Family Photos - 2 of many

And some more:

Family Photos - 1 of many

We have a family photo shoot each year on our anniversary and, as was aforementioned, we chose this year to have Melissa's sister Emma do our photo shoot. You might notice the recent change in picture at the top of our blog. She did a fantastic job and would like to share some of those pictures with all of you... as well as talk her up because, she takes awesome pictures.

Now there's no way I could put all the pictures she took on this blog - not in one post, not in one eon. But I will see how many posts I get through tonight full of family pictures for your enjoyment... or at least for mine! These are in no particular order - just how I grabbed them.

Noel's Birthday Ice Cream

On Noel's birthday we had not yet obtained a new camera, so I asked to borrow our neighbors. They were very kind in letting us. As some of you may know, I'm a big Ben & Jerry's ice cream fan. Love the stuff. And so, on each of my girls' first birthday I've established the tradition of giving the their first ice cream, and of course, that first will be the best - B&J's. Here are some pictures from Noel's first birthday ice cream!

Here selection: Phish Food, Mint Chocolate Cookie, and Peanut Butter Cup

And the winner is...

...

...NOEL!!!
She *loved* it! (Of course she loved it!)
After a while, she did get cold with it all running down her body, but I think she'd say it was well worth it if... well, if she could say.

Ice Cream

Despite the camera woes (see below), we did get some pics that were very worth while, as you will see.

Before:

After:

Cleanup:

Yum!!!

New Camera Woes

So... we finally got a new camera. Tonight was the ward talent show that Bonnie was in charge of organizing. It was mostly comprised of Primary kids. It was a lot of fun. I videoed pretty much the entire thing. I was excited to come home and watch it. I got the 2.7 gigs of data (some pics before, but mostly tonight's videos) onto the computer and started one to watch it... and there was no sound.

AAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!

I can not fathom any substantial reason that a camera would be produced or sold with video capabilities and no audio. It's like selling banana splits without bananas... or toppings for that matter. Or better yet, it's like selling an oven without a temperature gauge - just a "high - medium - and low", or a microwave without a timer, or a silverware set without any spoons, or a camera with video capabilities and no audio! You may as well sell raw metal to the consumer directly and tell them "take a picture!"  (Ok, so I'm being a bit over the top right now, I know. Frankly, it's not the camera maker, or even the retailer that I'm upset with. In fact, it's not anyone. It's simply that all that video is, in my mind, worthless, and that makes me sad and a little frustrated. A large majority of it was musical, and ya' know, this might surprise you, but watching someone sing while hearing nothing really just isn't that thrilling!

So anyway, looks like tomorrow I'll be returning that camera and shelling out a few more doll-hairs for something that can actually record audio.

Amy's New Friend

I received a call tonight for a survey. I'm usually pretty happy to do surveys if I have the time when they call. I think it's about the best non-solicited-solicitor-type call you can get. And so I took the survey. The lady giving it was really quite nice too.

I had just gotten Amy in her jammies when I received the call, so I think Amy was delighted for a bit more of a delay in her bed time routine. As I was wrapping up the call, Amy started speaking a million miles a minute saying "Daddy daddy daddy I want I want daddy I want to talk on the phone talk phone Daddy don't"... or some such like that. I couldn't really tell because I think it took her about .02 seconds to say that much or more! So I told the lady on the phone that my daughter was begging to talk to her and would she mind taking a minute. She said that would be fine, so I gave the phone to Amy.

Amy started off on a roll right away. "Hi! I'm wearing my pajamas! I have on two pan... two pants and a shirt! A gumball shirt and a gumball pants!" (she did in fact have on two pairs of pajama pants, the outer of them having a gumball design, and a matching gumball top) Then she saw her new bike horn, "and I have a horn!" - HONK went the horn. I could mostly overhear the lady saying simple things like "oh great!" and "that's nice" - she was being very sweet. Then Amy started saying "Mommy, mommy, and... (I forget what)". That's when it clicked - Bonnie wasn't home so she thought I'd been talking to Bonnie that whole time. No wonder she wanted to talk on the phone! I told her it wasn't Mommy and to say "What's your name?" She did and the lady (who I'll now refer to by name) said "Sarah. What's your name?"
"Amy."
"Amy, that's a pretty name."
Me: "Amy - say Thank you!" - but she didn't get it out before Sarah continued.
"Are you getting ready for bed?"
"Yes."
There was a little more conversation that I'm really wishing I could still remember...
Amy: "Ok bye!"
"Bye"
"Ok, Love you bye!"
"Bye"

At which point I took the phone and thanked her. Sarah wished me a good night and we hung up.
So, so funny! What a cute girl Amy is!

