Dobb Family Blog

Alyssa Margaret

2011-12-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

Give me shout, I'm Here!!

So your my Dad.

She's here!! Two days past her due date Annalyn finally delivered a healthy 6 lb 13 oz baby girl. Her name is Alyssa Margaret, Alyssa so we can now have 2 "A" names, 2 "E" names, and 2 "S" names. Plus Alyssa means rational and we hope she will truly live up to that billing. Margaret comes from her great great aunt who was a spectacular lady and devoted sister, and one of Annalyn's favorite aunts. Alyssa certainly comes with her own personality and temperament.

Bring it.

She definitely has already demonstrated differences from her better known siblings. Some of the differences are first, Alyssa has maintained her own schedule during the last trimester of pregnancy with 11:00 pm and 3:00 am being her most active times.
Even during labor she didn't care to be prodded. Her heart rate stayed a solid 120 bpm. Second difference is she seems to be mild mannered and ready to put up with the love her siblings are bound to shower on her. And speaking of a shower not even a bath got so much as a whimper out of her. As long as her diaper is clean and her tummy fed life is good.

Labor was as unique as she is. Throughout the day contractions never became more regular than 10 minutes apart for a couple of hours with a longer break after that. When we finally gave up trying to jump start them and help them become regular, we went to the hospital to do a stress test on the baby and found out Annalyn was dilated to 6 cm. The nurse midwife had a busy day with two babies being delivered before us and one right after. So we simply waited in the labor and delivery room with an occasional contraction. Even when the time came for Annalyn to push it wasn't a strong urge on her part like the other three have been.

Oh yea, scrub a little more to the left.

With all the differences there are still some similarities. The most obvious ones are physical. She has my nose, big feet with long toes like her oldest brother and sister. She loves to be close to mom and climb into bed with her. (Well dad helps her with the climbing.) All in all she fits into our family nicely and we are ecstatic to finally have her here. The ironic thing is that the day before Annalyn and I started this family a tornado tore through downtown Salt Lake City. As we consider Alyssa as possibility completing our family strong winds tear up Davis County. For now we will simply enjoy being an even family.

New Kitchen !!!

2011-10-05T08:44:00.001-07:00

There have been a lot of small things in our kitchen that are broken, or have problems, the most major being carpet underneath the dining room table, the worst thing ever !!! I decided I was not paying to have it cleaned another time. Adding up all the things that we disliked or took issues with, it just made more sense to redo the kitchen altogether rather than try to do it piece-meal. So we started the process by fixing the doors. We had two doors next to each other. A sealed sliding glass door right next to this one. This is what it looked like before.

This is after. The door that is open is the new door and the door that was showing was to the left of it and is now filled in with brick. Steve learned masonry for this project and did a pretty good job, and we got lucky in finding brick that matched pretty closely.

This is what the door looked like only partly filled in from the outside and you can see what our kitchen looked like, very messy, still trying to box everything up.

This angle shows the new doors which have the blinds in between the glass panes so I don't ever have to dust them. I LOVE THEM. Next to them is where the old door was. We had it like that for about a week and a half before we started adding the rest of the chaos....

..Chaos such as the fridge in the living room. Ellie kept saying "this is so weird. I'm making my lunch in the living room... I have to go into the living room to get the milk...." We had the microwave in the toy room, or table downstairs, and the only working sink upstairs in the bathroom, and we washed dishes in the tub. Everything just took more time than I was used to...

The boys loved tearing out the carpet and helping to roll up the pad. It's always fun to work with dad and especially to not have him get upset for destroying something, actually have him help you do it....?

Ellie liked her project which involved learning to use daddy's drill, in reverse, to take out all the screws holding the doors on.

Seth and Ethan helping to cut apart the carpet pad and then roll it up.

Our next fun project was pulling out the hundreds of staples. They were both so excited to find one and be able to pull it out.

Seth had to work a little harder to get a staple out, but he was sure proud when he did

After Ellie got all the doors off, she helped carry them all outside.

Cheryl and Brian happened to come up to pick something up, and Brian decided to stay for the demolition, since that's the fun part of construction. Cheryl and I enjoy a nice visit while they ripped things out. Brian and Ethan pulled out more of the old flooring.

What it looks like just before tearing out all the cabinets.

Steve wanted to add it for posterity. Me sweeping and 7 months pregnant during this process

The demolition crew. Steve, Chris (our neighborhood expert that helped immensely !!! Thank You) and Brian who thinks it's fun to tear it all out and just couldn't resist.

Our electrician working his magic adding lots of wires... It's amazing to think how many wires are behind the walls. It's a good thing he knows what all of them are supposed to go to, because it certainly looks confusing to me.

The Drywall Man !!!!

Steve couldn't resist another of me sweeping.... they wouldn't let me do a whole lot, but you can see all the drywall now patched and ready for sanding and then painting.... !!

Isn't sanding fun.... Steve had a mask over his mouth, but the plaster dust went everywhere else, and I couldn't resist a picture

Ethan and Seth were thrilled to be able to help paint in the new kitchen, so they donned their paint shirts and were thrilled to help prime the walls.

YEA !!!! The cabinets arrive.

The beginning of the installation process.

Yea Steve added the flooring and we have countertops !!!!! I still have to wait another 4 days to have water in the kitchen, but next comes... appliances.

The finished product !!! ( The camera made the lights look really yellow, they aren't though)

The other side, which my huge pantry and a small cabinet and countertop with the phone above it, and my brand new island !!!!!

I LOVE IT !!!! Thank you Steve for all your hard work and many others who made it possible !!!!!

Happy Birthday MOM & GRANDMA !!!!

