Yellowstone {and Island Park}

Labor Day weekend found us in Island Park again.  We all arrived late one night and the first thing on the agenda the next morning?

A dip in the hot tub with Gramps.

The kids were frequent hot tub patrons, but no one broke the "no hot tubbing without a grown-up"rule, so that was good news.

Also on the agenda for day 1:

Learning to crochet.  This was an Annie-only activity, but she took right to it.  Yesterday, she even took the time to teach me how to make a chain.  She is quite a crafter.  I hope she always remembers Grandma Donna taking the time to teach her how.  They sat out on the deck for a couple of hours together.  It was sweet.

 

 

The afternoon found us making our way to Mack's Inn for a little river fun.  We skipped the long float this year and just played around on the paddle boats.  

 

 It looks like Grandma Rose taught Cole how to wave in pictures!

We finished off the evening roasting S'mores and Starburst and Swedish Fish around the campfire.

 

 

On Day 2 we made our way to Mesa Falls and Warm Springs and what do you know, our kids found their way into the water again!

 

 

The kids also found a new pet at Warm Springs.  Josh named him Rufus and he and Ben quickly became fast friends.  I hope I can always hear Ben's sweet little voice telling him "good job, Rufus" when he would fetch the sticks Ben tossed him.

And you didn't think we'd make it a summer without a trip to Yellowstone, did you?  Of course we made it there.  We watched Old Faithful (of course we did - we are as faithful about visiting it as it is at erupting).  Ben gathered all the sticks he could find.  I guess he thought Rufus might come back.

Ben laughed every time we said "stink pots."  He has a great laugh.

Some of the group went on a hike to Mystic Falls...

...and others in the group "waded" while the others hiked.  It was Sunday, so no swimming.  Riiiight.  We just "waded" up to our shoulders.

 

And then we went home.  Sniff sniff.  It was a quick trip this year.  Here are my two favorite pictures of the trip:

My Girls.  They kinda like each other.  

 

And this classic.  He's pretty awesome, even in purple sunnies.

School Days

I don't know why my children think they need to grow up.  Like this little guy?  He is perfectly charming and delightful just how he is.  I'd like to freeze time.

But.  He loves friends and loves learning, so school it is.

Meanwhile, I'm secretly looking for reasons why he shouldn't go to school yet so I can keep him all to myself.  A baby hoarder - that's what I am.

Dos

Someone had a birthday last week - the big 2-months!  I really and  truly can't believe it has been that long and at the same time can hardly remember life without our little Molly Dolly.

Life with Molly means:

-Lots of smiling.  Everyone in the house loves making her smile and she likes to smile right back at all of us.  She's got a good one.

-A fair amount of arguing over whose turn it is to hold her.

-Swinging.  The girl loves her swing.  We may have to search for an extra large model when she outgrows it.

 

- Bathtime.  She loves getting bathed and just grins at you the whole time.

-Lots of talking to strangers.  People sure like to stop and admire babies.

-Laughter.  She makes all of us laugh and has been working so hard to be able to laugh along with us.  She has been able to get a few little giggles out.  I love seeing her work her entire body to be able to laugh.

She's a happy little gal and seems to like life with us.  She sticks to a schedule pretty good, but doesn't get too bothered when we have to change things up (which is often).  She was a 10 pounds even and 23.5" long at her 2-month check.

We get asked a lot if she looks like Annie, so here are pictures of both of them in their blessing dresses.  Yep.  They look alike, but not exactly like twins.  I guess time will tell.

Annie

Molly

We sure love you, Little One.

The Warriors

I asked Cole a few months ago if he wanted to play flag football this fall and he said yes, so I present my little Warrior:

 

His team is pretty good.  They've won most of their games and have a fun time together.  Cole seems to like it and is getting pretty good at pulling flags.  He does not like it when he is held while trying to get to the other team (which is pretty much every play - they don't call it yet), so Dad taught him a couple of defense techniques - "dip and rip" and "swimming."  He smiles awfully big when he pulls a flag.

He and Annie are also playing soccer this fall plus Annie is in dance.

And me?  I'm just jealous.  For some reason, watching them in all their activities has made me rather introspective.  I love watching them use their bodies and develop talents.

A few years ago, my church calling was to be the Temple Prep Instructor.  I really liked teaching the class and preparing for the lessons.  Every time I taught the course, we would discuss the need of a physical body for temple ordinances to be completed.  I'm not an expert on the doctrine about why we need a body for these ordinances, but I was always touched by feelings of gratitude for the opportunity to have a body when we would discuss this. This gratitude is probably what has stayed with me the most from that calling.

