for how much they do to help and support us Winn's!!!

Thank you again Laura, Jenny, and Debbie, as well as everyone that came!!

Gunner Does Florida

2011-05-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Yep, we were lucky enough to get a much needed visit from Mister Gunner and Mere a couple weeks ago. And Gunner was the only one to make it through the trip unscathed. Trevor, Meredith, myself, and Riggs all consecutively got some kind of 24 hour flu...which made for many unpleasant days and nights. Gunner, however, managed to beat that flu, ain't no thang. Although the flu seemed to be our focus the majority of their trip, we still managed to get some fun in.

It all started with the zoo. The boys owned the water area.

There was a lot of interest in all the animals.

Aunt Mere treated Riggs to a ride on his favorite apple.

The boys DEFINITELY owned the train. Twice, I believe. Gunner would have rode it all day if allowed.

There were many a times in the backyard playing around with water and what not. Riggs definitely loved having a built in buddy.

Here's our visitors after an intense evening of play.

Riggs loving having his cousin around. He'll still ask for Gunner on occasion.

We made a trip to Ft. Meyers amidst the flu issues and managed to get to the beach for an hour or so. It was outrageously crowded, but at least we can say we did it!

And finally, I was not smart and tried to do a photo shoot. Why do I even try? I believe Riggs purposefully chooses to get angry and not look at the camera when I actually take the time to photograph him. Plus, we were noobs and left the ISO up way too high after shooting the boys in the shade. FOF ONE MILLION. Nonetheless, here's a little of what we came away with.

Please come back soon Gunner!!!!!!!!!! We promise we won't attempt to make you sick again!!!!

Some Random Goodness

2011-05-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Before life changes too much I thought I'd slip in another blog post or two....so here are a few pics of our boy/life of late, just keeping it real.

Back in March, you know, waaaaaay back when it was March, because it is already MAY!....Trevor's mission bud, Rolim, and his wife made a visit from Brazil. They were kind enough to stop by our house for a night and re-hash good times. What's awesome is when you hang out with people and are the only one that doesn't speak Portuguese:)

I can't even remember what happened, but there was this one crazy evening where Riggs just kept crying and then suddently I realized he was asleep on me. This NEVER happens. I don't think it's physically possible. Good thing Trevor showed up and could capture the sweet moment of my big baby.

I then had to switch jobs with Dad so he could get a turn. Totally understandable.

And here's another shot of my little mister turned cuddle bug. I LOVE it. He always wants to sit by mom when he's watching a show. He lets me rub his little arms as much as I want! This picture is yet another portrayal of how well, or not well, Riggs and Mom survive when we go on the road with Trevor:)

Lastly, some Saturday in April Dad decided to be "a cool Dad" and have some serious backyard playtime with Riggs. Trevor may kill me for posting this pic, but it pretty much sums up the situation - Dad being a little kid.

That day's uniform.

What I like to call "the perch." Where Dad and son go to look over their land and take inventory of all things outdoor related. This is not a one-time photo people. Every time they go outside.

And the home-made waterslide - tarp, hose, and dish soap. The dish soap also ended the slip and slide time once it made its way to Riggs' eyes, tragic. It sure was fun while it lasted though. Now, Riggs always try to "slide" on his tummy in the beach part of our community swimming pool. Works a litttle less nicely.

It's a tough job being the fun Dad. He sure is good at it!

God Bless Jimmerica!

2011-04-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Is there life after Jimmer? That, I don't know.

What I do know? Wow, did I feel alive during Jimmermania! And yes, a piece of me has passed on with the passing of Jimmermania. A piece that can't be replaced, but can continue "living" through the memories he created (and hopefully will continue to create....cross your fingers for a good Jimmer draft).

I'm just glad my crazy husband talked me into "investing" in a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so we could make one more Jimmer memory before his time came. Yes folks, we hit the cold, hard road and headed to the Rockies for Round 1 (or technically round 2 now...lame) of March Madness.

This trip was big for a number of reasons (first trip without Riggs - THANK YOU WONDERFUL BABYSITTERS!!!, all of the last minute unknowns, me being pretty pregnant), but what was/is bigger than Jimmer Fredette? And that, people, is why we made the trip. Once a generation player, on the biggest stage in college basketball. And the trip was a success.

