A little bit of everything else...

Can't even begin to tell you how many times
we almost lost THIS shoe...

 

 

What else did we do in Wyoming with a sick toddler (other than put his shoes back on 15 million times a day)?  Not much really.  We went into town a few times, did a little souvenir shopping/sweatshirt buying and saw some of the local sights and points of interest.
 

Like Albert Einstein, an eight foot tall moose and Benjamin Franklin.  Because, obviously:
 

There is something about toddlers and statues.  He was obsessed with them.  Every time we walked pasted this particular store just off the square, he wanted to run and climb all over the them.  I would have been more open to it if the statues weren't hanging out in a crowded parking lot just off a busy street.  

(Also, "moose" and "moo" sound very similar.  I'm pretty sure Banner lost all confidence in his understanding of the word C-O-W while in Wyoming.)

In addition, we made sure the little guy had an opportunity to ride the stagecoach since EVERY.SINGLE.TIME Banner saw it go by, he'd point and yell, "NEIGH!".  He spent the whole 15 minutes waving and saying "buh-bye" to everyone he saw along the route.  It was adorable, and I saw countless people snapping pictures of my baby waving from the stagecoach window as we clopped on by.  My only regret was that I was in the wagon WITH HIM, and was, therefore, unable to get a good picture documenting the experience. 

Sigh.

Still it was cute:

 

Other than that, though, most of our time was spent at the cabin.  Banner decided it was his job to wave "hi" and "buh bye" at each and every walker, car, dog, butterfly, bike or airplane that passed.  Bless all the locals that played along and waved back.  He ate it up.  By the end of our 10 days in Jackson, he'd run out on the deck waving if he just *thought* he heard something or someone coming or going.

Being the neighborhood greeter comes with a lot of responsibility.

He also discovered the wild, wild world of cosplay.  Well, sort of.  He basically accessorized his puppy back pack into a crime fighter's utility belt.  Because nothing says "down with the bad guys" like an iPhone and a baby monitor strapped to something soft, fuzzy and puppy-like:
 

 

 

But, you know, it worked for him, and that's all that mattered.  And, well, quite frankly we LOVED his outfit.  Not sure what the neighbors thought, but who cares.  My kid is awesome.

Even though this trip involved fewer no hikes than summer trips to the mountains past, it was still incredibly full of time spent with my boys.  And, yes, the ear infection sucked, but it also forced us to stop and enjoy - not what we were missing - but what was most important.

If being a mom has taught me anything, it is the need to slooooow down and take things one step at a time.  I'm still not very good at it, but Banner is one persistent teacher.
 

Good thing he is so stinkin' cute!

Wyoming also taught Banner something important.  Namely, how to safely get from the deck to the lawn.  I spent most of the first week worrying that he would launch himself off and hurt himself.  And, after several near misses, he finally did.  He tumbled right off before I could grab him and bumped his little tush - hard - on the corner of a cement step.  But, you know what?  It taught him to be more careful in the future.  And he never even hinted at wanting to jump off the deck again for the rest of the trip.  Trevor insists that is just how little boys learn:  through trail, error AND PAIN.  If that is true, God help me, because Banner is a daredevil who refuses to listen to reason.

Like father, like son.

Also, thank goodness it was his tush and not his head.  Because, OMG.