The Ducks...Revisited

7.10.2011

Since we didn't have much luck with the ducks a few days before, we thought we'd try again after church one day. We decided to try a different spot on campus. The big pond up by the bell tower.

And we found them! There were a ton of them paddling around in the pond and stream. There were three different sets of mom and babies.
Hallie was loving it!

Are these babies not the cutest?!

These ducks were not shy in the least. And for Eric and Hallie, close is not good enough, they want them right up there with them. So they were trying to convince these "Einstein ducks," to come up and visit them.

Here they come...

They achieved their goal! These white ducks were funny to watch, they had these puffs of feathers on their head, which is why we called them "Einstein ducks." :)

Eric and Hallie had them eating right out of their hands

Eric even got this one to jump up for the bread. It was quite entertaining, but these poor ducks, they had to work for their food. :) It was kind of like watching Mr. Popper's Penguins (the book, not the movie), but Mr. Patterson's Ducks. They were having a grand old time.

They weren't afraid of us at all. They acted like they hadn't seen food in months.

Then another storm started coming in, I guess ducks and storms go hand in hand for us.

Saying goodbye to the ducks.

Then we headed back to the car.

It was nice to get out of the house and enjoy the day while the weather was nice, and to finally really feed some ducks.

Riverwoods Splash Park

7.8.2011

For whatever reason we were at Riverwoods this day, I have no idea. But we were. We went and walked around Provo Beach Resort, and into Blickenstaff's Candy Store. Then Hallie saw this fun fountain/splash pad and wanted to play in it. Who could tell this little girl no? :)

Now, we knew she would get wet, don't get me wrong. But I was amazed how quickly she was soaked!
I love this little crazy face!

And yes, I cut off half her head. But I just love how happy she is. :)

See what I mean? She was soaked clear through! Luckily Gymboree was having an amazing clearance sale, and I ran in and bought her some cheap jammies.

And yes, she was that poor child you see in the parking lot getting dried off and changed before she could get in the car.

But it was a fun time, and even though she was cold by the time we left, she loved every second of it!

Ducks...

7.7.2011

One of our favorite things to do is go feed the ducks at the Botany Pond at BYU. The last couple of months though they have been doing some construction so we haven't been able to go. But the construction was to put in this really cool boardwalk. It does make it a little bit harder to feed the ducks, but it makes it look so much nicer. I think they ducks haven't migrated back to the pond yet, after the construction, though. There were many there and the one that were, were not interested in eating.
We did see the turtle hanging out on the rock though.

I'm in love with this picture! I know I biased, but we are so lucky to have such a beautiful girl!

Since the ducks weren't at the pond, we decided to head up to the new trail and see if we could find some ducks. We found a couple here and there to feed.

The new trail is absolutely beautiful. If you haven't been up there since they've redone it, go. They've added a few waterfalls, picnic tables, the stream, and a great walkway. It would be the perfect place for an afternoon picnic.

It got really stormy, so we were looking for one more set of ducks before we left and got rained one. Unfortunately we didn't find any more ducks, just this big old beetle!

Even though we didn't have much luck feeding ducks, we had a great time exploring the new trail.

The 4th of July 2011 - Part 2

7.4.2011

On the actual day of the fourth, we didn't have too many specific plans. We were planning on going camping with Stacie, but decided not to at the last minute. So we slept in and relaxed for most of the morning. Then we decided we better go do something. :)

Lunch:

We were hungry, so we headed to downtown Provo, to see what we could find. We decided to stop and try a new restaurant called Station 22. It was pretty good, I think I would get something else the next time we go though. But in the ten minute walk from our house to downtown, Hallie fell asleep in the stroller and had a good little nap. Though I wasn't thinking, and didn't sunscreen any part of her, thinking she'd be shaded by the stroller. Well her little legs hang out too far, and they got a little bit burnt.

