thank you, ice cream man

There's an ice-cream man that drives through our neighborhood quite often. As I was putting my bike up in the garage I heard his catchy tune. With Jonny working late, Julia in bed, and me all alone with not much to do (just finished my book last night - Adam Bede by George Eliot - oh, so amazing!), I decided I'd better treat myself this evening. I felt a little funny as I walked briskly toward the truck so he'd stop. (I thought running would seem too anxious.) Then I felt a little sillier giving him my quarters and asking for a creamsicle. Oh yeah, and I was in my pajamas at 7:30. (If Julia is in hers, it is only fair I get to be comfortable too.) Walking back in the house with my frozen delight, I had a really fun summery feeling. So here's to you, ice cream man. Thanks for making the rounds at just the right time.

"Climbing over rocky mountain..."

... on a bike!? I am sure many of you are mountain bikers and think nothing of riding up and down treacherous, narrow, dusty paths with rocks, boulders, and tree roots jumbling up the way. But until Saturday when Jonny took me mountain biking for my first time, I never knew this was what it really entailed! Let me give a little background...

Jonny and I recently purchased a couple of mountain bikes and a trailer for Julia - our way of stimulating the economy, if you know what I mean. Anyway, we have really been enjoying evening rides on the nice, paved paths all throughout the Ranches. Sometimes Julia and I go on our own in the mornings, which is also very fun. Jonny's new bike, however, has seen much dustier paths. For a few weeks now, he and some buddies from work (including my bro Matt, see his blog for an idea of what these guys are up to) have been getting out of bed very early to meet at the rodeo grounds in Alpine for a morning ride - once or twice a week.

So, Jonny was anxious to share his latest awesome recreational activity with me. And I was equally excited to see what is getting these guys out there before the sun. After the Strawberry Days 5k (click the link for those interested to see details on my running blog) on Saturday, we left Julia with my mom and dad (thanks again!) and headed out with our bikes. I have always loved Alpine and think it a gorgeous town. It's even prettier when you get up really close to the mountains, where our ride began. Hmm, this is taking too long. Let's see if I cut to the chase. We started on the trail and it wasn't too long before I realized that I am something of a wuss. ( I have never liked that word; I think it is ugly. But it is prefect for the situation.) I guess I am not as immediately daring as I used to be (motherhood? perhaps.) because I found myself stalled at the top of a winding, somewhat steep decline. And there were rocks in the way! Jonny told me to put the brakes on, go as slow as I liked, keep my pedals level, and not to worry about the protruding rocks and roots - "just go over them!" Well, after a little more hesitation, I did just what he said. It was a thrill! (Yes, even at the speed - or lack of speed - I was going.) When I safely made it to the bottom of this trail, I gained some serious confidence in myself and my bike. I was excited to go down the same trail again, and this time, I let up on the brakes a little and enjoyed the ride.

We biked for about an hour. I was loving the bumps and turns - both downhill and up. It was incredible to be in the mountains, doing something so thrilling and and even a little adventurous with my best friend. Running is nice. But it is hard and not always fun, necessarily. But mountain biking is a challenging work out and it's fun. Jonny thought it was funny that my progressive comments went something like this, "Oh, this is cool. We should do this again this summer." A little later, "Man, we should do this every few weeks." And then, "Should we try to get out here every other week?" And finally, "I love it! Let's ride at least once a week."

Hey, we just might.

P.S. Thanks to Mom for letting be borrow her deluxe biking pants. You know, the awesome padded kind. I don't think I can ever ride without them now.

sunglasses

Finally, we have come around to posting a video! Julia found her sunglasses in the bottom of a toy basket today. I was surprised to find her leaving them on. She loves this wagon/walker and laughs and laughs while pushing it. Check her out.

"Every Day's a Song...

... since we got Melody..." So begins the song my Mom wrote for me as a baby. (All of us kids have a song. I love them and sing them all to Julia, sometimes substituting her name, sometimes keeping to the original.) As it turns out, "since we got Julia," every day really is a song. It started out with an original lullaby that I made up one night when it was taking extra long to rock her to sleep. (Those were some tough days, for the past several months she has been falling on her own. So much nicer!) After that I made up a nap time song - after all, I wouldn't want to confuse her by singing her nightly lullaby in the middle of the day! This little song-writing thing turned out to be quite fun. So, soon enough she had an original song for bath time, diaper changes, putting on clothes, driving in the car, and one just for fun. Most of these were created out of necessity (to help keep her still while getting a diaper on, for instance) and have become second-nature. Yesterday I realized I am sick and tired of that clean up song (You know, "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere..." Perhaps it's finally getting to me after all these years of preschool??) and I came up with my own.

