Well, comming soon...

Garth raced in Ironwood, MI, we traveled home to Idaho from Minnesota which is a whole separate blog in itself-long delays...lost baggage...That's the very short version, and Palmer had his first Christmas! And broke his first (and second) tooth! When we get back to MN, I will catch up w/photos of all.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hill City, MN

Garth raced in Hill City on December 6-7. It was a regional race-meaning smaller than the nationals he races. He did great! He won his open final and got 2nd in the stock final. Palmer had fun. We stayed at a fun hotel with two water slides! Garth took Palmer down the little kid slide.

Palmer does pretty good in the car. He was sleepy and didn't have his pacifier so he fell asleep sucking on one of his caterpillar's antenna. Poor baby. He is so sweet.

Almost 8 months...

And Palmer can already read!!

Duluth, MN

Duluth, MN
November 28th-30th

A quick explanation: Garth races at the Pro level in the national snocross series. There are two classes-Stock and Open or Mod. Each class has it's own qualifiers and a final. That's the basic explanation. Any questions just ask...

In his stock final he got a bad start and worked his way up lap by lap, passing rider after rider to an impressive 6th place finish.

Garth had the fastest practice lap times but had a little trouble in the open final. He got hit in a corner, bending something in his steering so he couldn't finish. He ended up 14th, out of 15 because he made it further than one other guy who broke down in the final.

Overall a good weekend. Palmer did pretty well and suprised me with how fast he adjusted to life on the road. We were up in the lodge the whole day with a lot of other people who were loud, cheering, and clapping and he got used to all the action. He even napped in the middle of a race outside! I had lots of help from my lovely friends. The next weekends were even easier.

Follow Garth's Race Season...

I added some links above to follow Garth's racing. You can check out his team's site, his series, his schedule...and even watch his lap times live while he is acually racing. His first race is this coming weekend. I'll post his results after it's all over! Wish us luck!

Milestone!!

My little son, who not so little anymore, can officially sit up all on his own. For quite a while. Sometimes he gets really excited (or a little unhappy) and kicks his little feet and goes backwards, bonking his head. But for the most part can sit unassisted and play with his toys. I am so proud. He is so coordinated with his hands now and pulls his pacifier out of his mouth and puts it back in. Pretty cute. He is growing up too fast!

Oh! And to those that have asked-Palmer is doing great in his cloth diapers. They have been leak proof (unless they get too full) and he hasn't had a single blowout. He's wearing one in the picture. And-I like them too.

You're My Guitar Hero!

So...Garth was obviously very bored one evening after Palmer went to bed and felt the need to rock out. Neither one of us had played Guitar Hero for months so we got it out, dusted it off and ROCKED. Garth got all dressed up and then picked out my outfit and made me dress up with him. I really wasn't into it at first but was trying to be a good sport and it ended up being pretty fun. I know we are lame but I thought these pics were too good not to share!

We have arrived...

On Saturday night around 9:30pm we left our beautiful home in Teton Valley and drove cross country to Minnesota. We left at Palmer's bedtime to try to make the 18 hour drive a little less torture for our little man by having him sleep through the first part. We were really dreading the whole thing because Palmer can't hardly make it the hour and a half drive to Idaho Falls for the day. Well-it was a breeze. Palmer slept all night only waking up around 5:30 to have a little milk then back to sleep until 7:30 or so. He took his normal naps during the next day and we were here in Fertile by 2:30pm Sunday. Painless.

Garth packed the truck like a pro. We brought way too much stuff but he got it all here.

Here is a pic of Garth's team's race shop.

We moved to Minnesota just for the winter. Garth races snocross and his team is based out of Fertile, MN. The first race is Thanksgiving weekend. If you want to find out more info about his team and the circut he races check out: Christian Brothers Racing. I'll keep everyone updated...

Tree Frog!

For Halloween Palmer was a tree frog! He loved his costume. He was a good sport and hung out for a couple hours in it. Halloween was just as much fun for Garth and I as it will be for Palmer. He's been sucking on his bottom lip lately-I think his poor little gums hurt from teething.

October Pics

I finally downloaded my camera onto my computer. Here are some things we've captured on camera of our lives during October...I've been working less and have had more time to spend with family and friends. It's been so nice.

Lunch at 'Scratch' with my momma!

My boys! Sporting their very stylish Wayferer sunglasses.

This is how I have to do a lot of things. With my monkey on my back. Palmer loves to be in his sling. I love to have him close too.

