FUN in the SUN (or SHADE!!)

Summer time is so fun. It is even more fun to have a baby to share it with. I am trying to get out at least once a day to feel the sunshine! Little Garrett loves to be outside too. Besides our walks everyday (sometimes two, if daddy goes with us at night!), our favorite thing to do is to find a big tree and sit under it and relax. We have to be very careful about him in the sun.....so we like to find SHADE to play in! We especially need to keep that beautiful BALD head protected! He has had some cute hats that he has already grown out of! Luckily we still have a few that fit including his cute swimming hat! Garrett got his pool and all his water accessories for Easter a few months ago! We were excited to get it out a couple of weeks ago and play in it in our very own backyard! He loved it except for the part where we layed him down and mom would splash him! Summer is going by way to fast! We hope to keep having more fun and enjoying our summer together as a tiny family making new memories! Here are some cute photos of our family enjoying summer!

"I'm ready to hit the waves, Mom!"

"This water is a little cold, Dad!"

"Is this supposed to be fun?"

"This isn't that bad! I love playing with toys and think
it is pretty cool to pour water out of my cup!"


"Here I am just chillin' at the park with my puppy!


"It is fun sitting (or stretching) under the tree to just relax!"

My first REAL soccer game! I especially liked the fireworks at the end!

The West Jordan City Parade
July 4, 2008

My mom caught me lots of candy!

The family photo at the park after some good fair food!

"My cousins Ty and Mara told us about how fun Liberty Park was! We fed the "BIRDS!" I thought I would see more ducks, but didn't know there were so many geese and seagulls that would like my bread too!"

"Mom woke me up from my nap to see these birds! They were loud and wouldn't let me sleep when I was at the park!"

WE LOVE COUSINS (PART 2) !!!

We would like to welcome the newest addition to our family: Dane Brock Anderson! My brother and his wife Lindsay had their baby last Thursday, June 19th! We have been sooo excited for little Dane to come! It was fun being pregnant together with Lindsay for a few short months and to now have a cousin so close to Garrett! Garrett seemed excited to see little Dane when they met last Friday! Lindsay has commented before on how they hung out together before they came to earth, so they are already friends! We are glad that Dane is here and can't wait for all the adventures that await these two cute cousins! WE are glad that mom and dad are doing well too and hope that you enjoy being parents! Congratulations to the Anderson Family!

The group photo! It is hard to believe that Garrett is not a newborn anymore!

"Meet your new cousin!"

Two cousins!

It looks like they are already sharing secrets! Either that or Garrett is trying to nibble on his ears!

Dane Brock Anderson
June 19, 2008

4:34 pm
7 lbs. 12 oz.
21.5 inches

The cute new Anderson Family!
Brock, Lindsay and Dane!

WE LOVE YOU!

WE LOVE COUSINS!!

So, our little guy is now five months old! I didn't think a kid could get cuter every day, but he does! He is so fun and is growing up so fast. I need to enjoy him while he's still little! I am definitely loving that he isn't mobile yet. It is nice to set him down and he will stay there. He doesn't roll over, crawl, scoot, walk, climb, run, jump or slide (Mr. Monkey was holding on tight to Garrett!) What he is working on lately is sitting up. He does pretty well when there is something to lean against...(but don't we all?) We have always been close by when we sit him up, but it is sure funny to watch him face plant and not be able to get up by himself! Okay, funny is not the word! :)

So, something special that Garrett got to do recently was to meet some of his cousins! He has been waiting to meet them for a long time! Colin's oldest brother and his wife live in Oregon. They have two kids: Ty (almost 4) and Mara (almost 2)! They are a lot of fun and we are so sad that they live so far away and can't see them more often! Lucky for us, Colin's other brother John got married and it gave us the great opportunity to meet his cousins as we gathered for this event! Ty was so cute with Garrett. He loved to watch him, read to him, help change his diaper, and try and play with him! Mara's favorite things to do with Garrett were to pull on his ears or "pet" his bald head! Her daddy sure enjoyed that bald shiny head too and couldn't stop rubbing it himself!!! One funny thing to watch was Mara when Erica was holding Garrett. She sure didn't like that her mom had another baby in her arms! She would get pouty lips and whimper "mama" as tears welled up in her eyes! As she warmed up to him and if Garrett wasn't in Erica's arms, she would give him a kiss! It was sure fun seeing Nate, Erica, Ty and Mara! WE miss you, but WE look forward to seeing you again soon at the family reunion! Here are some cute photos of their times together!



