Hex-a-June

My first baby turned six today. I love her more every day. Here are ten reasons I love June at age six:

1. She does things to make people happy (like giving spontaneous foot massages).
2. She asks really interesting questions that make me think.
3. She is beautiful, but not conceited at all.
4. She has her own sense of style (the stripes, prints, and polka dots are starting to look good together).
5. She always helps me when I ask her for something.
6. She is starting to understand when I am teasing her, and she plays along.
7. She is kind to her sisters and shares everything.
8. She still sleeps with her bear, Foot.
9. She likes fruit, but not chocolate chips (I wish that were true for me).
10. I can't imagine life without her; she made me a mommy first.

Her birthday was great. We had the whole day planned out. I made her a cup of fresh fruit this morning and I loved how she picked out all the grapes first, then the strawberries and finally the bananas. I asked if she ate the grapes first because they were her favorite, or least favorite; they were her favorite.
When she got home from school we had her cake all ready to eat after lunch and then she opened gifts.



The flower cake is in honor of her deep abiding love of les fleurs. Today I didn't take pictures of gift opening, I just sat back and enjoyed it. The biggest gift was a telescope from Dad. They are outside right now (it's 10:19 pm and they have been out there for over an hour) looking at stars. Tyler really likes Astronomy so he has been planting the seeds of star gazing in June so he could justify the gift. I don't mind because Daddy/daughter time is precious no matter how you pay for it.
In the evening we went to Jump On It, a huge trampoline play area. The girls all really enjoyed it (except maybe Robyn who got hurt a few times). As we were walking in, they were carrying out a girl with her ankle wrapped in ice; certainly not a good omen. Luckily, we all exited with no serious injuries. There is a trampoline area just for kids under 4 feet and there are several big blow-up jumping toys that are just for the younger children so the girls were well entertained.



Tyler really got into it and was doing several flips in a row (I wish I had gotten some pictures but there was too much movement and they all turned out blurry). Daisy was nice enough to sleep for almost the whole time so that Mom and Dad were able to jump around together.



Here is June saying, "I'm six!!"



Then we went to IHOP, where advantageously kids eat free on Tuesdays after 4pm. That was a great ending to a great day. June is almost asleep as I write this; a year older and just as sweet as can be.

Autumn in the Canyon

I can see from my house that the mountains are starting to get those beautiful fall colors. So it was time to take the family into the canyon. A lot of times I just think about doing these things, but tonight we were spontaneous and we jumped in the car and headed for Bridal Veil Falls with 40 minutes to sunset. Don't worry, we made it with plenty of time to spare; so much in fact that Dad thought it would be a good idea to hike up to the falls.
Good thing I wore my hiking shoes.



Yep, and it didn't help that I was carrying the baby in the sling so my balance was a little tricky. But Tyler was quite the knight. He helped the girls and me across every risky rock slide and slippery slope and yes, I was glad that we hiked up to the falls. June was especially excited that we got to hike (apparently we need to do stuff like this more often). We took a more treacherous path up, but found the right one on the way down. There were a lot of people out for a quiet Sunday evening because they were doing the Bridal Veil Film Festival. I had not heard of this event until just this afternoon, but it didn't slow down our hiking at all; on the contrary, we slowed down young spry couples who were hiking behind us. I took a picture of the big blow up screen where they watch the movies.



I wonder how many people try to watch from covert places without paying?
The main reason we hiked in the first place is right here folks; look at those lovely autumn colors splattered on the hillside.



And like I said, we made it all the way up to the falls where that young spry couple who was following us was nice enough to take a picture for us.



Sorry you can't see Daisy. The blanket I brought to keep her warm basically covers the papoose, but she's in there somewhere.
It was a really beautiful evening and I have to admit that we should do it more often.



Next time, better shoes.

The Spice of Life

I have a spice drawer. I have a spice rack too, which holds the most used spices (such as pepper, salt, garlic, etc.) right next to the stove. The spice drawer is for those less-used spices such as Cumin, Dill Weed (that one makes me laugh), and Pumpkin-Pie Spice. The girls love that drawer. They organize the spices, shake the sprinkles, and find the candles hidden in the corners. My mother had spices, but they were all alphabetized and I was not allowed to play with them. Mine are far from alphabetized and it probably takes me 30-90 seconds longer to find anything in that drawer, but it is worth it. Check out this masterpiece:



You never know what your kids will remember and love about your home. My friend says her mother had a jar full of buttons that she loved to play with. Gotta get me one of those.

