Merry Christmas!

Ramsey was a very lucky boy this Christmas. He got a big choo choo train set in the beginning of the month b/c his Dad couldn't wait to give it to him. It his hard to watch a boy beg for a choo choo train every day for a month! Another early gift was the Mickey Mouse stuffed animal. He has been obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and will not let this toy leave his sight!
From Santa: He got some play food and dishes for his kitchen. The food has a knife and can be cut in half, to keep him away from the real knives. Glow in the dark stars and moon for his ceiling, a hammer and marble toy, colored bath bubbles, the biggest container of honey you can buy, and some gummy bears.
From Grandma and Grandpa Browning 2 basketball hoops (one for the bath and one for the kitchen), some pictures and lots of clothes
From Grandma and Grandpa Hoffmann a potty and a potty book
From Sammy and Justin, a Xavier sweatshirt
From Ben and Lacey, a wooden tool box and 2 Mickey mouse books
Thanks everyone for all the gifts! He wasn't into unwrapping them, but is definitely into playing with them! And we just spent the last hour going on and off the potty until the first pee appeared in it! Ramsey earned his first potty sticker the first day having the potty!

Little Hoff #2

We're very excited to announce the expected arrival of the second Little Hoff on June 19!

20 month update

Ramsey is still a pretty good eater and loves to feed himself. He has gotten pretty good with just about anything. He likes to throw food to Stanley (which he knows he's not supposed to do) and say, "I'm funny."

He is now able to count to 12 on his own, knows colors, shapes, and knows all the letters in the alphabet very well. He is starting to learn how to count objects, too. He has also learned the difference between big and little, in and out, off and on, etc. He favorite thing right now is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This has recently replaced Elmo. He is also very fond of Thomas the Train and Whinney the Pooh. He asks for a "cho cho train" just about every day, so we are hoping he can hold out til Christmas.

One very exciting thing happened last week while Ramsey was home with Scott. He asked to go the "potty". So, Scott held him over the potty and he went! That was very much a one-time thing for now. He has mentioned the potty several times since, but won't get back on it. So, we'll have to get a Ramsey sized one to encourage him more.

Thanksgiving fun in St. George with Uncle Doug

Uncle Doug flew out from Seattle and joined us for an escape from the cold to the desert. We stayed in a little condo near St. George with gorgeous red rocks all around. We got in some climbing and mountain biking, while Ramsey tore up the desert.

The weekend started off with a proper Thanksgiving dinner. We cooked an 18 pound turkey, threw it in the truck, and brought it with us. It was accompanied by mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberries, and a pumpkin pie. We wished we could have spent the holiday with more of our family and friends, but did enjoy the short get away.

Happy Halloween!

The theme for this Halloween was a bee keeper and bees; although we didn't get a picture of the bee keeper. Ramsey's evening started out with a party at the daycare, where all the kids got dressed up in their costumes. Then, he came to my work, where trick-or-treating desk to desk is an annual tradition. He got the hang of that pretty quickly and was grabbing candy by the handfuls. We even got a few "trick or treats" out of him. Then we went to his friend Ivy's neighborhood for some more trick or treating. He was so excited by this time, he was literally running from house to house. I have never seen him run so fast! He won't eat much of the candy he has, but does have a liking for suckers. He had about 4 or 5 suckers on Halloween night!

Another visit with Grammy!

We were lucky enough to have grammy come back and visit us again. Scott went to another conference in Flagstaff, so we enjoyed the company and the help! We showed Grammy the full fall Cache Valley experience. She also got to experience Ramsey started to put 2 words together. Here are some examples: Garbage can, Garbage truck, dragon fly, apple sauce, Daddy's dirt, Grammy's tea, more juice, etc.

Here we are at the Western Heritage Center where there was cow milking, goats, corn husk dolls, broom making, corn mazes, and best of all the train rides. Ramsey enjoyed the train ride the most - I think we rode it about 6 times.



And then we went in to check out the corn maze:

We also took two fall hikes. This is called cold water lake. It is a short hike in the Wellsville Mountains. We hiked up to enjoy the fall colors and have some lunch at the lake. We also did our annual cider pressing with the Waterfalls and Dowds. Ramsey was really into all the apples. We found all the apples that he would take a bite out of and put back in the bin when we were picking.

Pumpkins!

Here is Ramsey admiring some pumpkins at the Western Heritage Center. He went for a 2 yr birthday party for his friend Ivy. There were train rides, pony rides, and wagon rides. Ramsey enjoyed the train, and wasn't willing to try to the pony ride.
He has been really obsessed with pumpkins for the past week. I bought one to cook and he got so upset when it was gone, that we had to take him to the store to buy his own little pumpkin. He now carries it around the house with him repeating "pumpkin" over and over.

