Ever useful blue tape

Jens comes to me with blue painter's tape wrapped around his shirt.

J: I want to snuggle with you!
Me: Okay. (First of all, when does he ever say that? Ever??)

We snuggle for a while.

Me: My hand is sticking to your blue tape!
J. I was playing Bob the Builder outside.

The blue tape is his tool belt.

I called him Bob and he gave me a big smile.

Home Again, Home Again

We made it! There were times during the last month when I wondered if we would survive to the end, but we did. We flew to Utah On the 23rd and spent Friday and Saturday recuperating/steeling ourselves for the final drive. We also managed to squeeze in some last minute family fun, and Mike and I snuck out for a movie date on Saturday to see Harry Potter.

Sunday we drove. It was as smooth as we could have wished, with only 2 stops (plus one pull off on an empty exit for Jens) and very few tears. The kids were amazing and Jens didn't puke once. We were very happy to see our house still standing and very clean! All that work before we left really paid off. Since the return we have been shopping and restocking and readjusting. Sylvie seems to have developed a phobia of being alone along with her crawling skills, so if I walk away from her, even for a second, she follows me moaning and crying pathetically the whole way. Jens has been very exuberant about being home, full of energy and vim. It makes things exciting.

Yesterday Jens helped me do some yard work, and helped Mike build a computer.

Today he helped me mop the floor. I did that on hands and knees instead of my norm with a mop. I wish I could say that the mop is just as effective, but sadly, the floor looks and feels really REALLY clean. Much cleaner than when I use a mop. We also had ac repairmen here because yesterday afternoon our ac stopped being totally effective. It kept our house from being unbearably hot, but didn't keep it below 82 for the whole afternoon. Hopefully the repairs of this morning will solve the problem.

Ohio

After North Carolina, we drove to Ohio in Loren's car. It took us a very long time (14 hours) but we enjoyed parts of the drive in spite of puking in the back seat. Seriously, I don't think our kid could throw up more if he tried.

We drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 25 miles, and it was just beautiful. Then coming home through Ohio is always a pretty drive, as well.

We hadn't been to Cincinnati as a family since Christmas of 2007 when Mike was sick the entire time, so it was nice to have a visit where no one was sick and the weather was gorgeous.

Sunday I got to drive up and get Gram, which was really nice.

She and I had some one on one time to talk in the car on the way home which doesn't happen very often and I really enjoyed that.

Jens loved playing with Jill--they got on surprisingly well, perhaps because she doesn't talk as much as Abbie and doesn't seem to have quite so many strong opinions, so Jens got to be the boss. One of his favorite toys was the little iron and ironing board. It made a very convincing steam sound.

Monday I walked with Mom. Jens stayed in his pajamas the whole day. We didn't go anywhere or do anything, except eat lots of Graeter's for dessert. Mike, Dad, Loren, and Peter worked on expanding the tree house for Jessie's girls.

Tuesday was also low key involving no activities in the morning. Tuesday afternoon we went up to Adams County and visited the Miller Store (an Amish furniture and bakery store) and went to dinner at Murphin Ridge Inn to celebrate Father's Day with Dad.

We had delicious fresh food and played a round of croquet between dinner and dessert.

The evening was perfect and kid free, except for Sylvie, who was fairly well behaved.

On the way home we passed several horse and buggies and an Amish women's softball/volleyball game. It was so beautiful to drive past--they were all out in their colorful dresses and prayer hats, running and playing and visiting, children were all over the place, and all along the left side of the road were horses tied up together and buggies parked all over. It looked really fun.

Wednesday it rained all day. I took Sylvie to do a photo shoot with Michael McIntire, (mcintirephotography.com) so he could try out some new tutu props on Sylvie.

The pictures turned out so well--Sylvie is very cute and Michael is talented, a good combination, I guess! Later Jessie and I went back so JoAnna McIntire could teach us to make hair bows, so Sylvie has some really nice new hair accessories.

In spite of the rain on Wednesday, Jens played out side a great deal. We moved the cars out of the garage so the kids could ride bikes and play under shelter. They were being so good and playing so well together, we all kind of sidetracked and didn't pay attention to what exactly the were doing. Until, that is, Abbie came in and requested a sponge because she and Jens had "Made a little mess." When Uncle Loren and Grammy investigated, they found that Jens and Abbie had been carrying shovel loads of dirt in to the garage and packing them down to make a "driveway." It was a very large driveway and covered a very large part of the garage. Then they decided to clean up, so Jens had the house and was "washing" the driveway while Abbie went to get the sponge. Because a sponge is helpful when cleaning up huge patches of mud, I guess. Loren was a champ and hosed it all down. Jens came and told me he had been "Getting into a little mischief." If that is a little, I don't want to know what a lot is! We spent the rest of the day packing and getting ready to fly back to Utah.

Jill really like hugging Sylvie good bye.