Visiting Palmer's Great Grandma Phyllis.

October has flown by! I'm looking forward to Halloween and the rest of the holidays. November we will be in Minnesota preparing for the beginning of snocross season. We won't be back until March...I am excited but sad to miss Thanksgiving and Christmas at home in Idaho/Wyoming.

One Word

This is a fun one! Try it!

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other? Playstation
3. Your hair? Blah
4. Your mother? Amazing
5. You father? Example
6. Your favorite thing? cupcakes
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your dream/goal? Alta
9. The room you're in? Family
10. Your hobby? Palmer
11. Your fear? freezing
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? warm
13. Where were you last night? home!
14. What you're not? selfish
15. One of your wish list items? bumper
16. Where you grew up? Califordiho
17. The last thing you did? Rocked
18. What your wearing? personal...;)
19. Your TV? 27"
20. Your pet? Emotional
21. Your computer? Friend
22. What do you think of tags like this? Fun
23. Your mood? Content
24. Missing someone? Yes
25. Where would you rather be? Bed
26. Something your not wearing right now? socks
27. Favorite store? amazon
28. Your summer? robbed
29. Love someone? Garth
30. Favorite color? plum
31. The last time you laughed? recently
32. Who will participate? Sheena?

Have you seen these?

Self Feeders!

They are great. You can put just about anything in the mesh compartment and give them to your baby without the fear of choking! Today we put some slightly cooked apples in one and gave it to Mr. Palmer. What a treat. It was like candy! He loved it and couldn't get enough. He sucked all the juice out and was a little upset when it ran out. All through it I was practicing 'more' (in sign language) when he would set the feeder down and then give him the feeder again.

PS-Thanks Robert and Rebekah for getting these for Palmer. We all love them!

Baby Sing Language Anyone?

So now that Palmer is closing in on 6 months (on the 19th!-I can't believe it), I have been looking into starting to teach him baby sign language. My best friend Bethany taught it to her kids and I loved that they could let her know when they wanted water, milk...and so on. Any suggestions? A good website? Book? Anyone have any experience with it?

Please help if you can...Blair Morgan

End of Competition for Blair Morgan
By Chris Lee

It has been confirmed by doctors that the back injuries Blair Morgan sustained during a practice session accident for the Montreal Supercross on Saturday, September 20 have resulted in permanent paralysis for the multi-time motocross and snowcross champion. The accident, which occurred on a jump, caused Morgan's middle back vertebrae to separate and sever his spinal cord.

Thirty-three-year-old Morgan underwent emergency surgery at the Montreal General Hospital and has been progressing well since. According to his physician Morgan is paralyzed from the chest down. The Prince Albert, SK native is expected to be transferred to a facility in Saskatoon within the next week, where he will focus on recovering and working closely with physiotherapists.

“We are deeply saddened and concerned with the recent injury to our pro racer and personal friend, Blair Morgan, last weekend in Montreal. Blair has been part of the Blackfoot Family for the last 10 years and has always been the true professional, both on and off the track,” said Team Yamaha Blackfoot Racing's Jason Mitchell.“He has a huge fan base and following wherever he competed and was a role model for all the young riders in both dirt and snow. We know that Blair is a fighter and if anyone can work his way through this new path in life it will be him.”

Morgan's tragic crash has sent shockwaves through both the motocross and snowcross world, where his absence on the racetrack will be missed in the coming years. In addition to winning eight national Canadian motocross championships, Morgan won numerous world titles, including a record five WinterX Games gold medals, in snowcross competition.

“Like everyone else, we have been severely affected and deeply saddened by Blair Morgan's accident and subsequent career-ending injury. This turn of events cannot be described as anything less than a tragic loss for the sport of motocross in Canada and international snowcross racing,” said CMRC president Mark Stallybrass. “Blair has been a great ambassador for the sport of motocross, and has always conducted himself in a positive and professional manner at CMRC nationals for over a decade. Our thoughts and sympathy are with Blair and his family."

If you wish to donate to help Blair and his family financially: http://www.sellyourevents.com/BlairMorganFamilyTrustDonation.aspx

Or buy a shirt with proceeds going to his relief: http://www.sellyourevents.com/OPERATIONINSPIRATION7c.aspx

Cloth Diapers?!

