William's first racket ball lesson

We have two tennis courts and three racket ball courts in the back yard. I guess I should mention that our back gate opens into a twenty acre city park. William has watched and retrieved tennis balls when he was with his cousins, dad, and Aunt Debbie. Yesterday Mom was being ambitious and decided it was time to pick up her racket and do some teaching / demonstrating. Mark had both set of keys to the truck so this was the best alternative to sitting at home. It's amazing the creative things that arise when your transportation is limited.

We decided to hold our first lesson in the racket ball courts for a couple reasons. I wanted to contain the balls within a much smaller surface area. The tennis courts were in full sun while the other courts were in the shade. William and I would count how many times in a row i could hit the ball successfully against the wall. My objective was to get to twenty. I wanted to make it easier for him to count :):) I only made it to seventeen. He quickly grew tired of the activity but enjoyed picking up all the balls i hit over the court. He would say "let's go get the balls out of the jungle". After about twenty minutes we were finished with tennis.

William must have been tired because he made himself comfortable in the basket under the stroller. Next week Grandpa Gardner's going to start real tennis lessons. Grandpa Gardner learned when he was at Standford getting his masters degree. Tomorrow Uncle Robert is going to show us some of his expertise.

We went for an aimless walk. He sat on the top of the stroller and EJ was in the car seat attached to the stroller. We trekked up a very step climb to Island View Drive. They call it Island View Drive because you really do have a terrific view of Antelope Island. The whole way up the incline I would say, "I can't make it...I can't" because William did the role reversal... and said, "Yes you can Momma, hold my hand. You can. You can do it."

We tried to give our new neighbors some goodies. They were gone. It was so hot we tried dropping by at our friends but she was vacuuming and the doorbell was too soft for her to hear over the buzz. So when we finally made it home. Uncle Robert (my brother; William's Uncle) was dropping off our table. While we were having lunch Aunt Debbie dropped by.

It was turning out to be a great day for visitors despite our unpleasant disappointment with the missing key issue. Later that afternoon Anne Russon stopped by to drop off a little toilet seat to put over the top of the big seat. William was anxious to try it out and had his diaper off in minutes. He was too quick because I was finishing up the task at hand and before I could get him to the toilet he did have a little leakage... before the experience was over he had another leakage on the floor and none in the toilet. Lots of tears and then I was frustrated for having to clean the floor after he sat and cried on the toilet. When his dad came home last night he did much better. He had a successful experiences going pee pee in the toilet.

I've been enjoying my slow jogging at the park. Every night when the boys are supposedly sleeping and Mark's home I go out back to do my eighteen laps. Yesterday I ran an additional half mile just because I wanted to hit the fat burning forty minute zone. My third and fourth mile were eight minute pace. Usually I'm just lucky to keep one foot in front of the other.

After my run I went to Smiths for milk and eggs. Unfortunately I came back with over $150 dollars worth of merchandise more. I picked out a few things I would love. I started feeling guilty so I made a great decision to wait four weeks and give them to Mark for his birthday. I spent forty dollars on a new umbrella for our picnic table, fifteen on a new ironing board pad, cover, and fasteners, and eleven more for yellow jacket traps. So that's fifty one dollars plus the twenty four I'm calling Mark's present. It's all justifyable.

Smiths has the cutest shirts. I love the empire waists with the tie in back. My wedding dress had an empire waist. I may have to buy them and give them to my mom to give me for Christmas. I hope they stay in style for a while.

Speaking of Christmas...I explained Santa Claus to William yesterday. He's so very excited. He brought up his name at least half a dozen times. When Grandma was on the phone he wanted to talk with her about him. When dad came home he mentioned something about him. I told him that Santa is coming to our house. He'll come threw the chimney. For some reason William was searching for Santa through an electrical outlet (same difference). I had to explain that we needed to have Halloween and thanksgiving before Christmas. When we were deciding on activities later that day he would say "let's go to Halloween."

Our views from our lot in Mt. Green

Mark and I invested in some property up in Mt. Green. Our lot is in phase two of the Cottonwoods development. The pics are both the ranges we capture from our property. The below pic is the back side of the Snow Basin ski resort. Snow Basin hosted the down hill super "G" in the 2000 Winter Olympic Games.

As you can tell it's easy to fall in love with the area. The difficult concept grasp is the distance between there and Mark's office in Salt Lake. It would take him about 50 minutes both ways under ideal traffic conditions.

When we're up there it's easy to get wrapped up in the excitement. I try and suppress those feeling when we drive home to Centerville. Mark's time is in demand these days. I hate to compete with the time an additional commute would take. Who knows what our future will holds. We go more by the seat of our pants philosophy. In the meantime we'll continue our little Sunday drives and keep dreaming.

Lately we've been having fun entertaining. Last week we had the Jensen's over Thursday night. Friday night the Tally's came over. Last night we had three other families. Saturday will be Mark's big extended cousin party. You've probably noticed that we like to take advantage of the pool and our spacious back yard during the summer.>1+027.jpg">

Cute baby alert. I will kick myself if I ever forget how pleasureable it is to have a baby. I love EJ's sounds, smell, anxious kicks/twitches, smile, and giggles.

