The Great Hunt of 2012

After years of pining for it, months of planning for it, and weeks of talking about it, the Great Deer Hunt of 2012 is upon us. A quick disclaimer, all that above stuff is in reference to Nate. I do not hunt as I have had a couple of traumatic experiences as a child. Just ask my brothers. Anyways, the kids and I were excited to see family while Nate dreamed of shooting Bambi. We were extremely happy to learn  Clay and Heather, along with their sweet babes, would be there along with my little brother Tony. Unfortunately Cody, Joce, and the boys couldn't make it or the PS3 (Pehrson Scamps 3.0) would have been complete. It is so fun when these kids get together. Zane and Bryn were very eager to help Leila and Hudson with their "tummy time." Unfortunately for Leila and Hudson, this involved forearms and shoulder grabs. 

Every time I see this picture, it makes me smile. These two little precious things are a little under three months apart. It looks like Hudson could eat poor little Leila. Then again, Leila is so petite that Hudson would probably still be hungry.

Brynlee and Zane were inseparable. They had so much fun feeding the horses, playing in the dirt (a whole other post), feasting on "orange chips," making noise errr music I mean, and drawing on the sidewalk. 

Bryn and Zane are still both learning how to share toys as well as share their Grandma Steph. There were a few tears shed and only a couple of meltdowns which usually involved a certain red rocking chair. Throughout the weekend they both sought opportunities to sit in the coveted chair. Often times snacks were forgotten. The snacks just weren't worth risking the possibility of someone else sitting in the chair. Luckily, my mom has another little wooden chair that served as a nice back up referred to by Bryn and Zane as "the other one."

We also spent a good portion of our time at my grandparents house. These little hoodlums are so lucky to be surrounded by so many grandparents that think they are perfect little angels. As parents we can see through the facade of those adorable little exteriors and are fully aware of the mayhem and chaos those little angels are capable of. 

After visiting the grandparents, we decided to take the kids to the park so they could run around and get out some energy before heading back to the house. Bryn had a great time climbing up the slide and Zane's big grin was his stamp of approval for Bryn's shenanigans. The sun was starting to go down and the air got a little chilly, so Hudson was happy to just hang out in his carseat and perfect his spit-bubble blowing.

That evening we were all too tired for our fall festival. So instead of carving pumpkins and making carmel apples, the kids helped with some pre-rolled sugar cookies. And apparently in Grandma's kitchen anything goes as far as appropriate attire for eating cookies. I guess the no shoes/no shirt (or pants for that matter) policy doesn't matter if you are under the age of three.

After indulging in a sugar cookie, Heather felt it was necessary to burn off those extra calories. She grabbed the nearest heaviest object (Hudson) and then felt it was prudent to grab Leila as well to act as a counter balance. Poor Leila worked up a sweat and therefore needed a bath. Oh, and please ignore Hudson's jammies. He is growing like a weed, and we have a hard time keeping his gangly ol' legs covered.

The house was much more quiet Sunday afternoon when Clay, Heather, and their kids left for Phoenix. Because Zane was no longer there to keep her company, Bryn turned her attention to Grandad. He graciously relinquished control of the television and let Bryn and all her "friends" watch The Lion King. 

While Grandma Steph taught kindergarden, the kids and I did our best to keep busy. After playing the morning away, we went and brought Grandma a picnic lunch at school. Bryn was too enthralled with all the posters and toys around the room that she couldn't even concentrate on her lunch. Since then, she has been asking me when she can start "going to kindergarten."

Oh. What about the hunt you ask? Nate shot a small buck early Monday morning but after a couple of hours of trying to track it, they were unable to find the deer. However, my Grandad graciously offered Nate his deer to cut up and take home. There's nothing like having a deer carcass stuffed into some coolers in the back of your car. That makes for a fun trip back to Salt Lake. And finally here he is, the mighty hunter. In a world of tight jean wearing feminine men, Nate is most definitely a man's man, and I wouldn't have it any other way.