g&g

it's been a while, huh? well, i haven't been home much to be honest. and i don't exactly have my evenings the way i used to before hyde was born. but it's okay - i wouldn't trade it for the world. just means that some things don't happen as often as they used to. for a while anyway... eventually he'll go to sleep at 7:30 (or 8:30) when beth does and i'll have time to do things like this more often.

today my post is one i should have posted long ago when these pictures were taken. pictures of my grandma and grandpa from our time together in jackson hole last august. and let me just tell you right now, i have never known better people in my whole life than my grandparents. wise and kind, but also very cool, they exude love and give of themselves so freely. i've never met people who pass judgement on others less than they do, and they seem to have a genuine love and concern for anyone who crosses their path. that alone is one of the most amazing things about them. they love each other with a deep love and even though they often correct each other's stories (don't all old people do that?), you'll never see them fight or bicker or say one bad thing about the other. they have the ultimate relationship. the kind you see in movies. the kind everyone wants. the kind few are lucky enough to have. does it get better than them? i tell you, it does not. i don't know people more generous than they are - they're the kind of people who would take a stranger in and offer them everything they had if it would help another. they literally lead a life of service, and it's incredible.

one of my favorite pictures ever:



my grandpa totally rules the school. he's the kind of person you could sit and talk to for hours and hours, just listening to his stories and wisdom. he often tells of tales from his past, his youth, vigor and adventurous spirit filling his eyes again and marking them with a twinkle. i'd know that look anywhere. whenever he wears a hat he rests just on the top of his head and it lies a little bit crooked, which just makes it all the more endearing. though he's big and burly, he has the softest heart on the planet and isn't afraid to shed a tear or two, almost with the notion that if you feel it, there's no sense in hiding it. it's just honest. he gives the greatest hugs you'll ever get - the type where you just get lost in his warm strength and want to hold on forever. he's also taught me that when things get tough, you bow into the wind and press forward, knowing you'll come out tired, though much stronger, on the other side.



and my grandma... her bright blue eyes sparkle and warm your heart like nobody's business. she epitomizes unconditional, genuine love. there's always room at the table for one more in grandma's house and no one is ever a stranger. with amazing wit and perfect charm, my grandma keeps it light, keeps it real. the best of the best at putting things in perspective when you need it most and offering encouragement when you need that even more. her body may not be as young spry as it once was, but her spirit sure is, and i don't think there's much out there she would let slow that down. with a smile that comes easy and is cozy warm, you could talk to her about anything. somehow she seems to know what you need long before you do. patient and strong, selfless and kind, her wisdom shows through in her every deed. she is the utmost example of showing the pure love of Christ.



somehow this is the only picture i have of their faces from our time at the lake that day. but we have big plans for a photo shoot, don't we grandma and grandpa? :) where i hope to capture more of their story. maybe they'll let me share on here. i hope so.

i love you grams and gramps. you guys are the coolest grandparents ever. i know i say that a lot, but i mean it. for reals. thank you for being you, letting me be me, and loving me the way i am. maybe someday i'll be like you. i could only hope so....

easter

easter sunday was a special sunday. we blessed hyde on easter. it was beautiful. and as a result, we had some family in town to share it all with us. the weather was perfectly warm, we of course had easter egg hunts and candy guh-lore, and spent most of the day outside on the deck. a good break-in for the summer. it was a good, good day. i was so happy that day.




hank also got a new bike recently. check this bad boy out.



so sweet, right??? c'mon, it's awesome.


it's also awesome that beth really wanted to ride on it too. so she asked her daddy if she could.



so he, of course, obliged and took her for a ride. the safest way absolutely possible.



easter could have gone downhill really quickly if things didn't go as planned there... good thing it didn't. she totally loved it and would wave to me as they went back and forth in front of our house. even got comfortable enough to pick her nose a time or two while up there (where did she learn that anyway???)


(some other fun pictures of the girl and the man from the weekend)



couldn't have been a better day. literally, could not have been a better day. love days like that. just love them.

the not-such-a-bust day

this day was a lot better. after all, the zoo does not close in the middle of the week and then host tours right in front of you as you stand outside and watch in pain. (i'm totally over it though, can you tell?)

yes, indeed one of the things we did last week was go to the zoo. and honestly it could not have been better. it was an 80 degree day, we went with some other good friends, and pretty much saw everything. except the elephants. where were those darn elephants? even got to see the lions eating a giant bloody, fleshy bone, which was honestly a little disturbing for me. but the girls loved it! (see picture below). anyway, definitely not a bust, the zoo. definitely one of the best days we had during my time off. it was sweet.

the little guy

i haven't really posted a lot on here about hyde. i guess because in comparison to beth he just really doesn't do much. i've got some catching up to do! man, he is such a good baby. so mellow and just, chill. he is awesome. started smiling a lot recently and i LOVE IT!! here's some pictures i took of him this last week... it is so cool when they start to become a little more expressive - i love to see all the different faces they make as they learn to put some emotion into their face! hyde's becoming a champ at some of them...



i'm pretty sure he's thinking of beth in these ones...



you just wait 'til i'm mobile... i'll get you back for all those eye pokes and kicks to the face and times you shoved that pacifier down my throat...



