I Don't Know If I Should Laugh Or Throw Up

Livi has had a ... "remark"able day. She has kept me laughing, wanting to cry, and wanting to throw up (amazingly all at the same time). It's interesting all the emotions having a two year old can provoke.

While I was paying bills Livi found an engagement photo of me and Eric.
She brought it over and asked "Who it is?"
I barely looked up and answered "Oh, it's me and Dad."
Livi seemed to think I didn't look at it correctly so she shoved it under my nose "WHO IT IS?"
I pretended to study the photo and answered "It is me and Daddy."
She looked at it "Na uh."
Me: "I assure you that is me and Dad."
Livi: "No, she pretty."

Tonks is a pretty small dog. She is only about a foot long and 3 lbs in weight. Livi seems to think that because Tonks is so small that means that she, Livi, should be able to carry her around. This morning she picked her up and was carrying her around the kitchen.
Me: "Livi, I don't think Tonks likes that very much."
Livi: "Yeah, she do!"

You can decide:"Please help me."

The piece-de-resistance happened while sitting on the couch right after breakfast. I was looking up shoes on my ipad (of course) and Livi said "Mom, it for you." I absent-mindedly said "oh." Livi grabbed my hand and said "Here take it." I asked "What is it?" As her little hand went into mine she said "It's a booger."
Thanks Livi

The Tooth Fairy Gives Me Heartburn

Thank you, Tooth Fairy, for instigating many uncomfortable conversations. Why do some kids get $0.50, some a dollar, and some get two? Why do some kids get special coins or presents when they lose their first tooth? Why do some kids get a note, a toy, a car, when they lose a tooth? What does the Tooth Fairy look like? How does she fly? Is she tiny or big? What in the world does she do with all those teeth?

Ella recently lost her first tooth. It had been loose for ages, and for days had been at that gross stage where it moves around on its own every time she opened her mouth. She didn't even notice it was gone until we were reading for bed and I asked her what happened. She remembered spitting something in the sink when she brushed her teeth. Yes, her first tooth and been lost down the drain.

There was the inevitable break down that only a type-A child with a very type-A mother can produce. She worried that the Tooth Fairy wouldn't leave anything because there wasn't a tooth to collect. She worried the Tooth Fairy wouldn't even show up since there was no lost tooth in the house. She worried she would get in trouble with the Tooth Fairy and it would affect later tooth profits. Ethan was actually very reassuring and told her about the time he lost his tooth at school and the Tooth Fairy still came. This brought on all the questions about how different kids have different experiences with the Tooth Fairy.

We decided that there are many, many, MANY tooth fairies that are in charge of different families. They have individual relationships with their assigned families and individually decide how to reward the child for the tooth. I never thought I would have to have deep philosophical discussions about flying tooth collectors, but there you have it, the ever amazing job of a mother!

p.s. We decided that our tooth fairy has a tooth alarm that goes off when someone loses a tooth. We left a note explaining what happened and she was very understanding. Thank goodness!p.p.s. What would someone do with all those teeth? We came up with: build a really disgusting castle; sell them to dentists in poor countries; and maybe she is a hoarder, the likes of which have never been seen. Any other ideas?

Oh Canada, Pt 4 (last one I promise)

Okay, I'm going to try and wrap up the Canada trip this post. It was just so much fun it's hard to condense everything. Some things I didn't get pictures of like Jes' overly...ah..."enhanced" D&D character, McKay scaring us with stories of cancer from microwave popcorn (we ate it anyways), and the shear number of hot chocolate cups we went through. I do have a few pictures from other highlights though:

Red Rock Canyon: I was amazed my very tired, pregnant sister wanted to go, but it was fun for the three couples to brave the super high water and basically swim our way up the canyon. We even attracted an audience at one particularly embarrassing part that involved sliding down rocks into a VERY cold pool of water (embarrassing because I squealed like a ground squirrel about to be attacked by Baylee). I thought McKay's foot wear (flip flops) particularly brave, but he ended up having better traction than James did with his "specialty shoes."

Horse back riding, a favorite every year. This year was just as beautiful and not as scary as years past (no run away horses!). The most memorable part was Jes getting the shortest, widest horse available.
She spent a BIG part of the ride trying to get her horse NOT to eat.

I didn't go on the "walk" (according to Julia it was a death march) to the sand hills.
My knee did not survive Red Rock and then a horse ride so I was at the cabin drinking hot chocolate (ha-ha). Ethan and Ella liked jumping off the "cliffs" (really a little shelf, but the kids thought they were so brave!).

