Who is Who?

Benisms

Okay, well he isn't saying much these days. But he does coo and goo sometimes. He also had to have a 2nd hair trimming yesterday. I also tried combing down the mohawk. It looks cute :)

Sarahisms

The other night at dinner Sarah looked at me (Derek was out of the room) and said, "Mommy, stop making Daddy crazy."
Who knew? Daddy claims that he did not tell her to say this--and I believe him...
She also told Uncle Clark, "My Daddy says that you are fat." Yikes! Did he say that? Not sure...but we now have to be more careful about what we do say. It is open to reinterpretation before repetition.

Libbyisms

Libby got up yesterday morning and told me that if I didn't do what she asked (this was a general statement, not related to anything specific she was asking me at the moment) that she was going to "bust a tantrum on me." Well okay then. I will beware of the tantrum about to bust :)

She also told me that she saw some Zumba dancers in a parade yesterday with Grammy. Libby told me that they used the same zumba song I use. She might just be right about that one.

Goodbye Great Grandpa Don

Grandpa Don with Libby in 2007. He was singing her little French songs.
Grandpa Don with Ben in July. Finally he had a great grandson to carry on the DBN initials!
Grandpa Don with Sarah in 2010. He read her several stories. They both enjoyed it very much.

This weekend we went to Vancouver WA for the funeral of a great man. Donald Barron Norton died at 95 years of age. He was a wonderful man. Derek and I have felt a strong connection to him because during his career he was a police officer and then a teacher. He and his wife served several French speaking missions and he had traveled extensively in Europe as a young man after his first mission in Belgium. So he understood my love of Europe. We are so glad we took that last trip down in July to visit him.
I learned even more about Grandpa Don during this trip. He was a great patriarch.
It was wonderful that all of his grandchildren and great grandchildren could be there for his funeral. Even Derek's cousins Julia and Patrick came from New Zealand and London. The VA Hills were there so Libby and Sarah got to spend time with their cousin Mariah (the only cousin their age.) I think Grandpa Don was holding on until everyone could gather to celebrate his life. He also would have highly approved of our trip to the zoo on the day after his memorial where we even rode a steam train in his honor!

Trip Quotes

Our trip to Vancouver resulted in many funny quotes.
I was getting the girls in the car to head down and I had just taken them potty. As I was putting Sarah into her seat she said, "It's okay mommy, I can just wear a pretend diaper." Oops. I had forgotten to put a new diaper on her after she went potty. So glad she told me she would be okay with a pretend diaper--because I was not okay with it. I quickly remedied that situation.
Libby got particularly sassy on this trip. On the last night she and Sarah were both crying because they wanted their daddy to sleep with them. So, he settled down between them until they both went to sleep. In the morning when Libby woke up, she said, "Where is daddy? If he does that again (meaning move to the other bed) I am going to give him a ticket! I am going to get the police to give him a ticket!"
Our hotel room opened out onto the pool. Libby asked to go swimming about every 5 minutes. There was a sign that said No Children Allowed without an Adult. I quickly brought the first part of the sign to her attention..."It says No Children Allowed, Libby," I said. Then, my nephew who is 10 said, "That isn't what it says..." (busted by a child who could read, dang!). He told her that the sign said no children allowed without an adult. So, she wandered around from aunt to uncle to grandparent asking if they would be "her adult" so she could go swimming. We finally did go swimming on the last afternoon. They had a great time and even Ben got his feet in the pool and hot tub.

STATS!

We had Ben's 2 month check and Libby's 4 year check this week. Here are the stats:
Libby:
weight 29 lbs. 8 oz. 5 % --SHE IS ON THE CHART!
height 38" 10% --also ON THE CHART! Hooray!
her blood pressure was 84/58. I guess that is normal? They didn't say anything about it.
She was a real pill during her checkup, even calling our doctor stupid. She was angry because she wanted a checkup at the dentist not the doctor. Yes, you read correctly. She wanted to be at the dentist, because the dentist gives cookies after a checkup. (Job security I guess.)

Ben:
This little stud is growing!
weight 11 lbs. 4 oz. 50%
height 23 3/4" 75%
head circ. 15 1/2" 45%

He got his shots and then basically slept all day. It was fabulous. As hard as it is to have a small baby, he is definitely making it pretty easy on me. He sleeps at least a 7 hour stretch every night. Amazing (knock on wood!)

I love being a mommy. There isn't a harder or more demanding job out there I don't think--or one with such eternal consequences!

Wedding Photos

To see more great shots from Rachel and Brad's wedding (for those who aren't on facebook) check out their photographer's blog. She was fabulous!

Playtime for Ben

Ben has started being more aware. Both girls love to get close and play with him. He isn't sure what to think of it. If he is in the right mood he will smile and watch their toys. If he is in the wrong mood, he quickly melts down. In the video you can see him starting to swat at the toy on his bouncy seat. Awesome! He has also started to enjoy time in the swing. I am loving having a little more hands free time so I can keep the house and garden in order (or at least try!)

