Beautiful baby

I just posted this on my photo blog, but I can't help but post it here too. I finally got around to shooting Miriam in her blessing dress (made by my talented mother) even though her blessing was June 6. Good thing it still fits.


Isn't she gorgeous?

Poor goat

It's not unusual for us to find random animals in our yard. So yesterday when I went outside to set the sprinklers in the morning, I wasn't too shocked to find a little black goat eating my pansies. I got the broom and tried shooing the animal away from my flowers, but it was being stubborn, so I ended up pushing it with the broom about 15 feet before it fell over.

"Darn lazy goat," I thought as I readied the hose and sprayed the thing down while it made some feeble attempts at standing back up. I finally gave up and packed up the girls for a quick run to town.

When we got home, the goat hadn't moved. And when I checked on it an hour later, it still hadn't moved. That's when I realized that this goat wasn't merely being obstinate.

For one thing, the goat's ... um, output was unlike the other little goat pebbles we've found in our yard from time to time. And, at one point, I went outside and saw that magpies had flocked to the goat. After chasing them away, I checked on our visitor and saw that the tip of its ear had been pecked at by the pesky birds.

At this point, I started to panic. The people who own the goat have a farm across the ditch from us. They don't live in our neighborhood. They come by every day to feed the animals and check on their crops, but no cars had been parked at the gate that day, and I have no prior experience in nursing sick/dying goats. I thought about calling one of our other neighbors over to help me, but I wasn't sure what I needed help with. "Help me put this goat out of its misery"? "Help me bottle-feed this goat antibiotics"? "Help me pick up this goat and deposit it across the ditch so that it can die comfortably in its own home"?

In the end, I kept checking on the goat on an hourly basis, updated Seth at work via IM and my mom via the telephone, and tried giving the little guy some water (which it never drank).

I can't believe how much this little goat's welfare consumed me yesterday. When I realized that something was really wrong with the guy and I remembered my attempts at getting rid of it, I actually started to tear up.

Finally around 4:30, I spotted a white car at the gate. I literally ran along our side of the ditch until I was directly across the ditch from one of the farmers. "I think one of your goats is in our yard," I shouted to him. "I tried shooing it away, but it just lay down and has been there ever since."

"Is it the little black one?" he asked. "Yes," I said. As he approached the goat, I told him, "I don't know anything about goats, but I think it's sick." He picked it up by its horns, looked it over and said, "Oh, yeah. It looks like it is sick. We'll get it some medicine. Sorry about that."

He hauled it up into his arms and carried it back through the gate onto their farm. I heaved the biggest sigh of relief.

Seth has speculated that the "medicine" of which our neighbor spoke was merely a kind way of saying that he'd be putting the goat down. I don't know either way, but I honestly hope that dumb goat can get better.

And the next time I have a stray animal in my yard, I'll have second thoughts before I hose it down.

The great salty south

The girls wanted to see the "giraffe zoo" again. My dear cousin Sam would be speaking in church before his mission in South Jordan. We thought those two things were reason enough to take a short trip to Utah. So trip we did.

Friday morning (July 16 ... my lovely mother's birthday ... don't worry, we visited her the day before and dropped off presents) we were in the car by 8 a.m. and on our way. The girls listened to/looked at the picture books with accompanying read-along CDs that we had chosen from the library the day before, then they watched a movie on the laptop. We stopped in Tremonton to feed Miri and chanced upon the city park. So the big girls ran and played while I fed the baby, and then we loaded back up and drove to Ogden.

We had considered going to Lagoon, but thought our little girls wouldn't fully appreciate or enjoy the rides, so we opted for a few substitutes instead.

In Ogden, we visited the Treehouse Museum. It's a very hands-on children's museum, and the girls LOVED it. Check it out:

Analee and Rebekah dressed up as firefighters and raced off to save the day.

Ana and Seth fulfilled teacher Rebekah's assignment to draw their favorite animal in the one-room schoolhouse.

Rebekah dressed up as a princess and presented a play.

After the museum, we continued on to Salt Lake and went to Temple Square so we could tour the Conference Center. If you'll recall, we tried this seven months ago. But as was the case in December, the Center was closed due to a performance later in the evening. Since we had already shelled out the $6 for parking, we decided to enjoy the Square for a while.

Bekah, Miriam (in the stroller), Ana and Seth at the reflection pool outside the Salt Lake Temple.

This is how Miriam spent our time at Temple Square.

The Grover family chooses to take everything to the extreme. When we looked at the lights on Temple Square in December, it was the coldest day in Salt Lake that year. We were ducking into visitors' centers just to escape the bitter cold. When we enjoyed the flowers and fountains in July, we were traipsing around on the hottest day of the year (104 degrees). We had to duck into visitors' centers just to enjoy the air conditioning.

