July: In with a Bang, out with a Splash

July was busy month. It all started with a Bang, the fourth, of course. For the 4th we went to the Murray parade with all of Kent's family. It has been many years since I've been to the parade in Murray and it was really really fun! I felt like a kid again. Melissa was so excited about going to a parade, she bounded out of bed, was dressed in 5 min. and then proceeded to bug us about why we weren't leaving yet. Kent's brother played commentator which was hilarious, and his brother-in-law was dressed as wheres waldo. There were lots of fun floats and tons of candy. Nothing makes it seem like the 4th than a good parade.

After the parade we went back to Grandmas house for splashing in the pool, BBQ, and visiting and having fun with family. I got a kick out of watching the nieces and nephew play in the pool. Plus I got my hair braided for camping. After lunch me and the girls headed up to Kamas, where we picked up my sister Lisa, and said hello to grandpa. Then up the canyon to met up with other sister and her family for a couple of nights of camping.

Camping was fun but cold!!! Both mornings we were there I drank a cup of hot chocolate. It was very pleasant, possibly because it was the only 5 min of the day I sat and did nothing. I can see why people would really enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. It a very relaxing way to start the day. Melissa and her cousin play in the dirt, literally, but they had so much fun. Also on this trip I went fishing. I haven't bought a fishing license since I was in high school. We didn't catch anything but it was fun anyway. But I think I still prefer birding. They are very similar in many ways, they're both outside, with lots of boring parts followed by exciting parts. But the bird boring parts are more fun to me the than fishing boring parts.

Although I didn't catch any fish my little nephew did. And of course as adults we had to capture the perfect picture....

Monday we got up and broke camp which took forever. (BTW if any of you are wondering camping with two kids is a lot of work). Then headed to Grandpas house in Kamas where we washed one or two layers of dirt and grim off the kids and some clothes, because we were headed to the Oakley Rodeo. I love the Oakley Rodeo. The kids were surprisingly good and so were the cowboys. Melissa wanted to stay for the fireworks of course.

Well the fireworks didn't end till well after 10 and its a long way home, so Tues morning came very early, but off we went again. Tues Melissa went to dance class with Aunt Krisi then up to Ogden with Aunt Krisi where we went to the children’s museum and the dinosaur park. The Wed we headed down to Cedar City with Aunt Krissy and her kids.

In Cedar City we met one of my best friends I haven't seen since she got married, played in the pool, and watched Court do some gymnastics. Once home again it was time to rest and catch up on laundry but not for long because the next week my brother and his wife were in town. So we went camping with them. Missa decided that Brooke (my newest sister) was where it was at. Poor Brooke had a shadow. Andrew and Brooke may have wanted some alone time but every time they turned around Missa was right there.

I was looking forward to my hot chocolate routine, but this time by the time I got up and dressed, out of the tent, and had hot water, it was just too hot to enjoy it as much. Oh well.

By the time we got home from that camping trip I was ready to stay put for awhile. And the BAR exam was looming very near. Kent was hitting the books hard and was stressing. With Kent gone so much it was easy to get restless around the house so we played in the pool. And one day I took the kids on the train downtown. We wondered temple square, played in the fountains at the gateway, and went to the church history museum. And then we bought a few fireworks to shoot off on the 24th of July.

And then Kent took the BAR. Yiks. He survived. And no we won’t know how he did for quite awhile.

And what’s a better way to celebrate the completion of the BAR exam than going to Cherry Hill with Kents family? It was awesome, and I only got a little sunburned. We had a great time.

Also in July Mia learned to crawl, and got another tooth.

This takes way too long to upload pictures. So for the rest go to www.kentandbeth.phanfare.com

My New Blog Picture

Don't you just want to reach out and tickle those toes? Well there is a story behind that photo which is silly but nonetheless am going to share. Feel free to stop reading here...

SO...you know how everytime you go to get new baby pictures taken they always suggest taking pictures of their feet. I always thought that was so silly. How could you tell it was your babies feet, don't all baby feet look the same? So I always say no.

But then I got ta thinkin...I thought it might be cute to have ALL of our bare feet in a picture. So then you could see the size differences, Mia, Missa, Mom, Dad. So when we went in for family pictures I requested this particular shot. She looked at me as though I was crazy. Okay I know its a bit different but aren't I allow some creativity in my family portraits? Anyway she said she had never done the baby feet picture thing. Should have been a BIG warning flag. Well the pictures turned out totally lame. So I didn't get any of them. But I still had this "idea" for a really cute picture. So I did it myself.

Kent wasn't around and I never thought to use the timer on my camera, thus the pictures I took of three pairs of feet, girls and mom, didn't turn out as cute as just the girls. I wasn't so sure they turned out at all until I made them in black and white, then I think it turned out close to what I had envisioned.

