There's No Doubt About It

Claire is growing up.

All of a sudden, I have this little girl around that likes to dress up and pretend she's a princess.  And she knows when she doesn't look exactly right, and it drives her crazy.  She gets a little birthday money, and what does she get?  Accessories.

Where my peaceful little baby once was, there's this little girl who is smarter than anyone can guess.  I leave the room and come back to some new creation.  Claire is really enjoying the challenge of making her blocks actually look like real things.  I was so proud of her kitty cat, and so was she!

I remember a phase when Claire would hardly let me do her hair.  Now, this little girl knows exactly how she wants her hair done, and she wants it done nice every day of the week!  She wanted her hair curly for church, and even let me use the hot rollers.

She's old enough to be an example to everyone around her.  On Sunday, she was the "Reverence Child" in Sacrament Meeting.  She did a wonderful job, and stood up in the front all by herself, keeping her arms folded and showing everyone what it meant to be reverent.

I miss my baby Claire sometimes.  But I love this little girl that she's growing up to be more and more each day.  

10 Months

Johnny hit the 10 month mark on Saturday.  10 months!  I only have two more posts after this to document his first year, and one of those will be a birthday post!  Sheesh...

It's funny how I feel like Johnny changes every day, but it also seems as though he's staying very much the same.  I've decided that so many things about life as a parent is a paradox.  "That seems like only yesterday, but forever ago, too!"  You know, that kind of thing.  Like I was saying, a lot about Johnny is the same as last month, but there are a few things worth noting.

Johnny is a Mama's boy, and I love it!  He loves his Dad, but he really prefers me.  It's such a nice change for me!  The girls really preferred their Daddy.  But Johnny starting doing this hugging thing with Danny that is too cute.  He'll wrap his arms around his neck and give him a hug, and then pull his face back and look at Danny with a smile, and then pull him in for another hug.  He does this a dozen times or so.  It's so cute!  

Johnny loves to move.  He loves to work his way through, around, or over any obstacle.  Sometimes, he'll even create an obstacle, or purposefully choose the most difficult path.  I think he enjoys the feeling of accomplishment.  He also can no longer make it through Sacrament Meeting.  It drives him bonkers to not get on the floor.  Consequently, he lets the whole congregation know just how frustrated he is.  Sigh.  

Johnny loves to eat.  And eat.  And eat!  We've never spent so much money on baby food before.  But he's not nursing much at all anymore, so it's comforting for me to see him constantly in his high chair or on the snack rug with his sisters.

Johnny's got some attitude.  We've noticed it in the last week or so.  We had some friends over who have a little boy that is almost 2.  Johnny just plain picked on that poor kid, tormenting him and taking away his toys and cup.  What's worse is that Johnny seemed proud of himself whenever this poor little guy couldn't take it anymore and started to cry!  This little attribute is not cute at all.  We'll be working with him on this.

Johnny loves to make noise.  He's discovered his voice, and how to use it!  He is constantly saying, " Mom! Mama!", only not in that cute, endearing, "I-want-to-snuggle-you" way, but in the "Will you stop yelling at me, John?!  You don't talk to your Mother that way!" kind of way.  Admittedly, it's still kind of cute.  Kind of. :)  He yells at his sisters, and absolutely throws a fit if they take something away from him or get to it first.  He's the king of melodrama.

But underneath his current melodramatic facade, there is my angel boy.  And every so often, he'll just crawl up on your legs and give you the tightest hug and the sweetest smile.  One of my favorite things is when he crawls into the kitchen, pulls himself to standing, and while hugging my knees looks up and gives me his sweet, toothy grin.  Melts my heart every time!  And no matter what I'm doing, I have to stop, pick him up, and smooth those cheeks.  

Here is a run-down of John at 10 months:

*Still in size 3 diapers and 12-18 month clothes

*Just outgrew his size 4 Sunday shoes, and is now officially shoe-less

*Has 6 teeth now, with a 7th coming in

*Loves eating chicken nuggets, but he doesn't want them cut up

*Learned to point with his pointer finger, and will point all day at the things that interest him

*Is learning to blow kisses

*Waves goodbye, goodnight, plays peek-a-boo, and claps whenever anyone says "Yay!"

*Still can't get enough time outside

*Loves dogs and cats, especially Jack and Aunt Rachel's cat Roxanne

*Loves the water, be it swimming or bath time

*Sleeps through the night, occasionally waking up at 4 or so for a quick snack, then back to bed

*Wants nothing to do with his binkie anymore

*Will walk forward if you hold his hands

*Can climb up onto the couch from the floor, and then onto the windowsill (scary!)

