18 months!

I had had big plans for getting a lot done (both with school and moving) during the month of June, but, well, let's be honest, it's ME we're talking about here and I never get as much done as I imagine I will. So even with classes being over, there was still a LOT to do in the 3 weeks before Jordy and I left Utah.

Once again, I'm playing catch-up here...but I'll try to go in some order...

June 30th Jordy turned 18 months old!! How to describe the last 18 months?! Exciting -- Emotional -- Exhausting ... so many words! I've tried sharing some "snap shots" of Jordy through the months, but even as his mom, I almost don't believe this is the same kid we brought home from the hospital! Jordy is a bit of a handful at times, but also the true joy of our lives as well! We are so glad he is part of our family! I started a list when I had a few minutes to spare, but, it is not a very good list and now, when I'm finally getting around to writing this, it's hard to remember what he was like even just 2 months ago! But here are some of the things I remember for his 18 month-old "milestones":

-Jordy gives big, juicy, LONG kisses on checks!
-He figured out how to actually blow kisses now :)
-Has been using a fork and spoon pretty well on his own for the last couple months actually! 
-Imitates EVERYTHING Tyler does, such as:
-practice golf swings
-throwing balls
-throwing balls from his back
-flinging balls
-fetching balls
-kicking balls (catching on to the theme with Jordy?!!)
-tries putting on deodarant :)
-He also "helps" around the house by "sweeping" or "dusting", putting things in the washer and throwing things in the garbage (most of the time it's something that can be thrown away, but every once in awhile, it's something we still wanted!)
-When Jordy sees any bottle with a pump he acts like he is "washing" his hands
-Gets really excited to brush his teeth
-Likes to comb his hair, especially if he sees me doing my hair as well
-Can almost assemble the magic bullet himself :) (he LOVES fruit/oatmeal smoothies in the mornings and that's how I make them for him- so anytime he sees the magic bullet, he gets quite excited!)
-As mentioned earlier, he has a bit of an obsession with balls and can't go out to the car without a ball in hand (we have quite the collection started in the car now!)
-He'll go down slides by himself (his favorite is the slide in the baby-pool at 7 Peaks...he could do that forever!) **I'm just proud of myself that I am okay seeing him on a slide again. I'm just happy I didn't traumatize him from playing on slides for the rest of his life...I might just never be the same...
-Jordy gets so SO excited when ANY sport is on TV!!!
-He thinks it's really funny to try tickling us!
-Is pretty picky with food-- doesn't eat anything green
-Is a sweaty little boy all the time because of how active he is! :)

Says: off, on, up, grandma, mom, dad, Jordy, yogurt, football, uh oh, bathroom, hot, woof, moo, vroom, basketball, more, and UNDERSTANDS SO much! I know it shouldn't surprise me so much, with me studying language development and all, but it is still AMAZING to me to see such a little person putting together the pieces of language! He really is learning new words each day and it's quite a fascinating thing to be experiencing first-hand. I'm grateful for the background I've had in language development, however, sometimes I do think it's more a curse than a blessing because of how aware of his language (both expressive and receptive) I am!

And just to keep with tradition- here are some pictures we took to show how much he's grown around his half-birthday!

This picture makes me laugh...because as you will see in the sequence, this was his best picture...haha. (He was actually in the process of doing his more typical "Jordy smile"...)

THIS! Oh Jordy! I know why he squats down, but at the same time, I don't know why he started "smiling" like that. Hmmm...if I can blame him imitating me for the squatting, can I blame Tyler for the smile?! He MUST be imitating one of us or something... hahaha!

 These pictures almost make me a little sad...when we started doing the "milestone football pictures" Jordy couldn't hold the ball, and now...he's running with it! OH- my baby isn't such a baby anymore!

I love this picture for what is implied: Jordy really does LOOK UP to Tyler in so many ways! He sure LOVES his daddy and especially getting to be outside playing with him! (Side story: Jordy not only enjoys throwing the balls himself, he really likes watching Tyler throw them or kick them. But sometimes Tyler has kicked the ball into a tree, and then throws the football, (and sometimes then the soccer ball to get the football and other ball) out of the tree! SO- now Jordy seems to think that is the POINT of the game...to get balls into the tree. Hmmm...how to explain that one?!)

