a way around the problem

So Grace needs to take off the magnet part of her cochlear implant when she goes down plastic slides that have static on them so that the static won't ruin the outer device and more importantly the inner one. She hates to do it because then she has to come to me to put it back on (as she has not learned how to do that herself yet). As a result, she has figured out a different way to go down the slide...so to speak.


She's nuts! It looks like she's inherited my long-jumping skills.

I took this picture tonight to demonstrate Grace's recent fascination with Cars. The 2 cars in her hands rarely leave them. I bought this (and one other) Cars t-shirt for her today after she threw a fit at the store for them. The cutest thing was tonight she was all jammied up and she brought me this shirt and said "I want shirt" several times until I switched out her jammy top for her. She is getting very good at asking for things by saying "I want" in front of them. It is amazing how much her language is really taking off lately. I love the Cars shirt with the silky bottoms!

Here is the 2 day old result of her accident on the walk in nursery on Sunday. I ripped off the top bandaid Sunday night thinking it was no big deal only to find this huge scratch underneath it all. I had to re-bandaid it with 2 since I didn't have huge ones like the nursery does. It's still bothering her when I try to put any neosporin on it or anything. Ouch!

Well, 3 more days until school is out for summer for Buck. 7 more days until I start my summer class...I have a feeling that we are not going to have much of a summer this year as football will start before I know it. Oh, well.

Best $3.50 ever spent

So Julie (my next door neighbor for those who don't know her) and I decided to take an outing on Trax with the kids Friday and have lunch uptown and show the kids the temple, etc. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day. The weather was awesome and the kids were angels...well for most all of the time. Grace started to melt down after about an hour and a half in to our trip and we knew it was time to head home. Some of the pictures are different sizes because I couldn't figure out how to resize the pictures that Julie sent to me.

The girls were so excited to be on their first train ride. Our 2 double strollers took up the whole disabled section. The trax employees on the way up were super friendly and helpful with our awkward strollers but the guy on the way home was so mean! Well, not mean so much as just plain rude. He was sooo put out that he had to get up to put the ramp down for us to get from the platform to the train both on and off the train. And both Julie and I gave him a big smile and a "thank you so much for your help" and he ignored us both like neither of us had said anything!! Rude!

How cute is Averee with the camera?

This is one of the shots she got.

This was the first fountain we stopped to see.

Lucas wanted to get out to feel the water too.

Mmmm... our tasty lunch on main street.

That little splash in the fountain is a bird that was washing right by our table. It was a crazy little bird.

Happy Lucas at the table.

Trying to encourage Grace to stay nearby... not an easy task.

More water to touch...

I was tempted to join them in their little foot bath here.

The flowers were, of course, just gorgeous up there.

Lucas ate Grace's shoes while the girls dipped their feet.

The little boys had fun playing on the grassy knoll.

You get me...

and I'll get you.

Red Rover, Red Rover.

Must. Get. Camera.

We had so much fun. With all the gear that we packed on our outing, my only casualty was Lucas' blanket that was lost somewhere on the way home. I suspect that it fell off the stroller on the train and the train driver,who was apparently having a bad day, probably saw it drop and said nothing to me cause he's a jerk! I'm just kidding. I know I lost it somewhere on the way off the train but don't blame the mute who was driving. I hope someone else was more successful in helping him smile that day than we were.

little gardener

Lucas was out front with me today while I was putting in some new flowers. He had been happily chewing on Grace's jump rope but the next thing I new he was up playing in the garden.

He is so proud of himself when he gets something on his own...now that he's finally figured out that he can.

He was trying so hard to yank this flower off so he could get it in his mouth.

Grace and Lucas are becoming such good friends. She loves to make him laugh because he ALWAYS will when she does silly things for him!

David Mania!

As I have previously mentioned, I am not a reality TV watcher and so I know very little about what's happening on American Idol. However, David Archuleta appeared at Murray High School today and sang some songs. I was not in attendance as my children were napping but could hear it from my house and also tuned in to the news to see it up close. Before he sang though some public officials spoke and honored him etc. This is the reason for this post. I just wanted to take minute and thank Mayor Daniel C. Snarr of Murray for showing up in Wrangler jeans, a huge belt buckle and a flag-print cowboy shirt in addition to the biggest handlebar mustache since 1890. I really hope that the American Idol camera crew got a great shot of him so the rest of this country (and the world for that matter) can continue to believe that Utah is full of redneck, hillbilly cowboys... and polygamists.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Today I bought our tickets and we will be viewing this picture at 11:59 p.m. on May 21st. We have been excited for this for months!

This picture is awful but I don't want to try to find another...

in other news...

In other news... Buck was put into the bishopric today. I think I can handle all the times he'll be gone during the week as it will be much like having him in school again but how am I going to make it through sacrement meeting? I have several strategies in mind that I am going to try but it is going to be a struggle with her for the next few months atleast...hopefully less if I'm lucky. Lots of people have offered to help so I'm sure that Lucas is going to get to know lots of different members of the ward pretty soon here.
It was great to hear the testimonies of the bishopric being released today too. They worked very hard in their calling and did a good job. Running a ward has so many aspects to it and it is a hard thing to do.

pure grace

Well, I have pictures of just Grace because she was doing so many funny things yesterday. These first ones are because her hair was so crazy when she woke up. The pictures don't do it justice because it was just everywhere.

I've included this picture because if you look closely at her hand, you can see that she's telling me about the tree she sees out side...she's signing tree. This is for the people who always ask if she signs. Yes, she does. If only the lady who, whenever I see her says to me, "make her sign something" as if it is some circus act and not a way for her to communicate, read this blog. She just doesn't understand that it is part of her communication and a 2 year old will speak when it feels like it...same thing with signing.

Grace is happiest outside and yesterday afternoon she made herself at home in the weeds of what is to be our vegetable garden. She was picking all the "flowers" and making a little bouquet that she called her tree. At one point, she was laying in them staring up at the sky. She had so much fun. It's all tilled up now though but I'm sure they'll try to come back in a week or so.


After we came inside and while I was making dinner, she was playing in my room. She was being very quiet so I went to check on her and she was giggling quietly at herself for being wrapped up in the quilt like this. She is so fun to watch lately because she seems to be imagining lots of things. The other day she wrapped up one of her matchbox cars in some felt, cradled it to her tummy and told me "baby." Kind of a strange imagination, but seems appropriate for her brand of craziness.