Colonial Days:

After we had some lunch, and tried to walk through the booths by the courthouse, we headed a couple blocks East to the Colonial Village. It's one of our favorite stops on the Fourth of July. The first year they started doing it, I was working at the Upholstery Shop at BYU and we did some work for them, and we have gone every year since. It's a fun little village that people are dressed in colonial attire, and they have some really neat displays about the history of the United States, and some great artifacts. They also bring the printing press outside of the museum and you can see how the Constitution would have been printed. It's actually really cool to go to.

This year was the first year Hallie was actually interested in the demonstrations they had, and some of the kids stuff they had going on.

She got to have a corn husk doll made for her. Daddy let her ride on his shoulders.

Anyone who knows me well, knows I love fabric. I don't know what it is about it, but I seriously just love it. So these quilts were right up my alley. These yo-yos were probably each only an inch across.

And these hexagons were tiny! It's hard to tell in this picture, but that wood is the back of a chair. I can't imagine sewing them at all, but it was gorgeous! I just couldn't get over it.

There were these cute ladies drawing and cutting out peoples silhouettes

After a long wait, we had our turn, and Hallie sat really well. I forgot to take a picture of the final product though.

This cute man was showing us how they would have made ammunition in Colonial times. It was great to listen to him talk about it. He was very knowledgeable, yet made it very interesting too.

They also had a wood shop, where a man was pumping a lathe with his foot. It was amazing to watch him. He was turning out the most beautiful things. I'm sure he got a work out too.

On our way out this lady was starting a chalk drawing.

Last, they had a couple Colonial type Army tents.

On the way out, one of my friends from high school stopped us, and gave Hallie and popcorn ball, which she loved! It was great to run into people you don't see often as well!

The Park:

Since Hallie was awake and needed to run we decided to walk up to the new(ish)park on 400 N and 400 E. Some of our friends have been telling us we needed to go to it, but we hadn't made it yet. So since we were so close, we figured we might as well.

It was very hot, so we didn't stay too long, but it was definitely a fun little park.

Since Eric doesn't drink soda anymore, he is always trying something new that is non-carbonated. This is his current favorite. As you can see it was gone before we made it to the park.

Headed home...

Marcy & Ray's and Fireworks:

After the park and having a little nap, we were invited to go to Marcy & Ray's with Angela & Chad. We had some awesome BBQ chicken, and great desserts! Hallie loved their little dogs, and hauled the poor dog around like this all night.

Anytime I'd tell her to carry it differently or anything Marcy said she's used to having kids carry her like that. But I just couldn't help but feel bad for this poor dog. :)

After a great dinner, we headed up to Thanksgiving Point to watch the fireworks. They shot them off right across the field from where we were, so they were super close. It was very fun, and Hallie (our firework lover) was in heaven!

We had a great day and it was really nice to not have too many plans.

Our Best is Good Enough

"I see women who are doing their absolute best in every way -- but they keep track only of their mistakes. They make lists of things they haven't done instead of the phenomenal amount of things they've accomplished. No matter what mountain of achievement they've just climbed, they stumble over molehills, saying things like, "But it's not enough," or "I didn't do it well enough." The good news of the gospel is that who we are is okay. Our best is good enough. The Savior came for us -- just as we are.

...perfect people don't need a Savior. He came to save his people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He's not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief."

-Chieko Okazaki

Never Grow Up

8.3.2011
Lately I have been thinking about how precious this time is when our little girl is just that. Little. It rushes by all too quickly, and I'm amazed constantly how time passes by so fast. I can't believe our Little Miss will be three in two short weeks, time has sped by. I just want to bottle her up and keep her this way forever. There are obviously many times that I look far too ahead, and miss the mark. I look forward to her being potty trained, or in school, or able to do some more things on her own. But deep down it breaks my heart, thinking that she isn't going to be little forever, and isn't going to need me forever. I mean, you always need your mom, whether you think you do or not, but in a different way. You no longer need her to tie your shoes, or brush your hair, or tuck you in bed each night, but deep down I think all of us miss that to some degree. But I never realized how much I'll miss those things on this end. Obviously, we still have a lot of time, and a lot of things to look forward too. Yet, I just see the next 15 years flying by and want to hit the pause button.