After a long day of traveling and heat, we drove to my aunt's house in South Jordan, put the girls to bed and visited for a while. We knew we would have a long day ahead of us, and we wanted to be well-rested.

On Saturday, we packed a picnic lunch and some water bottles and went to Hogle Zoo. We were surprised to see my cousin Becca there with her husband and three kids (we knew they would be there that day, but we didn't really expect to bump into them), and we enjoyed a train ride together. Then we went our separate ways, and the girls made sure to see all their favorite animals and attractions. (Bekah's favorite is still the giraffes. Ana loved seeing Zuri, the new baby elephant.)

Bekah, Seth and Ana just monkeying around. Bad pun, I know. And not entirely accurate. Gorillas aren't technically monkeys, anyhow.

Ana riding an elephant on the carousel.

Bekah riding a frog.

After we had had our fill of the zoo, we headed back YET AGAIN to Temple Square to tour the Conference Center and finally enjoyed success! Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of it/us there. The girls liked the water both inside and outside the building, and Seth and I enjoyed the art--especially the Walter Rane paintings.

At the end of our long, hot day, we cooled off at the Magna Fitness and Recreation Center's outdoor pool and splash pad. This was probably our favorite part of the whole trip. (Again, no pictures. It's impossible to shoot some when you're clad in a swimming suit and all wet and holding a slippery baby who is also swimsuit-clad.) The big girls enjoyed the kiddie pool, and Miriam just enjoyed the water. Seth and I were extra-protective of our baby since we ran out of sunscreen before we could spray her down; we relied on our shadows to keep her out of the sun.

Again, we retired to Aunt Susan's house for the night.

Sunday, the girls played with all of the toys they could find while Seth and I packed up. We attended church with the Clements and watched/listened to Sam's talk. Then we basked in the company of the Ahlstroms (and everyone else who had come to support Sam) during lunch before we made the long trip back home.

It was definitely a worthwhile trip that created many memories and much laundry (which I have yet to finish). To see more pictures of our adventures, click here.

Bekahism #31

(While performing my duty as Primary Chorister. To introduce our pioneer-themed singing time, I was telling the story of when the seagulls saved the early saints' harvest.)

Me: The pioneers knew they had to have grain in order to feed all the people who had come from Nauvoo. But first, their plants suffered from a late frost. Then a drought killed off more of their crops. Then they had an infestation. Does anybody know what came to eat their grain?
(Bekah raises her hand.)
Me: Yes, Bekah?
Bekah: Book of Mormon crickets.

Bekahism #30

(While Seth is brushing Bekah's hair.)

Seth: Hold Still, Bekah. There are knots in your hair.
Bekah: Oh, no! Did the knot-zis put them there?

(Seth and Andrea stifle laughs as they imagine Hitler's troops tangling their daughter's hair.)

T-ball

Bekah participated in the Ucon T-ball league this summer for the first time. Before the first game, I had visions of my child learning to field grounders and catch pop flies and hitting the ball clear into left field. That may still come ... in time. But when you round up a group of 4- and 5-year-olds for a team, it's just not going to happen during a 12-game season. In fact, you're lucky if your kid remembers to run from first to second base when the ball is hit.

However, Bekah did grasp a lot of the basics of the game. She learned to:

Field the ball (which NEVER made it past the baseline, no matter how athletically gifted the child was),

call for the ball to be thrown back to the catcher (which turned out to be her favorite position),

place it on the tee (when playing the coveted catcher position) and warily eye the runners from the other team,

swing the bat without knocking the tee over (most of the time),

and hustle around the bases. (By the way, she picked out her outfit for the last game ALL BY HERSELF. A pink skirt and the mismatched socks she got for her birthday totally go with her over-sized team shirt.)

And, last but not least, Bekah learned a little bit of what it's like to be part of a team.

(Thanks, Grandma Susan and Grandpa Dennis, for getting her to the pictures and her game this day while we were here making this.)

Some of my favorite moments from the season include:

• The baseman who got confused and ran the bases with the runner.
• One child who threw his bat after hitting the ball. It was not the typical bat throw ... he deliberately chucked it straight up into the air.
• Bekah catching a roly poly bug while playing third base and showing it to every kid on the other team who stopped by.
• The wide array of nose-picking and grass-plucking we witnessed.
• Bekah proudly declaring, "First strike!" while playing catcher and watching a kid whiff it, and telling another kid, "I got you out!" after fielding the ball and touching first base. (There are no runs, strikes or outs in the 4- and 5-year-old league.)
• The coach's kid who sat down in the field and when his mom told him to stand back up, he told her, "I just fell down!"
• The repeated questioning of the children: "When is the game over? When do we get treats? How much longer?"
• Bekah knocking bills with every kid who came to her base when she was wearing her hat and they were wearing their helmets.
  

happy fodders day

Just a quick note to say how grateful I am to be a father to the three most beautiful little girls in the world:

And how lucky I am to have the greatest Dad in the whole world:

What's cookin'?