Hogle Zoo

gratitude list
1-William's feeling better and eating again. He was sick during last weekends family reunion.
2-My Mom accompanied us to Hogle Zoo yesterday.
3-Our friend Dallan Jensen helped Mark install our new water heater. We all got cleaned after four days of going without. We really enjoyed the pool baths during that time.
4-Last night Corbin, Stephanie, and their little girl Ashland Talley came over to swim, visit, watch a video, and eat pie. Stephanie was my roommate and teammate at Weber State. Both her and her husband are so gun hoe about running that I decided to go running last night at 11pm after they left. Despite my lack of sleep I'm going to attempt to exercise. I can run as slow as i did when i was 39 weeks pregnant and still feel like i'm accomplishing my objective (four miles a day).

Sheri Layton dropped of a Marie Callendars Kie Lime Pie yesterday. She wanted to let us know how much the girls appreciated their time in the pool last week. It's almost like she feels it was an inconveniece rather than our pleasure.

5-Mark made me lunch. He used the chicken and satae marinade we had a few nights earlier, added it to garden zuchinni, crook neck squash, tomoatoes, basil, leftover rice a roni, and green onions. It was so delicious especially since he made it.
6-William went pee pee in the big boy toilet.
7-Strawberries are on sale at Smiths. Mark loves my strawberry green salad.
8-I can resist the temptation to subscribe to "cooking with Paula". I received one free trial. It was good but i think i can wait until Mark's new start up company is bringing in revenue.
9-From the front yard we can watch our corn stalks waving in the wind above the fence line.
10-Cleaned / organized my house before our dinner guests arrived thursday night. We moved mark's home office downstairs and William moved back upstairs where the office was prior to the move. In William's short life time he's had seven room moves. Four of seven have been with in the last year in a half. Mark's sister Debbie lived with us for a while, EJ arrived, now Mark is claiming an office. I think william's resilent to the changes.

Lee family reunion

Sleeping in a tent for two nights with two kids has taken its toll on me.

found the gofer hole

The Gofer's got to go. I suprised him this afternoon when i was out cutting some fresh basil. He flipped out and back into his hole quicker than I could react. Finally I have concrete evidence and know where his hole is.

William decided to put on my Valentine heart socks before going to the library. His redeeming grace were the blue spider man crocs he slipped on over his knee highs. We had all intentions of taking them off before dad returned however we were too late. Dad teases relentlessly. William let his Daddy remove them when I got in trouble if i even suggesting the idea.

William got several new books at the library. His favorite two are: "there's a nighmare in my closet" and "the wolf is coming the wolf is coming". We've read both of them over twelve times in the past two days. He has little of no interest in the remaining library books.

Monday night i decided that Mark and EJ have a rythmic "breathing" pattern when they sleep. Mark complains that EJ's too loud when he sleep because he's little nose is a bit stuffed up. I choose to sleep with my head at the bottom of the bed for this reason. Mark refuses to believe that he snores so we call it heavy breathing during his sleep.

Yesterday I spent what seemed like a while vacuming out the pool. Luckily Jesse, my neices and nephes, Colleen, William, and I got to enjoy it before the canyon winds blew all the leaves and debry into the clear blue water. William enjoys telling me to "go under deep". He proceeds to walk on my face before i can come up for air. It's a blast. For him that is. It's amazing what we parents will do to keep the kids entertained. Becca my neighbor held EJ during our little swim.

Been using my garden veggies. Made a small batch of salsa, and a thai red curry chicken dish for the family reunion dinner saturday night. Tonight i plan on making a pepper jelly with the serrano peppers Stephanie Ivie dropped off.

Finished Stephanie Meyer's second book "New Moon". It was better than "Twilight". I suspect the third one "Eclipse" will be the best one yet. They have been hard to put down. My rule of sticking to books less than 300 pages has been altered.

EJ is still receiving gifts. Last week Kim Lilbok gave us a blanket and two burp clothes that her mom crochett. This week Rob dropped off a blanket my dad dropped off from my Aunt Marylou. We're so grateful for everyone that has been sharing the excitement of EJ's arrival.

My FORD 150

Today I took my shower at 5pm and finally got dressed and out of my big baggie basketball shorts. We were slow going today. EJ and I have a cold. My tasting abilities disappeared yesterday while i was trying to enjoy Becca's birthday cake. I've been munching on hamburger buns all day as a result. I figure it's as good as anything under my taste less condition. This afternoon I had to sweep up all the sesame seeds i scattered on the kitchen floor.

We dropped off a loaf of banana bread at our new neighbors house. William loves their fish pond in the back. He spent a good fifteen minutes trying to touch them.

Mark got home before nine. He's outside painting the house. I'm so lucky he's so ambitious and wants to fix up the home and make it look nice.

EJ already thinks his Uncle Robert is a comedian. Robert had EJ giggling and giggling. That was the first time I recall him laughing for that length of time. Our cheeks were all aching after a while because we were all having so much fun smiling.

I cleaned the Betta's bowl without having any dramatic event. This was the first time since Goldie's arrival that we accomplished this task free of danger. Maybe I can hope for less anxiety in the future bowl cleaning experiences.