My songs aren't fancy by any means. But they make the daily activities more fun and predictable for Julia. And so, for archival purposes I am writing the lyrics of Julia's songs here. (If I don't sing the songs for a while, I will surely forget them. I had better record the tunes as well.) I might as well come up with titles for them while I am at it.

"Julia's Lullaby"

Chorus: (sing at beginning, end,
and in between each verse)

Julia, (echo: Julia)
Julia, (echo: Julia)
Julia, (echo: Julia)
We love you.
Out in the world all the creatures are sleeping.
Soon you will be sleeping too.

Down on the farm the horses are sleeping.
So are the cows, the chickens and sheep.
Out in the forest the squirrels are napping.
Little birdies not making a peep.

Off in the jungle a tiger is snoring.
A little monkey is resting his head.
Deep in the ocean the dolphins are sleeping.
Schools of fishies have all gone too bed.

Out in the desert jackrabbits are tucked in.
Snakes and lizards have all closed their eyes.
Down at the pond, the frogs softly croaking,
Crickets are chirping their sweet lullabies.

*Note: I am aware that many of the above-mentioned animals are nocturnal. Hey, it's a lullaby. Everyone sleeps during a lullaby.

"Because I am Your Mommy" (for fun)

I love your two little eyes.
And I love your cute little nose.
I love your ten little fingers.
And your ten little toes.

I love your ears,
I love your eyes.
And I love your tummy.
I love each part of you
Because I am your Mommy.

(Silly Jonny adapts the last line to,
"because you taste like honey.")


"Rest Now, Baby" (nap time)

It's nap time, my baby.
It's time to go to sleep.
It's nap time, my darling.
Now do not make a peep.
Just close your eyes angel,
while you hear me sing this tune.
And rest now, Baby,
We'll play again soon.



"Rub-a-dub-a-dubby" (bath time)

Rub-a-dub-a-dubby, in my tubby.
Scrub-a-dub-a-dubby, in my tubby.
When it's my bath time I know what to do:
I rub-a-dub-a-dubby and I scrub-scrub too.

Splish-a-splish-a-splashy, in my bathy.
Splish-a-splish-a-splashy, in my bathy.
When it's my bath time I know what to do:
I splish-a-splish-a-splishy and I splash-splash too.


"Buckle Yours Too" (driving)

When we're goin' anywhere in the car.
It doesn't matter if it's near or if it's far.
I'm telling you I know what to do:
I buckle my seatbelt - so buckle yours too.


"Please Hold Still" (getting dressed)

Please hold still, my little squirt.
It is time to put on your shirt.
Please hold still, my Ju Ju Ju.
It is time to put clothes on you.

Please hold still, pause your dance.
It is time to put on your pants.
Please hold still, my Ju Ju Ju.
It is time to put clothes on you.


"I love Yulia" (diaper change)

Julia, Julia, I love Yulia.
But now it's time to change your dipe.
First we need to get a wipe.

Julia, Julia, I love Yulia.
Your diaper change is almost done.
Then it's time to have some fun.

Julia, Julia, I love Yulia.
Now your diaper's nice and new.
And you smell so lovely too.


"Counting Clean-Up" (cleaning up toys)

We love toys, they are so fun.
But now our time for toys is done.
Cleaning up can be fun too.
Just count with me and I'll show you.

1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6,
7, 8,
9 is next,
Last of all is number 10.
Let's put away the toys 'til we play again.

(repeat counting part until toys are cleaned up)

Phew! That was quite a job. It occurs to me that I'd better get going on one for snack/meal time. She gets pretty antsy while I am preparing something to eat. Oh wait, I made up one for preschool this year. I can just use that one! Here it is:

"Thank You" (snack time)

Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for this special treat.
Thanks for carrots, cheese, and bread.
Apples that are juicy red.
Thanks for water cool and clear.
Thanks for all the food we share.

(Note: Unlike the others songs that have original melodies, this one goes to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.")


Oh, thanks to Em for most of the pictures, which I copied from her picasa web album.

