letters

Dear Fellow Drivers on Interstate 15 between St. George, UT and Salt Lake City, UT:

The left lane is for PASSING. So when you're having a picnic in the left lane and cars are passing you on the right, you should probably be aware that it's time to put away the fried chicken and move on over. Also, you should know that you're likely being cursed by each and every car that whizzes past you.

Signed,
A Mild Case of Road Rage


Dear Interstate 15:

While I do believe that you possess some of the most beautiful vistas in this country, I just want you to know that your "road work" is kind of a joke. In fact, I'm not convinced that it isn't, in fact, a joke. Because you've been having "work" done since I started driving. Ironically enough, NOTHING IS EVER HAPPENING. Except a reduced speed limit.

Which is actually a lot of work for me.

Signed,
You Can't Fool Me


Dear Drivers Who Don't Have Cruise Control:

I feel for you. I really do. I spent several years developing super strong ankle muscles that enabled me to maintain a steady speed without the aid of my car. So, while you're honing your self cruise control skills, can I make a recommendation? 

PRACTICE IN THE RIGHT LANE.

Signed,
Always On Cruise Control

daddy

 

One of my most favorite things

is the look on Belle's face

when Daddy comes home from work.

 

It's as though her smile

is going to burst right off of her face.

And she lets out a squeal and a "Dad!!"

I don't know which of the three of us

looks forward to this daily moment more.
A few seconds of pure joy, every day.

I knew I'd found a good husband;

I never guessed I'd found such an amazing Daddy.

Happy {First} Dad's Day Jess.

jumping in

We took Annabelle swimming for the first time. 

Luckily, we documented this experience from start to finish.

First, the little princess modeled her new swimming suit. She was just a little proud.

Then she was off...

 ...until we told her she had to wait for mama. Which thrilled her.

 We made it in...

 ...but the smiles only lasted a minute.
Turns out someone wasn't too fond of the floating chair...

 ...at first. Then she settled right in.

 She lounged around, and had only a few diva moments, like this...

 ...and this...

 ...but for the most part, it was pretty much the best huge bath she's ever had.

exhaustion is like a box of wet wipes

So Annabelle only took one nap yesterday. Usually, she's a two napper. Yesterday, we got too busy, she got too involved, and plum-darned forgot to take her nap. She conked out without finishing her last bottle, let alone a last ditch effort bowl of oatmeal I usually coax down her throat in an effort to get some shut eye (for all of us). So I expected a wake up call around 3 a.m. begging for some more food. Indeed. The feeding hour rolled around, the yelping ensued. However, after eating, she just wanted to be snuggled. Now, I love me some snuggles, especially from the Belle. But I also love me some sleep. So I let her snuggle for twenty minutes, then after she kicked me in the gut for the fourth time, I decided she could roll around in her bed instead of on me. Well that started a good half hour of screaming at me because really, SHE LOVES HER MAMA. So I slept through my alarm, which usually nudges me out the door to a 5:45 a.m. spinning class. Instead, Belle woke me up at 6:30 a.m., not just to eat but to HANG OUT.

REALLY?

I may or may not have dozed on the couch while she dismantled the family room, easy to do when you're walking/running all over, darting from one "no no" to another. I may or may not know how an entire box of wet wipes ended up on the floor. Shredded.

I may or may not be ready for a nap.

awkward

Because sometimes awkward is just awesome (click here for more awesome).

however

 Jess woke up to snow on his first day of work. He took this photo on the way in.

 **********

So we decided to rent. For six months while we look for a home to buy. We found a great apartment on the top level (I'm a bit of a top level snob) with great space and lovely views. And if that doesn't work out, we'll rent some more. Personally, I'm quite fine with less square footage to clean, and I like the idea of having time to look for the "perfect" house, if that exists.

However, we can't move into our apartment until next month. We're lucky enough that Jess' family has loaned us a corner of their basement, but our stuff is in boxes in the garage. So I'm rotating through the same four shirts and Belle is rapidly growing out of the clothes I brought her. And while I realize we have more clothes in the garage, the thought of digging through our mountain of stuff to locate anything useful is just plain exhausting. Because in an attempt to thwart would-be burglars, Jess didn't label our boxes. And in a moment of sheer insanity, I didn't disagree.

