Pretty princesses

This just goes to show what a girly-girl I've become.

Last night, Seth and I packed up the girls to head to downtown and do a photo shoot with the girls in their princess dresses. Grandma Scott let the girls pick out the fabric, and she sewed them together for their birthdays. Guess what our girls are going to dress up as for Halloween?

Here is a sampling of the results. To see more, click here.

Yellowstone

We thought we'd take advantage of the free weekend at Yellowstone (August 15-16), but then changed our plans and paid the $25 to go on Friday instead (August 14). It's a good thing we did, because Obama and his entourage took over the Old Faithful area for four hours on Saturday.

Of course, our girls had never been to Yellowstone before, so this was a new thing for them. And Seth hadn't been since he was a young teenager, so I was in charge of charting our course through the park.

We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin on the night of the 13th and woke up the next day only to have the electricity shut off. We had planned on having a delicious crock pot meal awaiting our return that evening, but without the power, we couldn't set the cook time on our unit. I pulled Bekah's hair back and tried taming my bedhead (there's only so much you can do without a blowdryer and curling iron), and we set off on our journey.

Shortly after entering the park via West Yellowstone, the traffic slowed to a crawl. It continued that way for about 20 minutes. Then we finally saw what everyone was slowing down for. A bison. ONE bison. It wasn't in the way; it was next to the side of the road. Every car had to take a turn stopping right next to it, rolling down their windows and taking countless pictures of the animal. Good grief, people. Keep driving and see the rest of the herd!

Our first stop: the Fountain Paint Pots. The girls were sufficiently impressed with the sights, but Bekah did not enjoy the smells. Several times she would crouch down to avoid a smelly steam cloud and squat-walk.

Seth and Bekah walking along the boardwalk at the Fountain Paint Pots.

Analee and her unbelievably cool glasses at one of the geysers in the Fountain Paint Pots area.

Second stop: Old Faithful. We got there in time to wait just 15 minutes before the geyser erupted. Analee enjoyed watching the spouting water. Bekah barely glanced in that direction. She was too busy building a sand castle. In fact, on our home videos, you can hear Bekah say, "Look, Dad! A sand castle!" only to have Seth (the camera operator) wryly reply, "Look, Bekah! A geyser!"

Analee watching Old Faithful, Seth recording it, Bekah ignoring it.

After watching the geyser, we went inside the old Yellowstone Inn to check it out. Seth was skeptical that it was worth a stop, but he found out why I wanted to see inside. The girls loved climbing the old log steps, and would have gone all the way up to the crow's nest had there not been a gate with a lock and a sign saying it was no longer safe for visitors to ascend.

We also did one of the walking loops in the area to see Beehive and other geysers. We were incredibly grateful Seth thought to load up the wagon before we left home. The girls enjoyed the ride. Seth enjoyed the workout.

Third stop: Lunch. We stopped at the Scoup Lake picnic area to pull out our blanket and fare. As we were finishing the meal, the girls found a friend.

They named the beetle Noodly.

Although we were the only patrons of that picnic area when we arrived, by the time we left, there were about a dozen cars there. We are quite the trendsetters.

Fourth stop: the Mud Volcano area. Seth said he didn't think he had ever been here before. We're glad we stopped here because it proved to be a family favorite. The girls loved looking at and listening to the Dragon's Mouth, smelling and seeing the mud volcano and watching the Black Dragon Cauldron churn.

Ana and Bekah checking out the Dragon's Mouth.

Fifth stop: the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Another place Seth had never visited. We had to trek down paved switchbacks for three-quarters of a mile to reach the brink of the Lower Falls, but it was worth the time and effort.

The view of the river and canyon from the brink.

Analee, Seth and Bekah on the way to the bottom.

Andrea, Analee and Rebekah at the falls.

Although Ana wanted me to carry her the whole way up ("But, but, but, but ... I NEED you, Mommy!"), Seth chivarously took her from me, plunked her on his shoulders and practically ran back to the parking lot. Bekah hiked all the way back up by herself, but we did take two rest stops on her behalf.

