Jase Loves a Good Stroller

There is something about strollers that Jase loves. We put him in one and he totally relaxes. We don't even have to be pushing it. He just likes to sit in it. Our neighbors often comment on how funny it is that he will just sit forever and totally chill while he watches the other kids play.

Yesterday when we got home from the store. I got Jase out of the car and headed into the house. He cried out a little and pointed to the stroller, so I sat him in it and proceeded to unload the car. When I was done and ready to come in, he would not let me get him out. I couldn't just leave him in a hot garage so I    wheeled him right in to the house. And there he sat, for a really long time while I put the groceries away and unloaded the dishwasher. He was perfectly content and I am considering making the stroller a permanent piece of furniture!

Grandpa's Pool

After the Reunion we headed down to my parent's house for a night and ff course we can't stop there without taking a dive in the pool, especially this time of year.

There are some very fun features that come with grandpa's pool. He has several waterfalls that are fun to play in. At least Kylie thinks so.

Jase wasn't too sure about this one

But he loves playing in this one

Kylie had a blast with uncle Adam and trusted him to throw her in the air more than Jeremy...he was offended!

 This picture looks like she is standing on this waterfall, but actually she is jumping off it.  

We also love the fire that warms us up and dries us off.

And Jase just liked pushing the chairs around...in the dark.

Felix Family Reunion

It's funny to call a get together with Jeremy's family a reunion because we all live fairly close to one another and get together whenever we can. But I guess this qualifies because we spend 4 days together about 7 hours away from home at my parent's cabin in Show Low, AZ. I was excited to take them and show them a place my family loves, but I was a little nervous though that we would run out of things to do. Show Low is a tiny town and when my family goes up there, we go to relax and get away, but I think we did manage to find fun things to do and all the kids seemed to have a good time. Kylie was super excited to  show her cousins the place and to bring her "other grandma and grandpa" up there.  

The first order of business is always introducing Massie to the group. Jase has seen Massie before, but this time he loved him. Every time (an I mean EVERY time) he saw him he would point and say "OOOOO" then laugh.

Our activities for the week included:

hiking and picnicking not too far away from the cabin

swimming at the local aquatic center.

Jase gave swimming, especially the slide a major thumbs up

Jeremy took him down once and he was hooked. He threw a fit anytime Jeremy would walk past and not get back in line. I think they went a million times!

We also celebrated Madi's 12th birthday on Thursday with cake 

Pizza

and tin-can ice cream that grandma prepared and the kids had fun rolling back and forth to each other.

Friday was spent riding the 4-wheelers

This was Jase's first time and he loved it. In fact he thought it was so great he fell asleep while riding.

We also played a mean game of kick-ball at a local park which we even got grandma to participate in. My team claimed victory, but I think the other team did also!

It's not a trip to the cabin without a fire and marshmallow roasting.

We enjoyed s'mores and camp fire talk.

Kylie had a blast with her cousins. These three girls were inseparable the whole time.

Jase and Ty discovered this little cubby and loved playing in it. As you can see their favorite game was diving head first into a pile of cushions. 

I think everyone had a good time hanging out, relaxing, enjoying the outdoors and being together. We really missed Zane, Olivia and Adella and wished they could have been with us. We've already starting throwing out ideas for the next reunion and can't wait for it!

Love Them

A LOT!

18 Month Check-Up

Today was Jase's 18 month check-up. He screamed more than either him or Kylie has ever screamed while getting shots. It was sad. He got three of them, but loved the sucker after. He's developing amazingly and the doctor isn't worried about his non-walking. He says that because he does take   several steps at a time it's not a concern that he doesn't want to do it all the time.  I guess I'm just impatient.  He's such a funny little boy. He says quite a few "words." They aren't totally clear, but I can understand what he is saying. He seems to understand what we says to him and is pretty good to obey. He has recent learned how to climb and I have a feeling he's going to be a crazy monkey. I am sure I will be pulling him off of everything!  He's kept me on my toes from the beginning and that certainly hasn't changed. I love this little boy and I am so grateful he is developing so well and he's healthy and happy...most of the time!

Happy Father's Day

to his guy. 

He works very hard and is a great example to us.

He is also very fun to play with

and loves spending time with us. We love him very much and think he is the best!

 Happy Father's Day to our Grandpa's too. We love them very much and are grateful for all they do!

