Up in Arms

Guest Post by Mommy:
So this is actually a post to just tell you to check out someone else's post. First a little confessional...I sometimes feel like a true blog stalker. I read about my sister-in-law's friends lives because their blog post titles are just so tantalizing and they come up on her update bar! Plus she treats friends like family so I feel like I should at least reach out...right? Anyway, one of her friends posted a link to someone else's blog and now I am three degree's of separation blog stalking! However...this woman is totally right and I feel like I can relate being involved with the youth of the church and not too far out from being a youth myself...and raising two girls so far....so please. Check out this blog and her great post about where childhood is going.

ASL

You will have to forgive Mommy. She had great intentions to edit and splice our little "brag" videos but this Sunday proved to not have enough hours in the day...(we might have just been "forced" to spend time on lovely black lava rocks digging in the dirt in warm beautiful sunshine). So instead you'll have to settle for what feels like very lengthy videos for a blog. But seriously, we took a cue from Aunt Rachel and have been borrowing more Signing Time videos from the library and we're a little obsessed at our house. We watched "The Zoo Train" on the way to California and it has signs for animals at the zoo and aquarium and we are very good at them. Mommy has been trying to document our signing for a long time but the 4 minute video of getting Cara to do a fraction of our signs shows that we might have to settle for highlights! Please forgive the very crude videos and just try and pay attention to cute little Cara's voice. These are mostly so Uncle Marty can check in on his adorable little nieces on P-Day anyway. :)

(Seriously...please ignore Mommy's voice and Daddy in the background. They are both a little embarrassed. But I want my brag video posted darn it!)


Okay so it appears that the video that is 30 seconds longer refuses to be posted...even after two days. So the remaining video can give you a taste of how cute Cara is at signing. We have a four minute video that you can ask my parents to show you if you are ever at my house because there is NO WAY that's being posted.

Just kidding!

So as it turns out the camera turned off while importing our photos from our California trip. Mommy thought she was going crazy because she was SURE she had taken more than the three photos at the zoo and that she had more of the girl cousins. Well she was right. There were just still on the camera and not on the computer. So...California Take Three...for photos anyway!

California...still more to talk about!

After our day at Disneyland, Mommy and Daddy got back on track with our planned itinerary. Monday morning we woke up and went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. If you remember, the aquarium in Monterey was one of our VERY favorite things to do. This aquarium did not disappoint. There were so many fish! My favorite part had to be the sea lions and seals. We watched them play around forever. And it was nice because that part was outdoors and we could soak in some sun. I also made a little friend and we would run and shriek as the sea lions played.



I flat out refused to touch the rays but I did LOVE to touch the starfish and the anemones. Cara loved to touch everything. We were a little bit disappointed that the sea otters weren't in their tank because that was one of our favorite things at the Monterey Bay Aquarium but we had fun with the display that was around their tank. It made it look like we were back on the beach by Pacific Grove!


Cara's favorite part had to be all the Dori fish. She kept yelling, "Dori! Dori! Come here! Dori! Dori! Dori! Dori!"

(There is a cuter picture of the three girls but it's all blurry!)



The talk of Dori brought up a side note from our Day in Disney. We did the "Talk with Crush" in California Adventure Land again and this time I got to be the one to talk to Crush! He asked me questions and Mommy helped me answer! Anyway, moving on. After the aquarium, we stopped back at Grandpa Great's and said good bye and then we headed to Lainey's house! I was so excited. We got there in the late afternoon and basically I just played my guts out with Lainey. I was so excited to see her but I was also really excited to play dress up. Cara and Rosey (Lainey's little sister) are only three days apart and so they played too. At one point it was a sea of princesses! (This is another one where the perfect picture was blurry!)



We had so much fun with those Romneys. The funny part is that we never managed to get a picture of the adults or of Smitty! We don't perfectly match up like Aunt Rachel's family does with Uncle Adam's family. We don't have a boy! Mommy says that's why she brings Daddy. And it makes sense because Daddy and Smith sit around and discuss Plants vs. Zombies and try and get the next level. We should have gotten a picture of that!

