Traditions

My creative mind just isn't there today or lately at all! Thus the lack of blogging on my part - sincere apologies for my adoring fans :)! So I've been thinking, what traditions do you have with your family? I'm not sure that Jeff and I really have any traditions that are just our own, well except for the New Year's Elf. Remind me how cool this tradition is come 3 months from now. I'm pretty sure in one of my ridiculous and irrational moods that I've cried to Jeff because we have no traditions all our own and this must mean our marriage is doomed. Now it can only be worse because we have a child depending on us to make her childhood memorable. But how do you really start a new tradition, one that's meaningful enough that you actually remember to do it so it becomes a tradition? Sigh....any ideas post them please!

I guess this thought came about on Sunday when my family got together for the Annual Fish Fry. I really can't remember how long we've been doing this but it all started because my aunt and uncle caught too many fish to eat themselves one summer so they decided to share with the rest of the family. Plus who doesn't like to get-together with a crazy and fun bunch? The Fish Fry entails eating as much fish (or chicken for those of us who aren't crazy about perch) as humanly possible in the span of an afternoon. You would think they were feeding an entire starving nation with as much perch, salmon, chicken wings, and of course fishy crackers (aka Pepperidge Farm Goldfish) and gummy worms that we had. After stuffing ourselves, we engage in one of several activities - laughing so hard that we cry or pee our pants, chasing the little cousins around the yard or more accurately, running away from their latest game of guns/dinosaurs/lacrosse/wrestling, dog piling on top of any unsuspecting family member who wanders into the yard, and wishing that the night didn't have to end.

Oh and last but not least, I'm posting the famous "lemon water" recipe from the Fish Fry. Try it, it's divine!!!




If the picture is hard to read, here's the recipe:
1 Tbsp citric acid
1 Tbsp lemon extract
2 cups sugar
5 quarts water
Mix and refrigerate. Serve with ice. Lemon/lime slices add color. If you want to half it, then mix 1 3/4 tsp citric acid, 1 3/4 tsp lemon extract, 1 cup sugar, 2 1/2 quarts water.

It's a....

Molar. Two molars actually. Pearl is finally getting some more teeth and her top molars (one on each side) poked through this weekend. She's been up at crazy hours of the morning the past week and on Friday, when we ended up sleeping on the couch at 4 am, I figured it must be teeth or we were all going to go crazy!!! So... in my attempt to keep Pearl happy on Friday we took an excursion to Wheeler Farm. I've heard it's a great place to take kids and it's free, which makes a few hours out of the house even better. What I should have done though was make Pearl have a nap because she wasn't too happy at the farm - and packed a picnic lunch - with one exception, the ducks. She loves ducks. I can't figure out why - they stink and make a racket! Oh wait, so does Pearl!!! We spent forever at the duck ponds, eating crackers, and watching all the ducks and geese.

Pearl also found the cows to be intriguing but the pony ride, no thank you! I thought I would be a good mom and pay the $3 bucks for a two-lap pony ride, hoping Pearl would think she was riding a big doggie, but she screamed the whole time. I felt bad, heck if I could have ridden the pony I would have. Pearl wasn't too sure about the huge pig or the chickens. BTW, are chickens supposed to lose their feathers or is it a sign of disease or fighting, cause there were some naked chickens at the farm?

Then on Saturday we went to Liberty Park to check out the playgrounds, water (a model of all the rivers running into the Great Salt Lake, very cool), and of course ducks. We didn't stay too long with the ducks or should I say mean and stinky geese and then got kicked out of the water area because we forgot a swim diaper for Pearl. Stupid crypto outbreaks! So we went up and down the slides and played on the swings. Oh and we went to see my sister and Juno (new puppy). Pearl kept waving bye to me and Jeff and was totally bummed when we all left Kimmy's house. I guess Jeff and I should go on dates more often so Pearl can hang out with her aunt. Hint, hint Jeff (and Kimmy)! We debated about going out to eat or just driving home for dinner but when Pearl started to fold her arms we figured we better stop somewhere fast. Nothing special about dinner other than I thought her folding her arms and trying to be so good until we got her some food was too cute to not post about. And yeah for us parents, you can teach your kids something! Now if we could only get her to stay reverant in Sacrament meeting (or the primary program like today). She really is such a fun little girl and jabbers all the time. She is growing up so fast I can't believe it!


