July 4th Fun!

Three-day weekends are the absolute BEST! We were pretty partied out after my birthday last weekend, so we hadn't really planned much for the 4th. So totally last minute, we threw together a picnic with Nana & Papa, and what a fun time we had! The weather was hot, but not too hot, and the rain held out for us.

We met Wendy & Keith at Burke Lake Park, a really fun place that none of had been to before. It's a beautiful park and it has a carousel and a cute kiddie train ride. Thinking it looked tame enough, we decided to try the train ride. (This is the type of thing you can do with a baby in tow, that would make you look kind of crazy if you attempted without a kid along. Other such activities include going ward playgroup, the sprayground and library story hour.)

I don't know if we had a possessed train driver or what, but towards the middle of the ride, that train started flying down the tracks! It was like a mini-roller coaster whipping around the bends! Tessie's eyes were getting pretty big and I was gripping her tightly and wondering whether an infant has ever derailed into Burke Lake. It was a fun ride, but we noticed they were checking out the engine once we got back. Maybe our exciting ride was due to some sort of engine malfunction.

Sadly, I left my memory card in the computer (AGAIN!), so I didn't get many pics. Wendy was able to get a few cute ones on her camera, so I'll post them once she gets a chance to send them on.

Where Credit's Due

I've been meaning to post a big THANK YOU to my ever-talented brother, Ryan, for working on my new blog design. I've had several compliments regarding my technical skills with the layout and believe me--it was all him! He worked with me on the design in Idaho and he did it all for FREE (I'll probably have to pay a pretty penny for his technical expertise once he graduates!). Thanks Ry. I hope you like the TECHNICOLOR tribute!

Another Year Older and Wiser Too (You Got That Right!)

I had a great birthday that lasted all weekend long! On Saturday, Ryan, Tess and I took a trip to Annapolis, MD.

Before

Ry had scoped out a fun crab house, Cantler's, where we managed to polish off a dozen crabs between the two of us. The crab was yummy, and cracking open those crabs made me feel like a kid again. Dad, remember my short-lived attempt at starting a crabbing business? Just me and a couple of turkey necks in a canoe--I couldn't keep up with demand!

I could just maybe live in Idaho if crabs weren't so hard to come by there. (When I was at Utah State, I had a neighbor from Maryland who brought a huge container of Old Bay seasoning out to school with him. I thought that was hilarious!)

Tess' favorite part was the brown paper they put down on the table. She was a good sport--it takes a good bit of time to work through that many crabs! The old men sitting next to us wanted us to dip her bottle in the Old Bay seasoning. We resisted the urge, but I do think she able to absorb some of the local color.

After--aka "the carnage"

After lunch we spent some time bumming around downtown Annapolis. It was SUPER hot, so we just kind of checked out things to do on a return trip. It's a beautiful city right on the water, and I didn't realize there was so much to there. We had a fun time together.

The Maryland State House, circa 1772
(It's the oldest state legislative building in the country.
It served as the U.S. capitol in the 1780's.)

I waited CLEAR until Sunday to open my birthday presents, when Wendy and Keith came over for lunch. Ry made us lunch (I showed him how to do crockpot barbecue) and W&K brought yummy cake for dessert.

Tessie getting in lots of loves.

Tess proved that she has warmed up to Nana & Papa, though we couldn't convince her to show off her butt scooting trick for the grandparents. I guess you just have to be in a certain mood for a butt scoot.

Thanks to everyone for the fun birthday presents. Ry's present was TOTAL surprise! He gave me a first edition copy of Memories and Musings, a book of poetry by Emmeline B. Wells (after whom we named our Tess Emmeline).

A while ago, we had read in her biography that she had published a small book of verse and I mentioned to Ry that it would be neat to see if we could track one down some day. Well, leave it up to Ry to surprise me with an amazing copy (it was actually owned and signed by Leonard Arrington!).

Anyway, I guess if you have to get older, this is the way to do it! Thanks to everyone for such a nice birthday!

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head!

Tess and I beat the heat today with her first trip to the Spray Park! It's a bit of a splashy place and she wasn't quite sure what to make of all the noise and water drops that kept sprinkling her nose.

Tess was a brave girl, though, and she sat with me off to the side where we encountered only the occasional spray.

She did let me dangle her feet over some of the splash jets and she'd kick and kick at them as if to say, "Oh yeah? Take that!" That's the way, Tessie! You show that splashy water who's boss!

I think her favorite part was snuggling with me in a warm towel afterwards and watching all the other kids play. I liked that part, too!