Road Trip

Last week Mark had an interview for a federal clerkship in Bay City, Michigan.  The cheapest way to get there would be for him to drive, so we decided to make a family vacation out of it.  We could've driven north and gone through Canada to make the drive shorter, but with Canon that would be a big hassle since he really doesn't have any ID to get through customs.  So, we decided to go visit Mark's uncle in Ohio instead.  It only added a couple hours to the total drive, and I got to hang out at his house while Mark drove the rest of the way for his interview.

Here are some highlights from the trip:

The long drive there was really hard on Canon.  He skipped his afternoon nap and got really fussy in the car.  At about 8pm he just crashed.  I was trying to prop his head up with the monkey (like a pillow) so that he wouldn't get a sore neck.  After being soooo fussy, I thought that his sleeping was extra cute!

Canon loved playing around in the "wide open spaces" of a new house.  So much to explore!

We went with Uncle Andy and cousins Erica and Trevar to see their old neighborhood and where Andy works, and then to run some errands.  Erica got to sit by the baby, and he really loved the attention.

  

We found this fun raccoon hat with all their toys... need I say more?

  

We all got to meet their goats and watch how the family feeds, milks, and otherwise takes care of them.  It was fun in the barn!

I got to help milk 2 of the goats.  It was a bit trickier than I expected... but pretty fun too.  After I finished, Oreo kicked the container and spilled about half of what we just got out of her.  I felt so bad because I figured it was my fault.  At least she didn't step IN the milk, but still!  *sighs

Canon did enjoy the goats, but this video doesn't quite do it justice.

Friday night we went to watch Trevar play in the marching band at the high school football game.  (Go, Trevar!!) Erica really liked playing with the baby while we were there, but I could tell that Canon was getting super tired.  I made them all leave the game early so I could put Canon to bed.  It was fun while it lasted though! Mark wasn't too thrilled about missing the last quarter.  I think he was getting into the game. :)

On Saturday we drove out to Kirtland, OH to see the Church History sites.  We went to the visitors' center and watched the totally awesome movie about the early saints in the area.  We toured the N.K. Whitney General Store, the Whitney Home, the Saw Mill and the Ashery, the Kirtland Temple owned by the Community of Christ and their visitors' center, and then finally the John Johnson Farm.  I have to say that I really enjoyed the LDS sites more than the Community of Christ sites, but I tribute that to the Spirit that you feel.  The LDS sites all have missionaries baring their testimonies, and you really get a feel for the sacred nature of the site.  Touring the Kirtland Temple was really cool, but everything seemed too fact-based.  They really didn't focus on the sacred nature of the events that took place or testify of their beliefs.  However, it was very organized and the tour guides were very nice people.

Here are some pictures from Kirtland, OH.

      

 

Canon fell asleep during the video they show before touring the Kirtland Temple.  His nap was way overdue, so I was glad.  He slept in Mark's arms all the way through the temple and into the last room, the inner court.  It was there that Mark said his arms were shaking and he needed to hand him over to me.  Well, the transfer woke him up, but at least he was a happy baby.

  

We then drove to the John Johnson Farm.  It was really nice to tour that old home too.  Check out the feather painting she had done on the doors and other woodwork throughout the house.  Pretty cool, huh?

By the end, Canon was getting pretty restless.  He was happy, yet pretty loud and distracting while the missionaries were trying to share their testimonies.  Mark said that the elder who spoke there at the end bore a really nice testimony.  Honestly, I didn't notice a word he said because I was trying to not be embarrassed by the rowdy pre-toddler. *blushes

But we got a family portrait in front on the very step where Joseph Smith, Jr. preached after he was tarred and feathered. Mark's grandparents served a mission being tour guides of this very house.  So, Grandma and Grandpa Smith, this one's for you!

We left to come back home on Sunday.  It was a very fun little vacation, and we were so grateful to Uncle Andy and Aunt Cindy for welcoming us into their home for a few days.  It was so fun to see their home and animals.  It was great to see you guys!  Let's hope it won't be too long before we see them again!

Andy and Cindy 

  Trevar

 

We can't forget Belle, the first animal that Canon actually warmed-up to.  She was a fun little dog.

Thanks for everything!  We love you!  (Sorry, there isn't a good picture of Erica... but I did get her in a couple videos.) 

P.S. We found out this afternoon that Mark did not get the job in  Bay City, Michigan.  Oh well!  It was still worth it!

A... let's call it "different"... Kind of Morning

So this morning, like most mornings, I woke up to get Canon dressed and ready for the day before taking Mark to work.  Sometimes I wait to feed Canon (and myself) breakfast until after we get back because of time.  However, this morning I wanted to see if I could finish feeding Canon breakfast beforehand.  Well, I ended up having Mark drive so that I could finish feeding him in the car on the way, which is fine... but I was starting to get hungry because I didn't eat.  I can wait though... it only takes about 1/2 hour total to drop Mark off.

