Nash's Goal in 2010

I decided for Nash that his goal for 2010 would be to walk. He has physical therapy 3 times a week now, so hopefully it won't be too much longer. I think the biggest hang up we have is that it's my goal and not his. I know I might long for the days of scooting when he's running everywhere and I can't catch him, but my back is telling me its time! He's getting good at cruising around the coffee table and the couches, he hasn't taken any steps on his own yet but he is so close! Just a little more strength, balance and confidence and he'll probably skip walking and go straight to running! This first picture is of the pictures his therapist at Jump Start gave me. (I don't have a scanner) He loves bouncing on the little trampoline, and balancing on the donkey ball thing he doesn't love so much but he's a good sport about it.

These next two pictures are of Nash at Tumble Time with his therapist Amy (dark pink shirt, not sure who the girl in the light pink is, she was shadowing Amy) Nash loves Amy, she has been working with him since we moved here, almost 2 years now! She comes to our house on Monday mornings and then we see her again at Tumble Time on Wednesdays. She only works with kids in the infant toddler program, so we will really miss her when Nash turns 3 this summer.

2010 will bring a lot of changes for our little Nash. He'll turn three this summer and be eligible to start public pre-school this fall. At first I thought I would like to keep him home at least another year, he's so cute and little. I love having him close by and Brynlee will be jealous if he gets to go to school first. But now that I've seen how much he is enjoying the Jump Start program I'm thinking maybe I need to not be selfish and let him start school in the fall. He loves socializing, he is surrounded by amazing people (the other kids and the adults who work with them), he is learning so much and it gives him something constructive (vs destructive!) to do in a safe structured environment. So we'll see how it goes...I'm sure Nash will be fine with it, its me I worry about!

Here's a short little video of the big boy from Tumble Time yesterday!

Sledding

Before sledding...

and after!
They were two little frozen icicles but they didn't mind!

Brady was every bit as excited about the snow as the kids. He called home from work twice just to make sure the snow hadn't melted off the road, then he came home early so they could get out before it got too cold!

Our little big boy

Ridge weighed in at 14.5 pounds and is 24 inches at his 2 month checkup today. He is such a sweet little butterball! We sure love him!

Pictures in December

Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

Visiting Santa at the ward Christmas party. At this party Brynlee told Santa that she wanted a pet hamster but then a week later she told me she wanted a Suds and Surprise Dora instead. I was excited (who wants a hamster!) so I said "Alright, I'll tell Santa to scratch the hamster off his list." Last night Brady was making a video of Brynlee, asking her about Christmas, and she kept saying, "I hope Santa itched the hamster and brings me a Dora." Brady was confused, he had no idea why Santa would be itching the hamster, but I knew what she meant. Scratched, itched, its all the same!

We had a fun time at my parents while Brady was Buffalo hunting.

Ashlyn, Grandpa Allen and Ridge

We have to take advantage of all the snow we get here in Boise, since we don't get much.

Brynlee has been waiting all winter for a chance to "shugle".

I didn't want Nash to rip a hole in his snowpants from scooting, so he had to ride in the wagon. It's going to be a whole different ball game when he starts walking!

Smiley the baby!

Ridge is such a happy little guy. I have a hard time getting things done around the house because its always more fun holding my little snuggle worm, he is such a sweet amazing baby.

Santa's lil' helper

Nash's therapist Amy, always comments on what a good problem solver Nash is so I had to take these pictures for her. Nash kept wanting to play with Ridge and hold him. I needed to get some things done so I brought the bassanet out in the front room to put Ridge in for his saftey. Nash still wanted to see him, so the smart little guy got the stool from the bathroom out and climbed up.

Brady's Buffalo Hunt

Early this year I found out that I drew a once in a lifetime cow buffalo tag for the Henry mountains in Southern Utah. It was the first time that I've put in for that tag and the odds for me to draw were 1 out of 107 as a non resident. I was surprised to say the least when I found out I drew. We drove down on Sunday afternoon which turned out to be an event in and of itself. It took us almost twice as long as we originally thought due to weather and running out of gas, yep you read that right. The only thing we forgot was a gas can. Luckily my Father in Law, Mike and my cousin, Jake were with me to help throughout the trip. After getting some sleep on Sunday night we made our way to the mountain on Monday to learn the road system and do some scouting. After only a few hours we quickly learned that snow was going to be a factor. The previous weekend it had snowed 8-12 inches throughout the mountain which really limited where you could drive. Luckily we brought a snowmobile down.

