Los Aldama

So, we have a little girl at our house who is obsessed with princesses. (Thank you grandma for the Barbie movies) Every day it is, "Princess hair mommy!" which is one braid, not two! This morning I picked out a pants and tee shirt outfit for preschool. Nope, she wanted to wear a princess dress, so I put her in a cute little red jumper and did her hair in a fancy braid. She came in to show Dan and I the final accessories for her outfit- her anklets and shoes. She was ready to go to preschool. I couldn't stop laughing! This is classic Noelle- just a glimpse into the personality of this clever and creative child. Check out what she wanted to wear to school!

On Friday, Dan's parents flew in from Sacramento to visit for the weekend. Noelle was so excited-she and Dan had been marking off calendar days for weeks in anticipation. We had a really fun visit. The University Marriott Hotel is walking distance from our home-just next door to Dan's building. Noelle spent both nights there. (A treat for us and Noelle) On Friday, we went out to dinner with my aunt and uncle- John and April. On Saturday, we spent the day in Park City playing on all of the rides. Noelle loved the Merry-Go-Round and helicopters and even went on the Alpine slide with us. Dan, Richard and I rode on the Alpine Coaster- so much fun! Sunday, we went to the Red Butte Gardens and did dinner with all of the Shirley family. Such a nice weekend-we were sad to see them go home. Thought you might enjoy some of the highlights.

So, I on Saturday I went to the farmer's market in Sandy with my neighbor Ashley and her mom. We picked up 28 boxes of peaches. (Yup, almost $300 worth of peaches) You see, in Utah, this time of year is canning time! In fact, so many people are canning this week in Salt Lake, that they have declared that there are no more bottles of lemon juice for sale in the whole valley. It's a kick! So, this morning, we gathered in Ashley's apartment to start the tedious task of blanching (boiling), peeling, cutting and cooking the peaches. I personally made 12 bottles of pie filling and 12 bottles of canned yummies! They are gorgeous- I'd show you a picture, but am too tired to fuss with that right now! Fast forward 12 hours from start time and I still have a boiling pot on my stove and one more round to go. Exhausting as today has been, I am really glad to have learned a new skill and look forward to eating peaches for the next 10 years. (Okay, one year... we will do it again next September) Next week we are doing apples! Yum!

Every time we try to feed Corom solid food he clamps his lips together and looks at us like, "No way am I going to eat that!" The exception to this is cheerios. We have tried fruit (which sometimes he will eat), yogurt, squash, infant cereals, and other odds 'n' ends off of our plates. Any suggestions? And yes, he has a pink bib on- the hand-me-downs don't match his gender!

We spent the day yesterday at Wheeler Farm, a historic old farm that was converted into a public park/farm for families to tour. We went with some of the other moms and kids in our court. We loved looking at all of the animals- Noelle especially liked the chickens. We fed geese, toured an old barn, walked around and looked at all of the animals and had a picnic lunch. We wrapped up the day by letting the kids take a dip in the creek.

We sure had an adventure this morning worth noting. Last week in church they announced that we would be having stake conference in the the Conference Center. We knew it would be a large crowd, but assumed that it would be like most stake conferences that we've attended. So, we strolled down to our car around 9:20 (conference @ 10:00) and a neighbor says, "You won't get there in time by car." We raced down to the trax station to catch the train. (Running in heels with strollers, babies, diaper bags, etc.) We arrived to the center 15 minutes late only to find security check points, stroller check-ins and few seats left. By the time we hit our seats, we were all thinking, "Okay that was a lot of work." The conference center was packed! The events that followed were equally chaotic- a potty accident, a fussy baby and little time to listen to the speakers. What a treat it was when they announced the key-note speaker, President Monson! Here I was, complaining and griping about making such a difficult trip and I was actually surprised to be in presence of the prophet. How many stake conferences get to hear the prophet? We really live 3 miles from Temple Square and are able to hear the prophet on a normal Sunday! Noelle has been saying all day, "I saw the prophet!" How grateful I am for that dear man. He has such a sweet presence. Neither of us were able to give him our undivided attention as we juggled babies, but were both thrilled at the chance to be so close to a living prophet. It sure put my flustered mood in persective!

It's been a good week. I've just been busy watching kids. I still don't feel like we quite have a routine, but we're getting there. I try really hard to get Noelle out and playing during the day. We watched other kids 2 days this week and did preschool 2 days. Dan is really busy already with school, but manages to put on his happy face for us in the evenings. Most nights, he pushes his books aside and gives us all his attention. He has been enjoying the canyons around here on his bike. We've hosted families for dinner 2 nights this week and went out to dinner with another on Friday. We're really trying to get to know people around here. Corom isn't sleeping well, so most days I feel like the walking Zomby-Mama. It's like being on-duty 24 hours a day. Thank goodness he is so much fun- he melts my heart. That is why I continue to nurse him 4 times a night- because I like him so much. He and Noelle are really discovering how much fun it is to have a sibling. They laugh together, bathe together, play together and Corom thinks Noelle is hilarious. He is always chuckling at her. Good times! I really have to take time to remind myself that these children will not be babies forever and that I need to slow down and enjoy them-even though raising babies is difficult. Have a good week everyone!