eden lately

10 weeks gone by already! How can it be?

Her eyes are still dark blue, they've just gone a bit milky in the centers. Her hair has a fire-orange glow. It makes me smile. As soon as we knew she was a girl, I started trying to imagine her. All I could see in my mind's eye was blue eyes and red hair. Of course, it is too early to say how everything will end up. She'll be just lovely in any case. But for now, I love looking at this face that I saw in my heart for months before she got here.

She is a very good baby. I can't believe how we have lucked out three times in a row. Nursing has been our only challenge. She still falls asleep nearly every time she nurses and we still struggle to get a good latch. It continues to take me upwards of 40 minutes to get her a full feeding. And burping was a big problem (as in, she wouldn't ever do it) that has only recently started improving. But she has been very cooperative about getting on a schedule. She naps well and our night times are very manageable. It is a good 10-11 hour stretch where she only gets up to nurse once and goes right back to sleep.

Developmentally she has been ticking all the boxes. Her growth stats are more like Grant's were at this age. 75th percentile for height. 50th percentile for weight. Her little newborn body was so muscular. I couldn't believe it. Well, actually I could. She is very strong and from the start I recognized her stretches and kicks from having felt them internally. Now all her wrinkly skin has plumped up with baby goodness. She smiles and cooes and makes us all so very happy.

Eden loves a swaddle. She loves face time. Her brother and sister keep her entertained and happy. Her swing almost always calms her down.

blessings

This baby. She is so smily and delicious. We are all very happy she is part of our family! This week I am also grateful for:

Cori. I mention it often, but not nearly enough. He takes such good care of us- me especially. He works hard. He plays hard. He makes the kids so happy. He picks up all my slack and never complains.

The cold I had last week. I completely lost my voice for about 3 days. It was very frustrating. I could only speak in a whisper. But it made me think about the way I communicate with our children. I had to think of other ways to help them see that I was very serious. More than once it was mentioned in our stake conference this weekend the importance of setting the tone in our homes. I know how much of an impact my mood and tone of voice can have. That illness that made me want to amputate my throat helped me take a cold, hard look at my conduct. Everyone is happier when I speak softly.

Stake Conference this weekend was actually a state-wide broadcast from Salt Lake. It was a treat to hear our Prophet's voice.

A busy week ahead. There is a lot I want to get done before we embark on our big Thanksgiving odyssey next Saturday. Busyness always makes me more productive - perhaps all those years of honing my procrastination skills? I'm actually looking forward to diving into my to-do list.

In our curio: Petrified Forest National Park

As I mentioned, our visit to this National Park was unintended. But we had a great afternoon there. The Park has a lot of interesting things to offer. Besides the petrified geolical wonders, there are also paleantological discoveries to learn about and there are a lot of ancient american petroglyphs and ruins to explore. We spent our first hour at the south entrance visitor center. There was a great Ranger there who gave a very visual presentation about the petrification process.

The drive through the park is very scenic and there are lots of turnouts and little hikes that lead to impressive vistas. It was a balmy 70* outside the day of our visit. Perfect.

In front of "Old Faithful", the largest petrified tree in the park.

above the visitor's center

Most all of the trees are broken like those pictured here. All the better to see the magical minerals inside!

Below are closeups taken at the Crystal and Rainbow Forests. There are sings (and rangers) everywhere stressing/pleading/threatening visitors against taking souveniers from the park. The Crystal Forest used to be full of glittering specimens- most of which have been stolen away. We still found a few.

There were stumps filled with sparkling grey and opaque white limestone.

The colors of the rainbow forest

The 'TeePees'

Cori and I agreed that the ancient american ruins was one of the most interesting things we saw. Once we got up to the north end of the park, every stop became a little 'where's waldo' hunt for petroglyphs. Cori was really good at spotting them. It is so amazing to see the ancient mark of human hands on the side of a rock in the middle of the desert.

It was turning dusk as we rounded into the area called The Painted Desert. I couldn't get the camera set to capture the colors we saw. It was a singular site to be sure. We reached the north end of the park just about closing time. There was just enough time to catch the video at the north visitor's center (which focussed largely on the crime and disservice of removing petrified things from the park) and pick up a souvenier at the shop.

outta dodge

After spending most of October in 90*+ weather we were really craving some Fall relief. Cori took a Friday and a Monday off work last weekend and we headed for the hills in search of sweater-worthy temperatures and maybe a glimpse of Autumn color. Cori found us a little cabin in Heber. It was a great locale- not too far from home and close enough to things we wanted to see. And it was on a ranch which provided some diversions which were in walking distance- a certain benefit when there is a wee one who needs nursing and napping every three hours. We lit a fire in the fireplace every night, had hot cocoa, and wore comfy warm clothes that haven't seen the light of day for quite a while.

