Back to Preston

Our latest adventure was a little one-nighter to Preston, Idaho, to visit Kameron's Grandma and Great Grandpa. It's always a lot of fun to visit that little town that is so full of history, yet parts of it have hardly changed since the first white settlers came upon it in the mid 1800's. We stayed at Great Grandpa Etmo's cabin up Deer Cliff Canyon. It is a quaint log home that was built by Great Grandpa's own hand. It's woodwork is amazing to see from its pinewood cupboards to its tree-ring/resin filled floors. We made a point to drive up to Riverdale to visit Great Grandma Hull's grave. She passed away in August 2007. I was privileged to meet her on a few occasions as dating, engaged, and then as newlyweds with Kameron. The cemetery in Riverdale is set on a peaceful hillside that overlooks the green fields and farms. After Riverdale, we visited a couple of monuments about the Bear River Massacre. The tale of the massacre is heart-wrenching. I definitely felt I was on sacred ground as I stood next to the Russian olive tree with dozens of dream catchers and native-American relics hanging from its branches.
We eventually found ourselves at the DI in Preston, made famous by the movie, Napoleon Dynamite. I found a real steal, a wooden shelf boat for only $3! Of coarse, we shopped at King's and then ate at Smokey Joe's Pizza. I highly recommend the Hawaiian.
We continued our day by going back to the cabin where we watched the hummingbirds and took some 5 generation pics with Aunt Val subbing in for Grandpa Kevin. After that we ate at the Deer Cliff Inn. Delicious!
Overall, it was a really good trip. We're really glad we went and that Hailey got to meet her great-great grandpa.

New Art Project

This is my newest art project. I was inspired by the new trend in silhouette pieces I've seen both in jewelry and home decor. Naturally, the horse was my subject matter. If you know anything about me this is no surprise. I free-handed the horse on some paper first and then pinned it to some black fabric so that I could cut out the shape. Some old paisley fabric, a piece of Masonite, some spray adhesive and a handy husband made this project very cheap and easy. The entire piece is about 24" x 24" and hangs above my bed. Try it!

Unlikely Best Friends

When I saw a mouse streak across the kitchen floor the first thought I had was we need a cat! I hesitated though because we were going to have a baby and I didn't want to mess with a cat, plus I was unsure of how Kloey would get a long with a cat. Dogs and cats have been arch enemies for ages. The last dog we had, Nacho, tried and nearly killed my mom's cat, Machie. The cat was so scared by his encounter with Nacho that he ran away and never came back. (Sorry about that, Mom.)
So we bought some mouse traps and a few horrifying snaps later we thought our problem had been taken care of. That was until one night when I saw another little bugger streak across our bedroom. I went livid as Kam grabbed the broom and chased the thing for an hour without any luck. "That's it! We have to get a cat." So the search began. I called on several KSL listings. "Is the cat good with dogs?" was my main questions. I finally found one that said she was good with dogs, kids, 100% litter trained. It sounded too good to be true, so being the cautious pet-investigator I asked the owner why she was getting rid of her cat. I was shocked when I heard the lady on the phone start to cry. She told me that she had ovarian cancer and the outlook wasn't very good. She was securing homes for all of her beloved pets before the cancer beat her. Suddenly, it wasn't about my mouse problem anymore. I felt like I had to help this poor lady.
We picked the cat up on Kam's day off of work. I was surprised to see that her owner looked like she could be my same age. She hurriedly told me all of the vaccines the cat had and when she was due for her next ones. Phoebe is a gray and white, long-haired cat. She'll be two in July (same age as Kloey, ironically enough). The cat new something was up. A small wail started in her throat and her claws protracted as she reluctantly passed from her mom's arms to mine. I saw tears begin to form in her eyes. "I will give her a good home," I said in effort to reassure the woman.
Driving back home, I had such a mixture of emotions. I felt rotten for taking a dying woman's cat. I felt happy for helping her find a good home. I felt anxious about how Kloey would take it. The cat cowered in the back corner of the car as I pondered all of these things. Then unexpectedly, she was on my lap and purring. "She's friendlier than I thought," I said to Kam. "Great," he replied sarcastically. Getting a cat wasn't his idea, but as in all things he was willing to support me.
When we got home we decided to let the cat explore sans Kloey for a bit. After awhile we got up the guts to release the hound dog. The cat quickly found refuge under our bed and Kloey was so preoccupied sniffing where the cat had been that she failed to find the actual cat.
The first few encounters got Kloey pretty excited. Her tail would wag a million miles an hour and the cat would usually end up under a table or bed where she could watch the pathetic dog from a safe distance. Kloey would whine and bark, but we reprimanded her with a loud, "No!" Then she would look at us with a perplexed face, "But, there's a cat under there!" As if we didn't know.
Slowly, but faster than I had imagined, the two warmed up to each other. Phoebe had obviously come from a very affectionate owner who probably held and pet her all day long. She wanted to be in my lap, but I have a young baby and as bad as I feel about it, I have to keep Hailey clean and away from the cat. Although she didn't like it at first, Kloey has become used to the sanitation boundaries that were put into place as soon as Hailey was born. Dad doesn't wrestle with her like he used to. Mom doesn't pet her as much. We are just preoccupied with the baby and if we used anymore hand sanitizer our skin would dry up and fall off. So it was that a lonely kitty and an attention-deprived basset hound came to be friends. At first I was shocked to see Kloey bathing Phoebe in drool, but even more shocked to see the cat wasn't running away. The two curl up on Kloey's bed together. At feeding time, Kloey waits politely to make sure Phoebe has her cat food before she eats her dog food. If Phoebe goes outside, Kloey will whine at the door until she comes back. I haven't seen a mouse since Phoebe came into our home. Kloey has the friend she has desperately needed since the baby was born. Phoebe has a new friend to ease the transition from one home to another. I have clean hands to hold Hailey. My anxiety is gone.

