Week at Bear Lake

I haven't posted anything about our week in Bear Lake, mostly because I am afraid of leaving my pictures on my parents archaic computer and never getting them back in a format I find suitable. So I've linked to The Gold's blog for their version of the same thing. "Bear Lake" - plus I probably couldn't have said it better.

Shame on us all... you know who you are.

62%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Free Online Dating from Mingle²

So thanks to my great friend (who I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with recently) I took a quiz on blogging and what I thought was a minor addiction. I know I'm a blog stalker. I think anything over 50% needs adjusting in one way or the other. This leaves me a couple of choices. I can either ramp up my blogging so that I can achieve a crazy high percentage or I can be more focused and blog less but about more. We'll have to see what I come up with.
This brings me to another thought, which is there are people who I know are looking at my blog and I'm not sure if I should thank them for publicizing it or not. You know who you are (M Lowe, J Andersen, you blog stalkers.) I would most love for people to leave comments. I know, I know my posts might be lame, but at least give me something to look forward to when I check to see if anyone has looked at my blog. Maybe I'll put a hit tracker on here. Hmm...the possibilities.
PS - I expect this to have a home on Jen's Blog of Random Thoughts because I know she thinks about her blog a lot during the day.

But it's a dry heat!

So we have been in Utah now for just about a week, and my word is it so blasted hot. I've lived in New England long enough to know that it gets hot there too, but its not 105 degrees (Fahrenheit of course.) Just standing on the curb at the airport I could feel the desert breeze, drying out my contacts.

Then as we celebrated the Fourth of July the temps crept up on us. We luckily were done with the neighborhood parade early enough to not have been cooked by the sun and by the time we were at grandma's for a BBQ there was enough shade to seek shelter.

Noelle wasn't fond of the heat and so I finally stripped her down and filled a bucket with water and let her play in it to cool off.

But the worst was the 5th of July. What in our right minds would have possessed us to go to the Hogle Zoo when it was 100+ degrees? Well we were celebrating Grandma Nay's birthday with all the grand kids. It was fun, no one complained and we saw the "Ghost of the Bayou" - or a rare white alligator. Noelle had fun and was great as were the other kids. She was so exhilarated that she zonked out waiting to be put in her car seat to go home. It could have just been heat exhaustion though. The misting contraptions at the zoo helped but really they should open at 8:00am and then close for a siesta and reopen in the evening.

But really it is hot and there is just no escaping the burning hot steering wheel, hot car seat buckles and air conditioning that just doesn't get cold until you've finally arrived at your destination. I think the heat is getting to the car too. It doesn't want to start for some reason. Today I had to pull out the jumper cables. I'm sure the scene was odd to the neighbors, one actually said something to me but I was in a hurry and was concentrating on the task at hand so that I didn't short out the batteries on both cars. I was just trying to run a couple errands and then have lunch with some old friends. I got all packed up and ready to go but when I went to start the car it just clicked. It had done this a day prior and Bear and D helped me charge it, but I guess some light or something was on because it still didn't work. So luckily one of my parents other cars was home and I could use it to jump start my car. However nothing can ever be easy. I had to figure out how to open the darn doors since none of the locks seem to work. And since luck never seems to be my companion at the right time, I happened to have on white pants and it was a 100 degrees out. The good thing was though that I have always had a half crappy car, or at least for most of my teenage years. I drove cars that were on the brink of being put out to pasture or at least in a junk yard and my skills were such that I didn't worry about putting the cables on the wrong place. Crappy cars can teach you a lot in life. Good thing for hindsight.

Camp Joseph - Sharon, VT

Rather than preparing to spend three weeks in Utah, we decided our time would be better spent with some friends camping in Vermont. I'm glad to say we were right! Camp Joseph is situated next to the monument that commemorates where Joseph Smith was born. Its a nice place even just to go and ride bikes around. We drove up Saturday morning and spent the night in a cute, very little, cabin. By little I mean probably an 8' x 10' space that has two bunk beds and a chair. We managed to put our port-a-crib in between the two bunks, but that's about all the space you have. In total we had nine families, 29 kids. It was amazing to see people rally together to feed that many people, put kids to bed, help find frogs and salamanders, clean up and many other things. I think it was a true sign of being part of a church that teaches us to help one another and also to rely on one another. We were so glad to have gone and on the way home we made mental notes of the things we'll be better at for next year. Here are some of the things we came up with:

1. We will pack more food and beverage. - Once again relying on others for a meal or two.

2. I will bring shoes and socks. - It got a lot cooler than I anticipated. Socks and flip flops are so yesteryear.

3. Remember our camping chairs that we've never really used because in the eight years we've been married I only recall camping maybe twice.

I'm sure there is more but I can't think of them, maybe I should add pen and paper so I can write it down.

