June - Part I

For Sister Arbon’s birthday, one of the sisters in her ward wanted to make it extra special for her. She was having them over for dinner that night, so in advance, she had our family call and leave a message for her on her answering machine. Bryan orchestrated a large three or four way call, and so Kimberly had a nice “Happy Birthday” song waiting for her that night. After hearing back from Kim, she told us she was overwhelmed with feelings of love and the nice things that were done for her on her birthday. I hope I can go above and beyond like that sister did for someone else on their special day.

In June, we continued to take advantage of the hot weather, especially doing things that would cool us down with water. We continued to have weekly play dates, going to the park, going to the nearby splash pads (our favorite being the one in Highland), playing in our friends’ mini-pools, and we even went a few times to Seven Peaks before our passes expired. It seemed like every morning was filled with fun possibilities.

Highland Splash Pad:

(impossible to get a still, smiling shot)

Jason took a fishing trip to the Boulders again this year. He went with Trevor Cook and one of T’s friends. Sadly, Parker could not attend this year due to a business trip. Perhaps Jason will write more about his trip later. But, while Jason was gone, Charlie and I had a grand old time. Not only did he leave us fun surprise bags for each day and not only did we spend our time doing fun outdoor activities, but my friend Amy came and kept me company. She came Thursday evening and we went to dinner at Koi, ate treats, rented a movie, and painted our toenails. She even stayed the night with me! That was very thoughtful of her. We were able to spend the morning together at the Highland Splash Pad before she had to head to work. It was such a fun time and helped the time go quickly while Jason was away. I also spent some time in Draper with my family, and Sunday night we celebrated my mom's birthday.

Sushi at Koi:

(yes, I realize I am pregnant)

Car time at Arbons

Mom's Birthday

Among the many birthdays celebrated in June, we had a very unique birthday celebration for Elsa. She woke up with some kind of virus that was hurting her neck quite terribly. After a scare and a visit to the ER, Elsa was still set on having her birthday party that night. Max and April were troopers, and granted the birthday girl’s wishes. Even after a crazy day, they still had all of us over, and we had a delicious dinner of quesadillas (Elsa’s request). I would have to say they were the best quesadillas I have ever had! The Grubers sure know how to make a comprehensive quesadilla spread!

Elsa doing everything laying down due to the pain in her neck

We had our first ultrasound appointment! We were so excited to finally take a look inside at this growing baby and find out the gender. To my shock, we found out it is a boy! I really had a feeling we were having a girl, especially with the pregnancy being so different. Besides a few weeks of feeling on and off nausea and extreme fatigue (only throwing up twice, I think), I have felt awesome! I haven’t even really felt like I am pregnant. I hardly think about it, that is how well I have felt! So I was very surprised to learn it is a boy! But we couldn’t be more excited! We think a little brother is exactly what Charlie needs. It just feels right! We are definitely going to be saving a lot of money, too, since I won’t be splurging on all the cute girl clothes and accessories. I think Heavenly Father really knows us and knows what we need.

During the ultrasound, everything looked good. The only area of concern was they did find some fluid in his kidneys, so that will just be something we look for in upcoming appointments. Other than that, everything seemed to be growing right on track. We can’t wait to meet him!

I had another big day of crafting with different friends in the ward. My focus for both was 4th of July decor. I had a great time at Kylie’s painting mason jars to look like an American flag, and I had a great time at Katie’s putting together framed glitter letters of “USA”. Pinterest can be such a wonderful thing!

We had a couple of dinner dates with friends (babies included). The Wingers invited us over to be spoiled by their new smoker. They made us Tri-Tip Steak. It was fabulous! After dinner, we went for a walk with the little ones, ending up at a school and climbing a massive hill. Another dinner night was with the Provosts. They invited us over for dinner and a movie. It was a “bring your own meat” kind of grilling night, and it sure was tasty. The movie was “Monuments Men”. I had been excited to see this movie, but I think I anticipated a different kind of film. I expected the humor of an “Ocean’s Eleven” type movie...so it wasn’t as funny as I was hoping for. And for that reason, for me, it was kind of boring. But I realize the significance of it, being based on a true story. That part is pretty cool. Regardless, Charlie wasn’t as excited to sleep in the pack-n-play that night...you never know how it is going to go, but we hope for the best. We ended up having to get him out and let him watch the rest of the movie with us. (That also could have added to my feelings of the movie.)

