Colorado

Nearly two years ago Jon's boss started talking to him about the possibility of moving us to Colorado to open up an office for J.U.B.  It was exciting and crazy to think of the adventure that could be awaiting us, and interesting to note that the timing came right after we'd sold our home and moved into a new neighborhood.  It would have been so much easier to think of moving away had we not just found a great place to settle into.  We'd discuss the pros and cons of moving as well as those of staying here.  And then suddenly talk of Colorado ended and we were grateful to not have to worry about making that decision.

Then a few months ago Jon came home and said that he guessed his boss had concluded that he was no longer the man for the job and that was that.  Or so we thought.  It was literally a day or two later that Colorado was back on.  Brian (Jon's boss) had brought it up again, and just before we dug a huge pit in our backyard for the swing set, Jon thought it would be nice to know how serious he was.  Very serious, evidently.

As a result, we went on a recruiting trip last week.  Brian, his wife and three of their four children went as well.  Our itinerary included checking out Montrose (where we'd most likely be moving to) including driving by some homes we'd found on-line, taking a look at the current J.U.B. office space, and meeting with a local Bishop.  It was very educational and I'm grateful we went.

We were obviously on this trip because we truly want to know if this would be a good move for our family, but Brian wanted to make it a vacation for us as well.  So while in  Montrose, we woke up early, found the Stake Center and went on a run through the neighborhood.  The people were very friendly.  Then we spent some time driving around seeing what the area was like, looking at the stores and noting the different churches that seemed to be on every corner.

And then after we took care of business, we headed to Ouray, which appears to be an exact replica of Park City.  While there we went to this hot springs pool and swam in the most pleasant water!   Our girls are definitely water babies and swam both nights of the trip.  I loved hearing Lydia's little voice request for us to "hold my finger."  She loved walking around without the aid of her floaty, and is still disappointed that she needs to grow before she can go down the blue slide. Sophie made it clear when she was done floating around and just wanted to be held, and when Jon tried to get her to go under this umbrella waterfall (which Lydia titled "the mountain") she let us know that she was not cool with it.  "I enjoy it from a distance, but please do not put me under that thing!"  We were actually hoping to go on a run after staying in Ouray too, but Sophie had a rough night and at 2:30 a.m. we decided to turn the alarm clock off.  Brian's wife had offered to watch our girls so that we didn't have to take the stroller and his daughters invited us to run with them.  Had they been running anything less than 13 miles we might have taken them up on that.

The Victorian Inn that we stayed at in Ouray was really nice, and that was where Lydia asked the waitress for a hotdog and insisted on telling us over and over again that that was what she wanted for dinner.  After dinner this sweet girl stopped to tell us how cute our girls were and inform Sophie that she had the cutest shoes, so Lydia stuck out her shoes so they'd be noticed too and then started telling everyone nearby about her bloody toe.  The girls attracted a lot of attention, and were told that they were adorable, that their hair was delightful (everyone loved Sophie's curls.  They all wanted to touch them!), and that their shoes were fun.  One lady from the south even attempted to guess their ages and predict that Sophie would end up bossing Lydia around when they were older.  It's so fun to talk to people you just meet on vacation!

We drove Million Dollar Highway on the way to Silverton.  It was beautiful!!  Brian was prepared to make several stops in anticipation of the kids getting carsick, but our girls didn't complain other than Sophie's grumpy face as she fell asleep.  I've concluded that she probably did get a little sick because when we stopped she was pretty lethargic, then perked up for frozen yogurt and finally lost color in her lips shortly after that.  She recovered quickly and didn't seem too upset, but she was definitely uncomfortable.  The girls were champs despite all the time they had to put up with driving around locked in their car seats.  When Jon would say that we needed to get back in the car Lydia always corrected him.  We're riding in a truck, not a car Dad.  The trip ended with a stop at the Monticello Temple.  The closest one to Montrose.  On a map the temple and Montrose aren't that far apart; unfortunately there isn't a simple road connecting them and it's much farther away than you might think.

When I asked Lydia what she liked about the trip.  Her response was, "Big truck.  Ponies.  Swim suits, and pool and animals and blankets and banana and fish and food!  Phew!"  She's also asked where we'll be sleeping the last couple of nights.  I think all the talk of the trip got her so excited that the night before we left she couldn't sleep.  Another FOMO moment, but we assured her that we weren't leaving until morning and that we would absolutely not leave unless we had her with us.  She did eventually fall asleep, but not for a very long time!

It was a great vacation (other than we did not take nearly enough pictures!) and really fun to spend it with Brian's family.  Now we just have a lot of thinking to do...

She's going places!!

Sophie is an animal.  That girl is going places!!  She's been walking well for almost two months now. Her  first steps were right around her birthday and she walked five steps for me on my birthday.  She kept trying to go faster than her little legs could handle and that tripped her up pretty good in the beginning.  I loved watching her drop to the ground and start crawling when she fell because she could go just as fast on her knees, if not faster than she could get herself back up to walk.