Ty was so funny every time he got close to Garrett! He would put their heads together and say "Hey you!" It was so cute! I asked Ty what Garrett's name was and he would just continue to say, "HEY YOU" and giggle!

Garrett always had a smile when Ty was by him!

Little Mara wasn't the first to be fascinated by Garrett's bald head! She loved to touch it!

Cute Mara giving Garrett kisses! She didn't mind hanging out with him when her mom wasn't around! :)

The three Lewis cousins! Sooooo cute! Notice that Garrett is the only one smiling! :)

Garrett's Firsts!

We have had a busy couple of weeks. I have now been officially retired for 2 weeks! It feels great! It still doesn't seem real....I just feel like I am off track! It will probably really hit in a month when everyone is going back to get ready for the new school year to start and I am at home still in my pajamas hanging out with Garrett! YEAH!

So, we have had some big things happen with our little guy. Besides being 5 months old (time flies when you're having fun!), here are a few of Garrett's first experiences:

Garrett's first camping trip!!

WE were sooo excited to go camping with Garrett! We just went up Little Cottonwood Canyon and found a great spot for our family! It started to rain when we got there, but quickly cleared up! It was cool, but we had a great time despite the lack of sleep that we got! It was hard with that little boy, but it definitely won't stop us from going again!

Garrett's first time in a tent!

I got a new tent for mother's day! It is SOOOO nice and big and can fit all of our stuff with room left over! My favorite part is that we can stand up in it! That makes it a lot easier to move around in!

Garrett's first fire!

He wouldn't take his eyes off of it! I just hope he doesn't grow up to be a pyro!

Garrett's first hike!

He sure loves being outside and seeing everything around him!

Garrett's first time sleeping "with us!"

We had the hardest time trying to get this kid to sleep! He cried the entire night and finally settled down a little bit when we put him in our sleeping bag!

"I love you even if you didn't sleep last night!"

Garrett's first time throwing rocks in a river!

Every boy loves throwing rocks in the river! Garrett was absolutely amazed at the raging river that we hiked by! We thought we would shoot a quick video of a dad and his boy throwing rocks in the river!



Garrett's first plane ride!

Garrett did so good on his first plane ride to California! We were lucky to get to go with Colin on his first official "business trip!" It was sure a lot harder traveling with kids (more luggage, staying on his schedule etc.), but it was fun to be somewhere different than home!

Garrett's first "tourist spot."

Garrett and I were brave and drove into town one day to take a tour. He rode on his first bus as we toured Muir Woods and Salsalito just outside of San Francisco. He did great on the bus and everyone there was so helpful and nice to help me while I was playing "single-mom!"

Garrett's first MLB game!

We went to an Oakland A's game! Unfortunately Mom and baby didn't get to watch much because the loud crowd was just a little too much for Garrett! Instead, we walked around the stadium until Garrett decided to stop screaming! Colin was still excited that he got to be there with him!

Garrett's first visit to the Tropical Rain Forest!

Just kidding! This was in the commons area of our hotel!

Garrett's first time seeing the ocean!

This was the view from our hotel room! It was gorgeous! We were right on the shore of the San Francisco Bay and Garrett and I walked the trails around everyday!

Garrett's first time to the temple!

John and Tracie got married in the Sacramento Temple! What a beautiful day and a beautiful place to get married! I think Garrett is singing, "I Love to see the Temple!"

Garrett's first wedding!

