Day 2

Dumbo anyone? This is one of Hyrums favorite rides he likes going "Up, Up, Up!"Flick's Flyers was Hyrums all time favorite ride at California Adventure. I think his face says it all. Obi Noah Kanobe. The force is strong with this one.
A chance meeting with Mr. Incredible was greatly enjoyed. Check out those guns! Amazing we all got through security, really.

Disneyland Day 1

We arrived in California Tuesday afternoon. Brett and I were so excited to get going with the fun. Hyrum, on the other hand, was content, but didn't really understand the anticipation that we had. He seemed to be most excited about his new friend (also a child leash). We named him Mo the Monkey.
Wednesday morning we started in Toon Town, where we got to see Mayor Mickey and ride a few of the kid rides. I loved all of the cool fountains. who says you can't have elegance and humor in the same place. Noah enjoyed his ride in the carrier for most of the time. It wasn't until half way through Thursday that he started to get a little annoyed with being put in it. During our lunch stop I took this picture of Noah. He's gettting so big. Isn't he just so stinkin' cute!?!When the Partridge's invade Disneyland you're likely to see a sea of matching shirts invading rides all together. WoooHooo! Hyrum loved the Autopia ride. He didn't quite catch on to the need of lines and waiting, but he did add a new word to his vocabulary: "RIDE!!".

A weekend alone

So, this last weekend Brett went down to Arizona to pick up some of his old stuff at his parents house. It was a very quick trip, but we had some fun while he was gone. Here are a few pictures:
Hyrum reading to Noah.Noah's first time in the Bumbo. I only left him in it for a few minutes, but he sure was cute.When he got back we had some fun unpacking it all and playing with some of Brett's old toys, literally. Here's Hyrum playing with Wee Waffle Blocks and wearing an old cowboy costume. Everything old is new again.

Sweet and Sour Pork

My mom wanted me to post the recipe from my date night dinner in the last post. The recipe is from Marjorie Hinckley in her book Small and Simple Things. It's really good. More on the sweet side than sour which is how I like it, although it's not the quickest meal to make, so plan time to make it.

1 lb. pork (cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 Tbsp., 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp. flour
1 egg white
pinch of salt + -
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1 sliced green pepper
1 cucumber (cut in long strips)
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
4 Tbsp. catsup

Mix pork with 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, flour, egg white, and salt. Fry in deep, hot fat(I just used oil) until brown, set aside. (When I was done I just put it in our strainer and it just sat in the sink)

For sauce, combine sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch. Stir into vinegar and water. Whisk to remove any lumps. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Heat another pan. Using 3 Tbsp. oil, saute onion, carrot, pepper, and cucumber. Don't overcook, they should remain rather crisp.

Combine pineapple, the sauteed vegetables, the fried pork, and the sweet and sour sauce. Stir in tomato catsup. Mix thoroughly and serve hot with rice.

A Date on Tuesday

Brett and I don't get out very often, but Brett suprised me with movie tickets to see Angels and Demons. He's been wanting to see it since he read the book, and was very happy that they cut some of the 'grosser' parts of the book out. Anyway, our date started with a delicious Sweet & Sour Pork (I thought it would compliment Angels and Demons) compliments a recipe from Marjorie Hinckley in her book. Then we all played outside for a while before Hyrum went to bed. It was fun to have family time and then get out. I thought the movie was pretty good, but not one that I'll probably see again. Mostly it was just great to go out and do something together. Noah came too, and slept through the whole movie. . . It's funny because I think the last time we went to see a movie in the theatre was when we saw Harry Potter with Hyrum when he was just 6 weeks old. I guess we initiate our boys into the movies at a young age.Today Hyrum discovered some new friends outside while we were doing some weeding. Here are some pictures with his friends Mr. Worm and Miss Rollie Polie:

Our life through pictures.

Hyrum has been such a great helper this week. I've been working like crazy on our front yard and he has followed me around with his garden tools and helped me dig and plant. Sadly I didn't get more pictures, because I didn't want to get the camera all dirty. But on Saturday we got some pictures of Hyrum helping with his favorite job, watering the plants. He's so dilligent and focused when he does it too.

In case your wondering why Brett has a 'strong man' face on and what he's holding I'll tell you. The other night Brett was scooping up some ice cream when the scooper suddenly just snapped in half! Brett says it's because he's so buff. It was crazy! We've had that scooper since we got married. Goodbye, oh faithfull scooper, you will be missed.

Recently Hyrum has become more aware of Noah as a person. He now wants to hold him and play with him a little more frequently. Whenever he finds his pacifier on the ground he says 'uh-oh' and takes it to Noah. He usually puts it in backwards for some reason, but still very thoughtful.

I just love little baby bodies. Noah is getting bigger and cuter every day.

Happy Late Mothers Day. Aren't these flowers beautiful? Thanks Brett!

Hyrum revealed

Sleeping: I never reported this, but Hyrum moved into a big boy bed when we moved into our new home. He did GREAT with the transition. We were expecting armegedon and were pleasantly suprised with a very easy transition. He's never fallen off (that we know of), and he seems to really like the freedom of being able to just get in bed. He's so good about going to sleep at night. We have a 5 minute night routine with him and then shut the door and he's out. Although, I have to say that he's been having nightly wake-ups the past couple of weeks that haven't been fun for us. We're hoping with limiting his daytime naps and keeping him outside during the day longer he'll get back on schedule. People: Hyrum usually just does his own thing. Although if he wants Brett or I to do something with, or for, him he just grabs our hand and pulls us somewhere and puts our hand on what he wants. He even will lift our feet up for us if he wants us to step in a certain place. It's really funny. His independence does scare me sometimes though. Today we were playing outside with a bunch of the neighborhood kids when I realized I couldn't see where he was anymore. I was looking around when a women a few houses down came out to see if I was missing a son. He just walked into their house and went in their basement to follow their cat. He is our little explorer. Entertainment: Hyrum's favorite word lately is "WOW". It's so cute when he says it because he over-pronounces his w's. He says wow frequently and it makes me remember to be grateful for all the little things. For example, every Monday night after he goes to sleep I go grocery shopping, which means a full fridge on Tuesday. So, on Tuesday morning when he looks in the fridge he just stairs inside and says "WOW" as if the magic food fairies filled it in his sleep. Another favorite of his is the washer and dryer which he loves to watch on laundry day. In this picture he decided to make the dryer his lunchtime entertainment. Eating: He goes through phases of things he likes and doesn't like. This week his love is corn. I had to start limiting him to 2 cobs of corn a day, otherwise he just wouldn't stop and eat anything else. As you can see by his pajamas, this cob was his breakfast supplemented with cereal.