socialization in isolation

Freemont's mahonia in bloom. Smells delish and is all over the place here. Reminds me of the forsythia in NC in the spring.

our little rock climbers at pothole point.

Liesel and Owen playing/ Leslie and Sam on the rocks. 

Check this out-- owen's on a two-wheeler!! Both of his feet are off the ground here. This is called a Strider Bike and they are all the craze right now. Kids learn to balance and glide without training wheels and at a super young age. I think it's pretty incredible and would love to get L one, but I'm afraid to shell out $100 bucks if it something she won't like/do. I may cave though. . . we ride her tricycle every morning, so maybe she would learn it eventually. I might have to get it just for the helmet:

Last week Brian was gone teaching the NPS Search and Rescue training in California. Leslie's husband was also gone and so I invited her down to the Needles to do nothing. Turns out it was really exhausting, but I was so happy to have the company each day.

Because sometimes I get really stir crazy. And lonely. And believe it or not, so does my two-year-old. Even at this age she craves socialization and will wake up some mornings and ask to play with friends or go to Moab. Last night we went to a party/potluck here and this morning the first thing she said to me was, "we went to a party huh? That was fun. You popped a balloon and that was funny." She laughs at jokes and it kinda breaks my heart because she has no idea what's funny-- but she wants to be included. She runs around and makes people laugh. 

Liesel is still talking about Owen's visit. "Owen likes Pout Pout fish, huh?" "Owen rode his bike to the basketball hoop sort of, huh?" (she loves adding sort of, actually and soon to sentences these days).  She loves her little buddy. I wish they could hang out more often because watching him accomplish things made her want to try and master them also. After they left, potty training was basically over. We don't do stickers or treats (except maybe a 1/2 skittle every now and then) unless it's #2 because she's got it (no accidents in 4 days)! But while they were here we were both cleaning up potty messes and running the washer all day. It was awesome to have someone to chat with while cleaning up those potty messes, roaming the rocks and sitting in the sand. Not to mention we ate a pan of brownies and chatted on the sofa after the kiddos went to sleep. It was almost like living in a real town for 36hrs. 

Hannah banana boo's half birthday.

6 months and sitting up like a champ. And the only baby I have yet to see at the needles. Pretty sure the average age down here is around 65. 

just started solids and is in love. I put her in this red seat and the bouncing, fussing and screaming/demanding ensues. . . followed by the most adorable laughs on the planet!

Hannah ignoring the vista for a close examination of a rock cairn/ sucking her bottom lip-- in her top ten of favorite pastimes. 

the coveted keys and links. Liesel is always trying to swipe these. Swiper, no swiping! 

Still stoked! 

I celebrated Hannah's 1/2 birthday with a bowl of ice cream in peace&quiet after she fell asleep. 

SIX months! Half a year! How is that possible?! Here I am, one of those parents talking about how their kids are growing up to fast, but H is moving at least 10x as fast as L. Days pass. Fast. And now she's . . .

sitting solidly. She rarely falls over now and prefers sitting to any other position. Tummy-time (which she used to love) is short lived these days.

eating solids: peas, sweet potatoes and banana (with rice cereal). LOVEs it. She goes nuts for it.

Verbal. She laughs and is really ticklish. She screams. She gets the cutest angry face I've ever seen where she curls both lips up and tosses her head from side to side while making these cute screams. 

Dropped a feeding at night (down to one!)
but then got sick (back to two/three!)

pulls liesel's hair in the bathtub

gets compliments from strangers on her cuteness and round head

always wants to play with toys. Her favorite? a toothbrush and her little mirror from Aunt Emily. But she'll take just about anything. 

LOVES her sister. She will stare at Liesel and laugh at her way more than Brian and I. 

Very happy and pretty chill usually.

but, get's super angry when things don't go her way. 

when she gets excited her hands wave and flail in the air wildly. And if she's lying down she wiggles her entire body back and forth. 

loves making razzes with her lips
plays with her sister-- L feeds her, plays with her and loves her so much (1/2 the time).

Doesn't like: skype. She's is terrified of it and will curl that bottom lip down and cry (but she's like a moth to a flame and keeps looking back only to cry again)! Being put down for nap.
Being sick. Hearing a baby with a hacking cough is the saddest thing. And she whimpers and seems so miserable. Just like Brian when he's sick. 

With her developing personality and now that she's more interactive/communicative, Liesel's jealousy radar is through the roof. Every toy, every conversation with mommy, every cuddle/hug/kiss is the source of major frustration for miss L. I hear several times a day, "rock you mommy?" or "pick you up?

 or "put Hannah down, mommy. Right here." But on the flip side, Liesel is able to play and interact with her more which she does frequently and very well. I love hearing, "here ya go Hannah." And every night Liesel wants to thank Heavenly Father for Hannah. 

