Two Surprises waiting for us at home!

Cole, Mason and I just recently got back from a trip to AZ to watch my sister's 3 kids while her and her husband went on a trip themselves. Hmmm, 5 kids for 10 days- interesting! Makes me re-evaluate how many kids I want to have myself. Anyways, we had a blast-- I got to visit with my older sister Koriane, whom I adore, and a few college friends from my old Ricks and BYU-Hawaii days. (Miss you Dan, Katrina, and Tahlea)
Mason loved being outside-- mostly eating flowers and rocks, or having his tongue hanging out, waiting to find something else to eat.





Cole's favorite thing there was his cousin's trampoline-- he was on it 24/7, or at least as much as possible in the 107 degree weather.
It was such a struggle to get him off the thing; he insisted he would sleep there, until he got too hot that is:
So anyways, I was not looking forward to long days at home and facing the inevitable "I wanna jump on the trampoline" comments (when we had no trampoline). Ta Dum-- enter Rusty, who saves the day:

Hallelujah! We'd been wanting to get one for a while, but hadn't pursued it further than that. While we were gone, Rusty found a good deal and the timing was perfect. Look at Cole's smile:

It's also been great for me to put the boys on it (since they can't escape the zipper and lock) while I am out mowing the lawn or working in the garden and don't want to constantly monitor the amount of rocks and dirt entering Mason's mouth.

We are now on that thing every day, and it is great for Cole, and me also. It helps to tire him out so that naptime isn't such a struggle. (Or is that just my way to rationalize a pricey purchase?) Either way, we are loving it. Anyone is welcome to come and jump!

We had a second surprise waiting for us when we got home from AZ. Rusty has always liked to hunt, but has been getting more into it this last year or so. He got a bobcat here in the area (that is still at the taxidermist getting stuffed). And he went on a big trip last November to Montana for bigger game, and came home with this deer:

We have been loving the deer jerky, steaks, and other meat. It's been a fun change, and Rusty has loved feeling like he's literally "bringing home the bacon (um, venison)" for our family. Well, his deer has been at the taxidermist for the past few months, and he was finally able to pick it up while we were gone. So surprise-- it is now hanging in our family room:

I'm not a huge fan of this (okay, I hate it actually), but at least it's not in our living room above the fireplace (where he first wanted to put it). So, it's a compromise and I know it means a lot to him to have it hanging up. I'm just scared for this coming year and what other creatures may soon take up space on our wall. Yikes! And beware when visiting!