Here I Come!!

Well, I'm not quite sure where Gage got the idea to start doing this, but I am so proud of him!!

On Thursday, Gage's PT came over like she does every other week. As we were finishing up, she commented on how he was doing really well and she guesses "he will be crawling in a month or so!" So with that mindset, I was very surprised when Gage got up on all fours and started moving towards his magnets on the fridge the next day! He keeps being able to go further and further, and is getting the hang of it!

Our Weekend... a couple weekends ago!

A few weekends ago, Derek, Gage, and I headed up north. We went up Thursday night so that I could go to a MAJOR scrapbooking warehouse on Friday morning with my friend, Megan. Sadly, we got there and they had closed it down until the next week. But then, this fabulous lady came and opened it up and said we could shop since I had come all that way! :) Oh how I loved her! If only you could see all that I scored for $50, then you would understand the love I am talking about! I swear I left feeling like I had just robbed her, except for the fact that she helped me load it all into my car!! Derek also got to go fishing on the Provo River on Friday and had a fabulous time as well. We got back to Derek's uncle's house just so excited to tell each other how perfect our days had turned out! Uncle Tim kept laughing at us the entire time, telling us we were like little kids just waiting to get our stories out! Yeah, it really was that good!
Our friends also got married that day, so we went to their reception to see them. They are both accountants, too. Cool, huh! So we have had lots of classes together and it has been fun!

On Saturday, we went to go to Hogle Zoo with our good friends, Heather and Jordan, and baby Hart! (don't know if it's a boy or girl yet! :) ) We got there after making Heather and Jordan wait for us for an hour because the traffic was so bad, and when we got there it was FREEZING!! And we showed up in shorts and t-shirts. So, needless to say, the zoo didn't end up happening. But we did get to go to a really cute children's museum at the Gateway mall. We hung out with them for the rest of the day, and had a BLAST with them, as usual! And Jordan got Derek hooked on "fat princess." Yes, I'm pretty sure it was that game that convinced him to get rid of the XBOX 360 and move on to the PS3 this past weekend...

This is Jordan and Heather... Aren't they so cute! :) I just love them!


And this was one of the fun areas of the children's museum! Gage loves mirrors, so this was a big hit for him!


On Sunday, we met back up with Megan, Junior, and their little guy Trey. We went to this fun park with a little beach area and lake. The boys had so much fun playing in the sand!!

And yes, that is sand you see all over Gage's face. I know last time when we were in California I said I don't just let him eat handfuls of sand, but this picture kinda marks me as a liar. Really, he is so quick I just can't stop him! He loved playing in the water!

On Monday morning, we had a doctor appointment with Gage's ENT. It was a follow-up appointment from Gage's recent surgery. The follow-up went well and the doctor seemed very positive in his remarks. I seriously can't help but feel that the surgery has really helped, if not healed Gage's sleep apnea. He never snores any more and I never hear him gasp for breath like I used to when he was sleeping. He also hasn't had a stuffy nose since, which he had constantly before the surgery took place. Oh, I just hope so bad that I am right with this feeling!! This little hero has been through enough, so maybe he will get a break here!
After the appointment, we went over to Liberty Park in Salt Lake to meet up with a family I have been so excited to meet! We got to meet Carter and his sweet mom. We also got to meet his big brother and sister briefly, but they were busy having a blast at the fun park with their friends! Carter is absolutely adorable. He is just as happy as can be, and Derek and I seriously couldn't get over his smile! He and Gage have lots in common, and I am excited to see their friendship grow as the hopefully get to spend more time together as they grow up!

They were showing eachother how cool their hands are.
Too cute!!

Like I said, isn't his smile just to die for!!

Sharing the ding-dongs! I kinda was afraid that Carter was going to get a bonk on the head though, so I had to make my move!
Thanks so much for meeting up with us you guys!! We can't wait to see you again!

Another update!

So really, I know I go way too long between updates, then overload... but it's better than nothing, right?! The first pictures are from Grandma & Grandpa McDonald's 50th Anniversary party. It was so so much fun to see all the family we barely ever get to see! The party was at my aunt and uncle's house in Vegas. Everyone did such a great job putting it all together!
This first picture is just so sweet. My grandparents were really young when they got married. They never had a wedding cake, so they had a beautiful cake at the party and cut it together, then fed it to eachother. Too cute!!

Not what you were expecting to see, huh! This was dinner! Haha Everyone was so amused watching the pig be cut up, it was a big hit!

Our happy boy hanging out with Papa Joe! He loved showing off for everyone at the party.

This is our best attempt at a shot of everyone with the tri-pod! Such a fun clan.

This is my family with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa and Grandma are in the front, then it is me, Gage, Derek, Cherri (SIL), Kody (brother), Kaden (brother), Dad, and Mom.

Gage with his great grandparents!

Last week, Derek, Gage, & I went with Derek's family on a trip to California. We stopped to visit Derek's Grandpa Ron and Barbra on the way.
Chanel, Staci, Alyssa, Carly, Grandpa Ron, Jess, Derek, Gage, me, Cheryl, and Barbra.

Our first day in Cali we went to the beach. It was in the evening so it was chilly. I snuggled Gage up and walked the beach while Derek took some gorgeous shots with the camera.

Gage was so amuzed by the sand on his hands! Something new to him!

... and apparently that "something new" tasted pretty good! I really didn't let him just have mouthful after mouthful! I just let him taste it to figure out what it was. And he sneaked a few while I wasn't looking!

Snuggling on the beach

Waiting to go on "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride"! I'll explain the facial expression later!

Gage's nickname since right when he was born is "Toad". I'm not sure where Derek came up with it, but it just stuck! So this ride fit perfectly! Our "Mr. Toad" sure has given us a wild ride, but it sure has been fun!!

The "Toady" car!

Alrght, this was hands down Gage's favorite ride! "It's a Small World". Everyone else complained about going on it, but I would have sat on it all day long just to see his sweet face light up like it did! SO STINKIN' CUTE!!

Going on the rocket ride with Grandma Loveless and Tony!

We always get our picture by the "A" at the entrance to California Adventure. It was fun to get to have Gage in the picture this time!

This little guy is so in love with fish! Even if they are fake, he loves to look at them! There were big fake fish tanks in Toon Town so we had to stop and take a look!

This is the facial expression I was talking about!! After going to the Tiki Room, Gage kept doing this cute little face. I think he was trying to do what the birds do. Isn't he just so funny!! I love him!

My favorite boys hanging out in the Tiki Room! We had so much fun in California, it was hard to get back to reality!