I can't squeeze in enough cuddles with my Hannah. I love her so much. 

xoxo.

9 lives and a little sass.

A few weeks ago Lindsey and I were taking the kids to Moab for a town day when Lindsey looked back and noticed L sucking on her hair barrette. About 30 seconds later there was a gag-cough-cry and the barrette was gone. I freaked. I panicked. I pulled the car over right away and proceeded to call Brian, the doctor, my sister who's a nurse practitioner, my mom, my dad . . . I wasn't sure if this was "lost dime" territory or something much worse. Finally after about an hour of deliberation B and I decided to wait for the barrette to make an appearance on it's own. Three days later, a-- "mommy! I'm poopy! Change my diaper" at 7am from the crib-- and there it was. This isn't the first Google search: my child swallowed _____  we have done. Here are a few more of Liesel's finest:

raw meatball mixture

(I found her in the kitchen with the bowl in her lap and scooping it by the handfuls into her mouth-- 18 months. Luckily only about 10 seconds had passed)

sucking the water out of a dirty sponge

an unidentified X under the seat at the airport 

(which may have led to the 5 days of vomiting that followed)

a dime

crayons

sand (by the mouthful)

an ant

And while we're on the subject of L, here are some of her recent funnies:

while looking through the gospel art book I ask, "who's that?" 

L: Adam

Me: who is the woman?

L: Even.

While driving in the car:

L: I don't like dat!!

Me: What do you like?

L: I like mustard  . . . and syrup  . . . and chocolate.

Angry at me after I said, "you better behave."

L: I don't like have! I like cute!

After I told her that something she said would hurt someone's feelings she said:

"Yeah. I would hurt feelings. while patting her cheek says: Feelings are right here. It would hurt your feelings right here."

Today while we were at the park, she saw a 9 year old girl sitting by a tree. As she was going over to sit by the tree too she looks at me with her hand out in the stop position and says, 

L: Mom! Don't come! NOOOOO! (in a scream). 

me: ok. 

Almost every time she uses the potty her hands go up and she says:

"You do such a good job using da potty! You get a jellybean!"

While driving in the car:

L: mommy, rub my knee gentle right here-- say "it's okay." 

It is so fun (no. fun isn't the right word. It's remarkable. incredible. wonderful.) watching her grow. 

Who knew I would have so much to say about going potty.

how she strolled around the majority all of last week.

the princess stickers are definitely more motivating than the amazing student and reading is fun stickers. . .  wonder why?! :) 

the baby and the big girl 

because I'm too cute. 

Yes this is my second potty post. You can tell I'm a first time mom in this department. But I want to remember this so next time I'm going through it, I won't give up.

Last week I was only getting started and after a full week I can say that we are over the hump! I feel somewhat silly saying this, but I am SO PROUD of Liesel. Like, my chest is about to pop out of my shirt (and that's not just because Hannah has suddenly decided to sleep through the night). I started out feeling optimistic and not really knowing what to expect. 

After cleaning up puddles of pee all over the house and spending ALL DAY working toward potty training (singing "eensy weensey spider, all of "lets sing together", pat-a-cake, reading books, begging, pleading, bribing . . . all in our little bathroom) for FOUR DAYS I was at a complete low point. We taught her doll how to pee (it drinks water and then pees on a potty). We sang potty songs. People in her story books were suddenly potty trained. I tried jelly beans, M&Ms, stickers and timing every 10 minutes. We did orange juice tea parties, drank water while playing in the sink and consumed so much liquid I was sure she would burst. We even prayed for help. Every time she used the potty (she was bound to, we spent about 5 hours in there!) we called daddy, grandma or Aunt Emily. Why was I such a slave driver you ask? Because I didn't feel like I could leave the needles or make the 1.5hr drive until it connected. And I literally cannot stay down here for more than 8 days in a row. I turn into something terrible that lives under bridges and eats goats. 

I only had (have) 4 pair of undies and was washing all day long. The weather was horrible, I had hardly gone outside or anywhere at all and had cleaned up 4 accidents that morning. Every time she had an accident we would practice running to the potty and sitting. She knew that she was supposed to go in the potty and that she should hurry. She kept saying, "I'm proud of you mommy!" because that's what I kept saying and she could tell I was getting down.  I was starting to doubt myself and Liesel. I called my sister and she told me that Liesel hadn't made the connection that she could control it yet and to be patient with her (too late-- which I why I wanted to give up. I felt like a horrible mom!). Brian was also doubtful and said it was too early and she wasn't ready. But I decided Emily was right and to keep at it. Plus the thought of doing all of this again sounded terrifying. 

