We Need More Gas

Abby and I had a funny conversation the other day after she emerged from the bathroom-having made some interesting noises while in there.
Here's how it went:

Abby: "Mommy, my tummy hurts."

Me: "Oh, huh. Does it feel like you need to throw up?"

Abby: "No."

Me: "Well, does it feel like some one is poking you in the tummy?"

Abby: "Yeah."

Me: "It sounds like you probably just have some gas."

Abby: "Ummmm. No, I think I'm running out of gas, Mommy. We need to go get some more."

Me: (Stifling the giggles as much as I could) "Go ask Daddy for some....he ALWAYS has plenty!"

Abby just stared at me in confused and stunned silence while I nearly fell off my chair from laughing so hard!

I guess she would have better understood what I meant if I'd said maybe she just needed to fart.....(sigh)

While You Were Sleeping....

Sometimes at night before I head to bed, I stop in your room to check on you. I love to just watch you while you sleep. You are so peaceful and no matter what else in my life seems to be crazy or difficult, I get lost in the warm and cozy feelings I get while watching you. You are my angel....sent to me from Heaven. Thank you for making everything in my life seem worthwhile! I love you, Munchkin!

First Trip to the Dentist - Sept. 8th, 2009

Abby had her first visit to the dentist on Sept. 8th this year. I was a little disappointed when they actually did my cleaning and exam simultaneously with hers.... I had wanted to be there with her and take a picture of her in the chair with the cute little blue paper towel thing they always clip around your neck, etc. However, we were only separated by the large cabinet that houses the x-ray machine, so I could hear everything she and the hygienist discussed. It was so cute to hear her be so excited and brave while they polished and cleaned her teeth. She even did good with the vacuum (which is actually MY least favorite part of the dentist!!). She was very excited about her little packet of goodies that Dr. Zirker gave her - it included a new Cinderella brush, a small hour-glass timer, a thing of chapstick, and some floss. She actually WANTS to brush now, which is quite a change! The only downside to the entire visit: Dr. Zirker says we should probably start saving our pennies....some one will most likely need braces!! Ugh.......

A Visit for Labor Day - Sept. 4th thru 7th

We were so lucky to have Aaron, Rita, Mary Alice, and Kirsten come visit us for the Labor Day weekend. Friday night, we took them to our favorite steak house, Stockman's, in Rigby. It's a little bit of a drive, but the steaks are AMAZING! I think we all got more than our fill!!

Aaron and Rita had never been to Jackson Hole, so Saturday, we took a nice scenic drive up there and enjoyed some of the city's attractions. First, we stopped at Mountain River Pizza for some yummy lunch. Then we headed to the Snow King Ski Resort where we checked out the Alpine Slide! We had so much fun riding the ski lift up the mountain and then riding in the "sleds" down the hillside! Nathan went as fast as he could (of course), Aaron and Mary Alice and myself and Abby went about middle ground, and Rita and Kirsten.....well, let's just say they got their moneys' worth out of the ride!!!

Next, it was on to the Jackson Hole Rec. Center. They have a really neat swimming pool, including two really fun water slides! The girls were so brave that they actually went down the smaller slide by themselves - over and over and over again! They also all rode the large water slide, which was really fun! We were surprised when they swam for over two hours!!!

What trip to Jackson would be complete without a look at town square and the antler arches?! And after checking out a few more of the beautiful "western" motif buildings, we figured we'd better head home. A quick bite at the local Wendy's, and then it was a quiet ride home....all the girls basically passed out within a few minutes of being in the car!

We've never got to celebrate Aunt Rita's birthday with her before, so we had a special Sunday dinner and cake and ice cream the next day. I hope Aunt Rita was pleasantly surprised! The remainder of our visit was spent chatting and relaxing. Monday morning, the Laws had to pack up and head home. We are so glad that they came to visit -- we LOVE spending time with our family. Here's hoping for many more fun visits from our Law relatives!! (By the way, that's an open-ended invitation for ANY of our relatives/friends who would like to come visit!)

Hope you enjoy the slideshow of our weekend:

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Viva Las Vegas, Part Three: Vegas Activities

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Viva Las Vegas, Part Two: The Wedding

Other than a slight delay in getting to the temple (I swear the GPS said to exit onto I-15 NOT I-115!), the temple sealer calling Brady, "Bradley," throughout the whole ceremony even though he'd been corrected, and a slightly cranky (from lack of sleep) three year old..... the whole day was really wonderful. We're so grateful to have added Samantha to our growing family!

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Viva Las Vegas, Part One: Up, Up, and Away!

This summer Abby's Uncle Brady got married to a beautiful and talented young woman, Sam Ross. Sam is from the Las Vegas area, so we had the privilege of flying to Las Vegas. This was Abby's first experience with flying, and she did really well! She loved everything about it, including the shuttle ride from the parking lot, and carrying her own backpack! At one point, we experienced a little turbulence on the plane, and she raised her arms in the air and yelled, "Wheeeeeeee!" Her Uncle Martin seemed a little nervous and when we teased him about Abby being able to handle the flying better than him, he quickly pointed out, "She's three....she doesn't have a sense of her own mortality!" He may have been right, but we still think she's pretty brave!

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We landed in one piece and were able to navigate the Las Vegas airport without much trouble. The biggest concern was making sure Abby didn't take too much notice of all the half naked women and men on billboards that bombard you as soon as you exit the plane!! We picked up our rental cars and headed for the resort/casino. It took awhile to get there....not because we got lost. It was simply because we were stuck in horrible traffic forever! We finally made it and were able to settle in!

TRYING TOO HARD TO BE LIKE MOMMY

Normally, Abby is very good at coming to get either myself or her daddy when she wakes up from her nap. Imagine our surprise, when on a quiet Sunday afternoon, this is how she emerged from our bedroom.....

Please note the accuracy with which she was able to apply the mascara to her eyelashes!! Not too bad for a first timer!

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Birthday Fun

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Wanting to be like Mommy

I am always so flattered and surprised at how much my little munchkin wants to be like me. She's getting to be such a big girl!
Photo taken: July 17, 2009

Independence Day ~ 2009

Tradition dictated that we start the day in Ucon at the annual 4th of July breakfast hosted by the fire department. Daddy is such a dedicated volunteer and looked "smoking" in his apron!
Once again, Grandma Gail joined us for pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Pretty good eating!

I love Abby's enthusiasm for life and how she always finds joy in the simplest things... Oh, to be like a child!

We rounded out the day's activities by watching the fireworks show in our usual spot. After convincing her to stop hiding from "the man in the moon" (thanks, Grandma Gail), Abby totally loved it this year! She made sure to tell us what color they all were and demonstrated how the big ones make a "boom, boom, boom" in your chest!

Happy Independence Day 2009

Summer......Really?!

Most of this year didn't really feel like summer had actually come.....and June 26th's freak hail storm, just didn't help!

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