Grand Canyon Trip

So, I finally kifed the memory card from Jordan...it took me long enough. He wanted to show his coworkers the pictures yesterday so he took the memory card in his pda and I was left picture less. Sorry. But, fair is fair I suppose.

We left last Thursday and drove all the way to Kanab and spent the night there. It was nice, only driving part way to the Grand Canyon. Sarah, however, slept with me that night since our room was too small for her porta-crib to be set up. She would wake up during the night and thought it was fun to play with my hair, so needless to say I had little sleep...but I had fun in Kanab to say the least. It is beautiful there and I wouldn't mind going back again.

On Friday we traveled the rest of the way to the Grand Canyon. The 3 1/2 hour trip from Kanab seemed a lot longer! AZ's landscape had is beautiful moments, but overall I am not a fan of the dessert. But the wild flowers were in bloom, the trees were bright green with new leaves, so it was pretty in most parts against the bright red rock.

Since we arrived at the Canyon early we decided to scope the points to see what would be of interest when Justin and Lindsey came to meet us on Saturday. We parked at Shrine of the Ages and took the shuttle up to Hopi Point. It was fun...everyone on the shuttle thought Sarah was the best thing they had seen at the Park. She was making her 'motor' noise and laughing, cooing, and drooling herself into fame on the shuttle. It was really quite enjoyable. Sarah just can't help but be cute!!

On Saturday Sarah woke up at the early hour of 6am AZ time, which meant 7am at home. Breakfast didn't even begin till 6:30am, so we enjoyed taking our time getting ready for the day and deciding what trails to hike.

Justin and Lindsey arrived around 9am and we quickly piled everything in the tiny Honda and took off for the Canyon. Lindsey had never been to the Grand Canyon either, like Jordan, so she really enjoyed the picturesque views as did Jordan. We decided to hike the rim trail from Mather Point to Bright Angel Lodge, about 4 miles. It was really fun.

Sarah had the time of her life in the backpack. She kicked, made her all famous motor noises, and ate a yummy cookie...and eventually tired herself out into a nap. Isn't this the cutest picture?!

But that wasn't all. Jordan was walking and talking with Justin, Lindsey, and me and suddenly stopped walking. He looked around trying to spy something in particular. He then smiled and began laughing in hushed tones. Of course Justin, Lindsey, and I were confused. Jordan whispered trying to hold back laughter, "Sarah is snoring!". Of course I grabbed the camera and shot a video...here you go!

After we made it to Bright Angel Lodge we decided Sarah had enough hiking for one day and was ready for her 2 hour afternoon nap. And we were all ready for lunch as well. We headed back to the hotel, ate lunch really quick, and I put Sarah down for a nap while Justin, Lindsey and Jordan went back to hike Bright Angel Trail.

They were gone about 4 hours! They hiked down an hour, and it took them 2 hours to hike back up. Jordan said it was a fun hike, but very steep and exhausting. He was glad we decided not to take Sarah on that hike because it was unstable and steep-not a hike for anyone wearing a backpack with a mobile baby.

So, Sarah and I decided to go swimming while everyone recuperated from the hike. Jordan, however, came swimming with me and Sarah instead of taking a nap which he decided to take after we got done swimming. The water in the pool was cold, so we didn't stay too long.

We then met for dinner and ate at a diner, which was expensive...of course we were in a tourist trap so I shouldn't have been surprised. We then rushed to the Canyon to see sunset. We tried to catch the bus to Hopi Point to see the all famous sunset, but missed the last shuttle by 2 minutes!! They wouldn't take anyone back there and it was a 5 mile hike...we couldn't make that hike in 30 minutes for the presentation. Urgh, well, it was still beautiful where we were anyway, don't you agree?

Sunday we decided to see the last points of interest in the park before we headed back home. We stayed in the park for another hour or so, and the wind was blowing like crazy!! We all agreed we were glad we got our hikes in yesterday instead of then. It was a bone chilling wind and Sarah was having a hard time keeping warm--mostly because she would squirm out of the coat I had wrapped around her. She was born to be free!!