As a mom, my shirts get really dirty. William uses my shirt like it is his napkin. Today I had on four different shirts however they were dirty from my lack of coordination. We use our bathroom sink to soak our stains. It was filled with my clothes and EJ's. I'm going to attempt to finish my sloppy Joe with a clean shirt. I'm tempted to do what i do for William. I remove his shirt when he eats Popsicles and other messy foods.

For those of you that are curious about the comment option on my blog you're in good company. I must have done something and I'm still trying to figure it out. If you know what I did to take the comment option off please educate me.

Now that Mark will be commuting to Salt Lake we decided to trade vehicles. The kids and i will be sporting around in Mark's Ford 150 pickup. It's big and slow. I think it may cure my speeding tendency.

Things I love

When William went threw Dracula's castle he sunk himself down between his knees and covered his eyes while whimpering, "I want to go home. I want to go home." When we were driving home he kept saying "i want to go Dracula's castle...I want to go dracula's castle."

Yesterday we had a great time at the MTC Lagoon day. Mark's last week with MTC is coming up. He's enjoyed being with them for the past ten years. MTC hosted some great kid games and yummy lunch. Scott Marquardt told Mark he can always come back if he needs too.

THINGS I LOVE:
1-Picnics that include fresh hot dog buns and potato salad
2-Sunscreen, Lagoona beach, and the lazy river
3-Reading about my Friends and family on their blogspots
4-Watching William's reaction when we went threw Dracula's castle
5-When our AC's had been off all day and i was in the sun at Lagoon all day i loved my freezing shower before bed.
6-Cold watermelon shish kabobs, cold carrots, and fresh garden tomatoes
7-EJ has been sleeping all morning and afternoon.
8-Mark's PEC meeting was canceled, and taking Sunday naps
9-Going to Becca's birthday bar b Que party.
10-When the AC is working well. I love taking hot showers...but it's sooo difficult getting out.

Yesterday, William was riding around his baseball like it was a horse. He was singing "ride a cock horse to banbury's cross to see a white lady on a white horse" He likes to recite "little miss muffet sat on her tuffet eating her berries..."the rest is correct. He even know the humpty dumpty rhyme by heart. I like it when he says, "here me are" when I call out his name.

Mark loved this dinner i made last week. It was super easy and he's complimented me three times on it. I used a generic chicken helper Alfredo chicken followed instructions and added an extra bouillon cube and an onion. The chicken had been specially marinated. If he's that easy to please... i think I'll stick to the hamburger and chicken helper meals. He likes them as much or more than my home made meals.

Becca's birthday bar b que's are amazing. I love meat and she served chicken shish kabobs, barbque pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, and all types of cold cut meats and cheeses amongst all the other whistles and bells. She's inspired me to have more meats and drinks at our next big bash.

Do you have to read the epilogue?

"Twilight" was nice to read. I was much more laid back when I spent the day thinking about the two main characters: Bella and Edward. I finished "Twilight" even when i knew the odds of completely a novel over five hundred pages were against me. I'm suprised i'm having difficulties motivating myself to finish the epilogue because the novel has been so cosuming these passed two days. After the climatic scene the remaining pages were less thrilling.

This bug climbed out of the box of huggies we got at Costco. Luckily Mark caught it and now it's displayed on our kitchen counter. It's the biggest beetle i've seen alive. I've seen beetles comparable when i took my students on a field trip to the emtimology lab at Utah state. Mike is convinced it's a beetle while Mark and I believe it's a roach.

There are two "domestic" animals i would consider owning before i took in a dog. At Highland Middle school the science teacher across the hall would always tell me about his pigmy goat. I've loved pigmy goats ever since. Yesterday i saw a small group of children walking with thier dog. As i got closer i noticed it was a pigmy rather than a dog. After picking up William at the Kotter's we rushed back to locate the goat but they were gone.

Stacey and Matt Palmer have the most beautiful Shelty pony. My favorite float in the parade was pulled by two shelty ponies. William loves riding the shelties at thanksgiving point.

Mark and I are getting eaten alive. Our central air unit in the basement is leaking. I turned it off, Mark opened all the windows but i've yet to get the screens sprayed off and back on the windows. The mosquito's are having a feast.

I woke up and found william asleep at the bottom of the stairs. He was using the stair as a pillow and he had his two blankets. After checking for a pulse and breathing I carried him back to bed.

EJ sleeps better in our bed. I sleep with my head on the opposite end because EJ makes loud noises when he's sleeping. Mark's so good to console him when he stirs.

William removed his diaper and shorts in attempt to go pee pee in the toilet. We may be doing the potty training thing sooner rather than later. I'll have to borrow the parents guide to potty training from Cami.

Tonight is the last time William will wrestle with Mark on our bed. He had a big fall and his nose was bleeding. I heard the big thud and I came running. It's scary when your child is hurt and in pain. It will be hard for me to remain calm in an emergency scene.

Gratitude list:
1-The garden tomatoes are delicious and i'm looking forward to the oncoming crop.
2-Grandma, Mom, and McCall stopped over to visit. They enjoyed my cheesecake.
3-William loves the tunnels at the bountiful park.
4-we're going to meet our mother's club at Cabella's this morning.
5-William's telling everyone he's going to Lagoona beach Saturday.
6-The Tornavacca's dropped off some chocolate ice cream in cute terra cotta flower pots.
7-William was so tired he was asleep by 815 pm
8-William likes to impress Ella Kotter when she's over. He'll jump around in circles singing, "jumping in circles, jumping in circles, jumping in circles."
9-PM pills
10-Spencer and Lexie Lee are coming over this afternoon. Tiff is going to lend me her literature on potty training.