June means Strawberry Days! After last year, we were excited to participate again. We attended the Tuesday night Concert in the Park...but due to a large rainstorm, it was relocated to the Rec Center Gym. We still had a great time devouring our free strawberries and cream. I even returned to the Rec Center later that night for a free Zumba class. That was really fun, complete with glow in the dark sticks/bracelets. This year we even attended the rodeo! Our “game night ward friends" had a great idea of attending the rodeo rather than doing a game night for June. We all agreed and got babysitters. My parents were kind enough to come and tend Charlie (even though our swamp cooler decided to break and they were sweating in the heat). The rodeo proved to be a real entertainer! We had a great time people watching, chatting it up, and staring in amazement at the crazy things that cowboys do!

Jason, Me, Mike, Katie, Candice, and Shawn

The guys got a lot more into the dressing up thing than the girls

Back at home, Grandma taking Charlie on a walk 

(or more like Charlie taking Grandma on a walk)

And who can forget about Father’s Day! I made a nice pancake breakfast that morning, complete with the works...like eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. After our 1:00pm church, we stopped off a gift to George and then headed to Draper. Dinner was very good, as always! Since Charlie’s birthday was coming up that week, my parents surprised us with an early gift for Charlie. He got a swing and a bucket and shovel. He wasn’t too sure about the swing, crying non-stop as we tried to get him to swing in it, but he loved his digging time in the sandbox. Eventually, Charlie will come to love the swing...but if not, I am sure our next baby will.

Chatting it up with the garden squirrels

And here is a glance at our garden at the beginning of June:

May - Part II

It has been fabulous weather. We have been so anxious to spend time outside, and we can feel the warmth of the fast-approaching summer. At the end of May, we spent as much time outside as we could. Charlie and I met up with friends from the ward, usually weekly, and headed for one of the nearby parks. I have really loved the friends I have made here. It was especially nice to have busy days while Jason was away in Roosevelt. Jason and John had a big job up there, so they ended up staying in a hotel there for two nights while they completed it. That left Charlie and I home alone, but it wasn’t bad at all with the delightful weather. It is also nice now that Charlie is a little older... we kind of have an understanding of each other and a typical routine. The day goes pretty smoothly, for the most part. I am so thankful that he is such a good nighttime sleeper.

We had another game night with two couples in our ward. Our goal has been to get together each month, alternating the host house. It has been really fun. This time we headed to the Gibbs. We enjoyed Telestrations, as well as their own version of the game. We always enjoy good company, good games, and good food.

We also visited our friends, the Wingers. They had their new baby, Boston, on May 3rd (sharing my birthday). We actually were with them having dinner at Texas Roadhouse the night before he was born. So a couple weeks later, we took them dinner and finally got to the meet the guy. He is such a cutie and so precious...as all newborns are.   

Naked baby time (Georgia & Charlie):

 

Future techies

Sorry, no pictures of Boston...fail!

For Memorial Day, it was just the three of us. We thought we would have a nice BBQ up the canyon...but apparently that is what every other person in Utah County thought, as well! The canyon was packed! It was a madhouse! We couldn’t believe it. As we drove from one park to the next, we just kept looking at each other in complete disbelief. We would just laugh in the face of our shock! We had to keep driving up, up, and up to still find a park that was full of people, but at least had one grill and one parking spot open. Big Springs Park was where we ended up, and it turned out to be perfect! We had driven by it one day last year, deciding that we would try it out in the future...so it was fun to finally make it there for a BBQ. We had a nice, shaded table and grill. There was a paved path that Charlie loved to walk and explore. There was a tiny stream, that was enough to interest him, but small enough that I wasn’t scared Charlie would fall in and drown. There was also a huge field that we could run and kick a soccer ball in. We grilled up some tasty steaks and corn on the cob, and enjoyed our dinner. Even with the crowd, we had such a great time. The surroundings were gorgeous, especially the backdrop of snow-capped mountains. As we observed the other large family gatherings there, we only wished we had our families with us to share the beauty. We definitely hope to return with a large family group another time.

