Evolution of a black eye

As I was preparing for our recent road trip to Utah  I put Autumn in the car to play while I ran up stairs to grab some more stuff...then I heard crying.  My poor baby cried for almost 30 minutes.  I couldn't figure out why she was crying so much.  She had a some superficial scratches, yes, but 30 minutes?  She rarely cries when she gets hurt.  Any how I took a couple pictures to show Evan since he wasn't coming on the road trip...it just kept getting worse...

After she finally stopped crying

A couple hours later...turning purple

still later...more purple

Next morning (Sunday)

Her black berry lips matched her eye!

Monday after playing in Deer Lake and the black eye spreading underneath her eye.

Playing with cousin Kallie at the Heber house

Tuesday...She can open her eye again.  This is after a full day of playing at the new Provo rec center.  We ate dinner (rather had shakes) at Dairy Keen.  I overheard a guy taking to his wife about Autumn's eye, "did you see that little girl?"  So I went up to them (so they would know I heard them talking about her) and so they could get a closer look.  I think they were a bit embarrassed.

Wednesday...the black eye spreading to underneath her eye.  Autumn loves to carry things in her hands while she walks around, but it makes me nervous she'll fall.  (Autumn? Fall?  Really?)  So I came up with this baby carrier.

Her scrapes are going away...Coloring with Kallie

 Thursday...The color started to fade, but we still got lots of "what happened to her eye" at the Robins reunion.  This is Autumn and some type of cousin (my 2nd cousin's kid...which makes them 3rd cousins according to Wikipedia).  They enjoyed playing with my cosmetic bag while the adults were talking.

Saturday.  Eye turning grey.  Autumn and her cousins really enjoyed this fancy bath tub that filled up from the ceiling.

 Sunday-over a week after her fall- Autumn starts to look sickly.

Playing in the bath with her cousin Alice

Autumn was obsessed with Korey...Korey NOT so obsessed with Autumn.

Sunday still looking sick, with Noah the only person besides me Autumn would let hold her.

Monday.  We got these bandannas at the Robins reunion, but Autumn really liked it so she wore it around.  I think she looks like a hood rat with that black eye and bandanna.

Tuesday...eye is getting better even though Autumn threw up 5 times this day, including in her car seat. Gross.

 Again toddlers playing with my cosmetic bag...I need to start filling those things with cheaper lotion....

Wednesday.  Not the best picture, but you get the idea...eye still brown.

Thursday...still looks sick.  While we waited for uncle Noah we checked out the newish pool at the University Villa.  (Evan and I both lived in The University Villa apartments when we met)

Thursday night. All better!  At Church on Sunday we still got a couple, "nice shiner" comments.  I chuckled and thought you don't know the half of it!

I am a fair cook

Last week I had an experience that made me think, "I should buy a fire extinguisher."  Not a great feeling to have in the moment of billowing smoke, do I have an extinguisher, if I do have it where would it be?  It was a hot day so I didn't want to stand over the stove to cook, so I put the bacon for our B.L.Ts in the oven and went outside and played with Autumn-again it was hot so I didn't want to stay inside while the oven was on.  We headed to the back yard.  Then much to my amazement I could smell bacon wafting out the back windows of my apartment.  I thought, wow that cooked fast I better go get it.  As I approached the front of the house I heard a beeping noise coming from inside my apartment, I thought, hmm I don't remember setting an alarm.  As I got into my apartment I realized that the beeping was NOT an alarm but the oven pleading for me to turn it off because it was filling up with smoke.  I obliged, I opened the oven and smoke filled my vision.  After realizing I didn't know where a fire extinguisher was I went to my in-laws and asked if they had one, at the same time realizing it was probably a grease fire and I should use baking soda instead.  My father-in-law came back to my place (without a fire extinguisher because apparently they store theirs in a storage unit) and he grabbed the charred cookie sheet and took it to safety out front.  We grabbed some fans in an attempt to push the smoke out the front door and windows (there was no actual fire).  When I got over to my in-laws to escape the heat and smoke of our apartment Evan's brother commented, "Dad do we have the windows open?"  I said, "sorry, do I smell like a camp fire?"  He grasped back, "No, much worse.  You smell like a dead animal like a turkey or something."  Gross!  We had Subway for dinner and a week later my house still smells funky.  Not like a dead animal, but rather like I own 12 cats, never shower and smoke bacon flavor cigars. It's real nasty every time I open the cupboards near the oven.

