Backyard: it's coming along

 
At the end of spring we decided to start landscaping our backyard.  We got a ton done, but unfortunately it got too hot, too quick and Jeff became extremely busy with school so we had to put the job on hold.  Now that it is officially fall we have finally decided to finish.  As if my amazing husband doesn't have enough on his plate replacing the engine of my car, studying for the GMAT exam, and worrying about selling our truck, he graciously agreed to help me work on the yard this weekend.  And when I say help me, I really mean he did most of the work.  Thanks hon!! 

Saturday morning we rented a rototiller and Jeff tilled the entire backyard.  While he was busy with that I drove to the landfill to pick up some compost (yum) and then proceeded to wheelbarrow it throughout the backyard and mix it in with the loose dirt.  (All by myself I might add.  I am pretty proud of this accomplishment.)  Afterward we fixed up some sprinklers, went shopping for wood chips, and then called it a day.  Today Jeff again worked his butt off to till the playground area.  After he finished I raked it level, spread out the wood chips, put together the park bench, and set up the playground equipment.  It looks amazing and Cason has already shown his approval.

The next step is to plant grass and wait for it to grow.  We debated back and forth between seed and sod and eventually decided on seed.  We would have had to take out a lot of dirt in order to plant sod and decided that it would take too much time and be too much work.  Unfortunately, the down side to seed is that I have to wait 6 weeks to see the results.  I guess it will teach me patience :). So in 6-8 weeks I hopefully will have a beautiful lush lawn in my backyard.  Can't wait!!

Finger Painting

My friend posted a fantastic recipe for finger painting on her facebook page today. For a week or so I have wanted to get some finger paints for Cason, but hadn't gotten around to it, so the timing was perfect. Cason loved helping me make the paints and was so excited when I started putting the colors in. Honestly, I think he had more fun making it than actually painting with it. When it was finished we laid some newspaper out on the kitchen floor and went to town. It was a lot of fun. At one point he pulled a spoon out of the drawer and was using it as a paint brush. So inventive! The best part is when he started to eat the paint (which was inevitable of course) I didn't even mind because I knew exactly what was in it. It was such an easy recipe to make and a very fun afternoon with my boy!

Recipe:

3 tbs Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Corn Starch

2 cups Water

Combine ingredients in small saucepan.

Warm until mixture thickens.

Cool and pour into containers.

Add food coloring to create desired colors.

Cason's 1st Haircut

Well I finally bit the bullet and decided to cut Cason's hair for the first time today. I still want it long, but felt it was getting to the point where it looked as though I was neglecting him :). Thanks to my wonderful sister, Chelsea, for her help we were able to trim around his ears and neckline. He actually did better than I thought he would do, but that doesn't mean he cooperated. He did really well for the first few minutes and then started shaking his head and saying "all done" over and over. He definitely knows what this phrase means and was ready for us to stop. We were able to distract him with some gold fish and a cell phone for the most part and I feel that we got pretty good results. He's still the same stud he was before, just a little more clean cut.

 before (taken last week)- crazy in the back and around the ears

super long in the back

 so patient

 

after- my little stud

you can see just how well he cooperated :)

Mr. Case

Every now and then I like to dedicate a post to Cason.... mostly for journaling purposes.  He's at such a fun age and is doing something new everyday.  I would hate to miss writing about something :).  Today I'm going to do his top 5 (not necessarily in that order)...

1. Doggie Blankie- Jeff's grandma made Cason an adorable dog blanket and gave it to us shortly after he was born.  Just recently he has grown VERY attached to it.  He sleeps with it every night and is sure to carry it out of the crib with him in the morning.  He drags it all around the house and I find him laying on it in the most random places. 

2. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- I don't love Cason to watch a lot of television, but he adores Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  He sings "hot dog, hot dog" when it comes on and loves to dance to the songs.  I of course find this adorable!  For a kid with a short attention span it amazes me that he can sit through an entire show. 

3. Animals- Cason not only loves our dogs, but any dog he sees on the street and pretty much all other animals.  His favorite book right now is about animals.  He loves to point to the animals as I say them.  He knows many, but a few favorites are dog, cat, and ladybug.  He also just recently started making animals sounds.  His favorites are the sounds for dog and cow. 