To a lot of you (most of you) this will come as a big surprise! My newest bloggable life change is making the switch to cloth diapers. Now, before your jaws drop on the floor, cloth diapers like my mother used to use, and her mother, are a thing of the past. Now they go on almost just like disposables. They have velcro closures (some have snaps) and are super soft against baby's skin. They have microfiber inserts so are very absorbent. And are adjustable in size by snaps to create the perfect fit for a growing baby. I will still use disposables from time to time like when we are on the road traveling and don't want dirty diapers sitting around for who knows how long until we can wash them. (All though I may master using them even while traveling, this winter!). Garth suggested using them in the morning until Palmer takes his morning BM-he's usually pretty regular-so we don't have to deal with dumping poo in the toilet. But now they make these awesome sprayers that hook right into your toilet plumbing that act as mini sprayers so-if we get those, he's even agreed to rinse poop off of the diapers! I know it all sounds so fun.

My reasons for making the switch:

#1-Waste-I felt personally responsible for filling up the landfills with just my disposable diapers each time I throw out a grocery sack full of them. It takes 500 years for one diaper to decompose!

#2-$$-Eventually the price will pay off. Every time I use a washable diaper, I replace the cost of using a disposable. Even with the use of water, detergent and electricity to wash, I'm still saving money in the long run. Especially if we have another baby, I will use them with that baby too!

#3-Materials-Using the ultra soft cloth diapers is much better for baby's sensitive skin. I don't even want to go into what disposable diapers are made up of. It's really quite alarming what they put in these products that are used on little babies.


Check out the website and see what you think about them. They are the one size cloth diapers 3.0. http://www.bumgenius.com/


Best of all-Palmer is darling in them!

Palmer's First...

...Pool Experience! It was so much fun. Darcie took us while Garth got some alone time back at her house, recovering from his wisdom teeth extraction (see below post). Palmer didn't know what to think right away but saw his cousin Zoie having so much fun and warmed up right away. It's amazing that they have a natural ability to swim already. Plus he has no problem floating. He is very buoyant!

This was the only picture that turned out of us in the pool. That is me w/Palmer though. All the others were blurry. Maybe because he was swimming so fast! Haa haa!

...Rice cereal! He loved it. I've heard such funny stories of babies just hating the stuff but he smiled and cooed and opens his mouth for more! I really wanted to wait until he was 6 months old and exclusively nurse until then but when I go to work, he really fights Garth on the bottle. So I wanted to try another option so Garth can feed him while I'm gone for hours on end. It can be really frustrating for both of us and a little heartbreaking that he will get so hungry rather than take a bottle. We've been practicing a lot with an Adiri bottle, which seems to be working the best, and he may be getting a little better but definitely prefers nursing. We have tried every bottle out there, I swear, and every kind of pacifier (which he doesn't like either)...so after his 4 month check up, the doc gave the okay to start trying foods when we felt ready.

Palmer is in the 50th percentile range now with his weight, height and head circumference. We are so proud. He started out so small (4 lbs) and has caught up so fast! He now weighs 14.5 lbs, and is 25 inches long! It must be all that nursing :)

Wisdom Teeth...

Poor Garth got his wisdom teeth out on Saturday (the 16th) in Salt Lake at a place called Wisdom Teeth Only. Meaning...exactly that. All they do all day is wisdom teeth extraction. Garth and I walked into the office around 10:15 and were on our way (minus 3 wisdom teeth) by 11:00. From the waiting room I could hear the drill going almost the whole time as the doctor had to drill Garth's bottom teeth and suck out the pieces rather than just pulling them because they were so badly impacted. Garth should have had them out 6 years ago but put it off until now. And only because I made the appointment and then told him the time and date he was getting rid of them. They've bothered him pretty badly for the past 4 years on and off. They've been the worst the past 2 years and I'd had enough of him complaining and never doing anything about it.

He thought it would be a walk in the park...

We made it to Logan and decided to stay the night with his sister Darcie rather than continue the suffering in the car. She and Andy were such awesome hosts and took such good care of all three of us.

Garth is just feeling better now. And it's been over a week.

During the week of recovery-on Monday, the 18th was our 2 year wedding anniversary, Palmer's first pool experience, he tried rice cereal for the first time, and liked it ...