Taking walks by the lake to cool off. It was unusually hot some of the days so we would walk by the lake to get a cool breeze. One particularly hot day Ebby and Livi decided to wade pretty far into the glacial water and it turned traumatic for all:

Golfing in the most beautiful setting ever:

Park runs at least twice a day:

The best boating day ever. The lake was like glass, and the International boat was just coming back from the US side. We used the wake from the giant boat to push our little fishing boat into a rip roaring ride that had us all laughing in fear, and Ethan getting thrown from one side of the boat to the other. Good times.


Saying goodbye to the cabin, always bitter sweet (although that doesn't really make sense. It was just bitter, not sweet, I didn't want to go back home. If we could just live there year round I would. Eric wants to open a store there, but we have yet to come up with something plausible. Plus the whole 20 feet of snow in the winter is a deterrent.)

Here is a video from the Red Rock adventure. You are at a dam in the river and there is a small hole you can climb through to get to the upper part of the river. The only problem is that, that means there is a very small hole you have to climb down to get back. Luckily we had three strong guys we could fall on if we needed to:

Oh Canada, Pt 3

On a totally random note: I want to hide in a hole. In a text our sweet Bishop's wife offered to teach my Sunday School class so I wouldn't have to go to church tomorrow, I declined (also in a text). She texted back "ok" and then like the socially defunct person I am I texted back "Thank you so much!" Right as I pushed the send button I cringed, realizing how weird a response that was. I could just picture her looking at the text and wondering "wait, so am I teaching her class?"

It makes me wonder if there is someway to use my lack of grasp of the English language (that was a pretty good example right there) to my advantage. Maybe I need my friend Melissa to watch our dog. I just text her "Thanks so much for watching Tonks, you are a life saver!" She reads that and thinks maybe she already agreed and just forgot. Bang, I now feel like I don't need to hang my head in shame, and found a babysitter for Tonks!

On to Canada:
This year the kids made lots of friends, and by "made" I mean they played with people they have met before but didn't remember. Livi found a great friend in my second cousin, Lucy. Lucy is a little older, but since Livi is so tall and talks so well, it didn't seem to matter. Lucy would come over and the two little blond "angels" (used VERY loosely) would play and play, and argue, and then play and play some more.
Between Aspen Grove and Canada we got to spend lots of time with the kids' only cousins, Ebby and Autumn. By the end we had some great, almost iconic moments, like the kids eating icecream on some random wooden steps together, Autumn wanted some too, and we had some less great moments such as Livi screaming bloody murder, me brushing it off, and then an hour later finding a PERFECT bite mark on her arm. I was impressed not only with Ebby's powerful jaw, but the fact that Livi sat there and let it get to that point. It was so perfect and pronounced I think I could have had Alan make a dental impression of Ebby's mouth with it.

Another important friend was Bailey. Bailey is James and Jes' tiny little porkie (Pomeranian/Yorkie) dog. She is probably the biggest reason we ended up with Tonks. She is small, sweet, cuddly and took a real shine to Ella. She thought she was a great guard dog and would "protect us" from the scheming shifty-eyed ground squirrels, and the scary middle-aged vacationers that would pass us on the trails. To her credit, I was never attacked by anyone wearing khaki shorts and a button up shirt (or a squirrel for that matter).

Oh Canada, pt. 2

I've had a rough morning. I'm still beat. Livi is going through withdrawals since the big kids went back to school this morning. Tonks rolled in her own poo outside so she had to have a bath and a blow dry (which seems ridiculous since I don't even blow dry my own hair) and she is still traumatized. Both are pretty clingy right now so I'm reduced to typing with 1 hand.
I wanted to post more of our adventures in Canada, but the shaking puppy on my arm thinks that is a silly idea, so I give to you:

Eric, the Mighty Fish SlayerI hate fish, but I have to say fresh caught glacier lake trout tastes pretty darn good (although tires would probably taste good too if you put that much butter and garlic on them).

Oh Canada, pt 1

I know I have said it several times, but "I Love Canada". There is just something about Waterton that lets me finally completely relax. It is the one place in the world I can feel my mind settle down and my anxiety just melts off.

This year started out as awesome as usual. We had some AMAZING adventures...dum duh duh da (suppose to be exciting music, not saying you are dumb).

First off Ethan and Ella were able to take control of Grandpa's Banana Boat (for a very short, and terrifying time). Ethan loved it so much we were able to get a rare picture : Ethan smiling!

Speaking of rare and undocumented, I give you, never before seen in captivity or the wild: Dad in shorts!!!

The park was just full of water after the very wet winter and spring. Waterfalls were more like water-thrown-over-with-great-forces. My newest bro-in-law, McKay, surrounded by millions of gallons of water and his fan club.

Our group with Cameron (Torrential) Falls behind us. I like how the two son-in-laws were too cool for the picture.

