Bandaids

Are there any kids out there that don't love Band-aids?? Allie loves them! The other day I was blogging and Allie wandered over. She pointed to my elbow and said, "Owie mommy." I didn't think anything was there so I didn't think much of it. Later on I was wrestling with her on the ground. My elbow started to itch, so I asked Allie if I had an owie. I thought I could feel a mosquito bite and was wondering if it was red. She bent down to look at it and said with her furrowed brow (anyone who has seen Allie knows this look), "Dar it!" (darn it!) I guess I say this when she gets hurt? Then she jumped up and ran off. She stopped before she went around the corner and said, "A minute mom, a minute!" while holding up one finger. I followed her to see what she was doing. She ran down the hall saying, "A Ban-aid, a Ban-aid mom." I thought it was so cute of her to run and get a bandaid for her hurt mommy! I let her put it on me and then of course she had to have one too. She found a really big one and put it on her elbow, and then peeled it off and put it right on her bellybutton. She pulled it off and on several times and then ran off to do the next thing on her list. Before I had her I had no idea I could love her so much!!



Working hard to get that
Band-aid on just the right
spot.






Showing off her
"Ban-aid".

Garden Open House

Our hospital just opened the private garden for our OB floor! We are so excited! It is beautiful with trees, plants, green grass (shh, it's fake, but it totally looks and feels real!), a waterfall coming out of a rock wall in the middle of the garden, benches, and a playground area for kids. Banner Gateway was built using evidence based practice, so everything they have done in building it has been proven by evidence to enhance healing. From the outside structure to the rooms inside, everything is focused on nature. Nature has been found to have a healing effect. This picture is a view of the hospital from the front. It was built to look like mountains or rocks with a waterfall running down the middle. (The blue color in the middle is windows.) Our new garden will allow our moms and families to get out of their hospital rooms and into nature, and provide a place where the new brothers and sisters can get out some energy! Allie and I went to the open house on Thursday and got to hang out with my mom and Rick for a little while! (Plug for Banner Gateway: I know I might be a little biased because I work there, but seriously, this hospital is amazing! Every room in the hospital, not just our floor, is a private room. They have room service for your food so you can order what you want and when you want instead of everyone getting the same meal tray, large flat screen TVs in every room, internet access in every room, movie packages for like $5 a day to watch however many movies you want (our dads like this one!), huge windows and a fold out couch in every room (for family obviously), each hospital bed mattress is filled with air and adjusts to your body when you move or turn over (our patients love this!), and the rooms are huge! I could go on and on, but I think you get the point...)

Grandma playing with

Allie in the play area.

Allie loved the waterfall

(on the left in the pic).

Rick picked her up and

let her splash the water

and she loved it!

She tried to crack the

combination to see

what was in the safe in

Grandma's office.

Allie's face sums up how

much she loves Rick!

He can always make Allie

laugh! He was making

his Vocera (kinda like a walkie-

talkie for all the employees)

make funny noises.

This is what happens after

spinning too much...

Allie is keeping her options

open. In case she decides to

not be a nurse, she could

always try her hand at being

a sumo-wrestler. She spreads

her legs wide and shakes her

hips while slowly lowering

to the ground. Goofball!

Allie loves washing her

hands with the hand gel on

the wall.

Zazoo's Garden

My inlaws planted a garden in their yard and it is absolutely thriving! Nick and I have toyed with the idea of square foot gardening and have decided to do it. Hopefully it will be done in the next couple of weeks and I will be sure to post pictures! Anyways, I couldn't believe how much Allie loved playing in grandma's garden! Her and Emma had a fun time finding and then picking the ripe veggies...and some that weren't quite ripe, too. FYI: My nephew Jayden couldn't say Susan, my mother-in-laws name, so he called her Grandma Zazoo. The rest of the grandkids have picked up on this and she is now known as Zazoo. Allie loves playing with her and Papa. Last Wednesday Allie and I went over because we haven't seen the family in a few weeks. Allie got to play with her cousin Emma. She has really been missing her! When we were walking inside Emma said, "Allie, hold hand?" So Allie gave Emma her hand and said, "Yes, hand." and they walked inside holding hands. So cute! I wish I could have had my camera out! Allie is lucky to have her cousins so close!