We also got to take Lainey to the LA Zoo. Well actually we went to the zoo while she was at preschool and then Aunt Whitley, Lainey and Rosey met up with us. Aunt Whitley had to head back to get Smith from school so we took Lainey around the zoo. We didn't get many pictures at the zoo but it was a BIG zoo. And it just took a lot of coordination and the camera just became a pain! I got to see a hippotapotamus (as I say it) and an Alex the Lion and some really LOUD monkeys. OH and the chimpanzees. Cara loved the kangaroos and kept saying it over and over (kanga woo, kanga woo). We saw a Koala which we never had and a seven foot Komodo Dragon!




Our California trip was great and we're so glad that we went. We loved it all and I was so sad when we had to leave Lainey's house. I cried and begged to be left behind. I loved their HUGE trampoline and sleeping (or trying to) in Lainey's bed with her and their pretty flowers and their park. We can't wait to do it again!

Cali Surprise...

So Mommy told me that our plan while in California was to go to the aquarium and then the zoo. Well we got there around dinner time on Saturday night and Mommy and Daddy kept talking about having an extra day and whisper whisper. Most of you know my Mommy well so you should just know she couldn't be stopped.



She surprised us with a day at Disneyland!! I was excited to meet Tinker Bell and ride the rides. We stood in line forever to meet Tink and Silver Mist because all we can surmise is that someone threw up back there and we thought it would only be a fifteen minute wait. This time we even got to meet Vidia!


Very next I begged to go on the rockets. I was so excited and so was Cara. Until she actually got in the rocket with Mommy and then the screaming started. Mommy made her go on it though.



I got to ride the carousel by Sleeping Beauty's castle! Mommy and Cara had to get off this one because Cara started screaming again. The rides were mostly torture for her this go around.

We met Minnie Mouse again but this time at her house!



I got to drive a car which was so much fun but as I said when I went on it with Mommy, "I can't drive. I make the car go bonk, bonk!"


We eventually found something that Cara loved. Too bad in Mommy's haste to surprise us, she forgot to throw the swim suits in her purse. (She actually had them back at Grandpa's!)



She even let me get my face painted! I got three butterflies and some flowers!

I LOVED the rides in Flick's Fun Fair. Spinning and flying through the air was so much fun!

We stayed clear until 10 pm. I didn't like the fireworks show very much. I kept demanding to leave and even buried myself in Mommy and said "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Mommy and Daddy got in a few great rides on Space Mountain and California Screamin'. Despite expensive food, I think it was well worth it! We can't wait to go again.

California Dreamin'

So...guess where I'm blogging from? My cousin, Lainey's house! Aren't I so lucky? Mommy and Daddy took me to California. Here we are road tripping it to my Grandpa Great's house. (He's Mommy's Grandpa and Grandma's Dad!)

Daddy in his cock pit. (One of the best features of the our new Mozzy...you feel like a pilot!)



Mommy being silly with the camera.


Us girlies in the backseat with our movies and my double chin. (This is how I pose for pictures. Sorry.)



It took forever but we finally got to Grandpa Great's house. And he had a new puppy for us to play with, Chloe! It took us a minute to warm up to her and for Chloe to calm down but we eventually made great friends! I helped Grandpa take her for a walk and everything.

Chuckawalla

We have been spending lots of time in the red rocks of Southern Utah. On Wednesday, we headed out to one of Grandpa's favorite climbing spots and just hung out while Grandma and Grandpa climbed. It was warm and sunny and fun. Cara even took the time to sample the taste of the dirt several times. We chased lizards and climbed on rocks. It was a good time.

Arch Canyon

Guest Post by Mommy:

This Saturday I had the delightful opportunity to do Arch Canyon with my dad, mom and brother Eric. I do like canyoneering I just haven't been in quite awhile due to having two small children. I had a rough couple of days at the end of my week so instead of passing off the opportunity to Pete as I usually do, I jumped at the chance to go with my dad. Normally most of the canyons we do are over in Zion but this one drops in to Snow Canyon right at Johnson's Arch. The trail out is actually closed seasonally which makes this weekend one of the last in the year that you can do this one legally.

Well we dropped off a truck at the bottom of Snow Canyon and then drove up to the start point. We hopped out as it approached 10:30 in the morning and there was a little breeze making it kind of chilly. We had all been hoping for a very warm spring day. We got to where you can see the drainage that we were going to drop in to and my dad kind of stopped and started looking around. He had gone through with the Snow Canyon rangers and local climbing association to bolt the anchors for all the rappels last year and had done the canyon. Mom and Eric had been at the top part of it looking at the petroglyphs that exist in the area but what gave my dad was pause was that he saw water. Running water. He had told us that we might get wet on the second to last rappel but that he was hoping he could go down first and maybe help us avoid it. He had however thrown in wet suits for all of us just in case. Well he has never seen running water at the beginning of this canyon. This meant there was a lot more water than he had been anticipating.



