Farewell to a chair

I put Sarah's highchair away today. She would rather sit at the table now. But I'm kind of sad about it. She's sat in that thing every day since she was 4 months old. Here's a few of my favorite highchair moments.  And since she's turning 2 next week, this will be a nice review of how dang cute she's been all these years.

"Sarah loud? Daddy loud? Mom loud?"

This is Sarah's favorite game.  She picks a person from Column A and says that they are something or has something from Column B.  The possibilities are endless.  She can go on for hours and hours. And the game just keeps growing in length as she learns more people's names and new words.  In fact, when she learns a new word, she has to run it though everyone she knows.

Column A                                                        Column B
Sarah                                                                 Right back
Dad                                                                   Silly

Mom                                                                 Nice

Nana                                                                  Shirt

Papa                                                                  Loud

Maga (Grandma)                                                Messy
Baka   (Grandpa)                                               Stinky
Nate                                                                   Arm
Braden                                                               At work
Dallin                                                                  At school
Zack                                                                   B-bye
Tyler                                                                   Scary
Indy (Justin's aunt's dog that she met once)          Heavy
Dosie (Josie Blume)                                             Stuck

She's into fake sneezing because she likes it when I say bless you.  And she never misses saying "bessoo" when others sneeze.

I like this picture because she looks like a lion cub.  A lazy lion cub.

I don't remember which video she's saying what.  Since I do a lot for her, I don't feel guilty making her say things for my amusement.  My favorites right now are "noodle" and "little".  But I don't want to make her say it too much or she'll get better at it and then it will be boring.

And Meeoh is the wandering neighborhood cat.  She calls for it whenever we are in the backyard and will follow it anywhere.

And it's been almost a month since she's seen her Grandma Nadine (Nana) but she talks about her every day. So Nadine, one of these is for you.

And I love how she counts. We've taught her ready, set, go but I think I like 9, 6, 9 better.

Sarah's favorite toy for a few days was this old paint can.  She wanted to take it everywhere, even in the car.  I threw it away when she was asleep.

I cut Sarah's sandwich into "fingers" just like my mom used to.  I had to laugh at how Sarah nibbled at it.

Sarah really wanted to eat her breakfast while sitting in her rocking chair. This is the set-up she came up with. She ate all her oatmeal.

Watching the rain yesterday afternoon.

Well, I better get back to preparing my RS lesson. I've only taught primary so I'm not sure how to end a lesson without coloring and candy.....

More Fun with Bias Tape

Bias tape makes everything better. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I just finished sewing this apron for Sarah's birthday next month.  I didn't have a pattern but I had a good idea of what I wanted it to look like. So I just drew the shape on a paper sack and cut it out.  With coupons and stealing thread and buttons from my mom, total cost $5.   The neck strap buttons on so it is adjustable as she grows taller. It will be really long on her now. 

Now if I can get her to wear it. She is very particular about what she wears and it's driving me crazy.  She's seen it as I've been working on it and wasn't interested.  Maybe in a month.

Sarah's Indian name should be Crazy Face

I think I've posted enough pictures on this blog to prove that Sarah is quite adorable.

So I don't feel to bad teasing her publicly with some unflattering pictures. She's grown out of her stop-everything-and-run-to-the-camera phase. She will actually pose for a picture if I tell her to "hold still and say cheese." Sometimes she comes up with her own poses. And faces.

Like this pose. I wanted a picture of her awesome bed-head. I guess she thought the feet in the air were a nice touch.

She was no where near her toy box when she saw the camera but this is where she stopped and posed.

I asked her to smile. I don't know what this is.

And this face she started pulling a few days ago and I can't get her to stop. I say "cheese," I get this. What is this?

I may have to come up with a different command than 'smile' or 'cheese' because this is what I keep getting.

And to prove that she is also beautiful and that I'm not a mean mom....

And it was my birthday last Friday. For the next 15 weeks, I'm 27, Justin is 26. Please don't remind him.

Parenting Awesomeness

You know when you're at Walmart and there's that kid that you can hear screaming at the far end of the store? At the top of their lungs? And there's no end in sight?

I found out today I have that child.

Trip to New Hampshire Part III of III

To wrap things up, we went to a park and Sarah loved the swings, of course.

And the slides with Nana.

Who needs Disneyland when you have a playground?

More swinging. She's such a daredevil. You have to remind her to hold on.

She asked for ice cream every day. She is a Dye. Well she's also a Syme so she didn't really stand a chance in that area.

And her Mary Poppins fix.

Thursday August 14 we ate at the restaurant that Justin's dad makes the sauces for at his plant, Joseph's in Haverhill Mass (pronounced Havrill). Everything is good. Butternut Squash Ravioli. Mmmm. And the servers were really nice. They didn't get mad after almost tripping over Sarah four times.