no seriously, i'm coming.




favorite of the day, though, is this one:




a rare shot of the two of them together that actually turned out.

back to work today. i'm gonna miss spending my whole day with these two - it was an awesome 3 months off. the best 3 months ever.

the farm

yesterday i had planned to take beth to a local farm where you get to look at pigs and chickens and cows and sheep and other farmy animals. all morning i talked up this farm to her, expressing a great deal of enthusiasm to see these animals and the baby cow and sheep and pigs that we would get to also see. beth became excited for the trip to the farm. the 25 minute drive to this farm was filled with exclamations of "let's go find the aminals!" "cows!" "chickens! (bok, bok, bok)" and "horsies!". excitement for our venture to the farm began to swell within me, knowing the joy my daughter would find in seeing these animals we had made such a big deal about all morning.

we arrived as scheduled and pulled into the half-filled parking lot. i put on the moby (which takes a good 5 minutes) and loaded my smaller child in said baby carrier. again, i implored beth to jump for joy as we had now arrived at our much anticipated destination. we walked toward the entrance. on our way we pass the cows who are eating. the fun begins...

...and ends immediately when we go to pay for our tickets and find this:





what?! i look for a sign that displays their hours - surely this is a mistake. i see one and squint as i read it: Monday and Tuesday - CLOSED. i stand there in disbelief as if one of the workers will telepathically know what i have done to praise their farm with such great effort. i think that if they know this, they will come and open the gates for us. but instead, i now have to find a way to explain to my over-zealous child why we cannot go in... why the door is closed.

i do my best. i fail. she goes to the door and knocks on it politely, but firmly, requesting they open the door. these are the exact words she uses as she pounds her fist against the wood. i stand there letting her do this, hoping that someone, anyone will hear the desperate pleas of a two year old and let us in to see the animals. however, this idea also fails.

i see a playground nearby. i am hoping for some sort of redemption. surely a slide will be just as fun as seeing the baby sheep, despite the fact that we go on slides nearly every.day. this one is a different (and unfortunately smaller) slide. in my sweetest voice i persuade her to walk toward the playground.

as we again pass the cows near the entrance on our way to the park, i hear voices from within the farm walls. high pitched squeals and laughter and an explanation of how the cows are fed from a deeper voice. and there, not 30 yards from us on the other side of the cow pen, is a large group of people walking inside the farm gates. children and parents pointing at the cows, little bodies being lifted into the air so as to get a better view. beth of course sees this group of people and again asks me to go in to look at the animals. my disappointment now turns to anger. i wonder if we are getting punked. but no, we are not. we have just found ourselves caught in a double bust. farm closed, punch #1. group of people including children having such great fun inside of closed farm right in front of our view, punch #2. i am defeated.

we make it to the playground and play for quite some time as i put off walking back to the car knowing we will again have to pass the farm on our way and i will again have to try to explain the closed doors. two other moms and their children join us at the park. i notice their cars parked next to mine. eventually we walk back and instead of making the 25 minute drive home, meet daddy for lunch, another failed attempt at redemption.




i am grateful the park wore her out enough to sleep on the bench through the entire lunch, and that she forgot about our extraordinarily anti-climactic trip after waking up.

we will shoot for the farm on friday.

and today? well, today was not a bust but a total success. more on that to come.

the countdown

so it's my last week home with these two. i'd by lying if i didn't say i was having some anxiety about going back to work. i try not to think about it. i try to remember that it's going to be okay, the same way it was the first time i did this. but then i look at them and can't help suddenly hating my job. actually, i take that back. i don't hate my job. i like my job. i'm good at my job. what i hate is that it takes me away from them everyday.

so to distract ourselves we have big plans for the week. today i'm getting things done. things i said i would do the entire time i was off and never did. but the rest of the week we are having fun. we're just going to stay busy playing and enjoying each other and the beautiful weather we have. and i'm going to keep trying not to think about going back to work next tuesday. yep friends... the countdown has begun.

the geriatric ward

after 2 1/2 months of being a stay at home mom, and running my errands during the day, i have come to terms with being a part of the geriatric ward. because those are the only people out early in the morning running their errands too! no seriously, 9 out of 10 people at the grocery store have to be at least 87 years old. this isn't the case when i shop after work or on the weekends - that's when everyone else goes out. but on a weekday, btween 7am and noon, i'm telling you, it's like walking through a nursing home that happens to have rows and rows of food for the taking in it too. i tried to get pictures to prove it, but after a lots of disturbed and bothered looks from said older folks and a few failed attempts at clear pictures because i was using my phone camera, i gave up. instead, i took a picture of how i have learned to successfully grocery shop with two children, namely a 2 year old.





give the girl some snacks to eat while sitting in the cart and you're golden. works everytime.



and by the way, i love old people. don't get me wrong. they're entertaining with their "let me stop you and tell you how cute your kids are, then tell you my life story" - ness, or occasional begrudged looks when you shove cookies into your napless, crying toddler's mouth to keep them happy during your we-have-nothing-at-home shopping experience.... i have nothing against old people. i think they're famtastic, really. i just now know that other stay at home moms must shop when the working moms shop. but personally, i like shopping with the geriatric ward. it's a nice change of pace for me.