Eating is Fun!

Contrast

Ian and I went mountain biking at The Canyons today. One thing that I love about Utah is that you can go from cool, thick forest terrain to . . .

. . . dry, dusty desert terrain in a matter of minutes.

Summer Time Wrap-Up

With my summer vacation very near its end I am feeling very ready to go back to work. One thing I love about being a teacher is that I get to spend a quarter of every year as a domestic engineer a.k.a. stay-at-home-mom. Another thing I love about my job is that just when I start to feel mom-burn-out I get to go back to it, which will give me a much needed break from all of the domestic engineering I've been doing. Don't get me wrong, I love being at home with my daughter, playing with her and getting to see her achieve developmental milestones rather than hearing about them second hand from her daycare teacher, but I seriously need a break. This lifestyle is killing me. I don't know how people do it full time, year in and year out. I think it's far harder than being a working mom in many ways and I have a seriously high level of respect for anyone who does this job full time. It's hard for me to put into words why staying home is so hard for me, but I often feel like I never really get to go home from work. The only comparison I can think of is if I lived in my classroom. While I realize that I am still going to have to do all the same stuff I have been doing all summer with less time to do it I somehow know that it will be easier than this. I talked to the mom of one of my students last year who said "I think some of us are better parents because we work". I have always appreciated that she said that to me- it helped ease some of the guilt I felt last year for leaving my baby in daycare to go back to work.

Now that I have that off my chest, let me share some of my favorite moments from my summer with Aven:

Playing at Red Butte Gardens on a weekly basis.

Spending time at the cabin and getting to see countless hilarious facial expressions every day.

Getting plenty of exercise chasing Aven wherever we went.

Getting dirty on a daily basis.

Playing at the park with friends

Hiking in Milcreek Canyon

And last but not least- relaxing and playing at home.

It's been an unbelievably fun summer. By about Christmas I will be excitedly looking forward to doing it all again next summer!

A Few New Favorites

A few of my favorite things that Aven has been doing lately:

• Dancing- Not in the traditional sense, but if I play OMG by Usher then she concentrates really hard, looks down, and stomps her feet as fast as she can.
• Talking- She chatters non-stop sometimes. A few words that I have been able to recognize are "dace daw" (Grace Dog), "shzzz" (shoes), and "fsh" (fish). She also says "ya ya ya!" if I ask her if she wants a snack or to go play outside.
• Playing with Grace- She is determined to get Grace Dog to play with her, but Grace is still a little nervous about getting too close, so Aven usually ends up chasing her around with a dog toy.

As frustrating as she can be sometimes, she is incredibly fun and always full of surprises.

Who needs the alps . . .

When you've got this?

Milcreek Canyon from the Pipeline Trail, July 2010

Swim Class

This summer I signed up for parent/child swim class with a couple friends at Kearns Oquirrh Fitness Center. So far the teacher is a huge disappointment, but it's fun swimming with Aven and our friends.

l-r: Nique, hiding behind her son Jaxon, Aven and me, Amber and her son Payton. Payton and Jaxon both took this class last year, so they're old pro's showing Aven the ropes.

Kick, kick, kick!

I thought this was a funny picture of Aven. It looks like she's lounging on the surface of the water.

Blowing bubbles. Something Aven hasn't quite got down yet but loves watching me do.

Brandi

Ian and I went to see Brandi Carlile with our old friend Becky, who we had not seen in over a year, at Red Butte Garden on Sunday July, 11th. I have been a Brandi Carlile fan ever since I first heard "The Story" which was made popular by Grey's Anatomy (or so I have heard). We have just missed seeing her here in Salt Lake a couple times and were ecstatic that we were able to go see her this time around.

Becky, also a huge Brandi fan, decided to accompany us since she couldn't find anyone to go to the concert with her since the majority of her friends are apparently un-hip enough that they had no idea who Brandi even was. We had a great time catching up with Becky and enjoying the tunes.

Following are a few pictures I borrowed from Becky's facebook page:

Brandi rocking out.

This was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. She was a great performer and had plenty of amusing stories to tell in-between songs. I loved how her encore wasn't just two songs. She just kept playing right up until the 10 pm deadline when music has to stop (because of the noise ordinance).

The closest I could get to a portrait of Becky and Brandi together.

Due to Ian's lack of wrap around sunglasses, he spend the first part of the concert enjoying the show with a dish towel on his head. Guess what you're getting for your birthday Ian?

All three of us enjoying the show.

Cute Aven Photos at the Cabin

I just wanted to post some more of the cute photos we took of Aven at the cabin over the 4th of July.

She looks like she's concentrating really hard on some deep philosophical problem, probably something to do with the nature of the rock she is holding in her hand.

It's okay she was fine, Cara caught her at the last minute, it was just perfect timing on the photo.

 She's taken off down the road looking for adventure or just another rock to pick up.

Fun Sprinkled with Sadness

We went on our first trip to Flaming Gorge 4th of July weekend. This trip was a little different for me than past trips. My dad and aunt have decided to sell our cabin. I am heartbroken about losing this place that has seemed so full of magic and wonder but at the same time I completely understand and support their decision. In between bouts of sadness we had a lot of fun and I took a lot of pictures of my favorite details of this old place. I won't bore you with those, but I will share a few favorites from the trip:

A family portrait in front of the cabin my grandpa built with the help of family and friends. My grandpa left this world in 2007 but going to the cabin has made me feel as if he is still here. I'm afraid that losing this place is going to feel like he is totally gone.

Now on to happier moments:

Aven was mostly interested in playing with rocks and sticks. I could tell she was hungry when she started trying to eat them.


Aven also enjoyed playing in the water at Mustang Ridge. Is was very cold, but she didn't seem to mind as long as she had a rock in her hand.


We went to a classic car show at Flaming Gorge Lodge. We enjoyed the cars, Aven had fun toddling through the field it was held on.


On Sunday it was 48 degrees and it rained and hailed like I don't think I've ever seen before. We tried to do a lot of indoor things like visiting the dam visitor center and Red Canyon visitor center. We walked along the edge of the cliffs at Red Canyon during a break in the rain.


And last but not least, here is Grace squeezing under the fence after pursing a chipmunk. Don't worry, she's far too slow to ever catch something. She's our big lumbering bunny.


In closing, I would like to thank my grandparents for a lifetime of fun and for the opportunity to have such a unique experience by providing this wonderful home in the mountains for all of us to enjoy. Not having a cabin won't keep me away from Flaming Gorge, but I will have to learn how to love camping. Here's to enjoying this place as much as possible while trying to sell it!
(L-R): My grandma (Carm), grandpa (Bob), and their friend Roma during one of the early years of cabin construction- they are standing on the very unfinished second floor.

Sweet Disposition

In honor of father's day, here's some recent video of Ian's favorite babe: