It's Alive!!!

Things have come back to life around here finally. I had quite an adventure around the house this morning to inform me of that. I was so sad that I didn't take a picture of the whole fiasco, but here are a few to help picture it a little. So, it has rained A LOT here lately and we've been periodically checking our basement to make sure there is no flooding. I went down this morning to find

this

and this (and several other little frogs) and a tiny baby bunny who belongs to a bunny family that lives under our neighbor's deck that all got trapped together in our window well. I wish I'd gotten pictures of it, it was so cute - it could fit in the palm of your hand. So, I decided at least the little bunny needed help immediately (Logan can take care of the frogs when he gets home from work). I got a towel and a bucket and headed downstairs to the window (it was too deep for me to do from outside). Well, if you've ever tried to catch a bunny before, it's harder than you'd think. After trying unsuccessfully to catch the little guy for quite sometime the poor little thing jumped through the window into my basement! It found a nice little hiding place under the bottom step. After getting my morning exercise by chasing it around the basement for awhile, it finally got tired enough I caught it in my towel and let it go to find its little family. It was quite the adventure. Carli has no idea I'm training to be the next Steve Irwin while she naps. Here are some other things we've found living around our yard.

These little birds made a nest on the vent for our fireplace on our deck. There's always warm air coming out of it. I hope they liked it while it lasted, they'll have to move soon.

These flowers came up on their own in the front yard! (Not a great picture, they're yellow in real life.)

And something else is growing around here too. . .

Again, not great pictures but I love the look on her face. She looks like she wonders what I could possibly find so amusing to be taking pictures. She likes to hold on to the little toys on her tray and lean forward. She grins and gets excited like she's on a roller coaster ride. I can't believe she is 5 months old (yesterday)! How time flies. She is still on her "nursing strike" (which is really what it's called) and I'm about ready to quit. Anyone had this experience before who has any suggestions?

Grandma Jones

This video is of my Grandma Jones playing the piano at the luncheon after my grandfather's funeral. She really is an amazing woman. She played a few of my grandpa's favorites at the lunch. She is 82 years old, can barely walk with a walker (as you can see, she was in a wheelchair that day), can't see well enough to read music anymore, but can play the songs she learned from the time she was in junior high. My dad always liked me to learn the pieces my grandma played (they were his favorites) and I can't even remember them from at most 10 years ago. Anyway, I will count myself lucky if I ever have the strength she has in her fingers, mind, heart and spirit.

My latest trip

Well, I'm back from my trip. It was a nice trip, even though it felt pretty short. We were able to visit both of my grandmas and it was pretty amazing that all of my grandfather's 26 grandchildren were there except one (my sister who is too pregnant to travel). He left quite a legacy. It was nice to see all the cousins I haven't seen in quite awhile. I intended to take LOTS of pictures, but obviously didn't. You know what they say about good intentions. . . Anyway, the picture is of Carli and her Great-Grandma Jordan. I can't believe how old she looks in this picture! She's not so little anymore :(. When we got back from the trip, Logan left for a business trip, so Carli and I are all alone at home. (Notice the time this is being posted. Sleep doesn't come quite as easily when Logan's gone.) Poor little Carli has thrush, so she and I are trying to work out the whole eating thing. It hurts her to nurse, so we've had to make some adjustments. Surprisingly enough, she took the bottle like a pro! I sometimes worry that because she is so good-natured and wonderful that we're going to pay for it someday. It really tugged at my heartstrings the other day when she was so hungry and tired and didn't feel good while I was getting medicine and stuff yet she still gave me the cutest smiles from her carseat. What a good girl! She is becoming more and more interested in food. She stares at the food going from our plates to our mouths. I think I'll start her on cereal once Logan gets back from his trip. We are SOOOO happy it is finally Spring!!! Carli and I take walks everyday to enjoy the warm weather. It has been beautiful here lately. We're also finally meeting our neighbors - everyone has come out of winter hibernation. Carli is also becoming much more vocal. She talks herself to sleep through her binki now. She also loves to bite into my shoulder and yell as loud as she can. When she feels the wind in her hair (which she has much more of now) she squeals and gets so excited. She is also much more wiggly and it's much harder to change her diaper and bathe her now. She can bring her knees all the way up to her chest when she's on her belly and I'm afraid that crawling will come much too quickly. She is getting into peek-a-boo and giggles like crazy when you appear from behind a wall. She finally snuggles into my shoulder instead of insisting on looking around all the time. She's been especially snuggly since she hasn't felt well the last couple of days. I could go on and on about her, but I figure I'm just making people jealous that I get to be with her 24/7. She is such a joy! I know everyone says that, but I never knew just how deeply they meant it until this little sweetheart came along. There's just nothing like watching the way she just stares and grins at her dad when he gets home from work and how she giggles for him like she does for no one else. How did I get so lucky? Well, if anyone's made it this far into the post, you're probably thinking I'm lonely and sad without Logan here and you'd be right. So, I guess I'd better go to bed. I'll get more pictures of Carli soon, I know that's the most exciting part of the posts.

