4th of July Fun

The month of July is almost over and I'm finally getting around to post our adventures over the 4th of July weekend. We drove to Washington to spend some time with Levi's parents. When we arrived, Anna was thrilled to discover a big house to explore, a young Doberman Pincher, a pink bed with her name on it, and a basket of new toys. What more could a 2 year old ask for? One of those new toys was a stick horse. Anna would drag it downstairs, place it on the coffee table and put it to sleep. Thinking back, I still giggle at my funny girl.


On the 4th of July, we attended a local parade and browsed stalls for trinkets. Anna received so much candy from the parade, we were having to sneak much of it away while she wasn't looking.

That evening we were able to watch the fireworks off the balcony as they exploded over the Puget Sound. That view will always be one of my favorites. It was fun to eat kettle popcorn and watch the fireworks explode. This year they had some fun heart shapes and smiley faces. Loved those!

During our visit we were able to make arrangements to visit with our friends Jason, Carla and their toddler Cora. They now live under 20 miles away from Levi's parents, so it was exciting to visit with them after being apart for a year. Anna and Cora were born a week apart and spent much of their first year together. After a year apart, it was so exciting to see the girls play together again. They ran through the house laughing, hugging and getting into general mischief. It was fun to see Jason and Carla again after so long. Even though it's been a year, it felt like old times with our visit.



We visited the Tall Ships museum and saw a replica of Columbus's ship. I was very surprised at the small size of the ship. During that visit, we were able to board a military boat and see the ships up close. On the dock, there were people dressed in pirate costumes and making the general atmosphere fun. One pirate had a pet rat that Ian enjoyed touching with his pointer finger. I wasn't fast enough catching the picture, but here is a cute one.





Our last days there were spent at the Tacoma zoo and at the beach. The zoo was exciting for the kids and Anna especially enjoyed feeding the petting zoo animals. The beach is in walking distance from the Pearson's home. Anna delighted in playing in the water and couldn't understand why us adults kept trying to point out sea shells and other boring things. Water is so much more exciting.





We enjoyed our 4 of July weekend and are grateful to Levi's parents for opening up their home for our family.

Little Red Riding Hood

On June 7th I participated in an organized cycling ride called the "Little Red Riding Hood". It's a women's only ride and started in Wellsville Utah. Depending on the rout and distance you choose, can take you up to the Idaho border. As I had only given birth to Ian 6 months ago, I choose to do a shorter distance ride. I was shooting for 45 miles, but realized that my body had had enough by 30 miles. I decided to ride long enough to make it to the next rest stop, and ended up riding a total of 40 miles. I was able to borrow a cell phone and called Levi to come find me.

Although I was disappointed that I couldn't finish the last 5 miles, I am proud that I didn't completely give up at 30 miles. I weigh 25 pounds more than I did 4 years ago when I first participated, and that extra weight certainly made a big difference in my performance. Last time I was able to finish 70 miles, and I was certainly tired afterward. I hope to be lighter and in better shape for next year's event.

Happy Anniversary!

Today we are celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary. It's been an interesting and fun 4 years. I have grown so much since I first met Levi. He truly makes me want to be a better person. He has introduced me to so many new things, like the world of sci-fi, road cycling (jerseys and all), interesting books, different perspectives on situations, the thrill of science, and yummy gourmet food. He willingly listens to my endless chatter and still has time to listen to the kids talk on and on. Each morning he wakes up early to take care of Anna so I can get a few extra minutes of sleep before Ian wakes up. He often takes the kids and Atticus off my hands so I can get things done around the house, or just enjoy some personal time. He is quick to notice my hard work and shows his appreciation. Levi truly takes excellent care of our family. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

I'm a what?

You Are An Exclamation Point

You are a bundle of... well, something. You're often a bundle of joy, passion, or drama. You're loud, brash, and outgoing. If you think it, you say it. Definitely not the quiet type, you really don't keep a lot to yourself. You're lively and inspiring. People love to be around your energy. (But they do secretly worry that you'll spill their secrets without even realizing it.) You excel in: Public speaking You get along best with: the Dash

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Sick, Sick, Sick!