And that's the story.

My M&Ms

One of the benefits (I think) of adoption is sending updates to the birth parents. They become a journal of thoughts, feelings and milestones your baby is making. So here are some excerpts from Little m's last update.

The week after Kent left for Utah, (about one week before we left), she finally figure out how to roll over from back to her stomach. When she learned to roll from her stomach to her back she would do it once and then not again for a week or more. This time was totally different. The first time I notice she did it was Monday, by Tuesday she would roll one way and then the other like 5 times. She is getting so close to crawling and will sometimes get on her knees. But even without crawling or scooting, she is really mobile. She rolls and pivots in a circle and is quite good at rolling to what she wants. J She no longer stays where you put her. Sometime I’ll walk back into a room and say “now how did you get all the way over there?” She also loves to stand up and sometimes thinks she can do it on her own (which she can’t) and tries to let go of your hands. And you should see her in that walker you gave us in my mom’s big kitchen with hard wood floors. She can cruise in that thing in any direction that she wants.

Since coming to Utah we bought Melissa a new bike. (Okay technically Grandma bought it for her, yea for grandmothers who spoil). She has a two wheel big girl bike with training wheels. She LOVES that thing and is really good at it. She can get cruising. So we have been going on lots of bike rides/walks. We love to go down to the park by my mom’s house. Mia loves being outside too, and is usually perfectly content in the stroller.

We also put Melissa in swimming lessons, she has enjoyed them once she’s in the pool. Melissa loves the pool, swim lessons she tolerates so she can play in the pool. Mia has LOVED the water as well. We have taken her swimming a couple of times. She is so funny, she goes totally spazz, kicking and wiggling, and splashing. It is so cute to watch.

Mia also cut her second tooth soon after getting here. She had one little tooth for a long time. I think she just cut her first one on top today. Maybe that’s why she has been driving being crazy all day today. ;0 She picks up all kinds of new noises every day. She can coo, and say da-da-da, ma-ma, and a whole lot of other sounds. My sister has a baby girl just two months young than Mia, she sounds so dainty compared to Mia. She will be da da da, Mia is DA DA DA. She’s going to be a talker just like her big sister. She has been very social and has warmed up to all of our family really easily.

Mia loves to laugh and giggle and Melissa can still get her to laugh faster than anyone else. She is a really easy going baby, and a delight to have around. Her personality is starting to come through and she is a wonderful addition to our family. While they are small it’s sometimes hard to see beyond the baby stage. But before you know it they are little people with thoughts and minds of their own, walking around demanding things. LOL! We are reminded everyday what a lifelong commitment being a parent is and we love it.

We have some fun things planned for the summer; including the 4^th of July parade, and camping with my sister and her family. We are also going to go down to Southern Utah (about 4 hours drive) and visit some other family, and Beth is going visit a dear high school friend that I haven’t seen for 10 years. Kent stays busy studying and studying. It’s a daunting test but I’m sure he will be fine. We are still in the process of finding a job.

Since writing this Mia is even closer to crawling and can take a few crawl steps.

Birding Adventures: Utah

It is so much fun to have a birding buddy again! Our first adventures was up to summit park to see an evening grosbeak. We didn't see him but did hear it. Which means we were in the right area, just had bad luck. They are birds after all, and wild ones at that. But it was a fun day anyway. I saw lots of birds I hadn't seen for a long time.

But then posted on the internet were directions to a spotted owl....in Zion's national park. Do you know what the best part about having a birding buddy is? They don't think a 10 hours car ride for a spotted owl is all that crazy, in fact its their idea! So we went. And it was so fun! We crashed at my brother-in-law place in Cedar City (Thanks again K&M). Got up the next morning headed to Zions. They were seeing the owls along the trial to Angels Landing. That day they weren't roosting in the trees right off the trails so I think we got lucky seeing one in this crevice.

Can you find the owl in that picture? It took us a while too.

Angie searching.
We never found the other ones. (Three were two adults and a juvenile).

Angie enjoying the fruits of our labors.
After enjoying him for awhile we hiked the rest of the trail to the top.

It was really great to be in Southern Utah again. We are really lucky to have 5 national parks in same state! And the landscape is so unique.

Then we stopped of a slushy and headed home. It was a great weekend, with a great friend, great conversation, great scenery, and a great bird.

The only thing that could have made it better was if Bushtit E could have joined us. But for a last minute quick trip 2 out of 3's not bad.

Omaha Bucket List

All the things we did in the last month before we left Omaha. (I'm too lazy to upload pictures, so I just posted links to my picture website).

