Oh how we love her!

We may all be partial to our own grandmas, but I really think my Grandma Ruth is just about the sweetest thing ever. :)

I usually see her every couple of weeks when I clean her house, and I'm always amazed by her health and her ability to get around as well as she does. There are always those days when she may be a bit off with her memory, but she's still very sharp most of the time. Just last month Grandma reached the ripe old age of 94!

I'm grateful for each time that I'm able to see her...especially when I see her on a really good day. Her smiles are contagious, and when she comes to the window or door to wave goodbye to me when I leave...well that just pulls my heart strings every time.

Carrie, Joy, Archer, Ben, Zach, and I all headed up to Brigham City to see Grandma and take her out for lunch the day after her birthday. 

 

It's so easy to forget to take time and appreciate that we're around because of the generations before us...especially when they're far away or have already passed, so for this I'm extremely grateful that Grandma is still here with us, close by, and that we have these opportunities to spend time with her.

Lucy

The boys have wanted a puppy for quite a while now, and we've been waiting on all the conditions to be right before taking the plunge...but then again we're kind of an unpredictable family too, so maybe we weren't 100% ready but close enough.

What set the wheels in motion was a late night visitor who rifled through our vehicles a few weeks back. I told D one of the best security features we could own would be a dog. I didn't think by the end of the day that we'd have one, but that's what happened!

Darius had mentioned the Blue Heeler breed to me before, and I had turned it down because I found out they were a working dog and needed lots and lots of exercise...and let's be honest, we're not the laziest family, but I think we tip the scale in that direction. I didn't think I would be down for giving that type of dog the exercise she would need, but then I got to thinking that maybe she was exactly the kind of breed we needed to give us the motivation to get off our butts and exercise more. She will challenge us, and I see that as a good thing.

We found our new family member from a woman in Garland which is north of Brigham City & Tremonton, and we had a good feeling that that was the right area of the state to get a good healthy Heeler. We all drove up in terrible weather with an address written on a note card but no other directions. Darius called the woman and got directions to a yellow house with a big yellow school bus parked out front. Turns out that the note card I had wrote down the address on was one I had used for the boys schooling. After getting the directions we found the word "yellow" written in yellow marker on the back of the card. We felt it was a good sign that we were in the right place.

Turns out the family selling the puppies knew my Grandpa Harry and my Uncle Leonard, and I considered that to be another good sign. There were two female puppies left in a litter of eight, and D knew right away which one he wanted. It took me a little longer, but I agreed with him and the boys....well after a few minutes of puppy play they were more interested in the house and if there were any toys to play with. We also got to meet the puppies' parents, and after seeing what good looking dogs they were, I felt really good about out decision.

The size difference between Lucy and Ulli is pretty comical, but they're really good with each other. Lucy is (mostly) fearless with him, and Ulli is very patient and gentle with her. They're going to be great friends. :)

We weren't in any hurry to name our little girl, but D did mention the name Lucy at the beginning and even after running down a list of other names, we all agreed that Lucy seemed to fit her best. It's very much like having a potty-training kid all over again, but she's doing so well and really seems to be happy here with us. Her favorite family member is clearly D. She makes the most pitiful sound when he comes home and is so excited to see him that she usually pees herself, and I'm sure it doesn't hurt that he works for a steakhouse and brings her home delicious bones.

We're all in love with her, and I'm looking forward to seeing how her personality develops more as she gets older, and for the dynamic that she'll bring to our family.

Archer

For the past few weeks Carrie and Archer have been missing their third wheel. Bobby had an opportunity to travel overseas for work, so we had cause for some extra face time with them while he was away.

I get to hear about all the fun stuff Archer does from Carrie, but it's a lot different when you get to see firsthand all the little quirks he has. He is thoroughly entertaining and has such a fun and thoughtful personality.

Archer has been walking now for about a month, and I forgot how fun it is to watch a new walker teeter and totter around a room. He's starting to pick up speed, and it won't be long before he's tearing around.

Archer has such a love for books already. He has favorites and will bring Carrie the books he wants read to him. Even months back when he was at the age that babies will often opt to chew on books, he would instead sit and listen.

When we're visiting at Carrie's house, she is very much an extension of me and has no problem disciplining my boys and keeping them in line. Zach got sent to timeout for something he had done and was feeling pretty sorry for himself. His crying and complaining got Archer's attention, and seeing how upset Zach was, he crawled over to him all concerned and started giving him kisses. It was one of the sweetest things I've seen a little tot his age do.

Zach may not have appreciated Archer's concern for him, but I couldn't get over what a sweet gesture his kisses were.

