We saw the zoo.

Last Friday we went to the zoo. I wanted to go before spring break so it wouldn't be too busy. Well it was spring break somewhere because there were tons of school-age kids everywhere. We got there at lunch time so we stopped to eat our lunch at the first table we saw.

If you're going to ruin photos by making that face, I'm making them public.

And then onto the animals. I was super disappointed the river otters weren't there and Sarah was bummed that the polar bear was nowhere to be seen. Plus 1/3 of the park is still under construction so no lions for Henry.  Next time kids, next time.

Sarah loves the elephants, even the big fake one. I didn't want to wait in line to get her picture taken by the trunk so we went around the other side.

The weather was calm and mostly sunny but it was still chilly.

Justin may be the best-looking Jazz fan.

Henry got most excited to see the bubbly water near the elephants.

 Sarah took this awesome picture of the rhinoceros (No spell check needed, thank you.)

 Watching for the sea lions.

The grizzly bears are back there somewhere. I know this sounds mean, but I wish the enclosures were a little smaller.

Sarah is chewing a Mamba. She ate 5 in 5 minutes. In her defense, she had never had them before and they are super good.

This tiger is by far the most entertaining animal at the zoo. Richard Parker paces around looking for a way to escape and then jumps in the water right next to the glass and paces some more.

 He will eat you given the chance.

 I really wanted to hear him chuff (not growl or roar as I learned from "We Bought a Zoo.")

 Off to pace and plan his escape some more.

 Erica slept through the Richard Parker excitement.

She woke up for the stinky house (small creature building). Henry liked this "rabbit." I don't remember what it really is.

 

That's the last picture I took so I guess after this we went home. We drove past Justin's current office on 1300 South since we had never seen it and then past his new office off Redwood Rd in Saratoga Springs since we hadn't seen that building either. One more month!

Erica's Blessing

Yesterday was Erica's blessing. We did it at our house so that we could have my parents on Skype from London. 

 She was so sweet during the blessing and didn't even cry. Afterwards was another story......

I love her dress so much. She's going to wear it to church a lot too.  But not the headband. It was super tight on her newborn head so we're done with that.

We had never done a blessing at home before but I think it turned out great. I was less stressed since there weren't as many people and it was just about her. Plus we got Daylight Donuts and I love them.

Henry likes tighty whities

Henry is not liking his diaper lately and asks me to change it all the time. I'm taking that as a sign that he's getting ready to be potty-trained. I got him some Toy Story underwear and he tried on every pair in the kitchen that night. I'm not completely on board yet as a newly-trained 2-year-old is a lot of work to take to the bathroom and I am still getting my footing on taking care of 3 kids. So I'm going to wait until we're both really ready. Or wait for Sarah to train him.

 My kids got to talk to my parents a few weeks ago via Skype. Sarah told them lots of knock knock jokes.

 They are doing great but I wish they had an accent already. You can read about their adventures on their blog. Link is on the left on my blog roll. Do you get filled with jealousy looking at the pictures like I do?

After skyping, my SIL Lisa surprised my kids by coming down from Logan with her kids. So we went to the park with Rachel's and Meredith's families. This is what Erica did most of the time.

I just have to say it's super fun as a kid to go to the park with like a dozen of your cousins.  Every where you turn, more kids you know.

 Jaana and someone else on the other side were kind enough to give Henry a ride on a longboard. He went back and forth for awhile. Then we went to Meredith's house and ate lots of food including lots of meat that Justin smoked all day long.

 I'm still very much in the "figuring her out" stage with this girl.  I can't help but compare her to my other two babies in an attempt to do what works. Here's where she varies greatly: she loves to be on her tummy. My other two would cry. I have a suspicion she would sleep great on her stomach but I don't dare try it. I'll just wait for her to do it herself in a few months.

Having a brother to keep you entertained doesn't hurt either.

The kiddos like to exercise with me in the mornings.

 Erica, predictably, loves the puppy gym. There's just something about an animatronic dog singing Bingo that captivates my kids.

 Henry always asks to hold the baby and most of the time I tell him no because either I'm trying to get her to sleep or she's crying. And he holds her for like 2 seconds before he's bored.

Sarah also asks all the time to hold her and she's pretty good at it. I just wish Sarah was big enough to carry Erica since Erica loooooves being carried around (like a true Dye baby).

 My kids fight. It annoys me. I hate stepping in and being the referee because then they start running to me for every little thing expecting me to solve their tiffs. But I also can't stand the bickering and sheesh, that is not the way to treat each other. (My mom is on the other side of the world smiling at this....sweet revenge). Since they couldn't share, I made up this game for them to play.  Henry threw the ball up the stairs and Sarah kept score. It worked for awhile.

