I think I can, I think I can...

Two years ago I went on my first extreme hiking/rappelling excursion with Jeff and his crew to Zion National Park in Southern Utah. We did 2 days of 8-10 hour climbs/rappels each day, and I really had a great time! I have always had a little fear of heights, but I got over it real quck when I had to rappel over 100 feet into a huge bowl with tourists and water below, and canyon walls surrounding me.

We weren't able to make the trip last summer, but everyone found time this year. Since Jeff and I live 45 minutes from Zion Nat'l Park, everyone just drove down from SLC and is staying here with us. Jeff's brother Ryan and his wife Jen came, another brother Doug, and brother-in-law Cory.

So yesterday we did Spry Canyon (one of Zion's "technical" canyons). Before the bulk of us drove up though, Jeff and Ryan had already headed up at 3:00 a.m. to wait in line for a permit for the hike they all wanted to do today (Mystery Canyon). They got it! Yay! Anyway, we started our hike into Spry around 8:30 Friday morning and it was tough from the get-go. It began in a wide, sandy wash that took us about 15 minutes (about half a mile), then we had to climb several hundred feet up a "slickrock watercourse". That was the hardest part of the whole day for me. It was the steepest climb I've ever done, and it was on this smooth sandstone type rock, so it was pretty much just using your calf muscles and loads of endurance (I must have forgotten to bring those things with me yesterday!). Anyhow, I had just done the cleansing stage of this healthy eating plan I'm on...and Thursday was my first day with all the food groups reintroduced, so on Friday I guess I just didn't have the energy and fuel my muscles needed. Jeff is the one who is typically the leader of the pack and is always in the front, but he stayed in the back with me, encouraged me, checked on me, kept making me stop to breathe and drink water, and eventually he took my pack so that I could make it up to the top.

After the climb, we began our descent through a dry riverbed surrounded by the high, colorful walls of the canyon. The first rappel was 165 feet if that gives you an idea of how huge the rappels were on this trip. Anyway, about 115 rappels later, we got to the bottom where we bouldered our way down to a pool of water (this is also the end of the Pine Creek trail too). What a sweet reward it was, about 9 hours after we began, to jump into that nice cool, clean water!! It was at least 105 outside, so we were ready for that perfect ending.

All in all, it was an incredible experience. It was so awesome to be able to enjoy God's creations up close and personal. I also really enjoyed being able to get to know the Baumann/Christensen family better!

Today the five of them are up again doing Mystery Canyon. It's supposed to be one of the hardest, yet one of the most beautiful trips in the park, so I can't wait to hear their stories! I wish I could have gone, but I couldn't handle the idea of leaving Mason with a babysitter for a second day. Plus, yesterday WORE ME OUT!

No, No!

Today we reached a milestone with Mason that I was hoping would come a year or so down the road rather than at 15 months.

There are several places in the house Mason knows he's not allowed to go, things he can't touch, and doors/drawers he's not allowed to open. He's not the greatest listener or most obedient child, but I am 100% positive that he understands what I mean when I say, "No, no Mason."

So as I was in the kitchen cleaning up a little bit, Mason was sitting on his little riding truck watching me and eating a strawberry. I reached for the trash can lid to throw some things away, and he let out this super girly scream. When I looked at him (with a baffled look on my face), I said "What, Mason?" To which he replied, "No, no!". I didn't know why he was saying that, but as I opened the trash can and he started to yell "No, no, no, no!" and try his best to shake his finger at me, I understood all too clearly.....if Mason's not allowed in the trash, neither is Mommy!

It was really cute, and now that he knows I laugh when he tells me no I'm pretty sure it will become his new game. Isn't motherhood an adventure?!

Our latest trip up to Sandy...

2 weekends ago (the weekend after getting back from El Paso), we decided to go up to Sandy so we could be with family for Father's Day. On Saturday, Jeff's parents' stake hosted a huge Family Fun Day complete with free food, a live band (they were so good!!), blow-up toys for the kids to play on, face painting, etc. Most of it was too big for Mason to really enjoy this year, but we'll take him again next year when he's a little bigger.

After that, we went back to Gma and Gpa Baumann's house so the kiddos could play in water in the back yard. It was a blast!! Mason and Malia play so well together - she's always so sure to watch out for him and make sure he's not doing anything he's not supposed to. At one point, she took all the toys he was playing with, and when I mentioned to her that they were Mason's toys, she said "yeah, but Mason can share". I died laughing. She's really figured out how to reason through things!