Hallie is such a angel in our lives. Most of the time, she is very obedient, and observant, and willing to learn. She is so sweet and caring to everyone around her, and is genuinely concerned about their well being. She always has something nice to say and is so loving. Whether it is including someone who is nervous at nursery and rubbing their back, or singing a song to help you feel better. Hallie is in love with nursery, and is constantly singing Primary songs. She loves Jesus and already brings Him up in different ways throughout the day. I'm excited to see this little girl grow in the gospel, she is going to be a rock and a light to those around her. She is just a happy girl, and wants others to be happy too.

Now, don't get me wrong, she can be feisty, and stubborn, and sassy, and some days just a pain, but in some weird way I love that about her. I love her stubbornness at times, because I know she is thinking for herself, and she will need that strong will to get her through hard times in the future. I love that even though she feisty, that she will fight for what she wants, and what she knows is right. And her sassy-ness just cracks me up, she can be so dramatic, but can be so funny too. Even though when you first hear these traits, they may seem less than desirable, I hope she holds onto them, because they will help her in the future.

Because this has really been at the forefront of my mind, when I heard the song Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift on Erica's blog it really hit home in so many ways and brought me to tears. If you haven't heard it, go look it up right now. It's amazing. I really was what I needed. Both for me to remember to enjoy this time of life with Hallie, but also remember the little things in life when I was on the other end. Like, "Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room, Memorize what it sounded like when your dad got home, Remember the footsteps, remember the words said, And all your brother's favorite songs." Then it says, "I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone." This is so true. I know that what really matters we will have for the eternities, but in this mortal existence we truly need to live every day in the moment, and not stress to much about the future. Because we won't ever have these simple moments back.

There have been a few instances recently that have seriously humbled me, and realized that no matter our age or circumstance that we are not invincible and bad things happen to good people. But because of that we need to learn to slow down and treasure each moment, both the good and the bad, and learn to appreciate the trials we go through. The trials we are given truly shape us, and mold us into the people we are each day, hopefully for the better. This is something I really need to learn more fully, and appreciate more often. Because trials truly are blessings if we will let them be.

Anyway, that was a lot longer than I intended.

So on a lighter note, we were driving home today and Hallie has had a rough day, and was successful in screaming all the way from Lehi to the University Parkway exit. I was about to lose it, but she asked if we could drive past the llamas, which we do most days. The song Never Grow Up was playing on my iPod, as we were driving past. Hallie found the llamas, and goes "where are the llamas pajamas?" to which I said, "I don't know," and Hallie responded "they're probably in the laundry." Ha ha! So not what I expected, and it just made me forget about her screaming and being a pill all day, and just want to squeeze her. Yes, Little Miss, never grow up. :)

If you haven't read this book, you must! It's Hallie's favorite, and is the reason she asks to see the llamas...and why she was wondering where their pajamas were.

Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift

Your little hands, wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter 'cause your dreamin'
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light.

To you, everything is funny
You've got nothing to regret
I'd give you all I have, honey
If you could stay like that

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
No, no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, never grow up

You're in the car on the way to the movies
And you're mortified your mom is dropping you off
At 14, there's just so much that you can't do
And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots

But don't make her drop you off around the block
Remember she's getting older, too
And don't lose the way you dance around
In your PJ's getting ready for school

Oh darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh darling don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple

No one's ever burned you
Nothing's ever left you scarred
And even though you want to
Just try to never grow up

Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home
Remember the footsteps, the words that were said
And all your little brother's favorite songs.

I just realized everything I have
is someday gonna be gone

So here I am, in my new apartment
In a big city, my parents just dropped me off
It's so much colder than I thought it would be
So I tuck myself in, turn on my favorite night light.

Wish I'd never grown up
I wish I'd never grown up

Oh, I don't wanna grow up, I don't wanna grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, I don't wanna grow up, I don't wanna grow up
It could be this simple

Won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
And even though you want to
Please try to never grow up

Don't you ever grow up
(Never grow up)
Just never grow up

Treasure the Doing

I love this quote, also from Erica's blog, but it so just defines my current goal as a parent.