We experienced our own little version of Animal Planet when we got to observe this at my in-laws house:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried a little when I saw these cute little guys.

Unfortunately, the mother robin chose a rather perilous place to build her nest.

Ana's first haircut

Bekah had her first haircut when she was 16 months old because she was born with a LOT of hair. Ana, on the other hand, had only dark fuzz on top of her head when she made her debut, so she got to wait until she turned 3 to have her locks trimmed for the first time.

Her hair wasn't unnecessarily long, but it was looking a little shaggy, so I took 1-2 inches off the ends to even things up a bit. I even let her choose if she wanted to have me cut it or have it done at a salon, but she opted for the home cut. (Although, once I got the scissors, it was, "I don't want a haircut!" Nevertheless, I prevailed.)

BEFORE

AFTER

Ana's apparent feelings for her haircut.

Rebekah is 5!

We usually keep birthdays pretty low-key around here, but after Bekah had been to birthday celebrations for two of her cousins, she thought she needed more people to help her celebrate her special day. As per her request, we invited the Papworth cousins and the Grover cousins.

A lot of preparation went into this party. Not only did Bekah pick out a cake for me to make, but she also helped me make a piñata, and she made a Pin the Tail on the Donkey game all by herself. Then, when everyone arrived, the fun began!

Ana putting on her tail. She wouldn't participate until I told her she wouldn't have to use the blindfold.

Bekah having a try at the piñata while Seth tries to make the piñata more elusive.

Bekah blowing out the candles on her ice cream cone cake. Grandma Susan gave her that "5" candle months ago ... and Bekah eagerly awaited the time when she could put it to use.

Bekah unwrapping presents while everyone else watches.

Mack, Bekah, Calvin and Tav on the trampoline after the official birthday festivities were over.

To see lots more images, click here.

First bottle

Last night Seth and I went on our first post-Miriam, Miriam-less date. Since she would have to take a bottle while we enjoyed our dinner and a movie and she had never had a bottle before, we decided to have a dress rehearsal for Miri the night prior. The big girls took turns feeding their little sister.

First, Rebekah took a turn. She did a good job. So did Miri.

Then Analee tried it out.

P.S. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the dinner and movie tickets. And thanks, Jessica, for watching the girls while we enjoyed Bajio and Iron Man 2.

Baby stats

Bekah was a petite baby. We knew that at the time, but now that we've had two more come along to compare her to, it's even more apparent.

Miriam is the opposite. She's quite a big 'un. Today I took her in for her two-month checkup. Here are her stats:

MIRIAM
Weight: 11 pounds, 15 ounces (65th percentile)
Height: 24 inches (90th percentile)

Compare those to the other girls' two-month stats:

ANALEE
Weight: 11 pounds, 5 ounces (50th percentile)
Height: 22.5 inches (60th percentile)

REBEKAH
Weight: 8 pounds, 10 ounces (10th percentile)
Height: 22 inches (50th percentile)

Another amazing difference is that, although Rebekah and Analee's head circumferences have never fit on a chart (those girls just have too many brains to fit into a regular-sized head), Miriam's seems to be normal. The doctor told us it's about in the 80th percentile. What?! Our child's head HAS a percentile? Are you sure she's ours?

Seth and the big 2-8

Yesterday Seth celebrated 28 years of living. And we celebrated with him.

First, Seth jumped on the trampoline with the girls while I finished getting our dinner ready (and took a few pictures).

Analee, Rebekah and Set holding hands and jumping together.

Next we ate our 100 percent barbecued dinner (apples, onions, corn on the cob and sirloin steaks), followed by the great present-unwrapping.

Seth oversees the unwrapping as Bekah and Ana rip off the paper. He received a tractor sprinkler. Yes, it's pretty much the lamest present a spouse can purchase, but Seth let me know only two days before that he didn't want to get his customary birthday present: a 10-punch golf pass. So what else could I come up with on such short notice?

Then we sang "Happy Birthday," and Seth blew out the candle on his ice cream cone. Yes, that's what I said. I didn't make him a cake because (1) Bekah's birthday is six days after Seth's, and I didn't want to make two cakes that close together, and (2) we still have leftover goodies from Miriam's blessing on Sunday that need to be eaten before I go and bake anything else.

