Two Questions

Number One- Where do you shop for cute summer clothes that meet the following requirements:

1. Do not look like something my 12-year-old sister should be wearing.

2. Do not require an extra layer of clothing underneath to preserve modesty.

3. Do not cost an arm and a leg- I've already donated those to my gas tank.

Number Two- What is the best deodorant for women? These hot summer days are killing me, and I'll leave it at that. Any advice?

Why Nightly Baths Are A Must...

For full dirt-viewing pleasure, click to enlarge!

Leah the Cowgirl

All is right in the world, with moments like this...

Kumbaya...

Friday night around the campfire.

Eagle Scout Daddy shows Leah the ropes around the fire.First taste... first love...

In a frantic last-ditch effort to spend as much time as possible with our friends before they move, we dragged the Nelsons along with us.
Someone's had enough... time to go home!

Sweet Little Tiny

We have always called Leah our "sweet little tiny", because that's exactly what she is! She was 6 lbs 2 oz at birth, and yesterday, at her 18 month appointment, we learned that she is just shy of 20 pounds... okay, 13 ounces shy of it, but still! She is a sweet little tiny! According to the charts, she is at about the negative 10th percentile (if that were a real thing). She is is 31 inches tall, which puts her in about the 40th percentile there, and her head circumference is in the 25th percentile.

I think she makes a pretty cute little package, but you know how doctors are. I was grilled on whether or not she is eating and ways to get some fat in her bones (apparently at this stage in her growth, she is building some essential nervous system padding that is made out of fat).

His solution?

Bring on the fat! We have stocked up on milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream (doctors orders!) and Leah is in heaven. She's eaten 12 Mickey Mouse shaped cheese slices in the last 24 hours, and (sorry for any non-moms that are reading this) I am really not looking forward to her first attempt at processing all of these dairy products. So, we've also stocked up on high fiber cereals, juice, and fruits.

The doctor recommended that we bring her in for a weight check in three months, and if there's not major improvement, they will want to test her thyroid and such. (In case you don't already know my feelings about the world assuming that everyone should be overweight, click here.) I am not worried at all. She's just my sweet little tiny!

In other check-up news, the doctor felt that Leah's vocabulary skills are about that of an average 2-to 2 1/2- year-old. Having never been the mom of a child before, it's been hard to gage her progress, but it was fun to hear that she is excelling verbally. (I had a feeling, but you never know the first time around!) And what should we do with that information, I ask? Just enjoy it for now. I'm sure she'll be sassing us before we know it.

The doctor also asked if she is stacking blocks well. I was a little flustered when I realized that, no, she's not, but that's because she spends all of her time trying to fit keys into locks, plugs into outlets (with very close supervision!), and snapping buckles into place. I think she's doing alright.

And at the end of a long day, Leah took a glorious 2 hour nap... in my bed! (very unusual around here)

Editors note: I had to laugh as I watched the video. We pulled the blocks out this morning to help Leah practice stacking them, but got much more excited and pulled out the camera once she started naming the animals inside each one. No wonder she doesn't know how to stack blocks! Blame Mom and Dad!

Elections 2008

I don't know as much about elections or the candidates as some, but I did find this interesting. Makes me want to learn more...

http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/video.aspx?RsrcID=2036

More Talking

New two-word favorites:

*Mommy-help

*Get-down

*Help-you

*Diaper-change

*Bird-flying

*Daddy-home

And a cute picture- we had sweet little Aubrey over the other day. Aubrey got comfy while I was reading a story, Leah took one look at her and decided it looked like a good way to enjoy a book. So cute.

Wimmin!

Hmmm... this pool seemed a lot bigger last year!

Weekend Highlights

The climbing continues... Leah had to eat lunch with her monkey.
Ready for the pool!In baby-speak, the following exchange went something like this:
Aubrey: Ha ha! I have a snack and you don't!
Leah: Oh no you did not.
Leah: How 'bout if I take your snack and then you have nothing!?
Aubrey: Mine! Back off, you! We did have a great weekend- the pool was the highlight. All day yesterday and this morning, Leah has gazed off into the distance and wistfully said "wimmin... Ahbee... Bay-ah... more?" It was a great time.

Happy Father's Day!

I'm grateful that Leah has such a great dad- let's count the reasons why:

10. He doesn't argue when it's "his" night to give Leah a bath- for the 5th week in a row.

9. He gets up and brings Leah into our bed when it's still too early to get up (and gets her a "nack" and changes her bum).

8. He makes a big deal out of little things- just what Leah likes. Notice the "Family Home Evening blanket"- somehow it makes FHE 100 times more exciting for all of us.

7. He makes great faces and voices while reading bedtime stories.

6. He conducts one-sided monologues on the phone with Leah to amuse me, while I promise him she's listening.

5. He always makes time to get down on the floor and play with Leah, when I tend to get too caught up in less-important things, like housework.

4. He rides his bike to school every day so we can have the car.

3. He works so hard for our family, then comes home and really gets busy when I claim I've had a long day!

2. He has never asked me, "So what do you do all day?"

1. Look at that cute little girl we've got- what a handsome husband I have!

And a few extras...

*He lets me talk about having more children, but has never told me it's time because he's ready.

*He plays Hide-and-Seek with us at 8:30 in the morning, even if it means he'll get a late start at school.

*He teaches Leah things I never could- like plant names and gene sequencing.

*He is a great dad! He's everything I could have asked for in the father of our home. We love you, Daddy!

Cute Videos

Leah's 124th word- her name! Finally!

I guess I describe things as 'delicious' a lot.

