He's a Good Dad

Deven had a birthday and his first Fathers Day recently so I thought I should compose a blog post featuring his awesomeness! Here are some of the many reasons Trent and I love hanging out with him so much:


He loves the outdoors. We took Trent on an overnight camping trip at the Huntsville State Park with a couple of good friends. I love knowing my man can build a shelter (tent) and keep us fed (smores) in the wilderness. Although he was a pro fisherman in Alaska, he didn’t have any luck with those little fish in Huntsville. Trent ate his share of dirt and endured the trip like a champ!






He has a sweet tooth. …Which made it easy for me to know to make his favorite chocolate bundt cake on his 28th birthday. He wont waste his time with candy. He goes for the Blue Bell ice cream and the decadent cakes, pies, cookies and brownies! We were made for each other.


He likes sports and family outings. For his birthday we went to Trent and my first pro baseball game. Go Astros! I love that he knows just enough about sports to answer my questions, but doesn’t obsess over any team or stats.



He loves kids, and kids love him! Whenever we get together with friends or family, you can count on the kids swarming around Deven (or maybe it is the other way around). He is just the right mixture of fun and goofy. Like most babies Trent is a “mama’s boy”, but as soon as Deven gets home from work and takes his first steps inside, Trent looks up really quick and starts smiling and giggling when he sees it’s his dad.





He is a great teacher and Mr Fix It. He has already taught Trent how to replace the shocks and drive the car along with countless other tasks. He likes to learn and read educational books, or adventure books to Trent. He’s dang good at Jeopardy too!



In addition to being a great Dad and husband... he is a Triathlete! He has participated in 2 sprint triathlons in the past year and is quite the competitor. I love that we love fitness together and get to teach Trent to love it as well.













He makes us happy.Trent and I are lucky to have such a great Dad and husband.

Trip to CA

My brother Cody just got back from serving a full time mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina... So to celebrate a successful mission and Trent turning 8th months old, we flew to my parent's little ranch in sunny Saratoga, California.

My Dad is a cowboy at heart, but as he often says, he wears many hats. He works from sun up until sun down in real estate and countless other tasks around the ranch. We were lucky to spend some time with him and have him introduce Trent to the family pet: Slim the horse, and to teach Trent how to work hard.







Cody was awesome with Trent. He gave him his fist horse back riding lesson and helped him develop his crawling skills... but I couldn't get him to change a diaper. It was so nice to talk to Cody about his mission and to hear him speak in Church. He has grown up so much in the past 2 years and I am so proud of him. He will make a great Dad some day.



Trent got so dirty every day from being outside with the horses, dogs and playing in my Mom's garden that I was giving him lots of baths in the tub until my Mom suggested bathing him in her extra large kitchen sink. It was perfect!


My Mom also works hard to keep the household running but also enjoys putting it all aside to spend time in her garden or having lunch with a friend. In addition to helping my dad with real estate she teaches 1 or 2 morning exercise classes for senior citizens every day! Trent and I went with her a couple times to meet some of her students that she has been teaching for as long as I can remember. There is a really sweet and special connection between senior citizens and babies.





My youngest brother Trevor can get Trent to laugh even when he is crying! Something about being a senior in High School, captain of the Track team and girls drooling over him gives him the confidence to be extremely goofy and get away with it. My brothers have always loved spending time with my Dad's old cars, particurarly the Trans Am. Trevor, Cody, Trent and I even took it out for a cruz to a fun little frozen yogurt parlor. The boys had to have the windows down for the drive so my hair was blowing all over the place which made Trent laugh the whole time. Good times!





My mom loves to get farm fresh straberries sold on the side of the road when we come into town which is always a treat. Fresh straberries are so much better then store bought and Trent sure gobbled them up! I let him make a mess of himself... just throw him in the sink later!






Thanks Mom, Dad, Cody and Trevor for having us for a week and thanks Deven for working so hard and letting us take a little trip to visit family.

Easter

We sure have fun celebrating each new holiday with our little man, Trent. He is so responsive to his surroundings which makes it fun to introduce him to new traditions. You would never know this was his first Easter. When he saw the Easter baskets first thing in the morning he got very excited and cracked open an egg to get to the jelly beans inside. Note: I know this is bad parenting- colorful, sugary, choking hazard- but as his mother for seven long months I've learned not to underestimate his danger seeking abilities. I was quick to get rid of the jelly beans.

I love to build little forts for Trent with blankets and toys, but Deven took the fort building to a whole new level with this cardboard fortress!

Trent and I stood by as the fort grew larger and stronger. We love it because we can throw different patterned blankets over the top to keep it interesting. Once it was built we realized it is too big to move through door ways, so it is now a beautiful addition to our living room. Lilly likes it too.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Too Cute for Words

Trent's first portrait session in a studio at 6 and a half months old. He was very cooperative with the photographer and we got some great pictures as a result!