18 Month Update

This is Ramsey with his sucker after his 18 month doctor visit. It was the last time for vaccinations until he goes to school. He weighed in at 23 pounds and 32 inches. Ramsey impressed the pediatrician with his knowledge of all the letters of the alphabet and numbers 1 to 10.
Sitting at the wheel of the car is probably Ramsey's favorite activity second to helping pick up the dog poop. This can provide hours of fun turning all the dials and pretending to honk the horn (if you're willing to sit out there). The other favorite activity of the month has been putting all the couch cushions on the floor and jumping on them.

Visit with "Grammy"

Last week we had a wonderful visit from my mom. Ramsey had a break from daycare and I had some much welcome help during more of Scott's field work. Ramsey enjoyed the time so much! We took him to the zoo, the pool, the market, the park, a birthday party, a bbq, bike rides, and walks.
My mom got to experience the fun we have picking up the dog poop as well. Ramsey, for some reason, is really thrilled to "help out" by walking around the yard looking for poop. When he sees it, he points and shouts out "dirty, dirty." He gets so excited about doing this that he gets really upset if there is no more "dirty" to pick up.
Although I thought I had cleaned before her arrival, she was continuously finding things that hadn't been cleaned in who knows how long. And got to experience helping me remove the pipes under the sink because of a clogged disposal. We also battled flies, spiders, dogs rolling in horse poo, and a crib poo explosion to top it off. Through it all, we had a grand time and treated ourselves to a steak dinner at the end!
She left behind a framed picture of the two of them that Ramsey points to and says "grammy". Ramsey can recognize all of his aunts and uncles and grandparents in pictures now! He likes to carry them around and say people's names.

Labor Day Mini Vacation

We took a little trip up to the Sawtooth mountains in Idaho last weekend and stayed in a cabin in the woods. While mom and dad took turns mountain biking, Ramsey enjoyed hiking around and exploring the rivers. He especially enjoyed all the cool rocks there were to throw in the river.

The two highlights of trip for Ramsey were the hot springs and the corndogs. We found a hotspring that was alongside the river. The spring mixed with the river water provided the perfect bath temperature for Ramsey to hang out in. You couldn't beat the scenery either. Afterwards, Ramsey played in the sand and mowed his way through a giant corndog at Red Fish Lake.

Summer Fun

Eatin' melon and relaxing at Bear Lake:


Ramsey at the Cache County Fair where he enjoyed looking at the animals the most!

Ramsey in his tuxedo at our friends' wedding:

Ramsey has been growing a lot lately. I think he will be moving into the 24 months size soon. He has also been growing in his teeth - he's working on a molar in every corner of his mouth!
Scott has taught Ramsey the numbers one through ten. He bought him flash cards with the numbers on them. He gets extremely excited when you go through the flash cards and he can shout out the numbers. He sees and recognizes numbers everywhere - on license plates, doors, at the pool, etc. He is starting to recognize letters as well and can repeat quite a few of them.
He had his first (and hopefully last) phone call to 911 last week. I swear I locked my phone before I handed it to him. The next thing I know he is babbling into the phone to a 911 operator! Luckily, they didn't send anyone to the house.

Return to Myrtle Beach

Ramsey had a wonderful week at Myrtle Beach. He loved the ocean and the sand. Every day was the same routine: eat, beach, nap, eat, beach, nap, and pool. He enjoyed digging big holes in the sand to stand in. And he learned the sign for airplane as he watched planes fly by the beach every day. Uncle Jake taught Ramsey the fist bump. Aunt Abby taught Ramsey the number 6 (from the cover of her book). The rest of the week he would point to the numbers on the microwave clock and say "six".


Every afternoon, the tide would go out leaving some really shallow pools of water. Ramsey really enjoyed playing in these with his grandparents and looking for shells.



Ramsey also enjoyed running around with the "smith boys gang" at the Street family dinner parties. At the country boil, he ate 3 ears of corn! Thanks to the Hoffmanns and Streets for a wonderful time!

Haircut by Dad

Dad gave Ramsey a summer buzz cut. It took a lot of coaxing and getting hit on the head by Ramsey with the clippers, but he eventually cooperated.

Ramsey has been working on cutting his first molar. He's been a little cranky and trying to eat his hand, but other than that not too bad for a teething boy.

Another new word Ramsey just said today did not come as a surprise at all......TURKEY!

Hot Summer Nights

Here's the Ram man running around the yard with his index fingers pointed. I had no idea that was hereditary!

