Our Family... Through Ellery's Eyes

The last couple of weeks Ellery has been on a kick where she says she's a kitty. She goes around the house meowing some of her communications and refers to Millie as "puppy." I have no idea where she got the idea from, but curiosity got the best of me - trying to find out what's going on in her little three-year-old mind, so I asked her the other day, "what am I?" and "what is Aayla?"

Apparently this is how Ellery sees her family. Psychologically, I doubt it has any significance (me being the king of the jungle), but I think it's cute to see her imagination at work!

By the way... I had Ellery choose the pictures that she thinks best represents each of us.


Daddy:

Mommy:


Ellery:



Aayla:

Probably just as funny, if not more so, whenever Ellery talks about her being "the kitty" she refers to herself in third person as "the kitty." In fact, Millie mentioned that the other day she noticed Aayla had some wet spots on her head so she asked Ellery what happened. Ellery said, "the kitty just wanted to taste Aayla." What a weirdo. Must be a Roper thing. :)

AAYLA...A'S...NUMBER 2...

Aayla is growing up so fast.  She changes everyday is seems.  So I'd better post about what she has been up to lately. 

She is crawling really well.  She finally picked it up about a month ago.  I haven't had her try the stairs yet.  I don't really think she could go up them yet but ya never know.  I might try putting her on them soon.  I had to take her bassinet out of her crib just a couple weeks ago.  I went in to get her up in the morning and she was standing up, holding onto the edge.  So out it came!

Her eating habits have been improving.  She is eating more solid foods now.  When we first introduced her to baby food, she didn't really like it.  She now can finish a whole jar of baby food if it's bananas, applesauce, squash, or sweet potatoes.  Her MOST favorite things to eat though are Doritos, Cheetos, ice cream, yogurt, toast, popsicles, saltines and pretty much any other table food we give her.  I'm being stubborn though and will still give her the baby food to eat.  

As of lately, she has been sick.  She woke up Friday with a fever and it continued until Sunday.  She was between 101.1 and 102.3 for pretty much 3 days straight.  No stuffy nose, runny nose, cough, or any other symptoms other than fussiness, not eating as much and a little more lethargic.  I thought either she is teething or has an ear infection, although, she wasn't drooling or pulling at her ears.  So I took her into the doctor on Monday.  Her temp had gone down to 100 by then, but I still wanted her to be checked out.  Turns out her throat was red and inflamed.  The doctor said it's a viral throat infection.  I didn't even think about her throat!  Well she's almost over it.  No more fevers since Monday.  Today she just sounds a little raspy.  Katie and Jacob both said she sounds like a smoker baby!  Poor thing!  We are still waiting for some teeth to come in.  She's almost 9 months old so I'm guessing pretty soon they'll be popping out!

 She has been interacting more and more.  She babbles a lot, mostly saying da da da da.  I'm working on ma ma ma, but she doesn't get it.  She can click her tongue and blubber her lips at you.  It's really cute.  She knows her name now and turns when you call her.  I'm also working on sign language with her like I did with Ellery.  It will probably be a while until she does it back, but I'm still doing it.  With more time there is more changes but that is all for now. 

DINOSAUR MUSEUM

We recently went to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point because Jacob had a couple free tickets.  Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have bothered driving all the way up there and spending more money.  Overall I'd say it wasn't a very good experience.   First of all, it was PACKED!  We couldn't even find a parking space.  When Jacob went to get our tickets he found out it was $2 Tuesday, hence the mass amount of moms, kids, and strollers everywhere.  Since it was cheaper to just pay for all of us ($2 each) we saved our free tickets for another day....which will NOT be a Tuesday!  Secondly, Ellery was just afraid of almost everything there.  Plus I think she was a little intimidated with all the people.  She doesn't like large crowds.  We came here when she was about 1 1/2 years old and she quite liked it.  This picture shows how she feels about the shark.  She wouldn't get any closer.  We found a little dinosaur that Jacob and Ellery had their picture taken by last time and so we got another shot with it.  Aayla's dang hands are in the way though.

We looked throught the gift shop before we left but ended up not getting anything.  The only thing Ellery really wanted was an overpriced stuffed alligator.  We didn't come to the dinosaur museum to get an alligator!!!  So we would't let her get it.  She got over it quickly though when we decided to visit my dad at his school since it's quite close.  Ellery was happy to visit her grandpa at his school, so that made the trip worth it I guess.