 

As I've watched my children play and participate, I've been so grateful they have opportunities to use their bodies.  I'm sure they don't yet appreciate what a joy it is to have a healthy and able body because that's all they've ever known.  My kids won't be making a career out of sports, but I keep them involved because as part of their experiences in this life, I want them to feel the joy that comes from kicking a ball that ripples through soccer net, from catching a winning touchdown pass, and from dancing in perfect rhythm.  I want them to know the exhaustive exhilaration that comes from running up a mountain and the private pride that comes from blocking an opponent's spike and yes, even the sting of defeat.

I want them to have a chance to try it all.

Swimming.
Dancing.
Soccer.
Football.
Running.
Biking.
Basketball.
Hula Hooping.
Volleyball.
Hiking.
Twirling a Baton.
Tumbling.
Tennis.
Jump Roping.
Ice Skating.

 

Who knows what they'll love.  I loved football and soccer and volleyball and running.  I wasn't coordinated enough for basketball, I was a terrible swimmer, and I wasn't a very graceful dancer.  I can still out-hula hoop everyone I meet and I'm a pretty good jump roper.  My kids will probably have different loves and different talents - Cole is a fish and Annie is a graceful dancer.   

I think a lot about my body and how grateful I am for my health. I have a friend whose husband was paralyzed one year after they were married.  It's bittersweet to look at their wedding pictures and see him standing tall and proud.  I wonder what he misses most now that his life is lived in a wheelchair.  I wonder what it will be like when I die and my body is separated from my spirit.  I think I will be anxious for the resurrection when all things will be restored. I think about Satan and his followers and how I can best make them jealous of my body.  It's probably not by sitting on the computer all day or playing video games.  I hope they see me when I reach the top of the pass and feel regret that they will never know that feeling.  I hope Heavenly Father sees me too and sees that I love the body He has given me and try to honor this gift by taking good care of it.

  

 When I look at sweet little Molly, I'm amazed by the things her body has already learned to do.  All of my children are in the spring of life and are just discovering what their bodies are capable of doing.   I remember my Grandpa Johnson who loved nothing more than to hike through the Tetons with a group of scouts or take his grandchildren backpacking through Yellowstone.  He spent years bedridden before his death. I hope he remembered fondly the things he used to do while he was in the winter of life.

I miss being a kid.  I miss playing kickball at recess.  I miss running across the playground equipment.   I miss doing flips off the top of our swing set.  I miss all the teams I used to play on.  I miss swinging my toes up to the clouds.  I miss climbing trees.  I miss pretending I was an Olympian.  I miss hearing my name called after I crossed the finish line of the track.  I miss being able to make it all the way across the monkey bars (Have you tried those lately?  So.Hard.).   I wish I could go back and tell that little girl to run faster and kick harder and climb higher. Life gets busy and there aren't many chances for me to do a lot of the things I used to love.

  

Instead, I'll be sure my children have the chance to try it all and I'll just keep on running for as long as I can.

Sunflowers

So, I really like having a garden.  But this year, I was a total garden slacker and it kinda shows.  The tomatoes are rocking it (which just means I feel guilty for not canning them yet), but almost everything else was rather so-so this year.

Except those sunflowers.  I suppose it might be because I really loved that sunflower craze of the mid 90's, or maybe they just remind me of home.  Whatever the reason, I can't have a garden without sunflowers.  Not just any sunflowers - we had one reach a good twelve feet before the blossom got so weighed down with seeds that it lost a few feet.  They make me happy every time I see them.  And they also remind me of a My Little Pony show I loved when I was younger where the ponies have to travel through a field of giant sunflowers.  I don't remember what peril required such a journey, but that's when I first realized sunflowers could grow so tall.

 

They put on quite a show every year, but it turns out I have a husband who likes sunflower seeds so they are an actual crop around here.  Every year, I chop off the heads, let them dry, pick out hundreds of fat seeds, and roast them up for him.  As much as I love sunflowers, sunflower seeds are one of my least favorite snacks in the entire world, so he gets to snack away. 

Anyone want to share in the fun?  I bought seeds about five years ago, but haven't since.  I save a few every year and it seems the birds are helping my habits cause a few always crop up in random places of my garden where they were dropped the year before.  In a few weeks, they'll lose their color (sniff sniff) and it will be time to harvest.  I'd be glad to share a few seeds.

Blessed

 We blessed little Molly Abigail on Sunday.  And by we, I mean Floyd of course.  Although I did make her dress and shoes, so that's what the "we" business is all about.  

 

Her shoes were made from leftover fabric from my wedding dress - and they are the first pair she hasn't kicked off, so that was lucky.

Jokes aside, it was a blessed day.  It was my mom's birthday and was raining cats and dogs in the morning, but luckily we have 1:00 church with Sacrament Meeting last which gave the weather plenty of time to clear up. 

 

The blessing was tender and sweet and just perfect.  She is a blessed babe, that's certain, and she has blessed our lives immensely.  

 We love you so much, little Miss Molly.  We are truly blessed to have you join our family.