summertime

Not being with M everyday is hard... but luckily with pictures like these, it makes it easier because i know he is having a good day. We are super lucky to have a wonderful lady watch him during the week. The pics below are from an outing to the park with M and her 2 boys. Becky is real savvy being out and about with 3 little ones!

Thanks Becky! Matt and I really appreciate you.

We are off to visit grandma and grandpa D tomorrow, yippee!!

what an amazing get-up- it holds 3 kiddos comfortably!

no thank you

How many times can you politely decline a Gap credit card? They are relentless, the spiff on signing someone up must be good, because they really go for the hard sale every time.  

SA (sales associate): Would you like to use your Gap card today?

L: no thank you

SA: Do you have a Gap card?

L: no thank you

SA: You could save 25% on all your purchases between now and June 26

L: no thank you

SA: The card can also save you money at Old Navy and the Banana Republic. Would you like to sign up today?

L: no thank you, i would just like my purchases that are on sale for $13.99, $8.99 and $19.99.

SA: ok. 

I'm glad cash and debit cards still work to make purchases.

travel log

Ok. So I rarely have a story about me worth sharing, because M is the most exciting thing in our lives on a day to day basis. However, i do have a few snippets to share.

Snippet #1 On Sunday, I had to travel to Miami for work (with my girlfriend) for a super quick trip. I was upgraded to 1st class without my friend and ended up sitting next to an older professional gentlemen. He was friendly and politely talkative- I got settled with my magazines and ipod as i didn't want to chat for the 5 hour flight. After about 10 minutes of filler converstation he asked if I was headed back home to Florida. I replied " no, I live here in Salt Lake", oh, i see, are you Mormon? I replied, "yes i am and are you Catholic?" He said yes and that's an interesting question? I said "no more interesting than wondering if i was Mormon after 5 minutes of nothing conversation". He continued to make a fool of himself by saying that i looked normal and seemed nice. What?? Are you serious? I am normal but I'm about to not be nice if you keep speaking. I said to him that it's odd to me that the first thing people want to know once I say i'm from Utah is that they feel compelled to know if I'm Mormon. It never fails. He paused in conversation for a while and then admitted that i had a point. If someone introduced themselves from New Orleans he wouldn't immediately have the urge for a follow up question of their religion. At least I got him thinking....and i didn't have to worry about talking for 5 hours.

#2 It was midnight when we arrived at the airport and upon exiting the plane, i waited near the gate for my friend who was just a few rows back. Because it was midnight, i was the only person standing at the gate. I was off to the side, minding my own business looking at texts on my phone when a lady (who was in 1st classs behind me) walked by and told me to cover my mouth when i yawn. What? I looked up from texting and said "excuse me" and with an annoying hand gesture the lady repeated that i needed to cover my mouth when i yawn (it's midnight, i'm tired and standing in the Miami airport all by myself and this lady wants to talk to me...not interested). In a traditional Lesley snotty fashion i told her to move along with my own little hand gesture. I actually wished i sneezed at the baggage claim area and then wiped it on her arm giving her a real reason to tell me to cover my mouth. In my best Will Smith impersonation- Bienvenidos a Miami!

I know most of you would just prefer to see M rather than my stories, but today it was a 2 for 1. Enjoy the pics!

we took M to a children's petting zoo near our house and he rode the pony. it was all Matt could do to keep up. it's quite the straddle for a little guy.

babe, thanks for watching murphy so i could run some errands.

the gangs all here

Hi everyone, we're back!
happiest kid i know. always smiling.
proud mama!

Pics we had done before Easter. Love how they turned out! My little man is so handsome.

We had a great time in Orlando. My work convention was a huge success. The Dunn's and Johnson's had a great mixed family vacation. The boys played golf everyday, the ladies hung with Murphy and we capped off everything with a trip to the Magic Kingdom. I was dead set on going to DW with Murphy. Rain or shine, hell or high water. The 8 adults were game, probably not at the tip top of their activity list, but I was going and it was going to be great. We came , we saw, we rode, we left early! It was 96 degrees and was unbearable. Murphy was a little red tomato and the rest of us were pretty hot too. Real disappointing. It was unseasonably warm for May so note to self for our next visit to the kingdom, it will need to be in the winter and when M is at least 5. A few pics to document our fun.