I love you to pieces, Son.  Pieces.

Father's Day 2011

The coolest part about this year's Father's Day was that we were actually together and able to do something!  Last year, the kids and I were in Utah, and Danny was here at home all by his lonesome.  That's a lame Father's Day for sure.  And what's funny is I can't remember the year before.  Which tells ya something...

Danny got most of his presents beforehand this year.  We actually combined our Mother's Day/Father's Day budget and purchased the "Insanity" workout from Beachbody.  We're excited!  And a little scared, at the same time. :)  More on that workout in future posts...

Even though we had done presents before the actual day, Danny did have one request.  He asked if he could sleep in, undisturbed.  Seriously, who does this guy think he is? :)  The kids and I were happy to oblige.  So, as Danny slumbered peacefully, I put the Overnight Egg and Sausage Casserole in the oven so it would be ready when he got up.  It was delicious, needless to say. :)  Then Danny had to head off to a Bishopric Meeting (he's the Executive Secretary now), and I got the kids ready for church.  We made our way to church, but not before I made a Crab Salad and we put the Baby Back Ribs in the crock pot to braise. 

Church was good, of course.  Claire went up to the front with the rest of the Primary and sang to her Daddy. It was too cute!  The girls both made cards for Danny in their classes, which is always cute.  But as good as church was, I think I can speak for both me and Danny when I say we were a little anxious to get home.  Home to some ribs...

They. Were. Awesome!  I can easily say that I haven't had better ribs in any restaurant!  And this seems an appropriate junction to debut Danny's other Father's Day present.  He picked it out himself...

Yes, that's our incredibly handsome Daddy wearing his own chef's coat!  And yes, we got it personalized...

I really think the food tastes better when he wears his coat! :)  I got one too, for a belated Mother's Day present.  Mine also says "Iron Chef", even though Danny wanted it to say "Sous Chef".  Nice try. :)  We actually had Claire take this picture for us.  She did a pretty good job!

After we were stuffed to the brim, we got started on dessert.  I know, we have a sickness. :)  We worked on the Berry Cobbler as a family.  We love being together in the kitchen.

We made this cobbler completely from scratch.  No cake mixes here!  It turned out amazing.  The perfect dessert for Danny.  He loves him some cobbler. :)

We love Danny so much.  He really is the world's best Dad.  He loves his kids so much, and takes the time to play, cuddle, talk, and teach each one.  It is abundantly obvious in everything he does that we are his top priority.  He is an excellent provider, both of things temporal and spiritual.  He holds his priesthood worthily, and humbly uses that priesthood to lead our family.  Bottom line: one day isn't enough to celebrate all that our Daddy is and does.

We love you, Daddy!

A Little Speedbump

Well, with the wedding over, there was only one thing left to do.  Make the 11+ hour drive home to California.  Ugh.  We had resigned ourselves that it had to happen, no matter how exhausted we were.  We had been gone for over 2 weeks, and Danny really needed to be back to work on Monday morning.  

Thank you, Sophie, for taking one for the team!  We think the Lord might have known better, so he gave us a little speedbump to slow us down.  Sometimes I think Sophie was born as our little speedbump!  She keeps us from getting ahead of ourselves.

It seemed like our sick little girl might be okay when we put her to bed on Saturday night after I got home from the reception.  Her fever was down, and she hadn't thrown up anymore.  But she woke up at about 2 in the morning and her fever was over 103 again.  She was really starting to worry us at this point.  This was officially the sickest any of our kids had ever been!  I ended up sitting in Great Grandma's shower with Sophie for about 20 minutes hoping the water would help bring her fever down to a manageable level.  Between that, and the ibuprofen, her fever went down and we felt like it was safe to let her fall back asleep.  As we all fell back asleep, we were wondering about this drive we were supposed to do...

Morning came, and with it Sophie's fever spiked again.  We called our pediatrician, and considered taking her to Urgent Care.  She was complaining that her neck and throat hurt, so I was thinking it might be strep.  But Dr. Edralin gave us the all-clear to drive, so we didn't feel it necessary to take her to Urgent Care.  The more and more we thought about it, however, the less and less comfortable we felt about driving home that day.  So we decided to take a literal "day of rest" on Sunday, make sure we got ready to leave and to bed early, and attempt the drive early Monday morning.  Claire was pretty disappointed that we weren't going to go home to California and see Jack.

