Some Random (But Fun) Photos!

Here's a few of my fave new photos:

Mini Me



Best Buds!



Garrett is getting acquainted with power tools at an early age and has been a huge help at the shed/barn project!



We love visiting Aunt Paula and can't wait for her to get better and get home.



My sister Emily has been watching Garrett while I'm teaching for the next few months. Garrett and Gracie crack us up. They are little buddies and love to play together. Gracie is notorious for stealing Garrett's pacifier. It's hilarious! I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he'll learn how to fight back and then it should get really interesting. As it is now, he just laughs at everything she does and doesn't seem to mind sharing. Greg and I hope Garrett will always be such a good little sharer. (If that's even a word!)



Garrett has discovered his toes and life is good! Talk about cheap entertainment. He was going through a phase where he hated being in the car and driving anywhere was torture because he would just scream the whole time. I pretty much just avoided driving anywhere with him and had been shopping for a little light-up mirror or something I could put in the backseat to entertain him. One day as we were driving, I could hear him just laughing and cooing in the backseat--a welcome change from the screaming. When I stopped and got out to get him, I could see him wiggling his little toes back and forth and then he would laugh every time they moved. It was so cute! He has been mesmerized with his toes ever since and tries to eat them whenever he gets a chance.



And here is the reason Garrett is so glad Greg is home from his hunting trip. Yes my friends, that is a Twix bar! Greg told me Garrett was just sucking on the very end wasn't even getting anything. When we pulled it out of his mouth, all of the chocolate and the caramel was gone from about 1/4 of the bar. I was not impressed--but Garrett did get the biggest smile I've ever seen and it was pretty funny. I'm trying to explain to Greg that we're going to be in trouble --Garrett is going to have no use for carrots and peas now that he's had a taste of the good stuff!



Can you say sweet moves? I love this gal!

Welcome Home!

My baby brother Brett and his lovely wife, Chelsea, returned home Saturday after spending the summer in Alaska. Garrett wasn't even two months old when they left and didn't have many tricks, so it has been so fun watching him show off for Brett and Chelsea. They are the cutest uncle and aunt and the kids absolutely love them! We missed them so much and are so glad they are finally home.

Brooklyn LOVES Brett and Chelsea! I love this little clip of their reunion.

One other piece of good news--I just got off the phone with Greg and after a grueling week of hunting, he finally got an elk today! WAHOO! I actually really like elk meat, so this is very, very good news! Garrett and I have missed him and are anxiously awaiting his return tomorrow. We are so grateful for the big sacrifice he makes for our family to use his vacation time every year and go hunting. He hates every minute of it and it is pretty much torture for him, but he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our family. What a man! :)

Little Cereal Eater

The little G-Monster got to eat rice cereal for the first time tonight. Last week when we visited the doctor she asked how Garrett was sleeping and told me not to worry about feeding him solids until he started waking up again in the night. The kid must have great hearing, because he woke up Monday night and has not been sleeping very well ever since. (I realize this is relative--He's been waking up at 7 instead of 11 in the morning!) We'll see how he sleeps tonight.

Anxiously awaiting...



Hurry up already...



MMMM...Yummy!



Still trying to decide how I feel about this stuff...



Ready for more!



Of course, here's some video footage of the grand event. Garrett's buddy Kaleb came over to play and got to help.




Greg is going elk hunting this weekend so if all goes well, Garrett should be eating his first elk steak sometime next week. Stay tuned!

Big Boy with a Little Head

Garrett visited the doctor yesterday for his check-up. He weighs 18.02 pounds and is 27.5 inches long. This puts him in the 80th percentile for his weight and just shy of the 100th percentile for his height. BIG BOY! Somebody asked me the other day if he is ten months old--I just laughed and told her he was only 5 months. Neither the Petersens or Phillips are especially petite, so I guess it's to be expected. Interesting side note--his head is only in the 40th percentile--a phenomenom neither Greg or I understand because both of our families have very large heeds. Go figure!

He was such a big boy and didn't even cry when he got his shots. YEAH RIGHT! I learned yesterday that Garrett is indeed capable of sitting himself up. When the nurse stuck the first needle into his chubby little thigh, he pulled himself up off his back and shot straight up. It would have been pretty cool if he wasn't screaming his head off.