On Sunday, everyone came over and we formed the Baumann/Christensen rock band. Cory even held Mason on his lap so he could play the drums with him. It was so cute! Check out the pics and video!

El Paso Vacation

So the past couple of weeks have been sorta vacation-ish for Mason and I. On the 31st of May, the 2 of us flew out to El Paso to spend some time at my parents' house before Jeff and all the rest of my family arrived the following weekend for Taylor's high school graduation. It was so relaxing, and I really enjoyed having a pool in the back yard!

Once the whole family arrived, the real fun began. Mason, Isaac, Connor and Bennett had so much fun playing together! We were able to see just how aggressive Mason can be as he unleashed his hitting powers on Bennett a few times. I'm sorry, Mark & Bronwyn!! I guess it's time to work on that before it gets out of control.

Dad and I let our goofy side come out - the REAL reason it's so fun for the Donnelson clan to get together is that we're pretty much all a little crazy.

We had a graduation party for Taylor and his girlfriend April on Saturday, then their graduation was on Sunday evening. It was so cool, but I'm a sucker for sentimental stuff like that.

The trip was so much fun, but boy is it always nice to be home and back in the routine I'm used to. Enjoy the pictures!

Twilight

Well I would have never in a million years imagined that I'd fall in love with a vampire novel! Pretty much everyone I know has read "Twilight" and been so into it that they read it in a few days, so after Melea and some family members told me how much they loved it too, I decided to spend the $8 and get it.

I started it Monday night and finished it yesterday - Wednesday. I could not put it down!! I love to read, but I've never read a book that sucked me in from the very first page...until "Twilight". If you're a cynic, as was I, take a chance on this one! I promise you that you won't be disappointed!!

Peacock, anyone?

Well, of all the weird things to ever happen to me, I think tonight might top the list. I was driving home from a quick trip to Roberts (a craft/scrapbook supply store) - keep in mind that it's 9:00 and pretty dark outside - when all of a sudden I see A PEACOCK on the road right in front of my car. I was on the freeway going 70 with a semi in the lane to the right of me, and nowhere really to swerve. I swerved just a tad to the left, causing the poor bird to go under my tire, which ended up being a good thing for my car. No damage. Not such a good thing for the bird. I contributed to pushing the peacock species closer to endangerment.

But seriously, why on earth is there a peacock roaming free in SAINT GEORGE, UTAH? I mean come on! On the freeway? So strange.

So anyhow, the best part happened when I pulled over to make sure the bumper of my new car was okay (and that there weren't any bird parts hanging off the undercarriage). Some nice guy stopped to make sure I didn't need any help, and when I told him what happened he looked at me like I was on drugs. He was like, "You hit a what?"
Me: "Yeah, mister. You heard correctly. I hit a peacock. I'm fine. My car's fine. Thanks for stopping."

Anyway, I guess I shouldn't complain about how mundane and boring my days can be, or I might hit a rhino next time I go for a drive in the outback of St. George!

Hangin' Tough

I'm not quite sure how to write about this topic in a way that will allow others to feel the strange sense of nostalgia that I'm feeling, so I won't even attempt to cater to others' feelings. This is about me!

Most people who know me well know that I never quite got over my love for New Kids On The Block. It goes way back to 1988 or 1989 (maybe earlier). I very clearly remember an entire day of anticipation - I was in the 5th grade, and NKOTB was coming out with their new video. I was so upset that it was premiering while I was in school, but was way excited and surprised when I got home and my dad announced that he had recorded it for my sister Jenn and I.

We went to the NKOTB concert in Columbia, SC when I was probably 10 years old. I'm pretty sure it was 5th or 6th grade. I screamed the ENTIRE concert, and I haven't stopped since then! haha okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but I'm still a super fan. I wish I still had all my tshirts, buttons, pins, nightshirts, and Joey McIntyre doll! Oh - and don't forget all the cassette tapes. Boo yeah.

I proudly admit that I now own their Greatest Hits CD, and it's even on my iPod for my listening convenience (and those on the road around me when I roll down my windows and proclaim my devotion to NKOTB through my blaring speakers).

This morning on the Today Show they had their first concert in 15 years. It was so cool!! All the fans there were around my age, and it was great to see the loyalty. Fans are so excited about their reunion that the past two concerts to go on sale have sold out in less than 10 minutes (Toronto sold out in 4 minutes). They just posted new tour dates on their website and announced a show in Salt Lake City!! I seriously could not be more excited!

I WILL BE THERE!!! Why? Because I'm "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh hangin' tough"!

Games, anyone?

