Notes for July 6th

First, let me start with my first 4th of July. We had breakfast with nanny and poppy. We had one of my favorites- pancakes. I love to pick those syrupy little pieces up, delicately place them in my mouth like a lady, then rub my sticky hands through my hair. Mom gets irritated that I ruin my clean hair first thing in the morning, but I don't see what the big deal is. Dad and mom worked on a little project for my birthday. They sure aren't very good at keeping birthday surprises a secret. We watched the fireworks in Midway from across town, then the party continued when we watched some more that our neighbors set off down the street. I "oohed" and "aahed" and thought they were so cool. It was all fun times, until daddy started with our own fireworks. The first loud pops nearly scared mom and I right to death and it was all over from there. I cried everytime I heard anything loud. Finally mom and dad just put me to bed which was a good move.

At church on Sunday, I found a picture of the Savior that I really love. When I saw it, I pointed and "oohed" and "aahed" just like at the fireworks. Mom was surprised because up to this point I haven't really been into any artwork she has been trying to show me at church. I think it is just really beautiful and familiar.

Today we had a wonderful day in the sun. We went for a picnic with Aunt Hezzie and her summer camp kids. I got to ride in my new pack on mom's back and that was pretty fun. I fell asleep in the car on the way home, and to my pleasant surprise, when I woke up, we were at the beach. Aunt Holly and cousin Taycen came too and I had a ball.I played in the sand, swam in my new floatie that the nice lady in park city gave to me for free (yeehaw!), played in the sand some more, and swam in my floatie some more. Note: I now play in the sand, and no longer feel the need to eat it, although I do still like to chew on rocks periodically. I am gradually putting my childish ways behind me. I love to be in the water, especially on a nice warm day like today. Oh it was wonderful. Mom even let me borrow her sunglasses since mine got run over with the stroller (tragic day). All in all, it was a good day. I was so tuckered from all that sun, I took a nice long nap after eating one and a half bananas and a nutrigrain bar. Do bananas cause constipation? I hope not.

A few pictures...

Happy Father's Day

This is the picture I gave to daddy for Father's Day. You also might notice my hair growth in the back that I mentioned in an earlier post.

Daddy playing with his new toys. Hopefully he will use these to build me something good.

This is the picture I gave to poppy. I was at the Farmer's Market trying to stay warm in my hoodie. My cousin Dustin drew this picture and gave it to us. It looks good!

The Park

Here I am doing one of my favorite things... eating rocks at the park.

Poppy's Tickley Kisses

I love to get kisses from Poppy. His mustache tickles, so everytime he kisses me I have to scratch my lip.

Farmer's Market

Dad, Mom, Aunt Hezzie, Uncle Denver and I all went to the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago. It was fun to listen to the music.

Notes for July 3rd

Slacker, I know. I have been busy during the day and daddy has kind of been hogging the computer at night to do homework. Let's see, the past week's highlights in reader's digest form...
Mom and dad finally brought the slide, horse, and piano inside. The first couple of days was just a tease because they were all still dirty so I had "limited" playtime on them. Mom finally scrubbed them down and now they are all mine. I love them. I can climb up the rock wall that is just my size on the back of the slide and then slide down with minimal help. Well, that is if I don't try to slow myself down with my feet, in which case, I stop halfway down the slide and it is no fun at all. My horse is beautiful. I pet her, and kiss her, and mommy shows me how to feed her pretend grass. She gallops with such grace and mom always provides lovely background music and a few "yee-haws" to make my rides a little more exciting.
I LOVE orange creamsicles. Nanny and poppy had some at their house and I've snagged a few bites here and there when mom, dad, and poppy are enjoying them. Oh, they are delicious. I take a big lick, then I suck in my cheeks to savor the taste, then I stick my tongue out a few times to get any off my lips or any particles that might have escaped into the air. Oh they are good. Nanny and poppy brought some root beer creamsicles over for me. Also very good, but I still think orange is my favorite.
Speaking of Nanny and poppy, they brought me some wonderful magnetic letters for the fridge that I could just scatter all over the kitchen floor all day long. I am sure it drives mom crazy to be stepping on d's and l's and b's all day, but I can't help that it is just more fun to play with them on the floor than on the fridge. They also brought me a little dog that barks and sings songs. I am not sure how I feel about him yet. He is much more lively and noisier than my stuffed animal dogs that don't say or do anything. I think I am warming up to hime though. At least I don't back away from him anymore.
I have been to Ikea two times this week. I have had my fill. Nice store, but enough is enough. I also went to my first temple open house this week. It was the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in West Jordan. We went with Mama Winterton, Grandma, and Chas. There were wonderful lights in that temple, far more impressive than the lights we have at home. Mom kept trying to keep me quiet, but I was a little ornery from the long drive and short nap so a quiet voice was not easy for me to do. It helped to get us through the temple a little bit faster (mom picked up the pace when I started yelling), which meant we got to the refreshment tent that much sooner. I'm no fool. I heard them say at the beginning there would be snacks served when you finished going through the temple. I was much more pleasant once I had a cookie and some water. The temple was lovely, too, especially those chandeliers.
I am trying really hard to say some words. I listen to what mom says, then try my best to copy. Yesterday I think I said a version of "all done." Mom was pretty excited about that one. Today when daddy came home for lunch, I said some version of "dad" as soon as I heard the front door open. I always make an attempt at "amen" at the end of our prayers, and last night I kept my arms folded for the whole prayer with mommy's help.
Happy 4th of July! This will be my first time for fireworks, that is if I can stay awake late enough to see them. We'll have to see how I am feeling tomorrow night. If I am too tired, I may just go to bed and have mom and dad tell me how they were from our house.

