Happy Halloween!

Holidays are so much fun when you have a little one! Cannon is at an exciting age when he understands bits of the holiday activities. Halloween was a blast. We had a fantastic chili dinner with friends (the Kunkles & the Evans) & then went trick or treating. After the first house, Cannon pulled out his two pieces of candy & held one in each hand. He still wanted to carry his treat bucket - very into independence these days - so he used his index finger. It was quite humorous once his bucket was weighted down with candy - it made him walk very slowly & awkwardly.

Cannon went as a monkey this year. I had to extend the chin strap for the head piece because Cannon's head was just too big! This picture shows Cannon carrying his candy in each hand & his treat bucket.

Ryan, Claire, Cannon

Our little monkey & daddy

Ryan, Claire, Cannon, Maren, Megan

Maren, the pirate princess

Trick or Treating!

We dressed Onyx up earlier in the evening in Alex's Viagra scrub top, so she went as the Wiener Doc! Most of the pictures I took of Onyx had part of Cannon in it - he still loves the camera.

Cannon loved the freedom of running down the sidewalk. I'm glad this was his favorite part, he hasn't cared to have too much candy for which I am grateful. This also made Alex happy since he ate most of Cannon's candy :)!

Cannon did not want to come inside & he let us know that! Besides the sadness of the night coming to an end, Cannon had a really good time & was very ready for bed. Alex & I watched Arsenic & Old Lace to finish our evening. We had a very Happy Halloween!

A few days earlier . . .

Our ward trunk or treat. This was outside at the end of the evening & Cannon was done wearing the monkey hat.

Isn't he so cute?

This is the best full shot of Cannon's outfit - he is 18 months old & does not like holding still.

So full of energy!

Millers: Cat Woman (Valerie), Robin (Eli), Bruce Wayne (Josh) & Batman (Noah)

Olsens: Ewok (Rachel), Anakin Skywalker (Joe), Princess Leia (Lily), & Princess Amidala (Lacey): just as a side note, Lacey made all of these costumes - she is talented!

Kunkles: Rachelle & Maren

Super Why Ben Morgan

Morgans: Seth & cutie Jeremy the skunk

We got to reuse our 80's outfits from Alex's birthday party & then we have our monkey man Cannon

Daddy & Cannon after the trunk or treat

We couldn't believe how many people came to the trunk or treat activity! There was a carnival inside the church. Cannon liked the cupcake walk, but was a bit young for everything else. I think he will enjoy it even more next year. After the trunk or treat, the Miller's came over, we put the kids to bed & the adults watched Young Frankenstein - classic! It was a great evening!

More Utah Fun - Part Four

One of our ventures was to Hogle Zoo. It was the perfect day to go to the zoo. The weather was lovely with a cool breeze & it was prelude to a storm, so the animals were out & active. The zoo had a lot of baby animals including an elephant calf, tiger & snow leopard cubs, meerkat pups, a giraffe calf, & others. The elephant was my favorite.

The baby elephant was very playful.

The baby was only 1 month old & I took this picture to show how little she is compared to her mother.

My parents, my sister Traci & her husband Jarom & I all went to breakfast at Little America. It was delicious!

Mom & Dad

Jarom, Aiden, & Traci

My mom was able to take a couple days off during our visit. One of the days, Jarom was kind enough to take care of all of the kids & let the girls go & play! We went to breakfast, took my mom shopping, went to dinner & a movie (Julie & Julia). I miss being able to hang out with my mom & sister!

Mom, Traci & Trisa @ Dinner

One day, we went to the Temple Quarry in Little Cottonwood.

Beautiful mountains!

Cannon had fun running up & down the trails

These next shots were of Cannon watching his cousins, Micaiah & Tirzah. Cannon is a great audience - he will laugh at the weirdest things. This time, Micaiah & Tirzah were taking little rocks & throwing them up in the air so they would land on their heads. Good times for all.

Micaiah, Tirzah & Cannon

This is the log that I sat on as Alex knelt down in front of me & proposed 7 1/2 years ago! Now our little boy is standing right there! Time flies!

Aunt Pat, Cannon, Uncle Jarom & Tante Traci, Aiden, Tirzah, & Micaiah

We had such a good time in Utah, but we were very happy to get back to Alex. We both missed him very much!