Friday August 13 we went to a Creed concert. The opening band was named Skillet. If their name alone, didn't concern me, when the guy in the cut-off tie dye shirt got really pumped as they were taking the stage, I got really nervous. But they weren't that bad. It would have been nice to hear the lyrics. Creed was good and also really loud. Maybe I'm getting old but when music messes with my heartbeat, that's loud. Scott Stapp looked nice and sober and grateful to be there.



Saturday August 14 we went boating. Sarah did better wearing a lifejacket than I thought . She'd ask to take it off once in awhile but we'd distract her with something and then she was okay. Sadly this was the only picture I took. I dominated the tube, FYI.

Boston - Where Dreams Come True and Things are Really Old

Wednesday August 18 We spent the day in Boston. I was really excited to see one of our country's oldest cities. In 20 years, Boston will be 400 years old! Since all of our buildings here in Utah only go back 160 years, I was just amazed at the age of the things we saw. So don't mind me as I totally geek out on history.

Case in point, here's a cemetery. I don't remember why it's significant or if anyone important was buried here. But look at the crumbling headstones. Some are leaning against others. Most are dated 17 hundred something. I did learn that the undertakers would sell the same plot over and over and toss out the old bodies to make room for the higher paying customers.

Here we are on the Freedom Trail. This red brick path goes all over the city connecting the historic landmarks. I tried to sing "follow the red brick road" but I couldn't get the rhythm right.

The Old North Church. In this steeple went the lantern signal, "One if by land, 2 if by sea." Then began Paul Revere's midnight ride.

Inside the church. It is still home to the same congregation from Paul Revere's time.

If I heard right, this is the oldest pipe organ in the country and the oldest clock still in use.

Check out these pews. Gives a new meaning to box seats doesn't it? The design kept people warm during church services in the winter.

And keeps toddlers from running up and down the aisle.

I think our church could use a few of these.

Here's the revered Paul Revere. I don't know why no one has made a movie out of his life.

Here's a dream fulfilled. Here I am at Paul Revere's house. It's the oldest structure still standing in Boston.

It's owned and operated by Revere's descendants. They turned it into a museum with period furniture. Sorry, no interior shots. Cameras weren't allowed. But if you've been in Joseph Smith's home or any Church historical home, that gives you a pretty good idea. The main floor had a hall and kitchen. Upstairs is a master bedroom and another bedroom. The upstairs bedroom is where guests would visit since it was above the stinky city air. "Where's the bathroom?" some guy asked. Seriously? This house was built in like 1640. Two words: chamber pots. Five more words: public outhouses down the street.

Sarah didn't share my enthusiasm for Paul Revere.

"You can thank your local civil engineer for this road" says Justin. The picture doesn't do it justice. I'd never seen a wavy road before.

I don't remember why I took this picture. I guess I just like how 'Boston' these buildings look.

Next stop. This is the USS Constitution. Also known as 'Old Ironside' although it looked like it was all wood. It's the oldest Navy ship still in use. Paul Revere forged the copper bolts and George Washington named her. She defeated 5 British warships in the War of 1812 and served as a training ship in the Civil War. And I stood on her.

Pretty cool, huh? She fought in numerous other battles and has sailed around the world.

The wheel was roped off or, believe me, I would have been at the helm.

Sarah manning the cannon. I love the crazy look on her face.

Group shot. Dallin, Nate, Sarah, Braden, Kristen, me, Justin, Nadine. Corey is taking the picture.

I like Justin. And if you look in the background, there's a monument for the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Here's a little artistic shot. This is the tour bus we rode through Boston. It's the best way to see the sights. You can get off at any of the stops, look around and get on the next bus as they come every 15 minutes.

We took a history break to tour TD Garden. This is where the Celtics play. They are refinishing the floor.

I don't remember this guy's name. Bill Walton? And Justin might get mad that I'm not posting a bunch of pictures he took of sports memorabilia. Sorry babe, I blog what I know and I don't know what that stuff is.

Ah yes, back to our historical tour. This is the Old State House. This is where the Boston Massacre happened in 1770. Simply, a mob gathered to intimidate the British soldiers standing guard. Someone taunted them, yelling "fire". They misunderstood orders and open fired on the civilians. 5 people died. Not to sound insensitive or unpatriotic, but the term 'massacre' sounds excessive. But it added fuel to the Revolutionists cause.

King's Chapel. Just an old church. Perhaps some revolutionary speech was given there. I wasn't really paying attention to the tour guide.

This is a house on Beacon Street. As the most expensive real estate in the city, naturally it's the snobby row of houses in Boston.

Dream come true number 2. Cheers! I didn't know it was a real bar until my visiting teacher told me. Oh the blessings visiting teachers bring.

You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

This building is the birth place of Edgar Alan Poe. Now they sell overpriced gourmet burritos.

Boston Common. This is one of the nation's oldest parks.

It was once a cow pasture, camp for British soldiers, place for public hangings, and witch trials.
Now just a boring old park.

This concludes our tour. We ate some Italian food, bought some t-shirts and drove back to New Hampshire.