About 10:30 that morning we spotted our first buffalo. It was a group of 4 that was in a pretty remote area on the mountain. We watched them for a while and determined that it was two sets of cows and calves. Pretty exciting seeing my first buffalo to say the least. After seeing some absolute monster deer that afternoon we decided to split up. Around 4pm Jake got on the radio and said he had a herd of 19 buffalo spotted. I made my way over to where he was and watched this herd the rest of the evening.

Opening day came early. We made our way to the mountain where we had plans to see if we could get on the herd we watched the night before. After almost a 2 hour hike through snow, deep ravines and some steep ridges we found ourselves on top of a ridge glassing for the herd. After a few minutes of glassing we found what we were looking for, only they had moved up to a higher elevation. We ended up leaving Mike on the ridge to keep an eye on things and Jake and I started our way toward them. The day was bright and sunny but that didn't make the walking/hiking any easier. We had to drop off the mountain and back up the other side to make it to where we would be in position. By the time we got in position I started asking myself how we were ever going to get this thing off the mountain. Overall it was 3 1/2 hours from the time we left the truck to when we were in position.

Now the fun begins. I ranged the herd at 310 yards. I am shooting a 7mm Ultra Mag. I could see 3 cows that looked like good representative animals. The only problem is there was a tree branch blocking my way for a clear shot. My plan was to wait it out until they got up to feed out. Before long, the buffalo started to all stand up and feed. The first two cows made it into the trees without presenting a shot, but the 3rd one made a mistake. As she came into an opening I took the shot. It felt good but it didn't sound good. The herd made their way around the hill and it didn't appear that any animal was hurt. We made our way over to where they were and there was no blood. I missed. There's no other way to say it. I felt disappointed and upset with myself. I was not looking forward to the long hike back to the truck, but I did find some peace of mind knowing that it was the first day of the first morning. There was still time.

The second day was uneventful. We did see buffalo, but they were on the move and we never could catch up to them. I spent six hours on a ridge glassing that day and saw 11 mature bucks. 3 of which were pushing if not over the 30" mark. I did watch a bull make its way across the side hill 650 yards away, but he was alone. It was a tough day and I couldn't help but think back to the opportunity I blew as I was making my way off the mountain that night.

After a good meal and a hot shower that night, we all felt good about our prospects for the 3rd day. The plan was to go very low in the morning and glass into the deep canyons below mount Pennell. The plan paid off. Two hours into the morning glassing session I spotted a black speck in one of the box canyons below Pennell. I put the spotter on it and sure enough it was a buffalo. As I looked closer more buffalo started coming out of the woodwork. All in all we spotted 11 buffalo on the side of this canyon. We made plans to get up there which included taking the wheelers up as far as we could go, then doubling up on the snowmobile to make it to the end of the trail. From there we started side hilling the mountain to get to the buffalo. The hike was just over two miles to get into position. As we started getting to where we could see the buffalo we found that the ravines we had to cross that didn't look to bad from down below were now mini canyons full of drop offs and lots of ledges. After navigating for 2 hours we finally found ourselves 700 yards from the animals. The only problem was they were making their way deeper into the canyon out of sight. We continued to close the distance but lost sight of the buffalo. The excitement started to build as we inched our way closer. As we made our way to where the buffalo were located the cedars started to get thicker. Before too long I could only see 40 yards max. I continued to work my way through knowing at any moment I could come face to face with a buffalo. As I made my way through we came across a rock outcropping that gave us a vantage to see some distance. Jake and I decided that this rock outcropping had to be put there when the earth was formed for us because it was perfect. As I peered over the other side of the rocks the entire herd was there, 125 yards away, and they had no idea we were there. The wind was perfect and the table had been set. After glassing the herd for a few minutes I had my buffalo picked out. The first shot rang out. Once again it felt good only this time it also sounded good. The buffalo started to make its way downhill before I took my second shot. After the second echo faded I had my once in a lifetime buffalo on the ground.

Overall the hunt was better than I ever could have imagined. I've grown to have a deep respect for these animals and their ability to avoid hunters and get into areas that are remote. It was one of the most challenging hunts I've ever been on both physically and mentally.

It took us a day and a half to get her off the mountain. The first and heaviest load was done by headlamp that evening.

I appreciate Andrea letting me take the time to be outdoors. I also want to thank Mike and Jake for being there through the entire adventure.

Brady

Merry Christmas

We wish you a very merry and peaceful Christmas!

three little monkeys

Who wouldn't be happy waking up to these sweet faces every morning?

With all the head rubbing Ridge receives its a small miracle he has any hair at all.

If Bryn holds Ridge, Nash wants him. If Nash holds him, Bryn wants him. Amazingly, Ridge never cries when they're both pulling on him trying to get him in their laps. I think he's just happy to be so loved.

I love it when they find a way to share!