Kids Say the Darnedest Things

When I left for my mission to Brazil, my Father warned me that he was to receive a letter once a week—no less. In great fear and trepidation of what might happen if I did not delivery a weekly letter, I wrote like Thoreau lest some great misfortune befall me. My father, somewhat old school in his absolute abhorrence of computer-produced letters, would scribe a letter to me on his Levenger stationary with his black-ink alloy fountain pen. “Letters,” he would say, “should come with some emotion, and you just don’t get that on a computer.”

Now that I have returned, the necessity for letter writing seems to have diminished. This is odd to me as I sit here because although I am closer, I see my Idaho family only slightly more than I did on my mission! Perhaps letter writing is more necessary than previously supposed!

Nevertheless, I received a letter from my father just yesterday. In the grand tradition of my father, it was written in his own hand on premium paper. Without disclosing the entire contents of the letter, I wish to share a portion: “We were cleaning our drawers the other day and I found an assignment from you about why I should buy you a computer. I thought you might find it amusing now.”

Enclosed with the letter was another hand-written document, in penmanship I haven’t seen in years—my own. The document titled, “10 Reasons to have a Computer,” is meticulously labeled with “Tyler” as the preparer, and is dated, “9-16-91.” That’s 17 years ago almost to the day. It reads as follows:

1. To do my homework.
2. IF we got a computer for the family, either Kolby or J.R. will ruin it like the one downstairs.
3. To store my scientific refr information.
4. To keep my schedules on.
5. To keep my diary gernal on.
6. In 5/6 of my classes, I get extra Credit for computer printed assignments.
7. To Index, my Index words for My English class.
8. To make an index of my books.
9. To help the earth. Lined paper that has been written on with ink or lead can’t be recycled, computer paper can.
10. To aid myself and others in scouts.
11. To help J.R. & Kolby with their homework.
12. To keep personal thoughts I wan to remember on.

Notice the list of ten reasons actually has 12.

It’s not often that we obtain smoking-gun evidence that were just as funny as our children are now. For now, this letter serves as a reminder of days gone by that I only see now…in my children. Write a few of those moments down, for perchance you may find them in about 20 years and you can send them to your children.

By the way, yes, I did get the computer, and no, neither Kolby nor J.R. ruined it like the one downstairs.

My dad also noted, "I know I enjoy remembering these events in our lives. Who would know that you'd go on to use a computer to provide for your family." Maybe when June asks me for a telescope she's really telling me she's going to grow up to be a rocket scientist?

Germaphobe

I came from a family where both my parents were microbiologists--so they understood germs. My Dad in particular is a huge germaphobe and a bit of a hypochondriac (you know it's true Dad). We were threatened with diseases if we ever touched our lips to a public drinking fountain. He brought along what we called wash n' drys everywhere we went in case we needed to clean our hands (I think this was his solution before the days of hand sanitizer). I learned to loath public toilets and touching the floor in any manner.
Much of this is still in my system. I am always telling the girls to stay off the floor in stores and not touch the bottom of their shoes. I bring hand sanitizer everywhere and often lather it on common objects such as grocery cart handles. But I have loosened up a bit. For instance, I often utilize the ten second rule, but only in my own kitchen where I KNOW what has been on the floor.
The phobia rears its ugly head at odd moments such as the other day when June came running inside. She had just gotten off the bus and she was very animated, "Mom, I found that thing we were looking for." And she holds up this:



If you can't tell what that is, it is a feather; a rather nasty feather. I am sure she just found it on the ground, but in my head I can picture her plucking it off a dead bird. In my household, you never touched dead animals (I guess this seems obvious to many people) but my Dad would strictly warn us away from birds and the like (even the alive ones). They are 'germ carriers' he would voice. Oh...another 'germ carrier' would be the fly. Growing up, you were taking your life in your hands if you ate something a fly had landed on. But back to the story:
June picked up the feather because we had been collecting things to put in the kindergarten soundbox for the letter 'F'. I had been thinking out loud earlier, and I had mentioned a feather but at the time I was thinking feather boa, not diseased feather off the sidewalk. I tried not to be too phobic and I let her put it in the bag with her other 'F' treasures, promising myself that I could clean them all later. She was just so proud of herself for finding it that I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.
The first thing I did when she got home; trashed the feather. And I sanitized my hands on the way back.

