Vamos a Mexico!

Okay, technically that's we're going to Mexico but we really went the first week of October. That's what happens when you're behind on the blog posts!

We went to Cabo and stayed at the Villa Del Palmar courtesy of mom and dad's time share, birthday gift. It was undergoing some serious construction. Ana and Tiff stayed next door at the Villa Estancia which was gorgeous. Like really, really super nice!

The trip out was kind of like the Amazing Race...with a baby. And no million dollars at the end. We were supposed to have a direct flight, but it was cancelled at the last minute due to weather so we had to rebook on American, pull our bags, re-check in everything (and there's a LOT of luggage when you travel with a baby!!), go back through security. We barely made our flight.

When we got to DFW for a few hour layover we found out that someone pulled Tagg's ticket so we had to go back to Delta for a new one which was a little difficult since there was NO ONE at the Delta desk. It had been closed for hours and the one crabby gate agent left wouldn't help us. Fortunately we found some nice Delta folks who had stayed after hours for a party who took care of things, and again we just skated in to our flight right as they were giving us our last call and pulling our bags off the plane. So our 2 1/2 hour direct flight turned into an all-day, stress-filled journey. Which ended with our patio being flooded with about 4 inches of water. At least Tagg was awesome the whole time, as usual!

Once we got settled, things were wonderful! We were a little worried about how Tagg would do with the food but he was awesome. There were a few things he didn't like...like lemons. But he loved quesadillas, guacamole and fruit. The kid ate it like it was going out of style.

He really loved the pool and the ocean and the sand and mariachi bands. He and daddy had a blast at the pool, and he was a hit with all the ladies. He also liked sleeping...anywhere. Maybe it was the heat but man, he was funny! We had Tiff and Ana pick up diapers at CostCo on their way into town so we wouldn't have to pack them...they got 144 pink diapers. Yep, pink. So the poor kid had to wear girl diapers all week. Hysterical. I hope it doesn't give him a complex!

We got to hang out with Mark, Jenny and Nikelle and her sister's family a bit, which was fun. There were some awesome moments on the stage with her son who will be a rock star of some sort! We had breakfast and shopping at the Office while Tagg slept, although he did manage to wake up long enough to pick out some great jewelry for gifts. We worked out and did yoga, enjoyed the views from Ana's balcony, went to the surfers' beach and Arts N' Beer, got some sun and had a few sangrias and buckets o' beer to go with our chips and salsa and generally just relaxed! The girls went out to sushi and to Cabo Wabo one night to celebrate Jenny's birthday which was really fun.

Trick or Treat!

We can't believe it's Halloween already! Seems like just yesterday that we were bundling Tagg up in his little dinosaur, monster, dragon costume and hanging out with the family while it rained out the trick or treaters. This year, we got to go to the pumpkin patch where Tagg thought it would be cool to pound each one of the hundreds of orange "balls". It was pretty cute for the first 30 or 40! And then we somehow ended up with 86 pounds of pumpkins! What do you do with that many pumpkin pounds?! They didn't even come out of the box that said pie pumpkins. What's the difference?!

Tagg was not a fan of his monkey costume. Sure it was a little short on him and the hat may have been a little...on his head. We picked it because "monkey" has been one of his nicknames, and his favorite Wiggles song is the one with Kylie Minogue where they sing about the little monkey man. Sadly, he did not appreciate our thoughtfulness and sported a pout and determination to yank that hat off. Oh well! Better luck next year, mom and dad!

We went to the annual Rigby Halloween party...as Roller Derby Girls. Yes, all of us. Even Scott. We had great names: All Beef Patty (Scott), Anita Cocktail (Lisa), Pinky Tiffadero (Tiff), Loriville Slugger (Lori) and Mean Ref (Brad). We actually wore our roller skates to the party and no one crashed into a door or fell down or anything! We're like old pros!

Marc and Becky came as Juno and Paulie Bleeker. Marc spent hours perfecting the tshirt and dyeing his sweatbands. Funny. Even baby Harper Grace had a costume...a pillow to make her look more prego! The Sunny D and the Tic Tacs were nice touches! We celebrated Becky's 30th bday too. It was a super night and the Rigbys are awesome hosts!

Earlier in the day, we had Halloween at work complete with trick or treating for all the kids - and there are a lot of them! Our marketing team dressed up as the cast of Mad Men, so I went from a '60s admin to a Derby Girl in 2 hours. All I have to say is, it's amazing that a Bumpit and false eyelashes work equally well for both costumes!

Little Ute Fan

Tagg went to his first Ute football game on September 26th, his 14-month birthday against Louisville. It was not his first tailgating event,so as you can see even at his age the kid has his priorities straight!

We couldn't find any U of U gear in his size that wasn't sweats which would have been cruel considering it was about 100 degrees out! He did manage to get some beads from the gals (don't ask!) but quickly decided that playing in some mud was much more exciting than barbecue and socializing.

He did find some kids to play ball with, which was fun. And then he fell asleep. Till halftime! But once we were in the game, he had a blast. He kept pointing at the field saying "ball" and then clapping. So cute!

The Utes won 30-14. We had a great time, and beat all the traffic home. Gotta love it! Thanks, mom and dad, for the 50-yard-line season tickets and the parking pass. You're awesome!

Labor Day Weekend 2009

Labor Day weekend at Lake Powell...it's one of our family traditions! We left late on Thursday night and got settled in around 2am. Ouch. Tiffany, Marc and Becky came down the next day and we ended up on a fabulous sandy beach in Bullfrog Bay with about 15 of our nearest and dearest boating friends.

