Much needed vacations

It has been so long since I've updated that i've found myself avoiding taking more pictures because I know that it means that many more to add to my blog, and I just feel so short on time these days.... SOOO because I don't want to stop taking pictures of these many amazing moments that seem to be flying by, I decided I had no choice but to update my blog! SOO bear with me as this will be the long post :-) A lot has happened since November!! I think I will just do November and December for now. January and House Update coming soon :-)

November:

 Connor thought kissing through the screen was hilarious :-) This is before we got snow!

After we got snow, we bundled up and went outside to experience it :-)

Then Connor went inside and crashed! (this was actually after going to visit the new house)

We did some baking (well we started some holiday baking, but before I completed any of the receipes Connor came inside from playing with a bloody finger, SOO to the Clinic we went (it was too jagged to suture so they cleaned and splinted it and said to keep it that way until it healed... Which I thought was going to be impossible, but after about a day of getting used to it, Connor didn't want to be without the splint! I am sure it felt better... Poor Guy!

Connor and I flew, AGAIN! Connor is a PRO, and I'm getting good at weather deays, being stranded overnight, diversions to different airports etc... yeah you get the point! This trip we went to Boise to visit my family and for a few Norwex parties. Connor is OBSESSED with airplanes right now by the way!

Grama and Connor found these tractors just a few buildings down from Papa's shop, Connor tried EVERY One :-)

We helped move Nicole's Uncle into his new apartment, and he lives right on the lake, so of course Connor wanted to feed the geese!

They ate right out of our hands!

Connor loved this stick, I think he took it home!

We went to visit Papa when he was working on his plane... OF course Connor didn't want to leave :-)

He even offered to help!

It was Helicopter training day so we got to watch several of them very close by! Connor and Grandma watching them land..

Jeremy finally got his much needed vacation time after working 6 10's for 6 months!! SOO a hunting he went :-)

First he spent 6 days in Washington hunting, he shot a smaller whitetail just in time, as he had to leave for Montana.

 
Connor was very intrigued with Daddy's deer. Now anytime we talk about looking out the window for deer, he says "dadda" :-)

Jeremy spent almost a week in Montana with a friend also named Jeremy :-) Jeremy B ended up having to work on the day Jer shot his buck, so it was just Jer and Jeremy's son Body who were hunting when Jer shot this dandy White Tail, He is getting this one mounted, which is a good thing because we will have plenty of wall space in the new house :-)

After Jeremy finished hunting in MT, he met up with Nicole, Connor and Nicole's family in Hawaii for Thanksgiving. 

Our little Family

Grandma and Grandpa Yagues

Yagues Family

Brian and his girlfriend Jaylin were able to come to Hawaii for the weekend, this is them goofing off :-)

Jeremy sporting his hunting beard, playing in the sand with Little Man

He was in love!

He LOVED the water :-)

I guess falling in the sand doesn't hurt :-) Or maybe I missed something here... hmm

We went to North Shore for the afternoon, and you can't go to North Shore without stopping at Matsumotos Shave Ice! Connor agreed :-)

What a beach babe!!

Mom and Connor enjoying their shave ice

This isn't the orignial life guard shack, but I have many photos of the one that used to be in this exact spot over the years, so for the sake of family history :-) I had to get one with my baby!! This was a very sad day at the beach for us, as our Auntie and Uncle who owned a bed and breakfast right on this beach, where we came almost every year growing up, are moving, so it was almost like we were saying goodbye officially this time :-( Lots and Lots of AMAZING family memories in this sand :-)

Connor thought it was pretty  funny to get buried in the sand then be pulled out.. we did it several times :-)

Jeremy about to pull Connor out of the hole!

Connor and Uncle Brian being silly!

We rented a house in Ko'Olina, a different part of the island than we were used to, and even though we weren't steps from the beach like we've been spoiled to know, we all admitted that the golf cart for transport to and from the beach was pretty awesome! Connor especially enjoyed it! (plus no in and out of a car seat)

Playing with his favorite person of the trip.... PAPA!!

Watching the sunset (or the airplane flying over) But his look was about how relaxed we all felt this evening too!

Love those footprints :-)

Building sandcastles, they usually didn't last long!

Giving papa sand, he loved the feel of it in his hand :-)

 
This picture might seem out place for Hawaii, but Connor spent a lot of hours here with a game he came up with that kept us all very entertained, he would toss this little rubber ball at the TV area until it landed on the shelf under the TV, then it either rolled off back to him, or he had to ask one of us to get it, but he got the biggest kick out of getting the ball into such a small space, and he liked our reaction :-)

Funny video of another fun thing Connor discovered with the red rubber ball:

The unforgettable part of our trip, this golf cart!

