Coming Home

We were so excited to be able to visit our family and friends in Utah and Idaho over Corey's 2 week break. We flew into Salt Lake City and spent the first few days of our trip with the Alexanders, Terrys, and Partridges. The weather was absolutely beautiful--such a fabulous break from the sweltering heat and humidity of Dallas! Corey did as much fishing as possible, I did a little hiking up the Timp Trail with Missy, and Zach enjoyed time with his cousins. We were especially happy to be there when Mike arrived home from his summer sales trip to Alaska. Zach gave him the biggest. longest hug ever!

Sisters in Zion

Nick and Sweet Baby Faith

Zach was immediately attached to his Grandpa

We hiked up the hill behind Tessa and Sam's new house

Girls night out at Paul Mitchell- scalp treatments all around!

Even the little girls came along!

We then headed to Idaho Falls for just one night, where I had so much fun going to dinner with my best friends from childhood. It was great to see these amazing women again!

A beautiful moon rising over the South Fork

*The remainder of our trip to Northern Idaho will be in the next entry

Go Fly a Kite!

Zach has recently broadened his veiwing attention to include Mary Poppins, in addition to his old favorite Finding Nemo. He won't watch much else for very long. I love Mary Poppins, and was raised with my mom singing all the songs to us, and making life just as magical as Mary Poppins did for Jane and Michael. He digs the songs and can't hold back from dancing like crazy, as you'll see in the videos. He especially loves "Step in Time" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite." He caught right on to the words without me even singing them to him. The other day while singing with the chimney sweeps, he came rushing into the kitchen for the broom to complete the effect--too cute! You'll need to pause the playlist on the left to hear his little voice.

Zach's New Favorite Book

Go Rangers!

Our ward got $5 tickets to the Texas Rangers baseball game the 23rd. It was Zach's first MLB game, and one of the first for both Corey and I.

Our cheap seats were in the nosebleed section, but still had a decent view of the field.

(Why don't they ever honor the guys who mow the field? I mean LOOK at that! It is a work of art!)

Zach was intrigued by the loud noises and throngs of people. Over 46,000 were in attendance!

We were meeting a friend there. He arrived late, and a lady gave him 4 tickets to the "All you can eat" section. It was the best score of the game! The seats were much closer and we got free nachos and hot dogs. The home team won--YAY!

Afterward there was a firework show. Zach wasn't quite as excited as he was the first time on the 4th of July, but we all still enjoyed it.

The stadium was huge, and we had to park about a mile away.

In the same area is the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. It looks like the Mother Ship, huh? It is HUGE!

On a completely unrelated note, Zach found this Spiderman costume I got as a Halloween backup, and loved it! So cute!

Zach: 18.5 Months

These are some random videos of Zach a few months ago that were waiting to be posted. We got these alphabet flashcards and he mostly likes to grab them, wrinke them, and throw them around. But I was surprised that he not only learned the letters on the front, but also memorized what picture on the back corresponded with the word on the front without us ever really going over that. He now knows most of his letters pretty well (thanks mostly to the Dr. Seuss ABC Book and another cute one called L M N O Peas), and will sing bits and pieces of the song. He has also recently started pointing out letters while we are out and about, like the big "P" for Parker College outside Corey's school, and the ABF on a moving truck driving near us. He's also recently started to say his numbers, some randomly, some in order. He's pretty solid on "Two, three, jump!" and "Six, seven."
Still, when you ask him what color something is, the answer is always the same.

"Blue!"

I guess we need to still work on that!

Seeing Spots

Yesterday morning as I got Zach ready for daycare, he felt warm to me. Then at breakfast he wouldn't eat much and I noticed a small rash on his face. He was his usual cheery self, so I didn't think much of it until we arrived at the babysitters. He felt really warm, so I took his temperature. It was about 100. I am covering for the dentist I work for while he is out of town, and needed to be at work, if possible. I told his babysitter that if the rash or fever got any worse, to call me immediately.

Luckily, I finished up a little early and rushed off to pick him up. His sitter said he had been normal all day, other than a decreased appetite. She had given him Tylenol for the fever, thankfully. His face rash looked much worse to me than it had that morning, so I took off his clothes and checked him once we got home. It had spread to his back, belly and was making its way down his legs! I immediately called the doctor because it was getting late. I was so worried it could be chicken pox or measles or some other terrible, serious thing.