Thanksgiving Point - Utah Part Three

All the years I grew up in Utah, I never visited Thanksgiving Point. Cannon & I went there on our visit & had a really good time.

Uncle Jarom & Cannon looking at the ducks

Cannon in the children's learning center. They had cards with plants & seed pictures on them. You could put the cards in slots like you are planting them or hang them on the trees/bushes like they are growing. There was also a conveyor belt that you could place the cards on & they would be transported to the 'market.' The kids had fun playing.

Tirzah, Micaiah, & Cannon sending the produce to the market.

Trisa, Traci (my sister), & Angie (good friend of ours)

My nephew Aiden

Tirzah riding Missy

Cannon's first pony ride! His pony was Blondie.

Look mom, no hands!

Micaiah riding the pony

Cannon sort of looking at the camera

Cannon was fascinated by the goats. I think he thought they were dogs. He kept trying to touch them through the fence, but I was worried they would bite him.

Uncle Jarom, Micaiah, Cannon, & Tirzah in the jail house

Hello horsey!

Wedding & Myers' Side - Utah Part Two

Cannon & I were lucky to be in Utah for a family wedding! Alex's Uncle Jim married his sweetheart, Marianne on 9-9-09. I had to keep Cannon's mouth full of fruit snacks during the ceremony to keep him quiet. He did pretty well.

Marianne & Jim

Trent (Alex's little brother) & Grandma Nelson (Alex's Grandma)

Aunt Pam & cousin Dawn

Uncle Larry & Uncle David

Aeris & Jerry (niece & nephew)

Jordan & Crystal (Alex's older brother & sister-in-law). Thanks for smiling Crystal - you look beautiful!

Top to Bottom & L to R: Jordan Tyler (nephew), Shawna (niece), Grandma (Alex's mom), Aeris, Jerry, Grandpa (Alex's dad), Cannon

Grandpa was wonderful & entertained the kids by letting them play on the staircase. The wedding & reception were very nice. I especially liked that the reception treat was coldstone ice cream!!

We went to a BBQ at Alex's parents' house to let everyone spend some more time with Cannon (we know that they don't really care to see us any more!).

Cannon w/McKenzie

Grandpa playing with the grand kids.

Trent, Cannon, Moab, & McKenzie

Debbie (Alex's mom), Tori (Alex's sister), & Jordan (Alex's brother)

Shane (nephew) & fiance Crystal

Cannon & I really enjoyed the weather in Utah. Going outside didn't make your entire body start to sweat! I'm glad that we were able to spend some time with Alex's family while we were there!

Off To Utah! Part One

At the end of August, Cannon & I were able to go visit our families in Utah. Alex had to work, so he couldn't come with us (the only downfall to this vacation). This would be Cannon's first flight, so I was a little worried how he would handle it. One of our friends here in Memphis was kind enough to lend us a portable DVD player for the flight (thanks again Rachelle). It worked like a charm! Cannon absolutely loves Cinderella. He will watch the entire movie, crack up at certain parts & dance when the mice sing - I love watching him watch the movie, he is just too funny!

Our flight to Utah left at 6:30am. Very early, but the flight was quite empty which meant a free seat next to me, yeah! This gave Cannon a place to stretch his legs. The window shade also became a fun distraction for a little while.

This picture was the only one that wasn't so dark - you can tell, he was pretty tired still.

I just like this picture of Cannon looking at the wing of the plane. I was so pleased how well Cannon did on the flights there & back.

L to R: Braden, Kathy (w/Brooklyn still in the oven), my little brother Trent, & Mason.

My little brothers' family was one of the first to visit. I just wish their little girl would have decided to come out a little early so I could meet her. Oh well, pictures will have to do for now.

Aunt Pat & Cannon

The week before my visit, my cousin in Texas passed away unexpectedly. My dad was able to go to her funeral. My Aunt Pat also attended her funeral & then came to visit us in Utah. I was so happy to see her & get to spend time with her! Cannon was missing Alex during our trip & he displayed this by becoming EXTREMELY clingy! I love him very much & this was a bit over the top. We had to put Cinderella on so he would sit next to Aunt Pat for this picture. He is such a stinker!

L to R: Traci (sister), Tirzah (niece), Toni (friend) & her kids, Trisa, Cannon

My sister's family came to Utah to visit overlapping my visit. It was so wonderful to see them! I was absolutely terrible this trip & didn't contact most of my friends. Traci was much more organized & made some arrangements for friends to visit. We have some mutual friends, so her planning benefited me. Other than that, we just were able to see family this go around.

