Deja Vu

Motherhood is doing everything at least twice daily.

Child's daily bath...at least twice.
Fixing dinner...at least twice.
Fixing chocolate milk...at least twice.
Shoes on and off...at least twice.
Repeating yourself...at least twice.
Repeating mistakes...at least twice.
Responding "What?" to "Mom!"...at least twice in less than 30 seconds.
Fixing owies...at least twice.
Thinking "I told you so"...at least twice.
Watching/reading the current favorite TV program/movie/book...at least twice.
Singing the same song...at least twice.
Returning your child to his own bed...at least twice.
Getting up during the night...at least twice.
Wiping noses...at least twice.
Wiping bums...at least twice
Saying "Sit down"...at least twice.

And no matter how many times in day I think to myself, "I have so done this 100 times already today" I am always willing to do it again tomorrow. And that's what motherhood is.

Have You Ever

Once again this is stolen from a friend's blog. I've done everything in BOLD.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (If my own disastrous version of The Baby-sitter's Club counts)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie (Really just a scene for a BYU film class, but I'm counting it.)
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth (Do humans count?)
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing (It was only about 45 minutes from Boise to Seattle)
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten cooked whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Played the game "Have You Ever"

What have you done?

Zion Park


This last week we took a trip to St. George with my parents and Lindsey. Daniel, Sam and I took a bike ride up Zion Canyon. It was hard on the way up, but the way down was fast and easy. We had a great time. Poor Sam was sleep deprived for the whole week and fell asleep in the bike seat on the way down. Daniel has video of that. I'll post it later.

We rode up to "Emerald Pools" and took a short little hike just to the lower pool. Sam liked going up and down the hills. We saw several lizards and once we saw a lizard and a snake in a stalemate. Neither was moving, maybe because there was a group of about 20 hikers gathered around taking pictures of the standoff.

On the way down we found some wild turkeys. I have never seen them before and I was impressed at their size. Sam made turkey noises at them and fell asleep about two seconds later.

It was a beautiful day.



St. George

We had breakfast every morning at the Bear Paw Coffee Company. It was so yummy! I really wanted to try the Fudge Brownie Waffle with Vanilla Bean ice cream, but I restrained myself. Not that the Creme Brule French Toast, the Vanilla Strawberry Waffle, or the Blueberry Pancakes with Home Fries were healthier choices.

St. George has a fun little plaza downtown with a fountain and a little wading stream. Sam loved playing in the water.
He loves Aunt Lindsey. She played with him a lot and took him down a big scary slide at the playground at the hotel. Funnily enough these two have a little rivalry going on. They are best buds and then they fight over the same things. Sam would pretty much share with everyone but Lindsey. He knows she's the competition I guess.

This is a cute swim towel hand-me-down my mom made for Lindsey. I can't decide if he looks more like a boxer or a samurai. The only reason Lindsey is sharing this with Sam is because it is a little too small for her now.
The pool at the hotel was great. They had a kids pool that was only 2 feet all around and Sam had a great time in that. We've been going to swimming lessons and Sam loves to blow bubbles and "swim" with a noodle. He will even go all the way under the water.

Bryce Canyon

On our way home we went through Bryce Canyon. It was awesome. Sam was fearless and we had a death grip on him at all times. It is an amazingly long way down.

Here is our poor exhausted baby desperately in need of a nap. We really wore him out.

I wish I had remembered our camera for all the other fun things we did. We hiked up to see some petroglyphs and had a barbeque with Jeris and Suzanna at her parent's condo's pool. We went to Tuachan and saw the Sound of Music (Really good. It's one of my favorites) and Les Miserables with my grandparents. It was a fun and relaxing vacation. I think I'd like to make it a yearly event.