Longest Post Ever!

We finally arrived back to Phoenix yesterday after an eventful summer break! Here are some pictures to memorialize the occasion. It seems like it took a bajillion pictures but as i am going through them, i found that i didn't take enough.

Jonathan's first tooth made an appearance. Before we left we had sleepless nights and grumpiness and i was getting a little anxoius about my child's tooth situation. Finally, it broke through his gums. I tried to get a picture but every time i opened his mouth he would stick out his tounge. Oh well. It is there and it looks like the second tooth will also be making an appearance soon.

I took Jonathan out on the lawn. He didn't know what to think at first. It was really funny but after hanging out in the backyard he finally got the hang of crawling on his hands and knees and he seems to prefer that now to his belly. I am happy because his clothes seem to stay cleaner.

I took this picture because i thought it was funny that as soon as my brother Ryan turned on the Xbox, all the boys in the house magically appeared and became transfixed by the race car game on the screen. I know i am fighting a loosing battle but i don't my kids to be video game junkies.

Here are Elise and Owen.

Mom, Mel, Kimberly, Jonathan and i went to lunch at Tammy's Tea House. Mel just got her hair chopped off.
Ryan and Kimberly have been staying at my parents house for the summer before Ryan's job starts in Denver in September. I think Jonathan is at an age where he is aware of who he knows and who he doesn't know. It took a few days for Jonathan to go to my mom and dad. But since Ryan and Kim were at our house a lot when they lived in Phoenix, Jonathan knew them well. Jonathan and Ryan became BFFs. Ryan loved tossing Jonathan around and Jonathan loved being tossed around. Here Ryan is dragging Jonathan around by his feet. When Ryan did this outside in the grass, Jonathan would stick his hand out and drag it. Every time Jonathan saw Ryan, he wanted to be held by him even to the point of lunging out of my arms for him.

It definitely was a time for BBQs. In one week we had 4 BBQs including 2 ward BBQs and a pack meeting BBQ. I kind of felt like a wedding crasher but who is going to question who and why at a church function? The last one we had was on Sunday with the whole family. The missionaries were over and the food was great. It seems that i am forever calling and hearing them all over at my parents and i was happy to finally be there with them.

On Sunday, halfway through my stay, Jonathan seemed really mellow. I thought it was because he didn't sleep very well the night before. My dad picked him up and told me that he thought that he had a fever. I felt bad because i could tell that he was warm but it didn't occur to me that he had a fever. I was in a little bit of a panic. After the third day of a low grade fever, i took him to Urgent Care where he was diagnosed with Bronchial Pneumonia. He had to get a chest X Ray and the contraption that he had to get into broke my heart. He was stuffed into an acrylic tube with his arms up and there was a little cutout for his face. My heart broke as he looked at me and cried seeming to say why are you doing this to me. The Doctor prescribed Amoxicilian and we were on our way. Two days later, Jonathan broke out in hives and we went back to the Urgent Care and found that he has an allergy to Penicillin! I don't know if you can really see the hives from this picture. Poor kid.

Finally at the end of my visit home, we went to Utah for a Hoover Family reunion. I have to say that i was dreading it. I hadn't seem some of the cousins in awhile and i didn't really remember them with fondness. The other thing was that we were camping for 3 nights without any showers. I have found that in my adulthood, i am not a big fan of camping. Let alone camping without showers.

The plan was to meet C.W. in Utah for the family reunion and then fly back with him to Phoenix. After 2 and half weeks away from Jonathan, C.W. was afraid that Jonathan wouldn't recognize him. There were maybe 2 seconds in the airport where Jonathan seemed a little shy but then Jonathan couldn't stop smiling and looking at C.W. He was very happy to see his dad.

Part of the Reunion included a talent show. This is the legacy of my Grandma Hoover. We can't have a family get together without music. Ten years ago, after i got off of my mission, Ryan and i did a musical number where he played the trumpet (he actually played the trumpet at one point) and i played the trombone ( i had never picked up a trombone). Even though it was awful, it was a big success and the family has talked about it since. So Ryan and i decided try it again. Most of the family at the reunion hadn't seen the previous performance so they were expecting something real. My thoughts are it is better to do something and know that you are completely awful then really try to do something and have it turn out awful. Again we were a success.

I wish i took more pictures of Hobble Creek (pronounced crick, we were in Utah) Canyon. It was beautiful. Here was a barn a little past our campground. It would have been perfect if there had been showers. It got cold as soon as the sun set, it rained Sunday and it was freezing in the mornings. I relished every minute knowing that i had to go back to the hot weather.

And finally, for those of you who have endured this long, we ended the reunion with a family history lesson and visits to family graves. I was happy to visit my Grandma's grave. When she passed away, i was in Boston with C.W. and there was no way that i could get to the funeral. So i hadn't ever seen her grave.

Finally, we were tired and stinky and ready to go home and take showers. We had a good flight and we got home with no troubles. Jonathan was really happy to be home. He had a big smile as he went from table to chair to his box of toys and crawling to his favorite places. I guess that i didn't think a baby could be that aware of his surroundings but watching Jonathan smile and be happy i know that he knows he is home.