Sophie's tantrums

Sophie's personality has certainly developed in the last six months.  She's very sassy (where'd she get that??).  She loves to tease Jonah and since he doesn't know any better, he let's it get to him.  She knows what she wants and when she wants it.  If she doesn't get it, she throws herself to the floor, face down, and screams/cries.  The funny thing about it all is that I think it's the most hilarious thing!  I just have to giggle and watch until she decides to get up and give me her dirty look and continue on with her business as usual. 

And OH the looks that girl can give!  Many have been witness to her scowls.  

On the other hand, she's a very lively and happy girl.  She LOVES to dance and has quite good rhythm.  She loves to give goofy grins on command and already has quite the vocabulary--taking after her brother.

fireworks and stuff

It was pretty much your typical 4th of July weekend here at the Bush res.  We barbecued, bought fireworks, took a walk around the hood, etc.

Nice smile

 I LOVE this picture!

 Always plugging the ears.  I'm pretty sure he was warning Sophie to plug hers, too!

Jonah has also been practicing riding his big bike with no training wheels.  He's getting it and building his courage each time!

 

We are grateful to live in such a beautiful country and to have the freedoms that we do.  I took a few minutes to read the Gettysburg address a few days ago and remembered and love this part:

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Just out for a walk.

We've been trying to fill our summer with cheap family fun which inspired a little walk up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls.  Every time I go up that canyon, running or not, I'm amazed that such a majestic, beautiful place is just out our back door.  I'm sure going to miss it should we ever leave.

Pre-walk. Dry.

 

We decided to let the kids walk instead of taking the stroller.  I'd imagine a half-mile walk for Sophie is equivalent to something like a three mile walk for me.  She loved every second, though.  She had her popcorn to snack on and took her sweet time meandering up the path.

The kids played in the water for a bit and then we headed home with half-naked kids (soaked) for dinner.

Classic pout face from Sophie.

 

Check out my man's beard.  That's right, BYU.

The bug goes around.

A few weeks ago we found our sweet Sophie covered in her own vomit when we went to get her out of bed in the morning.  That was the first of many sheet cleanings that would happen over the next two weeks.  She made it through the day without another episode and seemed happy when we went to get her the next morning from her crib.  We brought her to our bed to snuggle, as we often do, where she proceeded to complain about her teeth.  I wasn't sure what was ailing her so I moved to look into her mouth and was covered by a large amount of vomit the color of chocolate milk (the only thing she ingested the day before).  Yay!  Let the fun begin! 

So amidst cleaning our sheets, her sheets, and her, Jonah decides he doesn't want to eat his breakfast and instead throws up all over himself, his plate of food, his chair, and the floor.  Jon and I laughed as we realized what we were in for.

The great thing about Jonah is that once he knew what it felt like to throw up, he could run to the potty or do it in a bowl.  This saved us a LOT of cleanup and I was able to play the nurturing role and comfort him after each episode.  Soph didn't throw up again but continued to have blow-out diarrhea for the next week (more sheet cleaning).  The diarrhea episodes cut a little bit into our Las Vegas vacation, making it a little more stressful all around. 

I must have a killer immune system because I never got sick.  Jon did, though, and that wasn't fun to see him down and out.

Chairs for lounging, tile for easy cleanup, bowls to catch the puke, blankets and a movie.

Just what I needed to hear.

It's been a rollercoaster ride for us this summer and things we thought were happening haven't worked out exactly as we planned.  We've been a little discouraged but when I opened an email this morning with this video attached, I knew it was meant for me to see.

I'm thankful for my knowledge of my Savior and Heavenly Father and that they have a plan for me and for our family.

Las Vegas...a place we never have to see again.

Oh, don't get me wrong!!  We had a wonderful week together.  We played at the pool, ate good food (hey-oh, Jack in the Box), relaxed, and played with Mimi and cousins!  All things that could be done equally well in another location.

 The mile long hallway to our room got the kids nice and tired

Las Vegas has only a couple of redeeming qualities (in my opinion), the Bellagio fountains, the Dale Chihuly art in the Bellagio, and Trader Joe's.  Oh! And Jack in the Box.  I love their tacos.  My lunchtime ritual this week was an oreo shake (the best), two tacos with hot sauce, and a Diet Coke.  Delicious.

On our way to and from Vegas we got to stay with Jake and Annie and see their girls, Nellie and Gracie.  The kids loved playing together and were sad to leave them.  Jake and Annie even came down to Vegas on Thursday to swim in the awesome hotel pool and we also decided to check out the strip (not the best idea).