Lucky me, I'm sick again! For the last 6 or so months I've had a constant sore tonsil. I visited the doctor and discovered that I have Strep. I've been on antibiotics for the last 2 weeks, but yesterday I woke up with a fever, chills and lower back pain. I was refusing to believe that my kidney was giving me trouble, so I took some Advil and tried to ignore the rest. I know that sounds like a stupid thing to do, but you have to understand how horrible it's been to suffer from constant kidney troubles for the last 7 months (since October 31st when I had my first kidney stone).

I woke up this morning feeling awful once again, but decided that maybe I should have my new doctor take a look at the situation. I'm so glad I did. I have a swollen lymph node that's concerning him almost as much as my kidney. He gave me some different drugs and insisted that I keep him very well informed on all three problems I'm struggling with right now. I just love my new doctor! I am a person, not a record number. He's knowledgeable, kind and funny. It was a fluke that we chose him, and I'm so glad we did.

With the women's only organized ride The Little Red Riding Hood coming up next weekend, it's a critical time for me to get more riding time on my bike. It's frustrating to get ready for the ride while struggling with one health problem after another. I may be the slowest rider, and the only one who takes one of the shorter paths, but I'm going to do it this year!

6 Months Old

As of yesterday, Ian is now 6 months old. It seems like I just got home from the hospital with him. He's eating solid food, and loves to eat rice puffs and the freeze dried apples. He also took Anna's sippy cup from her to take a few swigs. It was quite funny to watch his expression as he drank from a sippy for the first time to discover it was filled with ice cold water. He is anxious to keep up with his big sister and rolls, inches and squirms his way quickly around the floor to keep up with her games and play.

Ian wakes up every morning with smiles, coos and giggles. It's a delight to hear his noises, even when I'm overly tired. He has recently decided that Atticus is the most interesting to watch, and I often have to remove him from view when it's meal time for Ian.

Oh, how I love my big boy Ian.

A New Game

I have been challenged to a new game. It happened several weeks ago, but I've been missing from the blog world for a while due to my health. I went to the doctor finally and it looks like I've had strep throat for quite a while. I had no idea! Anyway, on with the challenge!

4 Things I Did 10 Years Ago (1998)

1- My cousin and I backpacked through Europe for the first time. We left almost exactly at this time (first part of June). Four hours before flying out, the guy I was crazy about broke up with me. I was also still recovering from the worst sunburn I had ever had.

2- I was attending SLCC and my favorite class was Geology.

3- I had long permed hair and thought I looked fabulous!

4- I was working at Matrix Marketing in the credit department.

4 Things I Did 5 Years Ago (2003)

1- 2003 was a fabulous year for me. I had just purchased my own condo and was starting fresh in the area. I met Michelle (who challenged me to this game) and I went to Karate with her a couple times. I dated lots and lots of guys from my ward. Loved it!

2- I had my first roommate and discovered the ups and downs of living with other people not related. I honestly can say that I didn't enjoy this experience. We often fought over the same men.

3- I lost hearing in my left ear and suffered from horrible dizziness. I was finally diagnosed with Meniere's Syndrome early the following year.

4- I had two blind dates right around the same time and both were disasters. Liz set me up with a friend who was used to women flinging themselves over him. Blah! I think I'm the first person to be unimpressed by him. The second blind date Michelle set me up with her cousin. That was a disaster. A few weeks later I started to date Levi. We were with a group of friends on vacation when I realized my true feelings for this man. It took 2 blind date disasters for me to finally see what I had been looking for.

4 Things I Did Yesterday

1- I put flowers on Liz's grave. This is the first time I've been there since the funeral.

2- Made Orange Chicken and Pot Stickers.

3- Made curtains for the VW van.

4- Saved the lives of many earth worms who came to the cement to dry off. I also pulled Anna out of the mud where she had been having the time of her life playing.

4 Shows I Love to Watch

1- LOST

2- Moonlight

3- Farmer Wants a Wife

4- Stargate SG1

4 Things I Love to Do

1- Sleep

2- Craft, sew, scrapbook

3- Play on computer

4- Laugh and play with Levi and the kids.

I tag Abby, Wendi, Missy, Sarah, and Jaynie