2011-06-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Since you're not close to us on your birthday to physically give you a present we thought we'd still try and give you something that we didn't have to mail to you.... LAUGHTER & SMILES!!! We found some funny pictures and videos that we thought might make you laugh and smile, so hopefully that would work through the digital long distance world.

ENJOY

This was in September 2009 when we all went to the Living Planet Aquarium. Steve recorded it, and we found it the other day and just laughed. It was so funny watching Seth try and get a drink.... not very sanitary, but still funny enjoy.

This was in November 2009. They were working together to ride around on the tractor. Seth's giggle was soooo cute I thought you might enjoy it.

This was July 2009. We were cleaning out and getting our small pool set up. Seth went and climbed in shoes, clothes, diaper and all and had a blast jumping in the pool and splashing.

This was Hayden on his trip here enjoying his peanut butter and apples. Although you start to wonder if his stomach enjoyed the peanut butter more or his hands.

Happy Birthday !!! Enjoy your grandchildren !!!!!

Ethan and the Mustard

2011-03-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ethan has decided that he wants to try something new almost everyday. He started this even before the accident. He'd try and english muffin with different kinds of jelly on each side, and then place scrambled eggs in the middle.....? He liked it. Well this week he's continued this tradition. We had turkey pillows and he tried dipping them in mustard.... the next day he decided he really likes mustard and wanted it on his nachos with cheese. We squirted it all over them.... he thought they were sooo yummy (much to our shock). The next day he had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and he started eating it, then he went and opened the fridge looking for something, the ketchup. I asked him what he wanted to do with that, because he didn't really have anything that would go well with that so I thought. He said he wanted to dip his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in it....... eewww (my thoughts, not said) I said ok, try a little and see if you like it. Well, much to my surprise, he loved it.... We don't discourage trying new things, but some things are definitely on the different side.

When we were at Primary Children's we had mentioned his new found love of trying new things. They said he should be the poster child, because so many children won't try new things... maybe, but some things are just a little weird !!! Enjoy your concotions Ethan !!!

Ethan and the Final Checkup

2011-03-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

On February 28th Ethan visited the last doctor regarding his head. And despite our proneness to head wounds we have made it a month without further injury. All in all we are doing well and the prognosis is encouraging. We have learned a few things like Ethan is very much a visual learner (like dad) versus an auditory learner (like mom). This also proves one more thing in which Annalyn and I are different. This week has also proven that we are not all better yet and Ethan's brilliant mind is still healing. He can still get over-stimulated and begin to shut down. The dentist experienced this on Tuesday when he pulled one of Ethan's baby teeth to make room for a permanent tooth that was already coming in. Ethan waled for nearly a half hour. He was comforted however this morning to know the tooth fairy liveth.

The next couple of months will prove our patience as the weather warms up and we have to invoke the three month rule by keeping him less active until May and watch closely that fragile head. We'll do our best. Thanks again for your support and prayers.

Dobber Blogger

Ethan and the Discharge

2011-02-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

Sleep was abundant last night as far as a hospital goes. Annalyn and Ethan woke up in good spirits which were enhanced as doctors began speaking the best "D" word in a hospital vocabulary, "Discharge." Ethan was a little slow this morning trying to make a decision on breakfast but he eventually settled for french toast. The room service was a little slow this morning as well. They were substantially late for breakfast so Ethan started with a bowl of cereal the nurses had in the break room. In addition to bringing the breakfast for lunch, room service doubled parts of his lunch order because the speech pathologist needed food for his final swallow test.

Ethan had another opportunity to play in the Forever Young playroom which wore him out. He passed all his final tests and was approved to be discharged.

Our final instructions were to be PATIENT! This can be difficult for a family whose children only seem to have one gear, running, but I'm sure we'll make due, The next few weeks and couple of months are critical to make sure both feet are planted and he doesn't bump that head again. Two feet on the ground is the saying. No biking, climbing, contact sports, sledding, scooter, running, polo, cricket, etcetera. We also have to stay close to him around the house especially going up and down stairs as well as meal time.

The next few weeks are going to be an adventure. We have the opportunity to meet many new people. Moving forward we'll probably just update you after doctor's appointments or major advances. We will also be posting other non-related fun we've had in the past decade. Until this accident we were not the best at posting. So, those that have been reading we again thank you for your love and prayers. If you're interested in the rest of our posts you're welcome to keep on reading. If not check back now and again and catch up with our boy wonder.

Steve

Ethan and homesickness

2011-02-03T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today started with a clear longing for home. Ethan was a little sad that he was not able to go home. He's a trooper and continues to show small improvements. Ethan has shown a large attachment to mom and will not let her go. If that how he is coping we'll gladly indulge him. Seth and Ellie are also missing him.

He did continue to move forward. His second day with the speech pathologist went well. She upgraded his menu plan and worked through some memory exercises. He received a couple special K9 visitors which really brightened his day not to mention he keeps receiving gifts like it his birthday. Yesterday it was a book of "outrageous verse", a puzzle, balloons, a stuffed bear, a couple of coloring books with crayons. Today he got a couple more hot wheels.

He also visited the Young Foundation Playroom walking all the way. He is enjoying being out of his bed with appropriate naps.

Still looks like we need a few more days before the medical professionals release him, and we'll have to be sensitive to his need to stay safe. If anyone knows where we can pick up pillow sumo suit with helmet let us know.

Again thanks for your concern. We too have had many come to our aid. We're grateful to neighbors who have come to help with a frozen pipe, one who noticed our van dome light was left on which could have likely killed the battery. Teachers and office staff at Whitesides Elementary who have shown love and concern, sent those special furry visitors and gits, and offered many payers in our behalf. In fact we have felt the love and support and healing affects of countless prayers from all of you. We are well.