4. Affection- This kid as become so affectionate.  He loves to give big bear hugs and huge open-mouthed kisses.  He will be playing with his toys, run over to give me a hug and kiss, and then go back to playing.  He slept in the same bed as us while we were camping recently.  One night he fell asleep facing me (pretty much his nose touching mine) with one hand under my neck and the other hand on my face.  Seriously melts my heart!  I know one day he isn't going to give those hugs and kisses quite as willingly, so I'll take as many as he'll give now :).

5. Talking- Cason has always been a talker, but has seriously hit a vocabulary boom recently.  It seems that he knows a new word every time I turn around.  I know I will be leaving out some, but want to try and make a list of the words that he says frequently, so here it goes.  Mom (all variations), dad (all variations), grandpa, ball, no, bye, hi, dog, boat, uh-oh, vroom vroom, yuck, night night, hot dog, some, all done, and bubble.

Atkin/Barlow Family Reunion

For Labor Day weekend we went up Cedar Mountain to Duck Creek for Jeff's family reunion. I grew up camping at Duck Creek and love it as much now as I ever have. Jeff and I try to go camping there at least once each year. Cedar Mountain is beautiful! It was so nice to get out of the St. George heat for a weekend and spend some time with family. Jeff's grandparents, mom and family, and aunts, uncles and families were all there. There were a few missing, but those of us that went had a blast. Some of us stayed at the Duck Creek Campground and others stayed nearby in cabins. We ended up spending most of our time at the cabins except to sleep. While there we spent time canoeing at Navajo Lake, 4-wheeling, hiking Cascade Falls, shooting guns, playing games, eating good food, and visiting with family. This was the first family reunion on Jeff's side of the family that we have been to. It was nice to spend more time with them and get to know them a little bit better. I love camping and love to see that Cason loves camping as well. It has always been one of my favorite ways to spend time during the summer months and I hope that Cason will continue to enjoy it as the years go by. 

 Jeff and his uncles, Scott and Matt, cooking breakfast. The first morning all the boys cooked for the girls. It was a nice break!

 My mountain men.

Playing at Navajo Lake.

 Just a few of us that were there. 

 Getting ready for the first canoe ride!

 Cason preferred playing in the canoes while they were on the shore.

 We had quite a train of people hiking to Cascade Falls.

 Loved playing in the back of the truck. Little did he know that it was my way of confining him to one place :).

 How many men does it take to load an ATV? These 4-wheelers caused me so much stress this weekend. However, they were also a ton of fun!

 Such a stud!

 Cason, grandma, and Olivia.

Kyson, Cason, and Olivia. Of course Cason couldn't sit still long enough to take the picture.

 Kyson and Cason. These little cuties are just 2 and a half weeks apart.

 First ride with daddy!

After Cason rode the 4-wheeler it was all he wanted to do. He kept saying "vroom vroom" and running to them. To compromise, we let him play with the 4-wheeler in the truck.

Northern California Vacation

We just returned from a fabulous vacation to Northern California with my parents. We spent 5 days in San Francisco and 3 days in Windsor. People keep asking what my favorite part of the trip was and I honestly can't answer. Everything was PERFECT! We did everything we wanted to do and more. Although it is good to be home a part of me would love to have stayed in San Francisco. In a short week I grew to love that city!

Our hotel in San Francisco was perfectly located downtown by China Town and Union Square. Union Square is more of a business district and surrounded by very high end stores. (If only I had the money to shop while we were there.) The center of Union Square was the perfect place for Cason to run around and get his energy out. He loved people watching and chasing the birds. We went there at least once each day. Rather than renting a car we got bus tickets and were within a short ride from everything we wanted to see. The tickets also included the famous trolley that took us through the city and straight to Lombard Street. It was fun to walk down and look back up at the "crookedest street in America." I can't possibly write about everything that we saw, but some of the highlights included The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Alcatraz, AT&T Park and the San Francisco Giants, China Town, and Sausalito. By the time we left San Francisco I really had a feel for the city and knew my way around. Aside from a few strange homeless people and crazy bus riders, the locals were very nice and willing to help us out. Although it is a very big city everything is so compact. Unlike other big cities that I have been to it was very clean and beautiful. It truly is amazing how the city was built. The architecture and streets are unlike anything I have ever seen. I love the apartments and homes. I even picked out an adorable purple and blue, two-story home right off Fisherman's Wharf for when we pick up and move there :). Unfortunately, I'm sure that cute little home is worth way more than I could ever get for mine here in St. George. 

