Things As Of Late

We apologize that this post has been so long in coming.  Here's an overview of everything that has happened since we last posted.

Allen
    Allen enjoyed his first time swimming.  He liked the warm water.  He LOVES sitting up and still enjoys being put down (he'll even get upset if he thinks he's being held too much!).  He has started balancing up on his hands and knees though he still only moves backwards or in circles.  We entered him into a contest for the cutest/healthiest/happiest baby - voting starts in September.

Swimming at the Payson Pool

cutest/healthiest/happiest baby

    He has also figured out how to stand up while holding mom's or dad's fingers and is eating all sorts of fruits and a little bit of vegetables.  Right now he definitely prefers fruit to veggies.  He plays more with his toys and has put his binky in his mouth by himself a couple of times!  But Allen's favorite "toy" is the cat, although the cat only comes when he really wants to be petted.

His favorite - apricots

Allen and Doran

Moving
    We were undecided on when to move and where to move.  In May, after Joshua's parents left, it felt like we should move to Payson so Joshua could look for a job in an area with a bigger economy and where we wouldn't mind living.  It took a few days to get packed up.

Packing is Tiring

   Allen's all used to his crib now and sleeps there most of the time (unless mom or dad doesn't want to be up long enough to put him back to sleep when he gets lonely in the middle of the night :) )  Joshua helps out around the house, spends time with Sarah and Allen, and is learning the guitar when he's not on the job hunt.  Sarah has been doing voice lessons with her mom and some ladies in the ward. 

Job Hunt
    Joshua began by looking for just HR jobs but now is looking for anything in management.  He will probably work in retail for a little while in order to get some experience as a supervisor/manager.  Joshua has had quite a few interviews with no luck but isn't giving up on hope and has a few places to look at still in retail or hotel management.  He's been given some great advice on resume building and where to look for experience.  Which we are very thankful for. 

Bear Lake
    Went with Sarah's family camping in June on the Idaho side of Bear Lake; it was Allen's first camping trip.  Sarah fell with Allen twice on that trip.  The first time into a hole that she listened to her mother and sister being warned about.  She fell very carefully and slowly.  The second time she slipped on ice.  We went up the canyon to the Paris Ice Cave, and slipped around while exploring.

The Hole/Ditch

Allen's First Time at the Beach

  

Ice Caves

Timpanogas Cave
    We went through a large cave complex on about an hour tour after hiking up a mountain to get there. Allen slept through the whole thing haha.

Cave Formation

Sarah's Family Reunion
    Camped in Payson Canyon for 5 days. Allen handled it pretty well but got used to sleeping with mom and dad.  The transition back to the crib is taking a while.  Wanted to swim at Payson Lake, but had to leave because of a bad storm that blew in (it rained hard and hailed) but hardly touched camp which is only about 15 minutes from the lake.  Joshua went on a bike ride with his in-laws and had a great time bouncing down the trail (it was really rocky with lots of tree roots).  He's looking forward to doing it again sometime.

Birthday
   Joshua is now a quarter of a century old. Sarah and Joshua went to a movie, at the theaters, for the first time in a long time (Grandma and Grandpa Stones babysat) and saw The Avengers.  Joshua did his first 10k race the morning after and won his age group (25-29) with a time of 45 minutes 40 seconds, that's an average of 7 minutes and 22 seconds per mile!  He got a medal :)

Rah team Wilcox

 

    Sarah made a cake, and the only rule associated with said cake was that if you laughed or pitied the cake you didn't get a piece (not really, but Sarah would have liked that rule ;) ).  It looks like a disaster but tastes good; chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (Sarah added the chocolate before she remembered that Joshua wanted just a cream cheese frosting) and chocolate raspberry filling :)

 

No laughing or pity; only eating allowed