You'll notice that the candle is already extinguished even though Seth is still gearing up for the blowing. It was just too darn breezy outside for anything to stay lit.

Then the girls enjoyed their birthday treats.

Bekah enjoys her ice cream. And we enjoy viewing it partially masticated.

Analee licks a drip.

And we finished off the night with baths for the sticky girls and attempted repairs for Seth's truck. Good times!

What every mom dreads

Looking at the title of this post, you might think I'm talking about potty training, stomach-related sickness in the family or your kid's first stitches. We've dealt with all of those in the past, and although none of them are fun, I'm talking about something completely different, yet inevitable if you have children.

Here's the story: Friday morning, I was doing my usual put-on-Dora-for-the-girls-so-I-can-have-a-few-minutes-to-myself-for-hygiene ritual when Ana came into the bathroom during my shower. She sounded upset (which is unusual when Dora is on), and she was coughing, which I thought was odd. But I couldn't hear/understand her over the sound of running water, so I quickly finished up, wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out.

I asked her again, "What's wrong?"

She proceeded to tell me that she had part of her Tinkerbell bracelet (that came with the playset she got for her birthday) up her nose.

Without thinking, I exclaimed, "Ana! We don't put things up our nose!"

A truly repentant Analee replied, "I'm sorry, Mama."

I quickly changed tactics. After all, does a three-year-old with a piece of plastic shoved into her sinus cavity really need a lecture?

I asked her to tilt her head up so I could see it, but without a flashlight, I couldn't. My mind raced. Would we have to go to the doctor? Should I get a light and some tweezers? But what if I hurt her by pushing it up farther?

Then I had a stroke of inspiration. "Which side is it stuck in?" I asked her. She indicated that it was her left. So I used my finger to push her right nostril closed and instructed her to blow.

She did, but all that came out was yellow and slimy and definitely not plastic.

I cleaned her up with some toilet paper and told her, "Blow hard!"

Out popped the half of a clasp that had been lodged in her nose. I heaved a huge sigh of relief.

I've heard countless anecdotes of kids getting various objects stuck up their noses. I figured it was just a matter of time before one of my girls had the same experience (which leads us back to the post's title). The only problem is I don't know how to prevent it from happening again; when I asked Ana how she got her bracelet stuck up her nose, she proclaimed, "I don't know! I just don't know!"

Yeah, right. Now we need to figure out how to prevent compulsive lying. That's another thing every mom dreads.

Gone fishin'

As per extended Grover family tradition, we headed up to Island Park for opening weekend at Henry's Lake. Seth took the "big girls" out three times to the docks to try their hand at landing a big one, but they came up empty-handed. ... Well, at least empty-fishing-poled.

On our last trip out, we decided for a change of scenery from our previous visits to Frome Park, and we headed to Henry's Lake State Park. Several fishermen were lined up on the shore, and they were faring well. But because all the good spots were already taken, Seth and Bekah were exiled to the no-fish zone; they tried and tried and tried, but got nothing.

Ana and I had been walking around the docks (where there were TONS-O-FISH to be seen, but it's against the rules to fish from the docks or between them) when we saw two fishermen who had taken a break from their lines to look at some fish that were trapped in a little triangle formed by the shore, the dock and the boat ramp. Bekah had come over to join us in our observations, and she said she could catch one of those fish with her hands. She lay down on the dock with her hands poised above the water, waiting for a fish to splash up. When it did, she reached down quickly and recoiled when she actually touched the slippery guy. Then she ran off in the direction of Seth, and I thought she was done with the docks.

Instead, Bekah came running back with the net. She lay back down on the dock, and with the help of one of the fishermen, she netted one of the trapped fish. As she hobbled back to Seth with the fish in the net (it was too heavy for her to run with it, she says) she cried out, "I caught one! I ACTUALLY caught one!"

We took a few pictures of her with the fish, but in the end, we let it go because we didn't think it was entirely legal to keep it, and the fish wasn't the best catch.

After we tried switching locations to the other side of the docks, both Seth and Bekah got a few nibbles. But when we left the lake with nothing to show for it except a few pictures, Bekah was very upset and cried.

I guess we can't wait too long before our next fishing trip, because Bekah has fishing fever.

Bekah expressing her excitement in going fishing. Last year, Seth just put a bobber on her Barbie fishing pole. This year, she actually got a hook. With a worm!

Analee reeling in her princess pole. She didn't understand why she couldn't catch a fish with the rubber crown on the end of her line.

Bekah with her fish and her weapon of choice.

Bekah and Seth fishing at Henry's Lake State Park.

Analee running along the dock with a flock of pelicans in the background.