fig newtons by the sleeve

Last weekend Jonny and I went out on a date for the first time since little Julia graced us with her presence. We left her with Mom, Dad, two aunts, and a houseful of cousins and just drove away. I was sad to leave my baby but determined not to worry or stress on our big date.

We had been looking forward to seeing the comedian Brain Reagan for weeks. A friend introduced us to his hilarious comedy about two years ago. We have watched the DVD countless times and have been quoting him ever since. When we heard he was doing a show at Thanksgiving Point we just had to splurge and buy a few tickets. And it was really a great show. For those who have never seen Reagan, rent a DVD of his and you will not be disappointed! His material is fresh and just hilarious. I have never heard him tell a dirty, crude, or inappropriate joke. And that is really something in the comedy world!

After laughing ourselves silly, we drove back to Mom's to find Julia just barely waking up. She slept nearly the entire 5 hours we were gone! I was so happy to see her and kiss kiss kiss her. Thanks to her great sitters who made this amazing night for Jonny and me possible.

P.S. The title of this post refers to a joke Reagan does about serving sizes. "Have you ever looked at the serving size on a pack of fig newtons? Two cookies! I eat them by the sleeve - two sleeves is a serving size for me . . . " Man, maybe you had to be there. Check him out for sure!

P.P.S. Here is a picture of Julia. Jonny informed me that she was upset about the last post that had nothing to do with her. Yikes, sorry!

You say tomato . . .

Is there anything more delicious than freshly-picked tomatoes and cucumbers from your Grandmother's garden? I just love summer produce. It is my dream to someday grow such beauties in my own backyard.

P.S. Click to enlarge this picture and the juiciness of the tomatoes will make your mouth water. If you are not a fan (like Dad, who says Heavenly Father didn't finish making the tomato), I am indeed sorry from the bottom of my heart. Best wishes as you live a lonely life without tomatoes.

Jonny's Little Messenger

A few days ago I woke up to find my happy baby squirming around in her swaddled blankets with a note taped to her! I guess she and Jonny are already in cahoots. Naturally, I grabbed the camera -which is always close by.

Oh, and here is a bath pic for fun.

Touring Colorado

We did it! We traveled through Colorado to introduce Julia to various family members. We had planned on doing this trip since she was born, but I was slightly nervous about how this little one would travel. I am very happy to report that she was a delightful traveler throughout the entire trip. The picture to the left is a perfect description of our little Julia on the road. She slept most of the time in the car, and was happy and smiley when visiting family. This, of course, made for a very happy mommy as well.

We left American Fork on Friday morning and drove the 6 hours to Durango. There, we had a nice, relaxing visit with Mom, Daddio, Rudi, and Emmy. Of course we stopped at our favorite place to eat - Serious Texas BBQ to eat the deluxe tacos. Um, we ate there two days in row. But don't worry, we worked off a few of those calories as we ran on the Animas River trail. It was literally a "stroll down memory lane" for Jonny as he reminisced about Cross Country days past. Anyway, it was so fun to see Julia in the welcoming arms of her grandparents and aunties.

She was sad to leave the fam in Durango, but happy to make the 3-hour drive to the small town of Salida to meet Great Grandpa Gene and Jenny. You should have seen Grandpa and Julia chatting back and forth! It was hilarious and so sweet to see her interact with her funny Grandpa.

After just one day and night in Salida, we drove for about 4 hours to Castle Rock where the Barrett family welcomed us with open arms. We loved spending a few days with Kiera, Bill, Sam, and Mackenzie in their lovely home. The kids loved their new cousin and couldn't seem to get enough of her. Mac was so cute, always mimicking what we do with Julia with her dolls (see the picture with her pony in her shirt, like Julia in the moby - ha!) With the Barrett fam we enjoyed Kiera's great cooking, hiking to the actual "Castle Rock," browsing around the outlets, playing at the nearby park, taking lots of pictures, etc! After hugging them goodbye, we successfully made the 8-hour trip home. Phew! Thanks to all for your hospitality and love. We hope to see you again as soon as possible!

Jonny jokes that Julia is "on tour." The Colorado destinations were her first stops, and she is soon to make appearances in Indiana and Maryland. She was an angel in the car - we'll see how she likes flying . . .

Swimming, Smiling, etc.

I promised Em a slideshow and I best get it on before we leave for our Colorado trip. Here are some pictures of recent festivites. I will elaborate concerning some of the pictures . . .


-Swimming: We went to Lehi pool (the best - hardly anyone there on a Saturday afternoon!) with the Pecks. I thought Julia might enjoy it because she likes the bath. I was right! After the shock of Jonny suddenly dunking her in up to her armpits (Dads!?), she got used to the cool water and seemed to have a wonderful time. Jordan and she spent a lot of time together in the shallow pool. It was also fun to watch Jonny and the kids jump, dive, flip, etc. off the diving boards. Jillian jumps off the high dive (and it is quite high) without hesitation!

-Bridal Veil Falls: Missing our old stomping grounds last Sunday evening, we drove to Provo and walked on the river trail that goes past the gorgeous waterfall. The last time we walked that trail I was morning sick - we had a lot more fun with Julia on the outside this time!

-Misc: The rest of the pictures are just a sampling of the dozens of pictures we take of Julia each week. She is so smiley these days. We believe she laughed yesterday, but we are trying to confirm the giggle by reproducing it. We will see!

P.S. I sneaked those pictures of Jordan and Julia out on the grass from a window inside. Jordan lives his little cousin - as do all the Pecks. I thought the novelty would wear off, but apparently it hasn't yet! A few days ago Allyson told me that she wished she had her own "little baby Julia."