The Jimmer.

The shot caught on cougar fan cell phones round the world. Flattering, I know.

The pre-game hubabaloo. We made quite a scene (due to A LOT of work ahead of time).

The innocent bystander who just barely missed the conversation about how they're not needed in this particular picture. Happens to the best of us.

The food. And can I say, if you're ever in Denver PLEAAASSSE go to Sam's No. 3. They have this sandwich called like the Half Naked Sweedish something or other. Anyway, it's the best thing I've had in my life - French toast as sandwich bread, with scrambled egg, ham and swiss cheese on the sandwich, of which you dip in a strawberry puree type thing. Heaven.

The pre-first heavenly sandwich. We ate A LOT on this trip.

The casual awesomeness.

The more casual awesomeness.

The post-game celebration. The 5th, 6th, and 7th quarters. The toasting.

The post-Gonzaga beat down.

The downtown Denver scene.

And, of course, the signs. Oh, the signs. Oh, the walking through the Pepsi Center halls hooting and hollaring for an hour after game 2. Oh, the unspoken comradery and chest-bumping with other Coug fans. Oh, the yelling. Oh, the dream.

(The New Holy War - in reference to BYU V. Gonzaga...the NEW conference rivalry with religious undertones)

Siesta Key

2011-04-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

Way back in February we finally hit up Siesta Key Beach, which is supposedly one of the best beaches in the country. We found this to be true. It was by far the prettiest beach I'd seen in Florida.

The activity of the day was chasing birds.

Zie Busch Gardens

2011-04-13T05:10:00.001-07:00

The crew. Notice I am very large, especially when standing next to Jenny. (For the record, you should always go to Busch Gardens during a weekday, never on a weekend. This was our weekday experience, I couldn't even get my camera out during the weekend experience.)

Needing out of his stroller.

Our major stop of the day, the splash pad area.

Cute little Dallas.

Riggs and Dallas doing their squatting thing.

Post splash pad fruit snacks with Cayden.

Dad supervising on the rides....and loving it.

Meeting Big Bird.

Lots of Flamingos in Florida.

Trevor took advantage of the no lines and jumped on a couple rides, one of them being Raging Rapids (He's a sucker for any rapids ride). See the glee.

It was a great day...we really need to go back before this big baby comes.

Mom and Son Dates

2011-04-07T12:12:00.001-07:00

It feels like Riggs and I have had a lot of alone time lately. Not sure if it's because as he gets older he clearly has an increasing need to go out and do more, or if it's because Trevor has seemed to be traveling quite a bit for work, or if it's simply because I'm getting more and more pregnant (6 weeks left to day, awoooohoooooo!) and thus, going and doing simple things is just a bit more of a task. Nonetheless, as tired as I may be, Riggs and I sure do have a lot of fun together. He is the second most handsome date I could ask for...and looks an awful lot like the first most handsome date I could ask for.

Anyway...one of our usual outings is a visit to Lowry Park Zoo. Not the biggest zoo in the world, or the newest, but it has a lot of character and plenty to entertain Riggs. Here are a few of his main interests...

(Not pictured is the little splash pad area that is likely his very favorite part of the zoo. It was just too much to ask to keep an eye on him going crazy in the water and snapping photos.)

Any "fake" animals he can find.

Feeding the goats.

Pure joy for him.

Remember those good ol' days, when all you needed for happiness was to feed goats?

Of course, he's a natural train conductor.

We ride it in circles and circles and circles.

"This is not the time for pictures, Mom. I'm busy riding the train."

Lastly, as a true Floridian...he loves that nasty alligator pit. So much so, that he desires to climb in it...oh, Riggs.

My handsome little guy is such a great date.

Mom, can you handle this?

2011-04-04T08:02:00.001-07:00

Or what about this?

Possibly this?

But definitely this.

And this.

That's my life.

Let me show you a few things about alligators...

2011-03-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

...throughout this post on my parent's first visit to Florida at the end of last year. It was my goal to make them go until they couldn't go anymore, and I think we accomplished that goal. My parents are not people that know what to do with lots of free-time, so we made sure to book all their time. Plus, it was a reason for us to explore a few parts of Florida we hadn't experienced yet.