This Week

* Daisy is going to be a thumbsucker (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed). I've never had to un-train a thumbsucker, so at the moment I am just relishing the fact that she can soothe herself. Our one other finger-sucker (Robyn if you must know) had an unfortunate accident that cured her of her finger-sucking in one day. I could hardly hope for the same thing with this one, but we'll see how long Daisy likes the thumb.

* Tyler is quite possibly the best griller alive. He cooked a couple of butterfly pork-chops on the grill tonight along with some zucchini and I could have died and gone to barbeque heaven. The kids loved it, and they even said they liked the zucchini (although no one asked for seconds). I told Tyler he would be grilling into the winter if I had my druthers (what are druthers anyway?).

* Note to self: Pumpkin Cheesecake takes four egg yolks and Coconut Macaroons take four egg whites. Whenever I make one I can never think of the other to put the eggs to good use. Now that I have found these two recipes, they will probably go hand in hand (as if I need to eat cheesecake and cookies all in the same week).

* We rented Ariel's Beginning which was very cute and the girls liked it (okay, I wanted to watch it too) and afterwards we all took the quiz to see which sister we were most like. June was like Attina (which is very fitting since they are both oldest sisters), Robyn was like Arista (this cute, carefree little blond mermaid) and Ivory and I were both like Ariel. Robyn was very disappointed that she wasn't like Ariel but what can you do? In the end, Tyler reluctantly agreed to take the test as well, and by gum...he was most like Sebastian. How did he manage that?

* Lastly, Tyler moved his office at work (which is not that exciting in itself, but it will be once the girls and I decorate it (Bwah hah hah). Stay tuned.

A Moment of Peace and Quiet?

Some of you may recall my three dollar hair dryer purchased from DI. Well, I am sorry to say that it finally shuffled off this mortal coil. In a wild display of sparks and fire, the heating element gave out. So the dryer still worked technically, but I found out quickly that without heat, it took about an hour to get my hair dry (my patience does not extend to that much time in front of a mirror). And so I went to the store and picked out this beauty.



I can finally admit that I have a thing for red. My walls are red, my camera is red, half of my kitchen is red, and now my hairdryer is red. I like red. It is still not my favorite color but I must admit it is in my top ten (that's an inside joke for my dad).
It is a tiny and compact little number measuring about 5 1/2 inches. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in NOISE! No joke. I have never heard a noisier hair dryer. When it is on, the world is gone. There could be sirens outside the house; wouldn't hear 'em. My kids could be fighting in the next room; I'm oblivious. People can even come in and shout at me and I am still reduced to reading lips (I'm not very good at reading a two year old's lips yet). So, I try to only dry my hair when Tyler is around to field questions and help the girls out. And for a few moments, there is just me and the hair dryer; a few moments of peace, but hardly quiet.

Musical Beds

So I was holding out to finish the loft and actually make it into a room before we put June in there, but the time has passed. Daisy is in need of the crib since I want her to get used to sleeping somewhere other than the carseat, and that meant Ivory needed to move up to a big bed, and that meant June needed to get a bed of her own. So we did the musical bed thing today.

June's new bed is in and covered.



We even put together a closet we bought at IKEA because the loft didn't come with a closet.



I like this thing though. Tyler did a great job putting it together and it is perfect for her needs. And my favorite part is the jewelry drawer that holds all her treasures. You can tell what a girl she is by all the treasures she has collected.



Ivory then moved into the 'girl's' room (as if there is another kind in this house). We took the bunk beds apart because although Ivory is quite adept at climbing up to the top bunk (and has been for months now) it is quite another matter to have her sleeping up there. She should get used to a big bed only a couple of feet off the ground. Robyn was fine with taking the beds apart; it makes it feel new to her as well. I feel we are starting all over again though. June and Robyn had finally gotten used to each other. We hardly ever had to come in to stop fights or ask them to quiet down. Now with Ivory, I am sure it will all start again. Maybe I shouldn't be so pessimistic.



