Hello, Backpack, are you ready?

Dear sweet Olivia is ADDICTED to the "Signing Time videos" - she knows all the signs and would watch them day and night if you let her. It was one of our favorite things to do while I was there - signing along with "Signing Time". Kate borrows them from the library - every week a couple of different ones are on the shelf.

She loves the song "Hello Backpack, Are you Ready?" - it has a good beat and is easy to dance to (sorry dating myself with that Saturday Noontime "American Bandstand" quote - love you Dick Clark)...anyway...

She LOVES backpacks - so I thought I would whip one up (cause it's what I do when I am so busy I can't see straight - I head straight for the sewing machine to de-stress!) I used this pattern with a couple of modifications - I think they would be very cute with some embellishments - but I am wicked busy so...plain they are.

Sorry for the lousy lighting, pic was taken at night, and this morning it is raining. These beauties are headed out to Alex, Lillian, and Olivia today so needed to snap a pic now. Hope to see pics of these lovelies on their LIVE MODELS next week on their Mom's blogs (hint hint).

Oh yeah, and I finished those Christmas Pajamas - the pants in the pic don't have the bottom ruffle yet - which made them OH SO CUTE.

Hello BACKPACK
Are you ready?
Are you ready to go?
Hello BACKPACK
Let’s get ready
Let’s get ready to roll
You’ve got my CRAYONS
You’ve got my SCISSORS
You’ve got my PAPER
You’ve got my GLUE
You’ve got my PENS
You’ve got my PENCILS
And there is still room
For my lunch box too
Hello BACKPACK
Are you ready?
Are you ready to go?
Hello BACKPACK
Let’s get ready
Let’s get ready to roll
You’ve got my CRAYONS
You’ve got my SCISSORS
You’ve got my PAPER
You’ve got my GLUE
You’ve got my PENS
You’ve got my PENCILS
And there is still room
For my lunch box too
Hello BACKPACK
Now you’re ready
Now you’re ready for SCHOOL
Hello BACKPACK
Now you’re ready
Now you’re ready for SCHOOL
Now you’re ready for SCHOOL
Now I’m ready for SCHOOL

Can you sign backpack, crayon, scissors, paper, glue, pen, pencil, and school? I can't remember them all, but I do remember LINE UP.

Let it go!

My three power statements I have come up with since tonight's amazing Stake Conference session: Let it go! Get Over It! Give it UP!

So I have. First I headed to Friendly's to Give it UP! (think diet here)

Then when I drove past (and tried to resist) the Fountain Soda calling my name on the way home I said Get Over It! and pulled in for an ice cold one. (think Diet C here)

And now, checking out You Tube - I say Let it Go! And I already have...

Wrinkled Ladies by Anita Renfroe:


And that, my friends, is why I love the Saturday Night session.

By the way, it was awesome.

Happy Birthday part deux

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Sullivan!
Happy Birthday to you!
This little boy had a birthday!
This one standing here...
Father in Heaven bless him
Throughout the coming year.

(OK so I didn't have it at all correct in the last post, it was the thought that counts!)

Happy Birthday Sullivan

(It probably seems like all this kid does is sleep - but I promise he has some great awake time. We just get so excited to play with him we forget to take pictures!)

Today, (technically yesterday) Sully is TWO WEEKS OLD.

We sang to him in the car:
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Sullivan, happy birthday to you"

And Katie shared a Loertcher tradition that is always done in Rode's family:
"This little boy is another year older"

And darn if I can remember the rest of the words. But TOMORROW you come back to this post and I will have asked her and added it, cause it was just too cute.

How strange is it that Sullivan is 2 weeks old? How strange is it that I am leaving in a few hours, and I wasn't planning on being here for another 2 weeks? Babies come when they are ready, and we have to be flexible. But my mind isn't that flexible, and it doesn't seem real. But he is wonderful, and I am so glad he is here! Happy Birthday little boy!

Dirt makes me happy!

Sullivan has discovered the joys of a tanning bed early on. Doesn't he look relaxed? His bilirubin count was a little high (pretty common in pre-term babies) so he slept on this "bili-bed" for a couple of days. 

Did I mention I have been knitting? The ladies (you know who you are) decided we would learn to knit socks. I tried to discourage them from this nonsense but they assured me it would be fun. I assured them that once you have made one sock, the realization that you have to knit another sock for it to be of any use would totally be a bummer, but they insisted we give it a go. I got a little carried away (yeah yeah I'm an over-achiever) and after knitting an adult pair for Katie, I knit a matching pair for the boy. So cute.

Check out this shirt - so tiny. I was folding some last minute laundry tonight and the size of this shirt just grabbed at my heart strings. Little Sully won't be wearing this for long, but I am sure the sentiment will remain - I am pretty sure that dirt will always make Sully happy! (read what it says on the dump truck)

I mean, check out the mess he can make and he is only two weeks old today!

So, here is the story:

Today was my last full day here in Utah, and as last full days go, it was, you know, FULL. We packed it in. I should add we did it in typical Kane style. We discussed hitting the road early to accomplish all we hadn't finished in the last two weeks.