To start, we visited the good ol' Lowry Zoo. Riggs and I go to the zoo fairly often, and he enjoyed taking Grandma and Grandpa there, although it was on a chilly day. Good think Grandma brought a beanie with her for Riggs...

Florida flamingos. Very orange.

Riggs loves the giraffes.

When Riggs needs a break, he takes a break, no matter where he is.

Manatees, of course.

We then stopped in Naples so Trevor could take care of a few work things.

We then DID the Everglades. I mean, we went to most parts of this huge, gigantic National Park. The first stop was Shark Valley where we took a tram on an old service road on like a 2 hour loop of the glades. There are gators EVERYWHERE. Everywhere.

Hanging with the gators on the service road.

The big water hole at Shark Valley.

Oh, and this happened on that day too. Dad was NOT happy with his son.

Our next stop was the Anhinga Trail, which is at the southeast entrance of the park. Let me tell you, there are definitely alligators in the Everglades. And 10 million other types of animals

Including vultures.

Lots of birds.

And a few more gators.

Thankfully, most of this trail was built up on a boardwalk type of thing...a little protection I suppose. And provided a beautiful view.

Oh, and excuse my awkward chubbiness. This was at that point in the pregnancy where people wonder if you're letting yourself go or having another kid. I really do love that stage....

Then as we made the trek back around the border of the glades, we hit up an airboat ride. It was very loud. Riggs didn't use his ear plugs.

And mainly just wanted to jump out of the boat.

They also let us hold one of the baby gators.

Lastly, we stopped in Everglades City for our final park destination. This is a TINY town. But charming. We stayed at the Ivy House, which was very charming as well.

Riggs felt right at home at the Ivy House. Either that or he was totally exhausted from never sleeping due to all the snoring that went on at the various hotels.

It was New Year's Eve the night we were in Everglades City, so we hit up a town hot spot. I've forgotten what it was called, but Trevor ate fried gator and frog legs. Let's just say...chewy. The key lime pie was great though, and the bar next door got Riggs to come check out the stuffed gator.

I have to give a quick shout out to Yoder's while I'm posting. This is an Amish restaraunt that was featured on Man vs. Food, so we stopped by. I had the best home-made onion rings EVER. And their home-made pies - to die for. I believe both Trevor and Dad had meatloaf, figures.

Finally, we hit-up an electrical plant on the gulf where all the manatees and other rays, sharks, etc. gather during the winter months because the water stays at a higher temp. Random, but interesting.

Riggs needing another break.

The manatees.

Let me leave you with a few other random pics from the parental units visit. It was a great time.

Our little news reporter.

Grandma trying to give this boy some music lessons.

The Old Beach Shoot

2011-02-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics we grabbed on the beach some evening in November-ish for our Christmas card. It was a beautiful night and sure makes me understand why someone would sink a ton of money into having a beach house in FL. Throw in a fire and marshmallows...heaven.

Christmas Festivities

2011-01-09T16:23:00.001-08:00

Yes, it was Christmas. And yes, there were many festivities. And they were all great. It all began with my friend Annie leading the gingerbread house making efforts. I'm a first-timer mind you, so I really had no idea what I was doing, but man, was it fun...and therapeutic.

The window we've all seen too much of, but mom was great enough to make me pose by it:)

Christmas Eve photos with our handsome boy.

The 2 Wisemen at our Christmas Story reenactment. (I held the dove, big role for a pregnant lady.) ((Riggs got REALLY hot from doing whatever it is he does, thus, the no shirt.))

Christmas morning, 4 am, which is actually when the husband and I got up to exchange presents. We just couldn't sleep any longer, so we rock banded it until the Rigster finally got up. We paid for that mistake about 3 hours later. Alas, it was a great memory.

Opening of the first present, Mr. Potato Head. As pictured below, he really enjoyed opening presents if you growled and ripped the paper really hard. Dad had his work cut out for him.

And of course his first taste of the famous Christmas Tree. His face doesn't show it, but he LOVED it, trust me. We ate 2 trees in 2 days. Mmmmm. Can't wait for next year's.