I am debating if we'll keep a "half-birthday" celebration going for Jordy. I feel a little bad his birthday is right between Christmas and New Years and he'll always have to "share" celebrating with everything else going at that time of year. SO- at least this year, we made a "half" cake and let him have another go at trying out cake. (Spoiler: He's still not super interested in the frosting. Hmmm...is he my kid?!) 

 Tyler was trying to tickle him to do a more natural smile (he can smile 'normally' when he's not thinking about it!)...

...but this ultimately was how he smiled when he saw the camera! :)

We had some sparklers as well (almost July 4th!) so we wanted to see how Jordy would do with those...

(We tried having him hold it in a cup, but he wasn't really getting the idea of the sparkler in the first place...)

But then we showed him the "poppers" or whatever the little things that make a snap sound...yeah...those were by far his favorite!

Oh that laugh makes me so so happy! We love our little bud more and more each day!


**And just because this doesn't really "fit" anywhere else (our blog is more like our family journal anyway)- Tyler's co-worker created this video of them having a SpikeBall tournament during their lunch hours during June/July. It apparently was getting pretty intense! (Glad he was getting exercise in while at work, right?)

Spike Ball Video

And Tyler's work also did an eating competition (ironically right after doing a weight-loss competition!) where the participants were given 15 minutes to eat all of this:

Tyler received some "sponsorship" to participate...and he's not one to turn down a challenge...especially when food is involved! But even Tyler only got this much eaten in 15 min.

Wimpy, right?! Hahaha!
I give Nuvi (and other similar companies) a hard time- for all their "gimmicks" and tricks to keep their sales team motivated (or so they claim that's what they are doing!) but- I do have to admit some amount of gratitude is owed...or at least I'll recognize even if this job is not ideal or any "dream job" for Tyler...it's been a blessing for our family. When Tyler was unemployed for over a month last year- it was the only company to make an actual offer. We had already moved to Orem, and so Tyler only having to drive 10 min. to Lindon was very convenient (and was about all the 20+ year-old Toyota was going to make!). Tyler's work was also pretty flexible for him to be able to leave a little early as needed or at least was close enough that Tyler could come home quickly if needed. Tyler didn't love the work he did, but he got lots of free food and snacks and even though it was kind of "mind-numbing" and got old doing the same thing every day (without getting the salesmen credit), he got to wear basketball shorts to work and didn't have to bring his work home with him. We are just grateful he's had a paycheck, got some more work experience to get into a MBA program, and we got health insurance with it all. We do feel grateful for this!

Our Epic Hike to the Meadow

You know when you have that idea that you think is a really good idea at first and would be "totally epic" to do and then the more you think about it- you realize it might not be such a good idea after all? No? (Does that only happen to me?!)

We had talked about hiking up past the Y to the famous/infamous meadow (which one it is depends on who you talk to in the Hyatt family!) to camp there and then go up to the top of Y mountain (to look one last time for my dad's time capsule and check on our time capsule we buried 3 years ago). Ben and Carly were going to come with us (which would have been nice to split up the gear a little more) but then they weren't able to come. It's also been pretty hot and was just going to get hotter...so we were having second thoughts. We thought, maybe we'd just hike up there without gear sometime before we leave and find somewhere else to drive up to and go camping. But then a lot of the campgrounds showed they had a $20 fee and were an hour or so away...

SO- kind of last minute Friday afternoon both Tyler and I texted each other with "let's do it!" If we put it off, we'd never go up to the meadow! So I got out the packs and filled the water bottles/camelbacks (we knew we'd need a lot of water if we'd make it in the heat and up the Y!) and with our twine (yeah- we didn't have the most high-tech gear!) we managed to attach everything to something on our packs! 

