Reaping the Benefits

After another weekend of working on the yard, we are getting to the point where it is just nice to wander around and enjoy all the changes we've made or relax in our various sitting areas (depending upon the angle of the sun). Chris arranged weed block cloth and bark mulch in our hammock area, completed connecting the irrigation system for all our plants and created a garden washing station using our original kitchen sink. This has become a favorite play place for Finn. I'll have to capture a photo soon. My job involved planting ground cover in the transition area between the patio and the lawn. My ongoing project is plucking snails out of their last stronghold in the lilac/rose bushes. This has become a daily ritual during Finn's morning nap.

Chris has started on another project. We need to strip the old paint and select a new color for our shed. But first, he's ripped off the old dilapidated doors and is entertaining different options for replacing them. My only request is that they still have windows of some sort. It does look odd to have a big gaping hole in the shed but sure does make access easy. I don't miss opening the huge, sagging doors.

Just a few New Finn Photos

Ah, there's nothing quite like being cozied up in a fuzzy towel after a bath! I love how his feet are poking out. Below, Finn is reveling in one of his new joys - bouncing on the bed. It is so funny how he bounces around on his knees and then flops backwards, although it is also a little scary that he has no concept of the edge of the bed being a giant precipice.

Finn has quite the developing pitcher arm. He's gotten so interested in throwing the ball for Hudson. Now he claps for himself after he throws the ball. Yeah Finn!!!! (clap, clap, clap)

Sorting Things Out

Finn has been busy lately putting things back where they belong. To give just a few examples......

1. Here he's pulled most of his books off the shelf and is putting them away.
2. Chris had a large bucket in the backyard filled with fragments of rock left over from assembling the patio. Recently Finn picked up a small chunk of patio rock in the yard, crawled over across the entire patio to the bucket and added his found piece. What a smart boy.

Front Page News

We were pretty surprised to see Chris on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune this week. Co-workers put several copies of the paper in my mailbox at school and continued to express excitement of also seeing him on TV. He's famous :)
Here's the link to the article: Wasatch Fault quake '800 years overdue; Geologists look to pinpoint a big one;Utah and U.S. teams study soil in trenches for signs of when and how bad

Honorable Discharge

OK, so it's been a very long time since I've posted anything. Thanks to Erika and Finn for filling up cyberspace with all of their excellent photos and touching words.

Here are a few things I've been enjoying lately. Since being "discharged" (honorably) from the hospital I've had little time to sit back and relax in the back yard. This afternoon I did just that...

Finn contemplating the organic, grass-fed, free-range, pesticide-free greens grown with alternative energy! Erika assures me that no weeds have snuck in there, but I still have my doubts.

This was a lucky snap - Finn is not quite there yet, but at least he's trying. Erika is admiring her young greens and structurally sound "grow beds."

Grapes!! We're looking forward to our first harvest of grapes this year.

Finn checking out the outskirts of his kingdom.

It was agonizing to see our patio 78% finished and not be able to work on it. But thanks to a friend and a few motivated rock moving sessions - I finally get to post the (near) finished product! I figured I lifted 12,000 lbs for this project. 4000 lbs of rock, and I probably moved each stone on average three times to get the fit just right - no wonder I ended up in the ER!

And for a satisfying look back - here is what our back yard looked like a little over a year ago. In this photo Erika is about 6 months pregnant with Finn.

Everyday Adventures

Practicing walking. It is all about pushing things around the house....










Proud to be a professional speed crawler.











"working" with me in the garden at school

Traveling Taste Buds

Recipe: Almond, Black Sesame Seed Crusted Goat Cheese with Fresh Garden Greens Drizzled in Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar
We are fortunate to live within walking or biking distance of many of my co-teachers, so last weekend we finally took advantage of the proximity and the beautiful weather to have a traveling eat-fest.

The festivities began at our house. I had enough fresh greens to gather a first harvest from the garden. They were so fresh, tender and tasty, especially topped with these goat cheese treats. I also harvested rhubarb to throw together the season's second batch of Rhubarb Dumplings. The dumplings always go so fast. I can never get enough.

Look Mom, No Hands

Finn is getting more independent with eating, especially when it comes to being in control of the spoon. As you can see, it is does not make for the tidiest of meals.





















Above:Check out those teeth! He has five now and I'm pretty sure he's working on popping out another one (or more)
any day now.





Below: he's working hard to be independent, holding the cup on his own while drinking his smoothie with a straw.