We've got that Christmasy feeling...

2010-12-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

An Unexpected Trip Home

2010-11-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to get home for a few days in November. It was a great retreat. And quite entertaining...watching these two figure things out together, or apart....usually apart:)

(not seen, the bungee cord holding Gunner in his chair. We really should have used one on Riggs too, to keep him in his chair)

We welcomed Mr. Cooper to the world.

Made a day trip to the Children's Museum in Salem. The boys thought it was pretty awesome. Riggs literally ran through the entire thing, so I'm not sure how much he actually saw.

Cousin bath time.

My first attempt at a version of a pumpkin from Ilynn's Christmas Tree recipe.

Thankfully, we got a Bugerville stop. The boys already know how awesome that is.

Riggs loved mom and dad's pumpkins. Especially their leprosy pumpkin, seen below.

The Pharoah Re-claims Egypt this Halloween

2010-11-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

The Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh at Trunk-or-Treat.

The Pharaoh and Dad post Trunk-or-Treat.

The "Riggs look" as the Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh's belly.

The family at Trunk-or-Treat.

Trevor's "new profile pic."

Trevor's "new new profile pic."

A little better shot of Trevor's costume, pre-Halloween party.

Come on Ride the Train, Woo Woo

2010-10-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Does everyone remember that song? I hadn't until I tried thinking up a title for this brief little blog post.

Anyway...

This is a little train that's at a state park 15 minutes north of us. They give free rides every second Saturday of the month, so I figured, why not, right? Turns out it's perfect entertainment for the little guy. It's about 20 min. long and is just his size.

Good, free, entertainment, does it get any better?

Oregon - Part II

2010-09-22T06:00:00.001-07:00

While in Oregon we had our Carlile Family Reunion in Sunriver. It was a treat once again, although quite different with 4 babies in the mix.

The Formal Photos. Riggs won the biggest "issue" award.

The biggest activity shift was from tennis to pool (cut throat and scramble). You do what you can with multiple napping babies.

Minute-to-win-it festivities.

Golf.

The babysitters and babies back at the ranch, during golf (thanks babysitters!) Just a whole slew of kiddos, huh.

The babies all prepped and ready to greet the golfers.

Kayaking the Rogue.

You can clearly tell who the newlyest-weds are. Oh, young love.

Biking.

Eating. Chicken parm was the Winn's meal. Home-made pizzas - C2's. Chiken Katsu - Bajorks. Steak - C1's. All else - Winter's.

Prepping our meal.

Goody's.

Babies eat a lot.

Horse back riding.

Oh, have I mentioned the dance party?

Bocci ball baby.

And there were babies. Lots of babies.

Who can forget these two awesome girls, even with all those babies?

Why did I catch that happening husband?

And I love my son.

Picture on the right is half Sunday outfit, half pj's.

Wish I could get him to smile for a picture...sigh....

Full Sunday outfit on right. Pre-church. Which is why is hair is combed still.

The newlyweds, or newlyest weds....either way.

A Trip Home Part I

2010-09-13T16:18:00.001-07:00

We had a great trip home last month, with lots of pictures, so I'll break it into 2 posts. First, is our time spent in Albany. Riggs got lots of quality cousin, aunt/uncle, and grandparent time, as well as a few fun little adventures.

Here we are at the carousel the city of Albany is building. It's a 10 year project, that is pretty much awesome. Hand carved and painted animals, with personal stories built into each. Riggs LOVES the different animals, especially the fact that he can sit on them!

The whole gang.

Some of the animals in just their carved state.

The painting room.

The cousins.

We also went to A-town's farmers market. I bought a scrumptious blackberry croissant. Riggs ate almost all of Grandma's blueberries. It was a great morning.

Finally, we were sure to hit up the Wiest's pool.

We can't wait to go home again! Stay tuned for part II.

Went from Land O Lakes, FL...

2010-09-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

....to The Land of the Lakes. That's right folks, a couple weeks ago I decided to do a quick trip to Minnesota. Let me just say this trip couldn't have been more needed or more enjoyed.

