Pioneer Day

For Pioneer Day, our stake had a fun activity on Saturday morning. We went on a pioneer trail where we got to hear stories of pioneers that were related to members of our stake. I volunteered to help with some sewing for this part, so I was super excited to see my aprons in action.
Next we ate some breakfast and played some games. Shelby was really good at the bean bag toss game. She would carefully pick up the bean bag and then walk over and climb up onto the wooden frame. Then she would place the bean bag in the hole. Amazingly, she got all of her bean bags in the hole.
I think she liked the cow pie toss the most. Basically, there were cow pies everywhere and you could just throw them in the buckets. Of course Shelby preferred to walk them over to the bucket and throw them in. I wasn't sure that this game was teaching her something I wanted her to learn. I already have a hard enough time keeping dirt and rocks out of her mouth while we are outside.
I did feel that whoever made the cow pies did a really good job. I felt that they looked pretty authentic. I applaud the ingenuity and the use of spray foam insulation and spray paint. If you ever need fake poop - this is the way to go.

Shelby's BFF

This is Danny's cat. Shelby thinks it is the best thing since sliced bread. She is fascinated with this cat and follows it everywhere. Sometimes she doesn't quite understand that the cat isn't excited to have its tail pulled or its feet stomped on. It is a good thing that the cat has previously been tortured by Danny and is somewhat tolerant of such behavior.
Shelby got to play with Bengals the cat 2 days in a row while Kelly and Danny completed a yard project at Danny's house. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way that I am quite allergic to the cat and Shelby is mildly allergic to the cat.
As much fun as it was to have the dripping nose and watery, swollen eyes - I think we will not be spending much time with the cat for awhile. I guess Danny will just have to come and play at our house - without the cat.

Ward Pool Party

Each year we have a ward pool party and this was the first year that we were able to attend. It was a lot of fun and we had a pretty good turnout. Shelby enjoyed the playground immensely and couldn't get enough of the slides.
Initially they told us that all the kids should wear a life jacket. Well, Shelby hated the life jacket and spent a good deal of time looking for a way out. She couldn't find one so we decided to just forego the life jacket and have some fun.
Shelby is an expert at kicking her legs in the water and she had lots of fun once she was freed from her straight (life) jacket. It was a fun night out with the ward and we are already excited to go again next year. We decided to stop and pick up some groceries on the way home and I ended up grocery shopping commando. Never wear your suit under your clothes - you are stuck without many options once you do. Next year I will just pack the suit. I guess you learn something new everyday Ü

Shelby's First Piggies

As if it didn't seem like she is already so grown up, she now can wear piggies and is uninterested in doing what her parents want to do!

Hogle Zoo

We recently paid a visit to Hogle Zoo. I didn't end up taking very many pictures because there wasn't much to take pictures of. Shelby loved all the monkeys and she would make her monkey sound every time she saw one. The monkeys were the first thing we saw and then it was pretty much downhill from there.
Shelby was mildly interested in the elephants, but they weren't doing much. I think we must have been there during nap time or something because all the animals were just laying around sleeping. We did get to watch a bird show which Kelly and I liked, but you couldn't eat snacks during the show and you had to sit in your seat, so Shelby didn't care for it.
We ended up having a picnic at This Is The Place park and that was nice. The zoo was super lame and I don't think we will be going back. I have recently been to several other zoos and Hogle Zoo came in last place for interest, but first place for cost. If you want to go to a good zoo - check out the Oklahoma City Zoo. You don't want to miss the wolf exhibit Ü

Water Fun!

Shelby loves to play in water. She has been spending a large amount of time in her swimming suit now that Dad is home. This year they have opened a splash pad at the park by our house which Shelby really enjoys. The first few times she didn't really want to get wet, but the water is quite cold so who can blame her. She is getting more brave and actually went in the fountains last time.
This is her first visit and Kelly and I were both wearing normal clothes. I was dry going home, but for some reason Kelly was soaked. The splash pad is great and we are lucky to live so close.
Also, Shelby has a little pool that she likes to play in. It is quite full when she has company, but the more the merrier is her motto. She likes to splash and throw balls around. Her favorite game involves throwing the balls out of the pool and seeing how many times you will go and get them for her. That game never gets old.
Once you have spent the day playing in the water, you need to relax and have a treat. We have started a weekly tradition of ice cream cones with Grandma and Grandpa. To say that Shelby likes ice cream would be like saying that the ocean is wet. She hoovers those ice cream cones and then helps everyone else eat theirs. The moral to the story is if you want your ice cream - you better eat fast.

Fun On The Fourth

We had a very fun day on the fourth. We used the morning and early afternoon to complete our family project of weeding the flowerbed. It took a long time because there were lots of weeds, but it looks great now and I am glad we finally got it done.
Next, we headed to a BBQ. Aunt Heather bought snaps for all the kids and Shelby loved them. She wasn't too into throwing them, but discovered that you could stomp on them and they would pop. She was really good at it and was stomping all over the place.
Later we had a private fireworks show and Shelby wasn't too sure about the fireworks. It was fun to do our own fireworks show. I am a huge fan of fireworks and used to put on a show every year. Ever since Kelly and I got married I haven't even bought a single firework until this year. I think it might be like people who have a gambling problem - it's generally best if they don't gamble at all. I thought we did well and only spent $40 on fireworks. The last time I did a show the bill came in at roughly $300, so I felt it was very responsible. Anyway, after that we went to watch the Lehi fireworks at Thanksgiving Point. Shelby had a great time. She really liked the fireworks and would clap and point each time they went off. However, I don't know what she liked more - the fireworks or getting to stay up way past her bedtime. All in all it was a fun day with lots of good fireworks Ü

18 Months Old

Shelby is 18 months old now and she is learning new words almost every day. She is so much fun and she loves to be a helper. She is really good at picking up rocks from flower beds and putting them in a bucket. In our yard, this could consume her whole summer but she does eventually want to do something else. She loves to play with balls and she really likes to tell us about stuff and have us understand what she is saying. She likes to tell you what she is seeing while she is in the car including: car, tractor, bird, cow, horse, and fish. I sometimes wonder about the fish references.
She has a mouth full of teeth and if you ask her so say cheese she will smile and show you those teeth. She does the funniest things and has a great fake laugh. She keeps Kelly and I entertained and on our toes. Her hair is getting long and she has started wearing barrettes. Although, after naptime her hair is not something we like to show off because it can be a little crazy. Just in the last few weeks her feet have finally started growing!

Current Stats

15 months height 30 1/2 inches 53rd percentile
18 months height 31 3/4 inches 54th percentile

15 months weight 20 lbs 11 oz 18th percentile
18 months weight 22 lbs 11 oz 26th percentile

15 months head circ 44.9 cm 25th percentile
18 months head circ 45.8 cm 26th percentile

This little girl is so much fun!