8.19.08 - BOATING and 4 WHEELING

4 WHEELING, BOATING, and ZION NATIONAL PARK



We had one last "summer vacation" down in Southern Utah and it was so great. The weather was beautiful and although it is already October it was nice and warm.

Here are all the fun people who came with us:

John & Kathleen
Johnny & Christine and Johnny
Michael & Camille and Lance (and Afton)
Katie and her friend Rachelle
Collette and her boyfriend Kyle
Jacob
John & Debbie Bennett


4 WHEELING AT SAND HOLLOW

John and Michael in their riding gear.
John & Debbie are up for the adventure!


Lance likes motorcycles and 4 Wheelers too...
Wearing nothing but Daddy's Motocross gear! =)

Michael and his dad and step-mom (John & Debbie) went 4 wheeling and had a really great time. Michael is pretty adventurous and took them on some exciting trails. Michael and John spent the first day with the 2 of them scouting out the good areas, and then Debbie joined them the next day. Debbie joined the Covey family on the boat the first day and we all had a lot of fun.




All the exciting places Michael found for the 4 Wheelers.








BOATING AT SAND HOLLOW RESERVOIR
Lance took these first 5 pictures. He took a lot more than this... but pretty impressive that he got some fun shots, huh?

Aunt Christine, Cousin Johnny, and Uncle Jacob
Aunt Katie doing the scary face she and Rachelle taught Lance.


Kyle & Aunt Collettie.


Gandma Bennett and Mommy.

We really enjoyed taking the boat out one last time before the weather got colder. It was also a great opportunity to spend some time with Collette's boyfriend Kyle and to send Katie and her friend Rachelle off to California for their internship in their Occupational Therapy Program at the University of Utah. They are both in the Masters Program there and are great friends.


Kyle Collette, Christine, Nana, and Johnny.
Rachelle, Jacob, Lance and Katie.


Camille and Debbie... showing off the "baby bump."


Debbie skiing and wake surfing!


Johnny going from laying down to standing on the wake surf!
Kyle on the surf. Kyle was great on the wake board and can do a back flip!


Lance and Papa driving the boat.
Nana and Lance.


Lance loves Aunt Katie... she is so playful and fun!


Katie on the wake surf!


Papa looking like he's in his 20's again... =)


Lance and Mommy. Lance is a great snuggler!


Lance napping on the boat.


HANGING OUT


Kyle, Michael and Jacob playing Rock Band.
Papa making Lance laugh... he loves his Papa!


We got to stay at the Whittingham's home there in Hurricane and it was so nice to have a place to come "home" to at the end of a fun day. We have stayed here before and just love it. Brady and Terri are so great to let us stay and enjoy their home. Thank you Brady and Terri!




ZION NATIONAL PARK
--The Weeping Rock--


Catching the "tears."


While everyone was eating Lance was busy discovering the water...
Eathing lunch at the Weeping Rock.


Kyle & Collette.


On our last day, Sunday, we went into Zion National Park to eat lunch and enjoy the specacular beauty of Southern Utah. It really was beautiful. We caught up with the Joey & Tammy Covey family (who was also spending the weekend down south) and had a great time together! We took a little hike up to Weeping Rock to eat and then found a fun river to hang out by. The little kids loved it because they could play in the cold water and throw rocks in!

--The Fun River--

Lance throwing dirt and rocks into the river and showing us his "so messy" hands.


Michael and Dad.
Collette and Camille (and Afton- 7 months pregnant).



Family photo

10.18.08 - GRAMMY PARRISH

Grammy Parrish is so adorable. My mom, Katie, Lance and I went to go and visit her and had a nice time. Grammy is 93 and is doing very well. She still lives in the same home that she has lived in for years, she gets ready, goes on a walk, and takes care of herself. She has a sharp mind and is in great health for her age.

Grammy doesn't like getting her picture taken. She says, "I don't take a good picture." If I look like her when I am her age I will probably be begging people to take my picture!



I snuck in a few photos so I could have pictures of Lance with his Great-Great Grandma.

