March 2011

March was a busy month with Gracie's first birthday, finishing up Joy School, a trip to St. George, the babies' birthday party & some flooding we had here in Garden City...

I finished my turn of teaching Joy School at the beginning of the month so we were able to sneak away for a little trip to St George! It was SO nice to get out of the snow and be in the sunshine for a few days! Our original plan was to head down to Arizona from there and stay with some family, but unfortunately plans changed and we had to come back home early. But it was still a nice getaway! The good news is we had to get back for a job interview process Brent was going through and he ended up getting the job! Yay!

My awesome friend Ashlee used to live in St. George so she told us of some fun parks to visit. We found this one and it was really great. The kids loved it!

Happy swinging kiddos

Love these faces!

Gavin making a tunnel inside a tunnel & Gracie climbing through

Cute little monkey

After we played at the park for a while we noticed a trail so we decided to hike it and see where it led. It came to a cool look out with this great view...

Here we are at the St. George Temple. Beautiful!

We got to go to Zion's with our friends Matt & Heather & their adorable kids. We packed a lunch and hiked up to a look out where we ate and took some pictures. Then we met up with them later for dinner and hanging out at their cute house. Thanks Matt & Heather, it was so great to see you guys and visit with you!

Gavin checking out the awesome view

Getting up the nerve to jump!

Brent and Gracie at beautiful Zions

Gavin chillin' with the ladies!

So fun to go hiking together as a family
Group photo!

Cool waterfall on the river walk trail

Gavin and the balancing rocks

We also got to hang out with our friends Alan & Kanani and their cute family! They took us to lunch and then a rock climbing park. I wish I would have remembered to get a group photo, but I was too busy trying to get Gracie to take a nap in her stroller. Thanks for showing us a good time guys!

She has her blanket & her pacifier... she looks ready for a nap, right!?!

Cute climbing Gavin!

Dad & Gracie

In March we had a combined 1st birthday party for James, Gracie & Zaxton - the three cousins that were born within a month of each other.

Ginger's mom made an awesome car cake so we stripped the babies down to their diapers, put them on a tarp with the cake and let them go to town! It was so funny. James and Zaxton weren't too interested & Gracie kept acting like she was just going to dive into it! Poor Gavin had an allergic reaction so he was asleep during most of the party.

The spring run-off caused some flooding by our house. Luckily we don't have a basement, just a crawl space with nothing in it so we were okay. Some of our neighbors haven't been so lucky though. These were taken at the end of March when it started and recently we've had more flooding around here. And it's been snowing this morning so there's still more to come.

Gracie's Golden Birthday!

I really need to do some catching up on this blog, but today is Gracie's 1st birthday, so I'm going to post about that! Life has been a little busy at our house with house guests, joy school, scouts, primary, etc. But we are going on a little vacation in a couple days so we can re-charge our batteries and keep on swimming!

Gracie turned 1 today on the 1st, so we celebrated her "golden" birthday!
Here are some pictures of her enjoying her first cupcake:
Hmmm, what is this tasty thing?

She pretty much ate it all. I'd say she looks satisfied!

SOOO--- Big!

Saying "All Done".

Happy Birthday baby girl! How did time go by so fast? You have been such a wonderful blessing in our lives and we love you! We can't wait to see what the future brings.

Gracie @ 9 Months...

Here's some pictures & the stats from Gracie @ 9 months...
Weight: 17 lbs, 14.5 oz = 30%

Height: 26 3/4 in = 25%

Head: 17 3/4 in = 85%

We can't believe how fast this little stinker is growing up. She's been crawling all over the place since about 7 months and has taken a few steps recently, so it won't be too long until she starts walking.

I didn't have to do much child proofing with Gavin because he was generally a pretty mellow kid that didn't get into much. It's a whole new ball game with this one! Gracie is into EVERTHING and loves to climb anything she can. She especially loves to climb stairs. She also loves to open drawers or cupboards and pull everything out!

She hasn't sprouted any teeth yet, but her brother didn't get any until he was 11 months old so we're not too worried about it! She is such a fun girl to have around & we sure love her!

Childhood Sign Language

I have been a terrible blogger lately and I must say I miss it! Not only do I miss posting my own stuff, but checking out everyone else's as well. I catch up and post now and again, but not as much as I would like. Such is life, right!?!

A while back I received an e-mail from a girl named Emily Patterson asking if I would be interested in posting an article she had written. Well... my life's been a little crazy the past few months and, though interested, I completely slacked at doing this.

Now is the time! I apologize, Emily. Thank-you for sharing your article with me and for being so patient.

Here is the article:

Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children

can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children

can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces

frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves

before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia educational child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose educational child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.

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I really appreciate this article because I know that sign language has improved communication between my children and I. Do you ever look at your kids and feel like they are big people in a little body? I think they are much smarter than we realize and sign language helps them express themselves in a way they wouldn't be able to otherwise.

Gavin has some books and a video called "Baby Signs" that we started using when he was a baby and he still loves them. Now he is helping me teach Gracie some sign language! I know how frustrating it can be for parents and little ones when they can't communicate. Like, for instance, when Gracie is in the high chair and I'm running around trying to get Gavin fed and she's squealing! Now I can teach her the signs for "more" or "all done".

Thank goodness for alternative forms of communication! :)

Happy Birthday Gav!

Gavin turned 4 yesterday. I can't believe it's been 4 years since he was born. He is such a wonderful kid and we enjoy him and the opportunity we have to teach him about life. He learns quickly and always amazes us with the things he says.