Life is returning to normal. We've spent Memorial weekend at home, visited the grandparents in Wyoming and plan to have a quiet Monday just not working.

Grandma note: Tonight, M full out crawled. Forward motion, no problemo. We're in trouble now. Between M and H, there is someone always on the move.

Pics from Orlando!

gangs all here.

swimming time, he loves.

never too old for a little fun!
the spaceship launched from NASA while we were at DW- the trial on top of the cloud in the center of the photo was our glimpse.

time flies

April has been a blur:
1. I finally see the light at the end of my work tunnel. It has been dark for months, but next week couldn't be here soon enough. 5500 people will be in Orlando for the convention unlike any other. I'm pretty happy and excited, yet exhausted getting to this point . I wondered how i would survive in the wake of having M, but luckily big M (matt) is a real super star when wife is up to her butt in alligators (that's his expression:)
2. I completed the SLC half marathon- it was no personal best, but a good accomplishment none the less, if bathroom breaks at the Tesoro didn't count against you, my time would have been even better.
3. Matt was the number one manager in his group for the 3rd time in 4 months- whoot whoo!
4. Murphy can say dada and scream other words with no meaning. He still has NO teeth, it has to be soon as the drooling is off the charts
5. Happy 61st Birthday mom!
6. M is the happiest kid- every pic he's just grinning ear to ear
7. Last but not least...I showed Matt a new pair of jeans i bought the other night and he asked "if i needed a shoe horn" to get into them? Excuse me? The words obviously didn't come out right, i was laughing hysterically but he said they were a little tighter than the ones i usually wear, that's all, they look nice though, ah huh. They are still in the bag...i don't wear tight pants, i think it was the pocket flare that threw him off (and then the price tag).

8. Matt broke out the clubs this past week- his back hurts, hands are blistered, yet he can't wait to get out there again. I will never understand the game of golf.

9. If you need a real belly laugh, and I mean belly laugh, you have to check out Nancy's latest post on her blog- maybe an alltime favorite due to the photo gallery. http://texasnancy.blogspot.com/
9. This post will probably be the last until mid May.

May
1. I head to Orlando this week:)
2. Matt and Nancy will fly out with M next week, my parents, matt's parents and Emily will all meet up in Orlando for what has the potential to be an excellent mixed family vacation.
3. M will see Mickey and Minnie at DisneyWorld and Shamu- hope all goes well.
4. M will be 9 months old and is doing great. It's possible he may walk before crawling. He likes to stand at the ottoman more than scooting on his knees.
5. I'll have my first mother's day in Orlando with all the people i love!

who wouldn't be excited about eating and wearing their personalized M bib, hand knitted by aunt Gretchen

i let him finish "eating" with his hands- not much made it to his mouth.

Honorary team member of the Grangeville Smokejumpers, what? what? (mike- an honorary member is the extent of his GS crew work:))

he is starting to bug harris- he especially likes his paws. M does move around quite a bit on his own as you can see where he started on the blanket.

cutest kid on the block

You have to check these photos out!! Nancy's friend took them of Murphy on Friday. I don't own any yet, but they are so cute i didn't want to wait to share!

http://photobyemilie.blogspot.com/

Comb-over no more

Murphy's first haircut! Let me introduce you to MurphV2.

I was disappointed to lose the combover because i love it and it's so murphy- it's what he has had since he got here. But his hair was tickling his ears, so i knew it was time. The new do is something i will have to get use to- I don't LOVE it yet, because it's just different and we now have to use product. See you later combover.

In the "chair"- though it was a truck. I'm ready.

He was enamored by the pretty lady cutting his hair.

Side view. (there wasn't a lot of hair underneath the combover)

V2. I'm still super handsome!