Extra-crispy bacon. Also I didn't bother trying to clean the cookie sheet even though I lined it with foil.  I recycled that poor thing.

Now for Autumn.

Autumn and I went bowling with Evan's brother (before he told me how bad I smelt!)  Autumn was in awe.

She was a great cheerleader.  She kept "ooo" ing and "ahhhh" ing and clapping when we hit the pins.

The night after the "bacon" incident I allowed someone else to cook for us again.  This time for free at Chick-fil-a's annual "cow appreciation" event.  I coaxed my father-in-law and 15 year old brother-in-law to come along...to the mall dressed like cows!  Cameron was SO embarrassed and almost didn't put his mask on (until he saw some cute girls in front of us who had masks on as well).  We enjoyed a lovely (free) chicken meal in the food court.

Not sure what it means for a "cow" to drink chocolate milk!

More summer fun has included collecting golf balls in the street from the near by golf course.  I made a Pintrest inspired race maze thing for Autumn.

I hate making my bed.  No Autumn is not wearing pants.  And yes that is my hot pink bra (colored bras are just way more fun!)

I'm a good mom

Let's not sugar coat things, I'm a pretty good mom.  I've been struggling lately though.  Evan is actually working resident-like hours scheduled for 12 hours, but really works 14 (for clarification...I meant per day, not week).  I'm a much better mom, when Evan is around.  I don't ever want to be a single mom.  Evan is much better at putting Autumn to bed (she recently has decided she must jump on her trampoline, eat a snack, get a drink of water ect. before bed).  Evan is better at playing with her.  He even is getting better and putting matching clothes on her (he is getting better at it, but he isn't better at me).  Having him around rejuvenates me-it allows me to feel like a better mom. (Not to mention I got a nap today since he had the day off). 

Evan worked on the fourth of July (he was suppose to have a half day but didn't get home until 8pm WHINE WHINE WHINE).  I was a good mom though and let Autumn watch the fireworks, even though I just wanted to stay home, because I had a long week and I didn't want to bother trying to get her back to bed after the fireworks.  I did it anyway.

I had the hardest time getting a cute picture of her on the Fourth.  This is the best I could do, while at the park before nap.

I guess this one is pretty cute too.

I made pudding this week so we could re-try pudding painting.  Again didn't last longer than 90 seconds, but we did it outside so the hose cleaned the mess up quickly.  I was a good mom and let her lick BOTH beaters though.

It is much worse when Evan works on a day I think he should be home (like a national holiday or Saturdays).  So while Evan was working on Saturday, I fed Autumn ice cream for dinner.  I didn't want to cook.  Not that she would have eaten something I cooked.  It even took a lot of coercing to get her to eat the ice cream.  So next week I'll try harder, but I still may give her ice cream for dinner-can't be worse than the animal crackers and "veggie" chips she usually eats for dinner.

Cheyenne isn't all bad

I was skeptical of living in a city that didn't have an Old Navy, but I have to admit there are some perks to living in a small town.  The biggest perk of Cheyenne is their great community events.  The first Saturday we were here the city hosted "Super Day".  They had free paddle boat rides, lots of vendor booths, blow of thingys, and a bungee jump trampoline thing (which Evan did and said was way fun.  I missed it because I took Autumn home to take a nap).