That's My Boy!

Finn hit the eleven month mark today. It is hard to believe there is only one month to go before he has his first birthday. Finn and I had a quiet mother's day at home, doing a little cooking and a some hanging out in the backyard while Chris spent another long day in the field at the trench site.

I made these Cheese and Almond bites for Finn but I think I might end up snacking on just as many as him. I think they'd make good appetizers served plain or dipped in some sort of marinara sauce.






Cheese and Almond Bites
3 C fresh white bread crumbs
1 C grated cheddar cheese
1 small onion
1 small carrot
1T parsley
1T almond butter (you could use smooth peanut butter)
2 egg yolk
2 egg whites
1C bread crumbs (I used rice cereal)

• put first 6 ingredients in a food processor and mix until forms a dough ball.
  
• Form the mixture into tiny balls.
  
• Dip each ball into the egg white, dredge in bread crumbs and place on baking sheet
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes
  

Parting Shots

May 3rd was a day of celebration for all the fabulous times we've shared with Chip and Audrey over the years that we've been fortunate to live in the same community. The number of people gathered at Sugarhouse Park for their send-off BBQ is a testament to the value they place on friendships. It was so much fun to see all their circles of friends mixing and having a great time. I am sure that I speak for many people when I say that It was an afternoon filled with much excitement as we prepared to send them off to their next adventure in Portland, but also a sad realization of the gaping hole about to be left in our personal lives here in Salt Lake City. Chip and Audz.....you will be greatly missed!

Reflection and Renewal

What a month we've had! It seems as if it has been one thing after another.

• Finn had several feverish days (102 degrees+) where he was totally chipper but was just a ball of fire. After a few days the fever retreated and a rash covered his stomach and face. (It was then I knew he had Roseola). With a weakened system, he got an ear infection and was grumpy as could be, accompanied by the added irritability of popping his top 2 teeth. Poor boy! I guess it was bound to happen at some time. In fact, his pediatrician had commented at his last appointment how amazing that our healthy little boy hadn't been in for anything besides wellness visits.

• Next I sprained my wrist pushing Finn up a curb in the stroller. This is just one more thing that should not be done while talking on the cell phone. Yes, I do need a better story for the injury.

• In April my grandmother passed away, just one week after her ninetieth birthday. Finn and I caught a flight to Minneapolis to be with family for the funeral. I traveled lightly (or at least as much as is possible with a baby) so thankfully Amber fulfilled the role of documenting our time together with a great series of photos.

• Sunday night after my return to Utah, Chris lay doubled over in pain in bed and by 1:00 AM Chip came over to whisk him off to the emergency room. Now that is some brotherly love (and also a great comfort knowing Chip had worked at the University of Utah ER so he could vouch for the excellence of the staff)! Doctors initially feared a ruptured appendix, then possible a growth/tumor or possible another disorder, the name of which escapes me at the moment. As the morning progressed I stood by his side as Chris (still in agony despite the doses of morphine) signed form after form in anesthesiology, basically writing the surgeons a "blank check" of permission to go in and do whatever it took to fix him. The hours passed slowly as I sat in the waiting room, but finally I got word that the surgery was over, they'd repaired an internal hernia and all was well. (Of course the longer version of the story includes details such as the determination that he'd been born with a non-rotated intestine.

" The cecum is normally located in the lower right side of the abdomen. With malrotation, the cecum and the appendix (which is attached to the cecum) stay in the upper right side of the abdomen. Bands of tissue called Ladd's bands form between the cecum and the intestinal wall and can create a blockage in the duodenum (the beginning of the small intestine). A volvulus is a problem that can occur after birth as a result of intestinal malrotation. The intestine becomes twisted, causing an intestinal blockage. This twisting can also cut off the blood flow to the intestine, and the intestine can be damaged."
- www.healthsystem.virginia.edu

• Chris spent another few days in the hospital recovering and finally came home Wednesday. It is amazing how something like this is cause for pause and reflection of what is really important in life. I am so thankful for all the support from family over the phone and in person. Most importantly, I'm thankful for the safe return of my husband without whom I'd be lost.

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.”

- Anonymous

Tax Day

The dreaded day has arrived- actually this top photo
was taken nearly three months ago which may be
closer to when Chris filed our taxes :)

The photo below was taken today.
Oh my! Look how our boy has grown...

counting the savings!

Happy Birthday Chris!

