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John comes home to three new family members, Kaylene, Hallie, and Joseph. I can't wait to see him. I totally look forward to seeing all my family members. One week from today the family reunion starts. The countdown is on!
Hallie has grown quite attached to her books. She can tell me the names of most stories. Her favorites right now are:
"D-night moon" (Goodnight Moon)
"Dam-bury" (Jamberry)
"Padama ime" (Pajama Time)
"Bawn-awd dance" (Barnyard Dance)
She can recite many lines and will quote them throughout the day. It is so precious when she reads "D-night moon" back to me. She reads with such a sweet voice. My favorite is when she says "D-night nobody" she slows down every syllable as she says it. If she gets fussy in the car, a good remedy is to quote lines from her books and she will finish it.
MOM: "In the great green room there was a . . ."
HALLIE: "Tell-phone!"
MOM: "And a . . ."
HALLIE: "red ball-loon!!"
She also particularly loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? She can basically read the entire book since it is so repetitive. All she has to do is identify the picture and then repeat the same phrase. So, she thumbs through it and says "Goldfish, Goldfish-- what a see?" and "Teacher, Teacher-- what a you see?" and so forth.
Hallie is so conversational. Yesterday when I went in her room at morning time she said "Hi, how a you?" I said "I'm good, how are you?" "I'n good!" she responded. Then she asked me lightly "You have fun in nigh-night? You have fun seeping (sleeping)?!" It cracked me up how she wanted to chit-chat. Her eyes were so wide and pleasant like she was catching up with an old friend at church.
She continues to be quite the little singer too. She has almost mastered "I Will" by the Beatles. It has been one of my lullabies for her since she was born. It is so cute to hear her scoop her notes and slide up the scale at the end of the song. The notes are an octave apart and Hallie usually overshoots the octave but it is still darling nonetheless. This morning as she was eating breakfast she starts singing "Down, down baby I could do . . . (she didn't know how to say "karate")." It is a song children sing on her Elmo DVD. She was singing it very rhythmically though-- it had loads of pizzaz!
Hallie likes to talk about the upcoming reunion and the family she will see: "Unca Mar, Aunt Taren, A-man-da (she holds out the second syllable longer), Unca Dan, Aunt Taylene, Ma-pa (grandpa), Mama . . ." For some reason she forgets Joseph (but gets excited when I remind her)and gives me a puzzled look when I mention "Uncle John." She also is good at saying"Jessica" and "Baby Danny" (which she always say in a high-pitched squeal). We will see them in Rexburg.
I will be more mindful of what she is saying and doing in the coming days. I haven't recorded it as well recently.
yes, that is a tear
Thanks to great friends who gave us one free admission and made an awesome picnic lunch (thanks Eyrings!) we enjoyed another trip to the zoo on Saturday. There is a brand new exhibit called "Rocky Mountain Wild" that is exceptional. We loved the grizzly bear, bald eagle, and mountain lions. We are also so happy that the Eyrings pointed out where the lions are (we missed that the last two times). Hallie enjoyed her day chit-chatting with the animals "Hi giraffe . . . Hi ell-fant (elephant) . . . Hi buwd (bird)!" and was as pleasant as can be until nap time when she started to bawl. She didn't stop crying until she was home in bed 45 minutes later!
Hallie is sooo over it!
Several weekends ago Chris and I had a super date! And when I mean super date, I mean no Hallie (despite how much we love her) for 24 hours. On Friday night, Chris dropped Hallie off at his mom's house. I cried (very briefly) after they left since it was her first time spending the night somewhere without us. But she loves Grandma ("Damma") so much that she didn't blink twice at saying good-bye. She just said "Bye-bye, see ya!" to Chris. Mom later reported that Hallie didn't make a peep when she was put to bed or when she went down for a nap.
That night, I made us a nice picnic dinner of greek salad with feta in toasted pitas, chips, grapes, and drinks. Chris drove us down to a new theater in town and we ate in our car. Then we saw two movies! It was so fun! We saw Iron Man and Prince Caspian and I rate them both 10/10!
The next morning we slept in until aboout 7:30 because there was no baby to wake us up. We leisurely got ready and met our friends at 9:00 so we could drive up to Elitch Gardens in Denver. Our friend Josh secured us discount tickets through his work. Chris and I rode the old-fashioned coaster, Twister II, twice. Then, I went on a riduculously dinky ride that made me nauseous. Apparently I grow more sensitive to rides the older I get (much like my father). Josh' wife, Emily, planned a great picnic lunch so we ate on picnic tables in the parking lot before we headed back to the park for a few more hours. We loved our time together. It was so great to hold hands without having to push a stroller or carry a toddler on a hip. Plus, it made us miss our little "Hallie-Who" a lot!
I love you Chris! I am so happy to be approaching our seventh wedding anniversary!