Notes for June 28th

Well, I spent a good portion of my weekend yard saling with mom and when I say weekend, I mean Friday before the weekend even started AND Saturday. Who knew that yard sales start before the weekend even begins? I don't think I get quite as excited as mom. Something about driving around, stopping, getting out of my seat, browsing for a moment, getting back in my seat, driving some more, etc all during my naptime is not always my idea of a good time. Good news is I got to see all of the great toys mom got me for my birthday. Good thing I'll forget everything by tomorrow. Some of my favorites are my new rocking horse and little baby grand piano. These will be fabulous additions to my life. I can't wait until they officially make it into the house. Right now, mom and dad have them hiding in the garage, waiting for a good cleaning and the great unveiling (as if I haven't already seen them). I have heard talk that I won't have to wait until my birthday because I won't care about presents anyway, and I am happy to keep them believing that as long as I get that horse and piano ASAP. Last night, I had some s'mores for the first time. I already knew I loved marshmallows, but add graham cracker and chocolate to that (neither of which I am probably supposed to have-oops), and it is DIVINE. Messy, but divine! Today we didn't have church because someone in the ward nursery had swine flu. I missed playing with all of the girls' shoes in our primary class, but I didn't mind having my nap in my bed at home, instead of in the car seat in primary. We visited nanny and poppy and I played with their dogs for a bit. They are little bit easier to manage than that old hound, gundog, making it much easier for me to chase them on the floor. I've had an earache all day, so hopefully we can get into the doctor tomorrow to get me some medicine. Until then, I'll just have to hope mommy and daddy keep giving me some of that delicious cherry flavored medicine from the syringe, that I love so much. That stuff is as good as the s'mores! It's been a fun weekend. Tomorrow it's back to the daily grind- daddy to work, mom and I running errands and hopefully getting a little sun at the beach and the park. Oh, that reminds me. Daddy and mommy took me to the park on friday night, and they let me go down the slide all by myself. I just lay on my back and hold my head up (it makes me feel a little better if I can see where I am going). Dad sends me down and mom catches me at the bottom. A little nervewracking, but I'd say I am making some major progress at the park. I can now officially crawl up all of the steps to the very top, eat rocks , and now slide down one of the slides on my own. I still need to master the swirly slide, the covered slide, the rock climbing wall, and the stepping stone stools, but I'm getting closer. Well, on that note, goodnight and sweet dreams about rocking horses, pianos, slides, and dogs.