The girls were in that picture because they automatically gravitate to whatever room I have cleaned and they start messing it up. I think a room becomes fascinating to them once the bed is made.

And finally I got the baby's room back in order.



Daisy is the first child that hasn't had to share the room with my sewing or scrapbooking stuff. That stuff is all finally put away (I am admitting defeat--as if I have time to do any of that anymore). I still do a bit of both every once in a while, but not enough to warrant a table in the baby's room.

And the good news is that everyone is sleeping in their respective bed at this very moment. Ivory didn't get out of bed once (and I am sure it was because she is well behaved and not because I threatened her mercilessly). Daisy is sleeping on her back for the first time in...maybe her entire life. And June is sleeping right on the edge of her enormous bed (for the record, we weren't going to get a bed that large for her, but it was free (thanks Mack's) and I am not one to say 'no' to free stuff). We'll see if she falls off, and then maybe she will sleep closer to the middle.
But now that we have played musical beds, hopefully everyone can get used to the new sleeping arrangements. Tyler and I have decided to continue sleeping together (I'm talking about the same room...of course).

So good night everyone. Good night, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

I should warn you: If the idea of nursing bothers you or talking about it makes you squeamish, you should stop reading now.


With that out of the way, I should tell you about my cute little mother. Not the one who raised me, but the one who lives in my house and takes care of her babies; Ivory of course. She has been helpful from the first day we brought Daisy home. She likes to take off Daisy's diapers, and get new clothes for her. She also likes to get me new breastpads when I am nursing. She takes the old one away holding it by the corner and saying,"It's milky mom." Often I don't even need a new pad and she is off and away getting me a new one anyway. She is going to cost me some extra pocket change with this habit she has.
Of course, she has her own baby and it was only a matter of time before she picked up my mannerisms. I came in the other night and she had her shirt halfway up and her baby cuddled against her stomach. "I'm feeding her," was the reply. She was very patient and she sat there for almost a minute before she declared that she needed a burp cloth.
Today she put her baby (also named Daisy) in the carseat and they went shopping together. Eventually both Daisies needed a feeding (mine and hers). Ivory dutifully ran off to get me a breast pad (which I didn't need) and suddenly realized that she should have one too. I tried to talk her out of it, but she simply said, "I do! These pink ones, I love 'em."
I had to laugh a little bit and then take pictures because she probably won't believe me when she is older. Here she is sporting the breast pads.



Then feeding her baby. Lately she likes to tuck the babies head under her armpit (I hope she has better technique when she grows up).



Oh, and today she also decided that she needed to take her shirt off to feed the baby which is why she is half naked. Tyler thought that was a good idea for me too. I think I'll pass.
Ivory makes a sweet mommy though. And it goes to show that at least not everything I do around here goes unnoticed.

Ode to Tyler

As Two Ships Passing in the Night

As two ships passing in the night,
So quietly neath the stars soft light;
Our paths cross but now and then.
Reaching out, seeking one another again.

We say hello and then we part,
Knowing we've shared a piece of our heart.
Some friendships stay and sadly some go.
My prayers remain steady hoping ours will grow.

I ache when you're hurting,
I cry when you're sad.
Wanting to comfort and hold you so bad.
Know that I'm waiting here, with open arms,
To share all your troubles and relish your charms.

I have nothing to offer but the soul of a friend,
Strong shoulders to lean on that don't easily bend.
I offer these freely with no strings attached,
For in caring and sharing you'll not meet my match.

So on some long and lonely night
When nothing seems to go just right
Close your eyes and think of me,
Under the moon's glow is where I'll be.


Author: Unknown

Sometimes I feel a bit like two ships passing in the night; especially last night. Tyler and I watched a movie together and then he talked to me as I got ready for bed. He literally talked to me until I fell asleep. My last conscious thought was, "I should not close my eyes because that may be construed as not listening."
Tyler went back to work to catch up on some time. I woke again at 2:45 am to feed the baby and even before I picked her up, I heard the door open; Tyler was home. He thought he had awakened me but I assured him I was already up. He then settled on the computer to play a game (yes, I know it was 2 am, don't ask me to explain the man). I heard him come to bed at about 5:45 and I was awake ten minutes later feeding the baby.
Many nights are like this, we are up and down, passing each other and sometimes murmuring an I love you or two. Even during the day, we come and go with our busy schedule. But there is certainly not another ship I would rather pass each day. We say hello and then we part, knowing we've shared a piece of our heart. Today I was just thinking about you Tyler. I love you.