Testing her vocal cords

We Start 'em Early

Grandma Liz teaching Hailey how to play cards.

Craft Idea

I just thought that I'd share my latest craft project idea. I like to call it the ribbon mobile or ribbon jellyfish. I just had a bunch of fancy ribbons that I had saved from wedding gifts, baby shower gifts, etc. Each one kind of has a special meaning. Then I took a 9 inch metal ring and wove the ribbons around it. I added some beads and pearls and walahh! I thought it would look cute hanging in Hailey's room. Plus, it's something cool for her to look at.

Smart Baby

So, I totally didn't realize until after I watched this video again, but when I say, "someone has the hiccups," Hailey actually points at herself. It's pretty funny!

A Nation in Need

Here is just a little plug for a cause that is dear to my heart. As you may know, recently the country of Haiti was rattled by a devastating earthquake that has left thousands dead and millions without homes. This kind of natural disaster is bad anywhere, but particularly so in Haiti because it is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and as such lacks virtually any kind of earthquake proof buildings or the ability to respond to large-scale disasters. This recent occurrence has caused the world to suddenly focus on this poor nation, but my family and I have been involved in helping Haiti for more than a decade now. In 1998 my mom went down to Haiti with a group of doctors and nurses from her work on what was the first medical/humanitarian mission that launched the organization Healing Hands for Haiti. Healing Hands is a non-profit organization that specializes in rehabilitation and prosthetics for the many Haitians who have amputated limbs or other disabilities that make day-to-day work difficult. The organization also operates a medical clinic, physical therapy, care-giver classes, and offers aid whenever possible to outreach clinics and orphanages. I had the privilege of going on two humanitarian missions for Haiti, once in 2003 and again in 2005. These were life changing experiences for me. I did not know what poverty looked like before I went to Haiti. It changed my outlook on all of the luxuries and conveniences that I used to take for granted.
I can't even imagine the devastation that exists in Haiti now. I have been sad to hear of friends that have been hurt or died because of the quake. The compound where Healing Hands operates was hit pretty hard, too. Currently, my mom, dad, and aunt Susan are down in Haiti with a hospital task force. They will assess all of the damage and formulate a plan for rebuilding.
It is really disheartening what has happened in Haiti. Recovery will certainly take a lot of time and hard work, but if there is one thing that I learned from my own experiences with the Haitian people it is that they are resilient. As in the days of Toussaint Louverture when the slaves united and rose up to claim their independence from the French, Haiti will find strength in unity to overcome this crisis. My thoughts and prayers go out to my friends and family in Haiti. If you are inspired to donate to the cause or just want to learn more about Healing Hands please visit their website http://www.healinghandsforhaiti.org/

Update on the Princess

Princess Hailey is nearly a month old. My how the time flyeth! Hailey continues to grow each day. She is getting better at sleeping at night. She's up to 4-5 hour stretches now! The hard part is keeping her awake in the evening so that she isn't so wide-eyed and alert at nighttime. She loves her baby swing and she's working on perfecting those little smile muscles. The Lord of the house is becoming quite proficient at changing diapers. The Lord and Lady of the house are so happy to have such a wonderful little bundle of joy in their home.

The Royal Steed

Every knight must have a faithful steed and so it is with the Windsor family. Summer Breeze is a 14-year-old flaxen (this does not mean mutt, dustin!) chesnut mare. The lady of the house came upon the horse a dozen years ago. She didn't have very much to barter with, but she could afford the sum of $201.12 at the Spanish Fork Livestock Auction. The bond was instantaneous. Horse and girl practically grew up together. Ashley and Summer championed many competitions together and have traveled many trails. Eventually, Ashley found Summer a home at a barn where she could serve the community by giving therapy lessons to disabled kids. The adventure is not over yet, though. Ashley has plans to breed Summer to her Aunt's gallant stallion, Alex, in hopes to get an offspring to raise and train for her own offspring to ride and enjoy as much as she has enjoyed riding and growing up with Summer.

Release the Hound

Kloey Joe Windsor is our esteemed royal hound dog. She is a purebred basset hound that hails from the lineage of Circleville. We adopted her as a six-week old puppy in July 2008. She loves all people, chasing balls, and chewing on raw-hides. Her ears hang well below her nose and double as a blindfold when she's sleeping in the sunshine. The Lady of the house has to follow her around with a towel a lot of the time because Kloey is an expert drool-flinger. She has a deep, melodious bark and paws that rival the size of a Great Dane's. Despite some of her crazy antics, Kloey is a beloved member of the Royal House of Windsor.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: A Princess is Born

On December 29th, 2009, Hailey Michelle Windsor was born. She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and measured 21.5 inches long. She is our first and we were ecstatic to meet her since she was 9 days past her due date. We brought her home on New Year's Eve. She has been a ton of fun (Day and Night, if you know what I mean).