A day of rock climbing

Today we went rock climbing up rock canyon. It was great fun; Although very tiring!

It was everybody's first time climbing in a long time...Jess and I haven't climbed since Eider was born - actually since March - Nate hasn't been climbing since before his mission and Keli and Bret haven't climbed since Stetson was born...we were all a little out of shape, well, I'm lying...ALOT OUT OF SHAPE!

But it was awesome to touch the rock again after being away from it for so long. There is something magical about it...after every climbing trip there is a sense of accomplishment and bliss - it just makes you smile - despite the fatique and sore fingers. I love it!

It was also an experiment trip to see how Eider would do climbing...He actally did really well! I am so proud of him! He was great for the first 4 hours, just chillin' in the hammock or on the blanket, but as the fifth hour approached, he decided it was time to go home. I think we have a future rock climber on our hands!?


I'm carrying Eider in his little snugli

Jess' first lead climb of the year

Eider in his hammock just chillin with his little doo-rag on (for Catlin)

On his blanket hangin' out in the rocks (don't worry - he had lots of padding under there)

Me with Stetson and Eider....as you can see, my little one was staring to get fussy by now

Nate and Jess - climbing together again after two long years

Stetson loved the hammock! he just laughed and laughed!

Eider and mom with Nate belaying in the background

It was awesome climbing again! Considering I had a baby 7 weeks ago, I felt like an all-star! I don't have the stamina I used to or the upper body strength, but I thought it would be alot harder to come back to it...actually, I couldn't even tell I had a 4 inch incision across my abdomen - and my ab muscles were all still there and working great! NOW, I can't wait to get back into climbing shape...

The future looks bright! I can't wait to see all the fun climbing adventures Jess and I will take Eider on...one big happy climbing family!

MORE fun pictures!

I love taking pictures of my little guy...I think he is the cutest thing ever!

Eider smiling with a little drool hangin' out
He is beginning to smile more and more lately...it is so much fun to see them smile!


Eider's dumbfounded face "Mom! why ya makin faces at me?"

Eider in his stroller...ya, he is still a little too small for it, but he loves going for rides around the house. This kid is gonna keep me slim! Sometimes that all I can do to keep him from fussin! We drive around and around and back and forth - he loves it! Whatever works right? And if he doesn't want to be in the stroller, he wants to be walked around! Dang! This kid wears me out!

Some fun pictures

Eider's big smile - I love it!

His little hand in mine

Danni Girl is finally getting used to having Eider around - although she still gets a little jealous when I'm holding or feeding him



Eider played so hard he wore himself out

Cascade Springs

We're really trying to introduce the outdoors to Eider while he is young, in hopes he will become comfortable and enjoy the outdoors as much as his parents do.

Today we took him to Cascade springs up above Sundance...It was a beautiful autumn day with brilliant colors...a thunderstorm moving in made the lighting perfect for picture taking.









This is my favorite time of the year - the colors changing - the cooler weather...I love it!

Eider's first doo-rag

We took Eider fishing again and we forgot his hat; so I stuck my doo-rag on him to protect his little head...

Thats my little doo-rag boy! He's so dang cute!

Jess and I took turns carrying him while fishing - its always an adventure!

Two Q-balls

Eider with his uncle Kenneth (my younger brother)

Eider looks just like Kenneth did when he was a baby...they're my twin q-balls!

1 Month old!

I can't believe it's been a month already! He has grown up so fast! I already miss how little he once was...my cute little boy is really growing up! (wow! I sound so much like a mom!?)


He loves to bop the toys with his hands - his eye hand coordination is really coming along...He is so strong already. Hopefully this means he'll be an athlete ;)

Whats in a name?

I have had many people ask me how to pronounce Eider's name and why we named him that...

Well, we pronounce his name "eye-der" and we actually named him after a rock climbing clothing company (for those who know us, it's fitting - ha ha - no pun intended) that we love! One day Jess and I were rock climbing and I had my Eider jacket on, and Jess looks at me, looks at the name and says "that would be a cool name for one of our kids!!" So there you have the story of how we came to name Eider--Eider!

Just an FYI: The name Eider is of Scandinavian origin - There is also a duck called the King Eider....and there is an Eider River in Germany, too.


I really didn't think his name would be such a big deal; almost everyone we run into gives us a funny face when we tell them what we named him. Both Jess and I thought it was a pretty cool name. I just hope that one day our choice of names won't come back to bite us!

Gone Fishin'

We decided it was time to take Eider on his first fishing trip. We took him up Hobble creek for a couple hours and he did brilliantly! I walked with him the whole time in his little baby wrap while he slept, waking occasionally to look around and see what was going on. He was so mellow and happy the whole trip; I think he likes the outdoors!

Mama fishing with little Eider strapped to the front of her

Eider and Dad after a good day fishin'

The many faces of Eider

This kid is a character! He is always making funny faces