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.