I am so behind on blogging! I was looking through some pictures today and realized hey, both kids are napping which means I have some time to catch up on my family history! So here is a rather quick review of our summer and everything that has transpired since May! Here comes a 6 month crash course!
Our little Zoey was born in April and we moved out to Boone, Iowa in May!We packed up our little home and said goodbye to amazing friends that we will keep relationships with always and drive 6 hours to our new house in Iowa. We unloaded our stuff into one of the bedrooms and then left that evening and started driving to Montana. We decided since we were in between jobs and needed some sort of income to go to Montana and work for Justin's parents on the ranch. It also helped that we had two family reunions to go to out there so it was a win win situation for everyone. The grandparents got to see the grandbabies and got an extra helping hand. I got some much needed help while I was learning to adjust to having two children!
Zayden LOVED being around the tractors and trucks every single day! Justin or Papa would take him out as often as they could to go ride tractor and out in the fields with them. Zayden was in heaven. I think we will have another little farmer on our hands.
Look at that scenery! The Maughantana Treasure Ranch is beautiful!
Our little Zoey was still in new baby mode and slept a lot of the time! She was able to sleep in many different positions. Aunt Jen and Nanny both loved snuggling with her.
Zayden LOVED the ranch! Summertime with nothing to do but play and be a little boy was more than he could ask for! We loved playing in the pool! Can't you almost hear the laughter through these photos?
We went to the Zoo for cousin Kenzley's birthday! Zayden and Kenz were little partners in crime and became great friends while Mommy and Autumn got to hang out!
Now to a big part of our summer vacation! The reunions! We went to Martin's Cove in Wyoming and did a trek with A LOT of extended family. So this reunion was Justin's Grandpa's family. So many Maughans! I wasn't sure how I would do going on a trek 2 months after having a C-Section and nursing and having a two year old while pulling a handcart dressed in pioneer garb! I actually was a little against it but knew it would be a once in a lifetime experience. I kept thinking about all the reason why we shouldn't go but eventually, the feeling came, JUST DO IT! So I had procrastinated making our costumes because I was thinking I might get out of it and didn't really want to dress up. But I did it! I have only dabbled in sewing a few quilts and NEVER made clothing. I am one of those people that if something looks homemade, I won't wear it. So quality had to be top notch. Thanks goodness Justin's mom and sister are amazing seamstresses! They coached me through and made me make my skirt! No shortcuts or trying to get them to do it. And I fixed Justin's shirt to make it look more pioneerish. I cannot however, take the credit for making Zayden's and Zoey's DARLING outfits! That was all Justin's sister Jen. I personally think she couldn't help herself! And she outdid herself! They turned out so cute and just turned heads! I am a little bias, I think my kiddos are too cute for words! So here's a peek at what our trek looked like!
The trek started at Zayden's nap time so he was not happy! Most of the trek was him crying and us trying to find ways to keep him pleasant.
Zoey fell asleep a few times! It was about 100 degrees so we didnt want to kill her by putting her in the carseat and putting the cover over it to keep the sun off of her.
We tried putting Zayden next to Gramma, it worked for a short while but he was so tired nothing really worked. This is Justin, his momma, and his Grandma.
I tell you what, trying to get a 2-yr old to smile on command is HARD!
Typical Zayden...
Justin wore Zoey in the Baby Bjorn and she was so happy! He sure got his workout!
We loved the position Zoey fell asleep in, we would be hiking and then we'd look over and she was out!
Another pass trying to get Zayden to be pleasant and of course Zoey is conked out!
It was so stinkin hot! I was pretty worried I wouldn't be able to make it through the trek. I hadn't really worked out or done much of strenuous physical activity since before Zayden was born so I didn't know how my body would handle it. But I did it! I did it! I felt so much pride and accomplishment when I was done! I was really glad we went on the trek and participated in this family event.
This is Justin, his brother-in-law Chris, and Justin's dad pulling one of his great uncles... I think. It was hard to keep all the family straight!
Zoey did get the best farmer's tan from the trek though! You can still see the tan line now! It was such a bad sunburn, it peeled and we felt horrible! We did apply sunscreen several times but it was so hot and the sun was super strong!
Then it was straight to the next reunion. This was Justin's Father's family reunion. We love these get togethers! So much fun! This year it was in Burley Idaho! We did some hiking, swimming, playing games, it was a hoot! We loved it so much that we forgot to take a bunch of pictures! So here's a few.
This shot reminds me of the Lion King! :)
Justin was showing off his inner boy and rock climbing skills while the kiddos and I watched from the car.
4th of July! We went to an awesome parade and saw one of my best friends! Angela and her husband! We had such a great time! Zayden LOVES parades! And this was the first of many to come in the summer for us to attend. He is enthralled by them! Of course in Idaho and Iowa, they load up the parade with old tractors so he was in heaven!
And while we were in Idaho, of course we had to stop in Rexburg to see MARSHALL! So Uncle Marshall took Zayden to the water park in Rexburg and they got to play a little bit while Miranda, Marshall's wife held Zoey. We weren't able to stay long because we were on our way back to Montana from the reunions. But we were so glad to see them!
And then it was back to Montana for a week. After a month of traveling and being with family we finally headed "home" to Iowa to get our house settled in.
So here we are in Boone, IA. Justin is working hard at his PHD and I am loving the area. We got a gym membership at the YMCA and I go every morning with the kids. They do great at the daycare and I get to work out with one of my good friends here! It's such a fun group of ladies and I really enjoy the stress relief and "me" time I get to do that.
Justin's sister Liz was able to stop by on her way home from her mission to see us!
We often go to the library to hang out in the children's section. They have toy trains and Zayden will spend as long as he can down there. It gives me a chance to read and have him occupied on a place other than the house!
We love all the one-on-one Daddy time. Over the summer, the kids got used to seeing him all the time. It's been a huge adjustment not seeing him as much when school started. I never realized how much of an impact having a dad around is to the kids. Their mood changes and they are happier when we are together.
Zoey loves going to church and wooing all the youth. We are swarmed as soon as sacrament is over with girls wanting to hold her and make her smile at them. I am a youth sunday school teacher and they always ask to hold her! We love how happy she is!
We've taken family bike rides! Zayden loves the bike trailer!
Oh my sweet Lexus. She is so good with the kids. She lets Zayden ride her and chase her around the house. We love how gentle she is with him. Such a good natured dog.
Alot of time was spent outside in the garden when we moved here. We had to work quickly to get a garden in the ground since it was already July when we got here! But we got tomatoes, potatoes, cilantro, basil, bell peppers, okra, spinach, and yellow crookneck squash. Oh and LOTS of pickles!
We've made a lot of new friends here and Zayden is having a ball. There are four 2-yr old boys in nursery with him. He has a great time playing with the other kids! He's made a friendship to last with one of the boys, Kash.
We went to the Omaha zoo. Zayden is finally getting big enough to appreciate things! He does like looking at the animals now. He's getting his animal sounds down! The best imitation he does is the rooster!
One of our biggest transitions was moving Zayden to a toddler bed and out of the pack and play! The first day was awful but then an overnight change, he loves it and it hasn't been an issue! Besides getting him to sleep as long and not wander out of his room in the mornings. Zoey likes to snuggle with him there!
So far so good for the Maughans! Great things are happening to us here and we love it! Since I am finally getting into a groove, I can do more posts! Next post is catching up with Zoey! My little 7 month old crawling queen!