While we were there she told us a few stories about when she was younger and how the telephone and "talkies" or talking pictures were such exciting inventions.

She told us how there would be about 4 homes to each telephone line and they all shared the same operator. You could pick up the phone and listen to other people's conversations if you wanted! And, of course, the operator was always listening!

She liked going to see the films and really thought the "talkies" (as they called them) were really great. There were lots of films with singing and dancing and she always enjoyed those.

She also told us about her husband Morris, really John Morris Parrish, who lived on Parrish Lane. The street was named "Parrish" because there were so many Parrish's who lived on that street. One of our ancestors was a polygamist and so there were lots and lots of Parrish's!


Grammy and I have always been close. I just love her.

The last time we saw Grammy was at Papa and Grandma Covey's house a couple of months ago. We sat by her at dinner and she and Lance played a game where they pretended that their hands were snakes and would "ssssssssss" and poke each other.

This visit Lance remembered Grammy and he started playing that game with her again! It really amazes me how much he can remember. Although he can't verbalize "I remember you and this is the game we played together" he is so great at communicating in the best way he can.


Lance showing Grammy one of his many "tricks."



Lance took this picture of himself... he was mad when I took the camera away. =(

Lance was great at showing Grammy all of the things he knows. He told her animal sounds, sang her songs, and sang the alphabet (many, many times). This is how his "alphabet song" goes, "ABCD...LMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ." He skips the other half of the letters but it is still so cute to listen to him!

10.17.08 - POTTY TRAINING

I couldn't resist...

We are still working on the potty training and it can be quite an adventure. Some days Lance will want to run around naked all day and will every few minutes say, "Mommy... potty in the toilet?... sticker?" And other times he in not interested at all.

Today was more of a "not interested" day and here are the pictures for the proof. I accidentally left the TV on and instead of Lance potty training he decided he would rather sit on top of the coffee table and watch some TV. Michael is sure that Lance is going to hate me for these pictures in a few years.... but he was just so cute I couldn't resist!


What a cutie!

Because Lance feels the need to have every piece of clothing removed when potty training these probably won't be the last of the "bare bum" photos. =)


Photo courtesy of Lance.

Lance has also decided that every time I take a picture he should be able to take one too. So here is a picture of me sitting at the computer (searching the online classifieds for a crib). I have been spending a fair amount of time on the computer lately trying to figure out some bills, updating the blog, and searching on ksl.com and craigslist.com to find great deals on baby stuff for this little girl on the way! I am so excited and can't wait to meet her!

10.15.08 - GREAT NEWS

Update on the baby...

I had an OB appointment this afternoon and had another ultrasound to see the status of the tear. It actually looks like the tear is healing!!! It is truly a miracle because things could be so much worse.

Dr. Jones says that there is a good chance that I will be able to go full term and have a healthy baby. We are so relieved. Hopefully that is just what will happen! As much as I don't want to have a baby around Christmas time, we are just grateful that things are going so well. Dr. Jones actually put me on his calandar for December 30th... so we will see!

10.01.08 - OUR BIG BOY

SNUGGLING IN BED

Lance loves spending time with his "My Michael"

Ever since Michael and I got back from our Lake Powell trip Lance has been extra snuggly in the mornings. He usually wakes up around 7:15-7:30am and will loudly say, "Mommy, Mommy" and wait for me to come get him from his room. We then hold hands and walk back to the master bedroom to go snuggle with Daddy. Lance will climb up onto the bed and lay down right on Michael's chest. It is so cute.


Lance is sleeping in a big boy bed now and it is actually going better than I thought it would. Now that he is 2 there have been a lot of changes. He is learning to go potty on the toilet (his special George, Nemo and Elmo potty), Grandma moved out, and he is sleeping in a twin bed instead of his crib. He has taken all of the changes really well and I think that he likes the fact that he is growing up and doing things like the big kids do.