Random Summer Happenings

This summer has gone by so quickly that I haven't blogged about all the fun things we've been doing. Garth is so busy with work, training to get ready for snocross, and now hunting season is upon us, that it seems like he doesn't get a lot of time to just relax at home with me and Palmer. So we try to combine some of those activities and spend the time together. One of the best ways to do it is hiking. We go places that he can bring binoculars and look for traces of deer and elk and try to get a little exercise at the same time. When his sister Darcie and her partner Andrew were here with their darling daughter Zoie, we rode the lift to the top of Targhee and hiked all around the backside. It was scary (for me) at times walking on very steep side hills on shale with Palmer in the front pack and ledges with steep drop offs. It was beautiful. Then Palmer had a massive blow out about 2 hours into the hike. We brought a spare onsie (always...Palmer loves to blow out his diap) and got him pretty clean with wipes but it's hard in the dirt. We've gone hiking several more times since then and it gets more and more enjoyable as I get in better hiking shape. Plus Garth carries everything. Including the baby. What a nice husband right?

Then last Saturday we went to the Tauphus Park Zoo with some of my family. My sister Melissa and her husband Zac are moving to San Diego so we had one last hurrah. My mom and Grant were there with Rachel who turned 11 that day! Combined party. Brian and Elise came too with their 3 adorable kids. I love seeing all the animals. We went to Leo's pizza after that for the kids to play on the toys and we binged on pizza...

This has been the shortest summer I can remember. It's about half way through August and it's already cooling off. I am looking forward to winter though because snocross season is so fun. I don't have to work and we get to travel around with fun people to races. It feels like one big vacation.

We have lots of fun together and love each other more and more everyday. We are surrounded by people who love us and couldn't ask for anything more...sorry for the cheese but I'm just feeling really blessed and lucky to have the life I do.

Reading is Fun!!

After a long break from reading, years, I'm embarrassed to say...I have renewed my love for it. The Twilight series has something to do with it, I'm sure, but before I read those (obsessively) I read some other greats. I recommend: Not Without My Daughter, The Kite Runner, Memory Keeper's Daughter...I recommend reading. It's a great pass time. I've have the TV on less and less which is such a great feeling. I don't want Palmer growing up to be a vegetating TV kid. We plan to use the TV less and less and replace it with enriching activities and games for Palmer that require active imagination, not to mention activity. So I thought it would be easiest to start early. I've been reading to him since he was about 2 1/2 months old and he truly loves it. It calms him if he's fussy and entertains him endlessly. Now at 3 1/2 months, I can see him actually looking at each page's pictures back and forth while I read.

Last night after a short hike up Teton Canyon, he was crying pretty hard once we got in the car. I think it was a combination of being hungry, tired and a little over stimulated. I sat in the back with him and he was inconsolable. So I pulled out a Slednecks magazine from the back of the seat and started showing him the pictures and reading random things off each page. He stopped crying right away! He looked excitedly at each page and I know that if I hadn't read books to him everyday before now, that magazine wouldn't have interested him at all. Thank goodness for books!

So read to your kids!! And read for yourself...

Palmer absolutely loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The bright simple pictures on each page are so fun for him to look at. Plus the story reminds me of Palmer. ...but he was still hungry...

Bouncy Chair!

I never knew how fun a bouncy chair could be for a 3 month old! He really shows very little interest in toys but was really having fun in his bouncy chair. I just think Palmer is so cute that I had to share these pictures...

Palmer's Story

I thought I'd share my birth experience with the blogging world since I started our blog after Palmer was born. It was an amazing and scary experience that is worth passing on. All the below pictures are at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City (UT). The staff there was absolutely amazing!!...

I went in for my scheduled 34 week OB checkup on Wednesday, April 16th, in Jackson Hole, and had high blood pressure. I've had low blood pressure at every other appointment so that was a little red flag. They re-tested several times with the same results. I was then admitted into the Jackson Hole hospital for 'observation'. I was told by my doctor that I would probably have to be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I was about to be discharged to go home when they decided to keep me over night on an IV and continued observation. Thursday afternoon after several blood tests, they diagnosed me with preeclampsia. I ended up getting life flighted down to Salt Lake on Thursday evening. They were worried that with my high blood pressure, I could have a seizure or have a stroke. Then after a couple more tests and an ultra sound, it was decided that I needed to be induced to protect me and Palmer. While I flew down to Salt Lake, Garth had to go home and pack our things and rush down to the hospital worried sick about me and our baby. Friday at noon, they began inducing me. After 12 hours on one drug to prepare me for another 17 hours on Petocin I looked like a stereo system with all the wires and tubes I was attached to. We had several scares as Palmers heart beat would dip with contractions. The team of doctors was amazing and did an excellent job with my situation. Palmer came into the world with a support team of 3 pediatricians and I had 5 of my own doctors and nurses to deliver me safely. At 5:01pm on Saturday. April 19th, Palmer was born with his cord wrapped around his neck. The doctor took care of it quickly and delivered him safe and sound. He is such a strong man, he impressed everyone with how resilient he is. He only weighed 4 lbs, 6 oz. But was 18 1/2 inches long. Everyone thought because he was so early (5 1/2 weeks) that he would be in the nursery for at least two weeks if not until his due date which was May 26th. He was only there for 4 days proving to everyone that he was a fighter.