The flight back was pretty uneventful (hurray!) the most exciting part was hearing the final call for our flight being made before we even got to the gate. Jens and Sylvie did well on the plane and we were happy to get off of it in one piece. My favorite moment was at the end when we were sitting on the ground waiting for another plane to move out of our gate so we could get off. Jens wanted to stand on his seat and feel the air coming out of the individual air thingies and Mike wouldn't let him because we were supposed to be buckled in. "You are being Wicked!" Jens stormed at Mike. I had to hide my laugh.

Now we are resting up in Utah for our last big trip--the drive home.

North Carolina

We always love the beach and enjoy our time there, and this year was no exception. The weather was beautiful and unseasonably mild, but that didn't prevent some really great water days.

We left early Saturday from our hotel with Mom, Dad, and Peter. We made it nice and early, got the big grocery shop done, and headed to the beach. Sunday was our yearly beach devotional and Mike and I were in charge of dinner. We made black bean soup, a salad bar, and focaccia. Thanks, Jennifer G., for most of the recipes used! The rest of the week was beach, pool, beach, pool, with lots of treats and some games in between.

Yearly top ten beach edition:

10. Having a big room and big bed with deck access.
9. Watching the lighthouse blink on most nights, to the rousing applause of the younger set. Somehow it was exciting every single night, and in fact, it was exciting every single blink.
8. Our "boat ride" with Uncle Loren--he pulled us out, we couldn't figure out how to open the gas line. He pulled us in. We figured it out. He pulled us out, the engine wouldn't start. Jens announced that he needed to poop and the ride was over. Thanks for being a good sport, Uncle Loren, and pulling us around the sound.
7. Along the same lines, trying out the ocean kayaks, also with Loren. It was windy and choppy, but it was fun to try them. This is a tie with showering in the outdoor shower, which I did often and enjoyed.
6. Riding bikes was fun this year. The house had a bike trailer for pulling the kids around and there was also a big kid bike with training wheels that Jens did really well on.
5. The food, which, as always, was delicious. I especially look forward to the really good fruit we have every night.
4. Speaking of food, dinner at the Blue Pointe with the young adult generation. It was so nice of the grandparents to watch the kids so we could have a delicious evening out. Crab and salmon saute with spoon bread for me, tuna for Mike, and delicious chocolate desserts for both of us.
3. Watching Jens at the beach. He had the best time playing in the ocean and the sand this year. He loved going out in the waves (as long as someone was holding his hand) and spent happy hours digging holes with the big shovels. Also, having a nap together in the hammock. On the Sylvie front, watching her start to mobilize and taking her to the pool, just her and me together were definite highlights.
2. The Beach Cup--even though we were tardy and missed a few events, it was really fun to play together and do silly games on the beach. Afterwords, even though it was cold and the water was choppy, Jessie and I got in and caught several delightful waves on the boogie boards, which was also fun, and then it poured down rain on us while we rode bikes home.
1. Is always getting to be together--it was particularly fun to meet Felix and Maren and get to know Bree better this year.

I also liked watching the kids fish for shells, reading, wearing my new swimming suit, playing pounce, cooking for a crowd, trying some new and delicious popcorn recipes, going for walks, and watching the sunsets. Yay beach!

Plane Ride, Family of Four

We had our first family of four flying experience on July 10th. We were dreading it--but everything went really smoothly. Sylvie was such a doll--she ate, played, and slept right on schedule in spite of being in the air. Jens was very excited about going in the plane, and although we had a rough moment or two, he was pretty excited and happy the whole day. We wisely flew in the morning when everyone was rested and fresh and arrived in Raleigh by 5 pm. Grammy, Papa, Peter, and Loren met us at the hotel and we all drove to Corolla Light together on Saturday.

Utah

The first weekend we were in Utah, Mike and his good friend, Matt Johnson headed up to Logan to ride in the MS Bike ride. Mike had been looking forward to it for a long time and had a great time. They rode 100 miles the first day and 75 the second day. They camped both nights and were fed on the supported ride and came home tired and sore but happy with their accomplishment.

While they were gone, Jens, Sylvie, and I stayed with Kristin, Matisyn, and Emilyn at their house.

It was so fun to have some good girl time, and the kids entertained each other. They had a good time playing and because they are so similar, they gave as much grief as they get. They are a good match! We took them to Kangaroo Zoo (serious disappointment--the kids stood around us and whined most of the time) and played on the big water slides in the yard.

The babies did not play on the water slides. They rested peacefully in the grass, being really quiet and good.

Jens loved driving Mati's new Jeep around--he only crashed into the fence a couple of times.

We celebrated the return of the victorious riders with dinner and dessert before heading back to Provo for time with Mike's family.

We enjoyed a night at the cabin, and on Tuesday had lunch with Loren. Jens threw a big tantrum while Loren was there, which wasn't very fun. Luckily he perked up in time to go on a swimming "date" with me. We met Kristin and her girls at the Johnson's pool and had so much fun swimming with the kids. Jens loved every minute, even when he fell of the steps and went under water, but the slide was the hands down favorite. It took a couple of turns to get comfortable, but then he didn't want to stop.