Then she gained some confidence and it was easier to get back up after each spill.  She's super dainty and walks with one of her hands up in the air, probably more for balance than anything, but she just looks so cute and dainty when she does it!  We can pretend it's intentional, right?  Sometimes she holds both her hands behind her back and walks around like she owns the place.  I love that.  Now she thinks she can do anything.  And I love that too.  This one is fearless.

 

We resurrected these videos of Lydia learning to walk.  Since they haven't been seen we thought we'd include them and let you enjoy them too!

What do you think?  Do these ladies look alike?

She's a big girl now!

 Back in March I talked to a neighbor about potty training.  She'd just successfully potty trained her 22 month old daughter, their sixth and final child, and after hearing about the three day method she used I was excited to get started with Lyds.  I read through the reading materials that night and we dove into it bright and early the following morning.  That was March 17th.  What I loved about it was that Lydia started realizing how her body worked much more quickly than I think she would have had we continued just trying to get her to go on her own.  And by day three she was recognizing needing to go number one almost immediately every time things got flowing.  I'd ask her if she was still dry and she loved telling me yes, though the idea of trying to stay dry didn't really sink in.  She didn't want to sit on the potty unless she knew she needed to, and that meant that she was no longer completely dry.  Anyway, she was positive through it all.  She and I were like two peas in a pod and didn't go anywhere unless we were together.  She'd suddenly shout out, "I'm peeing!!" and I'd rush to carry her to the bathroom to finish things up.  She even woke up at 4:00 a.m. a couple of nights to let me know she needed to go.

We had these bright potty charts she filled much more quickly than I had anticipated with stickers and earned herself a book and stuffed animal from Kohl's within the first few days with all her successes.  Put me in the Zoo was the book and it came with the spotted zoo guy (for those of you who are familiar with the story).  In the beginning she referred to him as Rudolf, but that quickly changed to Zoo-Keenie.  We had just planted zucchini for Family Night and that must have left an impression on Lyds because the next thing we knew, she'd changed his name.  He was our Zoo guy.  Cute, right?  I thought she was pretty clever for coming up with Zoo-Keenie on her own.

Look at all those stickers!

She loved being called a big girl, knowing that Dad uses the potty, and Mom too.  She reminds us that she's a big girl and that Sophie's not as big as she is yet.  She really wants to be as tall as her dad.  She's doing her best to get there!  We'd make up little songs about Lydia's a big girl now! And how she'd earn her stickers and get a prize.  One of my favorite things about her potty training journey was the phone calls she'd make to various family members.  She'd get so excited to call and tell them that she was potty training and how things were going.  I loved watching her pace as she talked on the phone and even when she left messages.  I was dying when she kept Uncle Tophe on the phone for what seemed like For. Ever!  I'm pretty sure it was at least a half hour.  And she was definitely doing most of the talking...

Always reminding Sophie that she's still little

I loved that she'd choose not to wear a pull-up if given the choice, and she'd always wake up dry.  In the beginning we were really good to encourage her to hydrate earlier in the day so that she didn't make up for it later in the evening and need to go in the middle of the night. even though she'd proved herself very capable.  Lately we haven't done so well...and believe you me when I say that it makes a tremendous difference.

She took him with her everywhere!

I should have posted how awesome Lydia is ages ago.  I can't believe it's July!  She's amazing and has impressed me with her efforts and positive attitude from the beginning when we started this potty training business.  She loves wearing big girl undies and staying dry.  I think I drive her nuts asking her if she needs to use the potty.  A little trust here please!!  But I imagine I'll continue to ask just as a reminder.  I know how irritating it can be to interrupt play time with a trip to the potty, but I also know how much worse it is to forget to go and have to clean up an accident.  No fun. No fun at all.  Not for anybody.  Lydia really is a big girl now!  I love that she's growing up and so excited about it!  And I really love when she wants Sophie to be a part of it all.

We've made it 5 years!

Happy anniversary Jon!  The day started at 1:30 with Sophie crying out.  Teething, no doubt.  Lydia walks in to Sophie's room and I tell her I'll be in to check on her as soon as I calm Sophie down.  Sophie's almost asleep when Lydia can't wait any longer.  I set Sophie down and thankfully she doesn't cry out much, because Lydia's need is greater.  "Stuff came out of my mouth," she tells me.  Throw up all over the bed, on her favorite blanky (which soothes her to sleep) and on Daisy, her dog.  I change her sheets as quickly and quietly as possible, knowing that Jon needs to be up at 5:30 and on the road by 6:00 so he can head to Manila and slay dragons for us, and want him to get as much sleep as possible.

Not surprisingly, the day ended with Jon and Sophie falling asleep on the love sac and Lydia staying up way past her bedtime.