Notes for June 25th

Today, I experienced the joys of a merry-go-round. Wow, whoever invented that is brilliant! Not only did I get to sit on a horse that was just my size, but it "galloped" at just the right speed. Aside from that wonderful experience, the day was just mediocre. I had the usual oatmeal for breakfast, applesauce for snack, mac and cheese and hot dogs (that mom snuck in so I would eat them) for lunch, and baby food and grilled cheese for dinner. Unfortunately, we are out of bananas- tragic, I know. I did drink a lot of water today from my sippy cup. I think this heat is getting to me- I am parched lately and just can't get enough of that cool, refreshing H2O. The concept of a straw baffles me, though. Mom and dad continue to attempt to offer me drinks this way, but the only use I can find is to bite it. My bath was wonderful tonight. Last night, I discovered I could dip my face in the water and it is pretty funny for both mommy and I. Well, until I breathe water up my nose- that's annoying. I am finally getting some hair, at least on the back of my head (I've been waiting 11 months to say that). Mom combed it for a while and that felt nice, but I can only sit still for so long. Sometimes I like to dance while I eat. If there is no music, I just hum my own. I think I have a fairly good voice, so I am sure no one minds listening to me. I have been spending a good portion of my days lately making sure I know the proper names for things I see. Mom is very good to tell me what each thing is called when I point and say "dat," even if she has already told me it is a "light", or a "chicken", or a "cookbook" multiple times that day. Well, goodnight. Yard sales in the morning and maybe a trip to Hezzie's summer camp tomorrow. Then the weekend with dad- hallelujah!

Notes for June 24th

Boy, I have been a busy lady. I have been meaning to update all about father's day, my trip to the beach, and all of the other silly nonsense that happens in my life. The picture I gave to dad for father's day was a BIG hit. Not to embarass him or anything, but I think he got a little weepy over it. He liked his tools too, but they paled in comparison to my photo. I have to admit, it was an adorable shot! Mommy made us breakfast- french toast. That was a first for me, and I will definitely be going back for more. Mmm, delicious! I got a nap in before church which helped me to be the good little girl I was hoping to be. We visited poppy after church and I gave him another picture of me. It would seem that I am a bit conceited, handing out pictures of myself as gifts. I think babies are allowed to do that though and they always seem to be appreciated. Monday's events have escaped me, but I am sure it was a fine day. Oh yes, the thing I do remember is that mommy and I slept in that morning. That was lovely. Yesterday, mommy, my cousins Katie and Makayla, and I went to the beach. I went splashing in the VERY COLD water but I didn't mind. Mommy did though and she tried to take me out before all of the other girls came out. I thought that seemed unfair that they would get to keep playing and I was stuck sitting on the sand with mom. After a bit of complaining, she gave in and took me back in until the other girls were ready to get out. We sat on our towels on the beach and soaked up some sun. Well, I should say, sat under the sun... I don't think there was an inch of my body that could "soak up" anything. All of my skin was already completely saturated with 3 layers of SPF 50 sunblock, thanks to my very attentive, skin health conscious mother. By the time we left the beach, I was beat. Mom hadn't even backed out of the parking lot before I was out in my carseat. The sun takes it right out of me. Later that afternoon, mommy took me on a walk, until I spotted the playground. The days of walking on by, quietly watching the other kids playing are over for her. When I see the playground, I want the playground. I decided I was mature enough to navigate around myself, so I left mommy in the dust while I crawled and climbed. She insisted that I sit on her lap for the slides, which was okay since I am not sure my balance skills are up to par yet with the height and curves of the slides. Oh well... someday! Today, mom had summer school, but I was ready for a nap before she even left and I figured since she would be gone anyway, I would just sleep as long as I could. I timed it pretty well- woke up about 15 minutes before she got home. We walked and did the playground routine again, and by 12:30 I was tuckered out and ready for another nap. Apparently my body needs to get used to this warm weather. I have been far more tired and ready for my naps lately. Or I may just need to start hitting the sack a little bit earlier. I'll have to try that one tonight. Mom pulled me along to some BORING meeting. I crawled on the floor and got filthy, which just absolutely rubbed mom the wrong way. She hauled me into the bathroom and scrubbed my blackened hands before we left the meeting, then washed them again when we got home just for good measure. I don't mind. Washing my hands is still kind of a novelty for me or... maybe I take after my mother and just have some kind of sick obsession with it. Only time will tell. Well, it's been a great week so far. I wonder what mom and I will do for the rest of the week. I am hoping another trip to the beach and maybe a few more trips over to that beloved playground (which p.s. I have a lovely view of from my bedroom window- mommy will never be able to hide it from me!).

