Steamboat Springs

We had one last vacation before school started for Nate.  My parents had a timeshare in Steamboat Springs so we met them for the week. There were lots of rides in the mountains, hikes, and fun times.

During our hike, we played hide and seek in the ferns. It was so fun!

Papa would point out all the wildflowers to us and tell us their names.  Pearly everlasting, elephant head, yellow salsify, fireweed, skunk cabbage.  We weren't sure if he was just making up those names or not.  We checked google and it turns out Papa was right!

We had the best time!  Next time we'll have to bring Brad with us!

Evy at 2 1/2

- Evy is slowly moving from the crazy-destructive-make-a-mess-of-everything two year old and more of the sweet-and-cute two year old.  I might keep her if she keeps this up.

- So much love for her brother.  She wants to spend all day with him and gives him hugs after they have been separated.
- Such a social bug!  Evy loves to say to everyone we meet and usually follows it up by introducing herself.

- She is so girly!  Her favorite colors are pink and purple.  She really wants makeup of her own.  And she really loves wearing dresses and dressing up.
- Evy asks me everyday if she can color.

- She loves her "Evy and Mommy time."
- So much language!  Sometimes I just sit back in awe listening to her.  After Nate's speech delay it's so amazing to me that Evy just picks up so much on her own.
- My favorite word she says right now is "impossible."
- Also, Evy will go around saying, "Listen up!"

- While Nate hates anything messy, Evy is the complete opposite.  She loves to make a mess!
- Her favorite food is cheese!  And she is always asking to eat!

- She has loved summer and being outside so much!
- Nate and Evy have decided our coffee table is a stage.  They love to get up there and sing us their favorite songs.

- Evy loves when daddy gets home.  She starts jumping up and down and runs to great him.
- Such a little monkey.  She's taught herself how to do forward rolls. And she does headstands. I need to put her in gymnastic classes.

- Evy can be quite naughty.  Like dumping milk on the carpet.  Or slinging yogurt on the table. Or making mud pies in the rain. Or making "soup" out of leftovers. Or drawing on her hands. Or rubbing hummus on apples.  Or peeling all of our bananas. Or taking out everything out of her drawers. Or spreading peanut butter on the windows.  Or turning over her laundry hamper so she can climb on it.  Seriously, this girl is a little bit crazy!  Now I know why there are so many safety things designed for toddlers.
- She's becoming more of a snuggle bug which I love.

- Evy loves to help in the kitchen.  She's always willing to come help me.
- This girl definitely has a sweet tooth!
- She loves our neighbors across the street.  She's always asking to go play with Joel.

- This little one definitely came packed with personality.  She's sweet and sassy and headstrong and so loving.  She brings so much happiness to our house!

4th of July

Nate at 5

- Such a sweet, wonderful boy.  He loves to give hugs and cuddles.
- Loves playing with friends. He's asked for his buddy Zeno from preschool a few times over the summer.

- His favorite place is the playground.  This kid loves to be outside.
- Still in love with Thomas the Train.  He's branched out a little to Chuggington as well.

- He loves his daddy!  He's so happy when he gets to spend time with dad at the end of the day. He especially loves sitting with his dad at the computer and playing what Nate calls, "Cars and Trains."
- He loves letters and numbers.  He's got such a great memory for those things.  He's even learning some sight words for kindergarten.

- Such a great helper.  We made chore charts and Nate loves to get his finished.  He likes to help empty the dishwasher, sweep the floor, and vacuum.
- He's not so much a picky eater as much as he just doesn't eat hardly a thing.  There are a few things you can get him to request seconds of though.  Spaghetti, pizza, and popcorn are his favorite foods.

- He's always been funny and he still makes us laugh so much!
- He got a scooter from Grandma for his birthday and he loves it.  He goes so fast!  I'm glad I bought him a helmet!

- He's doing so great with all of his therapy.  He's worked really hard this summer to get ready for kindergarten!  He's been doing 1 hr of OT, 1 hr of speech, and 6 hrs of ABA. And then he's been going to preschool on top of that!
- I finally finished making his weighted blanket and Nate loves it.  The first time I tried it Nate was having a meltdown.  Once I laid the blanket on his lap Nate immediately stopped screaming and laid down.  He laid there a good 10 minutes because he loved it so much. Now he sleeps with it ever night.

- Lately for bedtime he likes to have "quiet music" to fall asleep to.  Usually classical or instrumental music. He's his father's son.
- Still pretty small for his age.  He may be 5, but he just moved into 4T pants.

- Nate had a sleep study this spring.  He did not like being hooked up to everything while he slept.  I slept with him in his hospital bed and stopped him from pulling off wires.  Worst night of sleep of my life.  But we did get useful information from it.  And Nate's now started some sleep medication which means we're all sleeping better now.
- Nate and Evy love to stand on the coffee table, I mean, "stage" and sing and dance for us.  He's even got a few new moves that have us laughing!

- He likes to play pretend with Evy.  It's so fun that things they come up with to play.
- Nate also likes space, just like his daddy.  They like to watch rocket launches and play with Nate's rockets.

Man, I love this kid.

Packer Family Photos