Archer does this thing right now where he gives everything the thumb test. It's definitely his go-to digit. He's very deliberate in the things he does, and I thought his restraint with an open tub of skin cream was impressive. He'd dip his thumb and return to the same spot on his leg to moisturize while Carrie went about rubbing him down.

Whenever I get an opportunity to watch Archer for any period of time, he always does really well for me. His crazy cousins provide him with good entertainment and a distraction for whenever he realizes that his mommy isn't around. However, if we're all together and Carrie is out of his sight, it's a totally different story. He loves her fiercely and doesn't like it if she goes too far. The mama's boy term doesn't exactly capture their relationship with each other. It's so much more than that.

This is what Archer does whenever Carrie is in the bathroom. No joke, he doesn't like her out of his sight.

I've been asked if Archer (or any other baby) makes me want to have more kids. Ummm yeah, that would be a no. There are times where I find myself missing some of those fun, early stages; but I'm happy to get my baby fill from Archer, and I figure if his cute mug isn't enough to sway me then I'm pretty well decided.

A year.

Probably one of my favorite parts of each day is getting my daily photo of Archer. Carrie has been so good about texting them to everyone this past year, and I love all the little glimpses into how he spends a second of each day. I love this kid!

It's always great to come together to celebrate that first year mark, and Grandma DJ put together a great party for her first grand baby's first birthday. :)  I think that first birthday is as much a celebration for the parents and relatives as it is for the little one.

There really isn't anything out there that can prepare someone for a baby, and I know Archer has had some challenging stretches, but Carrie and Bobby have come through it all beautifully. I'm already looking forward to seeing how much Archer changes over this next year.

I remember the phone call I had with Carrie when we first got the news that Darius had been offered a transfer to Salt Lake. I knew what it meant it be able to live close to her and the rest of the family. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be around, to watch Carrie become the mother that she is and to see Archer grow and be able to spend time with them both.

"What are you doing Wednesday?"

We see Joy a lot more often now that we live much closer to each other. It's nice that she drops in a lot. She called me up on a Monday morning a couple weeks back and asked me what I had going on on Wednesday. Aside from babysitting the girls that night and school with the boys in the morning, I told her I was free. She then asked if I'd like to be a witness when she and JT got married Wednesday morning.

I find that I often laugh at inappropriate times. I think it's a nervous habit I exhibit when I'm at a loss for actual words. That's what I did when Joy told me her news. I laughed. After our conversation ended and I had an opportunity to digest the news, I called her back to apologize, and I think I was able to find the congratulatory response that would have been more appropriate during our first conversation.

I wasn't surprised that Joy and JT were getting married, I think it was just a shock to hear it was two days away. I guess I had always figured I would have more notice. Carrie called me later on, and we put our heads together to try and piece together the makings of a more memorable day for them. Carrie happened to have a perfect dress for Joy to wear, we were able to get flowers to make a bouquet for her, and with less than an hour to spare before stores closed the night before, Joy and I hit the mall hard to find shoes and stockings for her to wear with the dress.

Short notice and all, I was honored to be with my sister and witness her marriage. I think Carrie and I were probably feeling the same emotions, especially since we both got married without each other there. It was a big deal that we could be there with Joy.

I love Joy fiercely, and I'm so happy for her. I hope that Joy and JT's marriage is one full of wonderful shared experiences that they'll look back on each year with great memories. Love you both!

October This & That

The first couple weeks of October kept us all busy. We had several weeks left in our apartment, but decided to move into the house right away and get settled. It was an easy move, and we quickly unpacked and got ourselves organized. We had beautiful weather and took advantage of the warm days to pull up the remnants of the garden left by the last tenants, and get it ready to be planted in the Spring. 

The middle of the month is a blur. I'm certain there was plenty going on to keep us busy. Towards the end of the month I enjoyed a lovely birthday with lots of my favorite people. Darius and the boys took me out to breakfast at the Park Cafe. It was our first visit there, and we all loved it. Afterwards we hit a few thrift/antique stores, and I found an awesome coat tree and a few other knick knacks. My dear friend Brandi came over for a visit with her son Jonas, and then my sister Carrie organized an aerial yoga party for me. Joining us were Kylee, Joy, Connie, Clair and Michel. I wasn't too sure about what we would be doing, but it turned out to be so much fun! I'm all about doing it again. It was a great day...just wish I had taken photos!

Halloween wrapped up the month, and I was happy to get that holiday out of the way. The boys got a little crazy leading up to it, and I was happy to be done with all their pre Halloween sass. Carrie brought the most adorable little dino over for a quick visit, and then we Trick-or-Treated in Joy's neighborhood which turned out to be great, nice and laid back. 

Mom & Dad - Hosts extraordinaire!

