Antelope Island

On Saturday, Cory decided randomly that we needed to go hiking and have a picnic. Most of the mountain recreational areas around here are still covered with snow, so we decided to go to Antelope Island, which is in the Great Salt Lake. We usually find an excuse to go there about once a year. I think Cory has some special checklist in his head of Things To Do Once a Year, which would also include backpacking somewhere in the Uintas, visiting a National Park, and eating at Q for You. The kids had a great time wandering around the ranch there, where we explored the oldest building in Utah still on its original foundation, some old barns, a chuck wagon, as well as assorted chickens and horses. Lear had an especially fun time roping a fake cow, which mostly consisted of looping the lasso around the horns by hand, and stretching the rope out as long as he could on the ground, after which he would bounce up an down proudly and say "I did it! I did it!" The fun thing about Antelope Island is that there is a lot of wildlife that are just wandering around - we saw bison, of course, as well as antelope, ducks, a coyote, seagulls, and sea monkeys (AKA brine shrimp). Neither Cory nor I have ever seen a coyote in the wild before, so that was pretty exciting for us. 

Lear's Quote of the Week: "We have to go to a faraway land to see the bison."

Honorable mention: "I didn't kick Ella, my leg was just out of control."

The children are quiet... too quiet...

Lear and Ella received a letter from Grandma and Grandpa Janes this week - they love getting letters! They both start running around and yelling with joy when they get one. This one had pictures in it from Gma and Gpa's visit a few weeks ago. Lear insisted that the pictures be put immediately into the "pho-po album." Ella loves pointing at people she knows in pictures, especially herself - she smiles hugely and says "Ewwa!" 

I've been sick for a couple of days, which of course sucks. Cory was so wonderful - he let me sleep in and made me breakfast in bed. How did I get so lucky? I prayed every day for as long as I can remember to meet the right man to marry, and I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for sending him to me. How lucky, how blessed, I am. 

While I was still lying in bed feeling sorry for myself, Cory took a shower to get ready for church. The kids were downstairs, watching their favorite show, "Peep," and were being very quiet... yes, too quiet. Cory was saying that he liked it better when you can hear bumps and thumps, and the kids yelling at each other - because then you know what they're doing. Just after Cory said this, Lear came upstairs smiling and laughing as usual, followed by Ella - apparently soaking wet. Her hair was drenched, and her shirt was a mess. Lear of course said he didn't know what happened, and when Cory went to touch her hair, it wasn't wet - it was sticky. She had gotten into a pot of Vaseline that Cory had used to treat her diaper rash (which she gets every time her diaper is stinky for more than two seconds.) She was an oil slick from head to her waist. I think we'll probably have to throw out her favorite pajamas, which are so saturated that her tummy was covered in Vaseline that soaked through the shirt. I washed her hair twice, and she still looks like an oil slick. I'm going to have to leave it for a day or so, and hopefully it'll wear out.  We have pictures, of course, and as soon as I figure out how to post them on the blog, I'll have them up.

Lear quote of the week, said after jumping onto his bed: "Hey, that was an uncomfortable way to land... what does 'uncomfortable' mean?"

Sleeping peacefully!

Hooray! After a couple of difficult nights with both children in the same room, we have turned a corner. They now go to sleep peacefully, with no crying, whining, drama, or noise. Beautiful! It is so nice to have them going to sleep peacefully - I feel like I have evenings again.

This week was generally peaceful. Lear is a little sick - we think he may have a sinus infection, but it doesn't seem very bad. Ella is talking more and more every day, as well as showing more gumption by the second. I will freely admit that I am afraid of her pre-teen and teenage years. Cory is working hard, and I'm just sort of doing my thing. I'll try to update the blog whenever I have something interesting to write.

Lear quote of the day, said during our morning cuddle time in mommy and daddy's bed:

"It sure is nice to be a family, isn't it?"

Sleeping adventures and cave disappointments

Ella has been very difficult lately at night. Cory and I thought that maybe she just was getting sick of being stuck in a crib (or cage, as she would probably describe it if she could talk) so we took off the gate to her crib, which makes it into a daybed, and we put Lear and Ella in the same room. We though this would help her like bedtime a little more, and feel more secure at night. We've been doing it for about 20 minutes so far - and it's an absolute disaster.... We're hoping that things calm down!

We have a tradition in our family to go on a car ride in the country during the LDS Conference sessions on Sunday, and listen to the speakers while enjoying nature. Today, we went to a place called Danger Cave just outside of Wendover, close to the Bonneville Speedway. Cory's wanted to visit the cave for years. Apparently it a state historical site, with evidence of people inhabiting it for eons, so I thought it would be fun, too. When we got there, however, there was a grate blocking the entrance, and Cory suddenly remembered that the U is doing an archaeological dig there (or something like that). Sure enough, there were flags and lights and other stuff like that inside. It was interesting to see a real dig, and Lear was so excited about the cave, that he wanted to go find more - but we thought it would be better to move on. 

Lear quote of the day: "I'm glad there weren't any bears or bats in the cave!"

Getting started

So, we've decided to get in on the blogging thing. Im just going to start writing as if we're already in the middle, to save myself going over past history...