Dane and I celebrated our ninth anniversary. After going horseback riding we got a couples massage. We've been talking about both activities for way too long. It was time to finally make it happen. We're hoping to knock more and more things off of that list.
My friend, Cassy Brown, had a rappelling accident in Mystery Canyon at Zion National Park. She was doing a solo rappel when her rope got stuck. She tried to get the rope unstuck by ascending the rope. By doing so, her rope came untied and she fell 50-80 feet. Hikers came and found her and sent for help. The canyon was too small for a helicopter so she had to wait until medics could get there. She died shortly after they arrived.
I wrote about her on Facebook and have now copied that tribute to this blog (it's the post found immediately before this one.)
He still can be terrifying with his tantrums but we've narrowed it down. They happen most often in the morning when he's feeling really hungry and can't find anything to wear that fits the right way. With that in mind, we try to eat breakfast before getting dressed if we can. Things seem to go much more smoothly when we do.
I'm not sure if you can tell but Elvis (my mule) HATED Dane's horse. He turned around and got in the middle of the line so he wouldn't be near Dane's.
That same day tragedy struck. I wouldn't find out until the following day, after Church.
My friend, Cassy Brown, had a rappelling accident in Mystery Canyon at Zion National Park. She was doing a solo rappel when her rope got stuck. She tried to get the rope unstuck by ascending the rope. By doing so, her rope came untied and she fell 50-80 feet. Hikers came and found her and sent for help. The canyon was too small for a helicopter so she had to wait until medics could get there. She died shortly after they arrived.
I wrote about her on Facebook and have now copied that tribute to this blog (it's the post found immediately before this one.)
The experience shook me. My testimony of the Plan of Salvation has been tested before but not in such a jarring, unexpected way for someone so close to me- especially since my last memory with her involved doing what brought about her death.
Time has definitely helped but I also had a very special experience a couple weeks later that brought great comfort. I dreamt that I was at Maeser Prep again (the school where I taught and coached.) There, a fellow teacher who loved Cassy was announcing something (I assume it was about Cassy) and I felt so very sad. Then I felt someone at my side. It was Cassy, giving me a hug and a sweet, reassuring smile. I tried to tell everyone but I could see right away that no one else could see her. I'm not usually a dreamer (not dreams of any significance, anyway!) but this felt like a special gift.
I know Cassy is not gone. A loving Heavenly Father has a plan for her and for all of us. I will see her again.
It was very confusing when I got the news about Cassy. Not only was it on the day of our actual anniversary but we were busy packing to go to a family reunion down at Bryce Canyon. I felt like I wasn't able to grieve properly as I raced to pack (and repack and repack as Hinckley and Lucy both unpacked various suitcases!) It wasn't until we were driving that I was able to start to put my thoughts together.
Though I felt dizzy and overwhelmed when we first started hiking the next morning, I felt better and better as the day wore on. Bryce Canyon turned out to be the perfect place to grieve for my adventurous friend. Its beauty and majesty are such a great testament to a loving Heavenly Father.
We all had such a wonderful time. Lucy actually slept which is unheard of for a baby in our family, so I was the most rested I've ever been on a trip.
Though Hinckley was freezing for the first half hour (as you can see in the picture below) the weather was perfect and Atticus was an awesome hiker. Hinckley pooped out pretty early on but we're still impressed with how far he went. Lucy didn't complain a bit.
As you can see in these pictures, Bobba and Nana gave the boys the cutest adventure outfits and gear. You should have seen other hikers' faces when they saw them- especially cute little Hinckley. Thanks to the heads up from grandparents, the boys also worked before and during our trip to earn their "Junior Ranger" badges. You can see them getting the badges and promising to keep all National Parks clean with the bearded gentleman below.
This trip was so great for many reasons. Time spent with family has to be at the top of the list.
After three nights at Bryce Canyon we said goodbye to Dane's extended family and headed north to stay with Dane's parents. Here you can see cute Lucy playing on the same drum that Dane played when he was little. I know I have pictures like this one of both Atticus and Hinckley somewhere...
Lucy loved the soft carpet at Bobba and Nana's house. Here she was just laying down and enjoying the feel of it.
Bob took the boys to the driving range. They did great! Dane even dared Atticus to hit the ball 50 yards and then the boy did it!
Oh, how these boys love visiting Bobba and Nana. Poor Atticus was the saddest I think he's ever been when it was time to leave. He pulled his hat down over his face and gave them each a tearful hug.
We also paid a visit to my sweet family who spoiled us with the most luxurious meal I think I've ever had at anyone's house. I'm not kidding. It was so healthy and delicious. My brother, whose health was really on the line a month or so ago has made some huge changes (and he's doing terrific- feel free to ask me if you're curious about how) and has become quite the chef!
It was only a night but we had such a great time. And sweet Lucy got plenty of attention.
As good as she was on the trip, we could tell our little Lucy was thrilled to be home. She was not happy in the car (she HATES her car seat!) and made it very known the whole way there and back.
She turned 9 months at the beginning of the month and Dane actually took her to the doctor for her checkup. She is still a little above average in her size and weight but doing just great, developmentally.
I may have mentioned in my May post that she got a top tooth at the beginning of the month. A week later that second top tooth popped through and she now has the cutest little toothy smile. We adore it.