**********

Annabelle decided she likes eating again. She'll even eat baby oatmeal again. (Have you tried this one? She loves it, and so does her cuz.) And while she generally prefers "big girl" food, she does love Graduates Puffs and Yogurt Melts for snacks. We were out running errands one day, and I could tell she was at the end of her patience rope. So I put her in her car seat, dumped Yogurt Melts her lap, and started driving. And for ten minutes straight, all I heard was, "Num, num, NUM, num."

However, I love them too. They're so yummy. It's like flavored air too, so even though I'm snacking, I'm keeping the calories low. I seriously dare you to try them. Peach Puffs are especially life changing.

**********

I have moments that I miss North Carolina. Mostly I miss our quiet life there - the one with a routine and a daddy who was home more often.

However, I think it was time to come home. Back to my mountains and the beautiful dry air. Back to square blocks and good food (I'm sorry NC - you just really don't have many options!). Back to family, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles just an arms length away. And back to Cummings Chocolates. Okay seriously. Best chocolate in the world. Especially when it shows up magically under my pillow. Probably to make me forget that the boxes in the garage ARE NOT LABELED.
 

pretty sure i could live in a box

As long as this face was there.

Oh, and as long as the box was air conditioned. ;)

throwing my decisive nature out the window

So the last time my blog went this dead was when I was pregnant and barely had the energy to brush my teeth. Putting thoughts together into cohesive blocks of writing was as daunting as getting out of bed without puking. And so I let it be, knowing that one day I'd be back.

And while I AM NOT PREGANT, the blog has gone sort of dead again, much as it did before. This time, my energy has been sucked into the battle of Rent vs. Buy. We've made the trek across the country (Belle and I in several airplanes, Jess in his faithful Honda, stopping at some beautiful national parks along the way), Jess has started work and studying for the bar, and I spend my days stalking Craig's List and KSL, alternated with days of perusing home listings.

Because you see, for the first time in our marriage, the decisive one (me) is just as undecisive as the undecisive one (him). And it's causing my brain to nearly explode.

So until we have some sort of living situation figured out, my thoughts will remain a jumble, and the blog likely rather quiet.

But I am still brushing my teeth.

one more month

She has 1 1/2 teeth.

She calls all dogs "My!" (My mom's dog's name is Miley.)

She gives high five, sometimes in slow motion, sometimes real quick, several times.

She waves her arms around and kicks her legs when she's super excited (always has actually).

She talks in steady streams of jibberish, which sound almost coherent.

Sometimes she just sings and sings and sings, often at the grocery store.

She loves dancing, especially to "Hey, Soul Sister," by Train.

She points at the things she wants or the things she wants us to notice.

She "cleans her hands" when prompted (brushes them against each other).

She doesn't sleep through the night and occasionally has what appear to be baby night terrors.

She loves chicken nuggets, Nilla wafers, guacamole, and cheese curds. And baby formula. And chocolate.

She can stand by herself - even clap and dance and move around - and can take a few steps by herself.

She loves walking (holding someone's fingers) more than just about anything.

And that would be crawling up stairs, which she probably loves a little more.

She can sort of crawl back down the stairs.

She survived the longest travel day ever - three flights plus one two hour drive - with only a few tantrums.

Speaking of which, she throws tantrums complete with kicks and screams and slithering off your lap when she's mad.

She says "hi" and "bye bye" by closing her hand(s) repeatedly, not waving her arm.

Prompted or not, she shows everyone their nose. Including strangers.

She knows what a ball is and when asked will tell you: "Bah!"

She feeds snacks to her cousin, Tymon (four months younger than her).

She "talks" on the cell phone, even managing to get the phone right on her ear usually.

She puts bows in her hair by dropping them just behind her head and headbands on by securing them like a crown.

She's eleven months old today.

One more month, and my baby is a year old.

Days please drag.