This is the Place!

To commemorate Pioneer Day (yes, this post is a month late...), I wanted to take Davis to This is the Place Monument to tell him about his pioneer heritage.  I'm not going to lie -- I thought there was a monument or plaque about the Mormon Battalion.  Davis is named after Captain Daniel Coon Davis, who is my 4th great grandfather; I wanted to show Davis his name and tell him about the Mormon Battalion.  Apparently, I was a month early -- the monument to the Mormon Battalion was dedicated this week!

But lucky for me, I had another pioneer ancestor to tell Davis about: Jesse C. Little.  He was an important figure in the history of the Mormon Battalion as well.  He was presiding over the eastern states mission, and actually met with President Polk to arrange the Mormon Battalion (because the saints needed money for their trek west).  Pretty neat. I've always been a little proud of my pioneer heritage.  Jesse was also part of the first company of pioneers to enter the Salt Lake Valley with Brigham Young.  He is actually pictured on the monument at This is the Place park.

Jesse C. Little is the second from the left

Davis has no idea what I was talking about or showing him, but he was happy all the same.

We had a little picnic near the statue.

There is also a plaque commemorating the first group to enter the valley

I've always really liked Pioneer Day.  I feel a strong connection to my ancestors.  I marvel at all they suffered for the gospel.  Could I do the same?  Definitely not with the same courage and humility!  And definitely not without air conditioning.

Hanging Out

So Davis and I have spent a lot of time together lately, just the two of us.  It seems that either I have been sick, Davis has been sick, our cousins have been sick, or our friends have been sick.  It has been a rather dull August.  But here are a few occurrences of late (some important, some not so important):

• Davis had his 15-month appointment yesterday.  He is healthy (even his ears!).  He is also slowing down in the growth department -- less than 75% for his height now.
• Davis likes Krispy Kreme donuts.
• Davis can now say "bee," "shoes," and "drink."
• Davis loves to read the hymnbook (totally random, I know).  When he sits on my lap at the piano, he now points to the green hymnbook until I pull it down.  Then he tries to read it.  So far, he has been very careful with the pages.
• Davis loves to throw things down the stairs, especially the fridge magnets.
• Davis can follow commands.  I say "can" because sometimes he chooses not to do them.  It seems like he understands more than he should at this age, but I am probably just a proud mom.
• Davis likes the Gilmore Girls (partially because he has no choice, and partially because there is a lot of music and he can dance).
• Davis likes to sing.
• Davis loves to turn the oven light on.  He also wants to push the buttons on the thermostat when we walk by it.
• Davis stands up in the bathtub and has tried on more than one occasion to turn the water on and/or turn the shower on.
• Davis wants me to hold him whenever I am working in the kitchen -- he isn't happy until he can see what is going on.  Needless to say, I have been cooking much less because it is really hard to stir one-handed.
• Davis still doesn't like milk, even if there is chocolate in it.
• Davis is getting pretty good at throwing the ball accurately, and he can do it with either hand (he usually chooses right, but if it's full, he'll throw left).
• Davis gives the best hugs.  He even patted my back the other day while he was giving me a hug.

Russ gave Davis a haircut, and he did a mighty fine job.

Back before everyone got sick, we did get to have some fun:

We babysat our neighbor, Rhett, for an hour or so.  Davis LOVED it. I'm not sure if Rhett appreciated Davis following him around all the time.

We went to the Highland splash pad with our neighbors one evening. 

Davis had a blast walking through the water. 

He didn't want to hold my hand at all.

I followed him closely, worried that he would biff it on the concrete since he'd only been walking a few weeks at this point.
I just can't believe he left his hat on the whole time.

Russ had a lot of fun taking pics.  See below.

Russ ran into an old college roommate he hadn't seen in 7 or 8 years.


We also swam at grandma's house with the cousins again.

Davis had fun feeding his cousin, Ethan, Cheerios after the swim party.

Oh, and I made these (yum):

We can't wait til everyone is healthy again so we can hang out more!

My 30th & 31st Birthdays

Recently I have been receiving a bit of grief from someone who shall remain unnamed (Marie) over my lack of posting.  I can't say the grief was not well deserved.  I could provide many excuses (including the flu, which hit Davis & me at the same time -- what a delight!), but I will just say I was too lazy to take pictures of the things I wanted to post about.... until today!  Drum roll please....

I turned 31 on July 20th.  Because I spent my 30th birthday in the hospital having my gall bladder removed (and therefore, it didn't count as a birthday), Russ surprised me with a little party.  He pilfered my email address book and sent out an email urging people (friends, family, former coworkers, ward members...) to call/email/text/visit me for my 30th birthday / 31st birthday / Gallbladder Independence Day (a phrase that I coined, but for which he was willing to take credit ;) ).  The email included the following picture:

I am sure glad my husband knows how to Photoshop. Not every girl gets her face carried down the street in a parade.