Last week, Mason discovered that he's strong enough to open all the magnetic cabinet doors...JOY! He's obsessed with the game cabinet. He pulls out the Jenga game, any card games he can find, and the dominoes and just dumps them all over the floor. We already had to take the handle off the DVD cabinet - looks like it's time to babyproof the game cabinet too!

Swim time!

We started Mason's "Mom & Tot" swimming lessons last week, and today's our last day. It's been so much fun! He's a little fish - just loves the water. He's learned to jump in and go under (holding his breath under water), kick his feet, allow me to help him swim on his back and tummy, and blow bubbles.

His favorite part of swim class though is free time. The final 15 minutes each day is free time where we can go play in the big part of the pool where all the cool water features are. Mason loves to walk and throw himself under the water. He holds his breath until I pick him up, then he does it again! He's crazy - I'm really gonna have to keep an extra close eye on him around the pool when we go to my parents' house in El Paso.

Blessed

Today my thoughts and prayers are with my cousin Steven, his family, and his dear wife who is battling a vicious form of cancer. At this moment I can't help but see my life with a little bit more clarity and perspective. Life is a precious gift given to us by our Creator, and we need to savor and cherish every single second that He chooses to give us here with those we love and those who love us in return.

A few minutes ago as I put Mason down for his afternoon nap, he looked up at me and said "mama", then blew me kisses and grinned real big. He very rarely says mama, and never blows kisses - his sweet little spirit must know that I'm a little bit emotional today. So I took him out of his crib and decided to rock him for a little while. As I sang to him, he gave his stuffed dog a huge, wet kiss and then pushed it up toward me, wanting me to give it kisses too. So I did, then he hugged it tight, snuggled in close to me (very rare), and closed his eyes. What a special little moment I was allowed to share with my sweet Mason today.

The lyrics of the Martina McBride song "Blessed" came into my head while Mason snuggled with me, so I thought I'd share them. I love you all!

I get kissed by the sun each morning
Put my feet on a hardwood floor
I get to hear my children laughing
Down the hall through the bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing
Just soaking up the day
I think to myself, I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Across a crowded room
I know you know what I'm thinking
By the way I look at you
And when we're lying in the quiet
And no words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

When I'm singing my kids to sleep
When I feel you holding me
I know

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Uh-may-zing!!

After putting on my favorite pair of jeans yesterday and having a minor case of "muffin top" (translation: side fat spilling over the sides of the jeans), I decided that I'm cutting all crappy food out of my diet! None of this "I can only have sweets on the weekends" stuff. I'm only allowing myself a treat during special occasions, and even then I'm only allowing myself to have one thing. Period. My body doesn't need that stuff.

SO the first major step was taken tonight. We had a very healthy dinner - chicken and veggie/fruit kabobs! Here are the ingredients and instructions if you're interested! WE LOVED IT!! And it made 12 very full kabobs, so if you're feeding a small family, you'll probably have leftovers, which is never a bad thing, right?!

Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple
1 large green pepper (add a red and yellow pepper for more color IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT! Peppers are so expensive now!)
1 large zucchini squash
Mushrooms (I bought the little package of pre-cut mushrooms. Much easier)
3 boneless chicken breasts

Marinade for veggies:
1/2 cup Red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (could even reduce to 1/8 cup if you want)
1/2 tbsp garlic powder (more or less depending on personal preference)
Hand-ground black pepper (amount also depending on preference)

Marinade for chicken:
Zesty Italian salad dressing (I buy generic)

Instructions:
Cut up the pineapple and set aside - don't marinate it (don't get rid of the pineapple juice on the cutting board. Just cut your veggies on top of the juice). Cut up all the veggies and put them in the veggie marinade, then add the pineapple juice that was left on the cutting board. I let the veggies marinate in a gallon size ziplock baggie for 4 hours.

Cut up the chicken into large cubes (i like mine pretty big), then put in a separate gallon size baggie with as much Zesty Italian dressing as you want. Let it marinate as long as you let the veggies marinate.

Stack it all on skewers and grill! We actually don't have a grill, so we used the broiler pan in our oven and set the oven on "broil - high" for 14 minutes - 7 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!!

I always knew there was a reason I hated laundry...

And now I know what that reason is!

Yesterday, while going about my usual housewife duties (none of which I despise, by the way, except for the laundry) - it came time to fold the clothes in the dryer. I bent down, opened the dryer door, and before I even pulled anything out, a little scream escaped my mouth!