My Hosts....or most of them at least

Our lake day. I didn't get any tubing pictures, which was as awesome as we all know tubing is. Instead, I tried to get Joss and Riggs to take a picture on the beach. Let me just say it would have been easier to get good photos while riding the tube. These two have to be the biggest "problem areas" in our family photos...although, they could be the cutest too!:)

If they aren't going to look, why not just take it from above.

MN has so much to do man. Here we are at the indoor park because the Minnesotans of the bunch thought it was too hot to be outside. Riggs pretty much just stayed perched by the ball thing.

Oh, and who's having fun? That's right, this guy.

Of course you've got to hit up the Mall of America. Can you say must see? Oh, and can you say, they have a ride named after the horse we named Riggs after - Big Rigs.

Riggs watching the girls do their thing.

Riggs being so over it.

And finally, Riggs on a ride. He loved it!

A big thanks to all those that made this trip possible, if you will.

Getting to Know Florida's Outdoors

2010-08-06T08:08:00.001-07:00

So a couple of weekends ago we decided to check out a few of Florida's state parks. I'd say we were pleasantly surprised with what they both had to offer and really enjoyed finding some cooler water to dip into - even the pools here are too hot now!

Here we are at Manatee Springs. Note the cute manatee below. We didn't see any real ones though, apparently they only come in the spring I think. Meeting the manatee will be another trip for another day.

Here's the head of the spring. It is a beautiful setting, with beautiful colors, as you can see and the water is 72 degrees all year round. Perfect for a refreshing dip during a Florida summer.

These are just the trails through the park and water that lead to the Swanee River.

More of water that feeds from the spring, but not the part that they suggest you swim in because it is not fenced off (yes, from alligators).

Oh, and here's Riggs when we were finished at this park. Can't pay him to smile!

We also went to Rainbow River State Park. It's basically a full river fed by a natural spring. It was so awesome, the water is perfectly clear. This picture is just where they have a marked swimming hole, but just below it you can tube or kayak the river. Which we did.

Oh, and here's Riggs at the end of this day's adventure. He was a real trooper. He enjoyed the kayaking, but mainly was just trying to jump overboard the whole time. All in good time my son.

Rigdon's 1st Birthday

2010-07-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Our little son turned 1 last week. I can't believe it. Seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. We just love our little buddy so much and think he's the funnest boy on the planet (even if he won't smile for photo shoots).

I woke him up early and made him hang out with me for a few minutes before I left for work. He wasn't too happy, but I was. This was also going to be his "last bottle". So far Riggs is winning that battle.

Riggs loves to swim, so we had a little pool party with some friends on his birthday. Here are a few pics of him downing his awesome basketball cake that his mom made for him.

Riggs hangin' with the crew.

Please take a look at Garrick's face (left photo).....that's why this picture made the post

Rigdon has also grown very fond of being thrown while in the pool. His dad is also fond of that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON. WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

The First "Official" Family Photos

2010-07-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

So, next to birthing a child, trying to take a family picture was one of the hardest things I've done in the past year:) Riggs did not cooperate at ALL. He knew what we were trying to do and was set to destroy my plans...after all I've done for him...hmmph! Nonetheless, after our dream of a friend Annie took 700 photos we found about 10 where he was somewhat smiling, and even fewer of him looking at the camera. All in all though, my goal was to actually have a few pictures with all three of us in it, and that was accomplished. For having a very uncooperative subject, Annie really worked her magic to get the pictures below (did I mention she's 9 months pregnant?). Thanks Annie!

This is our true family photo. I've titled it "The Brow."

This was heading to the car post-photos. Yes, Trevor was dripping in sweat, I wanted to die, oh, and so did Riggs.

You know you're in Florida when you have to bring a sweat towel to family photos. Literally dripping in sweat, all of us.

An Open Letter to My Wife on Our Anniversary

2010-07-21T03:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Spouse,

People often call their missions the "best 2 years of their life." I hope the ones that say that aren't married. The past 3 years have been, without question, the best 3 years of my life. They've been fun, sun, laughter, and love filled.......and all because of my sweet wife.

In the past year, here are a few things that have made me especially grateful to be married to Lesley Jean.......