The other day I asked him to do something for me and said it would only take 10 seconds. He counted to 10 really fast, too fast, so I told him to count like: 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi, etc. So this time he said, "1 Utah, 2 Utah, 3 Utah..."

Around Halloween time he was watching a Charlie Brown Halloween cartoon and he had a confused look on his face. I asked him what he was thinking and he said, "So do they have moms and dads, or what?"

Gavin enjoys helping with chores around the house. He likes helping me do laundry, unload the dishwasher & cook meals. He can often be heard saying, "Can I help you mama?"

He has had a rather difficult time adjusting to having a baby sister. I hope he grows out of it soon! Especially since now that he's 4 his time-outs are 4 minutes long instead of 3. I can tell he loves his sister though, because when she gets hurt he gets really sad. At least we know he cares! ;)

He loves watching videos and playing computer games, so we have to be very careful how much we let him do those things or it could go on all day! (I had to set a limit of 2 videos in the morning and if he takes a nap or has quiet time then he can watch 2 more in the afternoon. The same goes for the computer, with 30 minute increments.)

At his Joy School last week they wrote down some of his favorite things and it said his favorite thing to do is, "watch videos & play the computer all day." I hope his teacher doesn't really think that's all he does!

When he's bored he loves to pester/tease Gracie and I have to admit it's so nice when he can be occupied with the computer or tv because then he isn't tormenting his little sister. Oh boy! I've got my work cut out for me. One cute book I received as a gift when I was pregnant with Gavin is called, "Love Adds the Chocolate." One line in there says, "Love cares enough to say no & take the guff that comes with it." The picture shows a mom shutting off the tv & handing her son a book. Love it!!! Tough love is just that sometimes, tough, but I know it's the best way :)

We love you Gavin! Happy #4

Oh September (a.k.a. 5 posts rolled into one)

Over Labor Day Weekend we had a celebration & called it our "Gracie's Blessing/New House Open House/Labor Day Celebration!" So creative, I know ;) Ha ha
It was a wonderful weekend with our families. We went to the beach, had Gracie's blessing & dinner & went to Bloomington Lake to name a few. Thanks to all who came and helped out. Here are some pics of the things we did...

Gracie & Grandma GG. Beach bums...

Brent gave Gracie a wonderful blessing. Here she is in the beautiful dress. (Thanks Aunt Ronda & Cousin Reagan!)

We are family...

Pig Roastin' Time!

My cousin Brodee & Uncle Travis roasted a pig in the ground for Gracie's blessing dinner. The night before we (me, Brent, my mom, Brian & Jaimee) stayed up and watched them work their magic! It was quite the process; interesting and awesome! At one point the fire marshal stopped by! Fun memories made for sure.

Burying the pig...

The next day, digging up the pig...

On Labor Day we headed up to Bloomington Lake. It was fun to eat lunch, hike & swing on the rope swing together.

Our little family at Bloomington Lake...

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GAVIN

Gavin started Joy School two days a week and loves it… mostly. Once in a while we have those days when he says he doesn’t want to go, but by the time I pick him up he doesn’t want to come home.

Love this face...

Horsey rides. Thanks Uncle Brian!

Gavin & Spencer...

Gav, "Oh man, I just love you my cousin!" Spence, "Whatever Dude".

Brent told me to look outside and find Gavin & this is what I saw...

What's that quote? I think it goes: "Boys don't get older. Their toys just get bigger and more expensive."

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Where Did the Baby Go?

Our baby girl is 6 months old. What!?! She is our little stinker and we sure love her. Here are the stats from her 6 month check-up...

Weight: 15 lbs 10.5 oz = 50%tile
Height: 25 3/4 in = 55%tile
Head Measurement = 75%tile

Some things I want to remember about Gracie at this age:

- is SO close to crawling and I'm trying to hold her back as long as I can! She scoots and rolls all over the place so I know it won't be long :(
- If we are all talking she squeals and wants to join in our conversation
- loves her daddy! I know this by how excited she gets when he enters the room
- doing well eating solid food (but surprisingly likes the veggies more than the fruit! This can't be my child!)
- loves music & bounces along to the beat
- enjoys being outside. Sometimes it's the only thing that will calm her down.

Brian & Jaimee let us use this jumper thing for Gracie & she loves it!

Check out the video at the very end of this post. It's of her jumping in it like she does with her head a boppin' and a huge grin! So dang cute!

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"Please Keep Your Arms & Legs Inside the Ride at All Times"

We've been bribing Gavin for a while now that if he eats his food maybe he'll be big enough to ride some rides at Lagoon. We also said if he was good and did what we asked him we would take him there. So we made good on our promise.

Gracie enjoying the view of Lagoon from her seat...

My boys fresh off the Rock-O-Plane, Gavin's first ride at Lagoon!

Gavin & Grandma Joni...

Oh ride attendant, you had to go and put him in a Ford!?!

Gavin checking us out from the Sky Ride...

My cute Gavin...

The kiddos & I on the ferris wheel. Check out Gracie's chunky monkey legs! Love it! (Yes, I'm wearing a turtle neck. It's a lot colder in Bear Lake... I'm all prepared for Fall!)

Brent & Gavin coming off the Hydro Luge...

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The New House...

Brent has been working hard getting the yard done. The skid-steer has come in handy lately! He got all of our trees planted, the gravel parking area done & the sod is almost all in. Hooray! I feel very spoiled.

This is a picture Brent was taking to show the yard before he did the gravel & sod out front, so it's not the best of the house but it gives you a good idea...

My hot husband laying sod...

The house all lit up at night...