Our September to remember started with a 10 day trip to Arizona. I hadn't visited Oma and Papa's house for over a year, so we were very excited to get there. We found very cheap tickets, and headed out the Thursday before Labor Day weekend. Jay did amazing in the airport and on the flight, as usual. A huge thanks to Grandpa Blaylock for taking us to the airport. Klaire was there to pick us up, and it was her first time ever to the airport by herself - brave! It was so great to see her. We had a bit of an adventure fitting all of our stuff in the trunk with Jay's stroller, but we got it all and headed for Pima. We stopped at In N' Out for lunch, which was a great break from the traveling, and a good start to the long drive ahead. It was wonderful to have the car time to visit with Klaire and catch up on all her adventures. Jay stayed awake most of the ride, and was overall a very happy traveler. Oma watched Jay while we attended self-reliance, which allowed us both to pay attention the whole time which was amazing.
Friday we really started our vacation. We played the Wii with Klaire, and she dominated us at tennis (all by herself) and at Mario Kart. I was impressed! In the afternoon, we taught Mom and Klaire how to play Up and Down the River and they taught us to play Chicken Foot. Both were super fun! Of course, we also went for a quick swim. That evening, Jay got to meet Uncle Jack, Betty Jane, Allen, Roxy, and Uncle Curtis for the first time. Woohoo! The kids loved holding him and were very intrigued that he couldn't talk. It brings my heart so much joy to see Jay with his cousins. I also loved seeing Jack play with Jay, he's so great with his kids and he treated Jay like one of the bunch. Kara, Seth, Ross, and Levi rolled in a little later so they missed meeting Jay that night.
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Lookin' cool and ready to swim
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| Hi Uncle Jack! |
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Oops...(good thing Uncle Jack is good at pretending)
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Meeting Betty Jane
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| Jay learning to share toys with Roxy, Betty Jane, and Allen |
Saturday we spent playing around and chatting, with a quick swim in the afternoon. I taught Betty Jane how to play SkipBo, which she picked up quickly. She loves games, and her rule for card games is that she has to be able to hold the cards in her hands...i.e. there can't be too many. We also taught her to play Chicken Foot which she really liked. Our swim in the afternoon was a lot of fun, it started to get windy and chilly so we didn't stay out as long as we might have. Papa also killed a baby rattlesnake. It was one of the tiniest I have ever seen, and so grateful it was dead and in a can. Ross was very intrigued, and wanted to show everyone as soon as they came outside. Uncle Seth was a champ, and worked with Jay on helping him learn to scoot. Jay was good at going backwards and rolling, but not super interested in moving forward so it was fun to see him progress with Seth's help.
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| Uncle Jack & Jay |
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| Betty Jane with Jay & Uncle Seth during a scooting workout session. |
Everyone went to church on Sunday, we took up two rows. In Colorado, they've been very strict with masks, they usher you to your seat, and they usher you out. In Arizona, you could sit on any available row and some people didn't even have masks. It's odd what we've become accustomed to these days. When we got home, Jack led singing time with the kiddos and Kara did sharing time. It made me feel like I was back in Primary. I loved it, and enjoyed singing along. Papa Ross came up for our Come, Follow Me discussion and dinner. It's always fun to see him, and I'm amazed at how well he's doing. I have some strong Grandpas!
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Ross, Roxy, M, and Allen enjoying a good pop out book
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Papa, Papa Ross, Me, Jay (Jay was very distracted)
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Monday was Labor Day, and the fun continued. We went swimming in the morning, and played Taboo in the afternoon. M, as a very popular uncle, didn't have much adult time. He was constantly being grabbed by Betty Jane to play a game, or Ross to be the lookout on his "pirate ship" in the basement, or tending to Jay. I was amazed at his energy and I love seeing how much our nieces and nephews love him. The weekend went all too fast, and everyone was out the door before dinner. It was certainly a quiet house when everyone left.
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Jay & Papa
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Jay loving his fun toys from Oma's, mainly the tub
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M learning to play Ross's game
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We continued to have a great week in Pima. I worked for several hours Tuesday and Wednesday, which turned out mostly okay because Oma and Papa were buying a new car which kept them fairly busy. M started reading "No More Strangers Please," which was one of my favorite books growing up. Oma took us on a golf cart ride to pick up the mail, Jay loved all the wind. We also got to go out to dinner with Oma and Papa at a new restaurant in Ft. Thomas called Meg's Place. I saw one of my high school friends there, which was fun. I feel like High School was so long ago, I hardly even know the people I spent 10 years of my life with...Oma encouraged me to say hello, so I did right before we left. M and I got to go on runs together in the mornings because we could leave Jay with Oma. It was wonderful. We had time to talk, and also time to be active and clear our minds for the day ahead. I love being in Pima, listening to only the trees rustle or complete silence when there is no wind. There's no place quite like it.
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| Oma & Jay having fun |
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Jay scooting!! Woohoo!
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Test Driving the new digs on the way to dinner
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Jay just started being a belly sleeper and is always in a new spot within minutes of being laid down.