P.S. Kylie was brave today and went up with the Primary kids and sang . That's how much she loves her dad!!

Mills Family Reunion

This weekend we spent some time with my mom's family at a family reunion in Joseph, Utah (ever heard of it? It's just outside of Richfield) We had a good time catching up with our aunts, uncles and cousins for a couple days. Unfortunately, just as we were about to walk out the door my mom called and said "Cedar City it freezing and I hear it's going to rain in Joseph" so I frantically repack all our bags, but poor Jase doesn't have a decent pair of pants that fit so we stop in Cedar on our way and the only thing we could find were long pants that were about 2 sizes too big. 

The kid was forced to hang out in his gangsta' pants.

They certainly didn't stop him from hanging with all the kids his age (and there were a ton)

And the dogs which he loved!!

Of course, swimming at the hotel was a hit

And there is nothing better than the "Jo-town" park

Kylie absolutely loved tie-dyeing shirts

And the kids games on Saturday were really fun.

Other highlights of the weekend included:

The family video

The giant vacuum Jase chased every time it was used

Hanging out with family

Cheese Puffs

And extremely high amounts of  candy from the "favorite Aunt Penny"

Swimming Lessons are Over

It's a sad day for us. Swimming lessons are over. Kylie had a blast the last two weeks learning how to swim. She passed all her techniques with flying colors and got the official paper telling us she can move on to the next level. It was super fun to sit on the edge of the pool and watch her as she confidently did her thing. Every time she did something amazing she would look over at me, I would give her a smile and a thumbs up and she would do the same back.  Today on the last day they turned on the big hydro-tube slide and let the kids go down a few times. Kylie thought that was awesome. She wasn't big enough to go by herself, but her teacher took her down a few times.

Jase was a good sport. He hung out with me in the blazing heat for the full 40 minutes each day,  usually guzzling his drink, Kylie's drink and wanting me to pour my drink into his cup as well. We all survived and I am sure we'll be back next year!

Jase and his Brushes

For weeks now Jase has been obsessed with two scrub brushes he found under the sink one day. He takes them everywhere he goes. He loves these brushes and I am not sure why. Then, as of yesterday, he has become very fond of one of my round brushes. If he doesn't have one he has another and more often then not he's got one in each hand. I think he's a funny little kid, I just wish he would put them to good use, such as scrub something that needed it!

Jase's First Day of Nursery

Well, technically today wasn't his first day, (I've taken him the last two weeks) but he's 18 months on Tuesday so today was his official first day, I guess. That boy crawled right into nursery and turned around and crawled right back out!! He isn't having any of it unless Jeremy or I are in there with him and even then he stays right at our feet. I am really surprised. I thought he would think he was in heaven with toys and snacks and a bunch of kids to play with, but I was wrong. It'll take some getting used to and hopefully over time he will get to know the teachers a little better and recognize the kids and it will be more comfortable for him. 

This was the best picture I could get because he is constantly moving! That's right folks, he's actually taking a step in this picture. He does that sometimes, but only for a few steps and then he's down. Someday he'll learn walking is a lot less effort then crawling!

As If Swimming Everyday at Swimming Lessons Wasn't Enough...

We decided to invite our friends down from Cedar to go to the Washington Rec Center with us.

Sadly this was the best picture I got of them, But Lincoln, Austin, Kylie and Jase had a blast playing in the water, sliding down slides and enjoying the sun.

When we first got there I sat Jase down on the chair and he just laid himself back and relaxed for quite awhile and watched everyone around him. Doesn't he look really long in this picture?

Kylie loved every second of being there. Last year she was too afraid of the slides and hated the big bucket that crashes down with water every few minutes, but not this year. She probably went down the slides a hundred time and didn't really mind the bucket too much either. It was so fun to watch her run around and love every minute of it.

She also whipped out her mad swim lesson skills and showed how to dunk our heads without plugging our nose.

Jase loved that the water was just the right depth for him. He was so content just crawling around and splashing. By far his favorite thing were the holes that squirt water. ( I am sure there is a technical name for them I just don't know what it is) Once he discovered those it was all over. He had a blast with them. He loved crawling through them and through it was so funny when they would squirt him right in the face.  He loves the water. I have to keep an eye on that boy. 

We had a really good time and hopefully we'll have a chance to go back a few more times this year.