We stopped by Subway and got sandwiches for our way up. Tyler dropped us off at the trailhead and then he took the car down to park a little ways away and walked back up (he got extra hiking in because there is no overnight parking in the Y lot). We finished tying up stuff and then loaded up! It was about 6:45pm when we got started, but it was still in the high 90s - so plenty hot (with intense sun on us!) I made it up the first 2 switch-backs of the Y trail and was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it any higher! We were both already sweating like crazy and I was already tired. We had hoped to make it to what we call Pride Rock (past the Y) before stopping to eat, but we ended up eating half our sandwiches right then (Jordy got some easy-mac)! With some food and having made it up what I think are the hardest switch-backs, we decided to keep on going and see how we felt then. We were taking it nice and slow and stopped at each switch-back- and with some pats-on-the-back from Jordy, we made it up to the top of the Y in just over an hour and a half! 

Tyler the "pack-mule!" What a trooper!! (He had to have been carrying about 60 lbs at least!) Jordy was pretty happy to have access to the water in the camelback! 

We made it!!! 

After a quick picture we were on our way again (we didn't want to lose momentum and we were quickly losing our daylight!) We made it to Pride Rock and finished our sandwiches and gave ourselves another pep-talk to keep going!

The view from Pride Rock is always impressive! And with the sun setting over Utah Lake, it was especially neat! 

Jordy was happy to be free from his pack for a few minutes!

On our way again! Bye Provo! 

We were surprised how much longer it seemed this time around to get up to the Meadow! (We could have sworn it was closer the last time we hiked up there!) It was better that we weren't in the sun anymore, but we were still just climbing in elevation. We made it as long as we could without our flashlights, but then we needed to pull them out for the last hour or so. We passed a few of the landmarks I remembered (a giant tree. some rocky path, a mini-clearing...you know-- really good descriptive landmarks for up there!!! :) We were also surprised how over-grown the trail was...in some places there was hardly a visible path and plants/weeds were up to our waists. But once we passed the split in the path (one going up to the top of Y mountain and one leading to the meadow) I felt sure we were almost there. NOPE! The trail just kept going! My legs felt like jello at that point and I had to just say "one foot in front of the other" (I have NO idea how Tyler was still going! Jordy had been so good- giving Tyler pats on the back on the way up and not complaining at all. But at this point, it was dark and he was half-asleep in the pack!) I said to Tyler "I think the Meadow is gone- we missed it!" It just felt like we had been going forever. Then we saw a clearing through the trees and walked out into an "opening"-- yet the grass was still so high! But sure enough, it was the meadow!

There was a small group of guys that came into the meadow from the opposite way just a few minutes after us, and they actually set out their sleeping bags in one of the only "clear" spots up there by the fire pit. We weren't really interested in making a fire at that point (it was almost 10:30pm- we'd just make smores at home!) so we just tried stomping out a spot to set up the tent. (The tall grass actually helped with padding a little bit!) I was holding Jordy as Tyler set up the tent and then we laid out the sleeping bags and were ready to sleep! Luckily we brought warm pajamas for Jordy (it was pretty cool up there without the sun!) and snuggled up together- so we were plenty warm (We also luckily brought extra shirts because ours were soaked!) I think Jordy had fun looking up through our tent at the stars! We hadn't taken any extra padding, so Tyler and I were sleeping between lumps and bumps in the ground, but we were just grateful to have our packs off and a chance to rest our legs! We may not have had the best sleep of our lives, but Jordy seemed pretty comfortable! He was so good for his first time in a tent!

And then- (almost too early)- the sun was UP! One of my favorite things about camping is waking up with the cool air on my face and listening to birds chirping-- but it VERY QUICKLY got pretty warm!

Jordy stayed asleep until after 7 in the morning- and he seemed a little hesitant to wake-up until he opened his eyes to see the bag of food and then he was awake! :) 

Jordy: The BIG man of the tent! :)

Look what we found!!! It's still running! :) I climbed in and filled up 2 of our water bottles. The water was nice and cold and very refreshing! :) 

Although we had originally thought about going up to the top of Y mountain, we unfortunately just didn't have the "oomph" to go up anymore! If we were going to have to put on the packs again, we needed to be going down! SO- we'll have to come back up another time (without the gear!) to do that part. (Sorry, dad-- still no time capsule!: ) 

What we had to walk through in the dark to get to the meadow!! It was very pretty- just not so nice to our bare legs! 