It was so much fun to watch the kids play together. They were able to roam free and play and just be kids. I think its a hard thing to be in this day and age of modern conveniences and electronics. I think that kids really forget how to be creative with sticks and dirt. I also loved the "play" that some of the kids performed right before we left.

Does this resemble anyone we know?

So I've been going through some pictures and scanning ones that are relevant to the upcoming high school reunion, aforementioned. And I came across this picture and thought I would post it on our blog. We have this hanging in our house and as I was getting ready to put it on the wall a friend of ours was over and asked if I was hanging some pictures of Noelle. Clearly after looking at it she realized it was not in fact Noelle, but indeed I told her it was Boo. Wasn't he cute?

They do look a lot alike. This picture was taken by Uncle Len.

Walden Pond, Book Group and Reunion Anxiety

This seems so silly that I'm even posting anything about this on my blog. All these events can be seen as somewhat trivial at best, but what's a blog for? So today we spent the better part of the day at Walden Pond. Yep the same Walden Pond that Thoreau wrote about. Its a great spot to go on a hot day like today, more like sweltering actually. But I imagine that Thoreau probably didn't think of Walden with beaches and tons of kids hanging out enjoying it too, then again maybe. But its cheaper than going to the pool and it really makes you feel like you're in a more remote spot than you really are. Its only about a fifteen minute drive from our house. Needless to say it was "lovely," and Noelle got a kick out it too and we came home sunburn free to boot.

Also, tonight was the last book group of the season and I so blindly offered to be the leader of the discussion. I had great intentions when they started in the fall, but hells bells the last time I read a book in less than who knows how long was before I had a baby and took public transportation to work an hour in each direction. When that is the case you can get a lot of reading done. The book we read was Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously (or something like that it has two different names) Its not for the faint of heart as far as language is concerned especially a church book group - uh hello. Anyhow, I have spent the last two days making sure I have the book read so I can actually ask real questions and if I have to carry the discussion I could. It all worked out fine and I'm still alive to tell about it. Duh. Anyway if anyone wants to borrow it let me know.

Last but not least, I'm getting ready to head to Utah for my 10 year high school reunion and as of late I have serious anxiety over it. Its so dumb really, but seriously I'm a little apprehensive being that Boo will not be with me, so what if I'm left talking to myself in a corner? That won't be the case because I'm hardly at a lack of words and could talk anyone into a coma. But really I'm a little scared. Does anyone want to come with me in place of Boo? Let me know so I can pass it by him first. Just kidding actually, but I'll let you know how it goes.

Garden Update

So I was scrolling through some of the old pictures on our blog and found the picture of me working in the garden. (I haven't taken any recent pictures, but will add them when I have a chance.) WOW! That is all I can say when I look back from a few weeks ago. Wow how my plants have grown, wow, my how MiracleGro works, Wow, I have actually managed to not kill any of the plants off yet, Wow I actually have blossoms on almost every plant even some green tomatoes. I am just amazed.

However at nearly the same rate Noelle is growing, saying more "words" and shuffles her feet a little less and wants to run a little more. She's found great accomplishment in climbing the stairs, climbing on top of the LittleTikes table and even can entertain a crowd of strangers with her banter and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. She gets so excited to see her friends and finds simple joy in flipping through the dictionary. How did we get to be so lucky? Not only is she smart, but she's cute and funny - everything I'd want in a girl. I hope she always can find humor in her life like her dad. What a sweet baby. I'll miss the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Noelle at the beach

First Beach Visit of the Year

This past week my younger sister Kati, her boyfriend Ben, and our cousin Stacey came to visit Boston. As part of the "tour" we visited Wingaersheek Beach

We got there as the tide was going out. Noelle managed to find a puddle from a leftover sand castle to lay in. Notice she has two shovels with her, which are a reoccurring theme since she wouldn't put them down the entire time we were there. Something she has always done in the bathtub is kick her legs. She also figured out that the water has a salty taste so why not get both effects at the same time.
She also liked the taste and texture of the sand. So despite rolling in it, she also has it all over her body, including her face.
The Shovels
She had no problem with the chilly water either. This was shortly after she plopped in and tipped over from some wave momentum. Kati is checking her out making sure she's ok. Looks like she managed to hang on to the shovel.

Father's Day 2007

In regular Rachel fashion, I made Ryan trek up to the temple for some Father's Day pics with Noelle. He hates having to pose for any kind of picture so for him this was torture. But someday I hope they both look back and think, wow were sure were cute back then. Just kidding I'm sure they'll be cute in 20 years too. Noelle was none too happy to be having her picture taken. She preferred to be walking all about and pulling the flower heads off and then shredding them into little pieces, which she does at home. However while we were snapping some photos she saw one of her friends, Eleanor. As you can see she wants to get down and play.
As long as she could roam free she was happy.
I could have sworn I looked cuter when I left for church, but our new Sunbeam class took it right out of me. Oh well.