Thankfully, it was just a rash associated with a sore throat virus. (Why did I not learn that in my Pathology classes in dental school? Seriously!) Apparently, if the rash is flat and if you push on it and the color goes away, it is not serious. With the other diseases, the rash is raised and stays red when pressure is applied. It cost a hundred bucks to find this out, since I didn't take time to research it at home (which I usually do). Oh well. $400 at the doctor's office this month due to our stellar student insurance and recurring daycare/nursery illnesses. I am just grateful it wasn't anything more serious or expensive.

Then on the way home, I noticed my throat hurting pretty bad.

Sweet.

(Sorry the pictures don't show the rash more clearly. I'm not sure what settings to use for medical imaging!)

Contemplating Love and Life

I came across this link when I was looking at several blogs this weekend, and it hit me very hard in several ways. This young wife and mother of six was diagnosed just 2.5 months ago with terminal cancer, and recently passed away. Her husband wrote this touching letter expressing his feelings about her, and it melted my heart. http://kissesforamy.blogspot.com/2010/06/reflections-by-light-of-full-moon.html


First, I know I don't express to my sweet spouse enough what an amazing husband and father he is, and how grateful I am for everything he does for our family. I also wondered how he feels about me. Does he share any of this husband's sweet sentiments? I know if I had such a letter addressed to me, I coulndn't help but feel like a queen, and would want to do all in my power to live up to the compliments given by such a companion.

I think there is always someone out there that could use a word of uplift, of love and encouragement from each of us--especially our spouse. Don't we all have that same longing to be loved and appreciated and cherished? Whether to a spouse, a child, a parent, sibling, or friend, I challenge anyone reading this blog to take a few moments and write down those words of love and appreciation and express them to those that have touched your life for good.

Thankfully, this couple was given some time to express those thoughts and feelings before she left this life. Many people don't take that opportunity before it is too late, whether they lose their loved one to death, divorce, despondence, or despair, and they are left with much regret. Even more sadly, not expressing those feelings regularly starves us of those needed feelings of appreciation that nourish our souls and families.

I want to make sure my family members know how much I love and appreciate them, whether I am on this earth for many decades to come or not. I hope that this stranger's letter may also inspire you to share the love in your heart for those around you. I'm sure you'll receive some in return, and your home and heart will be a better place for doing so.

I don't know about YOU, but I never tire of looking at these two handsome men in my life! Just look at those EYES! I've never seen a brighter blue or deeper brown. I LOVE 'EM!!!

Fourth of July Adventures

On the 3rd of July, we walked up the road to our town's small parade. It was nice--not too crowded with lots of candy! Zach especially liked the fire trucks! I especially liked the "Coppell Democrats" float with three people on it. I'm pretty sure it included all the democrats in our entire town--possible all those in the DFW metroplex! I wish I'd snapped a good photo. We walked Zach to the park and loved his squeals of delight on the swing.

He also went down the big slide all by himself. I don't know if I like that. He's still my baby!

We have been itching to go to the movies since the last one we saw was several months ago. I heard about a drive-in theater a little south of Dallas, and it happened to be playing Eclipse and Iron Man 2 that night. I was sure Zach would fall asleep in the car and sleep soundly through the double feature while we enjoyed ourselves and didn't have to trouble with getting a sitter.

Well, it turns out the theater was almost an hour's drive from our home. Zach was chipper the entire drive, and didn't tucker out until 11pm, when Twilight was winding down. I still can't understand it. We barely stayed awake through Iron Man 2, which didn't end until 1:30 am. Zach awakened as we were pulling out of the theater, and screamed for about 35 minutes on the way home. When we arrived home at 2:30am, we decided the drive-in is a young man's game.

We both love drive-ins and have great family memories of gathering the whole family in the car to watch a flick, but we decided that next time, we'll probably opt for a babysitter and a single feature! It was a good adventure, though.

BTW- Did you know that there used to be over 4000 drive-in theaters in the US, and now there are only about 400, with the number decreasing every year? This makes me sad. While it is quite obvious that the picture and sound quality at the drive-in do not compare with that available in high-tech theaters, it is about the experience of packing up friends and family in the back of a pick up, or an old car with giant bench seats like ours had, standing in long lines for giant pickles, and watching the hot dog doing flips on the screen during intermission. I want my kids to be able to experience that!