Happy 24th of July & William ate an ant

My father in laws favorite holiday is pioneer day. He’s always so excited about it and looks forward to it all year. His hydro seeding machine is a favorite for the hot spectators because they spray gallons and gallons of cool water. Being on the street when the hydro seeder is driving by is the same effect as sitting in the blue zone at Sea World.

Tuesday night when we arrived at the farm, Grandpa Bill convinced William he eats ants. Yesterday William came over to show me he had an ant on his tongue. Aunt Debbie said “no way” and William claimed, “Grandpa Bill does”. Evidently the previous day Grandpa and Dad had him convinced they were edible. Luckily he finally spit it out after a few minutes.

William was rubbing his feet across the patio at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. He was amazed and repeating the phrase, “We’re not getting any slivers.” We have an old deck out front that gives him slivers every time he sets foot on the wood.

We saw several cows, horses, pigs, fish, ducks, sheep, hawks, and a donkey. We had a discussion about donkey’s v. mules. Can donkey’s reproduce? Is a donkey a cross between a horse and a mule... or is a mule a cross between a donkey and a horse. Are mules and donkey’s sterile and unable to reproduce. Is a mule synonymous with a donkey?

William and EJ enjoyed their stay at the farm. William played with cousins, aunts, grandma, grandpa, and uncles. EJ rode the lawn mower with grandma. William rode the four wheeler with anyone that was willing to give him a ride. William pet Lucky with his Aunt Debbie. We all enjoyed Grandma's great Bar b que.

William is sensitive. The other day he dropped or accidently pushed a glass cup off the table. I said “William Lee” and he burst into tears. He cried for a good five minutes. Now I know why mother’s use the whole name. It has an overwhelming effect on their children.

Our garden is producing well. We’ve been giving out cucumbers, squash, mini pumpkins, and zucchini. It’s amazing to watch the zucchini grow. I picked one a few days ago and left the other three because they were small in the next two days they must have grown three inches.
The garden gofer got a squash plant, but we have several more to spare.

Monday morning EJ was “dying” if hunger after his bath. I took my chances and nursed him when he was still bundled in his towel. Before I was done, pee had seeped threw the towel onto my shorts, and floor. While I was burping him he puked on my shoulder. In the meantime I was on the phone. The person was trying to convince me mornings were rough. I let him know that I was doing well despite the fact I had pee and puke all over me.

William had a difficult time when I took him to Smith’s Monday morning. He opened and ate a strawberry from the package. I tried hard to explain steeling and it made him angrier. I brought up they money issue and that was over his head. The pint of strawberries kept him occupied until I had to purchase them and his hands were free to grad a pack of rollo’s and bite the end off before I had time to react. I wish my reflexes were faster... I watched the entire scene as if it was slow motion. I bought the pack of Rollo’s also and saved my breath on the lectures.

We stopped by Inkley’s to pick up a new camera battery. I ended up feeding the baby in the back because William wanted to stay and watch the fish in their aquarium. William lost interest in the fish and decided to jump all over the furniture in the photo gallery.

William has been working hard to convince us that he’s big enough to go potty in the toilet. He pushes hard when he’s there but the end result is always the same. He uses it as an excuse to get his diaper off, use lots and lots of toilet paper, and flush the toilet.

The play group this morning was at Bountiful Park. Tiff, Spencer, and Lexie showed up at the end. They were meeting some other people from their ward. William loved Spencer's scooter and ate all of Lexie's sandwich.

Valerie dropped off the “Twilight” novel I started at the farm. I had the opportunity to read this afternoon while William was napping. It’s fun. Antother lady at the play group made a comment out loud about me. She said "you look about my age" I guess all those long nights of little sleep must be catching up to me. She was a good five to ten years older than me.

William had fun in the cement tunnels. I figured out what he’s doing when he is saying “See saw see saw see saw”. We frequently visit the racquetball courts in Island View Park to hear our voices echo. I always whistle and he always says, “see saw see saw see saw”. Today we were listening to our echo’s in the cement tunnels I was whistling and this time when he started saying “see saw see saw see saw” I noticed that it was his version of whistling. It was the closest reproduction of a whistle he could make and it’s getting pretty close to the sound I make when I whistle.

Cake smashing & Happy Birthday Ryan Lilbok

Mark's cousin Matt Jackson had his wedding reception Saturday evening. As we were getting ready for the reception William discovered a box of shoes I have in storage. He found a match and informed us that, "these are my wedding shoes". Mark polished them up and William had a great time wearing them to the wedding.

At the reception, William noticed the gorgeous cake. He asked me if he could smash it. I told him just because he smashed the beautiful cake Mom gave me last month for my birthday day doesn't mean it was the right decision. Wiliam stuck everyone of his fingers threw the top of my cake before sticking his entire fist threw the center. I think it was an instinctual thing to do. I would have done the same thing if i didn't know better.