We spent a beautiful birthday weekend in the backyard. Not that it was my birthday, but I couldn't ask for more than two sunny Spring days spent by the side of my husband and baby boy (well, and Hudson too) playing in the dirt, working, relaxing and celebrating. We'll have to post pictures soon of our accomplishments. Of course, it is still a work in progress.

Who is doing the best job begging? Finn? or Hudson? Everyone wanted some of the apple.

Skiing with Babies

We seem to be running at least a week behind with getting everything posted lately. Two weekends ago we spent a fabulous weekend in Driggs with Jess and Stefan and Greta.
We got in a fair number of miles cross-country skiing at Grand Teton National Park as well as out the back door of the condo, down the creek bed. Here's a brief recap in pictures.

9-Month Recap

Finn had a pretty busy ninth month! From eating beach to skiing the tetons... Here is a quick photo-montage video I put together to celebrate.

-Chris

Vertical Beach

While Erika and Finn were in Florida I took advantage of clear skies and scratched that never-ending itch to go climbing. Josh and I spent five days in the desert and had a great time. We managed to climb three desert towers (#16, 17, and 18 on my goal to 30!) and spent some time "working out the kinks" on the shorter climbs along the area's sandstone walls. Here are some photos:

Josh on the summit of Echo Pinnacle, north of moab. This tower ended up being a little more difficult than the guidebook led on. Oh well, we made it up (using lots of tricks).

The Bridger Jack Spires (click to see full size)! We climbed Hummingbird Tower and Sparkling Touch. Only one more tower to go: King of Pain.

That's me on the summit of Sparkling Touch...which overall, had really good climbing. The last few moves here are crazy - Josh took this photo on one part of the tower and you have to step over a ~3 feet wide by 100 foot deep chasm to get to the rest of it (part that I'm on).

Photos of Josh and I (self portrait) on the summit of Sparking Touch. King of Pain looms in the background...that's next on the list!

Spring Break in Cocoa Beach

Last week Finn and I traveled to Florida for a week at the beach. We had a nice balance of relaxing, cooking gourmet food, walking on the beach, swimming in the pool, and seeing the local sights.

Finn is going to be a little fish. He loved his first experience in a pool. By the end of the trip he was splashing away and didn't cry one bit when I quickly took him underwater with me. The sand on the beach was mesmerizing as well as all the other treasures buried in it (scratchy, dried seaweed, sticks, shells....). Of course, he had to try the requisite mouthful of sand. One sampling was all it took to quickly realize that it didn't taste very good. Not much later though I found him "chewing" away on a tiny shell. Thankfully I noticed that before he attempted to swallow.

What else did we do?
-We tracked down a group of manatees at the locks
-Combed the beach for sea beans, shells, Portuguese man-o-war, blue buttons, etc....
-Peered into the night sky for the returning Endeavor space shuttle. Although the clouds obscured our view, we did hear the sonic boom as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere
-Took an airboat tour on the St. John's River. Finn was so cooperative with wearing his ear protection.
-Ventured to the Cape Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. We are sure he said "apple" three times while we stopped to have a snack.
-Endured the strong winds at Jetty Park. Finn leaned forward to the edge of his stroller in excitement when he spotted a feral black cat and then subsequently for a small group of shorebirds skittering down the walk.

Despite being in a total "mom only phase", Finn warmed up to the new setting and had a great time with grandma and yaya. He refined his wave, learned to drink from a straw and became very determined that he would learn to snap his fingers like yaya. The adults were not the only ones that ate well. Finn discovered a few new favorites; quinoa, garbanzo beans and navy beans.

After all our fun in the sun, returning home to 10 inches of fresh snow was a bit of a shocker. Thankfully Spring is here so snow in the valley won't last long.

Movin' Dirt

This afternoon I took advantage of a quiet house and pushed through and finished our raised beds! All said and done, it took me a lot longer than expected, but I'm really happy with them. Hopefully our weed issues and phantom tomato snatcher problem (Hudson!) will be no longer.

Erika is in Florida for the week. This morning (5:15 am) was rough for all three of us, but we made it to the airport OK, and E reported that Finn survived the flights without too many squeals! Wednesday I'm off for southern Utah to enjoy the spring weather and climb with an old friend...

Chris
Next on the list is getting grass to grow!

View out the 2nd bedroom window...much improved! The wavyness is from the 80 year old glass, which needs to be replaced, err actually the whole window needs to be replaced.

The best "before" photo I could find.