Shakespearean Festival Dogs

This weekend Kyle and Chris went up to Yellowstone to go fishing. They tried to convince me to come, but I had to decline. I don't think standing in a river from dawn to dusk for 3 days sounds like much fun. So instead I tagged along with my family at the Shakespearean Festival. I have never really gone and I LOVED it.

I saw three different plays and loved each of them. We went on a hike and had a close encounter with a rattle snake. I got to visit with my friends Bob and Shayla from St. George. They have two darling children, who grow up so much every time I see them. Thanks to Max I laugh now every time I see a salt and pepper shaker. I think one day I will play with the shakers and when there is a big mess I will just blame Grant. Ooh, maybe I will just let Grant help. Joking here!

It was such a nice and relaxing vacation. I really want to go again next year. Grant loved the vacation too. Grant had two favorite things: he loved my Uncle's dogs and he loved the day care he went to while we went to the plays. He could hardly get out of the stroller fast enough.

Kyle had a great time fishing and came home smelling like fish. I too had a wonderful time and came home cultured. Grant had a good time and came home absolutely exhausted.





This picture is my personal favorite. These dogs are very patient considering they are getting petted by a one year old with a toy tractor.

Oquirhh Mountain Temple

In honor of the Oquirhh Mountain Temple dedication today I thought I would post some pictures from our tour. For about 2 weeks this summer Kyle's little brother Chris stayed with us. I had a couple of days off in July so Chris and I planned a day to head down. Luckily, Lee, the middle brother, was able to join us as well.

The temple was absolutely beautiful. I am always amazed at how detailed the decor is. I would describe this temple as a delicate display of earth tones. Grant was the perfect angel the whole time UNTIL we got to the celestial room. A young couple invited our group into the celestial room to share their testimonies. It was a SUPPOSED to be a somewhat spiritual experience. But that is when Grant decided to pitch a royal fit. I tried to appease him, but with no success. I felt really bad to disrupt everyone else's experience.

By the time we went out to the refreshment tent to have a cookie he was a golden child again. It was a wonderful experience and I was delated to have Chris and Lee with us. Chris thought the temple was beautiful inside. I think Lee and I appreciated it a little more. The temple has more meaning after being endowed.

The Big Bedroom Project

The Master Bedroom before the project began.


The painting of the bedset begins.


There were over 20 drawers that needed painting. It was a little overwhelming to look at.



The bedset completely done and moved in to our bedroom.





In April I sponge painted the walls in our bedroom. I love the look. It is still neutral enough that it isn't too outlandish for Kyle, but I love the change of color. The furniture really adds to making the room complete. I still haven't put anything on the walls yet or hung curtains. I haven't decided what I want. But this is a great start.

Dirty, Clean, and Offended

This is a venting post. I promise to get more pictures up here soon. My mac won't connect to the internet and that is where my pictures are saved. Any way, back to venting.

I provide language therapy for a LOT of children. Going into people's homes means working with everyone in the family. This is one of the perks of my job. I love meeting people and darling little kids. I love going into the CLEAN homes and seeing all the decor around the house. It is like living in an interior decorating catalog.

Oh and by the way NOT "clean" is defined as smelling like cat urine, dog crap, or human crap for that matter, moldy dishes (yes dishes can grow mold), and unidentifiable "mush" on the couch. To sit down you wish you could have Mary Poppins power and sit on the ceiling because it is the cleanest part of the house and even then it is questionable. Clutter, dusty picture frames, lint on the carpet, less than a month's worth of dishes in the sink, is NOT dirty! That is CLEAN! (My personal house has a little higher expectations, but it doesn't always achieve it.)

So I love my job! AND here comes the disclaimer to the previous statement. I don't like it when my families get offended. I have been reprimanded multiple times for being late to appointments and being EARLY! I have been too blunt, too professional and too friendly. I get really sick of getting told I am pretty much no where near perfect. I am tired of my bosses calling me into the office to tell me something else I did wrong.

Here is my side of the story! I really try to just be myself. I can't not be friendly, sorry, I just came that way. I try to be professional and sometimes it comes across as blunt. I try to be on time, but anyone who ever has done home visits that sometimes it just doesn't happen.

If you receive home visits from ANYONE here are some things you can do to make their life easier. First, be patient and give them a few minutes to get to your home, if they are late call them on their cell phone first instead of the boss! If they are too blunt or too friendly or anything else talk to them first. Speaking for all of us who do home visits, we really can't please everyone. If there is something you don't like just talk to us. We can't guess who is offended and by what.

The most frustrating thing is that when people get offended the only person they affect is themselves and in my case their child. I currently have one family who I have offended. They are cancelling all my appointments, which means their child isn't getting language services. I know why they are bothered by me and I wish they would just give me another chance.

Being offended is just a bitter feeling. I try not to be offended by other people. It is hard because the feeling is so validating. In most cases I don't think people try to offend others. We are all human and we all have different personalities, which is what makes the world unique. Unfortunately it also requires us to all have a little patience.

It's All About Green Beans

For the first time since stage 2 baby food Grant ate green beans for dinner. This is a very exciting day. We actually got close to a well balanced meal. A small slice of ham, a few slices of cheese melted on a small "fiber boosted" tortilla. Three green beans and one cup of mandarin oranges. Don't forget the full sippy cup of milk. I am so proud of my little boy. I hope this continues.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book!  It was so interesting.
I liked how the author jumped from Henry's present situation to his childhood and back through out the entire book. It was a little confusing at first, but it doesn't stay very confusing.
It was interesting to read a different perspective on WWII.   This perspective comes from Japanese Americans, who still feel the ratifications of the Japanese's involvement in WWII.
There is a very sweet love story along the side of the main story.  There is no sex, no swearing I can remember, and a very entertaining story.


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I huffed and puffed!

This morning was the 11th Annual Wheat and Beet Hit the Street 5K run in Garland, UT! Last year, I was determined to run this race because I wanted to run a 5K by the time Grant was 6 months old.
Now Grant is 17 months old. I had registered for the race BEFORE Kyle told me he was planning to spend the entire weekend at Flaming Gorge. So Grant and I ran the race this morning. To be more precise I ran the race pushing the jogger while Grant drank juice and ate cookies. I have run with the jogger before, but it is a LOT more work so if possible I leave Grant at home with his Daddy.
The course is a down and back course with a nice sized hill in the middle of it. I pushed hard up the hills. I like to sprint at the end, but my legs were dead and I couldn't move them any faster. I have never had to PANT so hard. With all this said I am proud to say I finished the race at 33:06! Not my best time, but considering I was pushing a 25 pound kid in a jogger I am quite pleased.