And because I know my mom reads my blog, I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Here are some pictures from the little party we had last Sunday. We had lots of fun with everyone, even though Jeff told me that my family wears him out. I never knew what sacrifices you made until I became a mom myself. I hope you know how much I love you Mom!

Kimmy, Ruby, Nick and Pearl doing her best surprise face. You think that's good? You should see her angry face!

Jeff does a pretty good surprise face too.

The newest addition to the family... Juno.

Birthday Girl. Age shall remain in question.

Crazy Uncle Jesse.

Come on Uncle Kurtis! This is how Pearl spent most of her evening, leading Kurtis down the slides, around the playground, and up the monkey bars.

I guess I should have documented proof that I still do exist and not just in writing form. And for anyone who is still hoping for some unexpected and exciting news based on the title of this post, FORGET IT! It's just molars!!!

A miracle

Wow! 15 comments on my last post - that makes blogging worth it so thank you!!! I guess I'll prepare myself for no posts on this one, JK.

On Saturday I went with my sister and brother-in-law to the BODY WORLDS 3: The story of the heart at the Leonardo museum. I was so glad to have someone in the family to go with me because Jeff was so grossed out at the thought of going to this incredible exhibit. If you haven't heard about BODY WORLDS before, it's an exhibit highlighting the amazing and totally miraculous human body. It has more than 200 real human bodies that have been preserved through plastination, where the fluids in the body are replaced with chemicals that harden and preserve the body. They're real and totally amazing! You see muscles, blood vessels, veins, skeletons, and everything. It was just mind boggling to think that these were real bodies (donated by permission of the individuals of course) and at times I had to remind myself that they were real. There was even some animals there showing the blood vessels that ran through their bodies. My favorite part of the whole exhibit was the fetal development section. It had real fetuses from the time of just a few days old through 32 weeks. I was shocked when I could see at just a few weeks into development, eyes, toes, fingers, a nose, and working heart. It was totally amazing and I left thinking, how can anyone deny there is a God? I don't care what your religious beliefs are, there is no denying that a higher power exists that gives us life and has made it possible for us to have bodies that are just incredible. Thinking back to when I was pregnant I was just speechless at the thought that Pearl developed inside of me and she went from a blob of cells to a perfect, beautiful, and healthy baby. Science can't replicate the miracles our body performs everyday and it was humbling to take a peek inside our skins, literally! And no one left without thinking they should do better at taking care of their bodies. Even working in the health field, I struggle with making healthy decisions. Hopefully after seeing how my body works and getting a reminder about what a blessing it is to have a healthy body, I'll try harder to exercise, eat right, and not stress too much. I really can't do it justice, you'll just have to go see it before it leaves SLC.

Things I do for love

Have you ever stopped to think about what you do for love? Seriously. And not the normal stuff (especially for the moms out there) like giving birth, saying "I love you" to someone, hugs and kisses, buying nice presents, the typical things. For me, it entails two things: making sandwiches and going to the park.

