Monday, September 22, 2008
With a mmm here and a mmm there....
Cora loves to sing Old MacDonald, and it's especially fun now that she can pick the animals for each verse we sing. Last night after a few verses I asked her what she wanted to sing about in the next verse, and she said 'cookie!'. 'Well, what does a cookie say?' Cora rubs her tummy and says 'mmm, mmm'!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Park City
We spent last week in Park City and had a fabulous time! Our friends Amber, John, and Jaxon came up with us for the weekend, and then Kissie and Pata met up with us for the weekdays. Shad and Jen even came up for a day! It was great to relax and play, and spend very little time traveling to our vacation spot. We were lucky to only have a day or so of rainy weather, and we got to do a lot of the activities on our wishlist.
The week started off a little rocky with Cora throwing up big-time on the way there. Of course, Kevin wasn't in the car with us (he met us there from work), so it was all me on wet-wipe cleanup duty. I think she was actually carsick--poor girl. Hurray for leather seats though.
Cora and Jaxon had an especially good time playing together-- they are such good little friends. We spent our weekend with the Adams swimming, walking Main Street, shopping, watching the BYU game (Kevin was estactic, because it was on a channel we don't get at home-- good timing for a vacation, eh? And a fun game to watch), a yummy Mexican dinner, the first of Cora's many carousel rides for the week, talking, running after kids...
Sunday and Monday it was just our little family. We went to church, took a walk on one of Park City's many walking paths, found a great little playground, watched a movie, shopped, swam, and Kevin worked from the hotel for most of Monday. Cora really got to branch out on the playground-- they had some equipment she hadn't seen before. She even held on for the entire ride on their little zipline-like cruiser thing, of course, with Kevin spotting her the whole way. It's fun to see her do so many new things.
Kissie and Pata came Monday late afternoon. First order of business-- SWIM! I think we swam once, if not twice, everyday, except Sunday of course. Even with it cool outside, the pool was heated to a comfy 90 degrees. With Kissie and Pata around, Cora became even more comfortable in the pool. She started swimming (with her waterwings) by herself! Legs stretched out and kicking and everything! She jumped off the side or the rock and swam to Kissie and Pata. She also enjoyed sitting in the cooler hottub, playing in the shallow end and by the stairs, and climbed up the ladder out of the pool by herself. Wow Cora!
We spent the afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday at the Park City resort. We rode the Alpine Slide, the Alpine Coaster, and the zipline. My favorite was the coaster, it seemed too short, but o-so-much fun! Cora enjoyed the Alpine slide, she got to ride it 3 times (passengers are cheap) but I think she was even more excited about the kiddie rides. She just loved the little airplane ride, and especially the carousel. It was hard to get smiley pictures of her on the rides though, she was so intent and concentrated on the experience of it all. Though she did keep repeating "This is fun!". It was a good way to keep her occupied while the adults traded off riding the rides.
Other highlights.... We were also lucky that our bike-riding day was a nice sunny day. We found some cool bike paths, and more places to explore with bikes for next time. Park City really is a beautiful place! I got some fall shopping done for Kevin, the girls, and I. We spent an hour or so at the Olympic Park in awe watching the skiiers practice their jumps and landing in a pool. And, we found a great farmers market that was so fun too. Lots of yummy samples and interesting items to peruse. We got to do so many fun things in a pretty place with such a short car ride, we're tempted to go back to Park City next year!
We've had such a fun crazy summer. We've loved seeing all our family members and having great times together. We are excited though to let our suitcases have a little rest for a few months... we aren't leaving town until Thanksgiving!
The week started off a little rocky with Cora throwing up big-time on the way there. Of course, Kevin wasn't in the car with us (he met us there from work), so it was all me on wet-wipe cleanup duty. I think she was actually carsick--poor girl. Hurray for leather seats though.
Cora and Jaxon had an especially good time playing together-- they are such good little friends. We spent our weekend with the Adams swimming, walking Main Street, shopping, watching the BYU game (Kevin was estactic, because it was on a channel we don't get at home-- good timing for a vacation, eh? And a fun game to watch), a yummy Mexican dinner, the first of Cora's many carousel rides for the week, talking, running after kids...