Once again Sarah entertained everyone on the shuttle. She held none of her sound effects back and let everyone know she was on the shuttle with them. She was the only baby on the shuttle so she did receive a lot of attention. I suppose she just can't help being cute. Auntie Lindsey sure thought Sarah was cute!

Then we drove home...wow, what a long car ride with Sarah! She was good the first 2 hours and then started fussing. But overall she did really well for being strapped down for 8 1/2 hours. Poor thing. We should have taken it slow home too, but Jordan had to be back for work on Monday since he decided to work the night shift.

Well, that was our trip in a nutshell. It was very fun and we are looking forward to going back to the Grand Canyon when Sarah is a lot older. We are planning on rafting down the Colorado for a few days--sounds fun, huh!!

Trip

Hello All~ So, Jordan has my memory card to my camera in his pda, so I don't have any pictures of the trip right now. I'll have to snatch the memory card from him when I get a chance. But, let me tell you, there are some really cute pics of Sarah!! She is such a doll. Everyone on the shuttle buses loved her, especially her 'motor' noises. I'll update more later when I have the pics to post.
Natalie

Preparing for a "Grand" Vacation

So, Jordan and I are packing today for our trip to the Grand Canyon. Well, I am packing once I get home from work...that is after I have to drop the truck off to get flares so it can pass inspection. Anna is kind enough to meet me at the dealership to take me home. After which, I was instructed I have to pack not only Sarah's and my stuff, but also Jordan's because he has scouts. (Long sighs)

Whew, talk about a stressful week!! I have been running everywhere this week at work and it never seems to slow down. I am glad I am taking off this week for the Grand Canyon, a part of me doesn't think I can take another long week like this again. Cleaning out the DAC Library was stressful enough, now they are having me clear out the storage room (which is a huge garage!!). I also had to prepare 8 packages to be sent to China, prepare all the paperwork, and ship them out yesterday. I wasn't born to be a shipping clerk for a reason! I only hope this was a one time deal, if not at least I am prepared for next time...right? Hopefully today isn't as stressful.

Justin and Lindsey are meeting us at the Grand Canyon on Saturday and we are looking forward to some fun hikes. Don't worry mom, we will be careful and steer clear of all cliffs. I want to live to see tomorrow too. We are hoping the spring run off is still going and we can see some waterfalls. But we all know that the Grand Canyon is a dessert and you never really know if there will be any water from day to day.

Well, I leave Thursday and I am counting down the hours till I can forget about work and hit the road with my little family. This is a desperately needed vacation!!

Radio Game Show Contest

So, today has started out good. I played a radio show game on 101.9 the end, and I won!! I got a gift certificate for the Smart Cookie Company. They have the yummiest sugar cookies ever. I won their trivia game because of Justin's Rugby obsession....one of the questions asked was regarding the Red Skins in Australia. We had to answer what sport they played. The other guy said soccer and I disagreed with him because of course the Red Skins are a Rugby team. Justin would be proud of me.

Also, my neighbor Phil is so nice. He and I take the same route to work every morning and we normally leave around the same time. He saw me pulled off the side of the road and thought perhaps I had a mechanical problem. So he called my cell and asked if I was okay. He said he would have stopped but he was in a hurry, so he thought just to call instead. Isn't he nice? My neighbors are awesome!!

Anyway, things are just as busy as normal. Sarah is growing up way too fast. She is already wearing size 12-18 month pants since she is so tall!! Of course the waist doesn't fit, but the length is right. Sarah is also enjoying eating really 'grown up' food. She likes noodles a lot, and bread. When I have a sandwich I will share my bread with her. She feels so grown up!! It is cute how she mimics chewing. You'll have to see it.