Notes for June 20th

This morning mommy and I were going to go yard saleing but by the time I pulled mom's lazy bum out of bed and got her to feed me breakfast, it was 9 o'clock. We went to one yard sale but I was cranky and it was raining so mommy wisely brought me home for nap. Dad was off galavanting around with some of his friends from out of town- fishing and golfing- but it worked out okay because mom and I had some shopping to do for him. We got him some great gifts, which he is sure to love. Mom was taking forever at Home Depot calling what seemed to be every man she knew for a second opinion on what we should buy. I was like "Mom just pick something already and let's get out of here" but she wasn't listening. Not to boast, but the people at Home Depot LOVE me. I'm kind of a big deal there. Back when mommy and I were going there every day to finish the house, people got to know who I was. You would think after 4 months I would be old news and no one would remember me, but apparently I am unforgettable. It's bad for mommy though because she can never remember if she is supposed to know these people or not, which sometimes makes for awkward conversations. After Home Depot, mom hauled me to TJ Maxx and stuck me in another one of those uncomfortable cart seats. They probably wouldn't be so bad, but mom insists on cinching up the safety belt lest I should try to escape via one of the leg holes. I was patient for a while, but it was when mom stewed over which color pan to buy for a wedding gift that I threw in the towel. Once again, after calls to what seemed to be every woman she knew for second opinions, we finally left with new sheets and a tourquoise colored pan, which is quite nice if I do say so myself. I slept on the way home, so I was tired the rest of the evening because I didn't get a good nap. I watched Signing Times and listened to a thunderstorm outside while mom made some more bread. Dad finally got home and we played and got ready for bed. I entertained mommy and daddy's guest later in the evening by finding my dog and giving him kisses on mommy's cue. That is a sure hit everytime. Well, I am exhausted. It's off to bed so I can be 100% pleasant for daddy on his special day. I can't wait to give him his gifts!

My confusing family tree

So, I have a mommy and a daddy, a grammie and a grampie, a nanny and a poppy, a mama and a papa, a "grandma" who isn't my grandma at all, aunts (pronounced "ants") and aunts (pronounced "ahnts"), and an uncle who isn't related to either of my parents! Holy Cow- who are all of these people?! I'm not sure, but I LOVE them all. I guess that's all that matters. Here's a glimpse at my confusing family tree...

This is mommy and daddy long before I came along. I'll let them have a moment to reminisce about their days of young love while they read my post.

Grammie and Grampie (above) and Nanny and Poppy (below), all of which are legit relatives.

Mama (above) and Papa (below) Winterton, which is where the psuedo relatives begin. Kind of a silly picture of papa, but silly is what he does best. I get to spend my Wednesdays with Mama while mommy works.

This is "grandma" who isn't my grandma at all. In fact, she is Mama's grandma, which I suppose would make her my psuedo great grandma, but I just stick with "grandma" because that is what everyone else calls her. Whew- that was a long explanation. Lovely lady.

Aunt (pronounced "ant") Holly (above) and Aunt (pronounced "ahnt") Hezzie (below). Why one is an "ant" and the other an "ahnt" is beyond me. Mommy says "ahnt" is the propor pronunciation, but "When in Utah, do as the Utahns."

Last, but not least, Uncle Trav, who in fact is in no way related to either of my parents, but is still somehow my uncle. Either way, I love him and his nice, burly beard.

Notes for June 19th

Last night, mommy, daddy, aunt hezzie, uncle denver and I went to the Farmer's Market. Mom spent the afternoon making some pepperoni bread while I vied for her attention. Come to find out, I don't even like pepperoni bread. I did like mommy's homemade anadama bread, though. When we got to the Farmer's Market, there was a band playing. I danced a bit, and then explored on the grass in the park. Mom didn't seem to care what shananigans I was getting myself into (she was distracted by the food), but Dad was keeping a close eye on me and ruining all of my fun! We visited with some of mom and dad's friends and they all gooed and gaaed over me. I am getting pretty used to the attention, but not letting it go to my head, thank heavens! This morning I took a lovely nap. There is nothing like a perfectly timed nap. Sometimes mommy jumps the gun and tries laying me down before I am ready. Don't worry- I let her know when she does this so that she can correct the error of ways and let me play for a little bit longer. Sometimes, though, she scoops me up at just the right time and lets me cuddle on her shoulder for a few minutes. When my head hits that mattress, it is sweet relief. I don't even make a peep when mom leaves the room. Tonight I think I might get to hang out with daddy and uncle trav. We'll probably play some video games and maybe watch a movie. I'm excited for the weekend- I love it when I get to spend saturdays and sundays with dad. I'm not sure what is on the schedule, but I am hoping we get to do something outside. It's Father's Day on Sunday so I'll have to be especially good for him at church- no fussing or anything. Mom and I are working on getting a daddy a gift, but my naps seem to be getting in the way.