I was afraid that he would not be able to sleep in the bed (which is just a twin mattress on the floor) without waking up multiple times a night, or falling out of it. He squirmed around in his crib a lot, but with the bed he seems to stay put pretty well. I just lay him down on the far side of the bed and put a pillow near the edge so he won't roll out. It has worked really well. He likes to tell people that he sleeps in a big bed and he loves all of the positive attention.


Potty training is also going well. Considering he just turned 2 a few weeks ago I think he is doing really well. He doesn't like to wear training pants, he definitely prefers to wear nothing... all day... and run around the house. That is just fine except when people come to the door, or Angie brings over her boy friend, or anything unexpected like that happens. I don't really mind, and I know that Lance sure doesn't mind, but I definitely don't want to offend anyone! =)


Lance has been really funny about going potty in the toilet. I never really thought about it, but he didn't know what the stuff that comes "out" looks like. The first time he had a BM in the little potty he starting jumping up and down (because he was excited) and yelling, "Yucky Mommy yucky!" And pointing to the potty. It wasn't until then did I realize that he was probably really surprised by what was now inside the potty! Kind of gross, but still funny.


We have a sticker chart for every time he goes potty on the toilet. He loves to pick out the sticker and put it on the chart. It is the greatest rewards system because it is cheap, easy, and he loves it. He definitely has a preference to exactly which sticker he wants and will sometimes request a particular one by name. It really amazes me sometimes how much he can remember and how intelligent he is.




BATH TIME FUN

Posing for the camera. He really purposely made this pose!


Lance loves going "swimming in the bath" (as we call it) and would stay in there for hours if I let him. He talks to himself a lot while in the bath, I'm sure he got that from the Covey gene, and it's cute to listen to him review things that he has learned. Often he will sing songs, or he will sing the alphabet, or count.



In the tub with his letters and number toys.


Some of his favorite songs to sing are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, Once There was a Snowman, The Wheels on the Bus, It's Raining It's Pouring, and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. Some he can sing on his own (skipping around and repeating the same thing over and over) and others he likes me to sing with him.



He love to splash really fast and say, "Faster, faster, faster!"


He has become quite good at singing the alphabet song and can sing it almost perfectly without any help. He has some floating numbers and letters that stick to the side of the tub that he likes to play with. He will pick them up, stick them to the tub and sing the alphabet song. He will usually stop when he realizes that I am watching so I try to be inconspicuous. Counting, on the other hand, he has a harder time with. Sometimes he can count to 10 without much problem, other times it ends up being "one, three, seven, eight, nine, ten!" I have also taught him to count to 10 in French and he is actually better at counting in French than in English!





ENJOYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Proud grandparents with little Johnny and Lance.



Lance riding the horsie all by himself!


We were invited by my parents neighbors, and our boat partners, the Webber family to go up with them to the land they own near Heber, UT. It was so beautiful. The leaves on the trees are starting to change color and it is so beautiful to be in an area where it it just open land.


Lance riding into the sunset.
Nana and Lance on an adventure.


They have 2 horses and Lance got to ride on both of them! He was so excited to see a "horsie" and really enjoyed going on rides with Papa and Nana. He even got to ride all by himself (with Papa and Nana at arms reach just in case)!


"Roasting" marshmallows.


We ate dinner together and then roasted marshmallows to make s'mores for dessert. Lance didn't eat any dinner (not too surprising) but he absolutely loved "roasting" the marshmallows. By roasting, I mean that he would get the roasting stick, put a marshmallow on it, stick it in the fire, and wait until the flames caught it to pull it out and say, "Mommy blow please!" I would then blow out the mini fire and the process would start all over again.



Mommy, Lance and Nana


Lance has been using the phrase "I try!" really often lately. He doesn't want help with anything and even if he doesn't know how to do something he will get upset if anyone tries to help him. He will no longer let me put on or take off his clothes, get food out of the pantry, or do just about anything else that he thinks he can, or should, do. I am grateful that he is independent, but it sure makes eating breakfast or getting ready for the day... etc. take A LOT longer.



Johnny and little Johnny, the Webbers son, Jacob, Christine and Lance in the Artic Cat going exploring and searching for Elk.