Now at three months he is right on track and has caught up to any other full term baby. He amazes me every day. He is a great eater and has hit his milestones like he should be. At his two month check up he weighed 11 lbs, 4 oz and was 22 1/2 in long! He'd already gained 7 lbs and grew 4 inches in two months of life! So now at 3 months I can only guess he's gained another couple of pounds and gotten even taller.


It all happened so fast it's hard to believe he is already here and getting so big. Being parents has brought me and Garth even closer together and we are truly one little happy family.

Still Pregnant-in SLC. We were in a beautiful room! It was a very nice hospital.

Right ater delivery, Palmer on receiving unit holding onto dad's hand. He scored a 9 on the Apgar test! Way to go!

Garth was hardly ever away from the nursery and fell in love with Palmer right away. He fed him all the time including a bunch of middle of the night feedings!

This is a good representation of how small Palmer was compared to Garth's hand. -look how skinny his little legs were-same size as Garth's thumb!

Update

Over the weekend of the 4th, we had two family reunions. The Durtschi side (Grant and all his brothers and sisters and their families) as well as the Hibbert side (Garth's mom's dad's brothers and sisters and their families). It was fun to see everyone and get together. I think it was a lot of stimulation for Palmer because he mostly slept the whole time...I had to work a couple of the evenings so we missed some of the festivities. On Saturday morning we went hiking up Teton Canyon with Garth's sister Darcie, her boyfriend Andrew and their adorable 6 month old, Zoie. It was so beautiful up in the mountains and we couldn't believe how crazy fast the water was. The flowers were beautiful. It was so fun to have them stay with us and we wish they all lived closer. Palmer is fortunate to have many cousins that do live close to grow up with and play with. It's nice that we do get together so often.

4th of July

Yesterday was such a fun and full day. We went to the 4th of July parade in Victor in the morning where we rode around on our cruisers with Palmer in a front carier. Then had lunch at Grandma Marian's for the Durtschi family reunion. It was so nice to see everyone. The weather was great. Not too hot, not too cold. Then our little family headed over to Jackson because I had to work. Garth and Palmer came too to keep me company but mostly because Palmer refuses to take a bottle and would rather starve and scream the whole time I'm at work than put it in his mouth! Any suggestions would be appreciated. I had an hour break between appointments so we went out to sushi and I fed Palmer. Then we got home around 10pm just in time for Driggs's fireworks. They were short and sweet. We watched from Garth's grandpa Ned's house. It is also Garth's dad's birthday on the fourth so there was a quick birthday celebration after the fireworks then we were off to bed. My most exciting news though was that Palmer slept almost 6 hours in a row last night! Which was so suprising because he slept a lot of the 4th away. It's just too cozy being caried around in the front pack and too hot to hardly stay awake I guess. I'm just hopeful that this is the beginning of the end of 2-3 times a night feedings...

First Attempt At This Blogging Thing!

So here is my first attempt. Julie has inspired me to get with it and start my blog. So here is the beginning. Plus I have such an adorable baby that I owe it to the world to show him off. A quick overview of our lives:
Garth and I were married August 18th, 2006 and reside in beautiful Teton Valley, Idaho. Life has been wonderful to us. He is lucky (and talented) enough to race snowmobiles professionally in the winter which takes us to Minnesota and surrounding areas for a good 4 to 5 months out of the year. I work for a great little spa in Jackson Hole, WY where I've been since 2004. I love being a massage therapist. We have a beautiful baby boy Palmer Christian Kaufman who was born (5 1/2 weeks early!) on April 19, 2008. He is doing very well and is such a blessing in our lives. Last summer we bought a condo just North of Driggs and have loved having our own place and some more room. We have 3 beds/2 baths so we have room now for visitors so bring 'em on! I don't want to make this too long though and discourage myself from keeping up w/blogging so...that's all for now.