Welcome back to the city!

Another view of Pride Rock.  (It was about 10:30 in the morning-- it was amazing how much  easier it was coming back than going up, but it was already getting HOT!) 

We rearranged our packs just a little, but after a few of the switch-backs coming down - Jordy had to get out and he walked a little but then Tyler carried him (apparently carrying him in front felt a lot better than on his back!) 

What a trooper! This kid has conquered the Y for sure now! (This was a good "parting ways with Y Mountain" hike-- we aren't going to miss hiking it for a little while!) 

We unloaded our stuff and Tyler hiked down to the car and got the A/C going to come pick us up and all our stuff! Jordy was anxious to get a snack! 

We stopped by Sonic and got shakes on the way home, showered and then took a 3-hour long nap! We were then meeting Carly and Brad, Jess, and Ben and Carly at Seven Peaks, but it was a good thing others were there to hold Jordy-- both Tyler and I were pretty tired and sore (we can't lift our arms up very high and let's not talk about the walking-issue!)

All-in-all we agreed it was a fun trip and we're glad we did it, but we also don't have plans to do that again any time soon! (Or maybe ever again packing a kid and stuff just with us 2--we'll wait till Jordy can carry us! :)
We sure are going to miss the beautiful mountains of Utah! Maybe when we can walk again (by next summer) we'll be ready just to go up to the Y again! :) 

Staying busy, busy, busy

This is what happens when I get behind on uploading my pictures- I feel like there's just a bunch of random pictures to try explaining! 

P.S. I know I'm supposed to be working on writing- but I "earned" these blog breaks- otherwise I'd really go crazy! As mentioned a little earlier, it's been stressful trying to get stuff done before I leave (even though my data has already been collected, I still have to go through the "formality" of having a prospectus meeting), but it's a little frustrating when I've met with my research committee along the way, so this just feels like an unnecessary step. I am having a hard time getting clear answers and direction from my thesis chair, and I don't think she likes my writing style/organization (even though she helped with the organization and I've incorporated a lot of her ideas into it) Grrrr. I have a hard time being motivated to write more when what I have written gets ripped up and re-arranged EACH time (including changes she's made!) I feel like I was really motivated and pushing to work hard on my thesis initially, but after it took almost a year-and-a-half to collect all my data (working with one kid a week, and having to organize and plan for each of those sessions)- I've just lost a lot of that initial "drive." Unfortunately, my thesis chair is just NOW ready to really work on it (where was she before when I was ready and asking to move forward?!) 

I've tried explaining that I just wasn't able to do more than one focus at a time with other things going on. (I heard a quote recently that balancing things doesn't always mean giving equal priority to everything all the time-whether it's true, that's been more of my philosophy). It was hard enough deciding to try to balance finishing the program with Jordy being so young, and I had tried doing what I could to still be making progress in the program the whole time - but unfortunately after factoring in clinic/client work and internships and classes, the writing took lowest priority. I also had decided with Tyler that although I would still be in school, I wasn't going to ignore him or Jordy and that if sacrifices needed to be made, school things were almost always second to choosing to spend time together (which I also needed for my sanity!) I am actually not finishing any later than a handful of others that started the program with me, so I've never viewed myself as really being behind, but my thesis chair seems to think otherwise. She also was telling me how it would be almost impossible to finish in WI- even though I am willing and PLANNING on flying back to defend this fall, she just seems to think I need to be physically in her office to watch her CONSTANTLY change things.

Sorry. I'm done ranting. For now! 

Back to the "random" June pictures! :) 

Good thing this little squirt is so cute! 

We helped Carly and Brad move into their new HOUSE the first weekend in June and then stopped by this little park for a quick rest. Jordy couldn't understand why the ducks kept running away from him! 

The next weekend in June was the 2-day Summerfest in Orem- when a carnival and food trucks come. We walked around for a bit and got a tasty funnel cake to share!

It is amazing to me how much Jordy imitates us these days. We'll do something one time, and before we know it, he's trying to do it himself. Jordy spends so much of the day throwing balls around the house (thanks to Tyler) but some of them go under the couch. We've used a long back-scratcher stick we have to get out-of-reach balls from under the couch, but the other day when a ball rolled under, the next thing I know Jordy was getting the back-scratcher to get the ball himself! 