He also managed to try the diving board, but I only let him do that twice since I had to catch him while treading water, quite a work out!

We also had some fun family dinners including a delicious cook out at Joel and Julie's. Joel truly has a bbq gift! Thursday night we were supposed to camp with friends, but when the weather turned stormy, some people (I won't name names) got wimpy and we ended up just going up for a fire and dinner, which was fun all the same.

The other big highlight of our first week was the 4th of July. Mike and Chuck were up at the crack of 4 am to save us spots for the parade. As a result, we had a great spot. The kids enjoyed it, although they weren't as excited as we would have liked. We had a quiet afternoon, then a cook out in the evening followed by cul de sac fireworks at the Bacons. Then we put the kids to bed and ran down to the stadium to see the big fireworks show. Mike and I found a great little patch of grass with a good view. It was nice to go sans children.

Sunday we all went to Joel's ward for Soren's blessing. It was fun to have the whole family together, and we took up a lot of space! We followed it up with a family dinner and pictures at the Bacons. Again, it is so fun to be together.

The second week in Utah was full of fun family things--a camp fire at Nunn's Park, family temple trip, a swim at the Lehi Pool, a TRAX ride and trip to the Children's Museum, and lots of family dinners. We also did a friend dinner on Wednesday night, which is always fun. We were happy to see Matt and Amanda's new place and enjoy lots of delicious food!

Thursday was our last night in Utah before flying to North Carolina. We spent the day packing and preparing--laundry, last minute shopping (yay for a new swimming suit, which was totally necessary after two of my old suits gave out on me!) taking Casey to the kennel, and packing. Of course, we had a family dinner that night and were making home made ice cream. Unfortunately, we had a few sad things happen. Mike hadn't been feeling well and visited Urgent Care--happily they were fast and gave him something that was affective. My cell phone died--it though a headphone was plugged in, which it wasn't, so you couldn't hear anything through it. Mike and I had to run out and find a replacement to help us get through vacation. Sylvie had a dramatic allergic reaction to who knows what--her face turned red and swelled up and almost looked blistery. Her neck and fingers were affected, too. She was so miserable. The pediatrician okayed Benedryl and luckily, it helped very quickly. If only we knew why she was reacting! It did take away from the family time, unfortunately. We were running around like crazy people instead of enjoying family time.

We are grateful we got to spend so much time with everyone in Utah.

7 Months Old

I know it is hard to believe, but our sweet Sylvie is 7 months old today! She celebrated by cutting another tooth--the top right one. Let's hope this doesn't cause a problem . . .

I feel bad because she suffers so good naturedly--I had no idea she was cutting a tooth. Last night she woke up a few times crying but went right back to sleep. She woke up early this morning but I was still clueless. I didn't notice the new tooth until mid-morning. Next time I will try to be more vigilant and give her Tylenol.

She has also learned to clap her hands this week. It is so cute, and every time I see her do it I have to say "Yay!" and clap with her. I can't help myself. It is also nice to feel like someone is always cheering for you, and she always looks very pleased with herself and the world in general while she is doing it.

She is getting more active, but no crawling yet. She has gotten half way into standing position and has gotten onto hands and knees but is generally still stationary, which is nice. We'll see how long that lasts.

We feel so lucky to have such a cheerful, pleasant, patient, wonderful, chubby, cute, sweet baby.

Utah, First Installment

These installments are not going to be in chronological order as I do not have pictures from some of our first activities, so I am going to stick to writing about the pictures I do have.

One of the prettiest activities we have enjoyed has centered around Boyd's newest garden addition, and evening primrose. It blooms at 9:00 at night and fades in the morning sun. The blossoms pop out of their husks and open in about 10 seconds, so you can see the petals unfurling. It is amazing every single time. Tonight we had a record 23 blooms open.

On Monday we went to the cabin with a large majority of Mike's family. We were missing Ruth and Eric and their girls and John and Becky and Jeffery, although the Bacon girls came without their parents. It was quite a crowd and the kids had so much fun. They played and played and then we hiked to Stewart Falls. Jens previously injured the back of his heel on Grandma and Grandpa's front door, so he refused to wear tennis shoes and hiked in crocs. I was worried about that, but he was a trouper. Sylvie, of course, enjoyed the hike as she just rides and doesn't have to exert herself much.

I fed her at the falls and it was definitely one of the most scenic place I've ever fed a baby.

Jens was a good sport and let me snap a few pictures of him while he rested his feet on the hike back. He is such a cute little person.

Aunt Nan organized some fun games for everyone to play.

They watched a movie together and all got along amazingly well and bedtime was nothing short of miraculous--each one into their own sleeping bag and to sleep with a minimal amount of shushing.

Getting ready for bed--two of the girls slept in "the nest," as it is called. It doesn't look comfortable to me, but it was fun to them.