Aiden (my nephew) & Cannon

Oma (my mom) with a very Dorito-e Cannon & my oldest nephew, Kiegan in the background

On Labor Day, we went to my oldest brother's club house. It was a lot of fun. We played in the pool & on the playground & had a yummy lunch. It was so nice to have activities for the kids on such a beautiful day! Usually on my visits, I make sure to get pictures of Cannon with all of his cousins & all of my siblings' families, but I kept forgetting to pull my camera out! I'm kicking myself for it now.

My parents have some footstools with cushions that all of the grand kids love. These stools transform in the little kids' heads to pirate ships, cages, beds, canoes, horizontal ladders, etc. The kids are very creative with them & they provide hours of entertainment. Cannon was pleased with his ability to pull the cushion off & sit on the rungs while dangling his feet. One day, I went to sit on one of the footstools & got a big surprise. My nephews had turned it upside down & then put the cushion back on top, so it looked normal. The bottom side of the stool has only ONE bar running across the middle instead of several to support the weight. You know when you fall off the seat of your bike on the bar? It was kind of like that, but I was just trying to sit down. Needless to say, my hands pushed the cushion down into the open spaces on the sides of the bar & my bottom was surprised with the lack of surface area of the bar.

Cannon's great grandparents on the Myers' side

I felt badly that Cannon needed to be bribed with food to sit there for a picture. Great Grandma Myers loves to hold Cannon, but she is so little & Cannon is so big - I always worry he will break her. I should remember though that she is spunky & whips the centers for hand dipped chocolates each year which is quite a work out. She is probably much stronger than I think!

New Toys

I realized that I have been neglecting our blog, so I'm making up for it now. Here are some pictures of Cannon from this summer with his new toys (or his early Christmas if our house doesn't sell soon)!

I found this toy vacuum on craigslist & was so excited! A few of our friends in St. Louis had this toy & Cannon loved to play with it when we would visit them. It has been worth the $3. I wish the thing actually worked because Cannon uses it all of the time! It would help me in the battle against dog hair!

Another craigslist purchase. Cannon LOVES the slide. He would spend all day on the slide if we would let him. He cries when we bring him inside. We had to stay close for the first little while because Cannon didn't have the sliding motion down correctly - he would lean his head forward without scooting & the weight of his head would lead the way in not a very safe fashion. He now can climb up the side by himself & has mastered the scooting & sliding part!

Alex helping Cannon climb up the slide - another favorite aspect of this toy. He still needs help with this part.

Cannon likes to bring me toy animals & say 'disssss' which means he wants me to make the corresponding animal noise. I never knew a great part of my day would consist of neighing, mooing, barking, baaing, quacking, meowing, roaring, etc. The joy of being a parent!

March of the Ducks!

Way back in July, Alex, Cannon & I went to see the famous Peabody Ducks. The Peabody is a fancy hotel in downtown Memphis. Back in the 1920's, live decoy ducks were used in hunting. The owner of the Peabody & some of his friends got back from hunting & kicked back with the local beverage - Jack Daniels. In their inebriated state, they decided to put the decoy ducks in the lobby fountain as a joke. In the morning, the guys went down to the lobby & saw a huge crowd around the ducks. So in the American way, an idea to use this as a marketing ploy was born. A friend of the owners worked for Barnum & Baily Circus and said he could train the ducks to stay in the fountain, then at designated times march down the steps, shake off, walk to the elevator, & go to sleep on the roof overnight. This process would be repeated in reverse in the morning. The march of the ducks happens daily at 11am & 5pm.

Alex & Cannon in front of the Peabody

The Lobby fountain. It is a little difficult to see all of the ducks, but some are on the statue in the middle & some are swimming around in the water.

The whole family

The music begins & the ducks take to the steps.

The ducks shaking off at the bottom of the steps. Cannon thought this part was really funny.

The red carpet to the elevator.

Usually the viewers are allowed to go up the elevator to see the ducks' habitat on the roof, however, due to a tornado happening at the time we were not permitted up there.

Just as a side note, the tornado started AFTER we left the house (we aren't crazy). The radio reported the location of the tornado & we were in the same spot! Thank goodness we were kept safe!