Steve

Ethan and the Swallow test

2011-02-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

What a terrific day today. We advanced through many phases today on our way back to recovery. It was the swallow test to see if Ethan was ready to take on solid foods. He did just what the doc said and really like the Cheeto's that were given last in the test. After he passed in the room he was given the opportunity for a repeat with an X-ray making sure nothing was going down the wrong pipe. Give that boy a diploma for best swallower! At least a meal of Mac & Cheese with chocolate milk to wash it down.

Other Milestones today include improved speech, loss of the neck collar, recognition of colors, things, and people, wheeling (in a wheel chair) around the hospital, he was even able to tell jokes and laugh tonight. There is still a delay in his thought process especially when sleepy, but overall it has been a very promising day today.

Steve

Ethan and the Minivan

2011-02-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

As a family we are all very grateful to the love and support of family, neighbors, and friends. We are blessed by trials so we can grow; fortunately our's is much smaller than it could have been and it is supported by all you.

The Story:

Monday afternoon Ethan, from what we can tell, missed his bus home from school. As a proactive young man when he sees a problem instead of complain he looks for a solution. Despite our instruction to call if he needed a ride, he simply decided walking home could solve the predicament in which he found himself. As he approached the reason for a bus, Fairfield Road, he may have misjudged or not seen a minivan coming in his direction. He was hit on the left side.

At the time of the accident Annalyn had already mobilized neighbors and the School to look out for Ethan. It was his teacher that notified Annalyn of the incident. As Annalyn arrived "on the scene" the ambulance had left the scene transporting Ethan to Primary Children's Medical Center. Annalyn had the Sargent on the scene contact my work. I rushed home and together we made our way here (The Hospital).

The first major blessing was Ethan did not suffer anything life threatening and through multiple tests it was determined he had a skull fracture and broken clavicle. It's a good thing I've always taught my children early on where their clavicle is located.

Our initial optimistic (and the Ogden Standard Examiner's) assessment was met with reality and through an MRI we saw not a simple goose-egg but a flock of geese. It is apparent that his brain suffered some sheering (Over-stretching of the nerves) and will take some time, weeks even months before he returns to normal whatever normal is.

The last two days we have watched as he has slept and moaned, today (2/2/11) however he has become more aware and is communicating 100 times better. We are excited by the ongoing improvement and comforted by the next great blessing that however long it may take his prospect for a full recovery is excellent.

The moral of the story: Kids listen to your parents and cross the road safely with an adult next to you.

We will continue to update this blog daily until we leave the hospital probably sometime next week. Thank you again for all your support. We feel very loved indeed.

Steve

2010 Highlights Dobb World of Sports

2010-06-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Ellie started softball for the first time this year, and as it happened that her age group is now the machine pitch, so she really jumped in with both feet first. Well, actually her mouth first, she started the first practice by getting hit twice in the mouth with the ball. She wasn't so sure she wanted to continue after that, but she stuck with her team the rest of the season and seemed to enjoy it a little. Especially when they won.

Even when it got kind of cold

She loves saying hi and smiling for all her adoring fans.....

I was going to add her team photo when I got it scanned in, and that's why I had not posted this, but now it's been moved somewhere, so if I find it I will add it here.

Ethan was very excited to start T-ball this year and especially with his friends Evan and James

Ethan is in this instructional league where the start by learning the basics and practicing the skills each week, instead of really playing a game.

Ethan was the one who wanted to pull his socks all the way up. He's getting some batting pointers from his coach.

These guys just love to take pictures.... not!!

2010 Highlights Vacation to St. George

2010-06-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Our vacation to St. George in June 2010 started with the kids splashing in the jacuzzi on the deck almost every day. They loved having their own private pool!! It made it easier to swim every day for longer.

They also enjoyed playing in the big pool,and going under the waterfall. And who doesn't love being silly with daddy.

Steve had so much fun in the pool. I had fun watching and taking the pictures to keep the camera dry !!!

We tried something new this trip taking a Historic walking tour of St. George.

It started at the art museum and they had these cool exhibits made from bolts, old scissors, saw blades and lots of different metal objects welded together. They even had a list of things to look for on the exhibits

Seth was pretending to play this guitar. We thought these were so creative.

As part of the tour they had live actors who stepped into characters from the time period of when the city was being settled. They told about what was going on at the time and some things they did. We learned quite a lot of things about the area and had a fun time as well.

This was Ellie with "Jacob Hamblin" he settled a lot of the area of St. George, Ivins, and the surrounding areas. He had a lot of fun and interesting stories to tell.

Seth and I were with Orson Pratt who invented an odometer of sorts to help make it easier to know how much distance the wagon had gone.

Steve posing with "Brigham Young"

This is Brigham Young's Home. It was quite the fun story about all the green paint that was used. It was a fun tour. We learned a few things from his life that we didn't realize before.

We even had our friends the Hansen Family from Fruit Heights that were down there at the same time come and join us. We spent even more time in the pool cause it's always more fun with a friend.

Seth liked being in charge of the ball and trying to get it back when it would slip away.

A trip to St. George wouldn't be complete without a visit to Zions National Park

The kids really liked the tram you have to take to get around. They liked this particular part of the ride when it was empty and they had it all to themselves. Other sections were quite crowded, standing room only.

Along our first hike Ethan noticed this cactus and said look it's a mickey , we thought that was kind of cool.

They were glad to have finally gotten out of the heat and into the shade of the emerald pools, not to mention finding puddles to splash in

They especially liked standing here and getting dripped on by hundred year old water coming from weeping rock. Seth is trying to fill his hat with the dripping water.