We've Been Busy - and Handy

So for the benefit of all the people who have heard me talk about "my bench" here's a picture of it. For those who actually look at our blog and don't know the story I'll do my best to make it short and interesting.

This is my new bench, that I made! Isn't it cute?

It actually was once upon a time our old coffee table, which was neither used for coffee or much of a table. In our BC days (before child) it served as a catch all for our junk that we fully intended to do something with, but rarely did before it expired or became obsolete to the current situation. So when we moved last September we decided that it wouldn't have a space as a coffee table in our new place and was whisked away to Maine to someday become what is now "my bench."

For Mother's Day I received a drill set, partially because I needed an excuse to make the bench an actuality rather than a dream. So two weeks ago while we were in Maine visiting with our family I explained to our Papa that I would like to use his saw to cut the coffee table in half and to make my bench. After much amusement to the fact that girls "shouldn't use power tools" and a little help from Uncle Scott, I had my old coffee table/ new bench ready to take home and upholster. I think I did a fine job. I even matched my plaids. Its served us well so far as an extra place to sit and also as an ottoman. Thanks Scott. (So much for short) :)'

Enjoying our Backyard

So for the first time pretty much since we've been married, which is now eight years, we have finally found a place to live with a backyard we can actually enjoy. This is largely in part to the fact that we don't have wacky neighbors that watch our every move. We also have the luxury of using the swing set that is there for the relative neighbor who is the only other kid on the block. Anyhow, as you can see we use the swing set and have been given some space in the garden. Apparently I can't find a rake that isn't fit for a five year old. But I am an amateur. This is my first real garden. I've been dreaming about it for a while now. (Thanks to my good friend Jenny C. who has always had lovely gardens and I've probed over time for tips.) I love it! Ryan's mom was in town recently and she was kind enough to help weed the space and turn the soil, as well as helped me get many of the large rocks, pieces of cement and fragments of asphalt out of the way so we could get the tomato cages deep enough. In short it was really hard work and I'm so grateful for her help. In all we planted six tomato plants, two bell peppers, a ton of beans (see the poles), cucumbers, and three different kinds of squash. I can't wait for the harvest!

She has mastered the zipper

So I'd like to think I was so clever when changing to a diaper bag with a zipper and also storing my important items in the diaper bag within another pouch which also has a zipper. But it seems I can't out smart my young child who now will not only unzip the bag and unpack my wallet, it seems she will also find the mini Oreo cookies that I stashed in there for a long car ride or some unplanned trip to the store. Caught red handed. But how can you get mad at a face like that?

Trying out the new swing in Maine

We recently bought a new swing so that we can use the swingset in the backyard with our little neighbor friend. Since it arrived just before we were leaving for the weekend to Maine we decided to take it with us. Noelle likes the swing (although our first attempts were terrible, and the other mothers at the park stared at me for making her stay on the swing while she screamed her head off), however the misquitos in Maine this past weekend were out in full force. Needless to say, we only stayed out for a few minutes.

Noelle's Birthday Party Video

I am so excited to finally have figured this out. Sorry it only comes two months later, but I don't have any new video that is fun to watch like this. Enjoy it.

Mother's Day 2007

This is the second Mother's Day that we (as a family) or Noelle and I as mother and daughter have celebrated. Technically it was really the first full year of motherhood and so far I can't tell that I've damaged my child too much or that she needs therapy in her infancy. Whatever it might be it seems we pulled another year off pretty well.

Cousin Ian and Noelle in the Bath

We're so glad to have a new friend to play with. Our cousins just moved to Woburn for a new job and we couldn't be happier to have them nearby to play with and hang out with. Now only if their furniture would get here (just kidding.) We have had the pleasure of hosting them during the interim. This now means that Grammy and Papa Mitchell have half of their great-grandchildren in New England with them!

Enjoying the First Warm Days of Spring

Thank goodness Auntie came for a visit. She brought the nice warm Utah spring air with her and we enjoyed as much of it as we could. During her visit we broke out the new jogging stroller, hit the Minute Man Trail a couple of times, visited the Wilson Farm, went to the park (Noelle hated the swings most of all), had some good old fashioned retail therapy, hung pictures with velcro of all things, and had a traditional drive in circles around downtown Boston while looking for a parking spot - to no avail. We can't wait for her to come again so we can find some new places to explore.

Eating Dirt

Now that spring has finally arrived we planted some pansies in our flower pots in front of the house. Noelle was helping with the process and decided that she should taste the soil. It didn't make mom happy that she continued to taste it after she had already spit it out and it was all over her shirt. Hence the sad face and dirty shirt.

Morning Protein Shake

Noelle was trying with all her might to drink some smoothie through the straw. However it was kind of thick and took some extra effort, but it was worth it.