Colin's little brother John got married on June 14th! We had a fun time being in California and meeting lots of family! It was joked about that the wedding guests weren't there to see the bride and groom, but to meet little Garrett! What a cutie!

Garrett's first swing ride!

Good thing he had Mr. Monkey to sit with him. I think Garrett is telling him not to be scared and to hold on tight!

Garrett's first owie!

We went on a walk with Maggie and her leash slipped down underneath the shade of the stroller when she was sniffing something behind us and the cord burned Garrett on the face! I felt so bad, but am thankful because it could have been much worse! Good thing for neosporin that I have put on it every 10 minutes!


Garrett's first TOOTH!!!

If you look REALLY closely, you can see the tiny white coming up in his gums! His bottom right tooth is slowly appearing! I can't believe he is getting teeth already! He is growing up toooooo fast! He hasn't been too cranky that I have noticed. I know that it will just get worse as the rest of them start coming in! I pray that he gets his daddy's teeth because I sure don't like mine! :)

Family Photos!

If you know me, you know how much I love to take pictures. I always have the camera with me! I have especially enjoyed these last five months taking photos of little Garrett! I have been DREAMING about the day that I would have a family photo taken of Colin and I and our baby! We have had several taken since Garrett has been born, but that little stinker hasn't smiled or Colin or I have something wrong with us! We did have a wedding of Colin's brother this last week and got some pictures from that, but I wanted something casual and outside that looked a little different than the traditional family pictures that you always see.

I am so excited about these pictures that we had taken last week! I have a friend from highschool and college that takes pictures. She has recently turned her "hobby" into a business! I have been looking at her photography blog for months now, just loving and admiring all the cute photos that she has taken.


Well, the day has come....I got brave and called Melissa to take our pictures! She did an amazing job! These are just a few of the pictures that she took that she set up on her photography blog !!! I can't wait to see the rest! Check them out and let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy them and we'll definitely have to share the others when we get them. If you like them, I encourage you to set up an appointment yourself! It is worth it!

Four months old!

I can't believe that our little fella is now almost 5 months old! He is getting so big and growing up so fast! Colin and I went to his 4 month check-up last week. The doctor said he looks like, "a million bucks!" We really like our pediatrician. After we left I was talking to Colin about how good he made us feel. He helped us feel like we were doing a good job as parents. WE tried to tell him that it was because Garrett is such a good baby and he said that we deserved some of the credit too. Dr. Wirkus said there are three things to raising kids: good genes, good parenting, and good luck! He said, fortunately for us, we have all three going for us! We really do feel lucky to have such a great kid. He definitely has his moments (the long night because he wasn't feeling well after his shots), but overall we couldn't be more grateful to have Garrett in our family. He is a dream! We are looking forward to a fun filled summer with lots of great memories and first experiences with having a son. Here are some fun photos of the last few weeks! We hope you enjoy them!




"Do I have anything on my face? I think I need a tissue mom!"
His sneeze literally scared the SNOT out of him!

A picture with Great Grandma Anderson at Great Grandpa Anderson's grave!

Garrett's learning early from a great teacher! (Disclaimer: Garrett was only like this for a few minutes! Notice the hat with the covers over the ears!!!)

Garrett LOVES walks with his daddy...even when it is FREEZING outside! Is it summer yet?!

We love baseball season! Go SOX...2007 World Series Champs!

Utah State HEY, AGGIES all the WAY!

Go BIG BLUE!!!

Someone has found their toes!

It is so fun to watch Garrett as he enjoys
"playing" and listening to books!

What better place to drool than Daddy's head and face!

It looks like he is foaming at the mouth!

Garrett got to visit where his mom went to school! Go Griffins!

Daddy and his boy enjoying the Lacrosse game together!

He's one hungry boy! Those sandwiches look bigger than him, but he has passed them up at a big 26 inches long!

Garrett is one happy baby!

Our tiny family at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens!

Colin and Garrett: like father, like son!