The entire dryer drum was splotched and streaked with blue ink!! "Just breathe," I told myself as I pulled the first article of clothing out (my brand-spankin-new shirt that I got last week). As I looked it over, I started to cry. Yes, I'm a baby, but I rarely get to by myself something new, and this shirt was just the perfect shirt. It was casual enough to wear with jeans or shorts, but nice enough to wear it with a skirt to church too. Well, after one look at it, I realized that I'd never be wearing it with anything - it was covered in blue ink. Spots, streaks, little evil smiley faces laughing at me...it was hopeless.

As I pulled more clothes out, I realized that every single one of Mason's new summer shirts appeared to be ruined too. I mean, ink explosions in the washer are one thing - the stains haven't been set by the heat of the dryer yet. But these had been washed AND dried. I cried some more.

After I pulled all the clothes out, I found the 2 empty, broken ball point pens in the bottom. If my nightmare could have been turned into an animated moment, I'm sure they would have been laughing at me too.

I never have anything in my pockets, so I knew the pens weren't mine. Jeff always has ink pens in the pockets of his work pants, so it was easy to figure out where they came from.

Question: Is it my fault for not checking the pockets before I put them in the washer, or is it fair for me to be upset with Jeff for not emptying out his pockets before he threw his pants into the hamper, causing me 4 hours of scrubbing, washing, then more scrubbing & washing?

Conclusion: My job is to be a housewife and mother, since I'm staying home and am not out working. Jeff has told me before that he never remembers to check the pockets, so I'm going to have to swallow my pride (after reminding him each evening to empty his pockets) and check them myself. Give and take - isn't that what a good marriage is made up of?

Anyhow, thank you Mom Donnelson for helping me get the stains out of the clothes! It worked! For anyone else who might ever run into this problem, here's what she told me to do: (in this order!)
1. Spray the stain with ZOUT
2. Apply liquid Wisk detergent over the ZOUT - I applied it with a toothbrush and rubbed it in a little (she recommends the red bottle with blue cap)
3. Put OxyClean powder on top of that, and rub it in (i just used my finger)
4. Let it sit overnight if possible, then wash it in the hottest water the fabric can tolerate. I added 3 small scoops of OxyClean to the water in the washer.

To remove the ink from the inside of the dryer, on the dryer drum, we tried a few things, and only one of them worked.
1. DID NOT WORK: a product called Goof Off. It actually made Jeff high and sick to his stomach.
2. DID WORK (YAAAY!!): We soaked a bunch of old rags and towels in bleach water (LOTS of bleach), then put them in the dryer sopping wet and ran it for an hour at a time. After each hour, we re-soaked the towels and ran it again. We did this 3 times (total of 3 hours), and it worked!! The inside is clean as a whistle!

Anyhow, as much as I felt like I was in one of the dimensions of Hell yesterday, it's nice to feel relief today as I look at my spot-free clothing and dryer. :) Thanks for all the advice!

Open wiiiiiiide!

So today I had the fun experience of going to a new dentist and getting 4 FILLINGS!! Each filling was in a totally different place so now, 4 and a half hours after the first shot of Novocaine, I'm still numb on my entire face (nose down) and my left ear. There were a few perks though: I got to watch the entire first season of "Friends", I got a $100 discount, then an additional 10% off after that, and I got to be high on the happy gas for the 3 hours they worked on me.

Now I'm back to reality - a baby crawling on top of his little table, and dinner in the oven. Love it.

Friends!!!

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Mason has new friends! We had this awesome family move into the townhome directly across from ours - Rachel and Michael with kids Rebekah and Patrick. Now because I'm retarded about making new friends with strangers (it totally terrifies me for some reason), she had to approach me. Glad she did though!!

We walk together several days a week to take our kids to the park. It's so fun to actually have a friend here, and it's also awesome to see how well our little ones all get along! Mason interacts more with Rebekah right now (she's almost 3 *i think*), but I think that as soon as Patrick (almost 1) starts to walk, they'll all 3 play together a lot more.

So Rachel and Michael suggested that we do a "babysitting exchange" with them where we'd watch their kids on a Friday night and they'd keep Mason for us the next night so that we could actually go out to dinner and a movie and not have to worry about breaking the bank with a babysitter. We kept their kids this past Saturday, and it was so much fun! The three kiddos had a blast. I can't wait for our turn to go out! :)

Forget Spring...SUMMER Has Sprung!

Well, it quickly went from 75 degrees for the past 2 weeks to 92 DEGREES today! The swimming pool water here at our townhome clubhouse is still way too cold to swim, but the Saint George City Center has this awesome "water park" and splash pad. Mason's terrified of the splash pad ever since some city employee thought it would be funny to turn it on while he was standing in the middle of the one at the park near our house. Now Mason sees it and clings to my legs.

