Taking Shape!

They say that it's good when you're trying to get in shape to put a picture up of yourself in good shape to keep you motivated. I'm taking that same approach with our house. I look at the picture of what I want the house to look like when we're done to keep me motivated....


Today we got the framing done. Do you see - it's starting to take shape!...

Next up on the outside: the roof. Next up on the inside: refinishing the hardwood floors! I'm most excited about covering up the tar paper with our beautiful cement fiber board. *sigh* It is going to be so pretty! The main color of the house will be a light tan, the trim will be white, there will be dark brown shakes on the gables, the roof and accents will be black, and the front door will be cranberry! The anticipated finish date for all the outside work is July 31st. Cross your fingers that we stay on schedule!

Frequent Visitors

Today after lunch with my brother's family and visiting my sister-in-law who just had surgery, Chloe and I went to our main hang out, Primary Children's Medical Center. You know you're a frequent visitor when the man who works at the valet parking recognizes your vehicle and knows which door to get the wheelchair out of, before you even get out of the car! You also know you're a frequent visitor when the security officer says, "Hi Chloe!" as you walk past to go to your appointment. You also know you're a frequent visitor when your computer pulls up the hospital's internet automatically, because you've used it so much that it recognizes it. Oh well! It's not a bad place to hang, and I always seem to make friends with other parents at almost every visit!

Today we are here for Chloe's 4th brain MRI. I was thinking about it today, and realized we get pictures of Chloe's brain more often than we take her to get her regular pictures taken. The brain has a photo shoot every six months. Chloe only gets a photo shoot once a year.

Poor Chloe, they sedate her for her MRI's, and so all day today she could only have clear liquids, and two hours before she couldn't have anything at all! Plus she was supposed to be sleep-deprived, which meant no nap. She is such a trooper, though, she wasn't ornery, even after they gave her an IV! Maybe because she's done this enough to know that getting an IV means getting a prize from the nurses. (Today's prize was a little blue monster!) ....

Since I know she does well under sedation and coming out of sedation, MRI's are no big deal for us these days. While she's sleeping I sing lullabies, digital scrapbook, and at the moment I'm blogging. Isn't she just precious?....

The song I've been singing today is:

Oh, Hush Thee, My Baby - Childrens Songbook

Oh, Hush Thee, My Baby

Oh, hush thee, my baby; A story I’ll tell,

How little Lord Jesus On earth came to dwell;

How in a far country,Way over the sea,

Was born a wee baby, My dear one, like thee.

Lullaby, lullaby, lullaby dear.

sleep, little baby; have nothing to fear.

Lullaby, lullaby, lullaby dear.

Jesus will care for his little one here.

(The last line is my favorite!)

That song is oh-so appropriate for us. Whenever I'm with Chloe, in the hospital setting especially, I feel angels everywhere! Who better to be frequent visitors in your life than angels! I think angels surround Chloe because she's an angel herself. It is so comforting to know that she is well taken care of (and it takes a lot of pressure off me)! =)

I've gotta run. The little blue monster is trying to steal my snacks!....

Fun With the Fam on the 4th!

We had a very boring 4th of July.

Do you sense the sarcasm there?

We spent the first half of the day working on our house, then we got cleaned up and ready for the parties....


The Bennett family party was so much fun! All the kiddos were ready to play and dressed so cute in their red, white & blue!....

Everyone went swimming:

Played on the trampoline:

Chloe loooooved all the animals at Uncle Matt's house, especially Porter the dog:

Isabella mimicked the chickens - how funny!....

There were games and prizes for the kids. It was so much fun! First up, the bean bag toss:

There was fishing for prizes:

The boa prizes were a hit with the girls:

Everyone had so much fun!....

Then we headed to my parent's house for fireworks and fun!.....

Happy 4th of July and here's to living in the wonderful land of the free!

Update, Silver Linings & Happy 4th of July From Chloe!

Update on Wyatt (It's good news!)....



Waiting was awful, but once Wyatt got to the Burn Trauma ICU, he was being taken care of by the best there is! They evaluated him and told us that he had 2nd degree burns to 6% of his body. His left leg had it the worst, and his right leg was 1st degree burn - like a very bad sunburn. There is one spot on his left leg that they believe may be 3rd degree, they are watching it very closely. He was in quite a bit of pain, but they have been able to control it for the most part. When he first saw me, he asked me if I could please take the blanket off his leg because it was hot. There was no blanket on his leg (and he was a little doped on morphine). Poor thing, but he's such a trooper and so brave! We were all worried that he would be so scared being life flighted all by himself (they wouldn't let either of his parents go with him), but he actually thought it was cool! Also when they were first looking at the burns and putting on the bandages, the doctor said instead of screaming or crying that it hurt (like most people do), he just grit his teeth and asked if they could please put some cream or cold water on his leg. The general rule is that people who are burned stay in the Burn Trauma ICU for as many days as the percentage of their body that is burned, so since he has 6% burns, he will be in there for about 6 days.