It was fun to get emails from so many friends, and quite a few people stopped by to celebrate during our little front lawn party that night.  I haven't had a birthday party like that since I was probably 12!  Thanks to my sister Amy, I have a few candid photos of the party:

My cute neighbor, Michelle, made gall bladder-shaped rice krispie treats 

(which were a hit with the kids, by the way)

This is my cute friend Kristin who brought me a cake shaped like a gall stone.

Davis entertained us all

My sister, Amy, had this cool cake made out of the pic Russ emailed.

I've never had my face on a cake before.

You might think it caused much pride within my bosom.

It did.

You would feel the same way if your face were on a cake.

These are the cupcakes I made for the party. 

Yes, I made the cupcakes.

Russ spilled the beans about my party the night before it was to happen.

Therefore, I chose to make cupcakes, rather than clean up the house.

I delegated that to Russ.

Besides, he bought me some super cool cake decorating tips that I wanted to try out.

I also got some really cool artwork for my birthday:

My neighbor, Holly, made this for me.

I especially like the ants on my sidewalk and the bees in front of my house.

Apparently she is very insect-aware.

My sister, Michelle, nephew, Ethan, made this for me.

My niece, Danielle, made this card for me. 

She is very good at coloring, 

and she also did a great job writing her name by herself.

My niece, Abbie, made this card for me.

It says:

"Happy Birthday to my favorite Aunt Elizabeth!

Aunt Elizabeth you are the coolest ballet dancer!  I love your dance moves of the ballet moves.

You are such a cute Mommy for baby Davis!

You have a really good Chipmunk voice and I got a really good song to since for you on Mommy's iPod.  It is going to be really cool!

I am so glad that you didn't have to have surgery on this birthday!  Besides, I think you look cute without your Gall Bladder!"

Let me address several points concerning this card:

1.  I am not sure how Abbie has seen my great ballet moves, but she's right.  I am the coolest ballet dancer.

2.  I do have a really good Chipmunk voice.

3.  Abbie's "really good song" was from The Chipmunk Movie, and she sang along (although she wasn't really sure of most of the words) and danced to the entire song for me at my party.

4.  I heard a lot of nice things on my birthday, but I think the nicest thing anyone said to me the whole day was that I look cute without my gall bladder.  Thank you, Abbie!

Thanks for a super birthday party, Russ!  I appreciated it, and it was really fun to see so many friends and family members! It was fun to be the center of attention :)

It was also fun to have my mom spend the whole day with me.  She took me to Orson Gygi for the first time, and it was super fun!  And I was good and didn't spend $300 on a Le Creuset dutch oven.  But I thought about it.  For a few seconds.  My mom also took me to lunch and helped me finish up the cupcakes. My mom is one of my best friends, and it was fun to spend so much time with her.

Being 31 is pretty cool.  Especially because I am healthy and loved :)

Camping on the Anny

So "anny" is a word I just made up.  Aren't I cool?! When I tell you it means "anniversary" you will probably think I am as lame as Michael Scott.  I am.

Russ & I spent our 8th anniversary camping with Davis and our neighbors, the Marsings, at Palisades State Park.  I think this is the 3rd time I have been camping since I've been married.  And this was Davis's first time!  It was super hot down there, but the company was great!  This was my first experience in urban camping (another phrase I made up -- I know, I'm practically Shakespeare); the next campsite over practically ate all their meals in our tent...a little too close for my comfort.  But we had a good time.  Russ went canoeing and fishing (we even ate the fish he caught for dinner), I drove up and down the canyon trying to get/keep Davis asleep, we drove into Manti and Gunnison (trying to get/keep Davis asleep), we drove into the Manti-LaSal Forest (surprisingly, NOT to get/keep Davis asleep), we ate great food, we played at the camp park, and we drank lots of water!

 Manti Temple

 

at the campground park

Davis loved making a mess playing in the wood chips

 

 

The Marsings - loved this pic of Presley!

Eric painted (with "washable" paints) this rock at our campsite (while supervising Colton painting the rocks, of course).

Davis dressed like a homeless boy  - his PJs did match at one point, but we took the long-sleeved top off first thing in the morning

(with Colton's Batman belt on his head)

Davis & Presley loved playing together

Russ with the fish he caught

Playing with toys around the campsite

Davis loved the tent.

It was a little three-man number.

Let's just say that with a pack-n-play and a queen size air mattress it was more than a little cramped!

Thanks to the Marsings for planning such a fun adventure!

(and for letting us use the toilet in your trailer...)