And then a miracle happened. She woke up from her nap dry, and then went on the potty right after nap. And something connected. She got her M&M. This happened two more times that evening and then the next day she didn't have a single accident. That said, I had to put her on the potty whenever I thought it was about time -- but she went every time! Amazing! I was so thrilled I think I may have scared her. We called daddy. He was so excited. When he got home we all drove to the Needles outpost and let her pick out a treat. She chose M&Ms and kept saying the whole way home, "you do a good job using da potty! You do a good job!" 

The next day we went to town and she stayed dry almost the whole day. No accidents on the long drive even! I kept asking her if she was dry and she would say, "OH! Still dryyyyy!" with a smile. So cute. She used the potty at Heidi's house, the library, City Market, the park and then home again. She only had one accident. I ran into my friend Natalie at Subway and when I told her I was potty-training this week she looked at me and said, "You are a good mom!. . .I always want someone to tell me that when I'm potty-training." So it wasn't just me that feels the guilt I guess! 

Sunday (5 hours) she didn't have a single accident. Today she's doing great too and even caught herself in an accident and stopped and went potty.

The most amazing thing to me is how her confidence has grown. She suddenly wants to do more things on her own and recognizes that she's a big girl and can do hard things. I realized that I should allow her to do more on her own and give her a little more responsibility. . . and that she loved all the mommy attention from last week. 

Needless to say, Brian and I are so proud of her! 

Earth Day

Sunset in the Needles, Canyonlands National Park 

Teton Mountain Range

lichen on slickrock Moab, Utah

San Rafael Swell, Utah

Cypress trees in Charleston, South Carolina 

smooth sailing on the Colorado River, Utah

Cathedral Peaks and Columbine wildflowers, Tetons/ bull moose in the trees, Tetons

Goblins and hoodoos at Goblin Valley, Utah

Sunrise in Arches National Park/ Liesel and I in Cable arch, Moab Utah (photo by Lindsey Hatch)

Cottonwood at Indian Creek, Utah

bullfrog, Cypress Gardens South Carolina

nature's art, Horse Canyon Utah

Grand Teton (photo by Brian) 

Hidden Falls, Grand Teton/ first Indian Paintbrush of spring, Canyonlands

Abajo mountains, Utah

Elephant Canyon, Needles district Canyonlands

the Patriarch and Cathedral Peaks, Grand Teton/ Balsamroot Grand Teton

Bison grazing on the pararie, Grand Teton

Sunrise on the buttes above Seven Mile Canyon Moab, Utah

Monkey Flower in Alaska Basin, Jedediah Smith Forest 

Aspen leaves in the creek bed, Utah

South Fork Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton National Park  (photo by Lindsey)

picnic under the aspens, Monticello Utah

Happy Earth Day! 

Every year I am astounded at how many beautiful things I was able to see.  And countless others-- the billions and billions of stars that are brilliant down here at the Needles, the sunrises and sunsets, the wild animals (badgers, deer, bear, moose, marmots, porcupines etc), the change of seasons, the clap of thunder. I love this tradition of posting your best nature shots from the previous year as a tribute to the beautiful world we live in. I'd love to see yours! 

big strides and growing up.

I should personally write Dora a letter and thank her for the 24 minutes of sanity she give me every day.  I got a little nervous after quizzing Liesel the day I took these: what did Boots loose? Blank stare. Where did they find the toy truck? Blank stare. How do you say 'open' in Spanish? Blank stare. Hmmm. Then I decided the necessity outweighed the concern. 

yes, I know I'm disobeying every child-rearing book by letting Hannah join in.

and am I the only one that finds this photo absolutely hilarious? 

And this little cookie went pee 2x in her potty today! I've known for a while now that I wanted to try with her. She seemed ready and I was hoping to have it done before going home to North Carolina. Last night I started to feel like I was holding her back a little; treating her too much like a baby when she needs to make those big girl strides (I'm thinking the end of the me-me is coming as well as the crib). Then, I woke up this morning to a rainy day (and a forecast for 2 more) and only dirty cloth diapers. That settled it. We ended up having water tea parties, reading several books in the bathroom and going through every pair of undies she owned. We'll see if I'm still sane in a few days . . .

any tips?

and as long as we're making strides . . .  

Hannah has been desperate to join the dinner table. Doc said to wait until 6 months, but what's five days? She will grab our hands when we're eating, throw her hand in our bowls and watch as every spoonful of food goes from plate to mouth. I couldn't deny her anymore.

 Pureed peas were a huge hit (see her little hand clutching the bowl)? She couldn't get enough! 

the Amasa Back trail run (and then after the run . . .)

I'm the one running like a granny on the left.

