One Year Old...

Okay, so my futile attempts at keeping a current blog have failed miserably, resulting in a HUGE re-cap posting. So for those of you who want the short version of what's been going on in our lives, here is the abridged version:

We moved, Laney has two teeth #O, and #P, Laney has taken her first step, is walking like crazy, says pop, mama, dada and uh-oh. Chet is still studying, we've moved, been on a few trips and have been crazy busy but loving life.

San Diego! So much fun. Kara, thanks for your hospitality and the fun times we had together. It was so fun to see your cute house, and see how much your family is growing. Olivia is so sweet. Ty is so handsome and Rissy is adorable. Hopefully we'll get Chet over to play with us once his test is over. Tell Josh thanks for all of the late night drives back and forth and uprooting your kids to come and hang out. Let's get together soon so we can play with our cool new floaties!
This is Cabrillo National Monument and the adjacent tide pools. It was incredible being by the ocean, feeling that salty breeze, and my hair was so voluminous. There is just something so refreshing and invigorating about the sea. I loved it and want to learn to surf more than ever...Tim and Emily if you're reading this, let's plan a trip!


Sea World was SO amazing, to see all of the animals so close! Laney loved it, especially Shamu and the penguins. I'm not sure, but I think she might have confused them with my mom and dad's dog, Sirius Black, who also happens to share the same coloring. What do you think? Laney makes the same excited oooh, oooh's for each of the three below:

I had been practicing my whale so I didn't sound a little "orca-ish" to talk to the whales, which is why this guy swam right up behind us while we snapped this pic.

This next picture of Laney cracks me up, I can just imagine her thinking "he's right behind me, isn't he? Laney also had fun playing with the funhouse mirror and grandpa. We saw Elmo's 3-D movie. The glasses lasted on Laney for about as long as it took to snap this picture, but it reminds me of a casino boss, with the black horn-rimmed glasses, and Laney's "what...you gotta problem?" face.



This whale came up and gave Laney a little kiss at the glass...doesn't count as her first one, since the glass is 1/2" thick.
That is one sunburned walrus.

Laney looks incredibly concerned about Jaws behind us.



The San Diego Zoo was incredible...unlike Phoenix, most of the animals weren't suffering from heat stroke and were actually quite interactive. Our favorite for the day was Funami the hippo, who is only two years younger than myself, but already has clinched her position as one of the most influential hippos in underwater ballet.



Isn't this peacock so pretty? He kind of startled me when I came around the corner and poof, there he was. Laney looks like she's headed for elephant toe jam. She wasn't too worried about it and liked playing peek-a-boo around the feet.



Oh, Laney Baby, I can't believe a year has passed already. You are more and more beautiful each day and bring so much joy to everyone you come in contact with. You have a way of brightening everyone's day just by looking at them. A few things about you right now:

You LOVE tomatoes, peaches and corn on the cob.
You have this adorable "stink face" that cracks me up every time.
You give the best loves to everybody and it just melts their hearts.
You jabber all of the time and look at us like we should know what you're saying.
You're so independent about walking, you don't want to be pushed or carried.
Your favorite part of shopping is pushing the grocery cart.
You love music and dancing. The Eensy Weensy Spider is one of your favorites, you
do all the actions.
You LOVE to be outside and moving all of the time.
Your eyes are so expressive, I just love to look at you and see what's going on in
that mind of yours.
You make people feel so important, young, old, boys or girls, you have a magnetic
personality.
You already have so many traits that I wish I possessed and hope I can be the mommy
you deserve.

Here's Laney helping dad make her birthday cake.







Here's Laney playing with the old typewriter on her birthday, in her birthday suit.

So, for those of you who I have been terrible at keeping in contact with and don't already know this...we've moved. Chet and I got the chance to move back to Show Low. I got a job offer from my favorite dentist on the mountain and we just felt like it was a good move to help us reach the goals we have set. We will miss our friends and family that we left behind to swelter, but they will be the ones laughing soon when I am having to scrape my windshield to get to church. Shout out to Dr. DeBaker and staff. Hope you crazy kids are doing well. So, below you see a picture of our new back yard. It is so beautiful here and I feel so lucky to be where I am at right now. I have a lot more time to spend with Laney and even Chet too, though he is still studying away.

Life in Show Low has been really good for us, especially Laney. She plays hard every day and there is so much to do and such beautiful weather. It's nice to see she's becoming a proper Mountain Princess who isn't afraid to touch a frog or get dirty once in a while. It makes me happy to see so many parallels with my own childhood in all of the activities Laney gets to take part in: getting wood, putting up produce, shipping cows, cutting hay, tilling the garden....the list goes on and on. It is definately a lot of work, but it is also so rewarding.

We got some boxes of Utah peaches and canned like crazy. Laney likes the fresh ones, but she doesn't turn her nose up at bottled peaches on a cold winter's morning. Maybe I was destined to move to Show Low so I would get over the intimidation I feel at canning on my own. I'm just terrified of giving my family botulism...which is sure to happen if I'm the one running the steamer.

