Capitol Reef NP- Part 2

After securing a campsite the next morning we headed over to the very full creek to let the kids play for a bit. They were having a lot of fun, then Owen accidentally slipped in getting his new shoes all wet.

Hannah decided to outdo her older brother and fell in face first. Luckily Jeff was right there and quickly pulled her out. She also got her new shoes all wet. They were both so mad I wouldn't let them wear wet shoes on our hike.

After changing we headed out to do some hiking. It was slow at first because every 10 feet there was another rock to crawl into.

Nature's playground for kids...and kids at heart.

It was a great trip and our last big trip before the baby.

A more recent update:

We've been enjoying the sunshine when "the clouds let us" (hannah).

We found a place to rent in North Logan.

Our house is still for sale.

Jeff only has 3 weeks left of residency.

Owen finishes school on Wed. and is sad to leave his friends.

I am still sad to leave our home in Salt Lake City, but excited about Logan.

I can't wait to meet this little baby.

Hannah is always right next to me helping.

I sent Owen out to take some pictures and I was totally impressed with this shot

Capitol Reef NP- Part 1

Happy Birthday Jeff!!

We celebrated Jeff's 35th birthday by heading on a trip to Capitol Reef National Park. With our house on the market I had to leave it perfectly clean on top of packing all the food/camp stuff/clothes. Jeff thought he would get done with work at noon and then we'd head off. He came home early and helped get things packed up, but we still didn't leave till noon. When we rolled into the campground at 4:20 (we had to stop twice cause I just couldn't hold it being pregnant and all) and they told us the campground filled up at 4:00. All that work and we missed it by 20 min! Grrr! So we drove back to Torrey and rented this little cabin. Jeff decided we weren't setting up camp just to take it down early the next morning.

We had a nice birthday party inside and cooked dinner on the porch.

I made Jeff's favorite, german chocolate cake. Mmmm

The kids were excited and wound up, and I was exhausted from doing too much in one day, I think I feel asleep before they did. But not before I took a picture of how I was feeling.

Please don't abuse the fact that I'm putting this on the internet. Part 2 coming soon.

Where have all the pictures gone?

Where have all the pictures gone?

oh ya, I haven't taken any....boo how did this happen?

In October Jeff and I went to Boston: about 30 min. into the flight I realized "I forgot my camera!!!" But no biggie, I'll just borrow one from the Ulicny's. Unfortunately they had misplaced theirs. And with spending money on flights and other travel stuff, I just couldn't splurge and buy another one. Jeff had his camera phone after all.

But little did I know... IT WOULD LEAD TO A SPIRALING DEATH OF ME TAKING ANY PICTURES OVER THE NEXT 5 MONTHS.

well I have taken a few. Like Christmas morning, I wanted to remember how nice it was, so I took this picture

Sour Pez can really turn the tongue green!

Another time I found something important enough to get the camera out:

Icicles! Don't wanna miss those:)

This is the best holiday photo I could find of Jeff:

Bringing in the Christmas tree. I hope you live another year so I can make up for it:)

All jokes aside, while looking through my pathetic shots of the last few months, I managed not to drop the bomb at Owen's first piano recital:

He works so hard at the piano, and so far seems to really enjoy it.

I vow to take more pictures the next few months. Especially since they will be my last....(sniff sniff) here in Salt Lake City.

I KNOW I'm pregnant when:

*I crave Indian food all the time.

*I pick up my meds at the pharmacy and instead of a cute little white bag with a few pill bottles, I get a HUGE grocery size paper bag filled with syringes and heparin viles.

*I have to pee a zillion times a day.

*I can't stay awake for a late night movie.

*I stop planning events after a set date. (In this case, July 22nd)

*My clothes stop fitting.

*I can't get out of bed in the mornings so i let my 7yr old pack his own lunch. When I check it, and it's 2 fruit snacks, a juice, and some peanut butter crackers, I just zip it up and toss it into his backpack. Ok I must be pregnant.

*I see little baby clothes at Target and get butterflies.

*I forget important events, familiar peoples names, and... wait what was I going to say?

*I blush easily (has anyone else found this happening when pregnant? I feel like I'm in junior high.)

We are so happy to be expecting our third! I can't wait to be outnumbered:) The timing is a little crazy with our expected move to Logan in June and Jeff starting a new job in July. But we're thrilled all the same.