Say What?

So I was recently telling you all a story about June using less than appropriate language. As it turns out, it is easier than you think to stumble across derogatory words. I myself do not have a very extensive vocabulary when it comes to expletives. I didn't grow up in a house with swearing and I haven't had many associates who use dirty language. Oh and I'm not a guy (I think they are exposed more often to that type of language--although I have heard of plenty of women who can swear like a sailor). Needless to say, I don't know too many of the 'bad' words except the ones most commonly used.
To my chagrin, nowadays seemingly harmless words can end up having a negative meaning, depending on what company you are with. Let me tell you my experience and see if you can spot the offender.
There is a new show on PBS called Sid the Science Kid. My children enjoy watching it and they have been getting to know the characters. There is a little girl with pink hair named Gabriella. Robyn couldn't quite remember the name so she decided that a much better name for her would be Pinko. I thought it was a cute little name, so even when June would argue that her name was Gabriella, I would side with Robyn and call her Pinko.
Well, Tyler happened to be in the car for one of these conversations. June said something like, "It reminds me of what Gabriella did." And I said, "NO, it's PINKO!" to which Robyn giggled and Tyler said, "I can't believe you just said that."
"What? What did I say?"
"Don't you know what Pinko means?"
"Obviously not or would I have just yelled it?"
Turns out Pinko is (how did Tyler put it) kinda like calling someone a Commie. The official definition is this:

Pinko is a derogatory term for a person regarded as sympathetic to Communism, though not necessarily a Communist Party member. The term has its origins in the notion that pink is a lighter shade of red, the color associated with communism; thus pink could be thought of as a "lighter form of communism" promoted by mere supporters of socialism who weren't, themselves, "card-carrying" communists.

Anyway, I had no clue. It sounded like a harmless word to me. So adults are able to mistakenly say inappropriate words as well as children. I'm sure there is much worse I could have said, but I'll try to restrain myself from yelling Pinko in public. And if you didn't know about that word, perhaps I have saved you some embarrassment in the future as well.

Life is Not Fair

And thank goodness for that.

We went to the Utah State Fair today and had a very good time, but I can't believe the prices. Seriously, are we made of money? The average family can't go to the fair and do rides and a meal without breaking the piggy bank. Tyler and I don't really have cash lying around, except for babysitting, so I grabbed what was on hand which turned out to be $32 dollars. That got us parking, two rides, two treats and yep, that's all. The ONE other ride we went on and admission we put on a card. We decided to stay until the money ran out, so it wasn't a very long trip. I knew it was bad when Tyler went to get napkins to clean sticky fingers and he came back and said, "The napkins aren't free."

WHAT!?!?!?

Turns out they were 7 for a $1. Didn't someone tell the vendors that since their food was already marked up 600% that they could afford to give napkins away this year. I think the Fair used to be a fun family activity, but now you just get gouged. Ouch!

And now that I have gotten the complaining out of the way, I will tell you what a great time we had. We went to see the animals first (at least that's free--wait I'm going to stop complaining now). We saw sheep, pigs, cows, goats, birds, rabbits, but not many horses. Apparently the horses don't stay until the end of the fair. There were only three or so left, but the girls got to take a ride on one since the owner happened to be there (I was suddenly wishing that I hadn't just forked over 11 bucks for the overpriced pony ride which the guy gave us a "discount" on since we had so many kids--no really, I'm going to stop now). I guess Robyn's face made it all worth it though. The lady next to me described it as 'pure joy'.



Some of my favorites animals were the baby pigs



(proof that even ugly animals have cute babies) and the rescue goat. Can you imagine being lost in the Unita Mountains and seeing this animal coming to your aid??



After the animals we did a couple rides. Robyn and Ivory loved the giant slide but June said it was too bumpy.



Then she insisted we go on the swinging boat.



In the picture the girls are clinging to the bar with a death grip, but they both claimed they loved it. June said it was her favorite thing about the Fair. Tyler said he tried to get them to let go and raise their hands, but Robyn said "No dad, I'll fly out."
We saw a few other things and then headed home. It really was a fun time together and Daisy slept the entire time (over 4 hours--thanks baby). We will probably even come back next year. Guess I should start saving up now.