Harvest time means putting up corn at the Adams house. I can't complain because you can eat as much as you want during the process. The corn tasted even better than it looked, and it is always interesting what kind of stories and topics you hear over shucking corn.



You won't hear Laney complaining about too much fresh produce. She has LOVED the corn on the cob and eating tomatoes like they were apples straight from the garden with "papa" (grandpa Chet) Adams. Are you seeing a recurring theme here? Whenever there is work, there you'll find Laney eating. She works hard at quality control.






A few weeks ago, we tore off the shingles from my grandma's house in Snowflake. She replaced them with a metal roof. It's amazing to me how different the house looks, definately more streamlined (Don't worry grandma, the red does match your bricks, it looks great). It was kind of sad for me though, because it tweaks the memory that I have had of that house since I was old enough to remember anything. Of course a leaky roof wins over my nostalgia any day, but I'm going to pretend those wooden shingles are still up there. We did have a pretty good time while we were doing it. Pasta, you are an animal with that staple gun. I'm sure that roofer will hire if you change your mind about dental.


It is so nice to have the distinct four seasons. I love when you can feel that first chill of fall creeping in and that smell of dried leaves and woodburning stoves. Another fall favorite is getting wood. Although, sad news to report, the BEAST is dead. For those of you who aren't lucky enough to know it, the BEAST was Chet's high school vehicular unit (see left picture in background). This ford could go anywhere, but while we were out in the middle of the forest, the engine seized and the BEAST is no more. If you listen quietly, you can still hear the wailings and moanings of policemen in Show Low, who used to count on Chet and Tyson driving the beast to fill their monthly quotas for tickets.


This is my adorable little woodchuck-before the woodchucking started. Don't laugh at the hat, another hand-me-down from when I was a baby. I think it's kinda cute.

Life on the farm also has its perks, and Laney is enjoying plenty of them. Does your sandbox look like this?


We camped the first week in August for the annual Larson reunion, which is always a good time, but a little bittersweet without Travicus Rex this year, keeping it real in Africa. "Miss you bud!" Laney has fallen madly in love the the Little Buddy push car. The B.O.B. has definately taking a hit in the ranks. Here Laney is cruisin in her cart with Great Grandma Ruby in hers. Watch out, I think they may be starting a gang!

What is camping unless you get a little dirty? Here are Laney's tootsies after a day of playing hard with all of the cousins. But where there's dirt......

There's bathwater. I know it looks like we're cooking Laney up for the Friday night potluck, but cannibalism is rude (as I've said before), and Laney might taste a little gamey.

Here's Laney with all of her Gibson cousins with the exception of miss Hailee Mae who had about two weeks before she made her first appearance in the world.


We did plenty of rides this summer all over Arizona, but my two favorites would have to be Los Burros (Gorgeous, but kind of long if you're taking beginners I'd recommend the second half over the first), and the Bike the Bluffs race that Chet and I did together. (We're the two dots in the background below). Chet, thanks for letting me draft you, in the race and in life, you are such an amazing guy.



4th of July is one of our favorite Holidays and we had so much fun this year. I love this pic of Laney, Red White and Blue, Baseball, and Little Girls? God Bless America.

We went fishing and swimming at Black River and had the best day. Laney got in on the fishing with dad. I'm not sure if they were just floating or just fishing, but they were lovin' it.


What is 4th of July without the firing of the anvil...oh, right, it just isn't. Bright and early we were up and in the middle of it. We lit off an honorary anvil for Gordon and Nancy at the Taylor cemetary. I'm sure they loved it, smiling down from above on all of those people rolling over in their graves from the sonic boom.



Afterward, we headed to Show Low for the parade and had fun watching all of the floats. I also fell into deep lust for a certain non-descript green wagon. I NEED one of these!


We had a BBQ that night where I got to show off Laney's very patriotic tutu...That girl is too cute. Laney and Jess got some quality crawl time in.

Aren't these shorts the cutest? I would totally rock them...if they made them in my size...although the stars would appear much bigger on my derriere.

Even Kailey Britt got in on a little bit of tutu action. So sassy, and I think they should be mandatory for all croquet players.



Summer was busy but full of swimming, swimming and more swimming. Kailey and Abigail did swim team. It was so fun to watch them and here is Abigail looking so sassy in her goggles.

Addison and Mattie came over for a swim one day and we all cruised the goggles. I know you are jealous. Notice that Addison's goggles still have the stickers on them. You swim faster that way.

This pic is of Chet trying to get the bird poop Laney had just put in her mouth...what can I say, the girl will try anything.

Laney has been growing and learning so much. Her favorite past time at one point was climbing in and out of the dishwasher. Most of the time we'd catch her with the sharp knives BEFORE she put them in her mouth. :)

In May we spent a weekend in Sedona and Flagstaff for Tim and Emily Cooley's wedding. They definately brought the beach to Flagstaff. Best of luck to both of you. While we were in town, played in the water in Sedona and went to Buffalo Park in Flagstaff. Ah, Flagstaff, I will always love you.