NOT! :)  As the morning turned into afternoon, Sophie seemed to be doing better.  She took another nap, only this time when she woke up her fever was much more manageable.  We decided to go have a quick dinner at my Mom's, and say goodbye before we left.  Danny had to leave so quickly the night before that he just made a quick round of goodbyes before the reception started.  And I tried to say goodbye while the reception was underway.  We didn't want to leave on that note.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner with Grandma Candy, Uncle Matt and Aunt Jenny, and of course Isabelle and Eli.  As soon as the kids had eaten, Isabelle decided it was time for an adventure!  She led the way, of course.  But hey, it's hard not to lead when you have such willing followers. ;)

Well, maybe only one real follower. :)  The little kids started to rethink the game, and decided to go back to where it was a little safer.

Oh well!  

There was plenty of things Isabelle could think of for the two of them to do.  That girl has no shortage of imagination!  And if the little kids weren't going to play, then why not raise the stakes a bit?  It's funny.  Claire is the most reserved and cautious girl.  Unless Isabelle's involved.  Then all of a sudden, our girl has some nerve!  I think it's a good thing.  Claire needs to take some risks sometimes.  And I was right next to her-taking pictures. :)

Phew!  She made it!  Isabelle always knew she could do it.  Claire had to stop and say a little prayer of gratitude that she didn't fall to her death!  Or at least a broken arm...

Where Claire seems to avoid anything risky, Sophie can catch its scent and find it anywhere!  Fever or no fever, she was going to give this daring feat a try.  And without any help from anyone...even you, Isabelle. :)

Sophie made it safely to the table with the other girls, and they were all happy to be together for this extra day.

We were all grateful for this extra day.  Danny and I felt like we had the chance to rest up, and the kids needed a more relaxed day before our trip home.  But the time always comes when we have to say goodbye.  We got back to Grandma and Papa's, loaded the car, and got to bed early.  After about 11 1/2 hours in the car on Monday, we made it safely home.  Jack was so excited to see us again!  And we were so happy to be home.  As hard as it is to leave family, especially when we've stayed so long and made so many wonderful memories, it is always good to be home.

Jessie and Devin ~ June 11, 2011

As if we hadn't planned enough for our trip to Utah, we added Jessie's wedding to the weekend before we left. :)  I guess "crazy busy" is just how we roll when we go home to Utah!

On Friday the 10th, Jeff and Jami and their kids got into town for the wedding.  We spent Friday getting ready for the wedding, and Danny even managed to finish his final that morning.  Our kids were so happy to see their cousins again!

We were up late Friday getting all the lunches ready, and figuring out what we needed to do in way of decorating the next morning.  But finally, Jessie's big day came...

Jessie had decided to get married on my Mom's deck, and the weather was perfect.  At 11 am, everyone took their places and waited for Jessie to come out.

Bishop Evans married Jessie and Devin for the duration of their mortal lives, surrounded by their families and closest friends.  It was a simple ceremony, and the Bishop gave the new couple some valuable advice that will help them navigate the world of matrimony.  We're happy for Jessie and Devin.  However, we are hopeful that the day will come when they would choose to enter a temple of the Lord, and there be sealed for time and all eternity.  We know that is the only way we can continue our family relationships beyond the grave, and we wish that happiness for Jessie and Devin.  In the meantime, we're excited for them to start their life together as husband and wife!

Doesn't Mom's deck and yard look amazing?  We were all beyond pleased with how it turned out.  I mentioned that we were all up late the night before putting together the lunches.  Thanks to a wedding that Jami attended, we had the idea to put together boxed lunches for each person.  This was a fun project to do, plus helped us control the food budget a bit better. :)  We ended up with adorable lunch boxes, decorated with Jessie's colors and flowers.  Inside was a club sandwich, with lettuce and tomato on the side, a pickle spear, and a delicious chocolate-covered strawberry.  We dipped the strawberries ourselves, and they were amazing!  We served water bottles and soda in glass bottles from a washbasin filled with ice.  It looked so cute!

Everyone was pleased with lunch, and spent some time mingling around the deck while we ate and took pictures.

Soon, the crowd dispersed.  Danny and I headed back to his parent's house to get packed, since we were planning on leaving early the next morning.  The kids needed naps as well.  But after a few hours, we all reconvened at my Mom's to set up for the reception, which was planned for the cul-de-sac.  Megan took care of Johnny for me so I could help with the set up.  And Bowen helped out, too.  What would I do without my amazing nieces and nephews?  I just wish we lived closer!