One of our favorite parts of this trip was going to Tuacahn. We saw Tarzan this year and loved it !!! They told us at the beginning that they had over 150 different flight cues, which is when someone flies suspended in the air across the stage or above the audience. It was a fantastic production.

Ethan liked walking along the edges of this waterfall running down the stairway. He thought he was pretty cool, but it made us a little nervous

We all enjoyed the show, except Ethan and Seth, it seemed to be a little too late for them. They fell asleep the last half hour, just too much too late.

We went with our friends to a local splash pad and the kids had fun !!!! It was quite hot, but the wind blew a little and they got cold once they were soaked, but they enjoyed it while it lasted.

Ethan loved to sit of the water as it shot out of the ground and he would just giggle and laugh trying to hold all the streams down. He liked it when he could get it to squirt up his pants and they would balloon up.

Seth took a little longer to warm up to the water but he eventually got soaked and had fun running in between the different streams mostly.

Seth followed Ethan a couple of times by standing on the water openings and squealing as it tried to get out. Oh, the simple joys in life...

Ellie and her friend Anna got wet, then decided they didn't like the little breeze that made them a little cooler, so they went into the sun to dry off and warm up.

One day we played at the Fiesta Fun Center and since it was hot the bumper boats were fun with the whole pond to ourselves. They came back definitely soaked. After that they enjoyed some time in the kiddie arcade.

Ellie and Ethan both had fun trying to soak dad and each other

That evening we met Steve's cousin Garron and his wife Lavonne for dinner It was a lot of fun to spend time catching up with them. Our children just love posing for photos....?

Overall it was a great trip and we are grateful to have had the opportunity !!!

2010 Highlights Traditional Hike to "The M" on Memorial Day

2010-05-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

(Sorry it took me so long to actually publish this. I thought it had been, so here it is even if it's late.)

When Annalyn was growing up it was tradition to do a hike to the "M" on the mountain. It hasn't always happened every year since we've gotten older, but our kids were really excited to be able to do it. Especially because they love to be able to carry their own water

We took the backpack for Seth to ride in if he got too tired, but he never wanted to. It was a motivation for him to keep going. We'd offer, well if you're too tired we can just put you in the backpack, but he'd say no, no, I can do it, and keep plodding along. It's several steep hills, but he did it the whole way !!!

We made it !!!! But it's definitely more windy than when we started. It's kind of fun to remind the kids that Grandma Miller was in the class that created the M. Their class carried up the bags of cement and water to make the cement to make the M, and then every year after that they would have to go up and white wash or paint the cement to keep it nice and white.

Ethan decided that he could see the flag up higher, this really steep hill, and he wanted to go up there, well since it was so windy, we couldn't let him go alone, he might get blown over, it was getting that windy. So we all went.

Seth triying to climb the top of the M

Ethan at the top with the flag, overlooking Morgan below.

We All Made It !!!! Dad took the photo !!!

Strange Sleeping Spots

2010-05-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

June 1, 2010--Proof that Seth takes over the bed!! He just makes himself comfortable.

May 17, 2010--Hayden got to sleep over again, but this time neither Seth or Hayden wanted the bed. So they both slept on the floor. This was how they started out. A couple of hours later they looked like this...
They certainly move around a lot...

Hayden stayed for a week and at first Seth didn't want the bed, but Hayden did. Hayden woke up in a strange position. Seth slept in almost a kneeling spot, with only half of him on the folded chair.
April 24, 2010--The boys ended up sleeping downstairs. Why Ethan would want to sleep in the small space between the couches....??

March 31, 2010--I walked in to check on them before going to bed and found them this way. That just seemed really strange to have socks on his hands, then I find out why, because he wanted to be like his brother....
Ethan had put socks on his hands and feet. The curiously odd things kids do....

March 30, 2010--Seth again didn't want to go to sleep, he eventually got quiet. We went to check on him and couldn't find him. We found him here in the closet, he'd even taken his pillow. The closet door was closed more than this, we opened it carefully for the picture..... I don't know why you'd want to sleep in the closet

February 14, 2010--This chair is in their room. He finally gave up the fight to go to sleep, and lost here.

January 18, 2010-This is how I found Ethan in the morning, feet barely resting on the pillow.

September 5th 2009 Ellie was trying to avoid finishing her piano, and waited too long. She is sound asleep sitting on the piano bench using the keys as a pillow.

July 21, 2010 Ethan was exhausted.... apparently.

September 18th 2009-- Ethan and Seth didn't want to go to sleep, so they were playing, they both fell asleep on the top bunk

Children certainly don't need a sleep number bed to find their slumber.

Happy Surprise Birthday Annalyn

2009-07-05T17:03:00.001-07:00

Steve completely surprised me with a 30th birthday party. We had slept over at Grandma Carrigan's like always and there was the usual activities there and people wishing me happy birthday. We went home and got the kids bathed, cause they were filthy. I wanted to try and give the kids some more food before we went to Aunt Jan's, our usual plan, to watch the Kaysville fireworks, but Steve said no they always have snacks and food there don't worry about feeding them. ( Unbeknownst to me he's already taken food over to them the day before)

We went over a little early, with the idea from Steve that we might play games because Jan has invited us to do so many times. So we arrived and Steve goes in with the kids and I dawdle in the kitchen talking a little with Aunt Jan then she said that we were just in time for some food, and why don't I head outside.

I walk out the door greeted by a loud "SURPRISE " from a lot of family and friends !!!!!

It definitely was...I had no idea.