Sixth stop: Norris Geyser Basin. By this time, it was early evening, and we were all tired. We didn't walk the 1.9-mile loop to see everything that could be seen. Instead, we walked far enough to see Echinus Geyser, Steamboat Geyser and Cistern Springs.

Again, Bekah was overwhelmed by the smell.

Rather than risking going back to the cabin and having no power, we stopped in West Yellowstone on our way back and ate a hearty and costly McDonald's dinner. (By the way, there WAS power by the time we got back.)

The next day, we had a few Grover festivities of our own. The girls and I had made piñatas at the house, so we took the time to fill them and whack them to pieces.

Bekah's expertly crafted and painted piñata, about to fall off and be crushed by a big, wooden bat.

Ana's attempt at cracking open her piñata. Notice her hold on the bat, which ultimately ended up with her ...

... whacking herself in the head and having to be comforted by her mommy. I did help her crush the papier-mâché contraption following the storm.

All in all, we had an incredible time. The girls got to see elk, bison, a coyote, geysers, mud pots, springs and stinky steam clouds. Who wouldn't want to experience all of that?! To see even more splendiferous images of our trip, click here.

A not-so-tender moment

Every night, Seth and I kneel down and say a prayer with Rebekah. Then he gives her one sweet kiss and leaves the room so I can sing "Twinkle, Twinkle" to our four-year-old. She usually climbs up on my lap and cuddles with me, and then I put her in her bed and tuck her in.

The other night, I paused after singing our usual lullaby.

Me: Bekah, do you know what I love about you?
Bekah: What?
Me: I love your pretty blond hair. I love your cute smile. And I love your beautiful blue eyes.
Bekah: Do you know what I love about you, Mommy?

(I, of course, am flattered and expectantly ask ...)

Me: What?
Bekah: Your eyeball, your boogers and your bum cheek. (Notice the singular. I'm not sure which one she favors.) HAHAHAHA!

So much for a special mother-daughter moment. Four-year-olds have the strangest sense of humor.

Hooray for cuteness!

Seth and I decided to tackle a huge project this summer: our middle level. This includes our kitchen and living room. We hadn't previously done much in these rooms since moving in, so we felt it was time to take them on.

The rooms are not entirely finished yet; we still need to caulk the baseboard and put tile down in the living room by the back door. But in the months since we got started, a lot has been fixed.

First we had to tear down the crown molding, chair rail and baseboard. Although the two rooms are pretty open and run together, the previous occupants of our house had tried to distinguish between the living room and the kitchen by having two entirely different kinds of trim. So on the living room side of the door leading to the garage, there was one kind of chair rail. On the kitchen side of the door, there was another. We thought this was entirely weird, so we did away with it.

While I was tearing the chair rail down on our west wall, I found that not only had the previous owners painted over the top of wallpaper, but they had also wallpapered straight on the sheet rock without first priming or texturing the wall. So this, along with all the dents from the trim, made it so we had to re-texture all the walls on the middle level.

So besides ripping things down and putting new trim up, we had to tape everything off, have my dad come in with the orange peel texturizer, spray all the walls, then paint everything.

But it's totally worth it. Our cupboards are nice and shiny white with new knobs, the black microwave and dishwasher don't stand out as much because I painted some shelves and trim in in the kitchen black, the walls are all nice and even, we don't have awkward lines across the ceiling where two different colors merged, and all of our light fixtures match.

Here's a sampling of the finished product:


You can see our white front door on the very left of the picture, and the railing and doorway leading down to the family room on the bottom and right side of the picture. The vinyl letters were cut by a friend from the high school yearbook staff days.

I absolutely love our "new" rooms. We're especially grateful to Dad who helped even out our funky walls and textured everything for us. And for letting us borrow his saw. And nail gun. And laser level.

One other small project I have in to make a small hanging quilt to drape on a shelf in our living room. Pictures of that will follow once it's complete.

SRRYJ

No, I didn't sneeze while typing the title of this post. For those non-I.F.-event-savvy people, SRRYJ stands for the Snake River Roaring Youth Jam. I found out about this totally free and fun event last year, so when I saw the announcement in the paper last week, I knew we had to make a morning of it.