Walk/jumping on a trampoline

It's a dry heat here.  I loved Arizona and the heat, but Michigan and the humidity heat was yucky.  I'm glad to be back to the dry heat.  After a cold Michigan spring I think my bones have finally thawed out.

I love our apartment.  Although small I love the wood floors and lay out.  Even if I have to sweep several times a day.

They recycle here!  We ordered this cool recycle bin from Amazon as not to confuse our guests when visiting which bin is recycling and which bin is trash  (Mom, you should really get one too)

There are a lot of down to earth friendly people.  Some are cowboys, I mean this is the Cowboy State. And they are not messing around when it comes to the western gear apparently!

The sky is picturesque.  The sunsets don't hold a candle to Arizona sunsets, but the sky is blue and clear.  Every time I think it's going to rain the wind blows the clouds past Cheyenne.  (I learned at the DMV (mvd) in Arizona that Cheyenne was literally the windiest city in the US, but my Google search can't confirm that).  For now the breeze is nice...we'll see come January.

Autumn at another city festival, the Celtic Festival.  Not as fun as the week before.

Trying on shoes at the Wrangler store

Other things that are nice about Cheyenne.
-Fort Collins (45 minutes away) has a Cafe Rio
-No state income tax
-The library is top rated and has an awesome children's section
-I live within walking distance to a great park.  It has a city pool and splash pad (although you have to pay for the splash pad. Boo.), two different areas of play structures, duck pond, paddle boats, and a "Children't Village"-where they do science-y things, have a marsh and stream to wad in and sand areas.
-The busiest street in Wyoming is in Cheyenne and is just as busy as the road we LIVED on in Michigan, AKA not that busy.
-There is an Air Force base in town so we hear the National Anthem with trumpet players at 7:30 am and 4:30 pm every day
-There is a great diversity of people here.  Probably because the city programs are really good at taking care of people
-And only in a small town/state would the GOVERNOR show up to a graduation ceremony for a residency program.  He seemed liked a real honest humble guy.  I didn't talk to him, but he said "a few words" at the dinner we went to last week.

My Cheyenne Bucket List:
-Go on the city trolley tour ride
-Go to Cheyenne's Frontier Days: World's largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration
-Go to Yellowstone National Park
-See all 19 of the "Cheyenne  Big Boots"

Autumn's "Birthday"

Autumn was born on Christmas Eve.  Even though it concusses Evan I have decided to celebrate her birth in June.

First day of nursery for Autumn.  We were told she did really well.  She only cried for a bit after Evan re-dropped her off after a diaper change.

After church we had Chili Verde for dinner, which Autumn didn't eat.  She still sticks to the 2 main food groups Cheese and Carbs. (cottage cheese, block cheese, string cheese, shredded cheese, yogurt. Pretzels, animal crackers, bread, Ritz crackers, chips, granola bars.)

Shape sorter, princess shoes, jellies, tank top, BATS!

I asked Autumn to show me her shoes and she pointed her toe out.  Aw such a girl!  Her favorite thing to do is go outside.  She gets my sandals and places them at my feet as if to say, "com'on let's go".  She also LOVES shoes, particularly older little kids' shoes.  They are easy to take off and put on, but she can still walk around in them.  She also likes to point out all the air planes in the sky, play with toy cars, play in our real car, and jumping. 

Evan was very excited about getting Autumn a "red bat" for her "birthday.  Here they are in the backyard testing it out.

I made chocolate cake in my circus-shaped waffle maker.  I planned to do a whole "circus" themed party, but as you can see from the left over Thanksgiving turkey plates the waffles were as themed as I got.  

Autumn was very mesmorized by the candles on her cake, but wouldn't blow them out.  The next day we were watching videos from her "party" (she is still obsessed with watching home videos of herself) and she walked over to the drawer where I keep the matches, not realizing she knew where I kept them.  She got the matches out and she blew out a candle.  We did that a few times that day-after I moved the matches where she couldn't reach;)