Our Very Happy Father's Day

Well, no one can say our son doesn't know how to make an entrance! Snow's sister was in town so we decided to go barbecue with them at her in-laws house. On the way there Snow was like my stomach hurts--probably because he ate 3 hot dogs after church. I thought, you know, my stomach kind of hurts to. While we were sitting there visiting with family I realized that my stomach and back were hurting every 3-5 minutes--could this be labor? Luckily one of the other family members attending the barbecue is a labor and delivery nurse and encouraged us to go to the hospital to get checked out. I really wouldn't have gone otherwise because I didn't think it was real. I hadn't had any contractions earlier and I didn't want to be one of those people who keeps getting turned away from the hospital for false alarms. When I got there and got checked at around 7:30pm the nurse was like "umm you are a 7 --you are definitely in labor!" Of course I would go into labor when my house is a disaster and my meticulously packed hospital bag was sitting at home by my bed! I will spare you all the gory details but David Sawyer was born at 11pm on June 21st. He was 8lbs 5 oz, and 20 inches long. My delivery was short and, with an excellent epidural, I would even call it sweet. The only bad part was that I am Strep B positive and because he came so fast they didn't have enough time to get me all the penicillin we needed so we had to stay in the hospital almost 3 full days, but he is healthy as can be and eats like it is going out of style! We couldn't be more grateful to have him here safe and sound! I thought you would all want to see how cute he is!
and in an effort to antagonize all of the Ute fans at the University of Utah Hospital, we couldn't resist this:

I am obsessed!

One of our neighbors mentioned that he knew of a great place to garden if any one didn't have room in their yard and we decided to jump on board. We have a little plot in a good-sized orchard where I am trying my hand at cultivating the land. I didn't cheat this year--I used seeds (except for my tomatoes of course). I have become completely obsessed--I don't know if it is part of the whole nesting thing, but I go check on it every day, hoe in hand. Saylor and I planted everything, and two weeks later nothing had sprouted. I cried. Then I decided to start the plants at home in one of those jiffy greenhouses. I transplanted my seedlings and found that most things had finally started growing on their own. My neighbor is a farmer, and while I often feel chagrin in his presence because I don't know what I am doing, he has been so helpful. I learned that it isn't necessary to pick weed by hand--that is what a hoe is for. He taught me how to set up a watering system that is super handy--I just have to turn on a sprinkler every 4 or 5 days. He also taught me how to help my fragile home-grown seedling make the transplant. This is a picture of my progress so far. It doesn't look like much, but I am so proud. I never thought I would like watering, weeding, and caring for these plants, but it has been so enjoyable. I can't wait to eat my garden -grown tomatoes and carve our very own pumpkins this year.

The Scariest Thing Ever

So I turned 29 the end of May--no that is not the reason for the title of this post. Here is a picture of us going our to dinner with my family to celebrate.

A couple of days later, on my actual birthday, I met Snow for lunch and we went to check out Red Butte Gardens.

The gardens were beautiful. They had one section that was a children's garden that was every kids dream. It was complete with:

Places to Hide

Critters to Climb

And a Spot to Get Dirty.

It also had one more thing that we didn't bargain for. (This is the "scariest thing ever" part, thank you for hanging in there). They have a tunnel shaped like a snake made out of plants growing over a wire snake shape. It is only tall enough for little kiddies to walk through and of course Saylor wanted to investigate. We waited for her at the end and as she exited the tunnel something was right behind her...a RATTLESNAKE

I wish I were kidding, but I am not. This venomous creature was right by my three-year-old. Luckily she didn't notice it until we had wisked her away to safety because she probably would have tried to pet it! Snow called the front desk and then stood as sentry while they sent a professional to come get the critter. Luckily no one was harmed, but as lovely as the gardens were, I don't know if we will be making a return visit any time soon!

Taylor Swift Concert

Snow and I had the best time ever at the Taylor Swift concert. Don't be fooled...Snow is the one with her tunes loaded on his ipod!I bought our tickets online the first minute that they went on sale and this was the result.I know this picture is wretched, but your eyes are not deceiving you, we are on the second row from the VERY top. Seriously if someone knows the secret to getting decent concert tickets, do tell!

One bad thing about the nosebleed section is that it is very hot, especially for women who are 4 weeks from giving birth! P.S. take a moment to feel bad for the only suckers in energy solutions arena with worse seats than us--that is them in the background.

Here is Taylor singing my favorite of her songs, You Belong With Me. This girl can totally put on a show. For instance this song included cheerleaders, and her in a band costume that miraculously turned into a slinky sequined number by the end. There was rain, a crazy drumming competition, a wedding dress, ballroom dancing, about thirty songs all about a girl being jilted by a boy and a house full of tween-aged girls. What was not to love! No seriously I am not being sarcastic--it was super fun and you should check her out next time she comes to town.

Chinese Dress

Snow's sister Naomi served her mission in Hong Kong and was recently able to go back for a visit. While she was there, she and her friend Dora picked up this cute little dress for Saylor. When we took the picture Naomi insisted she make peace signs because it is "very Chinese". I thought the result was adorable and wanted to share it.

Hike to Buffalo Point

Last weekend was the first that Snow has had off in 6 weeks, plus the weather was great so we tried hard to take advantage. After Saylor's soccer game( see previous post) we grabbed some smoothies and headed out for a family hike on antelope island. It would be a gross exaggeration if I told you that this was the most scenic spot I have ever encountered, but it was fun. At least it would have been fun if it weren't for the No See Ums. Yeah, we didn't know what they were either, but believe me we learned. They are some bizarre biting gnat that were thriving out there on the Great Salt Lake. At first I thought I was crazy because my scalp was stinging and itching like crazy--but all we could see were these annoying little gnats swarming us, and gnats are harmless right? WRONG! Lets just say that we learned first-hand about the enhanced interrogation techniques used at Gitmo involving insects, and had I been privy to any government secrets I would have been singing songbird to stop the madness. This is gross, but each time a tried to scratch my scalp to ease my discomfort I came away with bugs under my nails! The only person not bothered by the little buggers was Saylor. She had the best time ever, and was loving climbing the huge boulders. I guess if soccer doesn't work out, she might have a future in rock climbing, she was surprisingly fearless. Sadly we never made it to the end of Buffalo Point--we just couldn't take it. I guess we will have to do a little more research before our next family outing. I have reluctantly included (for those of you who have been pestering me for it) a picture of me: fat belly, fat face, fat bootie and all. This may be more gross to some of you that the bugs under my nails! Oh well, only 5 weeks to go.

Farewell White Sharks

Last Saturday was the final game of Saylor's tiny tot soccer season. This introduction to team sports proved to be a little rocky for Saylor. She spent the Fall wanting to play on the playground instead of on the field, and the first half of the Spring crying because her games were now scheduled during nap time. The last two games, however, were a bit more encouraging...She actually asked if it was her turn to "go in" and she ran after the ball with the other kiddies when she was on the field. She still wasn't aggressive enough to touch the ball unless she was kicking it in from out of bounds, but at least we saw some progress. Her excellent coach had his wife take some nice team photos. Sadly, picture day also happened to be the day that we were running super late and I couldn't find her matching pink soccer shorts, and I didn't have time to do her hair, but I still think she makes an adorable athlete.
On the final game the coaches held back all the other kids and let Saylor take the ball down the field and score a goal. I have never seen her so proud of herself! She ran straight off the field and gave Snow and I high-fives and hugs. After the game all of the kids got a medal (which Saylor is still wearing everywhere including church), and Saylor is convinced she got it because she scored a goal. It was really fun to see this side of her and we can't wait for next season to start.