Books

For her birthday Ella got a gift card to Barnes and Noble from a dear friend. But I'm not up on the 2-year-old book scene. What are your favorites?

China

Ryan returned from China this week. Ella and I sure missed him and are glad to have him home.

2 years old

• She has a special voice when she wants to be sweet, or when she wants something. Softer, high-pitched. Darling.
• She is very good at telling you what she does not like. "I no yike it when you tell me to go to the car....I no yike it when you put shoes on my feets...I no YIKE that_______ (Mommy, Daddy, Avery)!"
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• She is still a little OCD/organized (can't decide which side of the line she'll end up on). For example, she has to strap up her shoes before putting them away.
• She sometimes refers to me as,"My friend Mommy." Melts my heart.
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• She loves riding the train with Pa Pa (Grandpa Paul) and seeing "Baby Ho-ho-hi" or "Mommy Ho-ho-hi" on top of the temple. If they are at an angle where the statue looks small it is Baby, or if they are close up it is Mommy.


• She can't figure out the k sound. She calls Chris "Tis," our neighbor Kim "Tim" and Kimmy "Pea-hee." She used to call Kimmy Mee, but all of the sudden one day she became Pea-hee. It took us forever to figure out what she was saying.
• If she goes to bed after 8:30 it is almost guaranteed that she will wake up during the night. She is getting her molars, and I hope this new phase phases out soon.
• She is really thoughtful. When we were eating cupcakes Kimmy said, "I like frosting, too." Ella immediately said, "Want one?"
She does not like water in her face or sand on her feet. Maybe we need to spend more time at the beach.

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• Her birthday celebration was low-key and she loved it. So did I. You live, you learn.

Family Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago my mom hosted a baby shower for one of our friends, Amanda. Amanda and her three sisters were our dear friends growing up. They lived across the street our three girls and their three girls did all kinds of things together. We were drove down to Salt Lake every day during the summer to "swim to win" at Steiner...we started a knitting club (the Little Knitters)...and we shuttled back and forth between the two houses all summer long. Now the girls are scattered across the country but happened to all be in town for Amanda's shower.

Not only was it great to see them all, but I somehow managed to get family pictures taken. Sierra, the oldest, is an amazing photographer. I've been lusting after her skills for some time now, but she lives in California and we don't have any trips to Disneyland planned in the near future. And I'm only looking more pregnant. So when I found out she was going to literally be in my backyard, I couldn't help myself. I asked her to work on her vacation. And she graciously obliged.

Here are a few of the pictures she shot. Ella was unusually cranky, it was raining, and I really thought there wouldn't be any pictures worth saving. But, they turned out great. Like I said, Sierra's got skills. If you're ever in California, look her up. You'll be glad you did.

win-win-win

From my experience, you find two general types of families at a children's hospital. The most common are the ones who get rightly annoyed when things go wrong (and they always do) and then let everyone know about it. Not necessarily in a rude way, but before you leave their room you know that the nurse on the night shift botched the IV, the pharmacy got their drug wrong, their doctor doesn't come by until mid-afternoon, and the people in the next room are noisy. I'd probably fall into the first group. But there is another type, a rare breed. When you leave their room you have no idea about the botched IV, mixed-up drug, missing doctor, or noisy neighbors. What you do know is how deeply grateful they are to the doctors, nurses and staff who are taking care of their child.

One of my good friends Missy fits into the rare breed category. Her son was diagnosed with brain cancer a few years ago, and I was able to spend quite a bit of time with her at the hospital. She was always gracious, kind, and grateful to everyone around her, regardless of the circumstances.

Her son is now in the remission phase, and their family is giving back. They are spending two months in the Philippines working at a children's home. The stories they tell are the kind that make you feel guilty for your plush life here in the states. For running water, electricity, and utensils. You can read her blog at here. (This is one of my favorite posts)

True to her generous nature, Missy is offering me a way to purge my guilt, and my junk. They are sending over a 40 foot container next week, and need people to help fill it with supplies. Almost anything is accepted. Used clothing, food (expired food storage!), old appliances...the list goes on. They tell a story about bringing 100 spoons to give to the poor at one of their feedings. It was mayhem trying to pass them out because everyone was desperate to have one. Anything is appreciated.

So...skip the garage sale. Clean out your closets. Go through your food storage and get rid of those 24 cans of green beans you know your family will never eat. And give it to a good cause. You win because your house gets de-cluttered and you end up skinnier; they win because they can really use the items. Missy says that while the people are incredibly poor they are happy and so grateful for everything they have.

If you are interested in helping out, let me know (alissa.packer@gmail.com).

Stay-cay

This year we decided to spend a few days together in our favorite resort town. Do some of the things tourists do. Like...

• the alpine slide {except there was a moose on the track, and they are "meaner than a bear" so we didn't get to do that one}
• the alpine zip line {except there were three drops of rain and "any one of you could get hurt," so we skipped that one too. But we got a sweet ride down Park City Mountain Resort in a suburban. Plus a refund--bonus.}
• eating a onion rings and a BLT pizza at your favorite restaurant on Main Street
• bingo on the deck with really good {and a few not so good} prizes
• bowling
• shopping {yeah, we hit the outlet mall. hard.}
• movie night
• golf tourney {way to go, boys}
• and lots and lots and lots of good food

Somehow we didn't take any pictures until the last night, and these are off of someone's phone. We're loving the new deck and the Park City weather.