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Thursday morning we headed to Kara and Seth's house. We were there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. When we arrived, Ross gave us the grand tour of EVERYTHING (even empty corners). He showed us plants, rocks, toys, everything there is in the Black's house. I loved seeing Kara's new home and her amazing touch for interior decorating. We had a great time going for walks in the morning and visiting throughout the day. Thursday evening we taught Kara and Seth how to play Up and Down the River. And, Friday, Kara watched Jay so M and I could go on a date to a nearby ice cream shop. It was nice to spend some time together. Klaire arrived Friday afternoon, and we watched Onward that evening and had a piggy party. I loved watching Kara's little boys play with Jay and keep him company. They also loved M, which isn't new. Saturday came all too quickly, but it made it easier to leave knowing we were headed to Jack and Lindsay's.
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The Blacks have lots of fun toys!
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Yummm!
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Ross, Levi, & Jay - talking about trucks
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We had a great weekend in Buckeye! As we were driving, Klaire gave us the lay of the land. Buckeye really is the farthest west I've ever been of Phoenix, other than driving through to Prescott or Vegas. Jay finally got to meet Aunt Lindsay which was really great! Jack and Lindsay's home was beautiful, I always enjoy being a guest there. Wherever they have lived over the past decade, I've always been one of the first to see their home, so this time around it was hard to be one of the last. In the afternoon, we started breaking out the strategy games. Last Christmas, we got 7 Wonders for Jack and Lindsay, but it's extra tricky to learn with two people so we started with that one. We played it a few times to make sure the rules stuck. Curtis took us in his nice work truck on a tour of Buckeye. Jack and Lindsay watched Jay, which was great. Curtis showed us where he works, the fields are so big and the machinery too. We also took a mini tour of their home and stopped at the local IGA that smelled like cat food. Jack grilled up some great BBQ, we had chips and queso and salsa. All so delicious! We played one round of Up and Down the River before Klaire and Curtis left, and then we finished the evening with a new game, Villainous. It's a Disney strategy game where you play the villain from the Disney classics. I barely won. Sunday we had church and shared testimonies. I loved hearing the whole family share and felt grateful to be there. Klaire and Curtis came in the afternoon, and we played more games with Betty Jane and wrapped the evening with great conversation and a delicious dinner by Lindsay. She even made gluten free biscuits, which was a big treat for me. One evening the kiddos were out riding their scooters, so I decided to join them. I forgot how bumpy those things are! Monday morning we packed up, played some more games with Betty Jane, and finally had to make the journey home. It was such a great visit! We loved seeing our Arizona family and felt so blessed to be able to come and visit. Jay did great on the way home, and my old co-worker Rachel picked us up and we had a great visit on the way home.
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Getting the grand tour
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Roxy Roo helping with the dishes
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SkipBo (Betty Jane, Jack, Lindsay)
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| Jay loves his Aunt Klaire |
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Traveling home, COVID style
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A few highlights happened for Jay while we were in AZ. First, he turned 9 months, woohoo! 9 months in, 9 months out is a real accomplishment. The entire time we were in AZ, he ate like a monster. We thought we had over packed food, but he ate all the formula we could give him and it still wasn't enough. He also cut his first tooth and started to scoot. Beyond scooting, he started to stand at his toy table with a little help and started to consider pulling himself up on things. Also, we had to size up his clothes when we got back! So many fun things! We sure love Jay.
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Such a better 9 months than the 9 months inside of Momma
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Sometimes all the toys are needed
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Watching Daddy was great entertainment
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Three little pumpkins provided by Aunt Kara - it's starting to feel like fall!
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| He loves to cross his ankles |
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| Standing with no help! |
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| One morning he just helped himself up on top of this tub, a big accomplishment! |
We had a busy week when we got back with registering the car, Jay's 9 month appointment, and the NBA Playoffs. M was beyond thrilled the Nuggets made it as far as they did, and he enjoyed watching them play. At some points it was pretty intense.
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Intense!!
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| And relieved. |
We also decided to try to find some bikes, as we found a really nice bike trailer on Facebook Marketplace. We went and rode several Trek bikes, but most of the sizes we needed were on backorder. With COVID, bike stores haven't been able to supply enough bikes. I found one I really liked, but the style was only available in Longmont. M went to another store later in the week and found one he wanted. We went to pick up my bike in Longmont, a week after I purchased it online. We had a great day in Longmont, including our first family bike ride which was a blast. We also got to go watch Kylee's soccer game, so fun! She and I played soccer against each other the whole morning to get her some practice.
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Go Kylee!
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Grandma and Grandpa Blaylock had us over for Sunday dinner one evening and we had a great visit! We feel so blessed to be close enough we can spend an evening and enjoy their company. I also made caramel rice crispy treats which are one of Grandpa's favorites.
The last note on September is about the callings we received. M got called to serve with the Teacher's quorum as their advisor and I got called as the first counselor in the Young Women's presidency. We are greatly looking forward to serving with the youth and feel blessed to be able to! I haven't really had a calling since last year, so I am looking forward to serving.