Now for my spiritual thought of the day...Taking Garrett in for his shots is something I dread as a parent. I absolutely HATE looking at him smiling at me on the table, cooing and giggling, just knowing in a few seconds I am going to be subjecting him to great pain. I feel as if I am totally betraying my sweet little boy. In fact, every time I take him in, I am so tempted just to tell the nurse not to give him the shots because I know they are going to hurt him. However, I know the pain is brief and protects him against the potential for much worse pain later on. I think of how awful I would feel if Garrett got something like polio, hepatits, or the measles because I am not strong enough to watch him suffer for a few minutes. It occurred to me that this must be on a small scale just how our Heavenly Father feels about us as His children. It must break His heart to watch us suffer through our own trials, knowing He could prevent them if He really wanted to. However, with His omnipotent understanding, He knows these trials are really strengthening us and making us better, stronger people. Taking away all of our pain and suffering is not the best thing for us and will not lead to the greatest happiness in the end. I think I am beginning to understand why Heavenly Father had to hide himself while His son, Jesus Christ, was atoning for our sins. In the grand scheme of things, Christ's suffering was for just a brief time and brought about the potential for eternal happiness for all mankind, but it was still hard for His Father to watch. We are so blessed to be children of a Heavenly Father who loves us enough to let us suffer, knowing it will ultimately bring us great happiness.

County Fair

We had a great time at the county fair and rodeo this past weekend.

Garrett got to ride a cow!



Garrett always loves hanging out with his girlfriend Karlie.



We had a blast watching Karlie and Braden show cows.




We entered a bale of our hay in the fair this year and won 2nd place! I was so excited. Greg was really hoping for first and according to him, "If you're not first, you're last," but I was very proud! Garrett just wanted to eat the ribbon--maybe next year it will be blue!

Of course, we had an awesome time at the rodeo Friday night. A horse my sister-in-law Chelsea trained was running the barrels and I caught this little video. This is for you, Chels!

My Short-Lived Retirement

As most of you know, I had decided not to return to work this year and have been so excited about it! Well, I got an interesting phone call from my old principal yesterday and have decided to return to school after all. She said that I was the most amazing teacher they had ever had and she offered to pay me 1 million dollars if I would please return and grace them with my presence.

Just kidding...a part-time teacher they had hired to teach English is pregnant and has toxemia and has been put on bedrest, so they are desperate for a teacher to start the school year until this lady has her baby and returns to school. It is only a part-time position, so my first class doesn't start until 10:30 and I can leave as soon as school is out at 2:40. I will teach through the first trimester at the very most, which ends in November. It all just depends on how early they have to take this teacher's baby. My principal had even called the lady who baby-sat her kids (who turned out to be one of my mom's good friends) and made arrangements for her to help with Garrett if we need it.

This should make for an interesting month or two! I was really looking forward to staying home, but I think of how good everyone at school was to help me when I was pregnant and I want to help. My principal arranged for me to have a student teacher during the final months of my pregnancy so I could get ready for my maternity leave, be off my feet more and just have less stress all around! When Greg got sick and Garrett came early, everyone at school really worked hard to pull everything together for me. My principal even visited me in the hospital to make sure I was okay and see how she could help. I have been so lucky to work with such great people! The next few months will be crazy, but it will hopefully go by quickly and then my "retirement" can really begin!

Bear Lake Weekend

We spent a wonderful weekend in Bear Lake with Greg's family. Eric came up Thursday to help Greg with the shed and then ride up to the lake with us. If you look closely, you will see that Garrett was absolutely thrilled to welcome his uncle with a little gift. Garrett's best barfing moments always seem to involve Eric in some way. Lucky for us, Eric is crazy about the little guy and is always a good sport!



Garrett loves to eat pretty much anything he can find.



We spent a lot of time at the cabin just watching Garrett and listening to his many stories! It always amazes me how a single baby can captivate an entire room of adults.



Garrett had a blast playing in the water with Grandma.



I LOVE this picture of his tiny feet in the sand.



Aunt Mal is so hot right now!



Josh (Greg's cousin) came over for a game of football on the beach. (Notice Greg's beach attire. He definitely came prepared for a full day of water activities!)




Garrett loved sitting in the water in his new little chair.




I had just dried off and had the brilliant idea to ask my darling husband for a picture. I thought it would be so cute to have a picture of us at the beach.



Anyone who knows Greg knows this was a big mistake...I ended up in the water with a mouthful of sand.



WATER FIGHT!!!




Mal and Garrett had a blast chillin on the bean bag.



The most wonderful experience of the whole trip: Greg got a new high score on his cell phone game. What a major accomplishment! I couldn't be any prouder.