A Big Day in Murray!

OK--so I will admit that Abby and I did spend ~15 minutes in the Costco parking lot watching the ambulances bringing patients from LDS Hospital and helicopters bringing the tiny ICU babies to the new hospital. It is pretty exciting and monumental! I've lived here (0.87 miles away) for nearly 7 years and Mike has been here for almost 4 years so we've watched it from the ground up! We toured the hospital last month and it will be a great addition to our neighborhood. We are so blessed to live in a time and a land where the medical care is so advanced! Modern medicine is nothing short of a miracle!

Our Baby's Growin' Up

What a great day! I can hardly believe that Abby is a year old. After experiencing our loss of Hope and Abby's illnesses when she was born, it was hard to believe that Mike and I would ever celebrate the first birthday of one of our children, but, of course we would have the opportunity! (Sometimes it just seemed a bit distant.) Anyway, perhaps I am partial, but I truly feel that Abby is the smartest, cutest and funnest child I know. She has a spunky personality. She is social and happy. I love her dearly and love being her mom. I couldn't have "created" a better dad for her than Mike. He is extraordinary. Our family has been so blessed and today was one of those fun paydays!

We started the day with a trip to the Living Planet Aquarium. Abby enjoyed it and I am excited to use our passes to return. After that we had a lunch with lots of family. It was wonderful to get together and see so many people (grandparents - Pat and Adele, Dave and Kaye, Leola, Ray and Ellen, Marva and Tom, David and Nancy; aunts and uncles - Tami and Kevin, Tim and Katie, Brian, Kaley, Steph and Ben a bit later in the day; cousins - Brooklyn, Isaac and Jack). Here is an album of birthday party pictures.

Abby the Octopus

Abby is going to be an octopus for Halloween. I doubt you'll see many of those among your little ghosts and goblins this year:) She really loves the outfit--both when it is on and off. When it is off, she'll sit and snuggle up to it and when it is on, well, she just does her normal thing. (I was afraid she'd be bothered by the extra appendages.)

So I have made two trips to Gardner Village this fall to see their fun witches. The first time I went with friends from the neighborhood (Monica and Alicia) and Shana. The following week Shana and I decided to take Abby and Cooper (aka the cow) back in their costumes. Gardner Village is set up with perfect little picture backdrops. We had a nice time and Abby did a pretty good job hamming it up for the camera!

A quiet afternoon

It has been a quiet afternoon--not terribly productive, but relaxing, nonetheless. Here are some assorted pictures. Click on the picture to go to Picasa and to see the picture with a caption. Then, click on "View Album" (will be to the left of the picture) to see the full album.

Running and Remembrance

It has been an enjoyable weekend. Yesterday I woke up at 4:45 and drove to meet my mom and then sister just off the freeway in Sandy and Spanish Fork and we drove to St. George to surprise Brian, who was running in the marathon. We arrived about 20-30 minutes before he crossed the finish line, in just enough time for Tami to walk up the course a bit to meet him with ~1.5 miles to go and run in with him and for mom and I to get along the last bit of the course to cheer him in. I think he was pleased to see us and we enjoyed being there with him. We did a bit of shopping at the outlets and then ate lunch in Cedar with Brian and his traveling/running friend then headed home. (I rode from Cedar to Utah County with Brian.) We were back on the road by 2:30 and after a couple stops I was home by 7:30. Getting in and out of the car so much in one day was rather strange because I felt about 17 lbs. lighter than I usually do when I am loading and unloading the car:) I missed Abby quite a bit--it's the longest I've been away from her I think, but she and Mike handled themselves jut great for the day! (She even got to go to the Priesthood session of conference!)

So yesterday Brian crossed the finish line at about 10:08 so after visiting with him and what not, we didn't hear more than one talk from the morning session of conference. In the afternoon we heard most, but not all after leaving lunch so I look forward to watching some re-runs. Today we had a very nice time watching conference and I think I was most inspired by President Eyring's talk this morning. I think that we could avoid a lot of life's heartaches by remembering--avoiding sin by remembering how sin has felt in the past, overcoming trials by remembering the Lord's promises, treating others well by remembering how much we love them, doing the right things because we remember the promptings of the Spirit. Life will always be tough, but I think that remembering is a key to lightening our heavy loads and reminding us that there is so much more of the good than the bad. I loved his idea of recording God's kindnesses. That is something I'd like to do--and a legacy I'd like to leave my kids. Conference was all good and I feel uplifted.

The Many Faces of Abigail

Abby loves to pull herself up on anything and she has recently begun to climb! She will stand alone for a few seconds out on the grass.

The other day she was looking at herself in the mirror on our closet door and trying to touch the baby in front of her. It was especially cute when she crawled to the other side of the door to try and find her mysterious (and exceptionally cute) friend.
This is what I call the "poofy hair meets poofy dress (complete with tags)" look. We were going through a box of the next size up in clothes and I couldn't resist putting her in this dress for a few minutes (still a bit big but should be great around the holidays). The skirt has so many layers that she kept picking at them and trying to figure it all out.