We have found many silver linings to our dark cloud of Wyatt hurting himself yesterday. First, and most importantly, Wyatt has officially learned his lesson about playing with matches. Also, we hardly ever get to see my brother and his family because they live in Montana, but this forces them to spend some time in Utah - and I for one love it! I know it was hard for them to leave their business (they run a hotel in Yellowstone - and 4th of July weekend is one of the busiest times for them), but it is so nice to be able to be with them! It's especially fun to see the newest addition to their family, little Isabella. She was just born in March and I haven't seen her since the day she was born! But it was worth the wait, she is just a joy!....

Also, since I was at the hospital waiting for and being with Wyatt yesterday, Oby got 90% of our house painted (without me)! He says I'll do anything to get out of painting! hehehe, He's right! But I made up for it today and painted most of the finishing touches and one full room.

Chloe is so cute during any holiday. I think she can sense excitement, and it makes her excited too! Here she is to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July, and show off some of her cute red, white & blue outfits....

Thank you again, everyone, for your love and support on my family's behalf! I love having this avenue of keeping close with so many friends and having their support when I need it! Thank you! Thank you! And Happy 4th of July!!!

Pray for Wyatt

My nephew Wyatt was playing with matches and gasoline today, and caught his leg on fire. He has 3rd degree burns on one leg and 2nd degree burns on the other leg. He is being life flighted from West Yellowstone to the Burn Unit at the University of Hospital. I'm here waiting for him to arrive. Waiting is horrible. I've said my personal prayers, but I ask for as many prayers as we can get! Wyatt is such a special young man. We love him. I hate to think of him in pain or scared, and I especially hope his recovery will go as well as possible.

Thank you for your love and support!

So You Think You Can.... Remake a Beatles Song?

Something tells me I'm not the only SYTYCD mega fan out there. Can I get a boo-yah from all the rest of you SYTYCD fans?!? I actually don't quite get why I love the show so much. I'm not typically into dance. I respect dancers immensely - because I can't dance AT ALL. No, seriously, even when I'm just doing workout videos in front of Chloe, it sends her into hysterics! Even she knows her mom is seriously lacking in coordination. =)

So I've been thinking about it, and figured out that although I enjoy watching the dances, and I even like the annoying judges, the reasons I truly LOVE the show are: Cat Deeley and the music.

Now don't get all jaw-dropping on me. My girl-crush on Cat Deeley isn't anything too weird. I just love that girl's hair, clothes, and cute personality! Isn't she simply fab?!

Next up: the music. They come up with the latest, greatest songs that you won't hear on the radio. But then they go and make the songs popular, and sure enough the radio snags them for some playtime. But before radio, songs like this can be heard on SYTYCD.

Don't you just love it!?!?!? And that's just one! I could go on and on, but nothing beats a Beatles tune with a twist!

Summer Kick Off - Finally!

So far, summer in Utah has been lame! The weather has been more rainy than the typical March or April. That's why it has taken us this long to hit our usual summer hang-out spot....

But today, temps were in the 90's (until it got cloudy/rainy in the afternoon - I'm tellin' ya - lame!) While it was still warm, we enjoyed the sunshine....

Chloe was extra infatuated with PJ and kept blowing him kisses (she blows kisses by opening her mouth and looking at someone - it's hilarious!)....

We enjoyed lunch in the shade....

And when the weather started getting lame, Chloe enjoyed curling up in her hooded towel....

Here's to many more sun-filled, non-lame days to come!

A Wonderful Day!

Today we decided to take a picnic and go for a long drive. We went up Emigration Canyon, and then decided to stop at East Canyon Dam....


It was the perfect spot for a picnic, and a great place to wade our feet!...

When we got home, Chloe decided she wanted to swing....

Then we stopped by our house renovation project to check out a few things, so Chloe had to play on Grammy's trampoline for a minute as well. The static electricity was in full swing this time - how funny is this pic!....

It was a great way to spend our 3rd anniversary!

~ Three ~

Initially the number three seems small, but trust me - it's big.

I had given up on ever falling in love at least three times before meeting Oby. It took only about three seconds after meeting him to know that there was serious chemistry between us. After three hours into our first date, I was pretty sure there was something special there. It took Oby three dates to give a kiss, three weeks to say those three little words, and three months to pop the question. It took me three months to get the wedding details just right, and three minutes to promise ourselves for eternity. It was three months after the 'I Do' that I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant. Three trimesters later Miss Chloe was born. And then there were three. The three of us have lived in three houses. Oby has changed career paths three times. I'm pretty sure since all this went down, I've got at least three gray hairs, and I think Oby might be missing three hairs (cough, or more, cough)....

You may have guessed it by now. Today is our third anniversary. Three years of wedded bliss - or as Oby puts it, 'It feels like only three minutes....under water!' Of course he's kidding! You're kidding, right honey??? ;O)

Happy Anniversary to my perfect husband! It's truly no wonder you snagged the perfect wife! LOL - I kid! I kid! =)

Love you! XOxoxoXXxxxOOOXOXOooxO

Not All Heroes Wear Capes

Today was the bike race for MS in Northern Utah....




Have you ever wondered who provides the snacks and drinks for all those bike riders along their ride?....



Now you know. Oby and his team from BD Medical. And somehow he roped his brother Jamie into helping also!

The volunteer shirts say, 'Not all heroes wear capes.' I like that.