What a fabulous surprise. I haven't really had a party on my birthday in a long time, because everyone is always gone. We enjoyed delicious burgers and salads and enjoyed talking with everyone. Steve had also taken lots of decorations saying different things about being 30. It was soooo sweet and thoughtful !!!

Steve put on my cake the saying I'm always saying that I'll never grow old. The candles he had in were 29, because that's the age the many people say they are " I'm 29 and holding " maybe just a dad statement, but it was sooo cute and it just seems to fit me. I plan on being 99 years young ( not old)
After that he'd even gotten a pinata that the kids got to take turns trying to break, but then it took a lot of hard wacks from mom to break it open, but the candy inside was really good candy Steve had filled it with, all my favorites!!!! He thinks of everything.

After that he'd planned some water balloon games with the towels that ended mostly in a water balloon fight. It was a ton of fun!!! Then we watched Angela set off some fireworks and then all settled down to watch the Kaysville fireworks. It was an awesome night and birthday. Thank You Steve for planning so well to make it a special night for me !!!!

A couple of days later I got my hair cut for Locks of Love I cut off 11 1/2 inches to donate, so now my hair looks like this. I made sure it would be longer this time than the last time I donated. I don't think I'll ever go that short again. But this seemed to turn out all right but it will take some getting used to.

Surprise Visit

2009-06-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Theresa decided for her birthday to surprise Dad by flying here from Floria to visit without telling him before. Wow, what a surprise !!!! That night we all enjoyed dinner together at the Joy Luck Restaurant. Yummm !!!

Ethan isn't into photos right now
We all enjoyed sharing the different entrees and talking for a long time.

The next day we all went and saw the new Ice Age movie with Lisa Justin and Jaron.

( Ethan still doesn't like cameras, but he loves popcorn !!)

On July 3rd they had a military appreciation day at the zoo, which gave us a discount so we joined the masses in trying to find a parking space ( finally following someone as they exited and waiting for their spot...aaagghh!!)

The zoo was fun and hot, but we found enjoyment.

Ellie spent her own money to buy her Siberian tiger and is very excited and named her Katelyn after her cousin Katelyn Miller.

Ethan doesn't mind posing when it's just him.... maybe it's just because of the tiger that he smiled??

Everyone enjoying the kids area and wishing for more shade

Seth LOVES bridges !!!!........

....And his Uncle Pat !!!!

Isn't it sad that Justin seems to be too old to enjoy the kiddie land??? Maybe he's just enjoying the small shade he found on the crocodile.

On July 5th we gave Theresa a good sendoff with a nice dinner and games.

While we played the kids had fun coming back upstairs in different dress up outfits.

Thanks for a fun time with you Theresa !!! We love you and miss you !!!!!

Bear Lake Monster "Rain"

2009-06-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Bear Lake Vacation

We decided to take a quick vacation just after Ellie was out of school. We booked a condo in Bear Lake, because it's always been a relaxing time when there. This time was a little different, it was relaxing, but VERY wet. The weather wasn't very sunny till we drove out of town, it was either raining or just absent of rain. We did enjoy ourselves, just differently than we'd originally planned.

On Sunday, We started by carrying all the stuff in and getting settled. Seth wanted to be helpful in carrying stuff in, and he was so thrilled to do it all by himself,

The next day Steve took Ellie for her first golf game with her own set of clubs. The clubs were Steve's when he was little.( I think that's cool !!!)

While they were gone, Ethan really wanted to play tennis, so we went on our first of MANY trips to the clubhouse, good thing it was close, and we got some rackets and balls, and attempted our version of tennis... here are some fun pictures.

Later on we played twister. Mom and Ellie also got all twisted up, and lasted much longer, but the best ( er... only) pictures were from Steve and Ethan

After that we went to explore at the KOA and decided impulsively to go on a bike ride all together, in this small surrey ( this picture is just before we left). It didn't last long, the cover above us was full of water due to a lot of rain earlier that day, we found this out a little later when we hit a small bump and cold water started dripping down Steve's back, well, he reached up to let the water out the back, but it unfortunately also went out the front... on Ethan, who had chosen not to grab his jacket, he was then very cold and VERY wet !!

We turned around and they gave us a raincheck to come back the next day, which we were extremly grateful because a few minutes after getting back in the van it started to pour.... again!!!!! To cheer everyone up we went to the Bear Lake Pizza Company to enjoy dinner, and especially the sweet treats aftwerwards from the Chocolate Bear. Steve's favorite is the fudge, I like the pretzels dipped in caramel and chocolate and then butterfinger candy. The kids like the chocolate dipped rice krispies with sprinkles. Yum Yum... doesn't it make your mouth water.

Tuesday morning Steve went on a 50 mile bike ride around the lake early that morning. We enjoyed some more tennis and later on it cleared up a little, so we actually took our hour surrey bike ride.... and it was very enjoyable, even though the bike only has one gear, and thus a limit on your speed. Here are a couple of pictures from our second ride.

Seth liked to help drive, even though this steering wheel didn't actually control your direction ...I don't think he really knew that...?

After that we headed to the park to try and enjoy the break in the rain. The kids loved the new additions since we'd last been here...

They both loved conquering the rope pyramid and the new climbing wall...

And then racing Dad to the top

While Seth enjoyed making his own little swing

Seth was always looking for what was around the next curve.....

After that we went to enjoy shakes at Granny's and it's just too fun to eat in the covered wagon.... just before the downpour we had to run through to leave the wagon......!!!!!

On Wednesday we spent a lot of time in the pool, because it was again pouring. But we were glad the pool was inside and heated, and a ton of fun.