Despite the weeks and weeks of Jon's overtime and hours and hours of service in our church callings, oh, and the months and months of nightly wakings with our darling daughters, I wouldn't change life as we know it for a minute!  Thanks for the adventure the last five years has been!  I'm looking forward to the next five, and the five after that, and the five after that, and all the excitement yet to come!

Happy Birthday Lyds!!

Little Lydia is three!!   It's hard to believe she's been part of our lives for as long as she has when it feels like just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital.

We've been talking about her birthday for months.  Originally she wanted a kitty cake, but a few weeks ago (around Easter) she changed her mind.  A Blu party, inspired by Rio, captured her imagination.  This morning she and I made bluebird cupcakes while Sophie napped.  She was mostly a big help in the beginning... until dipping her fingers in the cake mix became her priority.  Anyway, they came together nicely in the end, and Lydia seemed really excited about them until Jon came home with balloons.  At which point the cupcakes could have vanished and nobody would have cared!  Really, the night could have ended right then and both Lydia and Sophie would have been beyond happy.  You should have seen them!!  Sophie couldn't stop smiling and refused to let go of her balloon.  And Lydia.  She kept telling Jon and me that she had a pink balloon.  And that Sophie's was purple.  And that's all she wanted to talk about.  She ran around and around worrying about her balloon, and when she was separated from it so that I could do her hair she started crying.  I had no idea that a balloon could make such a difference to the birthday girl.  All the difference, apparently.

Anyway, it was a fun evening with family, and Lydia was sweet and excited about all of her gifts.  It cracked me up to hear her announce, "it's Twilight Sparkle!" When she opened Aunt Cathy and Uncle Caleb's gift.  She knows her My Little Ponies.  From those ponies, and the many movies and books she's familiar with, this little girl has an incredible imagination.  And now, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Frazier, she has her own baby doll so that she doesn't have to wait for Sophie to nap so that she can play with hers!  She's grown so much since her last birthday.  I loved seeing her share the little beanie stuffed animals with Sophie that Aunt Jess and Uncle Derek gave her.  Sharing.  Such a hard lesson to learn!

 It seems like every day she learns new words or memorizes songs or rhymes.  She loves to tell me that Soph and Tophe rhyme.  She'll sing primary songs in the bath and sometimes at lunch.  Today she started singing, "Hi, my name is Joe.  I have a wife and three kids and I work in a button factory..."  She's also a little artist.  She draws faces really well.  Always upside down for some reason...but they look great when she's done, so the crayons from Grandma and Grandpa Blackhurst will be well used.  And she still loves being read to as much as she always has.  I love reading to her before she goes to bed at night.  But my favorite part of the night was watching Lydia run back and forth across the sidewalk in front of our house.  She loves to do that every day, and she's fast!  Even our six year old neighbors have commented on her speed.  Her bloody toe didn't stop her.  Didn't even phase her. If given the option she always chooses to go barefoot.  She's one tough cookie!  Happy third birthday Lydia!!  We love you!!

Happy Easter!

I know we're a little late, but just had to document these little darlings in their adorable spring dresses.  Don't you just love this time of year?!

Wood creations

Jon's quite the handy man and can fix anything.  Anything.  Unfortunately I seem to unintentionally test him on that far too often.  Like the disposal last week.  Sadly, that's the second time I've temporarily ruined our disposal.  And then there's the rod that helps to open the blinds.  Yep, I broke it clean off.  And the time I was using the vacuum to clean the stairs and hadn't plugged the hose in correctly and was therefore cleaning nothing.  What a waste!

Anyway, that's not the point of this post.  He's totally the golden boy and I thought it was about time to document all his amazing wood creations to this point.  Because he not only fixes anything broken, but has this amazing ability to create fantastic and useful things made from pieces of wood.

I love these Geese.  They were his first project after we were married and turned out really well. They're cute and serve such a great purpose.

 

 This Shelf is beautiful!  We needed something to hang by our front door so we could put our jackets and hats on and instead of finding one at the store Jon went out in the garage and got to work and came back with this.

We talked about wanting to chart Lydia's growth shortly after she was born and then got serious about it after Sophie came along.  Jon looked on-line for deals and quickly realized that he could make one much better suited to our needs on his own than anything we could find and this is what he came up with!  I hope the girls cherish these quality growth charts!

Jon whipped these out last December for the Frazier cousins and Leila.  Pretty sweet, don't you think??

And then there's the Owl chair. LOVE this!  It might just be my favorite so far, but I refuse to state that definitively.  Everything he makes has been awesome.  This incredible chair came to be because Jon wondered if he could duplicate a little froggy rocking chair that his Uncle Jim made him when he was a little boy.  We had Jarom, Brittany and Leila for Christmas this past year and with Leila's token being an owl Jon thought it would be great to make an owl chair for her- a real special and personal homemade gift.  And he did!  Sophie fell in love with it after Jon put the stain on and before it was in Jarom and Brittany's possession, which means that Jon's work is not yet over!