24th of July Friends

On July 24th Aaron took Braden to see the Bountiful parade with Mike, Becca, Anna, Adam, Grandma and Grandpa Parker. I stayed home with Cailin because she had a low grade fever (99.6) – not something to be concerned about after 2 months, but before that a fever of 100.4 would have meant a 10 night hospital stay for her. I think everyone enjoyed the parade but Anna and Braden particularly enjoyed each other's company. It was really fun to watch them together while Mike and Becca were here for a visit. Braden learned to play Pet Shop with Anna. She conceded and played dinosaur dog (dino from the flintstones) several times with Braden. They really become fast friends. After the evening, there were a few things that were talked about several times. First some excitement when a fire engine left the route or had to cross the route to help someone (since I wasn't there I was never clear on this). And second that Anna and Braden rode an enclosed ferris wheel by themselves! That is surprising for Braden but even more so for Anna. I guess everything is easier when you get to do it with a friend.

Anna and Braden at the Bountiful Parade

Braden with another close friend...

Disney Days

July 21st we took Tyler to Disney Days at the Gallivan center. Initially the boys wanted to go to the Dinosaur Museum but we taliked them into the Gallivan Center with the lure of possibly seeing a Disney Character. The boys got their faces painted - Braden as a tiger and Tyler as a leopard. They jumped in a bounce house, played games to win prizes and rode a fun train that gave them a train whistle. Did they meet Mickey Mouse? No. Evidently this event is so named because Radio Disney is one of its many sponsors and the name "American Family Insurance Days" just won't bring the kids in droves.

Afterwards Tyler and Braden still wanted to go to the Dinosaur Museum so we did. (We actually go there all the time since we bought season passes, we just don’t really mention it anymore.) Did they see dinosaurs? Yes :).

Parade Float Preview

On July 20th we went to see the parade float preview at the South Town Expo center. We saw floats with animals, animation and even toys but the one the kids loved the most had 3 couples dancing on it. When we had seen all of the floats (and pretty much torn them away from the dancing one), Braden waited in line and got his face painted like spiderman while Tyler, Anna and Adam got twisted balloons. When we met up with them again, Grandma had a balloon sword for Braden, too, so a lot of running, pretend fighting and animal rescuing ensued. Even when Braden ran face first into a tall square garbage can, the play paused for about 30 seconds and then just kept going. Kids + open spaces = FUN!

Spider-Braden

Left to Right: Adam, Tyler, Braden adn Anna

Fair Day for the Zoo and Training Table?

On July 18th Aaron took Braden to the Children’s fair (I stayed home with Cailin to keep her out of the heat this time). WE had been a few years ago at the tail end and loved it so we are going to try to catch it every year from now on. There are train rides, crafts, and all sorts of fun and it is, of course, free to the public. This year Braden met several costume characters and built his own toolbox from wood at the home depot tent. Next they met Grandma and Grandpa Christensen at the Zoo for ice block day. I hear the ice blocks weren't that great this year but it was all made up for when Grandma bought Braden a snow cone!

Then they met Cailin and I at Training Table to eat lunch with Mike and Beccca who had come in town to celebrate the 24th. What a busy but fun day! (By the way, I am a hickory burger girl, how about you?)

Braden hammering his tool box together

Braden with the Bees Mascot

This is the place - for popsicles

Sometime in mid July (forgive my lack of memory - I was more than a little sleep deprived at the time) we went to the This is the Place State Park for a special event day. Although the employees didn’t seem to know much about what was going on, we eventually stumbled into lots of free fun to be had. There were bounce houses to heat you up and cold water and popsicles to cool you down. There was even a magic show if you wanted to sit under a tent. Because of the heat we didn't stay long for Cailin's sake but it was great while it lasted.

4th of July Fireworks

On the 4th of July we celebrated Cailin's one week birthday by walking to the Wyker's - some friends a few blocks away - and watching the most spectacular home fireworks display I have ever seen. Several men and boys (all acting like boys) kept at least 3 fireworks going non-stop for 45 minutes! With those and the occasional illegal firework that burst above us from somewhere nearby (not sure where but we have a guess) it felt like we had gone to Sugarhouse Park by the time we were done! Braden absolutely loved the evening. He got to drink his own full can of lemonade, held his first sparklers and spent time with the Wyker’s son, Alex – a new favorite friend. Cailin, on the other hand, just took a really nice long nap. A great evening for all.

Baby Blues

Even though we had heard that every child is different, we still prepared our world for Cailin as if we were expecting Braden again. I got extra burp cloths, prepared the swing and backup swing, made sure there was a path for Aaron to walk the baby at night without falling over anything, etc :). Needless to say, Cailin is her own little girl. She doesn't usually need to be walked at night, isn't a real fan of swings and somehow keeps her food inside her. What does she like? Staring. As a mom, the thing I can often do that makes her the happiest is to stare into her eyes. Motherhood ... what a tough, tough job.

The beautiful blue eyes with long, curly lashes that stare back at me for up to 50 minutes at a time (no exaggeration!)