Sunday and Monday it was just our little family. We went to church, took a walk on one of Park City's many walking paths, found a great little playground, watched a movie, shopped, swam, and Kevin worked from the hotel for most of Monday. Cora really got to branch out on the playground-- they had some equipment she hadn't seen before. She even held on for the entire ride on their little zipline-like cruiser thing, of course, with Kevin spotting her the whole way. It's fun to see her do so many new things.Kissie and Pata came Monday late afternoon. First order of business-- SWIM! I think we swam once, if not twice, everyday, except Sunday of course. Even with it cool outside, the pool was heated to a comfy 90 degrees. With Kissie and Pata around, Cora became even more comfortable in the pool. She started swimming (with her waterwings) by herself! Legs stretched out and kicking and everything! She jumped off the side or the rock and swam to Kissie and Pata. She also enjoyed sitting in the cooler hottub, playing in the shallow end and by the stairs, and climbed up the ladder out of the pool by herself. Wow Cora!
We spent the afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday at the Park City resort. We rode the Alpine Slide, the Alpine Coaster, and the zipline. My favorite was the coaster, it seemed too short, but o-so-much fun! Cora enjoyed the Alpine slide, she got to ride it 3 times (passengers are cheap) but I think she was even more excited about the kiddie rides. She just loved the little airplane ride, and especially the carousel. It was hard to get smiley pictures of her on the rides though, she was so intent and concentrated on the experience of it all. Though she did keep repeating "This is fun!". It was a good way to keep her occupied while the adults traded off riding the rides.
Other highlights.... We were also lucky that our bike-riding day was a nice sunny day. We found some cool bike paths, and more places to explore with bikes for next time. Park City really is a beautiful place! I got some fall shopping done for Kevin, the girls, and I. We spent an hour or so at the Olympic Park in awe watching the skiiers practice their jumps and landing in a pool. And, we found a great farmers market that was so fun too. Lots of yummy samples and interesting items to peruse. We got to do so many fun things in a pretty place with such a short car ride, we're tempted to go back to Park City next year!
We've had such a fun crazy summer. We've loved seeing all our family members and having great times together. We are excited though to let our suitcases have a little rest for a few months... we aren't leaving town until Thanksgiving!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Help Protect Marriage
The following post is taken from my friend Becky's blog. I only had a vague understanding of the proposition in California, so I thought this was helpful information. Living in Utah, this doesn't affect us directly right now, but I believe the outcome of this proposition will set an example either way for the whole nation.
____________________
I'd like to post about something that is very important to us and that we've been involved in since moving to California. Please excuse us for having to get political on our blog, but I hope you'll take a sec and read this.
In the year 2000 Proposition 22 was passed by 61% of the people of California to state that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." This summer four judges on the California Supreme Court overturned this by a close 4-3 vote. This November will be our one and only chance to overturn that decision by a popular vote at the elections.
A yes vote on PROPOSITION 8 will amend our state constitution to restore traditional marriage in California. Joseph and I have been helping in our area by making phone calls and will also be canvasing areas to get the word out about Proposition 8. As of right now our side is losing in the polls. WE NEED HELP! Please, even if you are not a Californian you can help, since this will ultimately affect everyone. ProtectMarriage.com (go here to find out more on the issue) needs financial assistance so we can make commercials, fliers, signs, and buy TV and radio spots. It is not a cheap endeavor and we need help. Those who are fighting against us just received 1.2 million dollars from the ACLU, and have the backing of major companies. They are fighting hard and we need to fight back! WE MUST PROTECT MARRIAGE! There are so many consequences to this and we need to protect marriage between a man and a woman. Here are a few facts to dispel myths that the opposition is spreading:
That last one is the scariest to me. If you're thinking to yourself "Who cares what they do? Let them get married, it won't affect me", you're very wrong. It will effect our children in schools (even kindergarteners!) in a devastating way. And what happens here will set a precedent for the rest of the country, so it will eventually reach your states as well.
We ask if you have the means and would like to fight for a good cause to go to this site and donate! We will be blessed in our endeavors. Thank you. Also, if you feel so inclined, please copy this onto your blog as we need to spread the word! *I Want To Donate*
____________________
I'd like to post about something that is very important to us and that we've been involved in since moving to California. Please excuse us for having to get political on our blog, but I hope you'll take a sec and read this.