Seth loves the warmer water

Ethan was so excited. He said, "Mom I can be out in the middle and not touching anything !!" (He loves having his life vest.)

Steve had fun racing Ellie and the prize was dunking Ellie a few times, her decision...

They all loved climbing on dad !!

Mom was in the pool all morning, but we went back again in the afternoon and she took all the pictures... keeping the camera dry and still working...yeah!!!!!!

We all LOVED the hot tub, which wasn't overly hot, but still very nice !!!

Ethan loved squirting people, especially dad. Seth loved watching !!

After dinner that night we all enjoyed brownies, but from this picture it's hard to tell if they would enjoy the finished product more than then enjoyed licking the bowl........ mom didn't enjoy when the bowl fell and smashed into many pieces though...

Something that we did almost everyday, usually during Seth's nap was watch movies from the clubhouse. The kids loved it, and it was something to do while it was pouring rain outside.

We also played quite a few games, and dad had fun with other toys... er objects...

Thursday afternoon we hoped the weather would hold out to visit the beach. It was still cold, so no swimsuits, but Ellie wanted to find a seashell ( we knew it'd be small) for a friend.

We ventured out, and they got very wet while in their clothes.

This was a cute video of them walking along and Seth following Ellie's example

We got cleaned up... aka more wet less sand using the outdoor shower, then went back to the condo and got dry clean clothes and went over to the jumping pillow and the park next to it.

Seth's favorite way to bounce was sitting in mom's lap, but he enjoyed it this way at first.

It's fun to just jump and be free and flying !!!!!

Seth also liked sitting at the bottom edge.... who knows why

...maybe safer..?

The playground was just as inviting as the jumping, and Seth again wants to be just like his siblings, by running a fast food place. Here he was trying to hand me something that I "ordered".

Even Steve got in on the fun. He said it was a stress reliever and very relaxing to keep digging deeper in the sand.....

And who doesn't love a teeter totter... they had fun doing it all together.

Ethan loved that they let him try out several of the different bikes, and he actually got pretty good at this one, even though it looks way too big.

Another successful family vacation

Memorial Day in Morgan

2009-05-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

Steve started the day early by biking from our house in Layton through ogden canyon, over trappers loop and down around to Grandma Carrigan's house in Layton. It was about 50 miles.....

He said it was a good training ride..........

Anyhow after he was all cleaned up we went up to the North Morgan cemetary and enjoyed time with family. Here are some pictures.

Natalie, Annalyn with Seth, Kami, Kristen all chatting together

After the usual Delicious food, that afternoon Kami was so wonderful to saddle up Bart and give the kids a ride, which they loved.

Ethan was just about bouncing with excitement to get on the horse.

This was Seth's first time on a horse, and he LOVED it !!!! He didn't want to get off.

After that we played lasso golf/bolo ball/ horshoe golf... and enjoyed talking some more.

Steve had fun with the golf balls on his head. The kids thought it was hilarious.

Ellie loved taking pictures everywhere.

Mornings with Mom !!!

2009-05-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

I thought this picture was so cute, and Steve loves it too. They all love to snuggle in the morning with mom. and it's a rare moment to get a good smile on all three of them at the same time, and actually catch it with the camera!!!

Then a couple of days later Sunday evening Ethan and Seth are out cold, and Ellie just snuggles in while we were watching a movie that evening. They are just fun memories !!!!

Steve's Salt Lake Century

2009-05-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the two previous posts, we've had a busy week so far, and it's not over yet. Steve decided to do the Salt Lake Century ride. A hundred mile bike ride in one day all over salt lake and davis counties. He finished it, and met his goal time. We met him at a park about 1/3 of the way. The kids were excited to also see Gary Hooper who was riding with him. We unfortunately forgot to take pictures of him till after he'd left, but the kids had fun at the park. There are lots of bikers in the background.

That evening after the ride Steve had just finished changing Seth's diaper, and he climbed onto Steve and promptly fell asleep, and this is only at 6pm, way too early to sleep. You'd think Steve would be the exhausted one...?

We're proud of Steve for accomplishing this goal he set for himself !!!! YEAH !!!!!

Ellie's 8th Birthday party!!

2009-05-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

After a long year of Ellie changing her mind and trying to plan this party it finally became a minnie mouse party. It was a fun afternoon, with lots of drama.... lots of girls and lots of fun. Here are some pictures from her party with friends.

All the girls made minnie ears. Seth found someone's and decided this was the way to put it on.

We played red rover, and musical people, a balloon game and pin the nose on minnie.

Ellie opened presents, they watched with anticipation. They had all been telling her at school all week that she was just going to LOVE their present, so Ellie was very excited as well.

And we of course had cake and ice cream. We originally started this idea just to be an eight, what Ellie wanted but then we cut the centers out Steve asked if I was going to use those for ears, so that's how it happened, and it turned out really cute and everyone loved it.

Ethan loved it too much he just couldn't wait. You can see his finger swipe in the frosting, just before the picture could be taken.... !!!

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY ELLIE !!!

Ellie's Baptism

2009-05-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ellie decided to be baptized, and she was so excited. Several of the bishopric said they'd never seen anyone so excited to be baptized in their whole life. She was just so bubbly and full of life and excited for this. I figured I'd put some of the pictures here so those who couldn't come, due to distance and circumstance could still know about her special day. We are so proud of her and her decision to get baptized. It was a very neat day that will always be remembered.

18 month old catches on quickly!!!

