St. George 3/7-3/9

Andrew's parents own a townhome down in St. George as a vacation home and a rental property.  Laura and Andrew were headed down for the weekend since Andrew was on spring break from school and invited us to come with.  We have plans to go down with the rest of the family at the end of the month, and this was one of the weekends we had thought about all going, but it didn't work for everyone.  I will be back to work at the end of the month, and still have yet to cover all my shifts, so it was nice to get in a trip to the warm area of the state in case we don't end up going later.  

The weather was in the high 60's low 70's and it was SOOOO nice!  Perfect time of year for the area.  It was also nice that we all had a toddler and a newborn, so we had the same expectations for time.  We got there late Friday (The Titensors were already there) and left late on Sunday.  I really wished it could have been longer.

Day one, we headed into Snow Canyon State Park.  We hiked around the lava tubes, and even ventured into one.  Malcolm and Denali weren't so into the dark tunnel though, so we didn't go far.  We also were ill equipped as far as flashlights went.  We had a picnic lunch, then went and played in the sand dunes for a while.  The kiddos really loved that part.  I loved just basking in the sun and feeling the sand between my toes.  Mmmm...

Good Morning!

I was so excited about the fact that I was somewhere warm enough to wear shorts, I snapped this lovely bathroom selfie while brushing my teeth.  Nice, eh?

At the lava tubes:

 

Nora and Elliot at our picnic lunch.

Sand Dunes:

Baby shade

 Sometime that day at the Townhome:

Driving a car on Elle.

Nora, snoozing, as usual. :)

We had naps and then dinner and swimming.

That night we also stayed up watching Catching Fire.  Ryan and I hadn't seen it yet.  Staying up so late ended up being a bad idea, though we didn't know it at the time.  Elliot had one of her most restless nights yet, and ended up in our bed with us because we just didn't want to have to get up over and over and over.  Turns out, Laura and Andrew had a restless night with Nora as well, and Denali woke up at 6 am and wouldn't go back to sleep!  So the  next day, we were not up as early and didn't do as much.

I'm still bummed about day 2.  Not because we didn't do what I wanted, but because I wouldn 't let myself enjoy myself.  It was the last day of our little mini vacation and I felt so pressured to have a good time.  So pressured that I didn't really.  I kept feeling like we should be doing more, or that I should be getting all I could from the nice weather.  I pretty much ruined it for myself.  Oh well, it was still nice and I felt rejuvinated for a few days after.

We visited Pioneer Park which is a red rock area above town.  We wandered around and let Malcolm roam, Andrew and Denali joined us there too.  Laura stayed back with back troubles.  :(  We had lunch and naps and Ryan and I walked around the pond near the townhome.  Oh!  Ryan and Andrew had gone fishing that morning too!  I forgot that part.  We drove to Sand Hollow Reservoir in hopes to play in the sand.  But when we got there we decided we didn't want to pay the fees to only be there for a little while, since it was so close to dinner time.  We went out to mexican food instead, and then it was time for The Green Team to head home.  We almost made it no stopping!  But Elliot voiced her opinion about continuing without food around American Fork that we stopped with about 35 min to go.

Practicing for her future of climbing with her parents.

The fountain in the mexican restaurant.  Malcolm and Denali were looking at the "Moneys".

It sure was nice of the Titensors invite us!  and nice of Andrew's parents for letting use their really nice home. It's the kind of vacation rental that is nicer than my own house, so I pine for its tall ceillings and giant bathrooms after we come home.

Hopefully it will work out that we'll be back to St. Geezy in a few weeks!  I could really use some more time in shorts!  :)

Model Train Show

Several years ago, we went with Mike and Brenna to a model train show in Odgen.  Back when they lived in Ogden and Bridget was the only little one around.  Jordan told us about the weekend it was here this time and we jumped on the chance since Malcolm would just love it.  Jordan ended up having to work, same with Mike, but the Titensor's came.  Malcolm really did love it.  He didn't stop talking about what he saw the whole time, and he still brings up the train show now.  He made an already fun outing even better.  It's up at the Ogden Union Station, where they have train displays and a museum anyway.  It was just trains trains trains.  So fun.  We even bought Malcolm a Thomas train that fits on his wood trains to take home.

He's making that face because the wheel is as big as he is.

Just chillin, nice and comfortable.  Cute little conductor Denali.

Bathroom selfie!

Click on this one to enlarge it.  They're faces are so cute!

Picture Dump: Pre-Elliot to Today

I really gotta start Last Week's Pictures up again and keep up with it.  I've got almost 80 pictures here!  They are from before Elliot was born, and all the way til today.  Most of them are posted on Instagram of course, so sorry if you follow me there.  There are some that I didn't post though.  There's also a whole heap of photos I didn't include here that are on my phone.  I decided that 10 photos of Elliot sleeping on my lap post-nursing session was probably too many. :) Sometimes I think of not posting other pictures that are of pretty mundane stuff, but I like the snapshot it is of daily life.

Our last walk to the park before baby Elliot.  I remember it was sunny, but cold, and I was oh so very pregnant.

The Young Women made Ellie a blanket! Aw... there was one more, but she had already left when I took the pic.  I know, we have a big bunch of girls, eh?  This wasn't our best turn out.

This was at Ryan's choir concert.  We kept saying we needed a picture of us both pregnant before we, well, weren't.