Moab

We spent the weekend a my Grandparent's condo in Moab. 97 sunny degrees welcomed us into town and almost immediately upon arrival, we were in the condo pool. Julia enjoyed floating in her baby tube. (Some ladies at the pool were intrigued by the floatie, as if they had never seen one before!?) She even made some friends who were thrilled to push her around the pool, leaving Mommy and Daddy to chill pool-side. Not a bad start to a relaxing weekend.

Okay, it wasn't all that relaxing the next day. But it was perfect, nevertheless. The next morning, we were up and driving through Arches National Park by 8:30. We figured we'd better hike Delicate Arch, it being Julia's first time at Arches and all. I've lost count of how many times I've hiked this one, but I never tire of it. There's just something magnificent about that arch. Sometimes I even feel a little at home there. Anyway, Jonny set a great pace and we were rounding the corner to the arch in a short thirty minutes.

Next we hiked to Double-0 Arch. This was a 4.2 mile hike (round trip) that is worth it just for the getting there. Yes, the arch is awesome, but the ups and downs of the trail make this one really fun. (Plus you pass two or three arches en route.) Julia/Jonny carrying her attracted quite a lot of attention. Nearly every hiker we passed (and there were lots) commented along the lines of, "now that's the way to hike." An Asian woman even asked to take a picture of her in the pack. (Is it really that unusual???) Julia did have the right idea though. I mean, she didn't even break a sweat under her fancy shade hood. And although she must have been heavy on Jonny's shoulders, back, and hips, he never once complained. Hiking in the hot sun, he was in his element. With her alertness and nearly-constant humming/babbling, I guess Julia just may have been too.

After hiking we went back to relaxing. We swam, ate out, put Julia down, and crashed on the couches in front of the TV - going back and forth between the US Open and Monsters Inc. (I haven't seen that one for years. I was laughing out loud.) The next day Julia and I gave Jonny a few Father's Day gifts, we attended church, and we left around noon. It was a lovely weekend, but we were very ready to be back home after Julia was a little fussy in the car. (I had to entertain her for two of the three hours. An hour nap seemed to be all she had planned. Phew! It was good to be home!)


P.S. We left sunny Moab with healthy color but NO sunburns. I am amazed at the screening power of sunscreen. That stuff is awesome.

P.P.S. When we couldn't find a RedBox anywhere in Moab Friday night, we ended up renting a movie at a local place. Quite archaic. (And kind of funny after Jonny just posted that Onion clip.)

P.P.P.S. A quick tribute to my Love, and Julia's amazing Dad. We love you, Jonny! Thanks for making us laugh every day. Oh, and thanks for the delicious dinner on Father's Day. You are more than we could ever ask for. Now go get that business done in Minnesota and come back home to kiss your girls. We miss you already.

P.P.P.P.S. And one more quick tribute to my Dad. I love and admire him for a million reasons. See my siblings' blogs for a few of those!

Boy I tell you, you never had it so good

We have seen a lot of new technology in our day. Sometimes we forget about how hard life was for us only a few years ago.

This video by The Onion absolutely kills me... it's funny cause it's true.

Enjoy. Oh and this is Jonny not Melody


Historic �Blockbuster� Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past

1% Challenge

A couple of months ago Jonny told me he'd like to cut a few calories from his daily diet. (I agree, he really doesn't need to lose any weight. Nevertheless...) I told him I know of a very easy way to do just that. I also told him that I knew he was not going to like the idea. But I challenged him to just try it for one month. If he warms up to it, great. If not, at least he tried. Thus, Jonny gave up his beloved 2% milk and began the 1% challenge.

This was particularly hard for Jonny since he drank whole milk for much of his life. He complained that it was bad enough he downgraded to 2% in college. Our marriage brought in his 2% and my occasional (I don't drink milk much, sadly) skim. No, we didn't compromise with 1% at that time because I hardly drank it, so I figured he might as well keep his old habit. (Plus, when I did drink it, the 2% tasted a whole lot better than skim!)

But now, years later, Jonny has decided to try out the "watered down" milk, as he calls it. And do you know what? When the month mark came around, neither of us even realized it. Jonny just kept drinking that 1% milk as if it is what he had always done. The other day it dawned on me that Jonny has indeed met the challenge! Not only that, but 1% is here to stay. Congratulations, Jonny. Now, if you can just manage to keep away from that whole milk, should I start buying it for Julia...