Angels Camp

We just spent five days with my family in the gold rush hills of California. It was a fun trip with a lot of new firsts for Emily and also a few for us. Emily had a blast running around with all of her cousins and was pretty resilient considering the lack of sleep and how thrown off schedule she was. All in all it was a good trip - but I think we came home more tired than when we left.

We decided it was best to fly rather than drive 10 hours, so Emily was able to go on her first airplane ride. We were fortunate enough to not have a full flight (both ways) and Emily was able to have her own seat. And boy did that make all the difference. She loved looking out the window, flirting with the other passengers, and playing with the seat belt and buttons on the armrest. That first day we were on the road and going for about 16 hours and Emily only slept about 20 minutes in the car. Besides a few meltdowns, that only lasted till we were able to find something to distract her with, she did well (but completely passed out the minute we put her in bed).

We went on a steam engine ride in Jamestown and it was probably Emily's favorite thing. She loved watching the engine and feeling the wind in her face. She was smiling and pointing at everything. She was pretty excited about anything we went past and was more than happy to point it out and tell everyone.

We were able to go down one of the many caves in the area. We climbed down a narrow set of stairs and then a long spiral staircase for 165 feet (the main opening of the cavern is large enough to fit the whole Statue of Liberty). It was really interesting to see everything and Emily loved all the echoes she could make. We weren't able to stay too long though. Emily was extremely tired (as is inevitable on a trip) and after a few minutes of uncontrollable crying, we decided to spare everyones ears and we headed back up.

Sunday we went hiking in Big Trees National Park and saw all the giant sequoias. Emily was quite the little hiker. She loved running around in the dirt and touching all the trees. She also loved all the attention she got as she met people on the path. After running around the trails she was definitely in need of a bath when we got home.

We drove over to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on Monday. Emily would cry until a ride started, say "Wheee..." the whole time it was going, and then begin crying again as soon as it was over. Besides going on rides, we saw a whale show, splashed around in a pool of sting rays and got to pet an elephants trunk. It was really fun...until we got home and realized how sunburned we were.

We went to Sutter Creek (where my brother Chris is currently serving his mission) and took a tour in an active gold mine. It was pretty interesting. It was a nice break from the hot weather and it really made us appreciate the hard work of a miner.

On our last day Emily was running around the condo and tripped and cut her eye on the molding by the stairs. We knew within seconds of looking at it that it would need stitches. We called the front desk and found the nearest hospital and frantically ran out the door. It wasn't until 10 minutes into the drive that Jeff and I finally calmed down a bit and were able to be more rational. Being that we were in a small town there was virtually no wait and Emily received her first two stitches and we were back home in about an hour.

Here comes the Bride

Since the spotlight is typically on Emily I figured it might be my turn to show off what my life consists of (outside of mom-dom). I've been rather busy so far this summer and somehow I can really only come up with one thing to account for most of my time (besides Emily of course). I've had the opportunity to expand my business a little bit more and do several weddings these past few months. It's interesting to see all the different personalities in the brides and what colors and ideas they have. Pink is always a big favorite but lately orange seems to be a big rival. All in all it's been really fun and enjoyable. But then what's not to love about an extravegant party that takes lots of planning and money? No wonder I like weddings so much.

A new member of our family

Well, it’s happened. Jeff and I finally broke down and decided it was time to get a pet. Actually, it was our neighbor who got a fish and when she kept finding her kitten's paw all wet, she decided it hadn’t been such a great idea. Therefore we inherited it. Needless to say, we were hesitant to accept it and became even more so when it dawned on us that the bowl needed routine cleanings. But with “fish” being one of the few words Emily can say and her immediate love of it, we’ve decided it’s going to stay. We’ve already had him for two weeks and apparently we’re not that creative because we’re still just calling him fish. We welcome any comments with suggestions on a name. We couldn’t tell you if it’s male or female though…how can you tell on a fish?

"One country, one flag, one people"

We spent Wednesday morning up Millcreek canyon with all the Holbrooks. We enjoyed a yummy pancake breakfast and enjoyed catching up with family. Later at night we headed up to mom & dad’s where Jackson & Emily (as well as the rest of us) were thoroughly entertained at their attempts at trying to stay upright on the trampoline. Emily’s such a show off and just loves attention – can you tell? Once it was dark enough we headed out front for fireworks. Emily cuddled up to us and sat in awe at all the brightly colored sparks. It was one of those rewarding moments as a parent.

For me,this Independence Day has created new sentiment and respect for the holiday. Part of it is because I now have a daughter to share it with, but also because of what we are celebrating – a young nation declaring its independence from a world empire and daring to stand and fight for what they knew was right. This act has created freedom for millions and provided the opportunity for the gospel to be restored. In church on Sunday we sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and it’s never hit me so hard before. The spirit was so strong in that meeting and I couldn't help but notice our Bishop. He stood up there on the stand with tears in his eyes and sang those words with conviction. Being that he grew up behind the iron curtain, I’m sure he fully appreciates the freedom and opportunities this country provides. How sad it is that some do not understand how lucky they are. I think we tend to take our freedom for granted when we’ve never really been without it. How grateful I am for the privilege to be an American and all the opportunities that come with it. Don’t we live in a great country?

Water Baby

We spent Monday evening with the Walls up at East Canyon. We had a picnic dinner and spent some time playing shuffle board. Emily loved chasing the clay discs around and entertained us all when one got stuck under her foot. After a while we decided to go swimming and Emily had a blast in the kiddie pool. She was pretty daring and kept squatting down and putting her chin in the water. She loved splashing around and even slipped under a few times. We quickly got her out and after a minute of coughing she was itching to get out of our arms again and back to the water.

Bumps & Bruises

We were able to make it a year without any big accidents, but Emily had a rough first week being one. Within a couple of days she fell off the bed (for the first time), tumbled down the stairs (yes, the big flight), and tripped and cut her eye on the bar stool. Then to top it all off, she dove head first off the church bench on Sunday. Each incident elicited tears and lots of cuddling, but Emily was soon off and running again without a second thought as to what had just happened. I think it was all harder on mom then it was on her.