Motherhood
You are a terrific mother. So kind and patient and diligent in teaching our son. You amaze me daily with him. Nothing makes me happier than to see how much Riggs loves his mom. And how much Riggs' mom loves him back.

Switching "Companies"
Retiring from the working world and the success you were having, and would have continued to have, is not an easy thing. But I am so infinitely grateful that you wanted to do so, and have embraced it with open arms. I can't express how blessed we are to have a CEO like yourself running the most important 3-person corporation in the history of the world. I'm glad we headhunted you away from 3M.

Your Bravery
In the past year we have moved away from jobs, friends, and a place where we were comfortable. You have been so willing to adapt and change and embrace the adventure of Florida. Making new friends, learning a new place, and leaving family isn't easy.....but you haven't complained, haven't grumbled, and have just taken it as the next chapter in our story and started writing. Thank you.

Fun, Fun, Fun
Being married to you is so much fun. I laugh every day. We do fun things. Whether it's at amusement parks, playing with Riggs, floating down a river, playing tennis, or just sitting around the house together......everything with you is fun. You're the funniest person I know. From your jokes, to your laughter at your own jokes, to your accents, to your tired laugh, you're just funny and fun and I love it.

Wife, you're the best. I'm so glad you mustered the courage to call me back way back when. You've made these last 3 years the best 3 years of my life. And I can't wait to spend many many many more "best years" with you as our family and love grows. I love you.

Love,

Your Husband

(P.S. Here are a few other pictures I thought might make you smile)

Activites of late...

2010-06-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

We used our last Disney "Dream Pass" on EPCOT a month or so ago. Trevor had this major aversion to EPCOT because of his memory of it as a child. Well, I thought it was interesting. It's like a huge OMSI. When intermixed with the other amusement parks, I understand why it gets the shaft. You should just go there first with your kids. Then the bar isn't set as high.

Other than that, pretty much all our time is spent in the water. It starts with the bath tub. He ALWAYS wants in the bath tub. (Photos censored for your viewing pleasure)

Then there's playgroup, which is at the pool. A sweet pool at that. And this was an extra special playgroup that Dad got to come to. You can see he may have had more fun that Riggs.

Here's Dad doing the Riggs dunk.

Riggs loves his dad a lot.

Then there's the dreamy cousins who live in Orlando and let us leave our kiddo with them why we go on the Branch temple trip/eat excellent food. As an added bonus, we got to go to Amanda's sister's husband's parent's pool/farm to swim in their awesome pool. We had a blast.

Oh, and remember their "farm"? Well, it was probably more awesome than the pool. How often do you get to say you pet a zebra? Or saw a Zedonk? Exactly.

The Zedonk and Cow. Notice the Zedonk's legs.

Clapping for the Zebras.

African cattle in the background, I believe.

Lastly, we went to Fort DeSoto beach for our Stake Youth Beach Trip. It was a beautiful beach and I've never felt beach water as warm as I did that day. Riggs LOVED the warm water. If we would have let him he would have crawled as far into the gulf as possible, or at least until he swallowed a tar ball.

Riggs flirting with the YW.

You can't really see them, but Riggs and Trevor are way out there...

The kid ate a lot of sand that day.

When we're lucky all this swimming will knock Riggs out. Here is his dead asleep, up on his knees, mid crawl.

A Brief Photoshoot

2010-06-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

Welp, I'm a Mother

2010-06-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

And it was Mother's Day. This. Is a great day. And although the day has passed, I often feel like we're celebrating Mother's Day everyday - going on mini-dates with my little man to the mall, store, pool, zoo, etc., getting to hold my little man after every nap when he's so dang cute, squeezing my little man's chubby arms, sneaking in his room at night to see him sleep. They're all little gifts that us Mother's get. Everyday. And I love it.

Now, my dream of a husband is especially great on M-day, but then again, I feel like he is everyday:)
Plus, this Mother's Day - we were at the Jonathon and Amanda Wilson's to see baby Nathan get blessed. It was a fabulous weekend with tons of family, food and fun. We're lucky to have such great family, so close! Here are a couple pics we snapped to "record" Mother's Day.