Grandpa Jones

My Grandpa Jones passed away this weekend and I will be going to his funeral on Saturday. Grandpa was a great man. Someone said that he somehow fit 150 years of living into 82 years and I think it's so true. He was an extremely talented, intelligent man full of integrity. I have many memories of him, all of which make me smile.
1. He used to tease me about my cats when I was little. He once painted my kitten's nose pink with a paintbrush. He also convinced me that the garage door opener let my cat out from several hundred miles away.
2. He always made breakfast for us when we visited. I think my dad got that trait from him.
3. I remember helping him chase a stray cow back into pasture. He was in the truck, I was standing on the road with absolutely no idea what I would do if a cow came charging toward me.
4. He knew a tremendous amount about his ancestors and the area they settled.
5. I loved visiting his woodshop. I still have a wooden outline of my hand when I was 5, plus a miniature rocking chair and a beautiful rocking chair he gave us for our wedding. I asked him to make me a chair before I met Logan and they asked if I was announcing something. (A rocking chair is the traditional wedding gift from my grandparents.)
6. He always wanted me to drive the boat and snowmobiles. I was scared to ride the snowmobile on my own, so he told me he'd ride with me. A bit into our drive I felt the snowmobile surge and start going much faster. My 70-something grandpa had jumped off the back of the snowmobile so I'd be driving it alone!
7. Logan always remembers when I was getting ready at my grandparents house and my grandpa thought I was taking too long he said to my dad, "Evan, you tell that girl to shake a leg!"
8. Whenever I'd travel through I'd stop for a little while to visit Grandma and Grandpa. He would always update me on the cousins and then offer a couple of "pops" for the road and walk me to my car.
9. My grandparents came to my reception, which I know was quite a sacrifice to drive so far in the car when it wasn't terribly comfortable. That always meant a lot to me.
10. I was so glad to go to lunch with him a few times as he made trips to Salt Lake to the doctor with my parents. In his little ways he let me know that he was proud of me and the choices that I'd made.

The 4 generations of Jones boys. These are the only ones out of LOTS of grandkids and great-grandkids. (My grandpa, dad, brother, and nephews.)
Taken on one of my vists awhile back.

Home again, home again. . .

Well, Carli and I are home again. It was a wonderful trip and I was so glad to spend so much time with my family, especially my parents. I was sad to go, but I missed Logan like crazy, so I am happy to be with him again. The trip home wasn't all that fun though. What was supposed to be a 6 hour trip turned into a 36 hour trip. My flight was delayed, which meant I'd miss my connection and the other option that day just wasn't feasible, so I opted to wait and leave the next day. Again, my flight was delayed so I missed my connection and then the next flight I was supposed to be on was continually delayed, so I ended up sitting in O'hare airport for over 7 hours as the time just kept getting moved back and no one would tell us why. Luckily, Carli was an angel all day or I would have been going ballistic. After several hours in the airport and about 5 delays, an older woman came to me and said, "This question may sound weird, but have you eaten or been to the bathroom today?" Until then I thought I was managing pretty well, but she made me realize I hadn't been to the bathroom in about 12 hours. I started to cry. She offered to stand in front of the stall in the bathroom so I could see her feet while she held Carli. She held Carli for the next hour or so to give me some rest and Carli rewarded her with constant smiles and giggles. She was on her way to visit her two grandsons. What a wonderful lady!!! She told me I could repay her by doing the same for a young mother when I'm a grandmother. I will always remember her kindness.

In coming home I was glad to see there is NO SNOW on the ground! And it actually got into the 60s! We walked around our yard yesterday and there are plants BLOOMING! I never knew Spring would bring me such sheer joy! Other news is that Carli has now learned how to shriek in delight. It is the best sound in the world. She also has decided that she likes to listen to herself, and if that's the case she might as well do it loudly. My quiet little girl is no longer so quiet. But, I love it. Other than that, I have decided that since the snow has melted I no longer have an excuse to sit in my house without friends or activities to keep me busy. Anyone have suggestions for what a young mom can spend her time doing to make friends and have fun? I would love any and all ideas!

Here are some photos from our trip home:

Grandma and Carli telling each other stories.

Aunt Shanna and Carli telling each other stories.

Carli swinging from the tree (literally) in the front yard. I thought she looked so old hanging on to the rope like she knows how to do it by herself.