Uinta Trip 2010

We had our second annual Uinta Trip this year Aug 25-28th. Only Don and Jacob Wall and I went but it was a great trip!

The hike in seemed a bit quicker than last year, maybe since the weather was a little more cool and I think our packs weren't AS heavy.

We got in around mid day on the 25th and set up camp. While hiking along Betsy Lake to our camping spot, we saw SEVERAL fish swimming the shoreline and feeding throughout most of the lake - a good sign!

Got camp set up and headed to Betsy for fishing. We all caught a few pretty quickly - and good size too, for the Uinta lakes (about 9-10 inches). Took the fish back and fried em up, SOOO good!

Next day we went to one of our favorite lakes for fishing, you're sure to catch a lot, even if they're typically smaller (6-8 inches). We caught quite a few, pretty quick and Wall (Jacob) and I built a small fire right there and cooked em up and ate em. Don came over after a while with a fish of his own and cooked and ate too. Then we moved down the lake a bit and fished some more... it was HOT fishing. EVERY cast I was pulling one in... LITERALLY! It helped that I was using worms. Wall got his dragonfly hook caught about 25ft up a spruce tree and I scurried up to get it out for him... he didn't really want me to or care that he was going to lose it, and after I did, I wish I hadn't bothered... my hands were covered in sap the rest of the day. After a few hours of catch and release fishing, we decided to head back to camp for a nap. We took the long way back (for reasons still beyond my capacity to explain - guess the Walls didn't want to scale the cliff we came down to get to the lake). But eventually, we made it to camp and had a good rest.

The weather was holding out wonderfully!!! We were certain we would be getting stormed on every afternoon and freeze every night, according to the weather reports, but the nights were warm (probably high 40's) and the days were pretty warm (mid 70's at least) and sunny.

That afternoon, Wall and I decided to head out to my favorite like - we've named it "Walter's Hole" - in honor of the 18" trout (Walter) I caught there this year. I would have probably released him, but we didn't have a camera with us at the time, and knew no one would believe me that I caught him, so I cleaned him and made the long walk back to camp for pictures, and to fry him up and eat him!

Next day, Friday, was much cooler. We started up West Granddaddy Mountain in the morning and made the LONG hike up to the peak. It was a fun hike and at the top, and we complemented the hike with an ongoing (shouting) argument about where Shadow Lake was... even with maps of the area, since it's the only lake you can't see from the top, the three of us all had our own idea about where it was in the valley... Needless to say, it's impossible to convince the three people on the face of the planet that are NEVER wrong, that they're actually wrong. Fortunately, I WASN'T wrong... as always. And even after I proved it indisputably, Don still disputed me. :) I guess next year we'll have to have one person hike to the top and another hike to Shadow with a flare gun and settle it once and for all. :)




At the top we built a monument creating the actual peak of the mountain... there were several other man made peaks up there, but ours was the highest.

On our way down we rolled some rocks cause, boys never grow out of that. We got a few big ones to go - it was great!

The hike down was FAST... for me. I pretty much ran, hopped and skipped down the rocky 60%+ grade face of the mountain. The next half hour or so I watched as Wall and Don slowly made their way - hoping I didn't have to hike back up if one of them got injured. Wall, being as accident prone as he is, did get injured, but it wasn't too bad, just banged up his shins, and he was still able to walk. That night we caught our last fish (Don and I) as the rain and hail started to fall. The clouds kept coming in darker and thicker. By 10pm or so (maybe it was even earlier), we decided nature won, and we turned in for the night, hoping to get some sleep before our hike out in the morning.

This was that afternoon, during the rain and hail:



The night was brutal.

The lightning kept getting closer and closer and the thunder was literally earth shaking as it echoed between the mountains we were camped at the base of. We had some VERY close strikes, but the closest must have been maybe 20-30 ft away, we were in the tent and it blinded Wall and I for probably a minute - I've never seen anything so bright in my life, brighter than staring at a welding arch, or even the noon day sun!!! It was a BIG bolt, and what was worse, it sent three, almost simultaneous, bolts that shattered the night sky and shook the earth around us. It echoed a good minute of the nearby mountains and left us wondering if a tree would be coming down on us, or if another bolt was on its way even closer. Fortunately, although we did have a few more blinding close ones, that was the worst of it. We made it through the night and were able to break camp and hike out without getting rained on.