One of the first booths we came to is the Junk Jam. They have all sorts of ... well, junk (e.g. bumpers, barrels, buckets, hubcaps) and plenty of spoons and let the kids bang away.

Ana couldn't keep her eyes open because of the ... noise? Seriously, I don't understand it, but it's the truth. She blinked every time she banged that drum.

Ana and Bekah at the Junk Jam.

I had heard that you dress for mess when it comes to the Youth Jam, and Bekah proved that point last August when she came home with paint from head to toe. So I put the girls in their old clothes and let them go to town when it came to the painting booths.

Bekah painting a black smiley and eyes on a giant duck.

Bekah with her pink paint; Ana with her red paint.

The girls' favorite booth is the Xtreme Xylophone. It's a 500-foot long xylophone that kids can paint, sprinkle with glitter, and play with giant mallets. They spent an entire 30 minutes at that thing.

Bekah spreading glitter on the keys that Ana is trying to play.

Bekah showing off her blue paint.

The girls working side-by-side.

Ana's turn with the glitter.

The girls had a blast, and we all went home happy and tired. Some were worse for wear ...

Ana's "battle wounds."

... while others were more unscathed (less scathed?)

At least her face stayed pretty clean.

But you can definitely believe that the first order of business upon our return home was a good scrub down.

helpers

I had to change the oil in our van Vincent (as in "Vincent van, go!") today. Of course, the girls couldn't miss out on a chance to help their daddy. Bekah put the new large rubber seal on the filter, and Ana rearranged all of the sockets in my socket set. I was glad to have their help.

-sg

Hyperbole

I thought it would be years before I heard such gross exaggerations from one of my children.

Bekah: Analee, don't do that. Mom has told you millions and jillions of times not to do that.

AND

Bekah: Mom, when will lunch be ready? I'm starving.
Andrea: Just a few minutes, Bekah.
Bekah: I hope we eat before I die.

Such an attitude!

The joys of parenthood

Analee transitioned from a crib to a toddler bed weeks ago. Since then, she has announced to everyone who has stopped by our house that she sleeps in a "big girl bed," and they have to come upstairs and see it. My mom has seen the bed at least 11 times. Even Seth has had to go upstairs to see it when he comes home from work.

Of course, there are always a few kinks to work out with such a transition. Because she can get out of her bed now, we've had incidents involving playing with toys instead of sleeping, getting lost in the closet in the middle of the night, and falling out of bed.

Those problems we could probably work through. But Ana's latest escapades sent me over the edge today.

Precursor: A couple of weeks ago, I went into Ana's room during nap time to remind her that she needed to get back in bed and rest. I was appalled to find she had opened a tube of diaper rash cream and smeared it all over her room. Nothing escaped it--the carpet, ottoman, doll house bed, her clothes, her face. I was, of course, horrified. Diaper rash cream is resistant to any cleaners I possess. Our ottoman still bears the marks of the diaper rash cream episode.

(The diaper rash cream now resides on the top shelf of her closet, in case you were wondering.)

So today I went upstairs to remind Ana once again that nap time was not playtime. She countered by telling me, "There's poopy on the floor."

Poopy on the floor?! How in the world would poopy get on the floor?! Surely it had an accomplice.

That accomplice's name is Analee Grover.

That little stinker (literally) had gone #2 in her diaper, put her hand down there, and spread it anywhere and everywhere she pleased.

So you can imagine my horror and dismay at having to clean up the mess. This included undressing my two-year-old, spraying her down in the shower, commanding her to stay out of her room while I sprayed various spots with Resolve, scrubbing the floor furiously, bleaching out the tub, washing the tub's rubber mat, redressing my child (in a onesie so her diaper is inaccessible), setting up the Pack and Play in her room, and telling her that she would no longer have the privilege of sleeping in her big girl bed.

She fell asleep within minutes of me leaving her room.

I, of course, did not have that luxury. In fact, I fumed about it to Seth over IM before resuming my computer work.

And I'm very tempted to take the toddler bed rails off and put the crib side back up. That way, if she ever repeated this new trick, at least it would be contained to 2x4' area.