William honestly wanted to see what was inside and the curiousity was killing him. When i was gone he climbed up on the table where i'ld been displaying and admireing the pretty cake. It all started innocently. First he would gently remove the tiny dots of frosting before it turned to the destructional phase. Before the cake was smashed it did look comparable to the top of this wedding cake.

Yesterday at church William expressed his opinion about the opening prayer. During the prayer he would start off saying "dear heavenly father...thankyou for this day.... thankyou for this day.....no thankyou for this day!" When they forgot to say that he was very insistent. After church Mark said the prayer on lunch and the first thing he said was "dear heavenly father...thankyou for this day...." I'm grateful William is learning to prayer and his father is such a great example.

We all took a naps this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday we all went to sleep. I'm beating off a summer cold. Mark's been working hard whith his new growth principles company in addition to his existing postion with MTC. It was marvelous and I think i'll take another one this afternoon.

Yesterday William EJ and i took advantage of the overcast summer sky and went for a Sunday stroll. First we played in the Sycamore tree we designated as William's. The firt level of the tree are at the perfect height so I can place William in safely. We both had our sticks we called "Batons" and played our little game. Who's baton could touch the other baton before the other would notice. I was at the advantage because my arms are much longer.

After leaving the graveyard we headed to Island View Park. William wanted to see if "Sheldon" the boy we meet during our walk we took Saturday had left any of his toys behind. William was recalling how Sheldon said, "i don't trade toys". William had an apricot off the park apricot tree and we took a short cut up the dirt hill below the tennis courts. We played and burried the itchy bombs on the middle terrace before heading up to the upper terrace.

Two hellocopters flew above us when I remembered about my dream the previous night. It had something to do with hellocoptors. I remember having that adrenline rush you get when you're flying. It was exciting and a feel good dream. It makes me want to schedule a ride on a hellocopter. Maybe we'll do it for our twentieth wedding anniversary.

William wanted waffles for dinner last night. Mark's family would traditionally have waffles on Sunday evenings. The apricot freezer jam is delicious. I think that's the main reason i wanted one. The cornbread we made for lunch was even better than the waffle. First you slice the cornbread horizontally. After warming the bread in the microwave pour the maple syrup over the two halves. Finally thickly spread the jam over both sides and eat with fork... DELICIOUS and not so nutritous.

Last week Mark came into the bathroom where i was getting ready. I wanted to tell him something. When i was done he was frustrated because he came in to tell me something and by the time i was done telling him he had forgotten what it was he wanted to tell me. He told me to wait to say something until he has said what it was he wanted to say. I asked him how i was suppose to know he wanted to say something.

This conversation reminded me of the story of queen Esther. The King had a golden sceptre. When he was to hold out the golden sceptre it would indicate that one could proceed. If I'm going to respect Mark's wishes I think I ought to make him one of those golden sceptre's for his birthday. His will be made of gold wrapping paper.

The forty bucks I found last week belonged to Sister James's vocal student. Her student was rushing into her lesson to get out of the rain. Sister James charges twenty dollars a lesson and her student was paying for the week. When i found the forty bucks in the gutter across the street from the James's house Bishop Layton said he'ld find the owner and sure to his word he did.

Last night as I was loading the wash machine I discovered that it was our central air conditioning unit was putting out all the water. It's a relief to know where all the excess water is coming from. Hopefully we'll find a solution before the water damage becomes extreme.

Gratitude list-
1-Both William and his dad will eat applesauce.
2-According to his aunt Tiffany "the terrible two's are officially over at two in a half." William's two in a half on Sunday.
3-My nephew Spencer likes me. He introduces himself to others as "Spencer Michael Lee the stud." When i told him "this is William Christian Lee the stud" he strongly disagreed.





4-Mark will eat the Nacho taco leftover dish i made last week even if it was a bad recipe.
5-Dad left the shower button up in the shower. When EJ takes a bath, I always sit on the rim of the tub with my feet in the water. Before the water was in and as EJ and i turned on the faucet we got a cold shower. It made EJ gasped for are and let out a little whimper but he was brave and held back his tears. He's going to have a terrific sense of humor.
6-Mark watched sesame street with william at 6am so i could lay back down with EJ.
7-We're going to the farm tonight.
8-Our neighbor returned our plate full of choc. brownies.
9-The library called to inform me they had "North and South" on reserve for me.
10-Yesterday at church this lady had on a cute shirt. She said she found it at Shopko. I'm going to venture there to see if I can find one like hers.

EJ's first movie & happy thirtieth birhtday Dave

Last night we caught up with Rob and Aubree for the fourth Harry Potter. We dropped William off at Grandma's house before heading to the century on State and 33rd. Thanks Mom and Colleen for watching William. EJ watched the big screen and lights intently. He sat threw a movie in the theater before William has.

Happy thirtieth birthday Dave. On my thirtieth birthday we were living on St. Simon Island. Mark took me to the next barrier island to stay in the Jekyll Island Resort Hotel. We both got terrific sunburns, lathered each other in Aloe, and had a great time.

William's aunt Colleen drew a picture on the sidewalk of an old troll looking person. William tried to convince me it was him. He spent some good time walking around in dad's socks. He's been enjoying this past time activity since he was barely able to walk. It makes him feel grown up.