On one of the first days in the park we went hiking up to Bertha Falls which is normally a very relaxing and serene hike. This time we took someone with us who was such a crazy hiker he would run ahead of us, see we were lagging behind, run back to us and urge us on. He was a true taskmaster. I have never been on a hike with someone with that much enthusiasm and zest for hiking. He is Ben, my second cousin, and... he is 4 years old (he is the cutey in the white shirt in the front)!

On our hike to Bertha Falls Livi heard something in the bushes and did the only thing an intelligent and safety conscious 2 year old can do... she poked at it with a stick.

I also threw caution to the wind and let Livi take short rides on the scooters with Eric. She held on really well and I'm sure in years to come we will be at her mercy taking rides constantly to throw rocks at the lake, or go get ice cream, or just check out the perimeter of the cabin.

Aspen Grove 17.0

I've have been going to Aspen Grove for somewhere around 17 or 18 years (depending on which relative you are talking to). Every year, for me, is a different experience. I started as a young teenager, went as a young married person, brought tiny babies, and now have kids that are enjoying the same programs I did when I was younger.

It was a really fun year for a number of reasons:
1. For the first time in 7 years none of my little family got sick and threw up!
2.How do you beat number 1?
3.For the first time the kids really wanted to do their ending program and they did a great job.
4.I got to meet my only niece.
5.I actually got some free time since Livi liked going to group.
6.I got to hang out with some really fun relatives!

Some other highlights:
Frontier Night- Ella took control of the classroom, and the boys seemed happy to let her.
James was willing to run around with Ebby and Livi, because boy did they sure love running,
and running,
and running.

Hiking to Stewart Falls with my fabulous sister Jes. My sister Julia wrote a whole thing about hiking with Jes and I would suggest reading that description. For the record I only thought I was going to die for half the hike (the up hill part). Jes is amazing! She is the energizer bunny of hiking. She is so athletic and fit and I am....not. At one point I thought I was having a stroke when my face went numb, but Jes is really a good sport and was willing to take stops for me. The hike was beautiful and the snow bank at the bottom of the falls, IN JUNE, was something I have never seen before.

The kids showing off their daily exploits. It seemed a lot of days involved face paint. Not normal face paint. Face paint that takes nuclear clean up formulas to remove. I don't even remember how long it took to get Ethan's Darth Vader mask off, but it was a while, and involved two types of makeup remover and some tears.

I thought Livi was trying to make a cute pose like Ella always does, but no.
One of the best parts was seeing Livi just take to my Grandma Donna. Livi and Ebby really loved it when she would blow bubbles for them. Livs still talks about "your mama onna."

Tonks

Well, we got a puppy. I've only had two full blown panic attacks, and so far she's been a doll. To answer a few questions her name is "Tonks" (from Harry Potter, a big thanks to James and Jes for the idea), she was GREAT on the ride home, not crying or barking at all, and she is a schnorkie which is part miniature schnauzer, part yorkie.

We picked this breed on purpose because we needed: something small so Ethan could deal with it (yorkie); something pretty sturdy (schnauzer); something good with kids and traveling (schnauzer); something that didn't shed because of allergies (yorkie and schnauzer); and something adorable so Eric would say yes (yorkie).

She is a tiny little ball of fur that reminds me of a teddy bear. She already has decided that Eric is Alpha Dog and loves him best. She will cuddle next to me, but if she can she prefers to be on Eric. Or my freshly clean laundry I am trying to fold.

Ella is obsessed with her and every chance she gets she picks Tonks up and either carries her like a baby, or in her bed like a floating carpet ride. I'm not quiet sure Tonks likes it as much, but she is very patient and good with all the kids.

If you listen to my voice you can tell I'm a little out of it. I guess it was good I wasn't in my right head. Otherwise we wouldn't have gotten a dog and we would have missed out on this cuteness.

I Blame Eric, oh, and Jessica Simpson

There are two things you should never do on pain pills: get a haircut, and buy a puppy. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle.

Really? So What Is?

Puppy Update: So I totally thought having viral meningitis would be the card up my sleeve to getting a puppy. Eric assures me that having meningitis is a reason NOT to get a puppy right now. I think his ideas of what will help me (rest, pain pills, chocolate) are well meaning but not as helpful as:So after Disneyland we had about 2 days to rest before we started on the next leg of our journey. We decided for the sake of everyone's' sanity to make the trip back to Utah in two days. We decided to stop in Cedar City and partake in a family tradition that I haven't been able to do for years: The Shakespeare Festival. I was so excited that Richard III was playing (one of my favorites) and that I was able to go with Julia and Joy.

We took the kids to the green show before the play where they sing and dance and you get to eat ice-cream for dinner (a long running tradition as well). Also long running: Mom and Dad. They spent most of the green show chasing after Livi and Ebby.