Girls' vacation

Rather than doing all there-and-back trips for my post-op appointments in Salt Lake, my mom and I took the girls down this week for a short vacation. On Tuesday, we drove down to my aunt and uncle's house in South Jordan, and I turned around to go back to St. Mark's for my appointment. Wednesday we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, then changed clothes and checked out the Natural History Musem at Thanksgiving Point. Thursday we went to the Hogle Zoo and drove home. Check out the highlights:

Doctor's office

• I can now take off my bands four times a day for two hours each time. Hallelujah! I am sick and tired of getting TMJ-related headaches from having my jaws clamped shut so much.
• My next appointment is July 21, which means I can spend an entire week at home next week.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

• During the short movie that is shown before people go into the temple, three different people were mentioned who were among the first Mormon settlers in the area. I'm related to two of those three men.
  
• Aunt Susan, who has volunteered at the open house, told us that we would be on a self-guided tour, so there would be no need to rush through the temple. With that in mind, we let the other people in our group go ahead of us while Mom and I pointed out all the pictures of Jesus and talked about the temple.
• In the sealing room, the sister who was there with her husband asked my mom if she was Marta's sister. She is, in fact, and told the woman so. This lady had no idea who we are or where we're from, yet she thought my mom looked so much like Marta that they must be related. Funny thing is, this isn't the first time this has happened for either my mom or her sister.
• Bekah especially loved the piano in the tent with the post-tour cookies that played all by itself.

Analee and Rebekah sitting on a bench across the parking lot from the temple.

The girls looking at the temple from the bench.

Annette, Rebekah, Andrea and Analee outside the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

Natural History Museum

• The museum was celebrating its ninth birthday, so besides the usual exhibits, they also had crafts and games for the young'uns to do. The girls got to make masks and win candy.
• Aside from the usual museum-type exhibits, there was an erosion table where the kids could play with sand, water and miniature dinosaurs and trees. They also have a room with giant sandboxes where children can use brushes and dig up dinosaur bones.

Annette holding Analee, who was hiding from a scary looking fish model at the museum.

Analee and Rebekah playing at the erosion table.

Rebekah and Analee with the masks they decorated.

Hogle Zoo

• Bekah had long-awaited a visit to the "giraffe zoo." She had never seen a giraffe before, but somehow they had become her favorite animal even before we went to Utah. Bekah had to be patient because the giraffes are in the far corner of the zoo, but she was rewarded for her patience when she finally got to see them.
• Aunt Susan came with us to the zoo, as well as my cousin Becca and her two sons Mitchell and Caleb. Bekah was very excited when I told her that another 4-year-old would be going to the zoo with us. They especially had fun playing together when we stopped to eat lunch.
• As we emerged from the burrow where we had pretended to be prarie dogs and viewed some bats, Analee started screaming bloody murder. I whipped around in time to see that a hornet bothering her. I almost broke out my "leave it alone and it will leave you alone" spiel, but she was obviously traumatized, so I whisked her away. She was crying uncontrollably, so I looked down and saw that the darn bug had stung her. Repeatedly. Gratefully, Mom picked up some ointment at the first aid room, and Ana stopped crying a short while later.
  

Analee and Rebekah on the trunk of the elephant statue.

Rebekah, Analee, Caleb and Mitchell posing on the tiger statues.

Analee riding a ladybug on the carousel.

Rebekah riding on a giraffe at the Conservation Carousel.

Staying in South Jordan

• Aunt Susan and Uncle Ross Clement have many-a-grandchild who visits their house, so they have plenty of toys. Ana and Bekah were in heaven. Bekah especially enjoyed the My Little Ponies, the Little People castle and the play dishes and food. Ana liked the play dishes and food as well as the Thomas the Train toys.
• Tuesday night we walked to Aunt Marta and Uncle John Ahlstrom's house (they live one street away) so we could visit with them. The girls repeatedly asked, "Where is Hannah (my cousin)?" They were disappointed when they found out she wasn't there, but they were entertained by the trampoline and Camille (another cousin) instead.
  
