Of Clouds and Billiards

My mom likes to play this game with Ellie where they look at the clouds and tell each other what the shapes are. Elephants, ice cream cones, cars, you name it.

In the last few days, Ellie has adapted the game into other spheres. The one with which I'm not sure what to do, is the poop. It's the cloud game, but with poop. The other day, she called from the bathroom, "Mommy! I made a water bottle poopoo! Come see!" Yesterday, she surprised me with this query, "What shape does your poopoo look like, mommy?" (I will note here for you readers, that like all other women in this world, I do not "go poopoo." Not ever. No gas, either.)

So far, I just play along. "Nice poopoo! Now flush, wash your hands, and tell your daddy exactly what you just told me."

Since I've already ruined your day with this topic, I'm just going to run with it. Ellie also calls her poop like a professional billiards player. You know, like when they say, "5 ball in the corner pocket," or something like that? When Ellie goes in for a number 2, she likes to tell you exactly what she's going to produce. As in, "it's going go be two big ones," or "this time, it's going to be one big one, then two little ones," or my favorite, the triple combo, "it's going to be a big one, then a little one, then another big one." Sometimes she loses track and has me check to see where she's at in her sequence. Is that weird?

Please, don't answer that.

What a Feelin'!

Ellie had her first ballet lesson yesterday. She's already showing considerable promise. I would tell you more about it, but Ellie has decided that she won't tell anyone about her ballet lesson. That means that I only know what little I saw. You'll just have to aske Ellie about it and see if she tells you.

On the Road

We finally did it. After calculating and comparing the costs of traveling to Utah, we decided to try driving. (Usually we fly, but after considering the cost of 3 plane tickets, 1 car rental, 2 car seat rentals, and airport hassle, we were game for something different.) For the first time, with the kids. From Denver to Logan, it's about a 9 hour drive if you go nonstop. There is no nonstop with a toddler and a baby.

We heard that portable DVD players were the way to go. So we borrowed one. Ellie wasn't interested in it after, oh, about 30 minutes. As I've mentioned in an earlier blog, Ellie has the gift of gab. Imagine a 10-hour drive with non-stop toddler banter.

I had been really looking forward to spending some time in the mountains. In Cache Valley, you are never more than a 10-minute drive from a hiking trail. That is something I truly miss living in the 'burbs. I found myself telling Jake all about the hiking that was always in my back yard when I was growing up.

Our first mountain jaunt was the River Trail. Too bad it was 95 degrees!


My niece, Erika, invited us to her 7th birthday party. I can't believe Erika is 7. I was in the delivery room with her parents when she was born, so she has always been special to me. Here is the precocious 7-year-old.


And her 5-year-old brother, Kalvin, for good measure.


In my last posting, I mentioned that I'm not the kind of mom who bakes cupcakes and then hand-decorates each one for her kid's birthday party. Well, my sister is that kind of mom. Here is her handiwork.


I must mention here that all the kids, except for Ellie, took turns being sick while we were there. That is why in some pictures you will notice that not all the kids are present.

We went to Bear Lake. Jake had never been there, and I didn't realize until we got there that Jake was expecting a stagnant little mountain pond. Any of you who have been there know that that certainly is not the case. I think Jake was pleasantly surprised. Kalvin was sick for this outing.

We had to get burgers and raspberry shakes at LaBeau's, of course. I have to admit, while the raspberry shake was excellent, the hamburgers weren't impressive at all. (I think the LaBeau's in Logan still makes decent burgers, though.) While we were waiting for our lunch, Erika expressed a desire to "hold the baby." The "baby" happens to be about 2/3 her height and about 3/4 her weight. I don't think Judd understood that he was being held.


Ellie was fearless in the water. We had to keep a sharp eye on her because she kept running farther out into the water. Judd, on the other hand, cried when I put him in the water. He got over it quickly, though. (Some of you know my serious aversion to natural bodies of water, and I know you are thinking I'm a total hypocrite for sending my own children into a lake. To that, I can only say, you are totally right.)


Our final excursion on our trip was the Wind Caves hike in Logan Canyon. I have done this hike a number of times, but the last time I hiked it may have been about 10 years ago. We took Ellie with us. Judd was sick for this one. This was lucky for Ellie, because Jake ended up having to carry her most of the way. Thank goodness for the Kelty.

In the cave--Ellie was truly disappointed because there were no flowers or bats in the caves. She thought the hike was a total and utter bust.

Gorgeous views.
Thanks Mom, Maki, Jessica, Erika, and Kalvin for a fun vacation!

My Guy

Time flies. My baby is a year old. My little guy is now nearly three times his birth weight. (Can you believe I gave birth to an 8 lb. 2 oz. baby? If you know how big Jake and I are, you know this is kind of remarkable. Ellie was 7 lb. 8 oz. I am slightly fearful of how large any future children may be.)

I know that as his mother, I'm obviously biased, but I'm still going to say that as a newborn, Judd was a beautiful baby. As a toddler, Judd is still a beautiful baby. Even with his crazy hair.


Judd's first birthday was in June, and I realize that it is now August. I would like to say that this is what happens with your second child, but the truth is, I was never on the ball with my firstborn, either. Another truth is, I think I'm just not the kind of mom who bakes cupcakes and hand-decorates them for birthday parties. But, I am the kind of mom who will buy the most awesomest delicious bundt cake for her kid and his party guests. (Nothing Bundt Cakes on County Line and Quebec, by Chuck-e-Cheese. They have samples.)

Unfortunately, Judd does not like cake or cake-like foods. This includes bread. Every week at church, he spits out the sacrament in total disgust. As you can see, my son was less than thrilled at his birthday fare.

But he made the best of it, as always, and made a total mess of himself.

Judd and Ellie enjoyed opening presents. These are still their favorite. If you are wondering what on earth Ellie is wearing and why, I can't help you because I am too.



Judd's 1-year-old skill:

1. Jumping, though he has mastered crawling and walking along furniture, jumping is a skill for which he has shown remarkable talent.