Bodystep 84

Yesterday I also taught in our BODYSTEP launch. We had a rockstar theme--can you tell? (One of the songs is called "Drummer Boy", so I was pretty stoked to find this Animal t-shirt at Target.
The workout just about did me in. I am not yet in prime condition, that is for sure!
Before the workout... (this is a horrible self-portrait, probably shouldn't post, but too late.)
After the workout...

Kaj's Baptism and Birthday Bash part 2

Yesterday our nephew Kaj was baptized. It was a great baptism. Libby and Sarah helped me give a talk on the Holy Ghost. They helped pull items out of a gift bag that represented the things that the Holy Ghost can do for us in our lives. Then we came back and had a joint birthday party for Kaj and Libby at our house. We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows in our backyard fireplace. We had ice cream cones for the birthday treat.
When Libby opened her presents it was clear that she knew her audience. At my parents' house when she opened presents she said, "NO WAY!" "YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" over and over. With Auntie Maren sitting right behind her yesterday, she switched to "OH MYLANTA!" when she loved her gifts (which she did, all of them!) She has been playing princesses non-stop with her new toys. Thanks everyone!!!

Wedding Flash Mob!

Rachel's Wedding

When Rachel met Brad at Disneyworld (he was working there with my sister Emily) I could tell something was different about this one. And there was. Their wedding was a magical as their story. It was amazing and fun--and even had a happy ending after a few scary minutes. (A man walked into their reception and walked out with all of their cards. Luckily one guest spotted the man and chased him down and got his license plate #. Her husband called the police and the police caught him within minutes. The gift cards and money will be returned after the prosecutor has a chance to prepare a case against the perps. It was over $1000 of gifts, making the crime a felony. Crazy!)
One of the best moments of the day was the flash mob that we prepared. Rachel and Brad love the movie Despicable Me, so we learned the dance from the end of the movie. (Emily is a great dance teacher!) Right after the daddy/daughter and mother/son dance we rocked it out. It was a blast. Jen Nuckols has a great video of it on her facebook. I am trying to figure out how to add it to my blog. I will add it when I can :)

Ben's Blessing

When we realized that we would be in Utah just after Ben's birth, I decided that I wanted to do Ben's baby blessing there. Then my grandpa and uncles could stand in for the blessing--I was so happy that Derek's parents said they could come to Utah for the blessing and wedding. They were a huge help. One of Derek's uncles and some cousins got to come too. It was a huge circle.

Ben looking super happy about the whole event. He didn't cry!

The whole family.

Mom, Dad and Ben

The whole circle: L-R Brad Cottle (my new brother-in-law), Elwin Ralph (cousin of Derek's Dad), Brian Randall (my brother), Ron Curtis (my uncle), Brion Norton (father-in-law), Chris Wood (my best friend's husband), Kay Randall (my grandfather), Don Olsen (from my parents' ward), Kelly Randall (my dad), Reed Fehlberg (Derek's uncle), Ron Upton (my uncle), Ralph Carlson (friend who introduced Derek and I), Neil Schwendiman (my cousin's husband), Jerry Harris (my uncle). This is the largest gathering of my male relatives I have ever seen!

Trip Quotes

On the trip down there were some great quotes. My favorite was when we stopped at a restaurant/rest stop. Sarah asked, "Do they have a place where you can change me?" I said, "Yes." She said, "Okay, I am pooping then." She won't poop and then sit in it, so she always takes care of business when we are stopped, which we all appreciate!

We watched at least 10 movies in the car. It was such a long drive. We stopped in Yakima and they had a great park and even the McDonalds was fun.

July Madness

I haven't blogged for a bit...I have been a bit busy. On July 15th I threw a baby shower for a girl in the ward (along with Janetta Boone--I can't take all the credit). Then on July 19th we had our Bodypump launch--"Raise your Bar, then Raise your Glass." So I made cupcakes and pizza bites. July 21st we headed out to Utah for Rachel's wedding. One the 22nd I helped throw a family shower for Rachel. On Sunday July 24th we celebrated Libby's birthday and on July 26th we went to Lagoon as an extension of the celebration. Then on the 28th was the family BBQ and bachelorette party. Finally, on July 29th it was the BIG DAY! Ben's baby blessing was in the morning and then Rachel's wedding, luncheon, and reception. It was such an amazing couple of weeks. I feel so blessed to have been a part of all of these events, even if I did come home with a head cold. It was worth it!

BodyPump Launch (Yes, Whyle is wearing a sequin headband! What a Bodypimp!)

Birthday Presents: Libby got Clifford and Chloe from Brad's parents. She got a princess tent from the birthday fairy. She also got wedding Barbie and Ken and a barbie car! She was also excited about a Fancy Nancy Stargazing book from her VA cousins!

Lagoon Moments: Riding Puff with Rachel and Brad. Sarah is with Rachel--riding for her 2nd time. Sarah looked so scared--but said "I liked it."