• Bekah proclaimed "Hannah is one of my favorite people." Then on Thursday when the Clements invited the Ahlstroms over for dinner, Bekah and Ana had to ask, "Which one is Hannah?"
• Wednesday morning, Ana woke up and asked, "Where is Grandma Scott?" When I showed her where Grandma had been sleeping, she then asked, "Where is the other grandma (meaning Aunt Susan)?" Aunt Susan must be an honorary grandma now.
  
• Wednesday night the girls got a much-needed bath, and they got to watch the capsules we bought at the Natural Museum open up into dinosaur sponges. As Ana waited for hers to emerge, she leaned back in the tub and said, "Wait for it ... wait for it."
• Thursday morning as I packed up our bags and took them out to the van, Bekah brought an assortment of wind-up toys upstairs so Uncle Ross could demonstrate how they work.

It certainly was an exciting and fun-filled trip, and we're grateful that we could go. To experience even more of our fun via photographs, click here.

A great weekend

If you ask me, the Fourth of July should be on a Saturday every year. We loved the three-day weekend and tried to make the most of it, starting with ...

Friday, July 3

Seth had the day off, so we gathered up the flashlights and went to the Civil Defense Cave north of the St. Anthony sand dunes. The girls wanted to know if we would see any bugs or bears or bats in the cave, but the only animal life we observed were swallows that build their nests on the ceiling of the entrance to the cave.

Bekah made sure to hold Seth's hand through most of the cave (although she did trip and bang her knees once, and afterward Seth reminded her to point her flashlight at her feet so she could see where she was going), and Analee got a ride in the mai tei. I thought they'd be more nervous venturing into a giant lava tube, but apparently they felt safe with their parents right next to them.

Bekah, Ana and Andrea outside the cave before we went inside. Please be kind about my face ... I'm still a little swollen.

Andrea, Ana and Bekah inside the cave. Next time, we'll take jackets or coats. Ana stayed warm while she was cuddled up to me, but Bekah got too cold and had to steal Seth's sweatshirt.

Bekah and Seth inside the cave.

After emerging from the cave, we drove in to Rexburg, ate lunch, and stopped by the splash park. Both girls enjoyed the water more than years past, but each had to be forced down the water slide by their daddy.

Once we decided we had all had enough water and sunshine, we dried off and took a quick ride on the carousel at the park.

Bekah and Seth rode the big horses. "It's just like in Mary Poppins!" Bekah exclaimed.

Analee and Andrea rode the little horses.

We rounded out the day with sparklers and fireworks in our front yard, followed by a camp out in the backyard. Unfortunately, the rain soaked our logs, so we had to roast the marshmallows over the stove burner. But we really did sleep in the tent. It wasn't the best rest in the world, what with the two-year-old who kept making random noises when she was supposed to be falling asleep, the four-year-old waking up in the middle of the night saying, "My foot hurts!" and the extremely annoying magpies that start chirping at dawn. But we survived to see ...

Saturday, July 4

Seth has some longstanding aversion to parades, so my sister and I took the girls to South Boulevard while Seth went golfing with his dad. The parade was even more exciting this year, because the girls REALLY enjoyed it. ("Look, Mommy! Horsies! Cheerleaders! Tubas! A giant ball with words on it!")

Analee's funny face.

Bekah's similar funny face.

Bekah waving to the princess on the castle float.

Aunt Jessica helping Analee eat her ice cream bar that a lady from the Farr's float gave to us.

Rebekah taking it easy.

Analee and Rebekah with the firemen's hats we had to run out to the street to get.

We survived the post-parade traffic and made it to my parents' house where we had and incredible lunch and visited for the afternoon.

Between the two days' activities, the girls were pretty burned out, so instead of fighting the crowds to attend the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration, we enjoyed a quiet evening at home with dinner, baths and Super Mario Galaxy. Happy birthday, America!

Bekahism #17

During Family Home Evening ...