Our good friends Dustin and Brookney (She  grew up in Hawaii) were visiting for their anniversary, so we had them over one night for dinner and took them to the airport...

After Jeremy, Brian and Jaylin left, Nicole and Connor stayed a few extra days with Grandma and Papa.. we went to a very nice dinner on the golf course.... 

 
The amazing view from our table...That is the moon reflecting on the water. We had a very nice trip and we as well as hopefully Connor will take many memories from it. O yeah, and going home, Nicole and Connor got stranded in San Fransisco overnight........ Won't forget the chaos and emotion with that one :-) Connor did considerably well though, he kept his composure better than me in a lot of ways!

December:
When I think back to December, I have to admit, it was an absolute WhirlWind for us!! We received an offer on our house not long after we got home from Hawaii, and the new owners wanted us to be moved out by Chirstmas, SOOO we got busy. The plan is that we would keep our garage as storage until the new house is done, so that part was VERY helpful, then we just had to decide what we needed to take up to Nancy's. We are currently living in her basement until our house is done being built, which we are thinking realistically will be May sometime. Our contractor says end of March, but we aren't holding our breath...  We did manage to sneak away for a quick weekend in Sun Valley with the Yagues side of the family for a little reunion. Jeremy was also VERY busy in December, along with moving, doing the electrical on our house... and with as cold as it was, it wasn't exactly fun :-) Here are a few photos I managed to snap from December.

Connor is really good at stacking blocks, he did this whole stack himself :-)

 
Sun Valley Idaho
My Aunt Donalee rented an incredible house so that Nicole's Dad's side of the family could all get together. We had an awesome weekend... after our little travel mishap happened (we were supposed to fly right into Sun Valley, Mom and Dad left Boise early enough they could pick us up, then because of fog, we could land in Sun Valley, so they diverted us to where...BOISE.. then we got to ride on a bus with everyone from the flight.... it was very inconvenient... So going home we just rented a car and changed our flight to go out of Boise..

Connor enjoying a snowman "peep" from Great Grandpa and Grandma

Opening presents

The audience :-)

A TONKA truck!

 Donalee rented out the bowling alley for us, This was us walking there. Connor with mom and papa..

Connor and Grandma Bowling

Connor and Papa bowling

Connor and Aunt Donalee bowling

Nicole's cousin Derek and his youngest daughter Harper

Connor, Harper and Adley holding the stuffed animals that Grandpa Scott (Nicole's Dads twin brother) won each of the kids...

Derek with Harper and Grandpa Scott with Adley riding a motorcycle game

Connor on the motorcycle.... good thing it's only a game!

Great Grandpa Don bowling!!

Connor and Harper holding hands with Papa and Grandma... 

They are sooo cute holding hands :-)

We went on a sleigh ride that ended with dinner (it was slightly disappointing and the dinner was VERY slow, which with little ones isn't good) but we still had a great time :-) Connor eating bread with Papa and Nana

 
Brian, Derek, Donalee and Adley and Harper (asleep)

Our family

GGpa and GGma Yagues

Scott and his wife Debbie and Donalee

Christmas
We had planned to be an Nancy's for Christmas, and now that we are living here, it was more like "staying home" :-) Braden and Clayton both were home for a few days too.

This was acctually taken an our old house a few days before we moved out

 
Connor was outside helping uncle Braden shovel snow, but he wanted to say Hi, so we opened the window, and he peeked in through the screen :-)

Grandma Nancy got a new puppy for an early Christmas Present, Her name is Veronica Lodge or "Ronnie". She's a sweetheart, other than the puppy bites, Connor loves to cuddle and play with her..

Playing outside with Uncle Braden and Duke...

Wearing some of the bows :-)

Connor with his Draggoo Uncles

He spilled Ronnie's food, so he sat down and fed her by hand..

Connor and Grandma with the 4 dogs, our two and her two.Georgie wasn't doing well around Christmas so Nancy had her put to sleep early in January.. Very sad day :-(

Connor and Ronnie playing!

Connor and Uncle Clayton playing the piano

Jeremy was busy with electrical and because of New Years Eve falling on a weeknight, Jeremy didn't feel like he could be away but Connor and Nicole did drive south to Waterville to spend the evening with our good friends and their kids. While there, Justin showed Nicole and Connor his newest experiment, a Beagle and lab pulling a dog sled :-) Connor thought it was a lot of fun, it just took a lot of running by the adults to keep the dogs motivated to run......

I think I have to stop there... for my sanity and your sake! Thanks for taking the time to read our LONG blog post.. The next one, coming soon, will be the update on our house and photos from January! Until then :-) Happy 2013.....  (a month late)