Austin's Detroit Trip & Spontaneous Vacation

Yet another post that my husband could probably do justice to much better than I. One of the flaws of the blog is that it is done mostly from my (Amy's) perspective. I guess everything on it is pretty biased (which is why maybe there are so many pictures of our adorable little distraction).
In short, Austin got word that the house we (along with the Dopp's) own in Detroit was broken into. At first we were very worried because it sounded like it had really been stripped. A nice neighbor helped us by checking out the house and boarding up the broken door until Austin could get there. He ended up going to visit from Tuesday until Friday. Cadence and I really missed him! It turns out the house was not as bad as we had thought. He spent some time with some friends of ours who just moved there, and some of my family (thanks Mosley's, Welch's, & Hornung's for taking care of him). Best of all, he had a great time fixing up the damage with my Uncle Wade!
We had planned the night Austin was coming home to go see his cousin Julia and her husband John in their production of Savior of the World. Not wanting to drive all the way to Provo, then back up to Bountiful, I was equally dreading staying in Salt Lake with a nursing infant. We were on our way to find the regional center and I said to Austin something to the effect of wanting someday to go on a trip like this and just get a hotel to stay the night. I also mentioned something about buying bathing suits...
After about another hour, he was convinced! Our spontaneous little vacation was great! We ended up in a Best Western just a "stone's throw" away from the regional center. We all got cute new bathing suits (I love mine and we found one for Cadence!). It was a blast, especially after having been apart that week. We had a great time at the show (If you haven't seen Savior of the World, make plans too. It is a wonderful testimony of the Savior's birth and resurrection - very moving)! Cadence slept perfectly in the pull out couch bed in the room (a full size bed to himself) and he LOVED swimming in the pool. He is a natural floater.
We had a great time! It was a refreshing little break for us! Maybe we need to be spontaneous a little more often... :)

Discovery!

He finally did it! This week, Cadence has discovered his hands and feet are his own. He has started grabbing toys, pulling off his socks, and even on occasion just staring at his hand. It's been so much fun to watch him. From his bouncer to his new car seat toy (which we snagged for free at our ward swap) he has had those hands going constantly. We pulled out the Baby Einstein Activity Center he got for his baby shower (from the Gardner ladies - thanks!) and he loves it!! When he was first in it, he was so happy he could stand my himself, then he realized there were more toys than the toy in front of him and he could MOVE to get it! It was fun watching him discover.

Bath Time!

Cadence has had a lot of fun at bath time, especially since he figured out how to kick his legs! It's cute now, but you know in just a short time I'm going to have to be careful what I wear to his bath (a bathing suit maybe?) We are gearing up for summer swimming! He is so much fun!

BBQ because...?

Get ready...
Get set...
GRILL!!!

We love to BBQ at our house & this was the first of the season! It started as kind of a surprise birthday party, but then I decided not to throw one. We had already invited some family, so we did not renounce the invitation, but decided to invite everyone in Austin's Elder's Quorum Presidency. So it ended up this quasi b-day, Elder's Quorum BBQ, that I really just think is a BBQ because WE LOVE IT!

Jon & Taylor came all the way from Logan and ended up staying for the weekend.

Jeff (EQ secretary) & Trina Weeks are expecting a baby boy in July!

Brandon (EQ 1st Counselor), his wife Erin, with their son Evan will be moving to Kentucky soon!

Jaylyn & Sadi came down from Midvale. We love having them so close!

...and to top 'em all Chad (EQ 2nd counselor) (with his wife Ashley & daughter Kate) came and Chad performed this amazing trick! We all had a really good time!!

So if you're looking for a good time BBQ just because!

Austin's 25th Birthday

I have to admit, it wasn't too exciting this year. Austin got his present early, picked it out himself, and it wasn't a surprise. Of course, turning a quarter-of-a-century kind of made Austin feel old (I don't even want to think about getting there at the end of the year) so maybe the down play was good this year.

We did end up at Tucanos for lunch - yummy Brazilian BBQ (though we both agree it's better in Brazil).

My favorite is the grilled pineapple (YUM!) but only if it's still hot. Cadence actually slept the whole time, which shocked me because it was so loud! We were pretty full after the meal, but I still had a sweet tooth. The desserts are HUGE!! so we asked the waitress if I could get a "birthday sundae" and she brought one out for no extra charge!

It was a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Republican Convention

I have been waiting awhile to put this post up, mostly because I can't do it justice. Austin knows much more about the political process. Alas, he is a busy guy and hasn't gotten around to doing it. So here is my full-hearted (but really not do it justice) effort.
Our friend Matt Thompson ran at this convention for Utah County Republican Party Secretary. We spent (well mostly Austin) a lot of time sending emails, making phone calls, sending letters, etc. to help with his campaign. We had a lot of fun and were really happy when it was over (only because it was exhausting)! Matt & Elise, to show their appreciation, took us to Jose Veras for dinner that night.

Cadence got a lot of comments during the convention. He really did a good job being a happy baby. Most people loved the outfit choice for the day!

Anytime someone would comment on his outfit, he would start talking to them (his own little campaign trail).

One guy even said "Starting them kind of early don't you think?" I hope our kids from a young age learn to love their country and be involved (though I must say I am still learning myself).