Wake at 5:30am. Wake the kids. Pack the car. 6am, start driving. Take of seatbelt to apply sunscreen. Watch your husband narrowly miss a deer (and I mean divine-intervention narrowly) and feel the wave of adrenaline. Arrive in the parking lot. Force your baby to nurse. Result in a wet shirt and milky 6month old. Hope she holds out for your hubster. 

Race begins! 

running! 

Feel your second burst of adrenaline in less than 2 hours. Tell yourself to slow down. 

(See those huge cliffs that you can't see the top of here? We ran to the top of those; 1,300ft of elevation. Dang Gina. I shouldn't say ran. I actually hiked the uphills). 

The 9.7 miles in between these two pictures were phenomenal. Over lots and lots of slickrock. The thing I loved the most was that after the first mile, every inch of the trail was new to me. I had never been on the Amasa Back trail which was a gnarly jeep road for the first 4.5 miles up and over slick rock and passing by Jackson's hole (an abandoned river meander), then a single-track trail winding all over the rocks and then right down this cliff (pic below). I was staring right at the rock fins called Behind the Rocks and the flowing Colorado River below. One wrong move and you could easily pitch right off. Okay, maybe a little dramatic, but this trail was so cool! 

a quarter if you can find me.
I think that was my greatest advantage in this race. I'm really not a good runner, but I can do downhill. . . especially scary downhill. And all thanks to keeping up with Brian in some seriously exposed and rocky terrain (hello Rocky, Tetons, Zion, Canyonlands . . .) Even on our second date I was literally RUNNING to keep up with him on our way out of Pine Creek in Zion. 

 I barely made my goal: 1:44:38. I wanted to get less than an 1:45. 

 Found my boo-boo with messy hair and a McDonald's burrito. 

Brynlee, Samuel and Hannah demonstrating how they cheered us on.

 Look at my awesome lady friends. All of us have had babies in the past 6 months (them in the past 4 months). Heidi (far left) and Leslie (middle) are the greatest. The verdict from the dads: the babies were angels, the toddlers were. . . well, you know. . . toddlers. 

After the race: 

[while I may want to forget most of these details right now, I'll someday want to remember what our town-runs were like while living at the Needles with a toddler and a 6monthold]

 after the race I did a quick nurse session in the car, clothes change in the park, diaper change in the grass, snack break while swinging Liesel. Meet up with the Allred's and Skyler (Heidi's husband) at Big Bend to boulder in 20mph gusts. Believe it or not, it's fun. Marvel at how chicken you are and how amazingly cool Moab is. Watch Liesel and Owen play adorably. Fun ends when Liesel and Owen get in a sand throwing fight. Time to call it good. Liesel and Hannah both fall asleep in the car on the way back to Moab (miracle). Drive around town aimlessly while trying to keep them asleep. Convince yourselves they'll both stay asleep with the car in park. Go into City Market for a little grocery shopping. Leave both sleeping girls with Brian. Walk in knowing it is a bad idea. Five minutes after you go into the store, Hannah starts crying. Hannah wakes Liesel. A full-on toddler meltdown ensues (level 5 people). Return after 35 minutes. Brian is wearing that face. The one where he regrets having children. He inspects groceries. Notices there's no ketchup. Goes in to get it. Liesel is still wailing. Strangers give me pity looks. Finally console her with the promise of a free cookie when Brian returns. Brian returns. We go in to get one. Cookies are of course totally gone (tourists!). I tell the deli-woman it is a cookie emergency (911! The swollen eyes! Red-speckled cheeks!). She tells me I'm out of luck. I tell her: you have no idea. Toddler wailing continues all the way to the Allred's. I ask if we can shower hoping that it will calm the two-year-old down. It does. I bless the Allred's. Chow on BBQ, tots, salad and chocolate cake. Eat enough to earn back all the lost calories and then some. More nursing. Pjs on. Teeth brushed. Silent prayer they'll fall asleep on the way home. Curse yourself for not bringing reading material to entertain you and Brian for the drive. Liesel never sleeps. Repeatedly says, "hey! I want somefing!" Hand her every item in your purse one at a time. Curse the lost dvd-car-charger. Talk about how long the drive is. Again. Pull up to the door. Rush kids in. Both are sleeping10 minutes later (including a turbo-nurse). Unpack the car. 30 minutes later, still unpacking the car. Quick clean up b/c tomorrow is Sunday. Pack your diaper bag (got to leave by 7:50am to get to church on time tomorrow). Sigh. Curl up with husband on the sofa. Watch 30 mins of Shark Tank. Think about how awesome your day was. Go to sleep on the floor in the living room b/c baby now owns your room. Wake up at 2am. Nurse. Wake up at 5:50. Nurse. Sleep till 6:30am. Time for church.