2009-04-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

I am almost embarrased to admit this but today my wonderful Seth 18 months old locked me out of the house...... I didn't know he knew how. We were looking out the window and he was putting his hand on it and I thought oh, I'll go outside and put my hand on the other side of the window. He loves doing it with me on the back window. Then I had another thought, oh I need to take the garbage out, so I'll grab the garbage, take the 20 steps to the carport drop it in and then play with him at the window. I do it quickly so he won't lose interest in the window, but in the 10 seconds it took he's not at the window. So I go to the door, and find it locked. My son moved away from the window, and in less than 10 seconds reached up to the handle, pushed the button and locked me out !!!! But he can't turn the handle to let me in.

No problem, Ethan who's 4 is watching a movie downstairs. I'll ring the doorbell he'll come running and open the door..... Nope, he's too engrossed in the movie to even wonder why the doorbell keeps ringing, and someone is pounding on the door. I finally have to pound on the window really hard right above him many times before he even bothers to notice and eventually come upstairs and let me in...

I didn't even know my son knew how to lock the door..... guess he does now. I'm much more aware of his ability now !!!!

Ann Arbor Michigan Here We Come

2009-04-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

For Ellie's spring break from school on April 3rd we decided to visit for a week,my sister Andrea, her husband Tyler and their son Hayden who is only 4 days younger than Seth. We were soooo excited to visit them and see where they live. (originally we had planned to visit them in China... but it didn't work out)

The trip began a little rough. We left 1/2 hr. late because they had to de-ice the plane, which we are certainly glad they did it so we didn't fall out of the sky like a meteor, but it was longer for the kids. Seth was very tired however he found the energy to fight for 45 minutes trying everything he could do to not sleep!!!!!

When we arrived the car rental agency had issues galore !!!! After listening to three customer complaints ranging from a tire blowout to additional charges we recieved our car, the one with the large chunk of plastic missing from the trunk handle cover. An hour later we finally get our van, got moving, only to stop in Chicago traffic (aparrently it's always there). Moving about 5-10 mph for another 1 1/2 hours we finally said hello to the open highway, Indiana then Michigan. Three hours later than planned we arrived at Andrea's townhouse in Ann Arbor, about midnight... They were so sweet and said they didn't mind. All throughout the trip we really appreciated their wonderful hospitality, accomodations, and FABULOUS food. What more could you ask?

Here we are in front of their townhome before Tyler left for

St. Louis, Missouri to look for housing during his summer internship

Saturday morning we started our exploration of Ann Arbor. We visited Tyler's school and saw the "Harry Potter looking" law building, along with a few other sites on campus. The hit of the morning was "The CUBE" for the kids and Steve. It's 15 feet tall, weighs 2,400 lbs, yet will spin with a gentle push. Everyone took turns spinning it, even Seth and Hayden (no pictures however, we forgot the camera).

After that we had a cold picnic at the park where the wind kept blowing and the kids were more interested in playing than eating. Tyler and Steve then enjoyed a golf game (since it was going to be the only good weather day at a balmy 52 degrees) with Ellie who was THRILLED to join daddy for her first golf game driving lesson!!!

The next day we went to a delicious brunch at Andrea's friend Natalie's home, wow they can cook !!!! We watched conference online and then had fun spending time together. We especially had fun playing the game Alhambra. I'd never even heard of it, but now LOVE it !!!

On Monday we were joined by our new friend Christie and even Tyler joined us. We made the 2 hour drive to Sandusky, OH for Kalahari, an ENORMOUS indoor waterpark. It's the biggest indoor waterpark in America. We were amazed when we walked through the door, and it only got better !!!!!

This is just one kiddie section and part of the water roller coaster

We loved the 4 person tube slides, body slides, a water roller coaster, and a huge wave pool. The large kiddie area with tons of small slides and things to climb on was a bit hit with Ethan Seth and Hayden, and Ellie even enjoyed it for awhile.

Boogie Boarding here we come !!!

Steve and Tyler decided to try the flow rider. They were standing in line, when Ethan joined them and the lifeguards said he could try it. Ethan shocked us all by being the first one of our group to try boogie boarding on the flow rider (and of course we wouldn't have the camera)!!!! He did really well, which shocked us that he would even want to do it, because there are kiddie slides that Seth does, but Ethan won't.....? who knows? Ellie followed him and then Steve and Tyler took their chance. So after that Andrea and Annalyn decided they couldn't miss this opportunity, and found it to be quite fun, and Ellie must have liked it, because she even did it again, but got swept up much quicker the second time.

We'd have more pictures of Kalahari, but we were trying to take one and someone ran by and bumped hard into Steve and the camera slipped out of his hands and onto the cement, not to open or close again..... nor take any more pictures.... aaaarrggghhh! It was still quite the fun day!!

On Wednesday we went to the Exhibit Museum of Natural History on the University of Michigan campus.

The kids loved climbing all over this boat, and of course they go out opposite sides.

And a rare moment, all smiling, having fun in the boat, and in close proximity to each other (easier picture opp) !!!

Ellie liked a lot of the interactive computer screens in the space rooms. We also enjoyed the rocks, a wide variety of taxidermy animals and all the dinosaur bones.

It was either too much fun for Ethan,... or not enough fun.....

Thursday we ventured out to the Hands on Museum.

The kids loved it. One of the first fun things was the beginning stairs each were a different musical note that played when you stepped on the stair. It was cool !!!

It was crazy at first because they had several huge school groups, so we made the kids unhappy and took a lunch break and came back later to have the place mostly to ourselves..... much more enjoyable.

Ellie loved being able to help Hayden do things, and Hayden of course loved the water.

We thought this bike was cool, as you pedaled you could see the bones of a skeleton moving against your own reflection, as if you were seeing your own bones moving. It was neat. Here are some other fun photos.

