Crawling, Fives, and Go-gurt

We've been pretty busy around here, what with chasing after Julia, Relief Society activities, speaking in church, and choirs. So I'm playing catch-up with this little post. I've taken a bunch of videos lately, but I just haven't gotten around to posting them. Thank you, One True Media, for the powers of the montage. The first clip is an actual shot of her crawling, proving that she can indeed do it, she just has to be properly motivated. Next we have her latest new skill: giving me "five." I try to give her the chance to do it with either hand, but she simply prefers her right hand, much to Clark's dismay. And finally, we've found another solid food she'll eat: Go-gurt. Not yogurt on a spoon, no no. Has to be go-gurt in a tube. I was eating one last week, and she kept eying it and reaching for it, so I gave her a sample. She was hooked. I think she'd eat the whole tube, if I let her. This proves once again that she doesn't hate food, she hates spoons. Which is difficult when she can't really chew. It's a work in progress, hopefully she'll be eating regular food before she goes to Kindergarten.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And because everyone likes pictures of tubby time:

Weekly Quote 11/24/08

"And what about all the mountains in spring,
And what about all the choirs that sing,
And what about every mother that holds a new child."

For those of you who didn't understand the cryptic comments left by Sabrina and Clark, that was from the song What About by Peter Breinholt. He used to play a concert at Sundance every fall, surrounded by the changing leaves, it was lovely. We went a few years in a row, right Bean?

New quote up! (And I might mention, it's a quote that I don't really know, I had to look it up.)

The Mighty Meg

I think I've mentioned my friend Megan before. She is an amazing woman, who has been through a lot in the last couple of years. Namely cancer. Surgeries, chemo, pain, and lots of emotions.

I hate cancer.

And yet, she always seems so upbeat, always looking for the positive. I just love visiting with her, because I always leave feeling happy and uplifted. Yes, that's right: I leave feeling happy and uplifted, because of her optimism. Like I say, she's an amazing woman, with a delightful family, and they deserve the best in life.

And that leads me to this Saturday. The City of St George (Josh's employer) is putting together a Bake Sale/Yard Sale to raise money for medical bills and such. You can see the flyer here. So all you St Georgians should make the trip out to the Hurst Ben Franklin parking lot Saturday morning, and see what you can donate to the cause. I know we'll be there. My guess? We'll leave feeling happy and uplifted. And I know that I need more of that in my life, wouldn't you agree?

7 Months Old

Aunt Kim and Uncle Patrick brought Julia a most welcome gift:

Start 'em young, eh?

On Sunday, we decided to have a little photo shoot. By we, I mean me. I decided. Clark came out for moral support. Julia looked so cute in her dress. Things started out pretty good.

Then she wasn't quite so happy:

And then she wasn't happy at all:

She was temporarily mollified by her singing bear:


And then it all went to pot:

But on the upside, that is an excellent shot of her tooth. Still just the one.

So, Julia is 7 months old today (good gravy, where did the time go?). She is officially a crawler, even if she's not a pro yet. Yesterday she started blowing bubbles. She is much better at taking naps (2 a day, even!), and she is getting a little bit better about her stranger anxiety. She eats cheerios, and occasionally will gnaw on an apple. We're still working on the whole spoon thing. And by "working" I mean "not doing anything because she hates it." But she is so much fun to play with now, and we are so happy to have her here!

Reid Weekend!

My darling sister, Kim, and her dear husband, Patrick, came down to visit this past weekend. It was so great to have them stay at our house, play with Julia, and eat turkey with us. It was all too short of a weekend, and we hope they'll come again soon.

And guess what? I actually remembered to take pictures before they left!

Julia looks a little wonky in this picture.

And somehow her flower came out black in this picture. . .

Sandwich Kisses!
Thanks, Reids, for coming to visit. We can't wait to see you again at Thanksgiving!