So if you are lucky enough to live close to a drive-in theater, be a loyal patron while the dwindling opportunity is still available!

*Also, for the grandparents, Zach's sleep schedule was so messed up by our escapades that he was still wide awake in bed at 9:30 last night when fireworks started going off in the next town. We threw him in the car so he could experience the show. He kept saying, "Fun!" and "Boom!" and making awe-struck facial expressions. It was such fun to see him so excited, even though he didn't go to sleep until 11 again! Of course I forgot the camera.:(

Exquisite Hawaii

Click here to view this photo book larger

Finding Nemo

Zach has a Nemo fetish. He loves anything to do with fishes or sharks. I "found Nemo" in the laundry. I guess he must've tucked his new friends in his pockets.

And I guess this makeup sponge resembled a cookie or something. Not the greatest texture, though. He keeps things entertaining around here.

Day Trip to Beaver's Bend, Oklahoma

We have been seriously missing the mountains, rivers, and outdoors in general here in Texas, so for Memorial Day weekend, we decided to check out some wilderness areas near Broken Bow, Oklahoma, in Beaver's Bend State Park. Since everyone and their dogs camp this weekend, we decided not to actually camp, but to check on things for a future campout. Corey heard that this lake and river in southeastern Oklahoma, just over the border from us, had mountains and good camping and fly fishing. We began our 3 hour trek and Zach fell right asleep, which I was hoping would extend through most of the drive. However, 30 minutes later, we hit one of the very few stoplights on the entire route, and he promptly woke up and was in a pretty bad mood until he fell asleep again on the drive home.

The boring drive made me miss home so much. Everything along the way was flat, flat, flat! Zach was so bored he resorted to examining his hands and toes for long periods of time. Then he would suck on them. (I'm pretty sure he learned that from his dad, not his mom.)
The monotony was occasionally broken up by a big factory. We passed our friends Sara Lee, Tyson, and Campbell's along the way. We also drove through a number of flat, blah, towns that all looked pretty much like this:
After 3 hours, we arrived in the tiny town of Broken Bow, but still did not see any mountains. In the distance we could see some slight hills that were maybe 100 feet tall, and even that pitiful change in elevation caused our hearts to leap a little. Beaver's Bend State Park was packed with tents and RVs and I just can't understand how that is enjoyable to people. I like to be outdoors and enjoy nature to be away from all the other people and crowds!

We found a little shack that was renting canoes on the river, and jumped at the chance to get out of the car for awhile. We were a little hesitant to have Zach in a canoe, but the classically redneck owner said it was fine. (I suppose I should've questioned his judgement a little more after he asked if my 18 month old was holding his head up pretty well yet. :) ) We put a small life vest on Zach, boarded this awesome, ancient van, and got dropped at the start of the river run.

There was actually a tiny, very shallow run of rapids at the very beginning, and since there was not really a place for Zach to sit, I had to hold him on my lap for the entire trip and hope that we wouldn't tip over. Therefore, Corey had the job of balancing and paddling us (not rowing, as I was corrected by my astute, Eagle Scout husband!) down the shallow river.

Let me just tell you what a fun experience it is to hold a kicking, screaming, crying child on a tiny canoe for an hour. Dipping his feet in the water and telling him to look for Nemo and sharks helped distract him a bit. Despite Zach's many repeated outbursts, we really enjoyed the gorgeous scenery.

There were one or two dozen turtles perched on this fallen tree.

I absolutely LOVED these beautiful trees shooting out of the water. Delectable!

I don't which I liked more, the trees or their reflection.

My feeble attempt at emulating artist Vladmir Kush. :) I was trying to make an hourglass out of this vista, but it looks more like a Rorschach test!

We were surprised to see this familiar old Indian statue, and thought he had been kidnapped from his dwelling in Idaho Falls. However, we found out the sculptor created one of these in each of the 50 states. Nice to see a familiar face so far from home, though!
Zach had just about HAD IT--and so had I. Luckily the end point was just before that bridge.
Two minutes after we buckled him in, he was out for a couple of hours straight. Bummer that he didn't get a good nap earlier so we could have all enjoyed the canoe trip more. Oh well.

On the way home, I had a brighter perspective of our trip than on the way there. We were even blessed to see this lovely sunset. Here's to more adventurous Texas roadtrips!