All of the morning seemed fine and good- Mark was at work on time, I had a mental note of things I wanted to get done before picking him back up after work, and I had just gotten home and was thinking about what I would eat for breakfast.  I turned off the car, got out and opened the back door to get Canon.  Since Canon always likes to play with my keys, I put them in my pocket after locking the car doors because I knew that he'd put up a fight when I wanted to unlock the house door to get inside.  I got Canon out, shut the door and started for the house, reaching into my pocket to get the keys.  What?!?  No keys?  I looked in the car, there they were, sitting in the back seat.  They had fallen out of my pocket... after I locked the doors.  So I was locked out the house, with my keys locked in the car, and I didn't know what to do.

My first instinct was to call Mark, maybe he'd think of something intelligent and resourceful.  He suggested I call the landlord (Liz) to let me in the house and that maybe he'd be able to get a ride home from work.  Well, she didn't answer her phone.  (In fact, Liz didn't return the message until about 3pm today.)  I called a couple (the Hawleys) who are supposed to be hosting us for dinner tonight.  I got the husband who was at work and told him that I wanted to confirm our dinner appointment.  He told me he'd have his wife call me, and I was hoping that it was going to be right away.  (It's almost 4pm now and I still haven't heard from her.) I then called someone else whose number I had in my phone, but she didn't answer.  I asked a nice little old lady (Marie Moll- a neighbor) who was walking down the street if she'd be able to help me get to the courthouse where my husband was working so that I could get his key, but she was on her way to an appointment.  (She seemed genuinely concerned, but she's quite nervous about driving downtown.  She wanted to help but didn't have the time this morning.)  There was a couple from our ward that I wanted to call (the Stephensons), but I never programmed her number into my phone, so I couldn't reach them.  After a little while and a feeling of desperation crept on me, I started flipping through my cell's address book.  I came across someone I thought might be able to help (Callie Jennings) since I knew she was still looking for a job.  When I called her, she told me her husband had their vehicle at work, but that I should give Brooke Stephenson (the one whose number I didn't have in my phone but wanted to call) a try.  She had their phone number right there on her refrigerator, so I was able to get it from her.  Turns out, Eric Stephenson was able to stop by the courthouse and get the key from Mark and drop it off here at my house on his way in to work.  Eric said it wasn't too far out of his way, and he seemed happy to be able to help.  What a relief!!

I was in the front yard with Canon for about an hour by the time I was finally able to get into the house.  I was somewhat nervous and frazzled, but Canon wasn't any the wiser.  He just had a grand time playing in the grass and dirt, "walking" around the whole yard and up and down the sidewalk.  It was a good thing that I was able to feed him breakfast before we left because it was nap-time by the time we got indoors.  I was pretty starving though.  It was about 10:00am before I got to eat my breakfast, and I had been up since about 7:00am.  *sighs*

At least I was able to get Canon down for 2 real naps today, even if I didn't get anything else in the house done.  I'm just grateful for the blessing of a home, a loving and understanding husband, and a network of friends who could help me out in a time of need.  Needless to say, I felt kinda stupid this morning... but I'm better now!

Changed My Email Address

I made the switch from hotmail to gmail recently, and so far I'm glad I did.  It's been such a long time since I changed my email address, but I think this time was the biggest hassle.  I emailed everyone that I could think of, every contact in my other email contact list that I thought would ever use it...I tried to change the address for all those fun accounts (like recipes, parenting tips, etc.) but for some reason they still get sent to the old address.  And now I find that friends' private blogs that I originally had an invitation to won't let me in anymore.  Even when I try to log in with the old account, Blogger won't let me access those blogs.  Ugh!  So, for those of you who would like me to be able to read your blogs, please invite my new email address: kat.mark.dahl@gmail.com and I will be able to keep tabs on you too!

How many of you have changed your email address and what hassles did you have to go through because of it?

Lost Puppy, Belly Laughs and a Spider

I felt like I really needed to post something today, but the only things I could think of to post were these:

Those of you who had spent some time at our apartment in Allston, you might remember this little guy...

Most often paired up with this little gal...

Well, a couple weeks ago we needed to go to the post office, so we decided to take a walk there.  We had brought Banjo (the puppy) and another toy along with us for Canon to play with.  As we were leaving the post office, I noticed that both of the toys were missing.  I usually notice every time the baby drops a toy from the stroller, but this time I somehow had missed both times.  We were kinda bummed because Mark's parents bought those for us right after we were married and we had them displayed ever since.  Now half of the "couple" was missing.  I kept hoping that we'd find it on the sidewalk on the way back... we actually DID find the other toy that Canon dropped, but not Banjo.  So, that very afternoon Mark bought another one online from the Beanie Baby website.  The replacement arrived just a couple days later, and this one has a fancy collar.

Now Mark's parents will never have to know that we lost their puppy... wait a minute... Oops!  :)
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This was a video I took shortly before Canon's morning nap.  He was just laughing and laughing, so I had to get the camera.  He even went a little longer after I stopped the video too.

How long can you watch a baby laughing?  Go ahead, time yourself!  This video is almost 2 1/2 minutes long.

Canon really loves his Vergil. Thanks, Breanne!!
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When I was getting ready to put Canon down for his nap, I saw something in his window.  I tried to get a good picture of it because it's pretty big, but the best picture I could get from the inside was by zooming in on a shot taken from far away.  I don't know what kind it is, but it's yellow with dark stripes.  I think the video here is the only thing that does it justice.

Let's just say I'm glad to have doubled paned glass windows!  Eek!!