The Oregon Trail is quite an adventure when you start in Florida...

2010-05-25T06:23:00.001-07:00

But, Riggs and I made it. The travel day was about 12 hours, start to finish, but when you break it up into "8 legs" that you can mentally check off each time you finish one, it makes it a bit more bearable. Riggs was quite the trooper. He made many friends on the airplanes, in security, at the gates, but was definitely the happiest once his head hit the port-a-crib in Albany.

These two boys are just getting more fun by the day. Here they are rollin' like thugs in their pimpin' car seats. Riggs was always leaning forward keeping an eye on Gunner and his car seat. He also would start to cry anytime Gunner was upset. That was a real dream, although very cute:)

As you'll probably notice, it is not Riggs that is the photogenic one of the two buddies. Plus, ceiling fans often came into play which means he wouldn't even look at a camera.

You're so different to look at in the tub.

But man, I want to eat you.

We took a quick field trip to downtown Albany to see the carousel they are making. It was so awesome. We got to see the folks carving the animals, painting them, and the boys got to sit on a few, which they loved.

Stan and Roz made it down for dinner and some tennis one night. Although I held my own in doubles I attempted to play Isaac and Evan in 3 games of singles. Needless to say I was 0 - 6 when that was all done.

It was a great trip and we can't wait to go back!

Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios

2010-05-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

We've now used 3 of our 4 Disney Dream Pass tickets....the 4th will be used very shortly. After Magic Kingdom we decided to hit up Animal Kingdom, and then Hollywood Studies. Some friends in our ward came with us because they're season pass holders and that turned out to be the best thing that could happen to us - we got to wander through these parks totally mindlessly because they were able to tell us where to go when. It was a dream.

I just thought Animal Kingdom was suppose to be a big zoo, but it was a big zoo AND amusement park. The Mount Everest ride they have is the best ride that DW has to offer. Garrick, our DW Boss, informed us of the single rider line so we got to cruise through the line twice while Annie was so awesome to stay with all the kiddos (thanks Annie!). The Safari expedition is quite the deal as well as just the trails you can walk through with pretty scenery to see a ton of animals. The weather was great that day, the park has a great vibe and we had a blast.

Garrick, our boss, in action. Eli, his son, found a new friend.

The tree of life is really awesome. Very intricate.

A brief photo shoot of Riggs while waiting for the Safari, which was awesome.

This gorilla was seriously staring everyone down.

A couple of friends we met along the way.

Riggs was really into the idea of the Bug's Life 3D flick, but turned out he wanted to leave early from it:)

So here we are at Hollywood Studios. It was a pretty hot day, so we didn't spend quite as long there, but it was still enjoyable. My highlights were the Tower of Terror ride and the Car Stunt Show. Oh, and when the 3 G&A kids piled in their stroller - you do what you gotta do. Oh, and who doesn't love Riggs in a tank top??? Awesome.

My men are so handsome.

(Don't miss Liam in the bottom carrier)

Some updated pics of Riggs, that really aren't that up-to-date

2010-05-07T08:27:00.001-07:00

This little kiddo is such a joy to be around. And I just love him so much.

Am I the bomb.com?

2010-04-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

You tell me....Total was $211 and I spent....$37. Yes, that is correct, an 83% savings. I know it's not the "total was $150, spent .42 cents," that you see on the awesome coupon blogger sites, but still....it's pretty good.

And if the $174 in savings does not impress you, how about the fact that included in the stash pictured above is ORGANIC granola bars, ORGANIC frozen fruit, ORGANIC baby food, ORGANIC pretzels, sandwich thins, egg beaters, fish and yogurt....which proves you can eat well, and by well I mean, not just pure preservatives, as a couponer. (ignore the great frozen pie slices we scored too) And I say, you can too!

And if you are not impressed by the savings, or healthy food, how about all that cleaning supplies back in the corner of my stash (scrubbing bubble, windex, shout, and fabric softner)? Money was not only not spent, but made on those items and we all know how fof it is to replenish your cleaning supplies, but couponing almost makes it fun. And I say, you can have fun too!