This is such a nice pregnant double chin shot.  It should definitely go in permanent blog record.

When Mal and I went for frozen yogurt. ("No, it's ice cream." Malcolm kept correcting me.)

I watched Denali while Laura and Andrew went to a play.  If you give her a sticker, this is where she puts it.  Andrew taught it to her.  It's hilarious!

New Beginnings.  We had a B.O.O.T camp theme. (Build Our Own Testimony)  This is the presidency. (Cathy-1st counselor, Liz- secretary, Jennifer- pres., Me- 2nd counselor)
 

The one and only picture I got while Ryan's parents were visiting.

At a Jazz game.

Malcolm was telling me "You can't see me in the dark". Ha!

We got coupons for free donuts at the Jazz game from Dunkin Donuts.  After eating his, I had to wait to leave until Malcolm had picked up and eated every fallen sprinkle off his chair.

Another outing where I was probably trying to walk out the baby.  We went to City Creek where we played in the dinosaurs and ate a McDonald's $1 ice cream sundae.

This is when I showed up a day early for my last prenatal.  Turns out I'd go into labor at 11pm that night!

Malcolm went wandering off on the way to the car down this winding path.  The start of his lack of listening streak.
 

Ta da!  Baby Elliot! 

This is one of my very favorite photos from the hospital.  How cute is she?

First car seat experience.

All the cool kids wear their glasses like this.

This is from that first night home.  My two babies together.

Getting some sun for her jaundice.

Ha ha!  I love when newborns do funny things.

Such a very dad photo.  The mess, the kids, it's all so lovely.

How Malcolm wanted to watch whatever was on Ryan's phone.  Practically sitting on Daddy's face.

Sweet baby snuggles.  Sometimes nothing gets done because she distracts me.  And that's okay !

Love Sac baby

Malcolm chatting with his little sis.  He sat there for a while and talked to her.  I caught a lot of it on video too. 

Afro likes snuggling babies too.

Our first walk.  All bundled in her carseat in the stroller.  Aw... fuzzy little bear.

From the same walk as above.

"I going to hold her hand"

Double tummy time on the car mat.

The day the second Costco seat was no longer for my bag.

Two weeks old!

This is Malcolm's new favorite thing.  He loves to move the step stool around the kitchen and play on the counter with whatever.  It's actually not that bad of an activity.  He feels involved.  The only problem is he can reach knives in drawers and such.  So I always have to watch him.

Elliot's two week appointment.  Tiny little peanut.  It was also Malcolm's 2 1/2 year old appointment.  What a thing to do, 2 kids at the doctor!  Whew!

First time looking at a cereal box while eating breakfast.  His childhood is complete.

Ryan took this one while I was reading.  This is the very best way to read a book!

Sunday, 2 weeks in, I was feeling very frazzled and needed some mommy time.  So I went to sacrament meeting alone, then took a walk up Millcreek canyon.  It was a beautiful day for it.

This is later that Sunday at my parent's house.  Grandma had been to Disneyland the week before after her pipeband competition in California and brought this home for her.  Denali loved it!  and even had cinderella shoes to go with that she LOOOVED.

My own little princess in the only dress that fits her.
 

We had a really warm couple of days.  Like 65 degrees.  Malcolm went outside to play and drew me a fish.  Specifically a shark, he told me later.

We had lunch with Ryan during one of those warm days, and then stopped by a park on the way home.  It was wonderful!  Almost hot in the sun.  Elliot slept in my arms while I watched Malcolm play.

Starting to get Elle used to a bottle.  Ryan was multi-tasking.

This is my phone's wallpaper right now.  My sweet babies.  Malcolm always plays with Elliot when she's down on the floor.

here she is singing... or looked like it anyway.  :)

Malcolm has recently started scowling.  He's had to work quite hard at it.  He's about got it perfected.  Here he is telling me he doesn't want regular milk, just chocolate milk.  I have to hold in my giggles when he scowls at me like this.

Malcolm made the coffe table/ottoman into a bed!  His imagination is really growing and I love it.  He's always pretending something.  He brings me invisible food and things all the time.  He's also frequently talking to someone not there.

I spy...

I love her perfect little lips!  Shortly after this she broke out into some baaad baby acne.  So sad. But you know, 3-4 weeks old is the time for it! 

One fussy day I popped her in the sling and she loved it!  She sat with her hands clasped in front of her just like this while I went around gathering stuff for us to go hang out with my sister.  

Nora and Elliot.  Cousins 6 days apart.  

This is my attempt to try a head scarf style I saw on pinterest.  It would probably look good if the scarf wasn't so thick.  I just felt like I was some sort of fortune teller wearing a turban. 

Malcolm's scowl out again!  He got up on the step stool as usual, but I forgot to put away the last of the cupcakes w here he couldn't read them.  So he had two cupcakes for breakfast before I even knew.   Sneaky devil.  This is actually an instagram "out take", I posted the picture below instead.

Tiny peanut.  I've got way to many pictures like this one too.  I just love love love her all tiny and curled up.
 

Tiny hands.

 Burrito baby!  Commemorating her third night putting herself to sleep when put to bed awake!  Hooray!
 

Last but not least, today, at the park.  The weather is supposed to get a little stormy, so I wanted to make sure Malcolm got out while we still could.