Happy Birthday to Abby!

While we were in Colorado, Abby had her second birthday. I always love when these type of special occasions happen while visiting my family because I feel that they miss out on so much. So, I made Abby a cake




(Elmo of course, Abby's favorite right now), and we opened presents. Cam and I went in together with my parents and bought Abby a little kitchen set.



I'm hoping that once the baby comes, Abby will be content to play in her room with the kitchen while I am feeding and rocking the baby. We'll see! But for now, she loves it and wants me to "eat" food with her all the time. She also got a few more toys, and my Mom got her some books for Sacrament meeting. I think she is old enough to graduate to "churchy" activities only during Sacrament meeting, so hopefully these new books keep her entertained. Abby had so much fun opening presents, eating cake and ice cream and playing with the balloons.

Then, yesterday, we had a little party, so that Cam's family could also celebrate her birthday. So, once again, I made an Elmo cake, we opened presents and played. While in Colorado, I got the materials to make a quilt for Abby and for the new baby. I worked a lot on it and finished Abby's just a few days ago. So I gave that to her for her "second" birthday party.



Since it was a special occasion, we let Abby stay up late, and she had tons of energy (probably from the cake and ice cream) and jumped and danced with her cousin Hyrum.




It's so nice to spend time with his family because it's only a few more weeks until Ethan goes to the MTC. I think we all are treasuring the chances to all be together.

Oh, so busy in August!

This last month I had a lot going on. My parents and brother Jeff came for a visit for a few days. My mom wanted to see my grandparents and help them out and my dad and brother tagged along. The majority of the time that they were here, they spent in SLC with my grandparents and I stayed behind to get all the daily chores and stuff done. When it was time for the family to return to Colorado, Abby and I went too. I always enjoy returning home to Colorado, but I was worried about this particular trip because we would be there for so long (over two weeks). Thankfully we were able to work it out so that I could drive my car over and I wouldn't be with out a car for so long.

My mom and I decided that while I was there we would babysit Kenna for my sister, that way Abby and Kenna could get in some serious bonding time. I'm glad that they got along so well, it made watching them so much easier.




Since we were on vacation, I decided it was okay to splurge a little. One night we went to Baskin Robins for ice cream and I got Abby her own little scoop of ice cream. She was in seventh heaven and loved every bite of ice cream. She is quite handy with the utensils, even though you wouldn't know from these pictures. She managed to get the majority of it in her mouth, but a few spoonfuls slid off the spoon.



The first Saturday that I was there, Michelle and I took Abby and Kenna to a place called "Jumpin'". It's one of those play places filled with inflatable play houses. Abby LOVES to jump, so I figured it would be a hit with her. However, I failed to remember that she is extremely timid when it comes to new things. Michelle and I tried everything to get her to jump around. Michelle took her in and jumped with her, and took her down the slide, all of which forced Abby to tears. So eventually, me and my pregnant belly went in and spent a good 20 minutes slowly getting Abby to warm up to the jumping. Once she discovered how fun it was, she didn't want to stop! Kenna, who is fearless, was all over the place and having a ball the whole time.







Later that night, my Dad was washing his car, and Abby helped him, it was SO cute. She really only washed the front bumper, but I'm sure it is spotless!




Finally, about a week and half after our arrival in Colorado, Cam flew over. I'm so glad that he is willing to stay behind to work, but we sure missed him!

Cam grew up in California and is a huge Dodgers fan. And he totally lucked out because the week that he was over, the Rockies were playing the Dodgers. So Cam, my Dad, and my brother Jeff went to a game. Luckily for Cam, the Dodgers even won (unlucky for my family who totally support the Rockies).

In Loveland, there is a new park there that is SO awesome! It has a little splash park. So one afternoon when the sun was shining, we took Abby to "splash". However, her timidness returned, and only a little splashing took place. This time I wasn't willing to get wet and help her get comfortable. But she had fun anyways.




There is another park in Loveland, that has a little train for little kids to ride. So we took Abby for a short ride.



The day before we came home, Cam and Abby and I went up to Estes Park, it's a small mountain town comparable to Park City. One place that it's famous for is the Stanley Hotel. It's the hotel that inspired Steven King to write the Shining. It's also where they filmed the "new" version of the Shining which was a tv mini-series in the '90s. So we went there and saw it. It's is such a huge place, but most of it's open to guests only. Then we toured the shops and had lunch.



It was so nice, because while I was there, I was able to visit with some old friends. One night, Michelle and I went to our friends Toni's house for dinner. It was nice to visit, but with three 2 year olds and an infant to try to keep happy, it was quite a task for us. Then another day, we went and had lunch with a childhood friend Tammy. It was so nice to see her because she has been living in Alaska for several years and so it's been a long time since we've seen each other. I also got a chance to visit with Crystal, a friend that lived next door to us. I'm so glad that I got the chance to visit with old friends, because I rarely take the opportunity when I return home, but it was nice to catch up!