 Sophie's favorite part about the pool--lounging and snacks!

Jonah discovered his fins on this trip and became quite daring in the water (for Jonah)

 It was such a beautiful big pool!

 Here we are at Treasure Island, before the obscene "Pirate Show" began.

The Bellagio gardens were stunning, especially with the Dale Chihuly blown glass everywhere!

Jonah's face here typifies his general mood for the entire week.  Tired.

A Second Chance

I love my Nikon D70.  But when I have to also carry a diaper bag, push a stroller, and worry about holding/securing the kids, it's my worst enemy.

Right after we got married, I bought Jon his first digital camera.  It's a little Nikon Coolpix.  It was at the top of its class back then (only 5 years ago, grr) but after the last couple of trips where I relied on this little thing to capture our moments, I was sorely disappointed in its ability.

As we packed up for our Memorial Day at Lagoon, I had the camera problem again.  I did NOT want to carry my big camera around a busy amusement park when I knew my hands would be full.  So I put some new batteries in the little Nikon and was prepared to have to throw away all our pictures if they didn't turn out.

Thank goodness it worked pretty well under the circumstances and I was able to get a few good shots of our day.

Waiting in line

I still want a new point and shoot.

Tall and Skinny

Who? Me? No. I'm talking about my two beautiful little children.  I took them to the doctor today for their well-checks and heard exactly what I thought I'd hear.  They're tall and skinny.  "Yes, Dr., I feed my children everyday."

They're still the most beautiful children to me!

We need a swagger wagon.

We took the kids camping last weekend. It was Sophie's first camping trip so we were anxious to see how she did. We grabbed some Wendy's on the way to the site so that we didn't have to worry about cooking dinner at the camp. We set up the tent and built our fire, trying our very best to be patient with Jonah while he asked every 2 seconds if he could roast marshmallows yet.

Bedtime rolled around and we bundled the kids in to 2 sets of pajamas each and threw an additional sweatshirt over the top just to make sure they'd stay warm. Jon and I sat by the campfire and listened to our two little nuggets laughing and talking to each other.

I think I only slept a total of three hours that night--between worrying about the kids and trying to stay warm yet comfortable. Sophie woke up at 5am when the tiniest bit of light hit the tent and the birds started singing. Her first words were, "Daddy! Daddy! Hold me. Car!!" She was done with the trip. We put her between us in our bed and warmed her up and tried to keep her quiet until Jonah could wake up at a decent hour (which ended up being 6:30am).

It was absolutely freezing in the morning. The kids were grouchy. Jon was grouchy. But I couldn't help but enjoy it all. I grew up going camping a lot with my family and have always wanted my kids to grow up loving nature as much as I do. It might take some getting used to but I know we'll be making good memories as we go!

I only had my phone to take pictures, so forgive the quality, please.

Keeping Sophie warm and content in the morning chill.

Beautiful morning

While packing up the car, it was apparent that we'll soon be needing one of these. I never thought I'd be a minivan mom but these advertisements are certainly persuading!

Colorado in April

Jon finished his first year of his MBA (hey-oh!) so we ventured to Fort Collins for a whole week to spend time with my parents. 

We had a bonus visit from Jeff, Audra, and Eva and my Grandpa Herran and his wife Mo even came up for a delicious dinner comprising various meats which my dad smoked all morning.  It was so fun to visit with them.  I don't get to see them often enough.

The weather was uncooperative with our plans to visit Estes Park and participate in other outdoor adventures but I did get to run a 5k with my mom on Saturday morning which was a lot of fun.  It reminded me of the years my whole family would run the Bolder Boulder together.

We did a little shopping at Flatirons.

Jon was embarrassed that I was taking pictures inside the mall...hehehe!

 

We also did a little fishing on the boat as soon as the weather warmed up a bit.  It was Jonah's first fishing trip and he got to use his brand new Spiderman fishing pole.  He even got to real in his first fish (or his "shark", as he now refers to it while telling his fishing tales).

Practicing in Grandpa's pond.

 Lessons from Grandpa

Reeling in the big one!

The Shark

Trophy

 

Other perks of the trip:  Panera Bread, Sophie with Spriggy, and baths in Mimi's big bathtub.

Needless to say, the kids were exhausted by the time we went home.  Sleeping in the car was inevitable.