Oh and I've been craving waffles. I'd love you to come make me some:)

Hello old friend

You were gone for a while, and to be honest, I didn't really miss you. There were times I thought of you, sometimes fondly, but most of the time I was glad we were spending time apart. And then you came back with a bang. You hit so hard my house lost power for 10 hours, and I got all cold and grumpy. I realized I couldn't ignore you, so I promise to give you the respect you deserve. I'm not sure if we can ever be friends like when I was a kid. But since you're here now, Winter, I promise I'll try to find the good in you!

Yes, he really shoveled half of this LONG driveway! I love it, he's so useful.

Sweet Souvenirs

We had a GREAT trip to Boston last week. Thanks Kort and Ginny for hosting us:) I'm now going through serious Ulicny withdrawal!!! When Ginny found out Owen was into Pokemon cards she sent this book home for him. I thought he might be excited so I recorded his reaction. Let's just say he delivered:

Preschool

She started preschool.

She's getting to big.

This kind of behavior has GOT to stop. Wipe that smile off your face.

I mean it! Put that chalk down and start throwing a tantrum! Then I can take you home and we can snuggle on the couch, watch Mickey Mouse and eat fishy crackers!

moving on North

I know, I know, I should just show you a before and after picture and call it good.

But then you wouldn't appreciate the process.

All the hard work I did.

And Jeff too.

Owen might have even helped a little (but then again maybe not).

But first....

OUR MIRACLE!!!!!

Our Ash tree in front of out house. The one that has to be there because the street is lined with them. The tree that shades our house from the HOT afternoon sun. The tree we love.

So when all the other trees on the street had leaves, ours only had a few. I was so worried.

I stopped everything and devoted a day of TLC to this tree.

i raked off the bark around it.

added mega amounts of Ammonium Sulfate.

added soil and compost.

added more Ammonium sulfate.

watered it all in.

replaced the bark and then held my breath.

and continued watering it every day.

I waited...

and waited...

and one morning if I squinted really hard I could see baby leaves coming out of what I had thought were dead branches.

then it happened again, and again, until every single dead looking branch had leaves.

We were so happy. Our miracle: our resurrected tree. I could once again sleep at night without dreams of the city taking a chainsaw to my tree.

Back to business. The before of the North flowerbed:

Step one: we had to cut down the tree. I know, I just spent 10 minutes of your precious time telling you how much I loved one tree and here I am about to take an ax to another.

But believe me, I didn't want that on my shoulders.

I made J do it.

The bottom line was "wrong tree. wrong place." I'm not the idiot who planted a tree that gets 40 ft tall and 30 ft wide ,4 ft from the house.

Go J Go! Chop J Chop! That's the punks you hear not me...

Step 2: Install some dry-layed pavement for a small patio.

Lucky for you I was so busy and hot and sweaty I didn't take too many pictures.

It was about this point J turned to me and said

"I've hauled dirt, boulders, gravel, wood, stone, bark, and sand, what else do you want me to do?"

Me: "Ummm dig up some grass, plant some shrubs, maybe a few trees, and weed my garden. Honey? Where are you going? Is is something I said?"

These punks thought the purpose of this project was the sand box we'd parked in the drivewayPunks.

Step 3: Plant stuff and pull weeds, and pick out rocks, and try to level all the beds, and make the grass line look nice, and install the drip, and avoid dehydration.

Step 4: Spread bark, relax, enjoy, smile.

If you seek attention:

Make some drastic changes to your front yard.

people will notice.

and come to watch you work.

they might even take your picture.

they will definitely say it looks good.

even if they don't like it.

People are just like that.

but that's ok cause I do the same thing.

and those jeans I'm wearing...super uncomfortable.

even for gardening.

they're going in the D.I. bag

So way back a few long months ago, I decided to get busy and improve my landscape. You remember the front yard? No? Well it had problems.

First:

The beds were too high against the house. So I removed a little soil. Only it turned out not to be soil. It was rocks.

It was annoying.

Second:

There were only flowers in the bed. and one shrub I planted last year.

I added three chokeberry bushes and a Japanese maple.

Then I moved the spirea and my awesome friend helped me get some landscape rocks. And viola! One side down, one to go:)