Last post about August! WOO HOO!

Sometime around the end of August Zach was asked to shadow the VA in Spokane for a day.  We left really early one morning and 3 hours later we were there.  Zach went to the VA and Declan and I went over to the Sullenger's house.  Our friends from Memphis, Kash and Cara, had just moved to Spokane a few weeks before, and Cara was so nice to let me hang out with her and her kids all day while Zach worked.  Hudson and Declan had fun playing and chasing each other.  When Zach got off work we were able to go to Riverfront Park.  Declan loved the huge slide there and running around.  The next day we spent all day shopping and at Riverfront Park again.  We took Declan to an IMAX movie - we didn't think he would like it at first but he ended up loving it!  We rode the train around the park which we thought he would like a lot more than he actually did.  I think it just got really long and boring for him.  We played miniature golf and rode some of the rides there also.  That night we went to Kash and Cara's for a delicious dinner.  Our last day there we went to the flower gardens.  They were all so pretty, especially the Japanese garden.  It was a fun little getaway!  We really enjoyed Spokane also.  All of the pictures we took were taken with Zach's iPhone so the quality isn't the greatest.

Declan's first pet

A few days after Declan's birthday we were walking up the stairs to our apartment and right by our front door there was a preying mantis.  Declan immediately saw it and just wanted to watch it so I went inside and got an old tupperware and he became Declan's first pet!  haha.  Declan thought it was awesome to shake the tupperware so that the preying mantis would move.  Poor little guy.  We let him go that night because I didn't want to find food for him!  Oh, and Declan named him "bee." That's what he used to call all insects!  For awhile every night before bed Declan would say, "night night bee."  

Like I said in my last post, my parent's came to visit for Declan's birthday.  It was so fun and nice for them to come.  The first full day they were here they watched Declan and Zach and I were able to go golfing!  It was great.  My mom and I went shopping to a few fun stores and my dad and I went golfing one day too.  Of course, we had to take my parent's to every park around and feed all the ducks.  :)  We also took them to the Farmer's Market and got my dad addicted to Blackbird's smoothies and sandwiches.  They are truly delicious!!  

Declan's 2nd birthday

Declan's birthday was celebrated over two days.  His actual birthday is on August 11th but my parents came to visit the day after so we waited until the 12th to have his cake.  We once again went to the park and fed the ducks.  Can you tell what his favorite thing to do is?  We kept telling him that it was his birthday but he was so confused because we had just celebrated my birthday so anytime we told him, "Happy Birthday" he said, "no, mom's birthday."  He got it when he opened his presents though!  I made him a huge dragon cake that I think he probably only took 2 bites of!  Oh well.  He liked his root beer float way more.

I took him for his 2 year check up sometime around his birthday and it was awful!  He has never cried so much at the doctor's office.  He started screaming when I had to take off his clothes to get him weighed and measured and didn't stop crying until we were walking out of the building 45 mins later.  It was crazy.  He weighed 28 lbs at his appt (he's up to 31 now).  I can't remember what his height was but I do remember that he's in the 75th % for height.  He must take after his Grandpa Oswald and Uncle Coleman for that because he's definitely not getting it from his parents!

26 years

We celebrated my 26th birthday on August 9, 2011.  Zach had to work most of the day so Declan and I hung out at the park and fed the ducks.  I decided if I wanted to have a happy birthday I had to keep Declan happy.  :)  Afterwards, I made my favorite things for dinner and experimented with making the lemon cream cake from Olive Garden.  The cake turned out pretty good - not as good as Olive Garden's cake though.  Zach did get off work a little early and we opened presents and watched a movie.  It was a good day.

 A little side note story - the night before my birthday Zach took me shopping to get some new running clothes.  As I was in the dressing room trying them on I hear Zach say to Declan, "where did you get that??"  Then Zach asked me, "Nikky, did you give Declan some gum?"  I said, "NO I didn't!  Get it out of his mouth!"  Zach likes to think that he just happened to find a piece of gum on the floor that hadn't been chewed...riiiiiiight.  I'm sure that's what happened!  haha

5K

Sometime in August, I ran my second 5K race.  This one was a little more official than the first one I ran in Memphis with our ward but it was still really laid back.  The race was in Milton-Freewater, OR (a town just across the border from Walla Walla.)  I ran the race with my friends Krista and Danielle.  After the race we were standing around while a guy was reading off the winners.  Much to our surprise, all of us girls won!  I won first place in my age/gender category (only because Krista was a few months younger and in the younger age category!)  Krista and Danielle won second place in their age/gender category.  Let me tell you, it was quite the confidence boost for awhile to win a little blue ribbon!  Anyone who has ever ran with me before is probably laughing because they know how slow I run!!  It was a fun race and we got some sweet shirts.  haha!

Don't mind my bright red face!  This town is seriously obsessed with frogs - don't ask, it's a really dumb reason actually!

Visitors

Yes, I am still catching up...someday, I may actually get caught up but probably not anytime soon!  Randi, Sara, and Paige came to visit us the end of July.  We had lots of fun picking blueberries and raspberries, going swimming, playing frisbee golf in the blazing heat, going to a baseball game, going to the park, and just watching the kids play together.  Declan and Paige are the cutest little cousins and I'm glad they remember each other even though they don't get to see each other very often.  Declan talks about Paige almost everyday.  He has an amazing memory!   Every morning when Declan and Paige would wake up they would run and jump on the air mattress that Sara was sleeping on in our living room.  haha, I'm sure she loved it!  Some pictures of their trip.

Thanks again for making the long drive to come see us!!  Love you girls!