Our visit with Mom and Dad was great. We've really missed having them around while they've been gone on their mission, and they were so sweet with all the plans they made for us, driving us around, feeding us, and pampering us however they could.

Dad took the boys down to the pool just about every morning before we'd head out for the day, and they'd stop by the office afterwards for a cookie. Ben was disappointed there weren't any oatmeal cookies, so Mom whipped up a batch for him one morning. She took the boys out a couple times to look for fireflies before bedtime, and they both would take the boys off my hands during our outings here and there to give me a break. Those little breaks were wonderful!

Whenever we had any downtime, Mom was always checking in with us, asking what she could do for us. We didn't have anything planned for our last day, but it's not for lack of her trying! We were content to just hang out and relax, but she and Dad would have gladly took us anywhere.

 

Mom and Dad have really enjoyed their mission work and time living in Michigan, and it was a treat for all of us to see where they've been living and for them to be able to share with us some of Michigan's gems.

Thanks again Mom and Dad for the wonderful visit! We loved our time with you and appreciate all the fun things you shared with us. We're looking forward to having you home in a few months!

MI - Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad

Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad wasn't in our original plans, but I'm glad it was a last minute addition. We spent a full afternoon there and probably could have benefited from a few extra hours to explore the village a little more.

Crossroads Village has over 30 structures that have been preserved from the 1800s. Dozens of them were relocated and restored. The boys and I got started with a visit to the Durant Barn, built by Billy Durant, one of the founders of General Motors. The barn is now used as the village Toy Barn. The boys were full of questions and enjoyed playing with all the old-fashioned wooden toys. I even attempted to walk on stilts....making it a very short distance. :)

We all took a ride on the Huckleberry Railroad for a 40-minute ride through some woods and along part of the shore of Mott Lake. The ride was lengthy due to our creeping speed of 15-20 mph. The railroad apparently got its name because people could easily hop on and off the train to gather a few berries that were said to grow alongside the tracks.

After our train ride, we visited a couple shops in the Horton-Colwell Building. On the second floor of the building there was an Opera House which, at the time of our visit, was hosting a magic show. We had some time to kill before our ride on the Genesee Belle, so we stopped in to check it out. Our group of 7 plus 2 others made up the audience. I think Mr. Magician Man thought we'd be a dull crowd, but I think we pleasantly surprised him....at least I know Zach did! He was the lucky assistant and had us all laughing. I had no idea he was such the little performer. I didn't catch the first few minutes of him onstage, but he was dancing around with moves I've never seen!

Following the show and a break for snacks at the car, we made our way to the Genesee Belle which is an old paddlewheel riverboat. We enjoyed a very relaxing ride around Mott Lake which was followed by the scariest carousel ride I've ever been on. A carousel is built in 1912, and you'd think it would spin at a respectively slower speed, but apparently when it was restored there was some sort of crazy motor installed. I don't recall being on a carousel without some sort of belt or restraint of some kind...this carousel had none. I thought Zach was being lame sitting on a bench rather than picking a horse to ride, but he had the right idea! I was leaning over from my horse holding onto Ben out of fear he'd fly off his horse, and the ride attendant still had to jump on mid-ride to help him scoot up and get a better position on his horse. I'm glad Ben didn't realize what a death trap he was riding on.

 

The village was closing, so after a quick stop to visit the farm animals, Stanley Schoolhouse, a few other structures and a hay maze, we made our way to the exit and headed out.

MI - Frankenmuth

It took me a day or two to remember how to pronounce the name Frankenmuth, I finally got it after I trained myself to pair Frankenstein and tooth. It's definitely a unique place, and we probably would have had more time to explore it had it not been for the Christmas monstrosity store known as Bronner's Christmas Wonderland!

The sad face in the  middle just wants his mom....

....see a few seconds later and he's happy as a clam. Cute little stinker.

I don't think anyone can fully prepare someone for what to expect upon entering this store! Saying that it's a Christmas explosion doesn't quite cover it...you'd need to multiply it a couple of times. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were warnings in place to advise those susceptible to seizures to enter at their own risk. No joke.

There's so much going on in Bronner's that your eyes literally cannot keep up or process everything you're seeing. We spent hours in this store, and didn't even see everything. You could probably spend days there before you took everything in. The store is the largest of its kind and is the size of 1-1/2 football fields and could probably easily be expanded by another 1/2 and still be slapped full of everything Christmas.

Trees, ornaments, indoor/outdoor decorations, ornaments, stockings, ornaments, Santa costumes, ornaments, lights, ornaments, figurines, and more ornaments. The list of stuff is exhausting. You want Christmas TP? Yup, they got it.

 

Once the shock to the system dulled somewhat, it was a lot of fun to wander around the store and look at everything. All I can say is "wow."