I HEAR FOOTSTEPS…

Well as predicted in the previous entry, Colt took his first, shaky steps on last Thursday, May 17th. With locked knees and outward pointed feet, he wobbled his way from the train table in Landon’s room to his dad’s waiting knee. And he smiled. Rhiannon and I looked to each other and followed with a quick round of applause. Landon looked up from the table to see what the commotion was about, and when we informed him of his brother’s accomplishment he replied, “Yeeeaaaahhh Colton.” Over the past few days Colt has repeated this feat a few times, but no walking event has lasted more than a few footsteps in succession. When the need to locomote with a modicum of speed arises, he drops back to all fours and scurries across the floor.

We stayed last Saturday night at my parent’s house. The boys spent the majority of their time exploring the back yard hunting for rolly-pollies and lady bugs, collecting sticks and pushing the bubble lawnmower across the lawn. They both appear to really enjoy being outside, a fact whose significance is not lost on their father. I look forward to the years ahead, exploring canyons and creeks in search of critters and other unexpected treasures. On Saturday afternoon we also visited the Wild Animal Park, another great experience with my sons, sharing something that was such a fun and formative memory from my childhood. We hiked over a good portion of the park (in the heat, pushing a double stroller), some of the boys favorite animals included the lions, gorillas, a leopard tortoise, and a nest of baby pelicans. Colt also enjoyed the downhill portion of the hike, exclaiming, “Weeeee!” throughout much of our descent.

Last weekend I fished Lake Barrett with some old coworkers from Hubbs. We had a great time catching decent numbers of bass and bluegill; it was similar to experiences we shared in the past. I definitely miss the friendships I formed at Hubbs, we also spent a good deal of time catching up on the current state of HSWRI, which also reminded me of the many reasons that I am still confident in my decision to move forward with my career. This weekend the fishing adventures are scheduled to continue as plans are being circulated to start the season of catfishing at the local pond - should be a good night.