Ever So Thankful

Natalie is a real help in all things and all places, but she really shines in the kitchen:

She can hear me take out the Kitchenaid mixer from anywhere in the house, and comes running.  She knows that good things come out of that stainless steel bowl.  She likes to help me, which means that sometimes a recipe receives an extra splash of vanilla (or "fanilla", as she calls it), sometimes a little flour gets dumped on the floor...  So far we have avoided any egg disasters, knock on wood.  The best was the day she sneaked a spoonful from the mixer bowl while my back was turned.  When I faced her, she had the empty spoon inches from her mouth and a horrible look on her face.  She had just taken a big ol' mouthful of unsweetened cocoa powder.  In this picture, though, the cocoa was fully incorporated and sweetened:

We had company for Thanksgiving!  Our sister-in-law Veronica and her kids Cata and Nico came for a few days, and we had so much fun.  The cousins loved every minute together.  Ella and Nico have been good buddies ever since they were tiny.

Ah, the traditional pie face picture!  As long as I was making a pecan and a pumpkin for us, I also made one more of each to give to friends.  I bake--it's what I do.

We rarely share Thanksgiving with extended family, so it was a real treat to have Vero and the kids with us.  We ate and ate and ate some more, went to the park, ate, took in a movie, ate and ate.  Good times.

The Artist Strikes Again

Does anyne know of a reputable preschool fine arts program?  Because seriously, she may be gifted, as the following photos, taken by Natalie, clearly show:

Fingers: Close-Up

 Family on Couch

Self-Portrait: Smiley Face

Feet On Carpet with Sparkle Toes

The Lost Eyelash

Grandma Deflects the Paparazzi

She's an Artist!

Over the summer Natalie developed an appreciation for photography, ie every time the camera came out she begged and pleaded to take pitures with it.  Here are some of her first efforts.  It you would like a signed copy, suitable for framing, let me know.

Dishwasher With Dirty Plates

Inside of Freezer with Old Bananas

Self Portrait: Feet (With Camera Strap)
(This is one of her favorite subjects.  She changes up the flooring, as well as accessories dangling in the frame.  It really is an exciting collection.)

Self-Portrait: Dazed Expression

The Rest of July

Sometimes I amaze myself by how efficient I am.  A blog post about July posted only 9 months later???  If only my family photo albums were as up-to-date!  I have about an hour between picking Ella up from choir and then feeding everyone (pancakes, anyone?) before getting Ella to Activity Days at church, and I find myself with nothing to do.  It's a strange feeling.  So I thought I'd give blogging a try.  Ella's doing homework, Natalie is watching "Lady and the Tramp" AGAIN (it is anti-feline propaganda, I tell you), and I'm up here in my leather chair.

In July (remember July?) three of the four grandparents came to visit.  While they were here, we celebrated Natalie's 3rd birthday, complete with the Traditional Willden Birthday Hat:

We also went to Seaworld, where our rock star friend Valerie (far left) first starred in the show "Azul" and then took us on yet another backstage adventure with dolphins and belugas.  Amazing!

The main reason for teh grandparents' visit was Ella's baptism.  It was a beautiful, peaceful, enjoyable day, and Ella was surrounded by those who love her.

You've Heard of Christmas in July...

How about July in Christmas? As I write, my computer is sitting on a Christmas tablecloth but I am so far behind on my blog that I am writing about 4th of July. Ah, well. I've got a few weeks off coming up--we'll see how far I get.

We spent the 4th in Centerville, UT, where they celebrated the 4th on the 2nd (?). The day began with the annual Freedom Run 5K, the longest footrace I had yet done. I ran the whole way and finished! Of course, my time was just a hair under double Greg's time, and Kelsey walked the dog most of the way and still beat me. There were grandmas out there that I couldn't catch up with. The whole way my mantra was, "I have short, little legs!"

Next was the main event: The Centerville 4th of July Parade, where the candy haul rivals Halloween:

Back home at Grandma and Grandpa's we had a big lunch (barbecued chicken and apple pie--mmmm...) and then began the 1st Annual Willden Olympics. Events included a doughnut-eating contest:



A balloon and squirt bottle tether-ball game:

And a water balloon toss. We began with your basic person-to-person toss, then brought out towels and launched the balloons as teams:


It was a fun, fun day. Everyone received a medal for their stellar performance, and we later capped the day with a fireworks display a la Michael (not pictured because it was too darned dark).

Like Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills

You know, long-lost sisters reunited at last! She lives in India, I live in Texas. . . The twain just don't meet often enough for my liking. I hadn't seen Shannon in way too long, and we had so much fun together.
 
 
 

Chock Full of Cousiny Goodness!

The best thing about Utah is COUSINS! Ella and Nat had a terrific time playing and playing and PLAYING with Jacob, Laurinda, and Lindley from Pleasant Grove and Spencer, Zack, and Alli (My Palli) all the way from India! (We missed Nico and Cata very much--they were enjoying themselves in Chile.)

Here's Nat and Alli. I call her Alli My Palli, and Nat calls her "Alli-da-palli". They WUV each other.


Hayrides and rock candy--it just doesn't get any better.


Here the cousins pose on their great-grandpa's tractor.


We tie-died patriotic t-shirts for the 4th of July.


I made all the girls matching skirts.


All the kids had fun bouncing around at Kangaroo Zoo.


A trip to Hogle Zoo is always a must. (Not pictured: a harrowing train ride through a hail storm)


Uncle Steve, a.k.a Cap'n Beav, planned a pirate treasure hunt for the kids, complete with sword fighting, rope swinging, talking like a pirate, and dubloons!

Top of Timp

Okay, we didn't actually hike to the top of the mountain, but we did make it to the cave, which is no small feat, especially with two small fry. The hike up is strenuous, to say the least--all switchbacks, all the way. Before they even let you hike up, a ranger talks you through all the ways you may die on the way up--falling off the mountain, having rocks fall on you, et cetera. I quote from the ranger spiel: "Red lines on the trail denote rock fall danger zones. Continue walking through these areas--do not stop! Rock slide will sound like hands clapping. Should you hear that sound, get close to the face of the mountain, crouch down and cover your head with your arms." They are so concerned about giving you the best chances at making it back to the bottom alive that after the cave tour and before you hike back down another ranger gives you ANOTHER speech full of doom and dire warnings: "There is a tendency to feel that once you have made it up the mountain, the hard part is over. People DIE on their way down because they aren't being careful."

To be fair, it is a scary trail, generally without railings and very steep. I don't mean to mock the rangers--they know their stuff and do a great job. I have no problem, however, making fun of fellow hikers. You know how when you go on something like a cave tour you really get to know the strangers with whom you are briefly trapped underground? We narrowly avoided getting put in a tour group with a woman I named "The Gobbler" because of her loud and incessant turkey-like laugh. That was a close one! In our group was a woman whose questions made me giggle. The best of all came at the end of the tour, after the "don't die" lecture. The ranger mentioned that the Provo River running through the canyon was extremely high and dangerous, and that people should exercise extreme caution near it because one person had already died in it this year. (These rangers are a wealth of statistics of local deaths and maimings.) The woman in question then asked the ranger a question so fabulous I wondered if I had heard her correctly. As she made her way down the treacherous path, I murmured to the ranger, "Did she just ask you where the river is?" to which he replied, "Yup." I said, "Did you tell her it is AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON?!" to which he replied, with a smirk, "Yup." I looked around at the steep and narrow canyon we were perilously perched above and wondered exactly where else a river would be hiding.

Anyhoo, here are some pictures of us on the hike. We made it to the top and all the way back down to the bottom without even one rock slide!