First, the making sandwiches. Yep, sandwiches. Sounds lame right (trust me there are days when I think it is totally lame too)? It all started way back when Jeff and I were dating. Somehow he suckered me into making him lunch - not to mention bringing him lunch to work or doughnuts and hot chocolate for 10 'o'clock breaks - on the few days a week that we had classes around the same time and well, it's never stopped. My aunt gave me some advice before I got married...there are 8 (I think!) kinds of love and each person wants their significant other to show them they love them by doing certain things. For some people it's hugs & kisses (well, you get the idea - I wanted to keep this "G" rated), others want presents, and some compliments. For Jeff, it's a sandwich. He's always told me that's how he knows I still love him - if I make him lunch. On the days I don't make lunch (most of the time it's because we either don't have sandwich meat or bread, or because I'm way too tired to stay up another 20 minutes), he thinks I'm mad at him. While there has been an occasional no sandwich day because I've been ticked off at him, for the most part he's had a lunch everyday for the last 6 + years. He even got sandwiches right after Pearl was born. If I was too tired to make one after putting her to bed, I would make a sandwich after her 4 am feeding! Oh the things you do for someone you love, I guess! I myself have no idea why this means so much to him, I just know my aunt said it was important to figure out how your hubby wants you to show him you love him and then just do it. But it's a sandwich for crying out loud! I can say that on the days I don't make lunch, and not because I'm mad at him, I feel terrible because I know Jeff is thinking, what did I do now? Plus it doesn't help when everyone he works with asks him what he did wrong this time. Jeff also told me that the one thing he fears in our marriage is not getting his lunch, and he's serious about it! So......two nights ago after I'd stayed up way, way too late doing homework, I walked into the kitchen and thought for about 2 seconds if it was worth it to make a sandwich (and take the risk of losing a finger cutting the tomatoes - it's happened before) or just go to bed. Well, as you can see love won out and the rest is blissful happiness!!!

Don't we have the coolest lunch boxes around? Jeff's is the Sesame Street one that he's had since elementary school! Jeff decided I needed a cool lunch box too and found this one in Washington DC for me. I'll admit at first I was a bit embarrassed to use it but now everyone knows it's mine.

Ta-da! The completed sandwich. Jeff's is ALWAYS cut into a triangle (what's with that?) or he doesn't like to eat them. I've even had offers from his co-workers to pay me to make them a lunch. Hmmm....maybe a good second job!

Now onto the park. Pearl LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the park! It doesn't matter that we have a sandbox, swimming pool, or playground in the backyard when there is a giant city park across the street. Everyday she tries to get out of the house and go to the park. So, every night after dinner we go to the park. My idea of long walk is now about 3 minutes of walking to the park and back home (could explain why this baby fat isn't going anywhere). While going to the park is fun, I don't get the complete fascination with it. Take for example, last Saturday. We were in Logan with nothing to do and so I took Pearl to Willow Park thinking she would really enjoy all the animals. I personally was looking forward to it because it had been one of my favorite places to go as a kid, and we were lucky that all the animals were out and about. Well, she did until she saw a slide, then it was all I could do to keep her strapped in the stroller until we got to the playground. She went up and down the slides, climbed all over the place and tried to copy what all the big kids are doing. And when Pearl goes up and down the slides or climbing on anything, that means most of the time Mom does too! She's still a tad too little to do these things by herself without face planting it all the way down the slide, not to mention that she doesn't get what a ledge/edge is and I'm totally paranoid that she's going to fall off the playgrounds and end up in the ER. Nevertheless, we go anyway. I fear the day it snows and we can't go to the park. Pearl's already thrown herself into a tissy fit when it was raining and we didn't go. Oh and I guess sidewalk chalk sort of qualifies as "parky" things to do too, well at least for today because I wanted to show off our artwork (plus we'd already been to the park twice today so I needed something new to do).

Pearl kept laying down on the sidewalk to watch the ducks. I got a bit nervous because a few of the ducks thought this meant she had food for them and well, let's just say we had a couple of close calls with a beak and Pearl's fingers.

The slide is by far Pearl's favorite part about the park. She's getting pretty good at going down all by herself.

Pearl decided to try out her acrobatic skills with a headstand right in the middle of our sidewalk chalk art!

When Jeff got home from work he couldn't resist the fun! It didn't hurt that Pearl ran over to him and got blue chalk all over him too! Actually, Jeff has many fond memories of having his driveway chalked by me (and he propsed to me by chalking my driveway).
Are those the cutest feet you've ever seen?

I guess the only thing to do now is to say I love you Jeff and Pearl!!! Oh, and go to bed - it's way past bedtime (if only blogger was faster at uploading photos)!