The hike out was nice. I'm pretty sure our packs were actually lighter going out than coming in this year (unlike last year), and at least we didn't have the fate of two hikers we saw on our way out. There were two guys, looking about as miserable as drowned rats, holding waterlogged socks over a sterno can, maybe 10 feet off the trail. They must have tried hiking in the night before and got caught in the storm - I wonder if they even bothered going through with their trip as planned.

I'm glad we got out of there when we did because the rains kept coming and the clouds seemed like they'd be rolling in for at least the rest of that day.

Favorite quotes of the trip:

"It's just one-hundred, maybe two-hundred, yards up ahead."

"I gave Walter a nice final resting place on the mountain, he can see his home from there."

"I see you brought a luxury item." - "I see you brought one too."

"The clouds are moving that direction, towards Shadow."

Looking forward to next year's trip!!!!!!

MOVIE OF ELLS AND AA'S

Hugs

A dear friend of mine sent me this youtube video link today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hN8CKwdosjE

Many of you have probably already seen it, as I'm usually behind on these things since I never surf youtube and I'm not up with the latest viral videos.

But for those of you who haven't, and I guess even those who have, I want to share how this touched me. I literally sit here, just finished watching it, on the verge of tears.

If you know me, I can have a jarring personality at times, but if you REALLY know me, I'm a sentimental schmuck that gets choked up at the silliest things (still can't make it through Disney's "Cars" without tearing up).

Perhaps this video was particularly touching because I grew up in a very "huggy" family - especially the Borrego side. Since moving to Utah, I feel I've become more and more distant from those around me. I used to have friends and roommates that I would hug all the time - male and female - and now, hugging my own wife has become peculiar sometimes.

As a physical therapist (student) we often talk about the power (healing power) - and importance - of touch. Not only does it create a physical connection between people, but there is also a social, an emotional - and I would personally say even a spiritual - connection.

I did volunteer work at the Utah State Mental Hospital this last semester before starting PT school, it was always interesting to me how the majority of the patients were non distinguishable in appearance and comportment than any other person you might meet in society (especially among the teenage patients). However they were there for a reason - clinically, mentally. I think there are so many - perhaps EVERYONE - who could just use a hug sometimes. Just think what it could change if we all were more willing to (and did) give "free hugs."

Aayla The Shirt...

The other day Ellery turned to me and said, "Aayla's just a shirt, huh daddy?"

I wasn't sure what she meant, so I asked.

She repeated, "Aayla's just a shirt."

Ellery was struggling with the word "shirt" and it took me a second to realize that's not at all what she was TRYING to say.

Although, yes, Aayla is a "shirt" sometimes, Millie seems to think I need to be more selective with my language (or what "pet names") I use around Ellery's ears.

Kids. :)

Summer Update

Pictures, and music, are worth a thousand words.... rather than read, just enjoy! It's been a busy summer for us!

Ellery's New Look~

Ellery recently got a new look.  Let's see if you can tell!!!!!!!!

Before.....

After.....

 That's right, Ellery had to have her teeth pulled.  I'm actually SO SO sad about it.  Her teeth were so cute and now, well, she just looks different.  She looks, talks, sounds, and eats different now. 

So here's the story......She was in nursery when it happened.  Apparantly they were blowing bubbles.  Ellery and another boy were going after the same bubble when they ran right into each other which caused Ellery to fall and hit her mouth on a chair.  They came and got me out of Relief Society.  Her bottom lip was bleeding and she was crying.  I tried calming her down and when she kept pointing at her teeth I took a closer look.  I noticed her top 2 teeth were bleeding slightly and they were angled backward.  I felt them and yep, they were loose.  So we got Jacob and left church.  (unfortunately only 10 min early.)  Dentist offices are closed Sundays so we decided to wait and take her in on Monday.  By the end of the night her top lip was getting pretty swollen.  We tried icing it, but she didn't like holding cold against her mouth.  The next morning, she looked awful!!  Her upper lip had swelled SO much during the night.  She seriously looked like a hoo.  I got her a dentist appointment that afternoon.  He said the swelling was one of the worse he's seen.  The teeth were pushed back and the roots were angled forward which caused all the swelling in the lip and gum area.  He explained how tring to fix it and push everything back into place could cause damage to the permanant teeth that are forming right now.  There was also a risk of infection. SO, he said the best thing was to just pull them and start her on antibiotics.  She handled everything ok up until the point they numbed her mouth.  When he pulled the teeth out, she SCREAMED!!  It was awful.  They said she was all numb, but it makes me wonder cause she was acting like it wasn't.  I felt really bad.  She screamed and screamed.   She was still crying and upset when we got home.  Jacob held her and she eventually fell asleep.  When she woke up she was much better and she's been fine ever since.  She hasn't complained of much pain except when I brush her teeth.  It's amazing how fast the swelling went down.  It was much better even right after we got home from the dentist.  It bled a lot and I think that helped with the swelling.  Now we just need to let the holes heal all the way and learn to eat and talk better!!