At the Bison Ranch there is a playground, a catch and release fishing pond, lots of places to ride bikes and take walks, a boardwalk western-style shopping strip (with an ice cream parlor we never made it to), and millions of stars at night. We even found a bit of fall color. There wasn't cell phone coverage, nor was there access to the internet, and we didn't mind at all. Well, Cori had to drive into town one night to send off some work email. He may have minded a bit, but I didn't!

New York strip, buttermilk potatoes and spinach salad. Who needs an ice cream parlor?

We took an unintentional day trip to the Petrified Forest National Park. We were looking in the little info book at the cabin about stuff in the area. It had listed simply, "Petrified Forest" and the driving directions made it seem pretty close. So we headed out. It ended up being a 90 minute drive and as we started seeing signs, we realized we were headed for a National Park. Cori had packed us a big picnic and I had packed extra diapers and a change of clothes for Eden (which we ended up needing) so we ventured ahead. Plus, we had just received the National Park Passports I had ordered for the kids (I actually had the forethought to bring them along, just in case- a miracle to be sure) and we were excited to get some cancellation stamps. Our trip to the park will get its own post...
On Sunday, we went to church in Heber. Then after a big family nap we loaded up and drove out to see the Snowflake Temple. It is so incredibly gorgeous in Snowflake, especially in the community around the temple. We really enjoyed walking around the temple and then driving around the big houses that afternoon. Cori and I talked about the piece of heaven that is being on temple grounds with our kids. How I love these people.


I had to include this little glimpse of Grace that Cori caught on film. It is so telling: the determined stance, the strong gesticulations with inwardly curved fingers, the consternation on her face... She was trying to get Grant to stand on the ledge with her for a picture. Grant was busy jumping off a speed bump.
We spent a morning at the fishing pond. The water level was quite below normal which, we think, was advantageous to our outing. With Cori's help both kids got to reel a couple of fish to shore and then send them back. It was Grant's first time catching a fish. Grace always surprises me with her attention span- she sat with her dad for the entire 2.5 hours we were there casting and waiting. Grant and I had to take a little break to the playground.

My favorite memory of the trip will be the night Cori made us a nest of blankets in the clearing behind the cabin. We bundled the big kids in their pjs and sweaters and carried them out to gaze at the stars. All four of us saw the same shooting star. That should grant some extra wishing power, right?

I took this picture (!!!) from our blanket nest.

joyschool was at our house today

halloween 2010

This year, the kids were sure about what they wanted to be for Halloween... at first. Grace wanted to be a pink pony. She has wanted to be a pink pony for the last 3 years running. And for the last 3 years running, I've decided that I don't have the skills to pull it off, and so I've talked her into other ideas. This year was no different. I appealed to her compassionate side and explained that with our new baby I wouldn't have time to figure out how to make her into a pink pony. She quickly decided that she would rather be a black witch's cat instead. And when WalMart had the costume for $12, I scooped it up and checked it off my list. I asked her if she wanted a witch's hat or a broom to carry with her so that people would know she was a witch's cat. She explained to me that she wasn't a cat trying to be a witch, but just a cat that belongs to a witch. No additional paraphernalia needed. She took it upon herself to be sure that people knew she wasn't just any old black cat.

At first, Grant wanted to be a 'spooky ghost'. I was fine with this idea, because it seemed like an easy enough thing to figure out. I didn't get the chance to try however, because Grant became incurably enamored with a pirate sword in the costume isle. So after weeks of ghoulish plans, he quickly determined that buccaneering was more for him. The day they dressed up for Gracie's school, he allowed me to give him a sweet mustache (pictured above). On the night of the truck-or-treat, he wasn't interested in makeup but bravely stuffed his cute little head into the eye patch and bandana provided with his costume. He LOVES the earring, by the way. All in all, it was an easy Halloween for all involved and the kids had a great time.

Halloween is a pretty big deal around here. I think it has to do with the fact that everyone has been hibernating indoors through the long summer. The weather cools off just enough to play outside in the evenings, and then its Halloween time. People decorate for it in our neighborhood with the gusto most reserve for Christmastime elsewhere. The kids opted to stay in on Halloween night to hand out candy. We had a lot of trick-or-treaters come through and enjoyed meeting so many of our neighbors.