Cooling Off

WARNING!!!!! Indecent exposure ahead:

Lily is so skinny that we can't keep her swim shorts on.

We all worked in the yard and garden today and wanted to cool off. Lily loves playing with the hose so we thought we'd try running through the sprinkler. She didn't like that - so we took the sprinkler head off and just let her play with the hose.

She loved every minute of it. We were surprised that the cold water didn't seem to phase her. She was delighted to have full control over the water, and even refused to share with us. After getting some relief from the heat, we dried off and went inside for some story time before taking a long afternoon nap.

Oh the lazy days of summer!

Garden 2010

The summer I was pregnant with Lily, our garden didn't make it. It was just too hot for me to find the motivation to work in it. This year has been cooler and I really committed myself to working in the early morning hours to avoid the heat. Here is what we've got so far:

Raspberries! We planted these starts in the fall and they have grown over four feet tall. So far we only have seven berries. I think next year we will have a big crop to look forward to.

Grrrr! Squash bugs. The little brown dots are their eggs. This year I have been diligent about searching for the bugs and the eggs and removing them immediately. Hopefully I won't lose my whole squash bed like I did last year.

The thriving squash bed. We've harvested three zucchini so far. The butternuts are not flowering much. I hope they will soon.

This is a mixed bed. I've got cucmbers on the right, delicata squash on the left and a big boy tomato in the top left corner. I know there is a big empty spot in the middle, but the cucs and squash will fill it in another week or so.

This is our salsa bed with roma tomatoes in the back and peppers in the front. The unusual weather this summer has not helped the peppers much but I can see a few fruits starting to grow.

Green beans and onions. I just harvested the green beans this morning. We have enough to can and I'll have a lot more coming on next week.

Gardening has been a lot of fun this year. I think we are really starting to get the hang of it!

From Baby to Big Girl

This week I decided to wean Lily from bottles. I know I should have done it months ago, but I really enjoyed that quiet snuggle time with her. But now that we have another baby coming in three months I had to face the fact that Lily needs to be a big girl. I thought this would be a good week to kick our habit because Jeremy would be gone for half of it on a scout trip and wouldn't have to endure the crankiness (from me) and the crying (from Lily).

The first three days were a dream. She went right down for all her naps and bedtime without a problem. She didn't even ask about the bottles. I packed them away so I wouldn't be tempted to pull them out in a desperate situation. We've been using cups for a while so she was willing to take those without a problem.

But now we are on day four. She woke up this morning at 6:00 a.m. in a bad mood. She didn't want anything I offered for breakfast. She cried in bed for over an hour during her usual nap time. I worried that she might be hungry or thirsty so I came to her rescue. She did decide to eat and snuggled with me for a little while. We have church at 1:00 today; so at noon I tried putting her to bed again. She has been crying now for 45 minutes. She is not asking for a bottle, but she never throws fits like this. I am certain that she's finally experiencing withdrawals....and so am I. I don't think I'm ready to face the thought of Lily growing up.

I think if I wasn't the bishop's wife and didn't feel pressure to be at church in 15 minutes I'd be handling this situation better. I'm crying at the computer feeling sorry for Lily and more sorry for myself. This is just one week when I need to stay home and take care of my family. Thankfully, as I am typing this sentence, Lily has finally quieted down. Hopefully she'll get some sleep. I can hear her sniffling over the baby monitor.

Bye bye bottles. Thank goodness we still have a blankie. I think the world might end when it's time for blankie to retire.

Cabin Time

We spent a few days at the family cabin with two of Jeremy's brothers. Mom and Dad Hall were sad to not have everyone together this year. Lily broke out in a fever and rash... plus she started teething... while we were there so it was not a very fun trip for me. Lily wasn't sleeping and she had a hard time getting relief from the fever since there was no A/C. We tried to make the best of it.

She did like to be in the water. I put her in the lake at least twice a day to help cool her off. She also played on the beach but didn't like getting sand on her feet.

Grammy Hall gave all the kids a toy parachute. We spent a while throwing them off the stairs of the loft. Lily didn't really get it, but the other kids had a ball.

For Christmas Jeremy made both of our dads a game called Kuub. We taught it to the Halls. They were all really good at it.

This is how Lily looked most of the trip. She was not a happy camper.

Daddy and some cousins tried to distract her with a paddle boat ride.

The cabin is dog heaven for Akela. She was so good about staying on our property and listening to us this year. As long as she could swim all day, she was very well behaved. She slept for a whole day once we got home.

It was hard to get Lily to eat. I was thrilled when she agreed to eat this banana after going swimming. This photo doesn't do her rash justice. The cold water helped to diminish the redness. She was always happier after a swim.

I was happier once we got home. Lily started sleeping a little better and the fever broke. Hopefully next year we will all be healthy for the annual cabin trip!

4th of July Weekend

We had a very relaxing holiday weekend this year. To start things off, we participated in a family fun run with our church on Saturday the 3rd. It was so cold before (and during) the race that Lily wanted to stay wrapped up in her blankie the whole morning. She managed to walk about 1/2 mile of the course and was carried the rest of the way. Following the fun "run" we ate a delicious pancake breakfast.

On the 4th we went to church then spent the afternoon and evening with Grammy and Grampy. Our cousins from Utah were still here so Lily enjoyed playing with them.

The 4th is Jeremy's birthday. He wanted a tres leches cake again this year. Mommy decided to design it like a flag.

After cake and presents we tried a few fireworks. Lily loved the poppers. She was really good at throwing them. She would concentrate so hard on throwing. I just had to capture her serious throwing face. Each time we gave her a new popper to throw, she would say "thank you" like we had given her the best toy ever.

Once the poppers were gone, Lily was very sad. We tried to get family pitcures but Lily just wanted to cry.

Digging in the garbage to resurrect some used fireworks.

Relaxing on the grass with Grampy and watching fireworks with Daddy.

Jeremy was able to take the 5th off. He celebrated the extra day off by going mountain biking in the foothills. Here are two shots he took while riding.

It was great to have so much time together as a family this weekend. Jeremy had a wonderful birthday. We're so thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. We hope your 4th was as relaxing and family filled as ours.

First Time Using a Drinking Fountain

We took Lily and her cousins from Utah to a splash park. Lily didn't want to play in the water and ran around on the playground equipment first. I love how pink her cheeks are in these pictures. She was so hot that we convinced her to give the drinking fountain a try. She loved it. When we'd turn the water off she would enthusiastically sign "More" while saying "Mo-mo".

Water Fun!

After getting hot on the playground Lily was ready to consider the splash park again. When Mommy climbed inside this splash ring with her, Lily finally felt brave. Then we couldn't get her out of the water.

Here is our cousin Drake. He is so goofy and has a really great imagination!

Lily trying to use the jets as a drinking fountain.

This is Jasmine. She's one of Lily's redheaded cousins on the Hall side.

When Lily started shivering we decided to pack up. She sang songs the whole way home and talked in bed for quite a while. I guess she loved the splash park!

Just for Fun

Grammy Hall bought Lily a little outdoor chair with Dora the Explorer on it. Lily sits in it all the time and loves to drag it around the house with her. Here she is one hot afternoon settling down for a relaxing read.

Lily really likes pickles. Just like her Daddy. But she doesn't like to hold them while she eats them. If Mommy pokes one with a fork, Lily will carry it around for about a half hour munching on it while she plays.

Daddy has a new straw hat we bought for a pioneer trek he did with the youth of our church. Lily loves to try on our hats. This one is her new favorite.