Temple Square

This past Saturday, we spent some time in downtown Salt Lake City, mostly around Temple Square. It was hot, but we had a great time.We went to the Church History museum and walked around the temple grounds. There is still a lot more to see, but we had a great time!

Preview

6 months

Elanor actually turned 6 months a week ago, but you all still need an update (well, whoever cares about that sort of thing). We have not been to a doctor this month as we just moved here and have not figured that out yet. However, we measured her and weighed her ourselves, so here are her stats:

Height: 24in.-- below 5%
Weight: 14.5 lbs--between 10-25%
Head: 16.5 in--25%

Backpacking with Baby

We went on a little backpacking trip with Elanor on Friday and honestly it was so much fun. The hike was beautiful. The initial ascent was a little tough as I had Elanor in the front pack and a backpack on my back. Once we got up out of the trees the trail became flat and wrapped around the mountain. It was nice and easy and had gorgeous views the whole way. Elanor was happy and talkative, which made it even better. We continued to the end of the Pipeline trail and then went a little further up the mountain and found the perfect camping spot. Tyler set up the tent while Elanor and I explored. We got up there a little after 8, so as soon as the tent was up I put Elanor to bed. Tyler made a fire and we roasted marshmallows and had a lovely time. It was not the most comfortable sleep I have ever had, but it could have been worse. In the future, I am going to bring Elanor her own sleeping bag and pad, as it was not particularly comfortable to sleep with her in my little sleeping bag. All in all, it was a great experience finished off with strawberries and bagels toasted over the fire and smothered in cream cheese for breakfast. It was quite delectable. 

 Our first view as we came around the mountain

Dear Elanor,

You were born in Buena Vista, Virginia (pronounced Bew-na--it really is.), well technically Fishersville, but we lived in BV. You lived there for five months and will thus not remember it. I figured it would be nice to write a little letter and tell you about your birthplace.

Buena Vista has its faults and drawbacks, but it is a place worth getting to know. The scenery is beautiful. Virginia is one of the most gorgeous states (of course Oregon is up there too!). There are rolling grassy hills of farm land and steep fluffy (yes, they do look fluffy when all the trees are covered with leaves) mountains. Sometimes the mountains look like the mountainous jungles in South America when the clouds are low and mist is caught up in the crevices.Your father and I loved driving around the countryside and hiking. We only wished we would have hiked and explored more. I will miss the vibrant falls, the sunny, but cold winters, and even the humid summers (as long as we were swimming in the river or jumping off the footbridge).

Finally.

It has been a very long time since I last posted and quite a bit has happened. We moved to Salt Lake, then promptly (2 days later), headed up to Oregon to visit with our families for 10 days. We are now back in Utah and are settling in. We are staying with my Aunt and Uncle until Tyler gets work and we find a place to live. It has been great staying with the McKees and they have been so generous.

Some pictures from Oregon:

Elanor on stage, oh, and a little hike...

I teach ballet at the Shenandoah Academy of Dance and was recently in their production of Sleeping Beauty as the Queen, Princess Aurora's mother. The prologue of the ballet is essentially baby Aurora's party in honor of her birth. All of the fairies present her with gifts and of course the evil fairy, Carabosse (same as Maleficent in the Disney movie), was not invited, but shows up unexpectedly and curses the baby Princess that she will prick her finger on a spindle and die on her 16th birthday. I had to take Elanor with me to dress rehearsal on Friday night and decided to take her on stage with me. She did really well, so I thought I would have her do the matinée performance on Saturday, which she did. Elanor was so perfect. There is a cradle on stage that I'm supposed to put the baby in and she just played and cooed in there. I held her when she started to get bored (it is quite a long prologue), and when Carabosse came in she began to cry and calmed right down when the fairies reassured us that she would sleep instead of dying. It was very cute and everyone commented on how good of an actor she was. It probably had more to do with the music and lighting changes, but still she did a great job!

On stage: King and Queen are worried about their daughter...

So we've figured it out...

We are moving to Salt Lake City, Utah!