The Closest Thing to a Drawing I May Ever Do on my Blog

I wanted to mention - and then forgot to - that last week I went to get an oil change. I had a coupon for $9.95 oil change. Sweet. They told me there that it was just the really basic service and that I'd have to pay $5 more for the normal service. Still, cheap. I was fine with that. Then for some reason the 15 to 20 minute oil change took more than an hour. I don't know why, and I am certainly giving them the benefit of the doubt that that is unusual for them. I let the worker know that I was running late to an appointment, and he decided my oil change should be free. So I still have my coupon. That's where you come in.

If any of you have need of an oil change in the next two weeks - yeah, sorry, it expires soon - let me know. It's yours for the taking. I like the place and am impressed overall, even with the delay.

Seven Peaks

Today the girls and I went to Seven Peaks (a local water park) for a couple of hours. My friend, Lauren gave me the heads up about a free-bee coupon for myself, and the girls are free too! Thanks Lauren! It was just us - no other adults - so we spent most of our time in the kiddie pool. We did start with the lazy river and made it around once, with Noel on my hip and Amy in her inner tube.

When we got to the kiddie pool, Amy was excited, and Noel was hesitant - which is backwards. Amy really is overcoming her timidity in water. That was the first time ever that Noel showed any timidity in water. I wonder if there were too many people for her at first or something. Anyway, she wasn't crying or acting scared; she just wanted me to keep holding her. Slowly but surely, she moved away from me. Before too long any time I picked Noel up she squirmed to get back down. She would crawl in the water and not want to stop crawling when the water level was practically at her mouth. She would drown if I would let her, and she's annoyed that I don't. I like her courage though.

Amy had a wonderful time too. She didn't want to go anywhere where water would fall on her head, and that even made the little slide off limits for her. But she didn't seem to mind. She liked standing up, counting to three, and jumping onto her bottom in the water.

I was impressed with the girls because they really stayed happy, and Amy was pretty good at staying close and obeying. They really didn't even make too big a fuss when we were leaving. I think I caught the magic window before they were so tired that meltdowns were unavoidable - exactly what I was going for. Glad it worked.

We did use sunblock but not enough apparently. It took me a while to realize how bad we were all burnt - our shoulders, backs, and necks. Amy and I have burnt thighs too. Luckily we have an aloe plant - those things never die otherwise it could not possibly survive at our house. So hopefully we're not in pain too long. The girls are bearing their sunburns well though. What a fun time we had!

So Sweet

Amy:
[Whispering, as we quietly walk into Noel's room] "Is Noel asleep? Yes, she is asleep. She's beautiful."

Amazing Diaper Deals

My friend posted this on her blog, and I thought I'd link to it for those who read my blog and not hers. (I don't know if there are any people who read her blog and mine come to think of it.)

http://thethornocks.blogspot.com/2010/06/relapse.html

I will be taking advantage of this.

Thanks Rosie!

The Statue of Library

We have a pencil sharpener that is a figurine of the Statue of Liberty. Amy just found it and said, "Heavenly Father!" I said, "That's the Statue of Liberty." "Oh, the statue at the library!"

Close enough. Amy loves the statue at the library. The real statue at the real library.

Just What I Needed Tonight

And every night.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=31c6425e0848b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

My favorite sentence in this talk - because I feel like I have the most to learn from it - is:
Conscientiousness is not an automatic guarantee that we will choose the “good part” which will not be “taken away” from us (Luke 10:38–42).

I always want to do the right thing. I think about that A LOT. The best choice I could make at any given moment. And I have plenty of choices to choose from. (That was a funny sentence.) I sometimes even relax just because I know I need to take good care of myself - for my own sake and so that I will be of more use to others and to God - and because taking care of myself is the right thing to do, not simply because I want to relax.

Here's another great quote:
"Many of our daily choices are not intrinsically hard, but we work hard to make them that way."
That's so me.

"Some choices are a matter of preference not principle." That's nice. And liberating. I want that to sink in.
"We have a way, at times, of exhausting ourselves and also of drawing down the supply of goodwill while struggling over what are preferences, not principles!"

Yep. I have a way of doing that too.

The point of this post isn't to beat myself up for my struggles but to remind myself and encourage myself in my own constant process of learning to balance. And to share with you something that could help you too. I hope. And if people who know me and read this blog want to know a little more about me, that may also have been accomplished in this post. I sure am grateful for the journey and the constant learning process that is this life. I even think I am glad that Heavenly Father allows us to feel this way as quoted in the talk:

“My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds.”