After 4 days of enjoying the hustle and bustle in the city we packed our bags and headed north to Windsor. Windsor is a cute little city in Sonoma County right in the heart of wine country. We had a beautiful 2 bedroom condo with all the ammenities. After being cooped up for 4 days Cason loved this relaxing part of the vacation and all the freedom that came with it. We didn't have any plans for Windsor and honestly just spent 3 whole days sleeping in, relaxing by the pool, golfing, and eating delicious food. We spent 1 day at a nearby beach and 1 evening in Old Town Windsor where they had a Beatles cover band playing a concert in the park. It felt nice to unwind for a few days before heading back to San Francisco for the last day of the vacation. Although the vacation was coming to an end I was really glad to see San Francisco one last time before getting on the plane back to Las Vegas. 

Cason did very well in San Francisco... for the most part. His favorite locations were Union Square, AT&T Park, and Golden Gate Park. His least favorites were definitely Alcatraz and China Town. We definitely messed up his sleeping schedule. There just isn't as many opportunities for nap time when you are on vacation in a big city. That along with being cooped up on a bus, in a stroller, and in high chairs he unfortunately had a few tough moments. I wouldn't have changed a thing though. I am glad we had him with us and it was so much fun just to spend an entire week with him without work getting in the way. While we were there I often wondered what he thought of everything. I can't imagine what it would be like to see all of it for the first time through a toddler's eyes. I'm sure he was in awe and seemed to just take everything in. He hit a vocabulary boom while we were there and was amazing us with new words each day.

Now we are back to reality... which isn't so bad. I was happy to sleep in my own bed last night and it will be good to get back into a routine. Although I would in a heartbeat, it doesn't seem realistic to say that I will be moving to San Francisco anytime soon. I will definitely make a point to vacation there again though and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good time. 

San Francisco Day 1: Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square

 Had the best (richest) chocolate shake at Ghirardelli Square.

They had these cute hearts marking each corner of Union Square.

San Francisco Day 2: Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Lombard Street and China Town

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. 

 There were so many beautiful flowers in Golden Gate Park and all around San Francisco. Cason loved the Hydrangea.

 Watching the coy at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

 Riding the trolley to Lombard Street.

 The crookedest street in America.

 Our hotel was just a couple of blocks from the entrance to China Town.

San Francisco Day 3: Alcatraz and Pier 39

 Enjoying the boat ride to Alcatraz.

 Standing inside a prison cell.

 Playing with the boats of Pier 39 in the background.

How awesome are these sea lions?!

San Francisco Day 4: Grace Cathedral, North Beach (Little Italy), and a Giants baseball game

 Taking a break at the park across from the Grace Cathedral. San Francisco had a lot of big parks for Cason to play at. This helped tremendously to break up the time that he was confined to a stroller.

 Enjoying an Italian lunch at a cafe in North Beach. Of course we also tried every other type of food imaginable while there; seafood, chinese, mexican, etc. We ate way too much!

 Great seats with the ocean in the background.

 True baseball fan.

The view from AT&T Park was incredible!

Windsor Day 5: Bodega Bay and Doran Beach

 Cason LOVED chasing the water and running from the waves. He also loved chasing the seagulls up and down the beach.

Grandpa burrying Cason on the beach.

Windsor Days 6 and 7: Playing at the condo and Old Town Windsor

 Cason had a blast swimming!

 Charles Schulz was from the Windsor area so there were a lot of Peanuts characters around the town. 

Enjoying yet another delicious meal :). 

 Hanging out with Linus and Charlie Brown.

Old Town Windsor was an adorable little place with rows of shops and restaurants.

San Francisco Day 8: Sausalito and Fisherman's Wharf

 Sausalito was beautiful. I love all of the colorful trees.

 Enjoying a cherry!

Last look at the ocean.