Ramsey Update

I just listened to the most amazing 15 minutes of babbling I have ever heard. Ramsey was pretending to read me his Whinnie the Pooh book - pointing at the pages, using hand gestures, and making up all of his words. I am dying to know what he is trying to say (I'm sure I will want to take that back someday, but it is too sweet right now.)

He said his first two-syllable word yesterday: buckle (as in the buckle on the car seat). And he makes a pretty good attempt at the word chocolate. He's definitely got a sweet tooth and can suck down a glass of chocolate milk pretty quickly.

He has been able to climb up the stairs for quite some time, but is finally trying to figure out the down. He choose to go feet first on his belly.

Water Park Fun

Here's Ramsey at the water park with his friends Ethan and Leif. He was getting pretty daring going into the water sprays until he got one right in the face! But, it was still a fun time on a hot July afternoon.

Future Soccer Player

Sum Sum Summer Time

It is finally summer in Cache Valley. After a looonnnng spring and lots of rain, we are finally getting good weather. Ramsey has a sand box to play in that was filled with sand that Scott brought back from Moab...what a lucky boy!
Ramsey is getting comfortable in the water, so we'll have to take to the pool a lot this summer. He also has a new balance bike on the way. We are starting to hear a lot of new words every day....rock, socks, horse, and clock to name a few. He also says this and that a lot when pointing to things.

Dinosaur Land

Here's the guys checking out the dinosaurs at a museum in Vernal, UT. Ramsey got to see some pretty amazing dinosaurs today and touch real dinosaur bones. Before that, he spent the weekend hiking to dinosaur tracks, playing in the sand, picking up rocks, and running around the desert while we did some mountain biking.

9th Anniversary

We spent our ninth anniversary as a family up in Green Canyon. Nothing says anniversary like a campfire, kebabs, wine, and shootin' guns at PBR cans.

14 Months Update

Here's Ramsey with his fancy new helmet that his Dad bought him. It even has ducks on it. Ramsey is still a big fan of ducks, but an even bigger fan of frogs and all of his stuffed animals. He goes to bed every night with his stuffed black bear that his grandpa (Hoffmann) got him.
He absolutely loves to read. He'll back up into your lap and ask you to read him books all day long. There are two books in particular that are his favorites. One is called Snuggle Puppy (I am pretty sure this was from Uncle Ben and Aunt Lacey) and a Dog book (from our friends Nate and Vonda). He will read those 5 times in a row if you'll let him.
We are entering a phase of small temper tantrums, so I am getting Ramsey to use his baby signs to try to communicate what he wants. He can sign that he wants to eat, is finished eating, wanting more of something, milk, brushing teeth, bath, duck, and today he learned bird. He doesn't always use his signs, but I think it helps a lot.
I am experiencing life as a single mother most of this summer. It is already crazy and it has only just begun. The first three times Scott went to Moab for his field work, Ramsey was sick every single time. I have missed a ton of work and Ramsey is missing not having his grandmothers to help out! Luckily, my friend Jenny is able to help me some. There have already been many late nights either up with Ramsey or making up work. Can't wait until Dad finishes his field work!

First Shiner

Here's Ramsey's first big shiner. He got too excited to be outside and tried to run and landed face first into the concrete!

Lately, he thinks our black dog, Stanley is a cat. He will point to him and say cat! Actually, he points at a lot things and says cat. Must be a fun word to say.

And the first word after mom and dad is....

DOG! It is only fitting that Ramsey's first 3 words were Mom, Dad, and Dog. We first heard him say it a few days ago and he kept repeating it over and over. He would point at one of the dogs and say "dog". Since then, he has gotten even better with his animal noises and is attempting to say all kinds of other words. Yesterday, when I was changing him, I dropped something and said "shoot". I was quickly reminded to watch what I say as Ramsey shouted out "shoot". Other words we've heard this week are cat, out, guys?, hat, and boat. We're not really sure what he's actually trying to say when he says "guys", but that's sure what it sounds like. He absolutely loves the outdoors and will pick up your shoes and hand them to you, so you will take him outside.

Baby Animal Days

In-spite of all of the rain, Ramsey had a great weekends outdoors. His absolute favorite thing right now is going outside. Every day when I get home from work, I'll let him walk around the yard with the dogs. So, yesterday we braved the rain and took Ram to see all the baby animals at the Western Heritage Center. He got to touch baby ducks, chicks, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and turtles. He even held a rabbit in his lap for a few minutes without squeezing it!

Today we took Ramsey over to the Logan zoo where he got to see some monkeys, antelope, bald eagle, birds, ducks, geese, porcupines and more. Although he enjoyed seeing the animals, I think he enjoyed jumping in the rain puddles the most!