Claire and Lily became really good friend when they came to our house in California in the spring.  Claire was so excited to get to play with Lily again, and Lily is just amazing with Claire.  When you consider there are 3 years between them, it's really awesome that they get along so well!  Lily is exactly the kind of example we want Claire around.  She's awesome!

About 40 minutes before the reception was supposed to start, things started falling apart for us.  About an hour before, Sophie had wanted to lay down for a nap.  She had slept while Danny and I got packed, so we were surprised she wanted another nap.  But we had been running the kids ragged for two weeks, so I guess it wasn't all that surprising.  Well, Sophie woke up from her nap and came out of Nick's room crying and covered in vomit.  We took her temperature, and it was 103!  Poor girl!  Papa was coming to the reception to congratulate the newlyweds, so we decided that Danny and Sophie should go home with him and skip the reception.  I stayed with Claire and Johnny.

It's really too bad that Danny and Sophie had to leave.  Jeff was DJing the reception, and it was so much fun! In true Vigil fashion, it was the dance party of the year!  The decorations turned out amazing, the desserts were fabulously delicious, and the music was pumping!  Really, words can't do it justice.  In this case, pictures do the trick.  Enjoy!

We truly had a great time!  We really missed Rachel, though.  And as we partied and danced, I frequently had her dance across my mind.  I could see her wavy hair and her big smile, and I even remembered her laugh and how her voice sounded.  I'm not always able to remember those things.  I know she was close to us that day, and I'm grateful for that.  

Having Rachel on my mind reminded me that in the chaos that had been our trip thus far, I still hadn't made it to the cemetery.  I really wanted our whole family to be there, and I wanted a picture of my kids next to Rachel's stone.  But, with Sophie sick and us leaving for California the next morning, that wasn't going to happen.  So Claire, Johnny, and I made a quick stop on our way home from the reception.

Johnny never met his Aunt Rachel in this life.  He'll only grow up hearing about her.  But trust me, he'll get to know how cool his Aunt Rachel was, and he'll be excited to see her again.  As will the rest of our children.

Rachel's stone turned out perfect!  I love the color, which is a granite called "twilight".  We had the sunflowers surrounding the picture of the temple painted, and the company that made the stone will repaint the flowers every year or so to make sure the colors stay vibrant.  I just loved how it turned out, and I'm sure Rachel would dig it.

My Mom chose the perfect words for the back.  I love "Come Thou Fount", and it means even more to me now.  I can't listen to this verse without tearing up.

The cemetery where Rachel is buried is beautiful, and we chose her plot carefully.  Her headstone faces east, but when you're "talking" to her, you're facing west toward the Great Salt Lake.  Going in the evenings is particularly beautiful, because of the sunset.  I just missed the best time to take a picture, so this was the best shot.  You get the idea.

I love my family.  And I love Danny's family, too.  We are so fortunate to have the priesthood restored on the earth, and temples where we can be sealed forever.  The gospel is the ultimate source of truth and happiness, and I believe the only way to navigate the trials and adversity that are a part of this mortal test.  I'm grateful for my testimony, and I know Danny is as well.  It's times like this that remind us of all we have to be grateful for.  And are we ever grateful!

Daddy's Happy Place

Is there a place that just speaks to your soul?  That literally replenishes your reserves and leaves you whole again?  Well, Danny does.  And it's Island Park.  

It had been way too long since Danny had been back to his grandparent's cabin.  We spent an amazing week there for our honeymoon, but since then had only been back three times, and each were very short visits.  So, since we had a few days open between the Call Family Reunion and Jessie's wedding, we decided it was time to go back to the cabin. 

We left after the blessing on Sunday, and got to the cabin at about 10:30 pm.  It really was nice to be back!  Danny was on cloud nine.  I've always kicked myself that I didn't any pictures of the cabin while we were there for our honeymoon, so I took a few pictures right as we walked in.

I love the kitchen at the cabin!  I could cook all day.  And these pictures don't capture the two bedrooms and loft upstairs, or the loft above the garage!  Anyway, Grandma was coming up with Great-Grandma Lovell, so they arrived about an hour after we did.  Once we were all there and the cars were unloaded, we went to bed.  Danny loves sleeping at the cabin.  It's so dark and quiet.  Ahhh....

The next morning, the kids spent time playing with Grandma while Danny and I got a slow start to the morning.  

Sophie was so proud of her "flower magic wand" that she made with Grandma, that she carried it around for the rest of the time.  