Bekah: Can I bear my testimony?
Seth and Andrea: Sure!
Bekah: (Climbs the steps "so everyone can hear me.") I want to bear my testimony. I know Heavenly Father and Jesus keep an eye on us all the time. If we go to Rexburg or the cabin or ANYWHERE, they're always spying on us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

What I've learned

I thought I went into this whole jaw surgery thing fairly prepared. Aside from what my oral surgeon told me, I Googled "orthognathic surgery" and came up with a long list of blogs, post-surgery instructions and Yahoo groups that I scoured.

But I guess nothing can prepare you for the real thing.

That being said, here is a lovely categorical list of things I've learned thus far in the experience that neither Dr. Egbert nor the Internet prepared me for:

ON THE HOSPITAL STAY

• Because they're ripping apart your face (and not, say, your leg), you get to wear scrub bottoms. No tushy sticking out the back of the gown!
• Apparently, it hurts to get your IV in worse if your hands are cold. So if a nurse asks if you'd like a warm blanket, gladly take her up on her offer and wrap your hands up before the needle stick.
• Unlike other times when you may have come out of general anesthesia, this time you won't be able to say anything stupid. That's one good reason to have your mouth banded shut.
• Don't wait until you're hurting before you push the button to call the nurse, because who knows how long it will be before she gets to your room to give you pain meds. In my case, it took 30 minutes.

ON BREATHING

• Yes, your teeth are banded shut. Yes, you're probably congested from the tube they shoved down your nose and into your trachea. Take advantage of the oxygen mask at the hospital, but don't panic when you realize you're about to be discharged and you don't have your own oxygen tank. Just continue taking decongestants and remain calm.
• Okay, this one I read about, but I'm including it here because it was one of the best pieces of advice I read. Do anything ... ANYTHING ... to take your mind off the teeth-shut, stuffy-nose, trouble-breathing thing. Read a book. Do a crossword puzzle. Or in my case, watch two seasons-worth of America's Next Top Model.
• This may not be true in everyone's case, but I found that the nasal spray decongestant worked LOTS better than the liquid Robitussin.
• Have a supply of Breathe Right Strips. Lots of them.
  

ON PAIN

• I knew my jaws would hurt. I knew my nose and throat might hurt from being intubated. But I didn't know that, more than a week after I had been off the prescription pain medication, my head and ear would hurt so horribly because my jaws are clamped shut. Thank goodness I can now swallow pills. I love you, ibuprofen!
  
• After your sutures start to loosen up and dissolve, it KILLS to get them stuck on your braces. Poor Seth has had to save me twice using a Q-tip and a flashlight.
• Even at 20 days post-op, it's still too soon to give your kid an underdog on the swings. All that bouncing and running just hurts.
  

ON NUMBNESS

• When the doctors cut out a piece of my skull above my top lip and below my nose, they moved a nerve out of the way. Again, I knew this would cause numbness, but I didn't realize how much of my face would be numb ...
• It feels really, REALLY weird to apply mascara when the area around your eye is numb.
• Not knowing that your nose is running is extremely embarrassing. Just get used to carrying a tissue around in your pocket and wiping every five minutes.
• Be sure to look in a mirror to apply chapstick and to insert nasal sprays. It's impossible to know if you're putting them in the right place otherwise.
• Kissing your husband or daughter is a big guessing game. Are my lips touching anything? Have I puckered yet?
• Just because the skin on your face is numb doesn't mean you can't feel anything when your husband or daughter bumps you with his/her fist/head. In fact, it can immediately bring tears to your eyes.

ON FOOD

• Ingesting only liquids for an entire week really isn't that bad. Just make sure you have a variety of flavors.
• When eating through a syringe, keep what I now like to call a "drool cloth" nearby. Trust me.
• Once you're allowed to eat soft foods that don't require chewing, don't limit yourself to broths, mashed potatoes and pasta. Almost anything can be swallowed if it's cut up finely enough. This includes (and I know about these from personal experience) pizza, calzones (with Italian sausage, no less), trout and watermelon.
• Another trick for eating non-chew foods is to make sure it's soggy or can be mashed with your tongue on the roof of your mouth (which will also be numb). So let those corn flakes soak in milk for 5-10 minutes before you spoon them in.

There you have it: What I wish I had known before this all happened. Just in case you should ever decide have your face moved around.