First Sleeping Bag

This is Ramsey's first sleeping bag for his first camping trip of the season. Although it is still snowing in Logan, it was nice and warm in southern Utah for the annual canyoneering trip. Scott and I each got to do one canyon and Ramsey had a blast running around in the sand.

Not a baby anymore...

Ramsey has grown so much in the last month. He has figured out how to use a fork. Most of the time he won't eat anything unless you help him put food on it so he can put it in his mouth by himself. He's been working really hard at trying to figure out the spoon, too.

There's been a lot of imitating going on lately. Ramsey loves singing songs like wheels on the bus and hokey pokey. He'll put his hands on his head, hands on his belly, stomp his feet, and turn around.

Visit with Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom

Ramsey's great aunt and uncle, Carol and Tom, invited us down to their condo at Brian Head for an extended weekend of skiing fun. There was lots of powder to be had out there.
They got Ramsey his first pillow (which he absolutely loves) and had his first experience with bubbles. Carol taught Ramsey how to spin around and to grunt like a hippo! It is amazing how much of what you say he can understand now. Time to start watching it!

Swim Lessons Begin!

Ramsey's first swim lessons have begun. We are doing a parent-tot class twice a week for 6 weeks. Ramsey is learning to get comfortable in the water by floating around on his front and back, dunking under, kicking around, and playing games. He loves being in the water and doesn't even cry when you dip him under water (although he is a little shocked).

One Year Update

The 12 month doctor visit had Ramsey weighing in at 19.5 lbs. and 30 inches long. Basically, we have a tall skinny kid here. He's been eating plenty of food, but is in constant motion burning it off. We are making the transition from baby food to whole foods. Ramsey has tried just about everything basic by now. Sometimes he eats everything and sometimes he's picky. Some of his favorites include bananas, bread, eggs, peanut butter, yogurt, avocado, potatoes, broccoli, mac and cheese and peas. He is not much of a meat eater yet, but I can get him to eat tofu.

We still haven't hear any words besides mom and dad. However, Ramsey loves anything that has to do with animals and will try to make the sounds. He still snorts like a pig and I taught him the sign for frog, which is sticking his tongue out. If you ask him to do the sign for frog, he will stick his tongue out.

Spring is coming just in time. Ramsey has a new obsession with going outside. Any time he sees the door open, he will run over to it and scream until you take him outside. All he wants to do is walk around. We're looking forward to spending many summer days at the park with him.

Happy First Birthday Ramsey!!

Helping my Dad

Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jake return!

Ashley and Jake came out for a week of skiing and visiting with their nephew. The picture here is a gift they brought with them. It provided hours of entertainment as they built towers for Ramsey to play godzilla and knock them down. He was screaming with excitement.
We all spent the night in the yurt at the ski resort, so Ashley and Jake could experience that and maximize their ski time. I think from the beginning of the week to the end the progress in learning how to ski had improved by leaps and bounds!(Correction: Jake improved by leaps and bounds. Ashley already knew how to ski.)

11 months old!

Our little boy is 11 months old already! Hard to believe it has almost been a year. He is getting pretty daring with his walking. He has started walking around the room more and more every day and will climb the stairs without hesitation. He loves emptying out all of our drawers now, too. You can see him in action here.

There's those teeth!

What a week!

This little guy is now breaking more teeth through the top. Two have already broke the surface and it looks like there are two more coming! The teething process hasn't been too bad - there a couple nights of Ramsey waking up several times and one night of Scott staying up with him from 2:30am to 5:30am.

The other big news is that Ramsey can now walk across the room! This was a breakthrough day. He walked back and forth between us at least 20 times. See Scott's Facebook page for some videos.

Oink! Oink!

Ramsey can "Oink" like a pig! He loves anything that has to do with animals and tries to imitate all of their sounds. He can also make the sign for duck.

And we have a tooth!

The first tooth has finally begun to sprout from the bottom in the middle!

10 Months Old!

Ramsey turned 10 months old on the 15th. We had to take a trip to Cincinnati for his great-grandfather's funeral, who he regrettably did not get the chance to meet. That was the first time I've taken Ramsey on a trip by myself and he did very well. He got to see the whole Ratterman family and I'm waiting for some pics of that to put up.

Ramsey has begun imitating a lot. He can waive goodbye. He has starting playing peek-a-boo by covering his own face. He has also begun to get into everything - the toilet paper, the cabinets, the garbage - you name it. Things are starting to get interesting around here. And we're still waiting for that first tooth!

First Steps!

Ramsey has been working very hard at walking around while you hold his hands. Scott has also been working very hard at getting him to walk with holding only one hand. Tonight we let go and he took a couple little steps all by himself!