Visit To Utah

A Post by Brady

On our trip to Utah we got to visit a lot of people. Most of them were family. We saw:

Aunt Amy. She's helping me play with a pop-up sports toy. She has a really neat garden at her house. She also has lots of big dogs. I liked going up and down the steps out side her house. I would say, "Up step. Down step."

Grandma J and Grandpa J. Here we are at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. They were lots of fun. I really liked it when Grandpa read books to me and pushed me on the swing outside. Grandma was fun too. She'd take me on walks and got me a really neat bouncy ball.

Grandpa Kehl. I got to see him a few times. We went to the park, to lunch and a playground at the mall. I really liked his clock that played music.

Great Grandma B. We went to a park and had lunch with her. She's pretty neat because she gets to ride in a stroller, just like me! Mommy asked her who she thinks I look like. Grandma B said "He looks like himself." That's a pretty good answer.

Aunt Mina and Uncle Don. These two are kinda crazy. That makes them all the more fun! I liked it when Auntie Mina sat at my table when we had dinner.

Grandma C. She took me to the Living Aquarium to see lots of fishes and other animals in the water. I had fun playing peek-a-boo. She hosted dinner at her house so Mommy, Daddy and I could see lots of our family. It was a good dinner. Mommy is sad she didn't get a better picture of me and Grandma.

Cousins Colin and Lilly, and other cousins. They have grown a lot since I last saw them.

A-maiz-ing

These are from a corn field at a friends house. So fun!

He said What?

For the longest time Brady has just made a raspberry sound for the word "elephant." Tonight the kid spits it out like he's been saying it for years!! He surprises me everyday with something new.

We're back home

Hi! Yes, we DID go on a vacation. Yes, we DID arrive home safely. Yes, we DID forget our camera cord in Utah. No, we CAN'T upload pictures without it. So until I get my photographic memory back, you get no report of our lovely vacation (no rush Snells, like I have time for it anyway.)

I can say that we (er, I) have been rather busy since getting home. Monday and Tuesday were filled with laundry and a much needed and enjoyed afternoon at the pool with friends. Wednesday I started my job of caring for Little Miss Sassy. She's three. She's cute. Her brothers go to school across the street and I pick them up and watch them for a bit. It's not a bad deal. We have the morning to get errands/playdates in and then come home for lunch, naptime for Brady and Quiet time for Sassy (no, that's not her real name, but she's probably called that more than her real name. I like to call her Sassafrass.), all in time to pick the boys up. I'm still working out the kinks, but it's only the 5th day. Like today, we had an OUTSIDE snack time cuz Mr. Brady was still sleeping. I learned last week that no matter how many times you shush a kid, they somehow seem to forget and the baby wakes up. And he wakes up cranky. No cranky babies for me, thank you.

This Saturday we planted an Azalea bush. It's pretty. Okay Carl did most of the work on it. He dug the hole and put the plant in, filled the hole. I just pretended to help while making sure Brady was safe in his outdoor adventures.

Carl starts school tonight. Two nights a week on campus plus one online class. We WILL get through it! Then only one semester to go!! YEA!! Then begins another chapter in our book called "To PhD, or Not To PhD?" Ya'll should stay tuned for that.

I will say that I have decided that I would REALLY rather not live in a place where the mosquitoes come out at night, or 5:30 in some places. I would like to be able to enjoy the summer evenings without twitching and swatting at every little itch. I recall being in a place without those nasties recently....ahh, it was WONDERFUL to be out at 9:30 in the cool summer night air. I could go for my run at NIGHT instead of o'dark hundred in the morning. Ahh, that'd be great.

Speaking of running....I will boast, because I am very pleased with myself for the effort I have put in. I reached my goal weight! YEAH!!! Now my stretch goal is 5 more lbs. A lady at the Dr. office yesterday said I looked different. I really needed to hear that. When one is getting fit, he or she really benefits from others noticing. Without it one can get very discouraged. It's a good thing I have a good running partner, Maggie the dog, who keeps me motivated. Her looks are SO piercing when I skip a day on her. Ah, cuts me to the heart!

So that is what is going on with us since we've been home. No rest for the weary around here. But we will prevail.

Quick Blip

(This is mostly so that I can remember, but I'll share it with ya'll too.)

Tonight Brady, Carl and I laughed our heads off! We giggled more tonight than we have in a long time. Nothing special, just being silly at the dinner table (there was lots of "see" food), tackling in the living room and some silly mommy cuddle hugs that gave Brady the hiccups from laughing too hard. Ah, 'tis sweet to be a laughing family. And yes, Mom, it's true; there IS beauty all around when there is love at home.

We're having too much fun!

It's been a while since we've posted! We're just having too much fun out here. We've been shopping, scrapbooking, running on the trampoline (I'll get video of that some time hopefully), visiting with grandparents, running through sprinklers, and swimming. We can't WAIT for Daddy to join us. We miss you Arkansasans, but are very much enjoying our time with the Utahns.