Birthdays and Baptisms

It has been a great weekend! I need to get better at posting things here (or at least writing in my journal). I read an article in the Deseret News this week (and I'm mildly frustrated that their website is being silly and not letting me bring it up) about a speech that David McCullough, the renowned author and historian, gave here in SLC recently. He talked about the value of history along with the importance of learning our country's history. (I would have to add the importance also of learning the church's and our family's histories as well. And while I'm at it, aren't the scriptures full of history?) Mr. McCullough also emphasized the value of writing and said that "To write well is to think clearly. To write very well is to think very clearly," (finally got the website to cooperate) and I am not opposed to being able to think more clearly so here is some writing...

So the weekend--On Friday we attended a baptism and a birthday party. On Saturday we attended a baptism and a birthday party. (Do we see a trend here?)

Friday's was a convert baptism (that I played for) of Howard Kelly. He and his wife, Joyce, have been attending church for a while and to be honest, we didn’t realize he wasn’t a member. It was a nice service and the ordinance of baptism was miraculous as ever. Saturday morning we attended another baptism (that I also played for). This time it was for Perla Cisneros from our ward. She is a cute 8-year-old and her mom is a friend of mine. It was a beautiful service as well and very well planned. It was an honor to participate. Isn’t it amazing that something as simple as being submerged in the water when done under the proper authority of the Priesthood can have such eternal consequences? It really is beautiful.

My side of the family is full of September birthdays. Steph's is the 8th, Grandma Marva's is the 14th, Brian's is the 15th and Ben's is the 16th. Next Sunday we'll have a dinner for Steph and Ben. Friday we celebrated Grandma Marva's 80th birthday with a dinner at Marie Callendar's with all of my parents' family along with Grandma's siblings and their spouses (Dixie and Ray and Curtis and Susan) and my other grandparents whom she considers dear friends (Ray and Ellen and Leola). It was fun to have all of my surviving grandparents at the dinner! Here is a picture of all three of my cute grandmas.

Yesterday we celebrated Brian's birthday at the Tucano's in Provo. It was an excellent meal. A few years back I ate at Rodizio's here in SLC (both are Brazilian barbecues) and I wasn't impressed. I didn't know what to expect with Tucano's but it was great. The prices weren't too bad and they give you a free meal for your birthday. Can't beat that!

Tails, Teeth and More!

Abby has been really doing a lot lately! She has gotten her first two teeth over the last week and a half. I have started putting her hair in little pig tails. She has begun to crawl - at least her own little combination of a crawl, scoot and bear crawl, and she is pulling herself up onto furniture!

This was the first time (I was aware of) that she pulled herself up in her crib

The swimming season is nearing a close, but it has sure been fun to swim at the neighbor's pool this summer!

Liberty Park

Our new favorite outing destination is the Liberty Park Seven Canyons Fountain. It is a big fountain with a bunch of interconnected streams that resemble the canyons of the valley. They all come together in the "Great Salt Lake" pond. Abby loved it (except when she was overzealously attacking a ball and face planted into the water...whoops)!

Home Again, Home Again

Our trip ended nicely. We drove from Glacier to Missoula and stayed the night there. Sunday morning we drove a bit off the beaten path to church in Hamilton, Montana. (Mike was curious about a pharma facility he had been contacted by a head hunter about there. Small town Montana seemed like an interesting place for a high tech facility...nice town, nice ward.) Sunday afternoon we arrived in Idaho Falls where Lara barbecued for us. Mmmm. Monday morning we went, along with Lara, to the IF zoo. It was a fun getaway. I liked their zoo...

Lara, Abby, the tiger and I

Pictures from Glacier

1: St. Mary's Falls
2: Virginia Falls
3 and 4: Logan Pass
5: Just for fun - Mike and I like to watch Abby grasp her toys with her feet while she plays with them...

Days 8, 9 & 10 - Waterton Glacier and bears

On Thursday (after spending the night in a welcomed hotel in Calgary) we traveled to Waterton Lakes National Park (via Cardston to see the temple). We took a very nice boat tour on the Upper Waterton Lake. This is an interesting lake because it crosses the international border so we started and ended the tour in Canada but visited the States along the way!

On Friday morning we woke up early and drove up the Red Rock Canyon in Waterton to go bear watching. Mike has a good eye and spotted what looked like a young grizzly right off the road. We were only able to watch him for a minute or so before he went behind the trees. He was probably 30 yards away. As we drove between Waterton and Glacier later that morning, we spotted a black bear off the side (maybe 15 feet). All the park rangers in all the parks have been warning everyone that the buffalo berries have just come on so all the bears are coming down lower to eat the thousands and thousands of berries they'll need before winter. Anyway, after we got to Glacier NP, we drove to visit the Many Glacier area and had a sow and 2 cubs cross the road in front of us and in the Many Glacier parking lot, we watched a sow and 1 cub through the scope for a half hour or so! The count was 4 grizzlies off the road, 1 black bear off the road and 2 grizzlies through the scope - all in the same day!