But first, Olivia needed a nap. (So did Grammie, but that didn't happen). After Olivia awoke, it was lunch time, and then the Relief Society President and her counselor came to call - They were making the rounds as there have been SEVEN new babies born in the ward in the LAST TWO WEEKS. In fact, the twin girl babies live right next door. The Relief Society President said she thinks it is lambing season.

Next up, the baby needed a little nip to tide him over, and then a diaper change.

Now they warned Katie in the NICU before sending her home with a son that you should always stand to the side when changing a BOY. Apparently boys have different bathroom habits then girls, and it starts early on. Dismissing that craziness, Katie stood at Sully's feet this afternoon, changing his dippy dipe (Kane word for diaper). Sully expelled a little gas, then the lovely mustard yellow poop came FORCEFULLY, EXPLOSIVELY out his hiney and SHOT ACROSS THE ROOM - hitting Katie from her chin to her knees. It hit her bed, his bed, the rug. It was everywhere. Just like a jar of mustard under pressure. She yelled for my help and I obediently trotted right in to find her covered in...mustard?

Do you think it was rude of me to ask her to hold the pose while I ran to get the camera?

Olivia was MORE than happy to help mommy, getting right in the middle of the mei-lei. And before we could get the poop off mom Sully what did he do? He peed. Of course he did.

Do you know how long it takes a new mom to find a sassy outfit befitting a trip to the outlets in Park City? And how frustrating it is to have said outfit now covered in yellow mustard poop? It's OK, I think she looked just as lovely in her Jackson Hole sweatshirt.

So, right at the crack of dawn 3pm we headed to Park City. We met up with Hezzie (known as Z by Olivia) and Mama Winterton came too, and we shopped. And we shopped. And we shopped. And in typical kane style, we headed back to meet the boys for dinner at dinnertime bedtime. What can I say, there were some good deals to be had.

And now, my bags are packed, my clothes laid out for tomorrow. The plan is made, we leave at 8:30 (which really means we leave at 8:45 - it's a trick of the mind you know). I am awake and it is almost 2 am. I don't want to turn off the light, and try to sleep, because I know the tears will come. I am homesick, I miss Larry, I miss my empty nest. But I hate that I am leaving my girls, my sons, my grandbabies here. So far away. I know how blessed I am that I am able to see them so often. But when days turn into weeks turn into months, I hate that I am missing the silly little day to day happenings. I would rather be complaining that they are always in my hair, borrowing my stuff, pestering me. (oh yeah they manage to pester me long distance). But life goes on, and so tomorrow - I am leaving on a jet plane...

Know what else I am going to miss? 50 cent refills at the Silver Eagle. Utah does have some redeeming qualities.

Tying up loose ends

First of all let me say

HAPPY EASTER!

Secondly, in case you were all wondering, I am going to study my camera manual tomorrow and learn how to turn off that stupid date that is in the corner of all my pictures. It might not be quite so bad if it was the right date! So if you wonder why my Friday pics say April 3 - well that is why. The camera thinks it is tomorrow when it is today.

Finally - thank heavens I made it through the last ten days! Thank you all for your comments and show of support. I am going to take the weekend off from blogging, but hopefully I will get right back on the band wagon and continue to document the wanderings and craziness that is my life. Can you believe I blogged for TEN DAYS STRAIGHT? Shoot me if I ever make that promise again.

Good night. Over and out. Asta La Veesta, baby. I'm done.

Gee, doggy, Gee!

Have I told you lately how amazing my daughter Hezzie is? Well, she is!

She has been teaching PE now for 2 years at The Colby School, a private school in Park City for children from preschool age through 8th grade. It is an awesome school and a perfect fit for Hez. She has bravely and confidently taught the curriculum in place when she was hired (yep including creative movement!), and has developed some pretty exciting programs that have only enhanced the learning experience at Colby. She has also learned to drive a school bus. Yep, she drives the short bus.

the driver on the bus says "move on back!"

Last year Heather and her buddy the art teacher came up with a fun summer camp for the older group and it was a great success. Not wanting the summer fun to end, they continued on with an "Extreme Adventures" after school program. Evey Friday ( and occasionally on Saturdays ) they are off exploring all the fun things there are to do in the area.

This Friday was awesome and I tagged along to document the fun. Granddaughter Olivia (my best buddy lately) my good friend Lisa and I headed over to the beautiful Catholic Church across the highway from The Colby School in Park City. They were going to meet sled dogs and go for a ride in the field beside the church.

There we met up with the campers and their fearless leaders, along with the most beautiful sled dogs! It was so fun to meet each dog, give them love and praise.

As they hitched the dogs up to the sled, the excitement increased as the dogs howled and begged to get to work. They love pulling the sled!

(this tall guy loved the student that was helping to hitch him up to the sled)

The two lead dogs sure loved each other

The most fun? Olivia was able to go on the final run! A sweet girl named Lucy sat Olivia on her lap and Livie Lou got to go around the field on the sled. She LOVED it and didn't want to get off!