It kind of looked like an on the water boat show! Although the weather was a little sketchy, overcast with enough storms that we had to put our tops up, we had a blast. Tagg had a blast playing in the sand with all of the kids. Chery took a few gorgeous pictures of Scott walking on the beach with Tagg. She's so talented!

Harmer Family Powell Trip

Better late than never they say, and I hope that's true cuz this one dates back to the first week of August! We had a fabulous week, great weather, good skiing, lots of cards and...splashing! Well, that was Tagg mostly but wow, he had fun. We played this great game called splashing (with his hands), kickin' (with his feet) and running (where we'd hold him up and he'd run on the water splashing the whole time laughing hysterically.

Tagg went with us on every morning ski run, decked out in his shades and lifejacket and a hat, if we could get him to keep it on. It was so nice to be back out in Last Chance which always seems to have glass water.

Tagg really likes riding on the wave runner. He'd hop on and smile, push some buttons, take off for a slow ride with daddy and, boom! he was out like a light. Not once, not twice ... every single time he got on the wave runner! It was so funny! Maybe next year he'll be one of the kids screaming for more donuts and go-fasts, but this year, the wave runner was all about naptime!

The week was perfect. Entirely too much food and fudge jumbles, hold 'em games till the wee hours, water balloon bombings, craft projects with the kids, washoes and frisbee golf, and lots of water sports including Sandy's monumental double-morning ski which lasted an eternity!, not to mention the emergency trip to the poop dock. Ah, mem-rees!

And, yes, Tagg's learning to drive the boat - with a little assistance from dad, of course! He had a great time with all of his cousins that week and we're already counting the days till next year!

One Year Old Boy!!

Who's the cool dude?!

Tagg's first birthday. It's so amazing that it's been a full year already. It's been such an emotional time for us, remembering the emotional roller coaster we were on last year at this time - pure joy, thankfulness, fear, happiness, empathy. We feel so incredibly blessed and thankful that we are here today to celebrate not only Tagg's first birthday, but also everything in our lives and in his birth family's lives that reinforce what a wonderful, unique and cherished experience this is. We love Tagg more than either of us ever thought possible, and just when you think your heart is as full of love as it could ever be, it grows a little more. We love how much he is our family. We love his accomplishments, his moods, his smiles and giggles, his emerging personality, his love of books, mac n' cheese, watermelon, balls, saying "bad dog" and making cheez faces. We love that his birth family gave us a gift for which there will never be enough thanks, and that we can celebrate their successes along with them. Celebrate. It's a perfect word for an idyllic situation. We don't just celebrate today...we celebrate every day!

We had a fabulous party for Tagg on his birthday. Aunt Kris was in town from California and, true to form, she took the festivities to a whole new level (cute fish from the bathroom = party decorations!)

Mom and Aunt Kris did a great job coordinating the food and the decorations. Aunt Tiff got the hook-up on a bunch of amazing posters and invites. Brooke and Canyon were in town from Seattle and the rest of the Harmer clan were able to join us for bounce-housing, washoes and sliding. Even Morgan got in on the birthday act...or maybe she just wanted to be the princess for a minute.

We still had the bounce house and the swing set which wer big hits with kids young and old (hello, Uncle Marc!).

Tagg's friends and family were so generous with his gifts. I can't imagine a one-year-old who needs as many clothes and toys as he has but we're grateful that he's just spoiled enough. Tagg enjoyed his birthday cake with just as much enthusiasm as the first one (broccoli may never have a chance!) and took advantage of the family for walks and ball kicking. Hey...whatever! "I'm the birthday boy!" He's a very lucky boy to be loved as much as he is, by everyone in his life. Happy birthday, little man!!

Birthday Boy...Almost!

In the grand Harmer tradition, Tagg started celebrating his first birthday a little early. We had a party on July 19th since so many of our friends were going to be out for the Pioneer Day holiday weekend, and Tami, Jake and Porter were here for OR (Outdoor Retailers). It was a great excuse to get everyone together and celebrate all of the summer birthdays.

Tagg's birthday present from Mom and Dad was a little...hmmm, over the top?! Like he's going to be able to use this any time soon! At least the friends that visit him will enjoy it for a year or so. We got a great deal on the playset at CostCo (that will teach me to run in for formula!) and the best part? It was all put together. We were quite a sight, loading it into the bed of the truck with forklift and driving through town, ducking under every single traffic light.

Once we had it home...problem. How do we get it out of the truck, over the fence and into the yard. Solution? Mormons! Haha. Our amazingly wonderful neighbor recruited about 16 guys from church (thank goodness they were looking for any excuse to leave early!) who showed up in shirts and ties and hucked this thing out of the truck and over the fence in about 15 minutes. It was like a modern-day Amish barn raising!

The party was great. Tagg spent most of it dragging Aunt Blah-Blah (Becky) and Uncle Marc around while he kicked his ball and laughed at the dogs, and well...everything! We also had a blow-up bounce house on loan from some friends which was pretty fun. It was so hot that a waterslide version would have been good but it was still fun!

We got to spend some time with Tami, Jake and Porter who were in from Minnesota. Porter's birthday was just a month ago so the boys shared some birthday cake. Tagg really went to town. Apparently, Nothing Bundt Cakes are the way to go for 1-year-old birthdays! (Who can blame him? They really are delightful!)

The boys got to have a "tubby" after all the cake-eating, which was also pretty cute. Tagg actually probably enjoyed the splashing in the tub more than his actual birthday present!