Gotta love that post nap hair. And, in case you're wondering, she's eating a Go-gurt with the ripped off plastic top. Clever.

Determination

Jason is the most determined person I know. Some times this comes in handy- like when he tracked down the most perfect engagement ring I ever saw and had it custom made for me, or when he insists on doing so well in school that he gets extra grants and trips to Hawaii. Sometimes, it gets a little frustrating, like when he won't come to bed until his homework is done (even if it's 2:00 in the morning), or when he insists on getting the perfect costume for a party, even if it means we'll be late.

But this morning, his determination came in handy. When I graduated from high school, my parents gave me a pair of diamond earrings. Nothing too obscene, just the most beautiful little studs in a gold setting- and they don't make my ears itch like most earrings do. I love them. They make me feel fancy. About two months ago, I couldn't find one in the morning, after I had vacuumed. We searched the house, but I had a sick feeling that it had gotten sucked into the vacuum cleaner. Not wanting to waste the bag, I decided that when it was full, we would empty it's contents and find the earring. Simple enough, right?

This morning, the bag was full.
We started out on the deck, sifting through the disgusting contents of the bag. Have you ever look at vacuum cleaner insides? I thought about taking a picture of it, but the nastiness of what we suck up every day has been permanently seared into my memory, so you've all been spared. You're welcome. That method didn't get us very far, so Jason, now on a mission, decided to take a screen off one of our windows (hope you're not reading this, TPM!) and sift through the muck outside with a hose. I joined in with two forks, shredding the debris like pulled pork. Leah entertained herself in the car. It was quality family time.

After a good 30 minutes (or five, I couldn't really tell), Leah and I got bored and decided to head inside to double and triple check the house for the earring. I checked on Jason occasionally, and though his determination had kicked in, he had begun mumbling under his breath and making threats to buy himself an Xbox as a reward for his hard work.

Then he had some good news- he had found an earring back. I grabbed the survivor, matched it up, and sure enough, it was the mate. The earring had to be close by... and the stud was. Now we were just looking for a loose diamond in the huge mound of muck. (And by we, I mean Jason. I went back inside to put Leah down for a nap.)

About 10 minutes later (because I probably wouldn't be sharing this story if it didn't have a happy ending), he came into the house and deposited one sweet little loose diamond in my hand. Victory! Now we just need to get the poor little thing fixed, and we'll be back in business.

The moral of the story is that Jason's determination, once again, has saved the day! He's pretty handy, and I think I'll keep him around. Now I'm off to take another shower.

Highlights from the duck pond

A momma duck and seven little ducklings

Serendipity

We were supposed to go to Thanksgiving Point today, but decided to stick around here, instead, mainly because our company bailed out (due to sickness, understandably). We went up to the duck pond and fed the ducks, discovered a few turtles, and counted new baby ducklings. The weather was perfect, and it was a lot of fun.

Then we met Jason on campus and took a historic first trip to J-Dawgs, the local hot dog stand that, I'm sure grosses about a million dollars every year, judging by the huge line that wraps around the little hut and spills over into the street at any hour of the day. We got our hotdogs (beef for me, polish for Jason) and set up our little picnic on the grass.

There was a woman with a camera there interviewing a group of college kids in the next grass-patch over, and before we knew it, she was setting up her camera in front of us, wiring Jason with a microphone and asking Leah to take a few big bites of my hotdog. Turns out next week is the four year anniversary of J-Dawgs opening, and KBYU is doing a little segment on the success of it. Given Jason's flawless speech about value for price and incredible taste, and Leah's adorable dog-munching skills, I'm pretty sure we'll be famous by this time next week. Did fate take a hand in the outcome of our afternoon? I think yes.

Check us out- noon news on KBYU (channel 11) next Monday and Wednesday.

It's my blog and I'll post if I want to...

I feel like I should write a disclaimer in regards to all of the "amazing Leah" things that I've been blogging about lately. I realize that every person in the world goes through the life cycle from lumpy sleepy newborn to rolly polly baby to walking talking toddler, but to watch it happen right in front of my eyes every day is just awesome. And I don't want to forget it. So I'm blogging about it instead. Thanks for putting up with it.

Having said that, yesterday I was in the kitchen making dinner while Leah was enjoying her allotted Baby Einstein time, when I suddenly heard a slightly panicked, "Mommy-help! Mommy-help!"

I walked into the living room, and this is what I found.

How the heck did Leah climb up onto the coffee table!? She can't even get onto the couch... at least I didn't think she could!

A Big Day

Today, Leah learned three new things.

1. It is necessary for a woman to take a purse with her on all outings.

2. How to smile at the camera.

3. How to say (albeit, quite loosely interpreted) "I love you".

I love being a mom.

Weekend Pictures

We had fun going on a walk with our fast-departing friends this weekend, and Leah especially enjoyed finding every non-traditional way possible to ride in her stroller. I think Aubrey was a little fed up by the end of it!

We also bought a bassinet at a yard sale. Not because we need it, but because it is the same as the one I borrowed from my sister when Leah was born. It just wouldn't seem right to put future babies in anything different. Of course, Leah thought it was a new toy for her. She doesn't fit quite as well as she used to!

And our trip to Denver has officially created a Baby Einstein monster. Every time Leah spies the Zune, she sets her self up and starts pushing buttons at random until she finds "Butt-ine! Butt-ine!"

Demands of Motherhood

In the middle of sacrament meeting yesterday, Leah fished her wipes out of the diaper bag, set them on the carpet, laid down next to them and shouted out "Diaper!"

...!

Thank goodness we sit in the back.