Bring on Thanksgiving

Clark mentioned that we had Fatten Up for the Feast this weekend (Fatten Up for the Feast is the brainchild of Kimmie K [who now lives far away in TX], I can't take credit for such an awesome idea). It turned out so well! I was somewhat shocked at the fact that nothing went wrong, it was amazing. We had such good food, and even better company.

We took exactly one picture:


I guess you could say that we were having such a good time that we didn't even think to pull out the camera. But, boy howdy, we got a picture of the bird! So tasty.

Oh, and, AND, I made a pumpkin pie. Complete with homemade pie crust. And. It. Was. DELICIOUS! It's a miracle! After all this time, I've finally got a pie crust recipe that I like. And it's a double pie crust recipe, so I've even got some pie crust sitting in the fridge, waiting to be rolled out. Mmmm, I love pie.

And the winner is. . .

The results are in. And first, I must say, 30 votes? There are 30 people who read this blog and care enough to vote? Wow. I'm honored.

OK, so now the results:
Shannon's Shenanigans = 10 votes
Blogburger = 12 votes
Who's a Burger? = 5 votes
The B²s = 1 vote
The B²s +1 = 1 vote
Shanny's Life = 1 vote

So, it looks like Blogburger is the winner. I like it. Thanks for voting!

Weekly Quote 11/17/08

"When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun."

Sabrina was right, this was from Amazing Grace. We watched the movie last week, about the song, William Wilberforce, and the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, and it was excellent, I recommend it. I'll admit, it took us a while to get excited about watching it, but I am so glad we did.

New quote up!

It's Poll Time

Alright, folks, the poll is up and running. Thanks for your suggestions. May the best name win!

Name Me

I need a new blog name, because Shanny's Life? LAME-O. So get in your suggestions now. I'll put up a poll in a few days. Once I come up with a few ideas to put in a poll. (that would be where your suggestions would come in handy)

And That's Why I Don't Talk Politics

Today at the park I was chatting with one of my friends, and the topic of guns came up. Generally, I disagree with most Utahns on this subject, and generally I just keep my mouth shut and nod politely. In fact, this is how I respond to most political conversations, just listen to what the other person has to say and leave it at that. But today I decided to actually voice my opinion. And it was indeed not the same as her opinion.

In the moment, I was proud of myself for speaking up and saying what I think. But ever since, I've been feeling so bad, hoping I didn't offend her, replaying the conversation, hoping my side of it made sense, and really, really feeling bad. I just don't like confrontation, and I want everyone to get along.

And so, my friends, that is why you will never get political posts on this blog. 5 minutes of conversation = 24 hours of stewing. Can you imagine if the conversation was drawn out in blog posts and comments? I'd be a constant little ball of worry.

Poppy Day

Today is Veterans Day. While I don't have any Veterans Day traditions, and nobody gets the day off work, I still think it's an important holiday. I'd wear a poppy if I knew where to buy one. We sang this song, In Flanders Fields, for my choir concert, and I thought the words (written by Dr. John McCrae) were just beautiful. In fact, I don't know if I ever made it through that song without tears coming to my eyes. And so I'm sharing them with you today. Thanks to all our servicemen and women for the sacrifices made so we can enjoy freedom. And even though they don't read blogs, thank you Grandpa H and Papa, for your service in WWII.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

"Is anyone puking at your house?"

This story is just too funny not to tell, sorry Steve.

Clark and I were watching a movie last night, when my phone started ringing. It was Clark's dad, Steve. This is odd because he never calls my cell phone, he just calls Clark's. So I answer, and he asks me if anyone is puking at my house. Um, no. Why? He proceeds to tell me that he just got off the phone with Melissa, and he always asks her that question. Not sure why he's telling me this. Weird. So we chat for another minute, and he tells me that he figured he would add me to the list of people to call on Sunday night. Again, weird. Then he asks, "Are you coming up for Thanksgiving?"

"Yes, we are."

"AH! We! That's what I was wondering."

"You think I'd drive up for Thanksgiving by myself?" (At this point I was wondering if he was on some sort of cold medication)

"Wait, who am I talking to?"

"This is Shannon."