William has been leaving his friends house at a much happier cord than in the past. Yesterday we stopped at the Tornavacca's. Jessica let me borrow her family cookbook. Today we stopped by the Ivie's house. Both times I successfully got him out the door. In the past there have been William has had many tears, kicks, and hits before we got home.

I entered two recipes in the "Corn is King" contest. I plan on entering at least one more. If any of you have great recipes that call for fresh, frozen, or canned corn let me know. I can enter as many recipes as i want. The Grand Prize gets five hundred dollars.

William likes the clothes his cousin Paul gave to him. Thanks for the nice phone message Chris. Hope your teeth feel better today.

Dad stopped by yesterday to visit. He liked my banana cream pie. He was out in the Garden looking for the pepper plants I had him plant. He was baffled because he had yet to hear about our garden goblin that undid all his doing. Sorry dad but I appreciated the effort all the same.

Gratitude List
1-PBS.org has a Calliou game William is interested in. Mark was more successful at teaching him to click and drag with the mouse.
2-After having an electric toothbrush for about four years, i understand Mark will forget to recharge the toothbrush if it goes dead when he's brushing.
3-Took care of my speeding ticket.
4-This was the second day William told me he wanted to lay down and take a nap. After reading one chapter of the Book of Mormon reader he was fast asleep.
5-Jen recommended i reserved the ABC mini series "north and South" at the library.
6-Mark and I both found a Gofer Hole. Mark blasted as much water down their as possible. We've yet to see the guy.
7-William played with EJ on the floor for fifteen minutes. William would place the blanket over their heads. William would remove EJ's Binky and insist that he suck on the opposite side of the nipple. EJ was a very good sport. Better than mom.
8-Mark mowed the lawn and killed a wasps making a hive in our railroad ties.
9-Mark entertained William so I could lay in bed with EJ until 9am this morning.
10-We're going to the Jackson's wedding reception tonight. All of Mark's family will be there.

EJ at 2 months weighs 11 lbs 12 ounces

Yesterday we had play group. William would have stayed forever if it was his decision. He loved the idea of the big blow up water slide, however it scared him to actually climb to the top and slide down like the big kids. He did enjoy the mini tramp, the play ground, wagon, and little motorized jeep. From the way he chowed down on the Popsicles and crackers the others mom's must have been under the impression i starve him. To set the records straight... He starves himself. He eats like a bird. We do offer him his crust of bread and water at least three times a day.

I'm going brain dead. Yesterday I loaded all my dirty whites into the dryer. Mom tried to comfort me by saying it's easy to do when you have a front loading washer. I assured her it was the eight weeks of sleep deprivation.

Ej did a fine job yesterday at his 2 month checkup. He woke a number of times last night complaining (LOUDLY) about the shots. He had his allocated amount of Tylenol five time in the past 24 hours. He seems to be recovered but we'll know for certain tonight.

Went to Costco yesterday before the Dr. appointment. Dr. was pleased to get the pics of her cute Halle, and Jerek at the ward camp out. Picked up vanilla, brown sugar, apples, and TIDE along with my developed pics.

William has done a few notable things lately. Yesterday he was singing "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro" into the blowing fan. It's amazing to me that he even knows that word... still wondering where he picked it up. This morning it was especially quiet so i panicked. He was laying on the floor rolling the rolling pin up and down his tummy. Now i know what to use tonight when we're winding down for bed. I'll just keep it under his pillow. It will get more use there.

This afternoon William said he wanted to sleep on the stairs. Only ten minutes later I did find him asleep at the base of the stairs wrapped in his fuzzy blanket. This is highly uncharacteristic of William but he transferred well and if it works for him it works for me.

William watched his friend go potty in the toilet. I was down stairs visiting with his mom when i heard William. He said, "mommy i went potty in the toilet. I'm a big boy now." I ran upstairs to discover he had removed his dirty diaper and was infact on the toilet. From the look of the dirty diaper he was only a few minutes late.

Today, Jen Kotter and i did a kid swap. I took Ella and Isaac this morning. I was upstairs and could hear William doing his fake high pitched scream. After about three or four annoying cries, he starting prompting Ella. "Say 'be quiet. Stop that screaming." Ella is five and they played well with Isaac.

EJ's been noticing his toys. His feet were flying / kicking when we placed him under his mobile and spinned the toys above him. He was conversing and smiling with the yellow kitty toy hanging from his swing.

Yesterday the August/Sept. issue of "taste of Home" arrived. It did its duty and motivated me to prepare some meals. Today was designated as baking/cooking day. Wanted to get it all out of the way so i can just relax the remaining days of the week.

Yesterday mark finished the remaining piece of banana bread in the cake saver. When the cake saver is empty I know it's baking time. I made an applesauce / spice cake. Mark stir favors the banana, and friendship cake better. I thought he needed some variety and i wanted to try something new.

Today i made four things. First was my never fail whole wheat bread. I use molasses to sweeten it when my honey is running low. I've about perfected it after more than a year. Secondly i did a banana cream pie. I needed some redemption after my runny butterscotch cream pie. This afternoon i made a taco nacho dish along with some fancified cheese enchiladas.