We thought this was neat, a harp, that the strings were light beams, and whenever something broke the beam of light it played the note. Ellie thought it was quite fun to play.

Seth and Hayden loved putting the ball at the top of the ramp and watching it roll back and forth, down to the bottom.

This was definitely a big hit with everyone. We loved seeing their smiles showing how much fun it was to stick their faces in it !!!

The boys loved playing with sticks outside Andrea's house.

Friday came and it was our last day together. We decided to go to the Detroit Zoo. It was a little chilly, but it was a big place so it kept us movin, trying to see it all quickly.

We saw....

Birds

Butterflies

Cute Kids

Frogs (blue seemed so cool.. but very poisonous)

...and more frogs

Anteaters

Peacocks

Giraffes

Metal Elephants (aren't they so lovable?)

Female Lions

Male Lions

even metal lions (Ellie's always wanted to snuggle with a lion...?)

We were also among the privileged few to see a sloth (very rare to see... they sleep 15-20 hours a day) We even got to see it climbing the underside of this tree.

Seals ( we loved this clear tunnel underneath the water)

Ethan loved the huge ice wall at the end, that you could put your hand into and make a handprint

We had a fabulous trip and so many fun memories. Thank you Andrea, Tyler and Hayden for sharing it with us !!!!

He Made the Bed !!!

2009-02-26T09:44:00.001-08:00

Today is an exciting day !!!!

Ethan was doing his chores and usually he will start on his bed and then come and get me so I can sit on the corner of the sheet so it doesn't move as he pulls it hard towards the other side of the bed.

Today he came out and said he was all done, and I didn't have to help !! He was so excited and had a huge smile, which is wonderful to see!! YEAA!!!!! We are soooo excited and very proud that today he was wonderful about all his chores and doing it by himself. He even emptied the dishwasher without complaint and he didn't play for hours inbetween each dish. Today is starting out great !!!!!

( Days aren't always like this so I thought I'd put it here for all to know how proud of Ethan I am ( today) and a reminder to me later that there are days when Ethan chooses to willingly be wonderful)

Crawling Fun

2009-02-24T22:03:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get better at posting more often and I thought I would share something that happened, since I found it so cute and funny, and maybe someone else will also enjoy it.

Today Ellie was trying to get Seth to climb on her back so she could give him a piggy back ride, but he didn't understand what she wanted, so he got onto all fours, following her example and he started crawling around in front of Ellie and calling her name (well more like yelling it). He was trying to get her to follow him. Which he doesn't crawl around anymore so it seemed so out of the ordinary. Then Ellie gave up on her ideas and crawled around after him, which he giggled so cutely sounding like pure joy. It was so fun to watch. I LOVE moments like this !!!!

Snuggles

2009-01-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

We are a family of snugglers. Ellie loves it when Seth cooperates and wants to snuggle, sometimes he does sometimes not.

Ethan and Seth also like to be together and I thought this was such a cute picture (minus the food in Ethan's mouth)

Discovery Gateway here we come !!!

2009-01-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt to add a post, so we'll see how it goes. We were very graciously given a membership to the Discovery Gateway.... Thank you MOM !!!!! Anyhow we were so excited to use it, and did so very quickly after Christmas. The kids LOVE IT !!!!! Here are a few pictures to enjoy. Seth's favorites include the water play area, which he loves to stand on the stool so he can reach higher and access more water and stuff (he also gets more wet...) He also loves the balls. He's happy if he has a ball in each hand.

Ethan loves to try a little of everything everytime we go. Sometimes he will spend quite a while in one spot, but then other times he bounces around quickly everywhere. I'm never sure which day it's going to be. He loves to get on and off the very high horse (and make me nervous, because he likes to go off the wrong side!). He also likes to make buildings and then watch them crash all over on the earthquake table. We also had a hard time trying to pull him out of the helicopter outside, even thought it was pretty cold, and we had been out there FOREVER...

They decided to do a play for me. They had sooo much fun using the different costumes and the screen sets, and the stage lights, yet it was a very strange play, they announced that it was Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but the title and the curly wig were about all that related to the story I grew up with....but they had fun just being themselves... and acting silly.

Ellie and Livy (her best friend) who we brought with us this time, they were being postal workers delivering letters all over. This is one of Ellie's favorite things to do. When we don't bring a friend with us Ellie usually makes a new friend quickly and then they go all over doing things together.

This is seth enjoying one section of the water area. He is usually drenched by the time we leave. He loves to put the balls into one part of the pipe, then grab it after it flows down a little and put it back in.

Livy loves to play with Seth and make him laugh, which he seems to enjoy playing with her just as much. Right now he's having fun trying to run to the very edge with the doll stroller and tempt mom to catch him, then run away, yet getting very close to the edge most times.... This is in the construction area, which is another of Ellie's favorite places to play. Ethan loves to use the pretend cranes to lift the big building blocks up where Ellie can build the houses with them.

Christmas Letter

2008-12-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

2008-12-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

Well we done did it! We are now blogging for all to see. What an absolutely wonderful age we live in to give the opportunity to communicate in so many diverse ways. Our intention is to post for the enjoyment of family and friends always loved and sometimes lost off of contact lists (sorry :( ).

Our posts will often be brief and sometimes artfully composed. At other times they may drag on for hours and induce a coma. Either way we hope you enjoy our candor. One of the senior partners in this family has a very dry sense of humor and a well intentioned farce may inadvertently offend, but the most likely scenario is that it will pass into oblivion without any notice.

Please take a moment to read our Christmas letter. This letter is simply a review of 2008 without all the colorful commentary.

We hope you will enjoy our antics!!

Sincerely,

Dobber Blogger