I am glad He gives us desires to help people and that He has given us so many resources to help us know where our priorities ought to lie. I'm learning more and more lately that He wants me to spend MOST of my time right now taking care of my little family. Amy. Noel. Matt. Me. It's not selfish; it's the season I'm in. And that sometimes I sacrifice other good things I would like to do to help my family be healthy, happy, and strong. That can be hard for me. Not that I don't want to have a healthy, happy, strong family. Just that I want to do a million other things too - good things that would bless others lives and be fulfilling - and sometimes things slide that would help my family. Or the opposite can be true. I want to do so many things to help my family be healthy, happy, and strong that they can't possibly all fit. Even balancing each family member's basic needs - food, sleep, loving attention, baths, and spiritual strengthening - can consume my attention and sometimes seem impossible to manage. This is where it is good to let less important things slide and just do the best I can. I know that. And I say easier said than done. And yet, I know the Lord will keep helping me. For that I am grateful.

Car Seat Shopping Time

Amy is too tall for her car seat so, as is my tradition, I am doing a ridiculous amount of research to make sure we get a car seat we like for her. I decided I wanted to take a survey for those who want to participate.

The Car Seat Survey:
What brand do you like? Dislike? Why?

What features are must haves? What about features you really like but can do without?

What good and bad experiences have you had car seat shopping?

Do you shop online or buy in the store? (I realize this is really a matter of preference and/or convenience. I'm just curious. I think we will be buying in the store. Amy really should get a seat asap, but I will not get her one without reading reviews, etc. first. Still, I don't want to have to wait for shipping.

What else would you like to share about car seats?



The Parks answers:
We've always bought graco. I like that the harness straps don't twist - that annoys me and it's not as safe. I feel like they are good seats. Amy's is falling apart a bit. We may just be too hard on it. I don't know if that says anything about graco really. Not falling apart in a dangerous way, just some of the padding not as attached. I dislike about Amy's seat in particular how difficult it is to wash. That's bad news. And I have heard some seats adjust the straps without having to rethread everything. That sounds nice. Amy's cup holder has been nice too. Sounds excessive at first - I thought so anyway - but it's really a nice feature.

#1 issue - price. Not that we'll necessarily get the cheapest car seat that there is. Rather, we'll get the cheapest one that meets most or all of our requirements/ preferences.

Matt really wants us to get a seat that converts to a booster next. Like I said, no-twist harness straps. I don't care too much about weight or size of the car seat itself because we have the van. I don't worry too much about all the different safety precautions because I feel safe about the minimum standards that car seats have to meet right now. I would like a seat with more harness slots since Amy has a long torso. I don't want her growing out of seats every year. Oh, and I don't want a car seat that hideous in my opinion. I don't think I have the best tastes, but some current popular styles and color combination are very unappealing to Matt and me. No offense to those who like them. Of course as most of you know, if they sold car seats in yellow, I would be ecstatic, and most of you probably wouldn't want a bright yellow car seat. To each her own.

Amy's Obsessed with Weddings

Amy's reading Cinderella (Cinderlewa) right now. She turns to the page where Cinderella and the prince get married and says, "Cinderlewa got married at the castle! And she got a ring! Like you have a ring. I'm gonna marry Rudy at the Manti Temple." Amy talks about marrying Rudy a lot. At the temple, although sometimes she changes which temple. Sometimes she tells me she will; sometimes she asks permission. Sometimes she is excited about the ring. We've been to lots of weddings lately. I asked Amy where Emma and James got married, and she said at the "reskeption." I think she's funny and cute.

Amy's Funny

This morning during family scripture study, Amy was on my lap looking at a picture depicting Moroni kneeling by the Gold Plates in prayer, ready to bury them. The hill he is on is covered in snow.
Amy: "Snow man!"
Me: "Snow man?"
Amy: "Heavenly Father snow man!"
Me: "What?"
Amy: "Heavenly Father made a snow man!"
Needless to say, we laughed a good bit after that one! She seemed pretty proud of herself.

On Saturday we went down to Ephraim for Bonnie's 10yr HS Reunion. We went early so I could go to the Manti temple in preparation for my Sunday talk. When Bonnie and I were both in the car, we were trying to encourage Amy to get into her buckle. She was poking her head out the sliding door at the time. She looked in at us and said "I'm talking to Heavenly Father!" She then poked her head back out the sliding door and looked up at the temple to say "Hi Heavenly Father! What are you doing?" Bonnie asked "Amy, where is Heavenly Father?" After all, she was looking at the temple. Her answer? "Toronto!" (Her uncle & aunt T.H.E. [that is Ryan Scott Armstrong's nickname - you say the letters, though we often just call him 'T-H' for short] and Melissa are in Toronto for the summer for his internship.) So, T.H. and Melissa, I guess you are in the right place!!!

Gotta love that little girl!