We've been staying busy with all sorts of fun things over the last month or so! Of course our girls keep growing and learning and we love it! A few weeks ago we visited the Cahokia Mounds just across the river from St. Louis in IL. They are the remains of an native american civilization. We thought it was so amazing and very interesting as we were able to hike the stairs up to the supposed temple and explore the museum. It was a very hot and muggy day, but it was fun. Brynlee was such a trooper.
The Saturday before Memorial Day weekend we went to Johnson's Shut In's down here in southeast Missouri with my cousin Kellie and fam. I'm a loser and didn't take pictures for fear of my camera being broken/stolen/washed down stream. It is a cool place to play in the river. There are lots of big rocks and a decent current that keeps the water fairly clean. Brynlee especially had a blast sliding down rocks and catching tadpoles. It was a beautiful day and lots of fun!
Memorial Day was quite memorable for us this year. We went to a party at some friends in our ward's home who have an awesome pool. We've been swimming there many times before and lately Brynlee has felt more than comfortable in the water. She is still wearing her water wings most of the time but she loves jumping of the diving board, the sides of the pool, and going down the slide. She is FEARLESS. She had been doing all of this at the party over and over and over. She wanted to show her primary teacher how awesome she is so she marched up the ladder of the slide and tells Sister Jensen to watch. We, completely expecting her to slide down as she has multiple times, watch as she takes a leap off the slide trying to make it into the pool. I had a complete heart attack as I watched her land on her bottom on the concrete and then bounce into the pool. I was sure she had some serious injuries. She was screaming (of course) as we fetched her out of the pool. I was ready to take her to the ER right then, even nervous about holding her since I thought it likely she had a back injury. I was very impressed with the way Jordan handled it. (It probably helped that he didn't see it happen!) But really, that was the first time I saw him as a physician. He did great! Miraculously, 20-30 minutes later she walked into the house to eat, and shortly after that she was back in the pool and going down the slide again. The next day there was not even a bruise nor was she the slightest bit tender. We feel so blessed that she landed the way she did and where she did or things could have been much worse. Even still, I'm sure there must have been an angel that slowed her fall and I am so grateful!!
Since then we've been swimming on a regular basis at our apartment pool, blowing plenty of bubbles, taking walks, and trying to teach Brynlee to swing a bat. We love the evenings we get to spend with Jordan. He is on call for most of the month of June so we feel like we've seen less of him lately which makes that time even more valuable. The girls and I were able to go pick blueberries at a farm a couple of times. It is a fun thing to do and we love the berries even more
Last weekend we were able to take a fun trip to Nauvoo and Springfield, IL. Several of Jordan's extended family members were touring the midwest church history sites and were were able to meet them in Nauvoo. We were able to be in them temple together on what would have been his grandparents 75th wedding anniversary. It was an amazing experience. We enjoyed seeing Carthage jail and the sites around Nauvoo. We saw some family member's graves and heard stories of their courage and sacrifices. We are grateful for our rich pioneer heritage. Brynlee and Ellie's favorite part of the trip was watching BYU's ballroom dance team perform. They were both dancing and squealing and Brynlee was obsessed with all the sparkily dresses and shoes. It was wonderful to be with family and make memories.
We also had a great time in Springfield, touring some of the Abraham Lincoln sites. Jordan and I have been reading Killing Lincoln which made it that much more interesting. They have an awesome museum and we also went to his tomb. I'm already looking forward to going back and spending more time there.
Ellie is now 10 months and weighed in this week at a whopping 15.6 lbs taking her off the chart into the negatives. She is such a little peanut. She already loves pestering her sister and finds it hilarious. She is walking along furniture but rarely gets brave enough to try on her own. She says, "Papa, Dada, bye-bye, and yea!" I'm still waiting to hear "mama!" She is also signing for 'more,' 'please,' and 'all done.' Her latest obsession is the bathroom and particularly unrolling the toilet paper. She also LOVES the bath!
Brynlee is most certainly getting a mind of her own. I feel like she's 3 going on 13. She has the 13 Articles of Faith memorized and is getting to be a great reader. She was so sad to see her cousins go when we were in Nauvoo and is so excited to see them next month.
We did find a place to live in the Creve Couer area and will be moving at the end of July. We are excited about the short commute for Jordan and feel like we are getting a relatively good deal on the townhome we are renting. It will be nice to have more options for shopping and more to do, but we will miss the friends we've made here in Farmington. One year of residency down, two to go!!!!!
2 comments:
You guys are doing some fun stuff! I love all that history. I sure miss the time we all went to Nauvoo together. Such good memories. I'm so glad you are doing good. Your new place sounds like a new fun adventure. The girls are growing so fast and absolutely beautiful! Miss you!!
Can't wait to see you next month!!! Ellie is so big, and Bryn is probably too smart for her own good! :) They are both too cute! Thanks for the update!
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