Grandma taught Allie

how to pull out the

carrots.

Allie picked some carrots

and Emma picked a

tomato!

Aunt Kristi was showing

the girls how to find and

pick the red tomatoes

and not the green ones.

Emma and Allie look

anxious to find them.

Allie found some!

And Emma found some

bell peppers!

Oh what do you do in the summertime...

when it's blazing hot outside?? You fingerpaint! I'm trying to be more creative, because it's too hot to go outside and our poor Lady and the Tramp, Winnie the Pooh, and Fox and the Hound 2 DVDs are starting to wear thin...and so is my patience with watching the same movies over and over and over and over.

So what do you do in the summertime?

You remind your

great-grandma

Powell how much

you love her and

miss her in Utah!

You dress up in a

garbage bag and

paint your face?

You spice up that

plain 'ole plastic

bag!

You concentrate

very hard on

which colors to

mix...

and where to put

those cute little
hands!

You show off your

colorful hands.

And you pretend

like you know how

to use the timer

on your camera!

A Triple Happy Birthday!

June 24th is a popular day for birthdays! My cousin Caitlin turned 15 today, my friend Melanie turned 23 today, and my friend Jaime turned 22 today! Happy Birthday girls! Yesterday we celebrated Caitlin's birthday at her grandpa's house. We had fun cooling off in the water and eating way yummy gluten-free cakes. I'm telling you, we are perfecting those gluten-free recipes! My aunt Wendy made a gluten-free Texas sheet cake with marshmallows and chocolate fudge on top and my grandma made a gluten-free chocolate pudding/whipped cream cake with a nutty crust. Both so good! Even the family members without celiac disease liked it! Allie loved splashing everyone in the pool and got to show off what she has learned so far in her ISR swimming lessons. She was playing with rings in the pool and they fell onto the step that was too low for her to bend and pick them up, so she started picking them up with her feet and bringing them to her hands. It was so cute to watch! Poor Nick was working hard at work and didn't get to come. But we missed him and I appreciate what a hard worker he is!

She loves

the water!

Picking up rings

with her feet!

Lynsey and Grandpa

I love this pic of Josh and

Grandpa laughing.

The birthday girl!

The big 1-5!

Love that

breadcake!

Father's Day

For Father's Day Nick got a book he has been dying to read and a DVD. And for those of you who know my husband, these are the perfect gifts. He has quite the DVD collection and is obsessed with reading! It's true. He usually reads at least one book a week. He and his family swap books, but if he doesn't have a new one he will read one he has already read. How can you do that? You already know what is going to happen! He LOVES to read. He read the whole Work and the Glory series in a little under 3 months (and for someone who works full time that's insane I think!). I like to read, but for some reason never set aside time to do it. We went to Nick's parents for dinner and had desserts with all of my family.
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who is also an amazing dad. Nick is always so willing to help with Allie even after working in the hot sun all day. He always has Allie and I laughing. He never complains about changing diapers, giving Allie a bath, getting her ready on Sundays, and the list goes on and on. I just started a new job working as an extern nurse and I work 12 hour night shifts a couple nights a month. He has been so supportive of my schooling and was not at all bothered by taking care of Allie all night long. I truly could not have asked for a better husband and daddy for Allie. Our future children are so lucky!
I am really blessed to have Nick's dad in my life, too. From the very beginning he welcomed me into their family and considered me one of his daughters, which means more than he will ever know. He is such a great man and I am grateful for his love and service to our family. My grandpa and uncles have always been a support system for me as well. In fact, when Nick and I decided to get married I told him he had to ask permission from my mom, my grandpa, and my uncle Kent. Since my dad has never really been around, and when he is he's not really a father-figure, I have been able to turn to my grandpa and uncles for that father figure.
Father's Day has always been a hard holiday. In past years I have been bitter and angry and wondered why other people got to have such amazing fathers. I was almost angry at other people for having a good dad because I felt they didn't know how good they had it. The day always left me filling empty and sad. As I have gotten older I am learning to forgive my dad and am starting to realize that for his condition he is doing the best that he knows how. It has taken a lot of years though and I don't think I will ever really be completely ok with it all, but at least it is getting better. I have learned to rely on my Heavenly Father for strength and to look to him for comfort during those times when I ache for a dad. My mom has done a great job of playing both the mom and the dad, and I know if it weren't for the experiences we have had together, my mom and I might not be so close. So for that I am grateful because I consider my mom one of my best friends. Nick has shown me that there is such thing as a dad that loves unconditionally and will be there no matter what. I will forever be grateful to him for what an amazing dad he is to Allie and know that Allie will always know she has a father who loves her.