I have a PQ party tomorrow and I am hoping it goes really well. I am headed for vacation next week and a little extra spending money never hurt anyone, right? Not to mention, I have to pay for the booth at the trade show at the end of this month. I am excited for the trade show and I think it will go really well. I am hoping that I can recruit some good people who will go and sell PQ products!! There is money out there, we just have to learn how to get it...right?

Jordan, Sarah, and I are headed to the Grand Canyon next week. We are so excited! I am ready for a vacation. May I add, a desperately needed one too. It, so far, is supposed to be good weather. I am ready to strap Sarah in her backpack and set foot on the trail. The only downfall of this vacation is Daisy Mae is not coming. Dogs are not allowed on the lower trails, so we wouldn't be able to get in all the hiking we want to if Daisy was to come. Next trip we go on Daisy will be sure to come...that is because it will be Bear Lake!!

Sarah's Sniffs...

So, I finally captured Sarah's signature 'mommy sound'. Sarah only seems to make this signature sound effect when I am home, which means weekends. She doesn't really make the noise or the face during the week. But hey, this is so cute I'll be glad to claim it as mine. She sniffs really fast and makes the cutest scrunched, puckered face ever!! See for yourself...

Cute, huh!! Now that Sarah is doing more and more sound effects, I am beginning to wonder what other babies do to entertain themselves. What are some sound effects your babies have done?

Feeding Herself!!!

So, last night we had some Italian food...well, Natalie's version of macaroni marinara. And yes, I did make the sauce from scratch as always. I like homemade sauce better than canned because the flavors are more fresh and you know what is in the sauce, especially sodium.

Anyway, I decided to have Sarah join us since I normally give her a cookie or toast to eat while we eat (this way both Jordan and I can eat at the table together as a family instead of tag teaming like we did when Sarah was younger). At first the noodles were too slippery, but when they started to dry out and become sticky Sarah had an easier time figuring out how to pick up the noodles and stick them in her mouth. She is 7 1/2 months old and can successfully, although slowly, feed herself. What a big girl!!

The movie kind of cuts out a little early, so there are two parts. Here is...drum roll...

Sarah the Big Noodle Eater Part I

Sarah the Big Noodle Eater Part II

Now we really have to watch what she grabs!

Poor Little Sarah!!

Sarah has a double ear infection and is breaking two teeth at once!! Poor thing! I took her to the doctor yesterday after I noticed she was grabbing at her right ear. I asked Jordan if she had been doing that all day while I was at work and low and behold, she had been. So I immediately called the doctor and they were able to get her in that very day.

So poor Sarah had to see the doctor last night at 8:40pm when she is normally sleeping. The doctor said that Jordan and I have been very lucky to have such a healthy baby since this was her very first time seeing the doctor for an illness. I told the doctor that Sarah normally sleeps from 8:30pm - 5:30am and lately she had been waking up screaming during the middle of the night. She reiterated how lucky I am to have such a good baby (I already know I do...Sarah was definitely sent first for a reason because after my pregnancy I needed a good baby).

After the appointment we had to pick up her prescriptions so we had to drive to Walgreens 24 hour window to get them. We didn't get home till a little after 10pm, 1 1/2 hours past her bedtime. The poor thing was in pain, hungry, and exhausted!!

But, we did get ear numbing medicine so all in all she won't be in anymore pain. The doctor also put her on some antibiotics. Sarah is taking this all in good stride. She is actually enjoying the taste of the medicine and not spitting it out. Keep Sarah in your thoughts! I can't wait till she is past this troublesome stage.

But, on Sunday we had a good day considering. Here is a video of Sarah making some of her famous sound effects. Let me tell you, the Elders in church thought it was pretty funny to have a baby making farting noises behind them during the lesson. Sarah also makes a cute sniffing sound effect, but I couldn't capture it on video. Trust me, I am on the look out and will catch it soon. She makes the cutest face!!

Isn't my little baby so adorable?! She learns all her noises from me, despite Jordan thinking he had something to do with them. Well, whatever floats his boat, right?!