So he steered clear of the splash pad today, but spent an hour and a half playing in the fake rock river. We went with Rachel (a neighbor) and her two kids Rebecca and Patrick, who Mason ADORES.

Polly Want a Cracker?

Last Wednesday, the 9th, I was uber-bored so I decided to take Mason to the pet store. The second we walked in, he saw the fish and excitedly yelled "ish, ish, ish!!!" and made his fish face. He kissed the glass on all the fish tanks that were within his reach. Next we went to the bird cages where Mason backward-signed "bird", and yelled "eet, eet, eet!!" (tweet, tweet, tweet). It was exciting for both of us! His favorite animal (that we weren't allowed to touch) was a baby pot-bellied pig. It was pushing this bright green ball around his cage, and Mason was just so excited, running around the cage following the ball.

Being a mom is really helping me learn how to take pleasure in the simple things by trying to see through the eyes of my child.

Water Bottle Public Service Announcement

I was watching the Today Show yesterday, and there was a segment on water bottles - which types are safe and unsafe. I was blown away by the findings!

On the bottom of all water bottles, (whether they be the hard, Nalgene-type reusable water bottles or the sealed, buy in a gas station type water bottles), there is a triangle with a number inside it. The most common numbers are 1 (purchase, drink, toss water bottles), and 3, 6 and 7 (usually found on the water bottles you buy empty for the purpose of reuse).

Scientists have discovered that bottles with a 1 on the bottom are good for only one use, and that after that, BPA's (Bisphenol - an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic) begin to leak into the water you drink. It is also now recommended to avoid numbers 3, 6 and 7 all together because the BPA level is high enough to possibly affect reproductive systems and cause other health problems.

Check your water bottles! Jeff and I have always kept the larger Gatorade bottles and refilled them for our food storage - but they all have a #1 on the bottom, so we've disposed of them. There may not be a ton of research available yet on this topic, but enough for me to prefer being safe rather than sorry!

For more information, see (also contains links to the segment on the Today Show from yesterday and today):
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/04/this-just-in-nalgene-announces-new-bpa.html

Step-By-Step

Mason's been able to go up stairs for quite a while now, but never figured out how to get back down without injury. We've noticed him stepping down off curbs and stuff at the park lately, so yesterday we decided to just let him go upstairs and see what would happen on the way down.

Before he attempted to come down, he wanted to let us know that we'd better be paying attention to him. Here's the video. So funny!

Mason Meets Ronald McDonald

Yesterday for our treat after Family Home Evening, Jeff and I decided we wanted hot fudge sundaes from McD's, so we drove around town until we found one with a playground to let Mason loose in while we enjoyed our sugar high. The second he saw Ronald McDonald, he wanted nothing to do with the playground - he was so fascinated with the clown!

A Saturday in Snow Canyon State Park

Who knew that a short, Saturday afternoon hike in a state park could be so fun, educational, and exciting?!

This past Saturday (the 29th of March), Jeff, Mason and I decided to go out and enjoy the perfect St. George weather. We left the house only knowing that we'd be hiking, but weren't sure where we wanted to go, so we just drove to where we knew there were a lot of hikes that we hadn't been on yet. We ended up at Snow Canyon State Park at the White Rock trail.

First, a little history lesson that I learned on Saturday - and it fascinated me: Snow Canyon used to be inhabited by the Anasazi Indians way back in AD 200-1250. Later, Paiute Indians used it for hunting. Then in the mid-1800's, Mormon Pioneers discovered the canyon while searching for lost cattle. The canyon was renamed for Lorenzo and Erastus Snow (previously called Dixie State Park). "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was filmed in Snow Canyon!

So the White Rock hike that we went on starts out in an old field of lava flow - just miles and miles of black lava rock, with a trail carved right through the middle for hikers. You can see dormant volcanoes all over the place. Eventually the lava rock turns into sandstone, and you're walking on a white surface.

When we got to the end of the hike, we were surrounded by white - the walls around us, the ground we were standing on, and the white sand dunes to the right side of the trail. To the left, at the very end, there was an overlook where you could see Snow Canyon (middle picture).

Anyway, it was so much fun! We put Mason in the sand barefoot, up at the top of the dune, and he had such a blast crawling, rolling and jumping down to the bottom where Jeff was waiting for him. I'll eventually figure out how to include a video on here so you can see how much fun he had.

If anyone wants to come visit us out in St. George, there are so many amazing, wonderful, beautiful things to see and do!