See Julia and Gabe...

Walking and Laughing:

Gabe is really getting the hang of this walking thing. He actually prefers it to crawling now. And yes, in the video Julia is telling Gabe to obey the sign on her door and keep out. Poor guy. She is pretty strict about her rules.

Signing:

(Please ignore the last minute where I try unsuccessfully to get Gabe to show off his walking. What was I thinking, he'd just stop watching the show and do whatever I ask!?)

We are serious about the kids learning ASL so they can sign with their cousins, aunts, and uncle. We borrowed several of the Signing Time DVDs from a friend, so they watch at least one every day. We hope to start buying them soon, they just cost a fortune. But they will be worth it. Julia is learning so much and it's a great refresher course for me too.

Playing:

The trike is ever-popular with Julia. And now Gabe loves it too. They do this often and it's all fun and games until Gabe hits his head on the corner of the table. Now that he's a big, tall walker there are dangers he never knew of before.

Daddy's Deck

We have been living in our home for a little over two years. We loved the house, but we were especially sold on the backyard and dreamed of someday building a deck so we could enjoy the space even more. Well, this spring we decided to take action. I say we, but I can only take credit for heading up the design. And I may have stripped a couple of screws in an attempt to help. But other than that it was all Jonny. (Besides the day Mike Baird graciously came to help. Thanks again, Mike! And all the times Julia "helped," of course.)

I am going to give myself license to brag here a little bit (don't tell Jonny) because this was a huge project - and his first serious building project ever. Not only am I once again impressed with Jonny's incredible work ethic, but I am amazed that he just up and learned how to build a deck. It wasn't easy, and it took a lot more evenings and weekends than we had planned. But we are so enjoying it already. The best part? Custom waterproof storage benches. Julia loves to rest on the benches and I love to keep outdoor toys and tools conveniently stowed away. (I don't have a picture of it, but I like to stick big shade umbrellas in the posts. Just take the caps off of the posts and you can have umbrellas providing shade over the benches.)

Check out the deck-building process in the slide show. Jonny still has some finishing touches and clean-up to do, but it is mostly complete. (There will be a more intense photo shoot for documentation when the deck is looking its very best. I was too impatient to wait and post until then, though!)

Thanks, Jonny! We all love "Daddy's Deck," as Julia calls it.

another prayer post

Yes, I know I recently posted about Julia's bedtime prayers. But there were some pretty good openers this week that I thought I'd better share:

Monday-Wednesday: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you this day was so so way aweson..."

Thursday: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you this day
was wonerful..."

Friday: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you this day
was perfectly..."

Saturday: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you this day
was... thank-you-ee..."

I just have to document...

...that Gabe sat still on my lap through the entirety of Toy Story 3 yesterday. We wouldn't have attempted such a crazy thing (my boy normally won't sit still for more than a few seconds - especially on my lap) but Jonny's company was hosting "An Afternoon at the Movies," so we thought we'd see how long he'd last.

I figured Julia would be fine, which she was. (And she loved the movie. She was extremely concerned that Woody lost his hat, and extremely relieved when he found it.) But Gabe? I thought he might make it through the previews if I fed him popcorn constantly, then whine and fuss to get down, walk around the dark theater yelling, and then he and I would make our early exit. So you can imagine my surprise when he sat almost completely still as soon as the the lights dimmed. He didn't even care much for popcorn. He was only a little scared at some loud parts, and clapped at other parts.

I was thrilled to get to stay and watch the darling, hilarious, and quite touching movie. (I laughed out loud dozens of times. And "Big Baby" reminded me of Gabe, especially as he is walking now and moves clumsily and slowly. So naturally there may have been a tear in my eye when the doll says "Mama" toward the end.) Most of all, though, I loved holding my big baby in my arms for almost two hours. That really is something to document.

Like many of you...

...I own a pretty nice digital SLR camera. But unlike many of you, I don't really know how to use it. I have been wanting to learn the ins and outs beyond the automatic setting of the awesome camera we bought two years ago. I guess I just haven't been motivated to take the time and to practice. So when my sister Cami graciously offered to teach a little every-other-Wednesday photography class, I was in. Having to do assignments and report to a class gives me the necessary motivation and accountability I have been lacking! (Thanks, Cami. You are really a great teacher and I have learned so much already.)

Anyway, Julia is a good sport to pose for me - most of the time. Gabe? Forget about it. I'm sure I could get some blurry pictures of him crying and reaching for me/the camera. Jonny is my best bet these days. But this week we are assigned to take pictures of a still object. Phew. And soon we will learn the basics of Photoshop. Can't wait. (These pictures could probably use a little color enhancement? All in good time! Right now I am just excited to be fiddling around with my camera.)

look-alikes

No, this is not a picture of Gabe and Ruby.
It is, as pictured, me and Emily.