This little kitchen gadget is changing my cooking. I hate, hate, hate overcooked chicken breasts and pork chops. This takes all the guess-work out of cooking them to perfection. I had a standard poke meat thermometer but then I'd have to check it intermittently and I don't think it was all that accurate. Then Justin ordered this probe thermometer with an alarm that goes off when the meat reaches the programmed temp. Talk about set it and forget it! So even though Justin got it for his smoker, I've used it in the oven and even in the crockpot. No more checking meat! Do I sound like an infomercial?

 This little lady can be so grouchy. Maybe she's sad she lost all her hair (just like my other babies).

But she's learned to smile! I love her smile. It seriously makes me all giddy inside. And I feel like she actually likes me sometimes and appreciates my efforts.

 This is the 6,000th picture I've taken on my camera.

If you put Erica in her crib at night, she sleeps 5 hours then in 2 hour stretches until morning, waking to eat. If you put her in her carseat and tuck her in like this she sleeps for 7 or 8 then 2 or 3 hour stretches. Plus she doesn't cry as she goes to sleep. I just have to walk/swing/simulate a car ride every night for 30 minutes while I watch a show. It works for naps too and I don't have to stress about her waking when I transfer her to my arms to her bed. I am going to have the strongest arms ever. And I'll have watched the entire Veronica Mars series in no time. (Henry slept great this way too until he was strong enough to squirm out onto the floor.)

Justin: Don't you just love basketball, snowmobiling, sports cars, old trucks, prime rib, trout, Alaska, shooting, Sportsman's Warehouse, listening to Jazz games on the radio, elk, bratwurst, and sleeping on the ground? Me: I love you....

This is a very over-exposed picture but I need it to illustrate something I've been thinking a lot about.  I don't like fishing. The times I went as a kid, I was bored. The times I went as an adult, I was bored. 

But Justin loooooves fishing. Like keeps-his-pole-in-his-car-at-all times-and-will-stop-at-any-river-in-the-proximity-on-his-way-to-anywhere love.

In fact, there's not anything he likes. All his likes are loves. All his interests he's passionate about, not just interested in.  We're on the cusp of March madness and I can feel the energy building. Hunting season and football season take over his brain every fall. Monday night football was on the TV when Sarah came into the world; NBA playoffs were on when Henry was born.(If Erica hadn't come so fast, I'm sure he would have found sports on in the middle of the night then too.) 

He picks the most complicated recipe out of my fanciest cookbooks for dinner inspiration. He won't leave my 4-runner alone even though I insist the tires and lift are fine.

And this passion applies to new things, too. I can't tell you how much smoked meat I've eaten since Christmas (I'm not complaining, just illustrating how Justin dives right in.)

When we were dating, Justin was wake boarding nearly every day after work. He still thinks it was his wake board skills that drew me to him.  I laugh when he says it but maybe he's right in a way. I think I was drawn to how passionate he is about things. With passion comes commitment and a desire to learn, to improve, to excel. Who wouldn't want to share a life with that guy?

Since there is no middle ground with him, he's fully committed and passionate about me too. Being top on his list of things he loves is pretty neat. (These flowers came after I had a string of bad days.)

So while I don't like fishing, understand football, get anxiety when he's hunting and have to beg to watch something on TV with a plot, I actually like seeing him love stuff so much because it's a great trait to have. To ask him to be less passionate about one thing because I don't get it is asking him to be less "him." Who knows what the ripple effect of that could be?

That's not to say there's no compromise and that's something we're still figuring out (I cry and complain every October when he packs for hunting) and there are some things I will never come around on (carrying a shotgun and hunt, being campground hosts when he retires, and I will never think getting the NBA league pass is a good idea, sorry babe.) But a great fear of mine is asking him to change so much that eventually he's not even the him I fell in love with. 

And we can't have that, can we?

Newborns are curious things.

These tiny things come into your life and completely take over. Their gear and stuff take over every empty corner of the house. Their cries and hunger take up all your time and energy.

 And then they demand all your patience,

 and overwhelm your heart.

 They want your best but give their worst in return.

And yet everything and anything new they do becomes a personal triumph and a reason to blog.

How do they do practically nothing but continually fascinate?

 And why do we take half smiles as payment in full?

And without hesitation we would give our lives for them. These tiny, helpless, thankless, creatures who turn our lives inside out, take everything we have and ask for more.

We lay our lives aside for them because we have to, because we want to, and because it's worth it.

 And because newborns aren't newborns forever. Happy 1 Month, Little Lady.