Oh, this beautiful little girl. We love her so much. It's crazy how much we really want time to slow down right now. She wants to grow up so much- she wants to eat all the adult food- ("The big stuff, not that little baby food, Mom!") She is nursing so little during the day that I've started pumping at night so I won't lose my supply! For some perspective, the boys both nursed gladly until 18 months and Atticus probably would've kept on nursing if I'd let him. I'm just hoping to keep it up for her for a solid year.
She is crawling on her knees more and more- usually once she has gotten where she wants to be because it's still so slow compared to her army crawl using her little toes.
She is getting into all kinds of mischief and leaves a path of destruction as she goes. So stinking cute and a little harder to manage with two children leaving books and other fragile objects on the ground. Then again, they're also good helpers at watching her, so maybe it evens out a little.
We love how playful she's becoming. She started blowing raspberries toward the middle of the month and just started clapping on the 23rd. She gives the funniest, loud, wet kisses (and still occasionally goes from kissing to biting- ouch!) She loves to pull anyone's hair that she can reach (smiling and watching for their reaction) and one evening she followed Hinckley around so she could keep hitting him with a drum mallet. She loves to follow both boys around and try to take whatever they're playing with.
I almost don't dare share the last possible milestone. We could swear she's starting to say words. Of course she says, "Dada," all the time but there have been moments when it seemed to ebin reference to Dane. She babbled with perfect intonation back to her brothers the other day- the consonants were different but it sounded just like "Night night!" the way they had said it to her. We thought she said, "Atta" to Atticus once. At church on the 27th we could have sworn she yelled, "Mama!" in a moment of desperation... . But it could just be our imagination.
Here's our "Hurricane Lucy." She loves Max's food and will eat it any chance she can get. Don't you love that face?
Heeeere's Hinckley! We started a STEM class geared toward Hinckley's age and it's been fun. He is learning so much, sometimes he surprises me with what he's picking up.
As you can see in the picture above, he still isn't always thrilled to go to Primary. He often asks us if he can join us in Nursery or go home. After being in class for a few minutes I'm told he usually perks up and he always comes home happy.
He still can be terrifying with his tantrums but we've narrowed it down. They happen most often in the morning when he's feeling really hungry and can't find anything to wear that fits the right way. With that in mind, we try to eat breakfast before getting dressed if we can. Things seem to go much more smoothly when we do.
This month he has started "sprinting." While running he'll start doing this adorable, quick feet run and you can see on his face how fast he feels. You can't help but grin when you watch.
His imagination is so vivid and rich. He is totally immersed as he plays with his toys. We love that he is content to play by himself but can just as easily let one or more people join him (which often happens because when you watch him, his conversations are really interesting or just plain funny.)
This imagination also plays into his desire to earn money. He earned a Batman costume a couple months ago and since then he had been saving up for a Batman backpack. Now that he has earned the backpack, he has several more Batman objects that he wants to buy, including a Batman stuffed animal, Batman shorts, "Big Batman with bwack all the way down" and "Big Bane." The list just keeps growing. Hopefully this desire will translate to lots of help around the house, right?
Hinckley Speaks:
- "AAH!" (Throws a toy across the room "Did you just throw your [fake] spider?") "Yeah, because he was being mean to me." (A minute later.) "Can you help me find it?"
- "Atticus, do you like guhls?" ("Do you like girls?") "No... Do you like Mommy?" ("Do you like Mommy?") "Yes." ("Me too, but not _______. She's mean to me.") "Well, I like ____________."
- "He's an old man, Mom. He has old skin." (Said just after passing a neighbor who very likely heard him. Facepalm!)
- "Why does that man have such a big tummy?" (Another facepalm!)
- "Atticus, do you want to be baptized?... I don't. I'll yell and scweam and say, 'I don't want to be baptized!'" ("But Hinckley, when you get baptized you'll be unstoppable!")
- "She looks like an angel!" (When he saw Lucy in her white dress before church.)
- "Okay, Bobba. Take it away!" (As we began FHE one week he decided he was in charge and called on Bobba to pway.)
- "FINE!" (His response to our requests way too often.)
- "I wish you weren't sitting by me." (Said to me when I was smiling at him while he was working on a worksheet. I told him, "That hurt my feelings!") "...Fine! You can sit by me."
Atticus seriously amazed us at Bryce Canyon. He was so well behaved and careful, he really didn't complain when we were hiking and was pretty respectful to all our family there. The magic seemed to end when we made it to Cedar Hills. He was so naughty, in fact, that his Nana had to yell at him for the first time ever. Boy, he shaped up pretty quickly after that. If there's anything I like, it's people who lovingly keep my kiddos in line!
Coming home from all that excitement was also hard. He had a couple of rough days and sometimes I feel like we're still recovering from the attention and expectations. He's really struggling with any kinds of perceived failure or loss (especially with his two current favorite games: Uno and Battleship.) and we just aren't sure how to help him. Still, we've had some good days and some really good conversations. The quest for emotional control continues- for all of us.
Just before the month ended Atticus got a special treat- laser tag with a couple friends. He LOVED it!
Atticusisms:
- "I'm never getting married because kissy kissy is involved."
- "I don't want to be bossed around anymore!"
- "I'm just having a really bad day."
- "Mom, can you go inside so I can play volleyball with Aunt Bobbie?"
- "I triple dipple, nipple dog dare you..."
- "Isn't Junie so cute?"
- "Do we EVER get a break?!" (After reading about being on the Lord's errand in D&C 64:29.)
And here the kids are at the end of June. The month ended with visit from some of our very favorite friends (which I'll post about in July) and a beautiful, overcast week. We even got some rain! It was a much appreciated break from the summer's heat.