But I look more like Brady in this one, with my wide eyes.
Em still looks like Ruby.

Looking through these old pictures Matt put up, I was surprised to see so much of Gabe in Drew's baby pics. Subtract some of his cheek chub and you are looking at Gabey. At least I think so. (Look at Gabe's birthday slide show for further proof.) Check it out:

And here is a classic photo of Gabe's look-alikes. We are posing as news reporters for a school project of mine. Paige Denerick and Scott Bishop. (I always used that name for news reports. If I have another girl, Paige will be her middle name. I have always loved it and it takes me back to my creative elementary school book report days.)

a little steep?

A while ago I posted a list of races we hope to run this summer. Has anyone else noticed an increase in race rates over the past few years? Some of them are refreshingly cheap, like the Linda Buttars one that was $5 (t-shirt included!) and the Alpine Days one that is always less than $8. I don't mind paying a little more when the proceeds are going toward a good cause. But when no cause is advertised I have a hard time forking over more than $12. (Times that by two for Jonny. And it could really get pricey in the future should our kids decide to run rather than leisurely stroll.)

We are running our Eagle Mountain 5k tomorrow, for which I really hesitated to pay $20 each. But all of the proceeds are going to a cancer foundation and a new school, so I'm down with that. I went to sign up for the PG Strawberry Days 5k and couldn't believe it too is $20 - and no cause. Come on people, it's just three miles on a Saturday morning! Many races these days don't even let you opt out of the t-shirt. I have boxes of race shirts in my basement. I really don't need anymore. But I will pay a little extra for a tech shirt on occasion. Otherwise I can do without. (Just had a good idea to get youth sizes so my kids can wear them. Wish I had thought of that before!)

I did write a friendly email to the organizer of the PG race asking about the increase in rate from the last several years. (And why not include a family rate?) He said something about better timing devices, new sponsors, more fun, whatever. Then he said he hoped I'd still come and he'd save me a donut.

And that's another thing. Since when do we need (or even want) to eat donuts and ice cream after running a race?! Charge me $8, give me an orange slice and a cup of water, award me a ribbon if I place, and keep your t-shirts, trophies, and donuts. Please?

P.S. And so, running family and friends, we may just skip Strawberry Days this year. Besides the $40 for tomorrow's race, I just wrote a $70 check ($35 each) for the Provo River half marathon in August. I know it is tradition but I don't want to exhaust our "dates and fun" budget on running, for crying out loud. Maybe we should hold our own race - then we can ALL place in our age groups! And I will bring the watermelon and sourdough bread.

P.P.S. Maybe we'll see you at AF Steel Days, though? $15 with shirt, $10 without. July 10th.

a birthday prayer

I forgot to write down Julia's prayer as she was going to bed after her party. It went right about like this...

Daddy: "Julia, would you like to say the prayer on your birthday?"

Julia: "Yes, (singing) Happy Birthday to you...oh...Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day when my cousins come play, thank you for my cake - hey, where's my cake?"

Daddy: "It's in the fridge so you can finish it tomorrow."

Julia: "Oh! (giggling) Thank you Allyson bring my car up the stairs and me bring up gas station. Thank you my big girl bed. In name Jesus Christ, amen."

P.S. A few nights ago she began her prayer, "Once a time..." Julia's prayers are often the highlight of my day.

"Happy Birthday...too"

The title above was three-year-old Julia's response when Aunt Cortnie wished her a happy birthday. (Julia is in a habit of immediately returning compliments and greetings. It often comes out pretty awkward, like this one. Another example: a few weeks ago at the park a little girl said she liked Julia's sunglasses. Julia came out with, "I like yers...eyes...and yers glasses at home.")

But really, it was a happy birthday for us all. There is nothing like watching your own little friend delight in childhood's most exciting moments. She had been talking about her birthday since Gabe's two weeks ago. She loved that all her cousins wore their pajamas to her Pajama Party (in honor of her getting a big girl bed.) Dancing, jumping on the tramp, and eating popcorn with her best friends made her day. But unfortunately, the deluxe rainbow cake I thought she'd just love was something of a disappointment. It wasn't pink. (Practically the only color is wasn't.) Apparently she secretly had her heart set on a pink cake. Well! She ate it happily anyway. It was cake, after all.

So our baby is three. What next - four, five, kindergarten!? I can't think it. Not right now. But I must say that the older she gets, the more fun we have together. I hope that holds true throughout her life. I have a feeling it will.