April

Our playing began in April. First up was the BIG Slides. They were a BIG hit. We visited the BIG slides many more time in the following month, some of which included wax paper, air, and ripped pants. But the first trip is the only one that has pictures. We also went to the Omaha Children's Museum with some good friends, and one last trip Durham Museum. Next is the pedestrian footbridge, which crosses the Missouri river. We visited the footbridge again with Grandma Kate later in May. Next was Free Comic Book Day (which was actually in May), complete with people in customs and a trip to the donut store. Then it was on to Iowa to do a drive by of their "ski resort". And finally one last visit to Hitchcock Nature Center (HNC), a chance to say good bye to a great place and some great people. Beth volunteered at HNC every month for the last 3 years. I will miss you HNC!

MAY

First up in this section is a trip to Neale* Woods, to one of their Preschool programs. The program was AWESOME and Missa LOVED it. They played around and then took the kids on a hike. I've never seen Missa hike so good before. I guess it helps a lot of have friends with you. I wish we could go to more. The area was so pretty and I've only been there once or twice before. It made me wish we had one more summer there to finish exploring all of the trails. And since we were in the area, we stopped by the Winter Quarters temple and trail center. It was a fun day. That was on Kents last day of class. So the next week was the week of insanity.

For a more complete details click HERE. In summary we went out to Lincoln to the Childrens Museum. Then we went to The Amazing Pizza Machine with the Journeys. It was AWESOME! And last but not least one more last trip to the Zoo. As a special treat we met Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Kyle there.

*Side note: I was glad I gave Neale Woods a second chance. I had a REALLY bad experience there once and vowed NEVER to go back again. But that is another story.

MOVING

I was going to write about moving, but I just can't summon the energy to care. So I'll just say this, it was stressful, we have a lot of crap that didn't all fit in the truck, so we had a penske pulling a uhaul, but I managed because I have a great mom and a TOTALLY AWESOME WARD!!!!! Rockbrook rocks. On a holiday weekend with 3 families moving they totally came through for me. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!! Can't thank you enough.

Birding Adventures

For my birthday, or Mother's Day or both I don't remember, I went birding. I had a great day and actually saw one of the birds I was aiming for. Despite the wind, which was blowing pretty hard, it was a good day for birds. I took along my digi-scope adapter to give it a try, most of the pic didn't really turn out but it was fun anyway.

After some debate I went to one more wetland further away than I was planning on but it paid of with this.Its really hard to see but that is a Hudsonian Godwit. One of the bird that I was hoping to find. See the upturned bill. The one just to the left is a Dowitcher. Notice the size different and different bill shape. However they mostly looked like this. I was also rewarded with this fun guy.

No scope need here. This was taken just off the road with nothing but my 10X zoom. He is an Upland Sandpiper. Pretty common in NE although this was my first time seeing one in Nebraska.

On the way home there was a thunderstorm building. I tried to get off the interstate to take a picture of the clouds, but by the time I could stop I couldn't see the clouds I was going to take a picture of. Instead I saw this.

Still pretty cool.

There are several bird that were on my 'must see before I leave Nebraska' list that I never saw. Not for lack of trying mind you. They include the Buff Breasted Sandpiper, Piping Plover, Mississippi Kite, and Pileated Woodpecker. But as someone once told me "I always like leave a place wanting more. It makes you want to come back." So Buff Breasted Sandpiper, Piping Plover, Mississippi Kite, and Pileated Woodpecker you are still on the list. One day I will see you, and not seeing you now will make the moment I see you that much sweeter.

HAPPY BIRDING.

Things I'm looking forward to in Utah

Since my last post I thought I need to put a positive spin on leaving Omaha. So here is my list of things I'm looking forward to in Utah. (and maybe a few things I wont miss about Omaha).

1. Being with Kent again

2. A summer of grandparents. My kids still know who grandma and grandpa are and have a relationship with them, but it will be fun for them to get to know each other better.

3. Family and Friends

4. Walks to the park

5. Having a fenced in yard

6. Antelope Island, and the Great Salt Lake (and hopefully some new birds). I'm also looking forward to seeing old friends again, like the magpies, and avocets, and blue, jays that aren't Blue Jays.

7. Mountains. Picnics, camping, summer wildflowers, hiking and having a place to go where its not hot outside when its hot outside.

8. I am looking forward to discovering where the next phase of our life will take us. Will we be in Utah? SLC? Back to Nebraska perhaps? Someplace new?

9. My anniversary. (well I guess that was going to happen no matter where we lived but I'm still looking forward to it so I'm putting it down cuz its my list)

10. Things I will NOT miss about Omaha: Winter (I was going to list stuff like snow pack roads, negative temperatures, no skiing but really I just wont miss anything about the winter). Summer. Okay really just the crazy humid hot days, but other parts of summer I like, when there is a pool around.