I had a rough start with couponing back in the good ol' state of Utah, but thank goodness for Florida and the great store of Publix because I'm finally hitting my stride. I'll admit it, I get giddy waiting for the "sneak peak" of the weekly Publix ad to show up so I can prep my coupons and day dream of the beautiful match-ups - Buy one, get one promotion + manufacturer coupon + publix coupon. Oh, the trifecta. Thank you for indulging me for this one moment as I glory in my victory.

Our First Visitors

2010-04-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

The day I landed from MN back in FL, Mere and gunner were en route to visit us. It was a dream, seeing all of my siblings in about a month (Riggs and I went to MO to see the C2's in early February, but did not have my camera), and likely needed given the fact that we had just moved across the country.

Here's what we got to spend the week with....does it get any cuter????

Mere wanted to see an alligator while she was here, so see an alligator was what we did. We went to some random nature preserve where we saw a big one with like 4 babies.

(And yes, it was cold while she was here, thus, all of the blankets, hats, coats) More of the preserve.

The boys hanging. Showing a little interest in each other.

Reading time, which they were both digging, either due to the books made by ma, or the dreamy narrator.

I just realized we didn't take any pics of the beach, but we did take pics of DisneyWorld!
(Gunner starting the day asleep - he was unamused)

Our little Florida retiree with his sun hat and button-up sweater.

Riggs....Dad showing off.

The scrumptious turkey leg (I'm positive it was ham).

Getting soaked on splash mountain.

Can't wait to see you guys in less than a month!

3 Girls and A Little Man

2010-04-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

My sweet hubby surprised me with a plane ticket to tropical Minnesota for Valentine's Day. We were both so pumped despite the irony of leaving Florida in the winter to go to Minnesota....we'll have to work on swapping travel plans in the future. But anyhoo, Riggs sure had a blast watching 3 of his older girl cousins work. Those Bjorkman girls are sure entertaining...Little Baby Boy Bjork is going to have a blast. Can't wait to see the Bjork's and their new little brother....hopefully soon!

Jocy sure was helpful with Riggs. She showed up to help me put him down for naps (mainly focused on turning out the lights), when I was changing his diaper to check out the "boy bottom," while he was eating....just anytime she could be of assistance. Riggs and I both appreciated it. These two had a lot of time together....aren't they so cute and Adge offered some great "break" times!

We were very lucky to get to see all the girls in their gymnastics classes. They looked like olympians to me.

Abs and Savs were working on a few of their dance routines while we were there also. I tried to give them a few pointers from my extensive dance history, they'll take 'em if they know what's good for them.

Then, of course, a few formal shoots.

Thanks Bjorks for the dream of a trip!

I only have a minute on the internet....

2010-03-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

...and with it, I choose these pictures. I have a lot to blog about, but not enough time at the moment, so here's just a teaser.

The Mere and Gun-man visit.

The Minnesota trip. (Love this "funny" photo - Abs and Savs are so funny)

Learning to sit-up.

Piano time.

And just being awesome.

2010-03-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

The Florida State Fair, Fried Food, and Fanimals

2010-03-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

One of our first weekends in FL, we decided to stop by the state fair...even though it was very cold...for Florida. Our trip was mainly focused on fried food and fanimals, with no complaints from me.

We got to put Riggs in his sweet winter -jumpsuit. Here he is before we enter (left) and about 3 hours into it, asleep (right).

The scrumptious fair food. We only had a huge corn dog, the friend oreos and a sandwich with french fries on it, but from what we saw the fried Pepsi and fried butter, as well as the krispy kream burgers were the big hits. (And catch that look in Trevor's eyes....)

Lastly, here was Riggs' first run in with the fair animals.

My Highly Domestic Sister-in-law made this...

2010-03-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

.....

Meaning, Riggs' hat. Is it not the cutest thing you've ever seen. Surprisingly, we've got a lot of use out of it considering we moved to Florida right after we got it for Christmas. Plus, with the travels to MN and MO, it's come in quite handy.

We always get compliments on it, and when I say it's hand-made people freak out. Anyways, this is Mandy's work. She never ceases to amaze me. Which reminds me, I should snap a picture of the quilt she made Riggs too. It is pretty darn awesome. She's pretty darn awesome.