Day Out With Thomas

On Friday we took the girls to Heber Valley Railroad for their annual 'Day Out With Thomas.'  Ellery LOVES trains and Thomas, so this was for her.  It was fun and I think Ellery enjoyed it.  I really don't think it was worth the huge, large amount of money we forked over for it, but it was nice to get out and do something for Ellery.  The first thing we did was a little miniature golf course.  Jacob helped Ellery through it and she actually did pretty good.  Then it was time to get in line for the train ride.  As we were getting on they stopped us and told us Aayla's car seat carrier couldn't get on the train.  Well, she was asleep in it so we had to take her out and wake her up so Jacob could run it back to our stroller.  That was kind of annoying.  Oh well.  The train ride was about 25 minutes or so, it went out a little and stopped then reversed back to the station.  Ellery liked it, especially when it blew it's whistle.  After the train ride we waited in line for a balloon animal.  She wanted a kitty made with green and silver balloons!  She knows what she wants!  They had a booth with temporary tattoos, so Ellery got a Thomas one on her hand.  Then she ran through a hay maze a few times.  Sir Topham Hatt was there taking pictures with the kids but there was a big line and we were all getting hungry and ready to go so Jacob just took a picture of him in between kids.  On our way out Ellery posed in front of some posters of the engines.  She especially like Emily because she is green- her favorite color.

What The?!?!?!?!!!???!?

Woke up this morning to SNOW!!! I hate the snow more than the next guy, but make it fall in town this late in the spring and words can't describe how disgusted I am with it.



It was coming down so hard, wet, thick and fast this morning when I was leaving for school that I couldn't even wipe it fast enough from my windows. The drive down to school was... not fun... either. On my way my car started jerking and the "check engine" light came on. Wonderful. One more warm memory to make me "love" the snow. Bleh.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB WEBB!!!

Happy birthday to Jacob!  As many know, he turned 30 years old on Wednesday.  What a dinosaur!!  (sorry to everyone who's thinking, 'I remember when I turned 30...')  

We had a Japanese themed party!  It turned out to be a lot of fun.  I moved the table and chairs out of the dining room and we sat on the floor with pillows.  We all dressed up in Asian clothes and Katie made everyone head bands.  

I made food I've never made before.  I even had to shop at an Asian Market to get some of the ingredients!  I made my mom go with me though.  For the appetizer I made miso soup with tofu and green onions, and pork gyozas with ginger chilli dipping sauce.  The main course I made at the table (floor).  It was beef sukiyaki with chinese cabbage, shitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onion, and cellophane noodles all cooked up with a special sukiyaki sauce.  Served on the side was raw egg to dip in.  I'm not sure everyone really liked the idea of raw egg except Jacob and my mom.  There was of course a bowl of rice on the side as well.  The food turned out good...for my first try with any asian food.  The gyozas were the best, they ALL got eaten.

 

Jacob got a lot of presents this year.  Mostly stuff for our new soon to be yard, a knife, school supplies, gift cards, wii remote battery chargers, and Dominion- (we were having withdrawals since the Walls left to Arizona.)  I think Ellery had more fun opening the presents for him!  She loves presents!

We ended the night with fresh strawberry pie that my mom made!  It was so good!  Ellery helped Jacob blow the candles out...otherwise I don't think he could have gotten them all in one blow! :)

I'm not sure what happened....I was upstairs putting Ellery to bed.  But Abbie, Jacob and Brad got into a little food fight.  Sorry, I didn't get a picture of Brad...but I'm pretty sure he was involved too.

 

It was a good party.  Happy 30 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!