Newsprint Nose

We took Seth & Co. to Lake Powell just before he left for his mission to Africa and had a terrific vacation. Annie hadn't quite yet learned how to be a good Lake Baby and now I am remembering those miserable summer colds. Maybe this means we'll skip right over the winter ones.

Annie loves adventure sans the life jacket. I bought a couple different ones to see which would be my best bet. Answer: NONE. This little pink number was the worst. I swear it shrink wrapped to her body once I got it on and I couldn't get it off. Do NOT buy it. Also, Annie decided to hate sand seconds after we arrived at the sand hill.

I will miss this place so much when my parents finally sell their houseboat. Antelope Point is the creme de la creme. I'll have to make a note to take a few extra trips down the slide next summer just in case. Oh, and then it came... again. That rancid thought that pervades my otherwise happy little life: I miss being skinny! Oh how I miss it!

Poor Annie, I took her down to visit Q when we lived it the mortuary and when I set her on a table, she face planted it right on top of a newspaper. You could read the print on her nose the rest of the day! I felt so bad.


The first night we moved into our new house, Annie went wild with all the space. She must have covered a few miles before bed time. We've been here now almost 4 months and it is still a dream. I catch myself sitting in different spots and staring at things for half an hour before I finally go to bed. I just can't believe we did this and we made it happen and we are here... 3600 sq/ft of here. It's a dream. May I also add that there is no way my floors will ever be as clean as this again.


This reminds me, I need to post the rest of the before-and-afters.

Stirland Family Lake Powell Trip

My house is a disaster,
I have 96 essays to grade,
I could be taking a nap,
or doing something productive like
dishes, grocery shopping, or going to the bank....

BUT I THINK I'LL BLOG INSTEAD!

Still playing catch up: I thought I was ready for a seasonal change but looking back these photos make me wish it was summer already. They also remind me how much Annie has changed in the last 2 months! I've got to keep up better so I don't miss these windows of life.

Annie was always a defective car baby and, we discovered, lake baby, but with each trip to the lake she decided to like the experience a little more. By the end of the summer she loved it! I can't wait until next year.

We bought a water mat and it is A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

The annual Stirland Family trip was wonderful, as usual. We celebrated Ydnic's B-Day once again at the lake and enjoyed her fabulous life video twice in a row.

Even Kari+1/2 and the twins made an appearance!

Annie and Lailee LOVED their little pool with a perfect view of the big kids playing king of the mat behind the houseboat.

Watch out for Nichole Freestone Burr on the water mat. She's more aggressive than I would have guessed.

Too bad Annie developed a cold and wasn't feeling too hot. This didn't help the defective lake baby syndrome one little bit. These trips to the lake were super fun but intensely exhausting with a little 1-year-old and all her gear.

Grandma Polly is always up for an adventure!

Stop-Stop, Wait for me!

I feel like my life won't stop and wait for me.
I really wish it would.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
So my daughter is spirited. At least that's the best PC word we can come up with.
Wild.
Crazy.
La Destructa.
Terror on four limbs.
Yep, spirited is probably the kindest way of describing her particular brand of energy.

I used to worry that my kids would get the worst characteristics of Q & me: The big foreheads, large noses, Q's weird legs, my large pores. I never realized what I should have been worried about was them getting a lethal combination of our best qualities. I.E.: My mind-going-a-million-places-at-once and Q's infinite amounts of energy and lack of need to sleep. I may not survive this little one, but oh is she entertaining to watch.

Here are a few catch up photos to prove my claim:

I'm still behind about 6 months on posting so these are a few from Peach Days. We had to corral Annie in between about 10 extended relatives and keep her at bay by throwing treats at her for consistent intervals.

This is how we all feel after surviving church.
I haven't taken her out during the first two hours,
but boy would it be easier if I did.


Annie was invited to Hadley's birthday party and she be-lined it for the splash pad.
Somehow she managed to require my getting soaked for her to be completely happy.
She has this evil muhahaha laugh that can be heard for miles away. Can't you just see it in this photo?