Saturday was spent in Glacier. It is a gorgeous place! Our favorites were a hike to St.Mary's and Virginia Falls and Logan pass - a very high elevation pass similar to Albion Basin (um...but better) with amazing views and lots of wildflowers. We both would've like to have spent a bit more time here! (I'll add a couple pictures when I get them downloaded.)

Days 5, 6 & 7 - Lake Louise

Happy birthday to you, dad! We hope you had a great day!

On Monday, we left Banff (the town - still in the Park) and drove North to the Lake Louise area. We set up camp and then drove to the Lake. It is hard to describe the colors of these glacial lakes. They are such a gorgeous turquoise color. We drove to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, both fed by huge glaciers that you can see from the lakes. They were both great, but Mike and I both thought that Moraine Lake was our favorite. (I think it is our favorite of anything we've seen thus far on the trip!) Moraine Lake seemed a bit quieter and more secluded. It was beautiful!

These are all at Moraine Lake - Yep, it's real...

Tuesday (in honor of the pioneers!?!?) we drove to the Columbia Icefield. It is a huge icefield (the size of 95 Central Parks) that can't be seen without some serious ice climbing, but the glaciers that come off the icefield can be seen. We actually took the icecoach tour onto the Athabasca Glacier. Pretty neat (and really cold)...

Here we are standing on the glacier and then Abby and I
with the glacier we were standing on in the background

The drive to the Columbia Icefield itself was amazing! There are mountains all along the way with glaciers. It is a breath-taking drive.

On the way back to camp we hiked a short bit to the overlook to Peyto Lake, another glacial lake. Again, spectacular...

Overlook to Peyto Lake

This morning, before leaving, we went to Moraine again and rented canoes. We found 4 great waterfalls high up on one of the surrounding peaks. When we were rowing back to the dock, only 2 of the 4 waterfalls were still "running". It is such a dynamic area that is constantly changing!

Days 3, 4 & 5 in Banff

On Saturday morning, we left Great Falls, crossed the border and arrived in the late afternoon in Banff National Park. The Canadian Rockies are amazing! We set up camp and then visited the town of Banff. (It is a bit different here and I haven't totally figured it out, but within the National Park there is a town that claims a population of 8000+ and shops and restaurants like The Gap, Chilis, McDonalds, lots of local stuff, etc.) We drove past the Vermillion Lakes, looked at some cool birds (loons) and watched Abby play around a bit.

Abby at Vermillion Lakes

On Sunday, we attended the Banff Branch. We got there during the Sacrament song so we didn't hear the announcements so it wasn't until R.S. that I realized that about 75% of the 80 or so people in Sacrament Meeting were visitors. It was also interesting because when everyone in R.S. introduced themselves, there were just about as many Utahns as there were Canadians! It was a great little branch though and I really enjoyed it. After church we drove around town a bit (and saw the great big fancy Banff Springs Hotel built in the 1880s), the Bow River falls (beautiful, beautiful setting) and then walked around Johnson Lake, a few kilometers from Banff. We also visited Two Jack (hello, muffin - the one true Jack) Lake and Minnewanka Lake where we followed 4 or 5 bighorn sheep down the road and then watched 3 or 4 more jump over the guardrail on the dam to join them.

Mike and Abby from different views around Johnson Lake

On Monday, we took down camp in Banff and drove to a lookout that we had driven past several times but never stopped at. It was a lookout for the HooDoos (funky name for some rock pillars sticking out of some trees). Mike's comment was that the HooDoos are pretty anti-climatic when you compare them to the rest of the view from the lookout. The mountains and the river were spectacular!!

Abby and I at the HooDoo overlook

Days 1 & 2 - Falls, Idaho and Great

Our vacation has begun! Yesterday we got off to a bit of a later start than we had hoped. We stopped at the cemetery for a few minutes and then hit the library for the upcoming book club books and then hit the road. We got into IF at about 8:30 where dinner and Dave and Kaye were waiting for us. We enjoyed visiting with them and with Lara when she got home from work.

This morning we left IF at 8:30 and headed north. Neither Mike nor I have traveled much north of IF unless we are heading in the Yellowstone direction so this was new territory. We stopped in Helena for lunch and gas and arrived in Great Falls shortly after 3. After settling into the hotel, we went and visited the Lewis and Clark Center. (Mom, we are already putting the park's pass to use...) It was really interesting and pretty impressive to re-learn the importance of the Lewis and Clark expedition and exploration. The Missouri River is pretty and the forests we drove through were great.

We went swimming in the hotel pool (a bit colder than the Park Center and Poole's pools that we are used to), ate Chinese takeout and will figure out a way to get the Harry Potter book on CD sometime before we leave Great Falls in the morning. Can't wait to get into Banff tomorrow!

The Blogging Begins

I have decided to blog. (Monica got me thinking about it, and I think this will be a good way to share our vacation with friends and family--and some more after the vacation--so I hope you will enjoy...)

Life is very good for Mike, Abby and I. We are loving watching Abby grow and learn. She is at a great age (almost 9 months) and wants so badly to crawl! She is almost there. She is so curious and fun to have around.