Escalante Trip

Over Memorial Day weekend we took our family down to Southern Utah to see some of the amazing sights in and around the Grand Staircase Escalante National whatever Bill Clinton named it. Some of our neighbors were going & had planned a fun filled itinerary that I wasn't sure we could keep up with, but we ended up having a great time. The weather was just perfect, after having been cold, cold, cold here in Northern UT for way too long, and my huge, pregnant self managed to make it through nearly 10 miles of hikes, slot canyons, tours, and chasing the kids. Seeing as how its now late June, I can safely say that NO amount of walking or hiking will ever put me into labor- it just gives me incredibly fat, swollen feet and a sore back. But really- we all had a great time and would love to go back again soon!Grosvenor Arch (inside Kodachrome State Park). We ate lunch here, then went on to some slot canyons where I forgot my camera! A cool slot canyon we found. Easy hike for the kids (ok & the big fat pregnant lady).Bryce Canyon. So pretty!Overlooking the most terrifying stretch of road in the lower 48. Seriously- have any of you ever driven highway 12 between Escalante & Boulder?? Its SO incredibly beautiful, but a terrifying drive. Straight down on both sides!!

The Anasazi Museum & State ParkSeriously- the wierdest museum I've ever been in. The place is FULL of taxidermy animals this guy has caught all over the world. This red striped deer-thing is from Africa & is worth over $60k. Really interesting museum and really, really wierd. The mossy cave trail (just outside of Bryce Canyon).The Petrified Forest State Park. The kids loved it here & we spent over 2 hours on a 1 mile hike because Kenni had to stop & read about all the interesting things that were marked on the trail. They collected a ton of brochures because they swear they are going to do a science project on petrified wood next year. We'll see......
Grandma & Smurfy on the Calf Creek hike. I just loved this picture.

Here's all of us at the top of Calf Creek Falls. A bit of a brutal hike due to the heat (& the size of my kankles), but worth it when we got to the falls. It was so beautiful!

Baby Girl Stuff

Until recently, I've really had a hard time wrapping my head around all this baby girl stuff. It's been NINE years & three boys since I've had the pleasure of dealing with all things "baby girl", and I'm afraid I'm a bit rusty. People keep asking me if I've gone crazy buying things, and my reply has been "Actually, I haven't bought a thing!" I think it was because I didn't actually trust that the fetus I was incubating was indeed female.
Anyway- in the last four weeks, it has finally occurred to me that I will in fact be bringing home a baby girl in less than a month, and I need to get my act together. I've been working diligently on the nursery (pics to come later), and I have finally acquired a few "girly" things. BTW- I have had people ask me if I still have Kenna's old stuff- & the answer is "Are you kidding??? That stuff was growing cobwebs. I got rid of it after the doctor announced for the third time in a row 'its a boy!' "

So, here are a few of my favorite aquisitions- because really, when will I ever get to have this much fun anticipating a baby girl again???? Not until Kenni brings me one & hopefully that isn't for about 20 years.

This was the first gift I received upon discovering that it was indeed "a girl!". My friend Erika had bought them when we were together shopping just hoping they would come in handy. She rushed them over the minute I told her the news. And thank goodness for that! What would I do without a whole box of gymboree princess onesies??????


Here we have the first (& only- until last week!) outfit I purchased for the wee one. I went 'boutique shopping' with my bff from colorado. We are both expecting girls only a week apart- so fun! Anyway- I was trying to regain the use of cognitive speech after discovering how much 'boutique clothes' cost (again, this is all new to me), when I came across this little outfit and I was in love. Luckily for me, it was honestly the cheapest thing in the whole store and only set me back twenty five dollars. I know, that is still a lot of dough for less than 1/4 yard of fabric, but seriously, everything else in there was between 60- 120 big ones. FOR BABY CLOTHES!! eek!


I adore this blanket!!! It was a gift from same bff from colorado & her mom, who have started a new baby blanket business. If you want to see more of them, look on my side bar under "Jaclyn & Brian". (my bff's little sister- she has pics on her blog). It is seriously the softest thing I have ever seen!

Ok, I know my baby will be born into the raging heat of a Utah summer- but I had to have this hat! I imagine some seriously great newborn baby photography that involve the use of it. Rach- be thinking of something amazing!! (no pressure :)

I saw this baby headband at a local boutique & realized that baby headware has come a long way since Kenni was a newborn. When she was little, all headbands were made of lace & had somewhat grandma-ish bows attached. I bought this one mainly as a guide so I could attempt to make some more of my own. I loved it! Now we'll see if I can replicate it.


Ok- well, there's your sneak peek into the world of "baby girl stuff". I can't wait for more! I haven't even covered tutu's, baby legs, bracelets, or anything with "bum ruffles". Oh, there's so much to do- so little time!!!!