9.26.08 - LAKE POWELL

We were invited to go to Lake Powell with some friends and decided to go! It was a big decision for us because with the complications in my pregnancy it was a little scary, not to mention there is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the yard... but we got the okay from Dr. Jones and decided that Michael needed a chance to "play hard" because he had been working so hard lately. It was also Michael's birthday a couple of days earlier and the most we got to do in celebration was have a Sunday dinner with my family.

Beautiful Lake Powell.

We had a huge and really nice houseboat.

The Sunday Birthday Dinner for Michael was wonderful, but not enough for me to feel that we had sufficiently celebrated the special occasion. So, this trip was a good excuse to celebrate his birthday by getting away from the yard, all of his jobs, and his cell phone. It was an Adults Only vacation so we left Lance with our loving families. Thank you to everyone who helped us out by watching him... Kathy, Jennifer, Becca, Angie, and Kathleen. We couldn't have gone without your help.

This is the chair lift Michael made for me!

What a good husband I have! My hero!

I knew that I would have to really take it easy and not do anything more than I was doing at home. So, Michael being the "make it happen" guy he is, figured out a way for me to get up to the top of the house boat so I could hang out with everyone.

He found a metal lawn chair and rigged it up to the Jet Ski Pulley (what they use to pull the Jet Skis out of the water and onto the top of the houseboat during transportation) so it was like a little "sitting elevator" for me! It was amazing! It was sturdy and worked exactly like he planned! Michael is so thoughtful of me. He has really been amazing this entire pregnancy to make sure that I am feeling good and that our little baby is safe. Thanks Michael! You are the best!

Hanging out at the bar on top of the houseboat listening to music and having Virgin Drinks! We had such a great time.

We had a great time on this trip and finally got a summer vacation! Horray! Because of the complications I have been having we have had to skip out on a lot of activities. We didn't get to go to Hebgen and haven't been able to do too much. I was so glad that we were able to go on this trip because I feel so badly that I have held back Michael from a much deserved fun summer.

Michael wake surfing behind the Jet Ski. He is actually holding onto the tube and being pulled around! Impressive!

Michael and I brought our boat and Michael got to go out on it every day. He wake-surfed, wake-boarded, hung out, and even wake-surfed behind a Jet Ski! Wow! Michael can do anything me puts his mind to.

It was really a lot of fun being with other couples for a few days and having some time for Michael and I to be together without any other distractions. We really enjoyed meeting new friends, being in the sun, sitting around the camp fire, eating good food, and reading good books (for Camille that is).

9.24.08 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL

The birthday boys.

To celebrate Michael's birthday we had a couple of family get togethers. We had a Sunday dinner with the Covey family before his birthday, then another Sunday dinner with the Bennett family just after his birthday.

It was so great to get together with both of our families and celebrate such an amazing son, brother, husband, and father.


Lance sitting in a bowl he got out of the cupboard. First it was a hat, then it became his chair. He likes to try to balance in it! Silly boy. =)

At the Coveys everyone shared compliments and memories of Michael. It was a lot of fun to reminisce and hear all of the things that my siblings and parents remember about Michael from when we first started dating. We ended the evening with a cheese cake (just like a couple of years ago in Vacaville, CA right after Lance was born) and presents. He got some really great work shirts, a gift card for 2 movie theater passes, and a DVD of the comedian Brian Regan.


Opening presents at the Bennett Family Party.
Grandma and Grandpa Bennett are so thoughtful.

At the Bennett get together we did a group birthday celebration for Michael, Lance, and Debbie at our house. We had a great big dinner together that everyone helped out with. We played the Sign Game where everyone sits in a circle, chooses a sign, and passes it from one person to the next. The point of the game is to have one person in the middle who is trying to figure out who has the sign and touch them before they have a chance to pass it to anyone else. It's a lot of fun. We then sang Happy Birthday, opened gifts, and ate some homemade apple pie that I made from the apples I picked off our tree that morning.

We love our families and are so grateful that we get to be with them so often. Thank you for all you do for us. We feel so loved and so glad we live close by.