Pioneer Day Owie

Leo & I went to the Pioneer Day parade on the 24th of July. Claudia was at Girl Scout Camp, Caleb slept in, Michael was in Singapore, so it was just me and my baby boy with my next door neighbor Carolyn on her friend's porch right on the parade route. So, Leo, being a typical three-year-old, found a box to fall OFF of and construction staples to fall ON to -- the only debris on the entire porch, of course! (Proper English conversation with self: ...box off which to fall...staples on which to fall...???) I had to tote him about 8 blocks to the car so I could drive him up to Primary Children's Hospital. The ER was empty, so we got right in, and Dr. Eric and Dr. Soprano fixed us all up like new. Leo did great and hardly cried. The cut was shallow but long, so they used a skin adhesive product--glue, basically--instead of stitches, which Leo would have to have been sedated to receive. Leo got a big kick out of getting his bandage changed every day and walking around showing of his "owie." I took the pics with my cell phone, so they aren't the greatest...

-Before glue-

-After glue-
-All better-

Hippie Offers to Get Me High!

My hippie (one of the original hippies!) hostess, Ramona, was sitting with me on her back deck on The Farm just before the shuttle came to get me to take me to the airport in Nashville. I was teasing her a bit about the "herb" smell in the house for a few nights in a row. She laughed and said she didn't think we could smell it, and then she told me she had some "really good stuff" and asked me if I wanted some right then--offered to get me high before my flight! It kinda would've made the whole Farm experience complete, huh? Too bad I don't smoke pot...

The Farm

Summertown, TN, August 3-9, 2008

I was privileged to spend a week on The Farm, home of Ina May Gaskin, author of Spiritual Midwifery, first published in 1975 or so, and in it's fourth edition today. She's also written a great book called Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, which I think every woman thinking about having a baby should read. I took a Midwife's Assistant Workshop there with 14 other fabulous women from around the country and Canada. I was the only one that traveled from West of the Mississippi. I'm feeling very energized and excited about taking on more responsibility with the births at the birth center here in Salt Lake City. The Farm is like Mecca for those of us that call ourselves Birth Junkies with pride!

Okay, so maybe it's really lazy of me, but I uploaded a bunch of pictures from the week to my Facebook page, and it's just quicker to post the link here for you. If you're not familiar with Facebook already, click on the first picture to see it larger and then click "next" to see each picture, some with captions beneath:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=5651&l=5782c&id=1019891512

To learn more about The Farm (which offers much more than midwifery stuff--it's pretty much full of aging hippies and some young families into environmentalism, alternative agriculture, eco-building, etc...) or Ina May Gaskin, here are some other interesting links:

http://www.inamay.com/
http://www.thefarm.org/

Who Doesn't Love a Sucker?

Leo has recently discovered the joys of lollipops. I love how the simple things in life bring him such joy!

Oh! Check out the link on the website Daddy does for Leo about their trip to the Southwest: http://www.myboyleo.com/

I have some Leo-speak to share. Some of all ya'll might not care about this, but I have to write it down somewhere, and since I SUCK at scrapbooking and journaling , it's going here:

I "YUZZZ" you! = I love you!

"I want to sit by on you." = I want to sit on your lap.

"FOP IT!" = Stop it!

"Fuzzy Juice" = Soda (I hate that he's discovered soda...)

"Bee Bird" = Sesame Street

"Woody" = Toy Story

"Sanks" = Thanks

"Come inna kitchen" = I'm hungry, feed me!

"Paw-bleh-bluh" = Popsicle

"Fee-ship" = Spaceship

"Gubs" = Playdough (???)

"Fop fopping it at me!" = Stop looking at me and leave me alone!

"DaddyMichael" or "MichaelDaddy" = Daddy

"Foochies" = Smoochies

"Fah-Bob" = Spongebob (*sigh*--with older sibs, it was inevitable)

"Seewee" = silly

"Cry-wing" = crying

Claudia's Last Day at Whittier Elementary

I love this picture! Claudia took my camera to school during the last week to take pics of all her friends, but of course I like this one best! Her last day at Whittier Elementary was June 5th, 2008. She's off to be a 7th grader at Hillside Junior High this Autumn.

With her good friend Taysia Jackson. They will be hanging out at Lagoon together alot this summer.

Proud mama, indifferent brother!


Proud papa, goofy brother...

The teacher, Mr. Johnson

The friends

Caleb's Last Day at Spectrum Academy

Caleb's last day of 8th grade was June 2, 2008.

Caleb with most of his class, L to R:

-Caitlin, Taylor, Stefan, Miss Lee, Caleb, Cameron, Carrie-

Watch out high school, here we come--yikes!

His good friends Alex & Kevin are not pictured.

Caleb with Miss Lee. She was the Assistant Teacher, Mrs. Poole (Athena) was not there the last day.

My very handsome son looking his most enthused in front of his class poster. His picture is in the lower R corner--true to form he refused to wear the grad gown, preferring instead to show off his "pull my finger" shirt (sigh). He will be attending City Academy in downtown Salt Lake City this Autumn as a Freshman. I hope he will show a little more enthusiasm!

Last Days at Murray Library

My last day as a librarian was May 24th, 2008.

My first day at Birth & Family Place as a facilitator/birth assistant/administrative assistant/midwifery student was May 27th, 2008.

The Dragon Persia & Baby Raja that hang over the story circle at Murray Library. They were created by an artist who is now in jail for killing her husband. After he was dead she tied a chain aroung him and dragged his body out of the house with her Jeep! Good story, eh?!

The lovely Raquel and I hung out Tuesday nights and did the Jammy Time storytime together; mostly we enjoyed catching up on each other's lives!

This is LeGrand, one of my most favorite humans on the planet, not to mention at the Library.

My Fabulous Co-workers from l-r: me, Teresa, Joe & Ellen (the head honcho, who has the enitre children's collection cataloged right in her brain!). They made the library a true pleasure.

I first met Marilyn in the Children's Dept., she is now the Young Adult librarian and an amazing woman.

Traci and baby Curtis. Traci works very part-time in the kids dept., and is our director's right hand. She LeGrand, and Danny (below) have been at the library since they were in high school!

Danny is a favorite with library patrons and moonlights as a rock star.

Doing my last storytime! Leo is right in front of the flannel board looking straight at the camera.