Father's Day Weekend

Father's Day weekend we went camping at Hagler's Lake (just past Christopher Creek) with some friends. Nick, Allie, and I left after Nick got off work so we didn't get there until after dark, but we had a really good time. We decided next time we go we'll have to go the White Mountains, because it got hot really fast in the morning. Luckily there were shady spots to sit in and for the kids to play in. Allie had a fun time playing with Aiden and we adults had fun getting out of town. *Side note: On the way up we stopped at the Wendy's in Payson for dinner. I have fun memories of the Wendy's because we would always stop there on the way to my great-grandparents' house in Strawberry. Apparently those days are gone, because the Wendy's has turned into a real dive. So sad! I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with no bun and couldn't eat it. (See picture below and you'll know why! You couldn't even see the burger because there was so much ketchup and fatty bacon...and that white stuff is mayo.) The bacon looked like onions because it was clear and jellylike and, c'mon, so it might be weird that I have to eat it without a bun, but that doesn't mean it has to look disgusting. Am I right?* After we got home and had quick showers we went to Lindsay's parent's house for a BBQ. We roasted mallows to make s'mores and passed around the cute babies. It was a full, but fun weekend!

Was I

overreacting
or does this

look way

gross?

Settling down for

the night.

She slept all

night and woke

up a little sleepy-

eyed, but happy.

Allie and Aiden

had fun licking

ice cubes and

throwing them

back in the

cooler.

This pic made

me laugh. They

were both mid

bounce and

yelling.

Allie loved sitting

in Aiden's chair.

Apparently we
will be stopping

by Walmart

before our next

camping trip.

Allie stealing a

kiss!

Our first camping

trip as a family.

The Girls!

The Boys!

Making dirt

angels before

the drive home.

A little treat

for being

such a good
camper!

Allie and

Bekah.

Forget the

chocolate

and graham

crackers!

Cooper was

tired after

all that

swimming!

Paper = Markers = Paper?

When it comes to coloring...Allie and I do not communicate well apparently. I have tried to be really good about explaining what things are to her. For example, when she colors I tell her that she is coloring on paper with markers, crayons, etc. So, when she decides to color on herself, the TV, couch, entertainment center, our pillows...I tell her, "Allie, we don't color on that. What do we color on?" To which she always replies, "Paper!" And then I say, "That's right Allie we color on paper." Well, the other day I think I figured out she thinks markers are paper. I was in the computer room and Allie, I thought, was watching Winnie the Pooh. Unfortunately, she was actually coloring...everywhere but on paper. Luckily they are washable markers and it all came off, sort of, but where does she find these markers?! I hide them and she always finds them! Anyways, I asked her what we color on and she held up the marker and said, "Paper!" We need to work on this I guess. If you click on the pictures you can see her body artwork.

MMMmmm...breadcake

One day Allie was reaching for something on the counter and kept saying, "Breadcake, Mommy, breadcake!" Breadcake? What the heck is that? I finally figured out that she wanted a piece of banana bread. How cute! She calls banana bread "breadcake". Or so I thought...apparently anything can be breadcake. It is like a huge umbrella word that can mean just about anything. For example, bread, brownies, cupcakes, cake, doughnuts, muffins, pancakes, fudge (yeah, the fudge threw me too). Grammy Jean had a lady in her ward drop off cupcakes and Allie of course had to have some breadcake. What a goofball!

A little milk with

her breadcake.

We made these

ones at home and

she was such a big

helper frosting

them!