Emily Eliason, Michelle holding Edana Eyring, Jenn Eyring, Lindsey and Ben Eliason.
Larry Eyring and Josh Eliason
I got this idea from my friend Jenni's blog. It sounded like a warm and fuzzy thing to do so I thought I'd give it a shot. Here are the directions if you would like to participate:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, if it is recent or years old, silly or serious--anything you remember! It can be about Chris, Michelle, or Hallie since it is our family blog.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
As an added note, this is a great way for readers to say hi. I have a feeling there might be readers who read that I am not aware about. (I love to read some and stay quiet myself). Don't hesitate to say hello and how you found us. Are you a friend of a friend? Did we know you many moons ago?
I can't wait to see my side of the family at the family reunion in the coming weeks! I love my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Plus, I can't wait for the invaluable time with my Grandma, parents, and siblings. They really are my best friends. John is coming home from his mission so it will be the first time he meets Hallie. I think he will love her! He also will be able to see how big Amanda is and what a cutie baby Joseph is. We also get to stop off in Rexburg and meet baby Danny and see Chris' brother Dan and his fantastic wife Jessica. It will be great to be back in our college town for the first time in two years. It is really special for me to take Hallie there because that is where I spent 8.5 months of my pregnancy-- hiking up hills finishing my degree. Plus, we do have such fond memories of our time in Idaho. Another huge highlight of our upcoming trip is spending time with my Mom's family to celebrate my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. How exciting! I can't wait to see all those loved ones!
I have to say I really like life. There are always so many fun things to look forward to. Breaking Dawn, the last book in The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer is coming out on August 2. I am re-reading the books in anticipation for the finale. Also, the third book in the Eragon series by Christopher Paoulini is coming out in September. After Harry Potter 7 came out last year I thought I would never again share that excited feeling of waiting for a good series to end, but here I am waiting for two. (For the record Harry Potter is still my fav, then Twilight is really close and Eragon is interesting but not an all-time fave). There are a handful of movies I am excited for this fall . . . how fun. I am so happy that there are always fun books to read and movies to see.
In spite of all the fun things to get caught up in the future I am still relishing everyday life. It's a nice place to be. Chris and I aren't overtly wealthy but we're incredibly happy. We love our little family.
Loving today and looking forward to the future . . .
Michelle
Lots of people have the dream of their ideal family. I've heard many a friend say they wanted to have a boy first so subsequent siblings could have an older brother that was protective and strong. Well, that is just what I got. I grew up with the best older brother, Mark. He was a mere eighteen months older but he has always been eons older in maturity.
Mark taught me my colors and numbers. He encouraged me to be good. Our competitive natures led me to be a better piano player, a better reader, and a better singer. One thing I love about Mark is that he hasn't changed much. His loves now are much the same as his loves at six-years-old: sports, music, Star Wars, mountains, news, history, snow, family, his wife (they've had crushes on each other since they were born). Once when we were little Mark read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to me in one night. He let me sleep on his floor whenever I was scared (although he later claimed there was a tarantula under his bed).
I idolized him. When he was the lead in the play Oliver at school there was no one who could match my beaming smile on the playground. Mark was a diligent example of scripture study and journal writing when we were young. Once a Sunday School teacher asked me if I could believe that an angel would visit an adolescent boy and I answered "yes" because I could believe it. I felt that my big brother was worthy for it, so I knew Joseph Smith was. One of my favorite memories is of a recurring ritual that took place at night. As we were lying in bed across the hall from each other he would quickly mutter "Michelle?" "Yeah," I would reply. "Just checking to see if you were awake" he would respond.
I cried when he went away to BYU. He was my best friend and those first months away I ached for him. I will never forget the surprise and honor I felt when he surprised us with a Thanksgiving visit from college and mine was the first door he knocked on late at night. Now Mark is married, with a great job, and two gorgeous children. But he is still true to his role as my big brother. He still calls to check up on me and encourages me in all I do. I love you Mark. I wouldn't want to do this life without you.
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After a week of "settling in" we are done. We just have to organize our beloved garage tomorrow and our task is complete. Please note we still have some tweaking to do. There is obviously no painting done (which we would love to do) and there are still curtains and accessories to be purchased (in time). But, these pictures will give you a basic idea of what everything looks like.
We love our place so far. Our new ward at church is so welcoming and seems outright phenomenal. Hallie loves all the extra space to run and squeal and she has mastered climbing the stairs. Whenever she completes the task she exclaims "I did it!" She also continually tells herself "good girl" on the way down. We haven't heard a peep from our neighbor who shares one wall. We are happy, exhausted people. On top of all the work from moving, I wore myself out tonight baking chocolate chip cookies, whole wheat rolls, and making a large batch of strawberry freezer jam. The end product was worth it but so far the kitchen mess was not!
Please enjoy pictures of our humble home . . .
