Amazing How a Year Changes Things

September 2008.
September 2009.

June 2008.







Sept. 2009.



The Zoo, September 2008.







The Zoo, September 2009.



Jacob and I went to see the debut of the new baby elephant. So cute! (Jacob actually found more fascination with the ceiling fans over our heads in the elephant observation deck.)



Mobility in September 2008.




Mobility in September 2009.


I actually enjoy having him more mobile.

Amazing how much they grow up!

Grandma Bastian

Grandma with Jacob, April 2008.

A week ago my Grandma Bastian passed away at the age of 94. It was sad, but also happy for her. She was in good physical health, had all of her faculties, and took no medication for anything.

I think it was actually easier to see her pass since she lived so close to us. For the past 3 1/2 years she has lived with my mom down in Springville and I saw her quite often. The past month is when her health started to fail and each time we visited she was weaker. You could see it was not a fun existence...so when I receieved the call I was more relieved for her than I was sad for me.

I consider Grandma B. my "adult life grandparent." When I was growing up we always went to my dad's parent's to visit in the summer--so I think of them as my "childhood grandparents". They both were gone by the time I was 26 and since I've lived in Utah for 20+ years I got to know Gr. & Gr. B. much better.

Grandma in July at her 94th b-day party.

Grandma had 7 children, 43 grandchildren, 98 great grandchildren (with 3 more coming), 1 great, great grandchild (with one on the way). That is a lot of posterity! 27 of the 43 grandkids were at the funeral in Springville so it was fun to visit with everyone. Some were able to go over to Vernal for her burial (she had lived there for 25 years.) 27 of the grandkids from oldes to youngest.

Grandma was a great person and always had a good sense of humor. I'm glad she is finally with my grandpa!

Cleaning

I used to come home from work on a Friday and dig right into cleaning my house. It took me about 2 hours, but when it was done...ahhhh...it felt so good. That hasn't happened in at least 18 months.

Now I long for clean Mine are so dusty.
Clean Mine are beginning to look "marked and nicked."
Clean
So much changes when you have a child. You give to them all day and by night I am tired. I know that cleaness will once again be restored and children will be grown up, but for today, I need one of these to come by and do it for me. ;)
Did anyone ever look this good cleaning? I'd fall and break my neck if I wore heels like that while washing my kitchen floor!

Gone 8 Months and I Still Miss It

You know how you get in habits of where you buy food, gas etc? For me it was always Albertsons on the corner. I always bought gas there--when I was working I filled up 2x a week and it was simple to just pull in on the way home.

Well, Albertson's was not doing well and it closed on Feb. 23rd, 2009. When I am planning my errands, I still have that gas station come to my mind...going other places seem to be out of the way. Funny how you form patterns that are hard to break!

Going from a Compact to a Minivan

Jacob has discovered the joys of riding in his very own car at the grocery store. When I stop to pick something off the shelves he lets me know that we should not be stopping, but rather moving along, as he is driving.

I have never pushed one of those grocery carts with the car in front....it is not that it is that much bigger, but I felt like I was going from a compact to a minivan "driving" the thing through the store. He loved it.

Thanksgiving Point and Silver Lake

Last week some friends and I took our kids to $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point. We saw cows, horses, baby goats, etc.
What is he looking at with such eager fascination? Soaking in all of the educational opportunity his mother is trying to provide him...broadening his viewpoint and expanding his universe? The ducks near by in their pond?
Nope...he is looking at the drain pipe. Or as Jason pointed out, he is "studying the gradient field and optimzation of the hydrodynamic flow paths." Funny what you put before them and what actually interests them. :)

Last Saturday we went as a family up to Silver Lake. It was a perfect day for it and had a nice time strolling along with Jacob,picking up dead pine branches and pine cones. He loved it.






So did we.