In the year 2000 Proposition 22 was passed by 61% of the people of California to state that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." This summer four judges on the California Supreme Court overturned this by a close 4-3 vote. This November will be our one and only chance to overturn that decision by a popular vote at the elections.
A yes vote on PROPOSITION 8 will amend our state constitution to restore traditional marriage in California. Joseph and I have been helping in our area by making phone calls and will also be canvasing areas to get the word out about Proposition 8. As of right now our side is losing in the polls. WE NEED HELP! Please, even if you are not a Californian you can help, since this will ultimately affect everyone. ProtectMarriage.com (go here to find out more on the issue) needs financial assistance so we can make commercials, fliers, signs, and buy TV and radio spots. It is not a cheap endeavor and we need help. Those who are fighting against us just received 1.2 million dollars from the ACLU, and have the backing of major companies. They are fighting hard and we need to fight back! WE MUST PROTECT MARRIAGE! There are so many consequences to this and we need to protect marriage between a man and a woman. Here are a few facts to dispel myths that the opposition is spreading:
1: Prop. 8 is About Preserving Marriage; It’s Not an Attack on the Gay
Lifestyle. Proposition 8 doesn’t take away any rights or benefits from gays or
lesbians in domestic partnerships. Under California law, “domestic partners
shall have the same rights, protections and benefits” as married spouses.
(Family Code §297.5.) There are no exceptions. Proposition 8 will not change
this.2: Prop. 8 does not enshrine discrimination in our Constitution.
3: The legal meaning of marriage is up to the people to decide, not four judges.
4: The narrow decision of the State Supreme Court effectively renders all civil marriage meaningless and will result in tremendous confusion for children. The state Education Code (§51890) requires that teachers instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. If the gay marriage ruling becomes permanent, teachers will have little choice but to teach young children there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.
That last one is the scariest to me. If you're thinking to yourself "Who cares what they do? Let them get married, it won't affect me", you're very wrong. It will effect our children in schools (even kindergarteners!) in a devastating way. And what happens here will set a precedent for the rest of the country, so it will eventually reach your states as well.
We ask if you have the means and would like to fight for a good cause to go to this site and donate! We will be blessed in our endeavors. Thank you. Also, if you feel so inclined, please copy this onto your blog as we need to spread the word! *I Want To Donate*
Sunday, September 07, 2008
She's a Sitter!
Violet has been getting more and more steady sitting up, and I think we can officially call her a sitter now! She still falls over occasionally, like when reaching for a toy, but she's pretty steady. She's still rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, and scootches around the room slowly with her commando crawl. It's almost time to put up the baby gate!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Idaho Trip
We did a whirlwind trip to Idaho last weekend. We saw so many people and had so much fun, and we were so tired when we got home! It was nice to get home Sunday night so we had the holiday Monday to get settled back in.
First off, the girls and I picked Kevin up from work at noon. We stopped in Layton to feed Violet and have lunch at Mimi's Cafe (they have a great birthday special too!). Then we were off to Twin Falls. Luckily both of the girls did well in the car with minimal crying. We met up with Kevin's parents and went out to dinner for his birthday. We had a lot of fun seeing family and hanging out at Alicia and Roger's beautiful wedding reception in Jerome. Cora especially loved having her own candy favor box (except the Hot Tamales were a surprise!), eating blueberries, and seeing the cows in the corrals next to the backyard.
Saturday morning we stopped by my cousin's house to meet her husband and wish her well with her new baby coming sometime in the next week or so. We also took Cora out to a nearby playground to let her run off some energy. A two year old boy was also there, and they had so much fun playing together. They must have gone down the slides 30 times! Then Cora struggled through the wedding luncheon, and we hung out at the mall before the sealing. Kevin's sister and cousins were nice enough to watch the girls so Kevin and I could attend. It was neat to be in the Twin Falls temple, it's so new! The sealer reminded us that the prophet was there just last week for the dedication. Congratulations Alicia and Roger!