Gratitude list-
1-the sound of William little feet. They pitter patter along the wood and tile entry way.
2-Jesse, Leah, Chris, and all the kids were here swimming.
3-My neighbor Becca Bradley and her son Gavyn will keep me company when Mark's putting in his long hours in Salt Lake.
4-Spell check
5-Picked up some prescription lotion for William's eczema.
6-Jen let William borrow Ice Age 2
7-Mark asked me to dinner tomorrow night
8-picked up a shirt at Target on clearance for less than five bucks.
9-Successfully removed a buger from EJ's nostril to help improve his breathing.
10-Rob was over for lunch.

William's as bad as the garden goblin

I reminded myself why i stick to the jello no bake boxed dessert pies. My butterscotch cream pie was delicious but it was more like pudding. I should have known it would flop when the crust shrunk to the base of the pie pan after baking.

William did some things today that i decided to laugh out loud about. He picked five cantaloupe that were green, too young, and beyond resuscitation. Between him and the garden goblin we'll be lucky to have a crop at all.








Gratitude list:
1-EJ loves taking baths and I get so much pleasure giving him one when he kicks and smiles, moves, talks, and just loves the experience.










2-When swinging in the hammock i can accomplish three task. I can feed EJ and play lifeguard, and admire my garden growing.
3-Mark was home early at 650pm.
4-Jeanine's recipe for ham is so easy, and a tasty treat after 12 hours of baking it literally falls to pieces.
5-Colleen helped me with dishes
6-Sidewalk chalk paintings.
7-Rob gave me a postcard from Hallstatt, Austria. Hallstatt is a quaint town on the water with a spectacular view of the mountains.
8-Colleen did my dishes.
9-Watching the summer rain, thunder, and storm together. We like to count the seconds between lightning. William likes to drink the rain runoff that drips from the roof.
10-Online bill pay

William threw one of my lipstick brushes in the toilet. He poured baby powder all over the apple and banana fruit decoration above the baby's diaper changing table. He and EJ had a crying contest. They decided to see who could cry louder and longer. It's all a blurr so i forgot the actual results of the con est.

He did say a few funny liners. We like the phrase, "way to go sloppy Joe." William says it best, "way to go floppy Joe".

I'm blaming my blog for my sore throat. Last week i was so excited about the whole thing i lost sleep figuring the In's and outs of blogspot. This week I'll spend catching up. Jen Kotter gave me a new link todaysmama.com. It's awesome. Thanks Jen.

I'm going to attach the message i send to the sweet sister's i visit teach. We're thrilled because mark's home before dark and William needs to let out some of his energies. They love to wrestle until one or the other has an injury. William's been jumping off the highest point of EJ's crib into a bed of pillows his dad strategically assembled.



When I do my Visiting Teaching I feel more incline to share current events and do some catching up. I find it much easier to share my spiritual thoughts via email. It gives me a chance to contemplate the message. My interpretation of the message may be entirely different from yours. I’m known for missing the boat a few times. I’ve shared some of my feelings and explanations for why I do the things I do in the writings below.

The first question asked in the July Visiting Teaching message is: WHAT IS PRACTICING HOLINESS? The lyrics of the Hymn “More Holiness Give Me” answers it better than I can. More holiness give me, more strivings within, more patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin, more faith in my savior, more sense of his care, more joy in his service, more purpose in prayer. More gratitude give me, more trust in the Lord, more pride in his glory, more hope in his word, more tears for his sorrows, more pain at his grief, more meekness in trial, more praise for relief. More purity give me, more strength to overcome, more freedom from earth-strains, more longing for home. More fit for the kingdom, more used would I be, more blessed and holy, more savior, like thee.

Some of these requests are easier than others. There are several areas I need to have more of. Like I need to have more sorrow for speeding. Honestly, I have been slowing down. When Mark and I had infertility issues I know I could have had more trust in the Lord. In several blessing I was reassured that I would be a mother but I wanted to know when and how long it would take before I was to become a mother.

The second question: HOW CAN I PRACTICE HOLINESS AND BE AN INSTRUMENT IN THE HANDS OF GOD? I know the answer to this question is personal and differs from one individual to the next. For me if I do something for someone each day I feel happy, resolved, and somehow closer to thee.

For example I feel great when I call a friend that I have lost touch with over the years. I love to give my baked treats or goodies away. I make sure and let others know how grateful I am for the things they have done for me (cards, calls, or treats). Letters, emails, and pictures are other ways I have of letting people know how much I care.

There are several various ways one can show their love. After having a baby we’ve been so blessed to have friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues that have been so thoughtful. I will remember their gestures of kindness always.

When others are in need wether they’re having trials, sick, or lonely the Lord’s depending on us to be his comforter. Other times when individuals are getting married, graduating, going on a mission, etc. it’s nice to celebrate with them during these pivotal times of their lives.

Be enthusiastic about opportunities to serve others. Search for them, pray for them, and ponder about them. I know Bishops lose sleep after being heavy laden with the tribulations of their ward family. I’ve realized that the little I sacrifice in service amounts to much more in the return of blessings. I need all the blessings I can get. I’m going to keep on keeping on by making a commitment to myself. When the Lord needs someone to do his errand I’ll anxiously awaiting the opportunity. “Holiness prompts the words ‘Here am I, send me’”

What do you think of William's sidewalk art? ...he may have had a little help.

Four generations

Meet Grandma Yentsch, my mom, me, and EJ. Enjoyed Sunday dinner at Mom's. EJ took a bath in Grandma's tub. Grandma wants us to play poker some time. Mom's making the new place nicer and nicer every day.

