Standing

Lately Vander has been doing a really good job standing and keeping decent balance when you hold his hands. My sister Tarah let me borrow her little standing play center and it has been amazing to see how much better his balance is getting just over 2 days of use! He LOVES this thing and he is getting pretty darn good at holding himself up on it without falling over.
Will this child skip crawling all together? Guess we'll see!!! Heres my big boy in action!

Lunchtime Swimming

Working at home is the biggest blessing. Even better, working at home across from Joel who also works at home is just beyond my wildest dream. We get to spend all day together and all day with our sweet baby Vander. Who could possibly ask for more? I want to enjoy every minute because lets face it, Joel won't work from home forever.
Yesterday Vander and I enjoyed a nice little swim in the backyard in his new Whale bath that Grandma Ronda gave us. It is SO hot outside, but the shade of the tail is perfect for Vander to sit under, and the water from the hose was nice and cool. It was like a giant bath outside and Vander loved every second.
Then, today it was Joel's turn, so Joel and Vander took another little swim in the backyard.
This is seriously the LIFE. I feel so blessed right now! :)

Odds and Ends

I don't have a particular post or update, but I do have a bunch of random photos from July that haven't been posted. Thought while I was at it I could post a few updates about Vander.

- He now holds his own bottle everytime he eats
- When we go in his room after he wakes up to get him, he is always on his tummy or in some other odd position
- He loves bath time and loves to hear the echo of his squeal in the tub
- He has learned that he can throw food he doesn't want onto the ground
- He is practically impossible to dress and change because he is kicking and spinning all over the changing table
- He still loves to scratch everything to hear the sound it makes and feel the texture
- He loves to stand up- but still has to be assisted
- If you hold his hands when he stands he does a pretty darn good job walking
- He sits up on the ground for 2 seconds then falls over and rolls all over the place
- He can scoot backwards, sideways and in circles, but still not forward
- He laughs or grins when you tell him "No no" (uh oh.. we're in for it...)
- He pretty much always smiles
- New favorite food- Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Puffs
- Favorite toys- Booger Sucker, Pens and Spoons- Why do we even BUY toys?

And here are some random photos over the past month....

 Here Van is rolling and flipping like he does daily.

 Playing on my old junk college laptop. A perfect toy for the kid who always wants to pound on mommy's keyboard.

 This little guy was wiggling so much more veggie got on his face then in his mouth

 Happy as a clam

 Joel and Van waiting for the fireworks to start on 4th of July

 Me and my sweetie

Still waiting for fireworks..... Playing with his other favorite toy.. his bottle :)

 Daddy and Vander just chillin

 Van holding his bottle like a big boy!

Family trip to Costco! My Costco card kept him very entertained

Family Payson Camping Trip

This past weekend we took our very first camping trip with Vander up to Payson. It was also the first trip (hopefully of many) with my sister Tarah and family and my Mom and Dad. It was definately a new experience camping with a 7 month old- but he was SO good the entire time, so I cannot complain. This was also my first time camping in my adult life at a campground (we usually go drive out into the mountains and find a good quiet spot) and it was definately a new experience.

The trip started with the camp ranger telling us to pick "whatever site we want" and to just let him know which one we picked. We found an amazing spot at the back of the site. We spent an hour setting everything up including- 2 tents, all chairs, tables, camping kitchen, pack and play, bedding and more- All while Vander sat very patiently watching us in his bumbo on the picnic table.... Went back to tell the ranger where we went and he says "oh, you can't go there, that spot is reserved". We then proceeded to take the entire camp down and scrambled to find a new site before the sun went down. Vander spent about 2 hours sitting like such a good boy in his bumbo just watching us set up.

Needless to say, we will be doing this again, and much more often!

Also, it is important to note- My camera died on day one after the first photo (forgot to charge it.....awesome...) So my loving sister Tarah took a few pictures and graciously shared them with me. Thank you Tarah for your assistance in documenting our trip!

 After the first night there. Vander- Happy as a clam. Joel- Exhausted from a practically sleepless night. Between keeping the dogs from barking and the baby sleeping... It was a rough first night.

 Vander was having a blast in the tent.

 Chillin on his blanket at the site. Happy as long as he had a few toys.

 Eatin' his first nilla waffer. MmMmmM

 Vander...... king of the forest

 After his 2nd night of luscious sleep. You can tell he slept very well cuz he has swollen Ingram sleepy eyes :)

 Joel and Maddux sword fighting with sticks

 The boys "talking spot"- very conveniently located near the sodas ;)

 Family hike through the forest behind camp

 Mom and Dad- Their first camping trip in about 20 years! YAY!

 Joel and Vander at the fish hatchery

Vander loved looking at the massive amounts of fish.