Storms

As far as weather goes there are a lot of things I don't miss about Iowa hot humid summers, cold icy winters, tornados and floods but one thing I do miss are the amazing thunderstorms. Scary yet so much fun. Last Friday we finally got a great storm in Wyoming that didn't involve wind. It doesn't really compare to Iowa but it was still fun.

In between the rain we had a BBQ that ended with a failed attempt at getting pictures of the lightning.

But I did get some pictures of the crazy sky and Maven of course.

One of my favorite things...

is Hiking...

I love being outdoors and challenging myself to a good hike especially when there is something rewarding to see at the end such as a great view or an interesting landmark.

While Brad is working Maven and I take advantage of beautiful hiking days with friends. This is Split Rock it is a 4 to 4 1/2 mile hike depending on which route you choose. It goes around the beautiful falls. The first time I did this hike was about a month after Maven was born and I let Brad pack the kid but this time I had the pleasure of packing him up. (check it out here)

Good thing about this hike is you get the hard steep part out of the way at the beginning while you are still fresh.

I look forward to a lot of great hiking days this summer.

First Camping Trip of the Year

This was Maven's second camping trip. And all I have to say is it was a lot easier taking him camping at 4 weeks old than 9 months.

He was always trying to get down and crawl around but as soon as we put him down he would find something to put in his mouth. So I couldn't ever take my eyes off of him.

But we all had a good time so hopefully he will get out of this stage of putting rocks, sticks and everything else in his mouth soon so we can enjoy another trip. We are hoping to enjoy some camping and fun in Arizona while Brad is rotating down there in August and September. I'm feeling home sick for Anasazi.

Maven hanging out with Dad

Brad is finally on his last rotation here in Casper and in just a few weeks we will no longer be living out of a hotel. He keeps pretty busy but whenever we get a chance we like to get out and take Maven to parks and fun places around Casper. One of our favorites is Ayres Natural Bridge (see Maven's first visit here)

WE LIKE TO LET MAVEN PLAY ON THE GROUND

BUT IT USUALLY RESULTS IN US PULLING THINGS OUT OF HIS MOUTH

MAVEN LOVES GETTING OUT BUT MOSTLY HE LOVES BEING WITH HIS DAD

THIS KIND OF SOUNDS FUNNY BUT MAVEN LIKES TO WHISTLE,

THIS IS THE FACE HE MAKES AND WHEN HE DOES THIS EVERY TIME HE BREATHS IN HE WHISTLES. IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE WHISTLING WAS COMING FROM BUT IT'S PRETTY FUNNY. MY KID IS SO TALENTED

AND YOU CAN'T HANG OUT WITH DAD FOR VERY LONG

BEFORE YOU GET THROWN IN THE AIR

We have lots of great pictures from the last few weeks and a lot we've been doing so hopefully I can get caught up on the blog before everything gets crazy again.

Enjoying Unemployment

Now that I'm unemployed I've had lots of time to enjoy being with Maven and when Brad's not working it's even better.

We enjoy...

hanging out with friends (Maven loves Caitlyn and is going to miss her when she moves in a few days.)

Long Boarding by the River (hold on)

Splashing in the Pool (we will be here a lot the next few weeks)

and Eating popsicles at the park while waiting for Dad to get home

We go on lots of walks and when the Wyoming wind picks up and we can't be outside we schedule play dates with Maven's friends.

I could really get used to this stay-at-home mom gig. I absolutely love it.

For those of you who haven't heard our plans yet...we don't have any so that's probably why. What we do know is in 4 weeks we move out of the hotel and say goodbye to Casper WY then head back to Des Moines for 1 week so Brad can take some tests. Then that is when the adventure begins. We are still waiting to hear back from a few places where Brad would like to do audition rotations and as soon as we know for sure Maven and I will finalize our plans. So until then we will be enjoying SUMMER and living life one day at a time.

Party Time

Today was my last day of work and of course I would have loved to do something to celebrate but Brad is working in the ER all night so instead Maven and I are pigging out on PIZZA.

And YES Maven ate most of that.

THE MOVE

On May 28 we moved out of our apartment on May 29 we drove to Idaho unloaded our stuff at The Bean Ranch and enjoyed a couple of days with family. (I'll update on that later) And by June 1 we were back in Casper and Skyler Inn was our new home.

Considering how spread out we are going to be over the next year I would have liked to have things a little more organized. I was gradually getting things packed and ready and my last day of work was May 25 giving me a few days to have everything organized as far as what stays in the extended stay hotel, what is in storage for the year and what we will need throughout the year, but that didn't happen.

Two weeks before the move Maven got sick it wasn't too bad just a low fever, runny nose, and some other cold symptoms that only lasted 2-3 days then Brad got it and then I got it within a week it had cycled through us all and I thought we were in the clear when suddenly we all got worse. Maven started getting croup that turned into a weezing cough, and an even worse cold than before and we all got sick again so my two days set aside for packing ended up being days spent at the doctors office and giving Maven breathing treatments. Not to mention I had to turn down everyone's offers to watch Maven while I packed since he was sick and not allowed to be around kids. So needless to say I put something in a box and Maven took it out. And I don't count on being able to find anything I need over the next year.

MAVEN HELPING MOM

MY DAD'S INCREDIBLE TRAILER HE

FINISHED BUILDING JUST IN TIME FOR THE MOVE,

IT WAS PERFECT AND MADE THE MOVE PRETTY SLICK

Hotel living has it's pros and cons, It's a lot cheaper than our apartment thanks to Wyoming Medical Center discount Brad gets, we get free internet and don't have to pay for utilities and I don't have to clean. Since it's a small space Maven and I have to plan a few outing for the day so we don't feel too cramped but we would have done the same thing in our apartment since it wasn't all that grand either.

Big Boy Haircut

We have lots to catch up on so we'll get there a little at a time.

On April 28 we took Maven in for a big boy haircut he's had his wings trimmed down by mom a couple of times but this was the first full blown haircut which was badly needed since his hair was getting in his eyes, we didn't want him looking like a girl.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

What a handsome boy we have and since that hair cut was over a month ago he almost needs another one.