June's Fetish

June so loves flowers. Ever since she was little she would pick flowers as we walked and she would bring them to me. I thought this was very sweet, but I had to draw the line when it came to picking flowers out of people's yards. Often I will buy fresh flowers for our house to June's delight. While she was in Idaho (over the summer) Grandma followed her around for a while taking pictures. I should mention that Grandma's yard is like another world. It is full of fruit, flowers and adventures. She took many pictures of the girls but today's post is dedicated just to June and her flowers.

Also mentionable is that Grandpa likes to write the kid's names on their foreheads so people will know who they are at church; thus June's name prominently displayed on her head. And the outfit...well, girls will be girls.

Testimony

Since I was in Idaho this last weekend, I had the chance to bear my testimony for my whole family (Idaho side). I also wanted my girls to know how strongly I love the Savior. I think they may have listened a bit in between playing with cousins and eating fruit snacks. So in order to emphasize what a testimony is, we talked about it for Family Home Evening. The girls were so sweet as they practiced bearing their own testimonies about Jesus. They aren't tarnished by the cliché phrases yet. So when Robyn said, "I know that Jesus gave people food (we talked about the loaves and fishes) and he made people not dead anymore," it was so innocent and truthful. I love hearing what they think at this young age.
We talked a bit about Moroni and how strong his testimony was. In the scriptures he says,"...because of their (the Lamanites) hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ. And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ."
As always I try to make this into an example they can understand. I asked the girls what they would do in this same kind of situation.
"What would you do if someone said they were going to hit you unless you said that you didn't believe in Jesus? What would you say?"
Robyn didn't miss a beat. She said, "Please don't do that."
She is so cute. Of course that is what you would say.
It was a very special evening and I was able to see their budding testimonies. Moments like this make you proud to be a parent.

Blessed Event

We had such a great time in Idaho this weekend. I do feel badly that we didn't bless Daisy in our ward so everyone could see the amazing dress that Vicki made, but it was good to be with family. We actually went up to Idaho to see Hinckley (a nephew) be baptized. Then it just made sense to bless Daisy the next day since we were all there.
The baptism was great, but crowded. It was a stake baptism so they had children from multiple wards and that translated into 9 kids being baptized. Wow. Amazingly enough, Hinckley got to be the very first one baptized. He is getting so big (he was the first kid born after Tyler and I got married) and he is such a handsome little dude.



I shot this picture as we were waiting for them after the baptism. This is Grandpa holding Rozzie, holding Daisy (oh, and Aunt Amber being very serious).



Rozzlyn did not want to let go of her, and Daisy didn't seem to mind.
We spent a great day with family after the event, enjoying Hinckley's birthday party and doing other activities together (to be blogged later by the Stallion).
Sunday morning came after many nightmares on my part. I don't know what I was worried about but I spent the whole evening dreaming that I couldn't find the dress and fretting about the optimal time to feed the baby so that she would be full enough so that she wouldn't cry but not quite so full that she would spit all over the dress (remember, she is quite the spitter).
Well, my fears were unfounded. The dress was right where it should be (when I awakened) and I was able to feed Daisy at the right time to keep her happy. In fact, she was sleeping peacefully for the blessing.
The dress is always an adventure in itself. It is taller than I am and so ruffly.



Once the baby is in the dress, she is a handful (literally), but she is beautiful. Grandma made the dress when we had June and each girl has worn it in turn. On the slip each girl's name has been sewn on and I plan to keep this dress as an heirloom forever. I hope that years from now, there will be dozens of names on the slip (grandchildren to be specific). Here are some more pictures of my lovely little girl.



Thanks to Jessica for letting us borrow the bow and bracelet to give her the perfect touch.



Church was fun for me. Tyler's parent's ward is predominantly older couples so they don't have any nursery-age children. Therefore, Ivory had no one to tend her. There was a room stock full of toys, but no teachers. So, I got to sit and play with her for most of church and I really enjoyed myself. It is not often that we get one on one time together.



This last picture just makes me laugh. You gotta love long car rides. At one point, I had the whole car sleeping (except me of course).



Thanks Idaho family, we'll be back soon.