We had been watching the weather, and we knew we were in for rain for a significant amount of time while we were there.  But Monday morning was absolutely perfect, so we got the girls out for a walk while Johnny took his morning nap.  I'm so glad we did, because it literally rained the rest of the time we were there!

Isn't it gorgeous?  Island Park is only about 18 miles outside West Yellowstone, and it really is picturesque.  There was even some snow for Claire and Sophie to plan in...or on.  It was pretty much ice.  But being the desert girls they are, grass and snow have become pretty exotic!  They'll play on, in, or around it anytime they can. :)

Danny and I are realizing more and more that while it was a sacrifice to have our children so close together, especially Claire and Sophie, we're so glad we did!  Claire and Sophie would be lost without each other.  They truly are best friends.  Sometimes, Claire will just walk up to Sophie and just say, "Best Friends Forever!".  I sure hope so!

And no, the hand-holding was not posed.  That's just how they walk when they're together.  Pretty stinkin' cute, huh? :)  As we were walking, we enjoyed the fresh mountain air and talked about owning our own cabin there someday.  And we even took the time to stop and smell the roses...er...dandelions. 

All that walking pooped the girls right out.  So once we were back at the cabin, they cuddled up with Grandma for some story time.  Grandma tells the best stories!  Grandmas are good like that...

Now, Johnny had been sleeping while we were walking, so he was up and ready to play!  And there's nothing like a little lunchtime peek-a-boo to make a little John-boy happy!

"Where's Johnny?"

"There he is!"

Since he was feeling good, Johnny decided to go on a bear hunt.  Yellowstone is a great place for a bear hunt!

And with that, it was dinnertime.  Since we were at the cabin, and feeling a little wild and crazy, I let Johnny have his first spaghetti-in-the-high-chair experience.  He was in heaven!

The downside to the spaghetti experience is the spaghetti clean up!  Johnny didn't have to clean up his chair and the surrounding 5 feet, so he thought the clean up process was just another perk. :)

It started raining on Monday afternoon, and continued through the night.  When we woke up on Tuesday, it was still raining!  We decided to take an outing to Rexburg, since we needed to do some grocery shopping anyway.  We had an eventful trip!  Grandma came with us, and was the unlucky one in the middle seat when Sophie got carsick.  She took it in stride, though!  Considering this was the first time in all her child-rearing years that anyone had gotten carsick on her watch.  Sorry, Grandma!  It was only an hour to Rexburg, so I hadn't packed an extra set of clothes for anyone.  We made an emergency stop at Wal-Mart and I got some new clothes for Sophie.  Then, once Sophie was clothed and feeling better, we ate some lunch at Wingers before heading to BYU-I to do a little reminiscing.  Danny spent two years there before transferring to BYU-Provo, and that is also where Grandma and Papa met.  I believe Grandma said even Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa went there!  

We started out at the new conference center, right as Devotional was getting started.  Claire said she wasn't feeling good, but she says that a lot.  I should have listened this time.  As soon as we got on the sidewalk leading up to the entrance, Claire threw up all over the sidewalk.  Luckily, she missed her clothes.  And luckily, we had enough paper towels in the car to clean up the mess!  Awkward.  After that little episode, we walked around campus and saw the steps Grandma used to kiss all the boys on, and where her old boyfriends used to live.  Grandma was quite the wild woman in her day! :)  Don't worry, Papa, we also saw the Biology room that you brought Grandma's diamond ring to.  :)

We finished up our shopping in Rexburg, and made an uneventful drive back to the cabin.  And it was still raining!  What to do when it's too rainy to play outside?  Crafts with Grandma, of course! 

With it still raining, the sun set on our Tuesday in Island Park and rose again on a rainy Wednesday morning.  At this point, it didn't matter how relaxing the cabin was, Danny was starting to feel some pressure to get his school project done.  So he ended up spending virtually all day on Wednesday doing homework.  For a while, he moved his desk out onto the porch to work in the beautiful outdoors, but eventually it got a little chilly.  The high was only about 53 degrees that day!  While Daddy worked, we all found things to do to pass the time.

Daddy even took a break to play on the porch with Claire.

But, as always happens, the time came for us to head home.  It really was hard to go.  Especially since Danny had to dedicate so much of our time there to finishing that project.  But, we did realize that we want to make it more of a priority to get up there as a family, so I'm sure we'll be there again soon.  Relatively, anyway.  It won't possibly be soon enough for Danny!

We're so grateful for Grandma and Grandpa Lovell.  It's their cabin, and without them we wouldn't have this wonderful place to create memories with our family.  

We love you, Island Park!  We'll come back soon!