Cows, bunny rabbits, and a broken camera

Nothing too exciting, but I thought I would let the world know that I have now been to the state fair for the first time in my life. Growing up we were never the fair type of family and pathetically, I've only been to the fair in Logan once too. Well I guess technically twice, my grandma took me, Jesse, and our cousin Zac to the fair one year and then the year after I graduated high school I entered some pictures I took (yes, the kind where you actually had to develop your own film - gasp, no digital!). To my surprise, I actually won a purple ribbon for one of them. Anyway, back the State Fair.

Wanting my child to grow up "cultured" and all, plus the fact that I got a great discount coupon for being a state employee, I thought Pearl and I would venture to the fair last Friday to check out the animals. Kind of sad, but Pearl had never seen a real life cow, pig, horse, sheep, chicken, or goat before. That's what you get when you live in the city I guess. I had no idea how big the state fair was! It was like one giant white-trash carni-ride party. The bummer part was we couldn't find any Navajo tacos for lunch. I knew they had to be somewhere but by the time we had wandered around Pearl was starving so we went with the good 'ole hot dog and burger. Pearl absolutely loved the animals. I thought she might be scared of the cows, I mean these things were huge, but she loved every minute of it. I felt bad for some of them because they had udders so big they couldn't even walk. I swear their udders were only a couple inches off the ground. Anyone who has breastfed a baby can now understand the joke that you feel like a cow some days feeding a baby all day long! At first Pearl figured all these animals were giant doggies but then she seemed to get that they were different because they certainly didn't make doggie noises (or smell like a dog). Her favorite animals were the baby cows and the bunnies. She was so excited to see them and kept wanting to touch all of them. She ran up and down the stalls pointing and waving at all the animals. People just stood there and watched Pearl because she was so excited by all these new things. They had the biggest pig I've ever seen, a huge pack goat with long horns, and a really freaky looking chicken. The thing was just a white feather fluff ball, legs, beak, and all. It was weird.

Cute bunny rabbits! There were some pretty tiny babies and then giant, freaky looking rabbits. This had to be the stinkiest exhibit by far.

Here's that freaky looking chicken! OK so maybe not freaky but not like any chicken I've ever seen.

Pearl kept trying to get this sheep to come over so she could pet it or poke it's eyes, I'm not sure which. All the sheep must have just had baths and been shaved for a show because they were wearing these blanket things to keep the straw and poop off of them.

Things were going great until my camera suddenly broke right in the middle of the goats. It was hard enough trying to push a stroller, keep Pearl from getting too close to the animals, and take pictures of her all while trying to get a really cute shot of her with the animals when wham! Nothing, yep nothing. The stupid camera just died - it wouldn't turn on or off. URGHHHHH!!!! Not only was I ticked that I didn't get any good pictures of Pearl or us together, but now Jeff was going to kill me because I broke the camera. Everything seems to break when I'm using it, driving it, or just in the same room as it. You would think we might take this opportunity to buy a super nice (and expensive) camera like we've wanted, but seeing as how I just forked out over 2 grand for tuition this semester, we decided to order a cheaper digital camera instead. Maybe for Christmas or my birthday, sigh. It should be here sometime this week and thank goodness! I had no idea how many pictures I take. All day Jeff kept saying "oh this is a cute picture, get the camera" or "Pearl is cute take a picture" all while giggling at me. Real funny, ha ha.

Other than the fair, nothing much to report. I'm been trying to be a good girl and not blog or play on Facebook so I can stay caught up on homework and hopefully finish up my internship in the next week or two. Jeff is in some major "wii" pain - his left shoulder has got some serious issues from too much Wii sports (it doesn't help that he has bad shoulders as it is and that he's already had surgery on one of them). And Pearl, well she's into playing peek-a-boo with anyone she can, actually made it through all of church today, and can point to her belly button, nose, eyes, and piggy toes. We're still working on the ears... funny because most days we think they're painted on anyway the way she listens or should I say doesn't listen.