The dogs were tired after doing this track 9 times around, but they were all good sports and let us pet and love on them some more.

Pawsatch Snow Dogs is an awesome adventure! They do rides for families, groups etc on trails in Wasatch and Summit Counties. They also do birthday parties for kids, coming right to your home! The owners are wonderful and accomodating. They even have a wheeled sled for summer runs. If you are looking for an outdoor adventure - give them a call! You can also become a fan on Facebook.

This adventure was pretty tame compared to some of the crazier things these kids get to do, but so fun. That is the Kane way -  fun is our middle name.

These guys remind me of my brother's huskies

The Extreme Team

(future extreme camper)

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

So very tired. The events of the last week month quarter are catching up with me. So little sleep, so many events, so few healthy days, too many demands, too little time, oh yeah and SO MUCH FUN. It has been a whirlwind, and it is catching up to me. I am exhausted.

Don't I look tired?

Yesterday I went to the grocery store, a favorite past-time of mine here in Heber City. I love visiting grocery stores in other parts of the country. I browse the aisles, noting the brands I don't see at home, looking for regional food, things that intrigue me. Two things that are always on the list here are Grandma Sycamores bread, and cinnamon bread from either Days Market or Smiths. There is ALWAYS fresh cinnamon bread in the bread aisle, and it isn't from Pepperidge Farm - it is the REAL DEAL. So yummy toasted with a slathering of real butter melted into the cracks and crevices.

Wrapped up in a gender neutral blanket and being held by big sister

Last night was Sully's first night home, and it was definitely an adjustment period for all of us. Since his arrival was four weeks early, his homecoming was coupled with fishing out what could pass for baby boy clothes from the "BABY" bin in storage. We were all exhausted by bedtime, but it was a little tough for Sullivan to figure out that sleeping in that new bed of his (the one without the heat lamp like in the NICU) would be OK. At 2 am I found myself consoling a very tired mommy and sending her off to her bed. Next comes the sleep deprived grazing in the kitchen. I pulled the toaster out of the cupboard and commenced the ritual - 2 slices of cinnamon bread in the toaster, pull the butter and a knife from the cupboard and wait for the deliciousness to ensue. (Sorry fellow FCFC members!)

While waiting for the toaster I turned my tired attention to unloading the dishwasher, and then the toast popped up. I turned and was so frustrated that I had burned wasted two slices of the precious cinnamon bread. What happened next sent me into a panic and was definitely an eye opener. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP went the smoke alarm! No, actually
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
went the smoke alarm - an alarm that would put the church fire alarm to shame - I swear the fire department on the other end of town could hear it.

Just great. Like I needed that! I start waving my arms trying to dispel the smoke, running through the house looking for the switch for the ceiling fan. I run to the front door to get the smoking toast outside, halfway there I run back trying to turn on the fan, then run to the front door to find it LOCKED. For sure, Olivia will wake up screaming, the baby will wake up crying, and I will find myself in the doghouse. I toss the toast out the front door, race back to the living room and run from switch to switch turning lights, fireplace, and who knows what on and off. Everything but the fan. During all of this I am trying to find out where the smoke detector was so I could wave my arms in the right direction. It wasn't long before Rode comes running out of the bedroom followed by Katie - ready to put out the fire. I wish I could say that Rode came flying out in his underwear, but he had presence of mind to pull some shorts on. Darn, it would have made for much more entertaining reading. They find a very guilty, sleep deprived lunatic grammie running around their living room waving her arms and flicking switches - with a very guilty look on her face. Yep I had lost my mind. The only thing I could think of to say was "What beeping?" Ok not really but I wish I was that witty.

Today Rode came home for lunch and when he came through the front door, he was carrying a lovely plate of Cinnamon Toast Crunch that he found on the front porch. So yummy.

And tonight? Rode is sleeping with his shorts on.

He's home!

Sullivan came home today. Yesterday Liv got to see her cute little brother through the glass window at the NICU, and she was so thrilled.

Modern technology when used for good is a miracle and a blessing. We were able to skype with Grampie aka Buddy so he too has met Sullivan "through the window". How fun!

Today, Olivia got to see him up close and personal!

She is crazy about him and is simply enthralled. She will be a great big sister.

She can't quite say Sullivan yet, but Grammie taught her in the car on the way home from the hospital the correct pronunciation for his  middle name - Haaaaahvey. She can say it perfectly!

A New Englander at heart.

PS. These ten blog posts are going to kill me. I am somewhat distracted and wasn't expecting a trip to Utah when I made my promise. Hope you all don't mind a hundred pics of the grands. Hopefully tomorrow I can tell you about my fun trip to NYC and Philadelphia (as it turns out, on my way to Utah!)

PPS. I think Sullivan would tell you there is altogether too much pink in this house, and he wants to know where all the brown and blue are. Never fear, Sully dear, Grammie has got your back. Park City outlets tomorrow?