Planted three pepper plants in mom's garden. It was 105 degree's outside but i was fine. i figure my pepper plants have a better shot there than they do here with the squirrels/gofer/or whatever that thing may be in my garden.

William has been saying funny things again. He watches the baby Einstein DVDs on occasion. One of the DVDs has a black clown fish. William's says, "Nemo got burned". My finger nail is growing in after an accident... Sunday morning he said, "mommy your finger died." William's convinced that he'll be excused from any request if he says, "no shankyou"... I ask him to pick his toys up and he'll say, "no shankyou".

One of William's favorite friends is named Minnie. I know that's her nickname but it's the only name she goes by. She's eleven and will always pick up William, wrestle with him, and take him to us after nursery. Saturday at the ward camp out he grabbed Abby Layton's hand and said, "she's kind of like Minnie. Her mom said, No she's Abby." William dropped her hand and walked away. I think it hurt little Abby's feelings.

This morning William dumped and tried to drink eight ounces of Listerine. Shortly after, he sat in a cube of butter. I called him a "butter bum" but he thought i was being mean.

At that point i decided to get out the sleeping bag and introduce him to the sleeping bag/sliding down the stairs event. he loved it... i carried him up the stairs a number of times and when i said he had to climb up the stairs he decided he was done.

Got a check back from my Dr. We're thinking she felt guilty for taking our money. She was only there for about ten minutes during my labor/delivery with EJ. I can use that money toward my speeding ticket fund.

gratitude list:

1-EJ puked three times Sunday morning and i still made it to RS during the opening song.

2-Rob and Aubree return from Europe

3-talked with dad. he's home from his cedar city Shakespearean festivities

4-Chris, Colleen, and all the kids came swimming. Chris held EJ so i could go swim.

5-six maraschino cherries on ice cream sundae's

6-made dinner (seven layer salad) and made dessert (butterscotch cream pie)

7-Collen and Jack are entertaining William while I'm typing.

8- William likes looking at his photo books.

9-Colleen likes my left overs

10-William finished an entire piece of toast with egg inside.

EJ meets Aunt Lara and the Gofer strikes again

EJ had lots of smiles for his Aunt Lara. He enjoyed talking and telling her what was on his mind. After the ward camp out Lara, Jude, Marci, Deb / Christian, and the Mike / Tiff family came swimming. Unfortunately Lara had a car accident leaving our house... fortunately both her and Jude are alright.

The Gofer took our last pepper plant Friday. I need to find a safe place to plant these three new ones. Tiff said her dad gas bombs the gofers in his garden. I have yet to find the entry / exit to his undergrown labrinth. I need these pepper plants to produce so i can do some festive pepper spread.

I almost broke down and purchased a portable DVD player for the car. Ever since william was a babe he's despised the car rides. We picked out three winnie the pooh caricatures at all a dollar that improved the situation. He had Winnie, Ejyor, and Tiger dancing to the music. If Mark moved around and started dancing William would mimmick his every move.

We were listening to Peter Gabriel on the drive up to North Fork. His song, "Don't give up" concerned william. He dislikes anyone telling him what to do. In this case he said, "I can get up" because he thought they were singing "don't get up"

A young moose crossed the road as we were arriving the camp ground. In the upper far left corn or this picture you'll notice his nose. The sage brush is great but i was going for the moose. Mark and William saw two other big ones this morning while EJ and i were still resting.

The Russons our neighbors pitched their tent next to ours. There boy Bradley played great with William. They were so excited to be outside and have a tent up to play in. William loved to watch the stars when it got dark.

The Russons have a baby girl named Belle. Which reminds me how William has enjoyed watching Beauty and the Beast. I'll be upstairs and hear him shouting, "run daddy, run daddy, run..." In reference to the scene when Belle's dad is being chased by the wolves before arriving at the Beast's castle. After watching a movie more than once he's been quick to predict the endings and outcomes. So avoid watching a movie for the first time with him if he's watched it before.

While dad took down the tent we walked down to the creek. There was a beaver dam along with several beaver teeth prints in the existing trees. William got down on all fours and acted like a beaver. He started chewing on the fallen tree crossing the trail to the water.

I have issues with wet wipes because the dotted perferation takes both hand to separate. If I thought about removing the wipes before starting the process i could avoid this balancing act. Sometimes it just catches me off guard and i have to improvise. I've found that is i hold down the stack of wipes with my knee so i can use the other hand to keep their feet from the dirty diaper i can tear off the individual wipes.

Gratitude list:

1-took pics of white, yellow, blue, purple, and pink wildflowers

2-EJ is an angel to travel in the car with and William fell asleep on the drive back.

3-The Jones family had a couple extra PM pills that worked like a charm.

4-Mark saved me three pancakes and cantalope from the ward breakfast i missed because of the effectiveness of those pills.

5-Lara and Jude came to see baby EJ

6-Jen is quitting her job and going to be staying home with Jackson. I have been forced into retireing as a professional child care provider.

7-Mark used some squash from the garden. He added it to my potato dish and made a marvelous dish.

8-Drinking WATER and soap to wash my hands with

9-Swimming 10-refillable propane tanks