It has been a long time...we have been busy.

Well it has been a long time.  I apologize to the two or three people that actually look at this blog.  We have been busy not only working hard but playing and having fun as well.  The heat of Las Vegas is already here and only going to get worse.  We have broken 100 degrees a few times already and it tells me that this summer is going to be brutally hot!!!  The heat of Nevada is not the worst part.  The wind makes this heat even worse making it feel like a huge blow dryer in your face all day long.  Bring on the heat.

Now I love to dream.  I dream all the time.  I am so excited of things to come down the road once we get a little more established.  I dream of building a rock buggy from the ground up.  Here is a picture of a rock buggy that I really like.  I cannot wait to work on the buggy with Tripp in a couple years.  It will be our fun little project.  Let me know if you would ever like to contribute to the "Jon and Tripp rock buggy foundation for people who can't read good" fund and I will be more than happy to take your money.

My future Project. 

We are exhausted.

Tripp is the funniest sleeper.  He moves around all night long just like his daddy.  We will put him in one corner and he ends up in the complete opposite corner within minutes.  He loves to smash his face up against the sidewall but he is a great sleeper.  He typically goes to bed around 7:00-7:30 pm every night and he will wake up around 6:00-7:00 am in the morning (sometimes waking up just for a quick second or two throughout the night but really nothing major). Tripp takes a couple small naps during the day.  Usually one around 10:00 am and another around 1:30 pm.  He is such a stud and my best little buddy.  I love hanging out with him, but man, he is a handful and totally exhausting.

He now has three teeth and the fourth will be here any day now.  He waves and claps at everyone and everything.  He thinks his dad is such a dork and laughs at him all of the time.  I love to be able to kiss him goodnight.  During my week of work, sometimes I do not see him at all for a couple days, which is rough.  I hate not being able to say goodnight to him, especially if I only miss it by a couple minutes.

I soooo comfy!!!

 So we met some neighbors and friends that we hang out with fairly often.  Our neighborhood is great and they get together a couple times each week.  Everyone is so nice and welcoming.  Our closest friends are Andy, Natalie, and their four-year old son Christian.  We went for a great hike/walk near Lake Mead called Railroad Pass.  This was a very fun trail.  It is an abandoned rail road that cuts through the mountain side and giving you a beautiful lookout of Lake Mead the entire time.  Along the route, it also talks about these rail road tunnels that are just over 27' tall and all the major animals that live in the surrounding area.  Some of the major animals consist of bighorn sheep, goats, cougars, chipmunks, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and bats (just to name a few). While we were there, we spotted a big family of bighorn sheep.  In total, we saw about ten sheep.  

Railroad Pass Walking Trail - I took a detour.

These towers are each 27' tall.

View of Lake Mead from Railroad Pass Trail

I spy with my little eye...a bighorn sheep.

 Heather took on a fun project.  She wanted to repair and repaint an old toy box that her Grandpa had made for her mom when she was young.  This turned into a fun family project where we each helped a little.  Tripp loves it!  He loves it even more once all of his toys are out on the floor.

Tripp's "new" toy box.

Peek-a-boo

Grandma came to visit over Memorial Day weekend and we had a blast!  Tripp loved to see Grandma.  It was so great to see them spend time with each other.  Grandma came in on Thursday and had a rough day at the airport (but I will let her tell that part of the story).  By the time we got home from the airport, Tripp was getting tired and a little grumpy.  It took a few minutes to warm up to both Dad and Grandma since he was so tired but it was so great to have Grandma here for the whole weekend.  Friday was fun.  We went for a walk around the block, we got Cafe Rio for lunch, did some grocery shopping, and just hung out and played all day.  Then we finished the day by watching a movie and having Rice Crispy Chocolate Milk Shakes...mmm...my favorite.

Out of all these toys, Tripp's favorite is the remote.

Story time.

On Saturday morning, we went to the Wetlands, which is in Northeast Las Vegas.  It was a little windy but we had such a great time.  During the walk, we saw a couple rabbits, turtles, fish, ducks and a beaver.  We stopped at the "Island" and rested for a while before heading back.  Because we were surrounded by trees at the Island, the wind was fairly calm and it was very nice and enjoyable.  

Resting on the "Island" at the Wetlands.

Ute for life.

Just Tripp and Grandma...so fun.

It was windy.

Look over there Grandma.

After the Wetlands, Heather and I went to a BBQ and Tripp and Grandma spent the afternoon with each other.  They went for a walk with each other, played with toys, and sat on the neighbors lawn.  Such a fun time...hopefully.  On Saturday night, we topped the day off with some Tapioca that Grandma made for us.  It was delicious and only took us about 30 minutes...haha Heather.  It can now be named "30-Minute Tapioca", not "Hour Tapioca".

Sunday was our final day of a great visit with Grandma.  Grandma fed Tripp his breakfast while I made french toast and eggs.  Tripp woke up just in time to say goodbye to Grandma.  What a great visit.  We all had so much fun and cannot wait to have Grandma come back asap.  Love you mom.  You are the BEST!!!  We miss you already.

P.S. Grandma was lucky enough to catch the first flight out back to Utah on Standby barely. Overall, I think our first time of riding standby was a huge success.