A field practically to ourselves after the big crowds have gone...

I just love the refreshing beauty of the mountains. My appreciation for them has only increased since having Charlie...maybe it is seeing the pure joy that the mountain air brings him. I love it!

Charlie's 23rd Month

22 Months to 23 Months

(April 19-May 18)

And Charlie continues to grow! It is amazing how long and lean he has gotten. He definitely doesn’t have that baby look anymore. He is a full-on little boy. I swear he just gets cuter and cuter every day.

Charlie STILL hates being changed! It is always such a problem, but now it is a real problem because he keeps kicking his pant legs off and starts reaching his hands down in there while I am trying to clean his dirty diaper. I used to give him his bottle, and that would pacify him while I changed him. But now that we are over the bottle, I didn’t know what else to do other than give him my phone while it played a short video. Of course, this is after trying to distract him with toys, sippy cups, and books...no success. With the phone playing a video, his hands and mind are occupied so there is no kicking, squirming, or poopy hands. I absolutely hate creating that habit for him, but I don’t know of a better option at the moment. Toys and books just don’t seem to do the trick consistently. So this is our routine for now.

Charlie has adjusted to only sippy cups and cups. However, now he has an attachment to them (notice the sippy cup in his hand in the first picture). The good news is he is drinking way more water than he ever did and is more hungry for real food. Luckily, he is still sleeping through the night without drinking a bottle of milk beforehand. However, now he is starting to demand to go to bed with his sippy cup. I resisted him at first, but his demands just got more and more intense with each night. The sippy cup only had water in it, but I feared creating a habit that would harm our future (far-future) potty training efforts. I didn’t want him used to sleeping with water and peeing the bed every night. I came to a compromise: he can keep his sippy cup with him, but I only put a tiny bit of water in it. For right now, I don’t think he so much wants the sippy cup because he is thirsty, but I think it is a comfort thing. He has also been teething a lot lately (molars are coming in), and so I think it gives him something to gnaw on. So we will see how it goes. Hopefully, it is just a phase and he won’t always need it to go to bed.

He says “whoa” a lot. He especially loves to say that and then look at you for your repetition or confirmation. It is really cute. Sometimes he will mimic a sound of a word, like “uh” when we are walking up the stairs together and I am saying “up, up, up” with each step. This is inconsistent, but I have at least heard it a couple of times...so I know there is potential.

He has been “chatting” it up even more lately. It seems like he is enjoying being more and more social and having more interactions with people.

He loves our neighbor, Misty. She is ten or eleven. He threw a huge fit one day when she couldn’t play with him after she walked home from the bus stop. He just stood at her door, hung on her doorknob, and cried. It was heartbreaking, but made me happy to see him show such care towards another kid.

Speaking of his molars coming in, he has been a demon! His tantrums are really starting to come on strong! He will fall to the ground, or if I am holding him, he will flail everywhere and throw his head back. He is near impossible to hold at that point. Anytime I go upstairs, especially if I have to go up to the bathroom, he freaks out at the bottom of the stairs and he won’t stop crying until I come down. He seems to be even more fussy and demanding when I am around. If I am gone and others are watching him, he is a happy little boy. So unfair!

Trying out the "scooter-on-loan"

Lots of coloring time, and "lining-up-the-crayons" time

One of Charlie's favorite things to do - throwing rocks into Grandma and Grandpa Gruber's creek

I'm not sure if those are quite your size...

How Charlie "eats" and organizes his orange slices...

Exploring with Play-Dough