Arizona Weekend for Grandpa Karl Fenn's Funeral

What a crazy week. We were house sitting for my parents for a week and a half, the same week David had his guy's snowboarding Utah trip planned. David's grandpa Karl passed away the same week and so plans were worked out to get us all there. It was a bit of a job figuring everything out, but worth it, of course. David headed up to Utah with some friends on Thursday in our jeep. I headed out with Chelsea and Sadie and Jude Friday morning to Arizona. David's plan was to head down Sunday with cousins and then drive back with us to California on Tuesday. We headed out!

Jude did amazing in the car with Sadie next to him for entertainment!

The funeral itself was awesome (what I did hear). David's grandpa led an amazing life full of hard work and service. I love hearing stories from David about his memories with his Grandparents. I hope Jude gets to have the same experiences with his grandparents. The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is really important and I think things are learned that can't always be learned from parents.

I also randomly remembered that David's grandparents were also my Uncle Scott's mission presidents in Venezuela. Small world!

On our way back we stayed in Phoenix to break up the trip and made it home Tuesday afternoon.

 We all found places to stay and SO SO SO appreciate family for having us bunk up in the basement. It was wonderful being close to the family and having a close place for Jude to nap. That boy needs his nap. He was IN HEAVEN in the yard playing in the dirt and following cousins around. It was a little tiring being alone with him for 4 days while David was gone, but we both coped.

 (below is Hazel helping Audrey grate potatoes for Fenn tacos)

 Jude and Imogen spying 

Jude climbed on everything he could, including the fountain.

He also found any rock he could to throw.

 The trampoline was a big hit

(Hazel, Anna, Luke, Chloe, Lilah and Jacob)

 Big sister Halle pulling Sadie and Jude

 Driving to sightsee

 Quick trip to Tombstone

 Had to get Amy and her sock!

 Lilah and Macy

 David grabbed these photos while I stayed back with Jude 

during the burial. So sweet!

Jude at 16 Months

I've been slack about posting Jude's growing accomplishments. December was so busy so January was supposed to be a little slower. It flew by! We went crazy and renewed our Disney passes, had family visit and got back into the swing of school and the externship that David started.

Jude does something new every single day. He says a new word, climbs on the table, bonks his head...it's pretty consistent. He now says mama, mommy, dada, daddy, woof, meow, baba,  and hi pretty consistently. He signs please and thank you and I love you. He loves giving kisses and cuddling. He can hear a plane in the sky at any time and start looking for it, then waves bye-bye to it. He understands everything we say to him and sometimes can even bargain with him (when it comes to taking medicine or convincing him to do something else important).  He really likes Cars and Mickey and throwing balls. Oh, and he loves the show Phineas and Ferb.
The kid is addicted to his pacifier. It's going to be a sad day when we take it away. But it is nice how it can comfort him.
He recently got sick and has been for a few weeks. He had an ear infection that was draining out of his eye, so we thought it was pink eye, but I guess it wasn't. Then he got a cold with a super bad cough and his body broke out in hives or something. We took him to the doctor and she said his has some kind of virus that his body is either reacting to or he could be allergic to the amoxicillin he was taking for his ear infection. Poor kid. He has not been himself for over a week now.
Luckily he is still fun and happy and sweet.
As for food, he is definitely getting more and more picky. Some days he loves sweet potatoes and the next day he won't try them. He still loves dipping in ketchup or mustard. He had his first hot dog and fell in love. The kid loves meat. Meat and sugar.