I Looked Out the Window and What Did I See...

Thats right folks, SNOW!! I took these pictures from our front yard. Last night and today it kept raining on and off. We also got hail a few different times. The forcast says that we could even get some snow down here tomorrow. Crazy? YES! I checked the forcast in Tucson and they were supposed to be a whole 50 degrees warmer than us at around 95 degrees. So we enjoyed cuddling in blankets and drinking warm drinks. At the same time I am realizing how endless this winter might feel.

Have you ever read the book or seen the movie The Snowman? Its about a little boy who builds a snowman and it comes to life. Gracie keeps telling me, "It will snow at our house and I will make a snow man! He will smile and be so funny! And we will fly in the sky with him!" I hope she is just playing and realizes that the book is fictional or else she might be really disappointed.

G and K

Lately Gracie likes to say, "Let me holg (hold) Tempy." When I set him in her lap she adds, "Take a picture Mommy!" So I do! He will stay with her for about a minute before he gets bored. The pictures with him in the blue stripes were taken right after he woke up so he has a sleepy-eyed look.

Kemp+ELFudge Cookie=Delightful... Doesnt it make you want a cookie?

Is there anything more cute than a baby in overalls? I submit there is not!

Microwave Woes

Once upon a time...a queen and king lived in Arizona and owned a microwave. Then one day they were going to move to Utah to a beautiful palace that ALREADY HAD a microwave. Since it was much like their own, they weren't sure which one would be best. So, the queen and king had TWO MICROWAVES! The queen-being the wise woman that she was-knew it was no good to clutter their new palace with un-needed microwaves. Since the microwave that came with the palace defrosted MUCH FASTER than their old one, she sold the old microwave to a nice peasant for $20. Time went on. Not much time, only TWO WEEKS. All of the sudden when the queen tried to use their came-with-the-palace microwave...it died. The queen was very distraught that she had chosen to sell the wrong microwave. So that night she went to walmart and bought a new one for $50. UGH. The queen and king mourn that they had to spend $30 to reduce clutter in their new palace, but, as always, they lived happily ever after. The End.

(I thought both of Melanie and Cherie when I wrote this, I know you understand!)

Where Did Summer Go?

After living in Tucson for seven years, summers became a dreaded time. A time to lock yourself in your house and turn on the A/C as high as possible- or swamp cooler in our case. Three summers I spent outside in the blazing heat while I worked at the YMCA summer camp. Two more summers I spent in the 2nd or 3rd trimesters of pregnancy and tried to resist feeling claustrophobic in my own body as my tummy grew and the ability of our swamp cooler to fight the heat shrunk.

Then came this year. We left Tucson just as it started to get hot and arrived in Utah before summer had truly begun. And now my question is- did it ever come at all? Did I even suffer through one day over 101 degrees? I know I never burned myself on the seatbelt or steering wheel of our car. In fact getting into the car was uneventful when we didn't have to face a wall of stifling hot air. We were able to take walks on any evening we wanted without fear of being drenched with sweat. The mornings were comfortable and dew stayed on our lawn past ten in the morning. After cool nights, Gracie didn't dare leave the house before nine because it was "too cold."

I find myself still bracing myself as I a wait for summer to hit, and then look around and realize fall is coming. Our flowers our going dormant and trees are looking yellow as they prepare to turn all shades of orange and fall off. So was that all Utah could muster up when it comes to summer? I know I was raised in the Salt Lake valley, but when I was little, to me summer WAS hot. After Tucson, I don't know if summer will ever be hot again.

One Page at a Time

So tonight I scrapbooked for the first time since...well, since before we moved for sure. I am posting this not to display my fantastic scrapbooking skills (as you can see, I have very little). But because I think it means something. It means that we are finally settled into our house enough that I feel like I can do something other than cleaning or organizing or putting away, etc. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot I need to do, but there is enough done that I can focus on other things now.

As for this page, Gracie is about one and a half in the picture. If it looks familiar it is because it has been on my facebook page pretty much since I have used facebook. The page itself is simple, but like I said, I'm no scrapbooking genius. Besides, it takes less time that way. Actually, I am seriously considering switching to all digital books, but I have spent so much money on supplies, that I feel I have to use them for a while more before I abandon them.

Gracie Says

Here are some more Gracie-isms. She keeps us smiling with her funny personality.

Gracie says-

*When introducing our family to a server at a restaurant, "Dats my Mom, dats Tempy, dats my sweetheart." Yes, Sean and Gracie have a special relationship and are best friends. Most nights Gracie asks if he has to go to work the next day (with a innocent hopefulness that he will say no) and when he says yes she often tells him she will have to go with him.

*"I'm just doing a bad hard day!" Our princess is kind of moody sometimes with the ups and downs expected from a two year old. So this is what she says to explain it. Or she tells us she is sick.

*"Hi big dawg!" Her favorite greeting for Kemp. Sean keyed the nickname.

*"Do you have penguins at your house?" Her question for Aunt Sarah when we visited her house one day. Does anyone have penguins at their house?

*"Stop yelling at me Tempy!" So Kemp is a loud little fellow. He loves the sound of his own voice, espcially when it echos like in our kitchen off the tile floor. He likes to yell at the top of his lungs just for the fun of it. Unfortunately Gracie has never liked loud noises and the hollering gets on her sensitive nerves. The poor girl thinks he his directing his loudness at her.

*"I don't want to be baptithed!" She meant baptized. When we asked why, she said, "The lotter (water) is berry cold." When we told her dad would help, the water would be warm, AND she would get a pretty dress, she said okay.

*"Mom I'm a monster...or a panda bear." This one came out of the blue one day when we were eating lunch. Random

Just Some Pics

Church is so exhausting!

Little Miss Potato Head

Kemps first cookie. YUM!

Best Friends

(most of the time)

L & D

(Kemp is born)

Throughout his medical career Sean has never been a huge fan of the OB field. He figured there are women doctors around so who needed him? During medical school, his rotations through OB were not terribly great. When we were researching residency programs if he saw one with a lot of OB work he would make a note to steer away from that program.
This week is Sean's second week on labor and delivery and surprisingly his attitude is gradually changing. Its an amazing thing to see. But, when he comes home and tells me about his experiences, I can understand why he is feeling better about possibly doing OB in at his practice in the future.
He finds it remarkable to be there every time a new life is born. He has done close to twenty deliveries now and each one for him is a neat experience. While in medical school he really only stood on the sidelines but now he is in the thick of it and I think the miracle of the whole thing affects him.
Anyone who has witnessed a birth knows it is really dramatic and intense. To risk so much-when things can go terribly wrong very fast-to bring a precious baby into the world. And then the joy and hallowed feeling when everything is calm again and the parents love their new little child.
Sean gets a unique perspective as the doctor. He likes to watch the Dads and kind of support them. Sometimes there are teen moms who are all alone and he helps them. On a few deliveries there have been emergencies or close calls and things are so beautiful when it all turns out well. We will see what this all leads to, but maybe he will change his mind and do some OB in the future after all. (Gracie is born)