After the wedding we headed to Blackfoot to see my grandparents--both sets! We spent Saturday night and Sunday morning with my mom's parents. We ate fresh corn on the cob, visited my aunt, learned how to fillet fish, and just enjoyed talking with my grandparents. Cora watched Grandpa Ellis fillet the fish too, and kept saying that the fish was broken. She especially loved one of the new toys Grandpa had made. She played with it for over an hour, I was amazed. I don't think there has been any other single toy that has captured her attention for such a long period of time. Cora also loved chasing the cat, watching Grandpa feed corn cobs to the bulls, and jumping on the trampoline. It was the first time my grandparents had met Violet, so that was especially nice. And I came home with a new cake and a new casserole recipe, yummy!
After church we headed over to my dad's parents' house and spent the afternoon there. We got to see their house remodeling project, eat a yummy dinner, catch-up on how all the family is doing, and watch a huge storm pass through. It was Cora's first time hearing (noticing) thunder, and I think it startled her! I got another yummy zucchini recipe from the Grandpa-- I can't wait to have zucchini in our garden next year! I have so many plans for it!
The girls were troopers through the whole weekend. Other than not sleeping too well at night, they were perfect travelers and Kevin and I felt pretty lucky that they lasted so long. We left Blackfoot at 7:30pm and headed home. Good thing it's not too much of a drive. We drove through some heavy rain, but not the high winds that we had seen earlier. The girls slept all the way home after Violet cried for only about 20 minutes. They also slept in this morning and took long naps, I think they are catching up. I've been wanting to visit my grandparents all year, so I'm so happy it worked out to go, even if it was a short trip. That just means we'll have to go again soon I guess!
First off, the girls and I picked Kevin up from work at noon. We stopped in Layton to feed Violet and have lunch at Mimi's Cafe (they have a great birthday special too!). Then we were off to Twin Falls. Luckily both of the girls did well in the car with minimal crying. We met up with Kevin's parents and went out to dinner for his birthday. We had a lot of fun seeing family and hanging out at Alicia and Roger's beautiful wedding reception in Jerome. Cora especially loved having her own candy favor box (except the Hot Tamales were a surprise!), eating blueberries, and seeing the cows in the corrals next to the backyard.
Saturday morning we stopped by my cousin's house to meet her husband and wish her well with her new baby coming sometime in the next week or so. We also took Cora out to a nearby playground to let her run off some energy. A two year old boy was also there, and they had so much fun playing together. They must have gone down the slides 30 times! Then Cora struggled through the wedding luncheon, and we hung out at the mall before the sealing. Kevin's sister and cousins were nice enough to watch the girls so Kevin and I could attend. It was neat to be in the Twin Falls temple, it's so new! The sealer reminded us that the prophet was there just last week for the dedication. Congratulations Alicia and Roger!
After the wedding we headed to Blackfoot to see my grandparents--both sets! We spent Saturday night and Sunday morning with my mom's parents. We ate fresh corn on the cob, visited my aunt, learned how to fillet fish, and just enjoyed talking with my grandparents. Cora watched Grandpa Ellis fillet the fish too, and kept saying that the fish was broken. She especially loved one of the new toys Grandpa had made. She played with it for over an hour, I was amazed. I don't think there has been any other single toy that has captured her attention for such a long period of time. Cora also loved chasing the cat, watching Grandpa feed corn cobs to the bulls, and jumping on the trampoline. It was the first time my grandparents had met Violet, so that was especially nice. And I came home with a new cake and a new casserole recipe, yummy!
After church we headed over to my dad's parents' house and spent the afternoon there. We got to see their house remodeling project, eat a yummy dinner, catch-up on how all the family is doing, and watch a huge storm pass through. It was Cora's first time hearing (noticing) thunder, and I think it startled her! I got another yummy zucchini recipe from the Grandpa-- I can't wait to have zucchini in our garden next year! I have so many plans for it!
The girls were troopers through the whole weekend. Other than not sleeping too well at night, they were perfect travelers and Kevin and I felt pretty lucky that they lasted so long. We left Blackfoot at 7:30pm and headed home. Good thing it's not too much of a drive. We drove through some heavy rain, but not the high winds that we had seen earlier. The girls slept all the way home after Violet cried for only about 20 minutes. They also slept in this morning and took long naps, I think they are catching up. I've been wanting to visit my grandparents all year, so I'm so happy it worked out to go, even if it was a short trip. That just means we'll have to go again soon I guess!
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