We finally returned home on the 31st. I am so grateful for all the time that we got to spend with my family. It was nice to never be alone, and for Abby to spend some quality time getting to know my family.

It's a...

It's a GIRL! We had the 20 week ultrasound, and saw the baby, and it is definitely a girl. Cam and I are both excited, and I'm sure if Abby understood, she would be too.

I can' believe that I am already half way through the pregnancy, it has gone so fast (thank goodness). I started feeling the baby move around 17 weeks, and now she has become quite the powerful little kicker. My tummy is also rapidly growing bigger. I'm quickly being reminded of why the second half can be so uncomfortable.

Abby has recently developed quite a bit of jealousy. If my attention is given to another child, she is NOT happy. It's kind of a new phase, and I was hoping for it to not get too bad before the baby was born. So I think we will ALL be in for a bit of an adjustment when this little princess is born.

Rocco, the New Arrival

Yesterday Cam called me from work saying that a stray dog had wandered into the fire station, and was wondering if we should bring him home. At first I said no, especially when Cameron described him as looking liking a coyote (eeww!). But he was persistent and had Abby and I go to the station to take a look. Once we saw the dog, it was REALLY hard to resist. He was just skin and bones, and was so lethargic from not having eaten in a while. He was very friendly and much cuter than a coyote. So needless to say, the little guy is here, and has become fast friends with Rory. Cam has already named him Rocco. We have no idea what breed (or mix of breeds) he is, but I'm kind of curious to find out. On Monday we have an appointment at the vet to get him checked out, so if everything looks good, we will be the owners of not just one, but two dogs. I must be crazy!!!



(See how skinny he is, his little ribs stick out SO much. So sad.)

4 Day weekend and The Hogle Zoo

Last week I looked at Cameron's work calendar and was pleasantly surprised to discover he had a four days off this weekend. We thought about taking a quick trip down to St. George to see family, but when we saw the weather report and it was gonna be blazing hot we decided to stay local and fit in some activities we have wanted to do all summer. Yesterday we took Abby to the Scera Pool in Orem because Cam has free passes because he is a city employee. I even braved putting on a swim suit (which was made even more difficult by the fact that I'm growing out my regular clothes, but not quite in maternity) and got in the water too. Abby is a little unsure of the water, and just stood around a lot. But we all had fun, and I realized that I need to take her more often so she will get comfortable.


Today we went to the Hogle Zoo, and we invited Are and Piper to come along. It was fun because Abby is really interested in learning about tons of animals and we have tried to teach the sounds that different animals make. So we thought it was time she saw all these animals in person.


She loved the elephants, the bears and the monkeys. The Hogle Zoo is great because it is kind of smaller so you can be in and out in a couple of hours. With it being quite warm, we were ready to leave once we'd seen most of the animals.



Piper is only 7 months old, and wasn't all that interested in the animals, but she happily rode in her stroller the whole time.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Last friday we went to the open house of the Oquirrh (man, that's a difficult one to spell) Mountain Temple. It was so beautiful. They lay out is a little different than I'm used to but I really enjoyed being able to take Abby inside. My only regret was that it was SO busy when we went. It was like cattle being herded through every room.

Provo River Trail

Today I decided we would go for a walk up the Provo River Trail. I absolutely love this trail. If I didn't have to push Abby in the stroller I probably would have ran, rather than walked (I love my jogging stroller, but pushing it up hills is killer. Abby, plus the weight of the stroller has to be close to 50 lbs), that way I could have covered more ground, and seen more of my favorite places along the path. The cool breeze that comes off the river, all the wildlife, and the many parks makes it so nice. We saw a snake sitting on the trail, so I pointed it out to Abby and she was only mildly interested. We played at the park, which of course was the highlight for Abby.




She also loved the river. We found a little spot that we could play right next to the water.


Abby's unsure footing kept making me so nervous, so we didn't hang out too long before we returned to dryer ground.

By the time we got back to the car, it was lunch time. So for a special treat I thought we could go to Wendy's for some lunch. It was a nice idea, but the actual experience was HORRIBLE! Abby was getting tired, so I knew that the chance of her throwing a fit was very high. We almost made it through the whole lunch, but when it came time to eat the frosty, the tears started, and the screaming was loud. So, all the food went in the trash, including the uneaten frosty, and we headed home. It's so frustrating when we try to do something fun and nice, and that is how she behaves. GRRR!!! Abby's not even two yet, but I have a feeling the "terrible two's" will be fierce at our house.