Thanks, Ma and Pa!

Spudman, 2010

Swim=1 mile, down river

Bike=24 miles, at a leisurely pace

Run=Skipped, given the heat and 2 pregnant mamas (and one supportive aunt)

Spudman 2010 was a smashing success. Paul and his hook ups got me registered the night before (somehow missed that this year!), Taylor rocked the swim (ie, finished), Kimmy loved being the only non-pregnant (ie, not out of breath) one, and Sue and her gang won their age group. But most importantly, we all burned enough calories to thoroughly and completely enjoy the out of this world breakfast put on by the Harman clan. Blueberry pancakes, bacon, ham, potatoes, dutch oven omelets, strawberries, grapes, melon...so so so good.

Thanks, Harmans, for your wonderful hospitality. We will be back next year.

With two more little ones.

cousin camp, part 2

marshmallows in the back yard. roasted "nice and warm"

ma janet's microwave was the perfect height

we were not above bribery or making fools of ourselves to get a good cousin shot. Out of the 200 you'd think there would be one with all three smiling and looking at the camera...

Lauren has some more pictures. Here, here and here.

cousin camp, 2010 (part 1)

playing with bubbles
(she had more fun washing herself than trying to figure out the bubble wand



house of bounce



posing for pics at the park
(they are really happy about it, too)






making cookies with grandma and grandpa

Ella's having the time of her life. And despite having our flight canceled, the trip over was a piece of cake. 100 times easier than last year. The weather has been nice, and Chance doggy has rallied from his lymphoma to play with these kids.

Doesn't get much better than this.

ella outside

Funny things she's said while we were outside writing this post

• Jesus wants me sun for beam
• He's singing to me mommy! (referring to the chirping bird in the tree)...Love me! Love me! (when asked what the bird in the tree was saying to her)
• It's big enough! (and then, when I wasn't paying attention she picked a green tomato because, apparently, it was big enough)

This is Ella explaining to me how the squirrels ate our yellow squash. She is very concerned about it.

self-reliance

I have to speak in church on Sunday on self-reliance. I've got loads of good quotes, but not a single story. And you know how boring talks are without stories. Anyone have any ideas???

You can leave a comment or email me at alissa.packer@gmail.com.

thanks from me and the hopefully-not-bored highland ward

nose spiting face...OR...why I am not always right...OR...maybe I should listen to my husband

I have this unfortunate habit of thinking that, when it comes to disagreements with Ryan, I am usually right. The funny thing is I know that Ryan is smarter than I am. Hands down. No question. I am the first to admit it, and it doesn't bother me one bit. I am smart; he is smarter. But when it comes to individual situations and questions, all that goes out the window. I am almost always certain that I am right and he is wrong.

Today we had one of those little differences of opinion. We were in the bathroom getting ready, and Ella was holding a bottle of OPI's The Chapel of Love. It nearly rolled onto the tile floor, and Ryan commented how lucky we were that it didn't fall, as it would surely break. I disagreed. It wouldn't break. The glass was thick--the bottle sturdy.

To prove my point, I took the bottle and dropped it. Onto the hard tile floor.

And, yep, it broke.

Score one more for Ryan.

good deal, for slc

If you need a small painting job done, Groupon has a great deal today. $59 gets you a 12x12 room, paint included (77% off!) After spending at least $59 and countless hours to get Ella's room painted this sounds like a great deal.

walking about

Our ward did a "walk about" last night. A walk about, for those of you not in the know, is where three houses in the neighborhood host a little front yard chit chat, complete with treats and drink. They asked us to host the first one and we happily obliged. I love {and hate} an excuse to bake and get my yard/house in order. Thanks to oodles of help from my mom, Kimmy and Kneaders, it was a success. Ella loved the kids+dogs+treats.

ella at 21 months

• She went through a phase where she added "ie" to the end of most words. "No-ie" was particularly cute. One day she said, all in one sentence, that we went to the zoo-ie with Ma Shu-ie and rode the choo-choo-ie.
• She talks like a pirate. "I write me name." "I need me mommy!"
• Her Gummy Birds have been life changing. Hallelujah!
• She loves to dress herself. Most of the time she ends up with her pants inside out and backwards.
• She loves salt. She asks for it by name and would eat it plain if I'd let her. It's funny because if I had to pick salt or sugar, I'd pick sugar 99/100. Must get it from her dad.
• She is definitely related to these kiddos, because she asks for her milk "Nice and warm." In fact, most things are "Not hot. Nice and warm." The bath water, her carseat, the temperature outside, her food..."Not hot. Nice and warm." She also likes things, "Not tight. Nice and loose."
• She loves her Grandmas. Ma Ja, Ma Shu, Ma Ota and Ma Pa, Ma Tweet.
• We had a little struggle with nursery a few weeks back, when I substituted for a bit. What? Mom can come to nursery too?? Never fear, we are back to "No Mom nursh. Mom take you nursh. Mom go class."