"Ooooohhhhh. Hi Shannon."

He had meant to call Suzanne. And ask if Elliot was coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. Oh man, it was so funny, we were dying laughing. I think the funniest part is how long we carried on before he figured out his mistake. He couldn't understand why I wasn't reacting to his joke about puking (I guess it's a family thing?), and I couldn't understand why he was calling me. Maybe you had to be there, but we sure thought it was funny.

I don't think I sound much like Suzanne, do I?

Leaves

I guess it's time to buy a rake.

Weekly Quote 11/10/08

So, cast off the shackles of yesterday!
Shoulder to shoulder into the fray!
Our daughters' daughters will adore us
And they'll sign in grateful chorus
Well done Sister Suffragette!"

I thought the Sister Suffragette song from Mary Poppins was appropriate for Election Week. New quote up!

Halloween

Halloween was a week ago! Happy Halloween a week ago! I'm just now getting around to loading the pictures on my computer. So here are some photos of our beautiful ballerina:

Look at that face!Giving you the side profile.

I love those chunky legs, stuffed into the tights!

Um. . . ok, I have a confession to make. It's all a lie. LIES! I didn't take a single picture of Julia in her costume on Halloween, or on the day before Halloween when we went to the old ward party. Yes, I'm a bad parent. I don't even document things like my daughter's first Halloween.

All these pictures are from today. I dressed her up again and took her picture. I just couldn't let that lie sit out there, I had to fess up. It's a well-known fact, I can't lie. Even if I wanted to.

New Look

Well, I broke down and changed my blog template. I got it from Smitten. It's fall themed, but I honestly want to keep it all year. What do you think?

And I Hate The Gym, Again

Life got crazy the day after I made my triumphant return to the gym, so I haven't been back since (I know, excuses, excuses). But last night, I finally made the time and went. I was so excited to get back on track! And then, I saw the sign just inside the door:

"The Cardio Cinema is closed. Sorry for the inconvenience. "

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! The Cardio Cinema is the only thing that keeps me plugging along! So I had to go to the second string cross trainers, where I could either watch music videos that I can barely hear the music for (and half of which are ghetto rap garbage anyway), the news, or CNN, neither of which have any sound, just closed captioning, which is a major problem when you are already blind, and then I was wearing my contacts to boot, which means my poor vision was fuzzy (I pray that this improves when I wean Julia - I want the old me back!). So I basically did the X-trainer for 30 minutes, while pretending to watch TV that I wouldn't watch anyway if I had the choice. It was a long 30 minutes. From now on, I'm bringing my MP3 player as a back up.

Toast, Cheerios, and Apples

Since Julia has no desire to ever eat anything from a spoon, we decided to try non-spoon methods of feeding her. First, Clark gave her some Zwieback toast last week (since we had some lying around, thanks to Carrie). She thoroughly enjoyed it, though I don't think she was enjoying the "eating" part so much as the "chewing on something" part.

Then today I decided to try a couple of different things. First I gave her some Cheerios, and she really liked those. Well, she really liked putting them in her mouth, and then she made a face indicating that she did not like them, but she kept going back for more, so I guess she didn't loathe them as much as she does spoon food.

Then I tried to give her an apple in this thing. She had no problem playing with it, but she didn't really want to put it in her mouth. And there is no way she'll let you put it in her mouth for her, not a chance. But then she saw me eating an apple, and she was all over it, totally wanted to eat that. Except that her face told me that she thought it tasted nasty. But then she'd grab for it again, give it a lick, and EW! But she just kept going after it. What a funny kid!

Thanks to Cheryl, I'm trying out One True Media. What do you think? Is it just me, or does it look kind of grainy? I suppose I could blame that on my camera, though. I put all 3 videos together, so it's kind of long, sorry bout that. But hey, no one is forcing you to watch it.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Weekly Quote 11/3/08

"He'll come here because I have the most sincere pumpkin patch and he respects sincerity."

Sabrina was right, it was indeed Charlie Brown Halloween. New quote up!

And go vote.