Notes for June 17th

Well, first and foremost, I got this blog started today. Phew, what a relief. Now maybe I will remember at least some of my pre-memory life. It was a fairly uneventful day, although I did get to hang out with Taylor, a new babysitter, while mommy went to summer school for a couple of hours. Mom went on and on before she left about how i would probably cry a whole bunch and be a pill, but just to prove her wrong I was a perfect angel for Taylor. Not even one little cry the whole 2 1/2 hours mommy was gone. Don't worry- I made up for it later when I cried for a half hour the next two times mom laid me down for my napa. I finally complied with her on the last nap at 3 though- I could tell I was on her last nerve, so I spared her the breakdown. Wonderful nap- 2 hours long. Those are the best although I don't get them very often. I sure am a much more pleasant baby when I get my beauty/sweetness rest. Mom and I went running with Aunt Hezzie before dinner and I was STARVING, but I took the edge off by chewing on my blanket and mom's phone. Oh, and Gundog came with us. I do enjoy watching that old hound. I could spend the whole day with him and it would never get old. Mom finally gave me something to eat, but she apparently thinks I have a stomach the size of a pea because she thought I was done eating after only one jar of food. I set her straight and made a stink until she finally gave me more. She has been trying for days to get me to eat these silly little dinosaur chicken fingers. I keep spitting them out, but she doesn't seem to be picking up on my not-so-subtle hints and continues insisting on makeing me "try them." I think I may have finally got the point across to her tonight... I guess we'll find out tomorrow when she either tries again or officially gives up. Oh yes, and I discovered I LOVE grilled cheese sandwiches today. Mmmm, mmmm good. They are only good though when fed to me in sandwich form, none of that breaking it up into small bite sized pieces and feeding myself stuff for me. I like to eat like a mature adult with the exception of actually holding the sandwich myself. I'll let mom do that work for me. Dad gave me a bath and got me all ready for bed tonight. He lets me splash in the water as long as I like and play with all of the diapers on my changing table. Oh I just love that man! Well, goodnight for now. I'm off to dreamland until I finagle my way into mom and dad's bed in the early morning hours.

Grammie and Buddy's visit

Grammie and Buddy came for a visit last week. It sure was good to see them. Not only does Buddy make the most amazing oatmeal and cookies, Grammie lets me do basically whatever I want, even if it's messy and she makes for the coziest bed in the middle of the night. Here are few highlights from their trip...

The Amazing Baby Monitor

Today I discovered the most bizarre thing. I was playing with this white handheld device thing I found laying around in my toy basket. I haven't got a clue what the purpose of this silly thing is. All I know is that if I hit the right button on the side I get a cool light to come on in the front. There I was sitting in the living room playing with my new toy when all of a sudden I hear my mother's voice in loud speaker style coming out of it. "Whoa! What was that?"... I stared at the thing and it happened again and again. In the midst of this most unusual happening, my mother called me from the kitchen. I looked at her, then she disappeared behind the cabinets and her loudspeaker voice happened again. This time she was singing to me- of course, it was some ridiculous song she was making up, but as long as it has a beat I don't complain. I finally ventured into the kitchen only to discover my mother speaking into what seemed to be a similar looking hand held device. Everytime she spoke, her voice echoed through the whole room. Strange. Mom says its called a baby monitor. I am not sure what "monitor" means, but I am thinking it must have something to do with a device that scares or startles, like a "baby startler." Yeah, that must be it!

Officially entering the blogosphere at 10 months of age

I have been meaning to get this started for months now. My mother has tried to introduce me to blogging, but up until now I would much rather just bang on the keys of the keyboard than make any meaningful contribution to the blogging world. I have decided that it's time to put my childish ways behind me though, and do what any responsible 10 month old would do... create a blog and keep a record of all of the interesting and significant happenings in my life. So here they are... my notes of a simply entertaining life.