After a little bit of waffling around, I told everyone that I was all in and would be up for an adventure. My mom was really the only hold out as she was already cold and didn't want to get any colder. But she was also willing to push forward for the adventure We headed a little bit of the way in to the drainage and decide to just suit up because the first little down climb/possible rappel already had a pool of water at the bottom. I must take a moment and say that my thighs are a little more meaty than most in my family and the wet suit ordeal was almost comical.



We had to kind of lower ourselves in to the first pool and man was it COLD! My feet were immediately pins and needles! Eric opted not to do a wet suit and was pins and needles all through his legs.



After the first little pools though we walked out in to just damp sand. The canyon is beautiful and quite open and not too technical so it was very enjoyable. We even got to laughing about how the wet suits seemed a little silly except for those first moments in the water. Little did we know that my dad was keeping quiet about what was to come.



The next couple rappels had water but one you could jump over the pool and the other never got more than thigh deep. I wish this picture showed a more lithe and graceful me but the wet suit isn't very flattering and I wasn't a very graceful rappeler.



Then we reached the second to last rappel. Mom and Dad were setting it up and Mom said that she could see water at the bottom and we heard a splash as the rope hits the pool. This was the rappel Dad had been expecting water. The last rappel that had water thigh deep had been bone dry the last time he had done it. He went down first and it felt like it took him forever before he told Mom to come down after him. Eric and I sat up at the top shivering as a breeze kind of whipped through the canyon. We waited and waited and finally Mom told us she's off rappel and I started to get on rappel when we heard what I thought was a strange noise. I asked Eric "What's that sound?" and he looks at me kind of woodenly and says "That's the sound of kicking...she's swimming." SWIMMING? The water up to this point has all been around 38 degrees...SWIMMING?! I got over the hump of the rappel and saw the 20 yard plus pool of water and realized I had to swim it. To make it worse, I had to rappel down to a very tiny spot and wedge myself in while we transferred my dry clothes in to a dry bag. And then I just basically had to drop myself in chest deep in freezing water and start swimming. I had on a Farmer John wet suit which means no ARM COVERAGE. I swam like crazy and felt like I was getting no where and that I wasn't going to make it! Luckily my instructions were to get to the sun. Mom was waiting for me and I stripped off my pack and the top of the wet suit and kind of soaked in the sun. Just to show you how crazy it was, this is what Dad and Eric looked like wedged in at the bottom of the rappel.



I post this next picture only to show you how desperate we were to get warm and how good the sun felt. I also obviously need to start laying out or fake baking as I actually reflect the flash!



We all survived and warmed up nicely. The final rappel was quite beautiful and we had people watching us come down. My dad got applause. It's quite a long rappel and I felt small because I had to work to make the rope go through my rappel device. I'm actually sore today from just that I think.




We changed out of our wet suits and started the small hike towards the truck. The truck we parked at the bottom. The one I was responsible for. Which is why my dad asked me if I had the key to the truck. And funny enough I had left it in the truck at the top, totally defeating the purpose of taking two vehicles. Luckily we had cell phone service at that point and I made a phone call to Pete to come get us. It took us almost two hours longer to do the canyon than Dad had expected but we did it and we had fun!

ABC's

As some of you may or may not know, I knew my ABC's at a very young age. Not the song, but the actual letters by sight. I surprised my Mommy one day in the shower when I handed her a foam letter M and said "M". She thought it was a fluke but I continued to do every letter. Unfortunately, Mommy did not sit down and blog on that very day what I had done. Suffice to say it was no later than 18 months of age. I really did know all my letters by sight. Well we haven't been as diligent at watching the Signing Time DVD of the alphabet as we did when I was little so Mommy and Daddy didn't think Cara would be able to do it quite as early. Well boy is she trying to prove them wrong. She doesn't know them all but she has started identifying letters on our shirts and on signs without any prompting and getting them right for the most part. Mommy just wants to put a shout out to Signing Time. These DVDs are SO FUN and I learned my ABCs and Colors from them and Cara is following in my footsteps. Mommy doesn't think it was anything she did...at least not that she was aware of.