He LOVES doing anything Tyler does, from laying on his back throwing balls in the air (Jordy tries it but he can't catch so they usually just hit him, but that doesn't stop him from doing it more!), to doing practice golf swings in the air-- Jordy LOVES his daddy and wants to do everything he does! 

Tyler had his tool set out to fix our closet rod and you better believe Jordy was right there "helping"!

"Which tool is next, dad!?"

With the NBA finals on- both Jordy and Tyler were in heaven! (Jordy seriously would start "yelling" and/or clapping when he saw there was a game on TV!) During one game Jordy climbed up on Tyler to get a more comfortable seat! 

Then it was time for a snack- so we brought out chips and salsa and Jordy's Veggie Straws...

...but Jordy saw Tyler dipping his chips into the salsa so Jordy wanted to do that too with his! 

Jordy doesn't like to see me working on my computer and has a hard time leaving the keys alone when I'm typing. I remembered we still had the old computer Tyler used in school so I dug it out and turned it on (it took like 20 min. to boot-up!) but then I told Jordy that was HIS computer to work at-- it kept him busy for a little bit-- until he kept restarting it or making it go to sleep. He also figured out (rather quickly) how to pull off some of the keys :( 

I've also tried keeping him busy building towers- but he doesn't think they are as much fun standing up when they could be DESTROYED! 

...or when he can put the pieces in his mouth! 

I am looking forward to the day (hopefully by the beginning of November!) when I'll be able to give this kiddo more of my attention! I know I've gotten frustrated with him and it's hard getting all my stuff done when he is demanding my attention too, but all-in-all, looking at all he's put up with in the last year-and-a-half...he's been really patient with me and a really good sport about it all. He really has spent a ton of time on campus, either with me or playing with others while I'm in class or with a client- and he's generally so happy! (Just SUPER energetic!) Remembering he's just a baby/toddler and he has a right to want to get down and play-- he's been so good!

I said it on facebook, but it deserves to be said again- in trying to count all those that have helped out- if even just once to watch Jordy for me- there are more than 25 people that I can name! I couldn't have done this without all the family and friends that have supported me, whether physically watching Jordy or encouraging me from a-far. THANK YOU! 

If for nothing else- I am finishing my thesis for ALL OF YOU! 

Also- of course this wouldn't be possible without Tyler. He has come home from work on multiple occasions and taken Jordy on errands or to the park so that I could have some "me-time" to either take a nap or write, etc. -- even though he doesn't really get those times for himself. He listens to me vent and rant about the same things MILLIONS of times without ever complaining and stays up with me late at night just to rub my back or keep me awake too! He is an incredible husband and father. 

This summer is going to be busy with a big move and settling in, my internship and finishing writing- but I'm looking forward to the day when I can look back and say, "WE DID IT!" 

Strawberry Days Rodeo

One of my favorite things about summertime in Utah are the RODEOS!!! After Tyler took me to my first rodeo 4 years ago, I fell in love with them! (And with him- coincidence?!) I think they are so much fun (and yes, I'll admit it, I still have my dreams of riding/owning horses one day!) 

My first rodeo: Lehi Round-up! Also the day we first held hands :) Rodeos just have a lot of good memories for me! :)

One of the Rodeos that we've been to for the last few years is the Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days Rodeo. A rodeo with yummy strawberries in cream-- yup, a great combination! 

Jordy was a hit last year with his rodeo shirt and hat, but it helped that he couldn't really get the hat off! This year, he wasn't such a fan of the cowboy hat- but he was still pretty popular and made lots of friends with the people we were sitting by! 

"Ok! You got your pictures, can the hat come off now?!"

Awww! I love my cowboys! :)

The famous Strawberries-Jordy really liked the cream! ("Not the hat again!") 

Perfect weather and awesome "cotton-candy" clouds in the sky set the mood for the rodeo! 

Sure enough- one of Jordy's "signature smiles" was sure to come out! 

This year it was also a nice way to celebrate finishing classes FOR GOOD! :)