Costumes

 I've been scanning family photos instead of writing psych evals.  Here's Chris, age 5, whose outfit of knight's armor, snorkel gear, cape, mittens, basketball shorts, and snow boots really says it all.

Sometimes all you need are a pair of cool sunglasses to set off your outfit (Betsy, age 2).

Sometimes facial hair is what makes the difference.

The nomad look is great for travel, especially if you can take your blankie along as a part of your outfit:
 

Paper bags are very useful in accessorizing (Rob, age 6):

Sometimes a simple sunsuit and cowboy boots along with your doll are not enough--you really need The Look (Amy, almost age 2): 

I wanted to post a great photo of Rob wielding a couple of six shooters while wearing nothing but a cowboy hat, a kerchief over his face, a pair of boots, and his whitey-tighties, but it may be a bit too risque for a family blog.

Ethan and Ellie

I get to stay with Ethan and Ellie, and it's been fun to play with them and get to know them better.  Ethan likes me to sing songs to him before he goes to sleep, and although we watched "Cars" two times in two days, he also likes to play and talk.  A lot.  Below, with his daddy, doing their camera faces: 

 I had to include this picture of Ethan on the drums because he looks so much like Dave just before he turned two:

 Rooster-tail Ethan:

Camera face!

John brought dinner yesterday (which we just finished for today's lunch).  Here he sits with Ellie, while we all watch Ethan.

Ellie sleeps, which is very good.  But I know she's up plenty of times in the night.  She and Betsy are working on the timing and amount of feeding--a process involving ice packs, hot compresses, and pumping.

She woke up!

A very pretty little girl.  She reminds me of Betsy when she was tiny.

Advent of Rayen Elizabeth

Amy and I left Provo at 4:30 pm (16:30), and Amy stayed back with Ethan while Betsy, Brett, and I drove up to the hospital.  Right after we got there it was snowing outside.  We were in the same room where Ethan was born. No drama as there was with Ethan--no gas leaks and threatened evacuation.  Things were pretty slow for awhile.

Things were pretty slow for a long while.  

Brett went home for a nap.  By early morning, things were heating up again.  This (below) is not Betsy's natural resting smile:

At 6:16 we texted Brett to come back.  And hurry.

Taking a tiny break before the final lap:

Dr. Bennett, who made it there even after Brett:

Rayen Elizabeth, born 6:55 a.m. Feb 17, 2011.  Weight 9 lbs 1 oz, height 21 inches.  Blond, curly hair (but the curly probably won't last, as both parents and Ethan have straight hair).  At 9 lbs she is all filled out and cute as a button.  Her skin is perfectly translucent, and it was so interesting to see her change color when she was born and as she cried, from blue to purple to white to red.  Oxygenated blood! She seems to me, at home now as the grandma downstairs, to sleep quite a lot.  She had no difficulty learning to latch on--I suppose some of that had to do with being Betsy's second.

 Hello Ellie!  Welcome to the world. 

Daddy Brett caught her on the way out, and snipped the cord, and took her for her first check-over, and helped with her bath.

 The new room was nice--in the new hospital wing, with a beautiful view.  The best view was of the ladies:

Ethan came to visit.  Of everyone involved, he will probably have the hardest adjustment.

Thank you to Brett and Betsy for letting me be there.  I am honored.  I love you all.

Betsy and Ellie's Baby Shower

So Betsy's having a baby, in case you didn't know. Due February 13, and named Rayen Elizabeth. Big brother Ethan is excited, although it's hard to imagine what he actually envisions the baby to be, in mama's tummy. He calls the doctor's office the "baby Ellie store."

The shower was fun--a brunch with sweet fruity whipped cream and powdered sugar crepes and savory egg, pepper, mushroom and onion crepes, hot chocolate, tea, and oj (we accidentally left the yogurt sitting in the cold garage on top of the freezer).

Ethan, Betsy, (baby Ellie), and Grandma Gene were there (above), as were Rachel, Barbara, Susie, and Samantha:

Liz and Karma Sue (not sure what Karma Sue is thinking):

Amy, Rachel (again) on Mary Ann's lap, and Grandma E:

The guys (besides Ethan) came too--Alan (and Rachel--she's gets in all the photos--good thing she's so photogenic:

Grandpa declined to come into the party room, preferring to read his Kindle in peace and quiet. Notice that he did have a crepe:

Ellie got a lot of practical girl things. Amy stayed up all night finishing her a lovely crocheted receiving blanket in rose, blue, coral, yellow, and soft green. Is there a chance at all that this baby will be anything but a princess? Although Betsy was never content with the princess role--Amy could be the princess, but she was the QUEEN.

I promised Betsy I'd take a week off work and go stay at their house when Ellie comes. I've been warning my patients that we will miss a session. Hooray for granddaughters!

SLC and Temple Square

We went to SLC yesterday to hear the Timpview choir sing at the Joseph Smith Building and then in the Assembly Hall. John and Amy and I parked at Betsy's and walked downtown. That's the fun thing about B&B's house.

Notice the choir lining the balconies:

Chris was just left of Mr. Larsen:

Ethan liked the Christmas tree in the JSB:

We had dinner at an extremely crowded Crown Burger on North Temple. Nicolle, Colette, and Johnathan came too, but I forgot to take pictures. We walked back up the hill to warm up in Betsy's house. Alice warmed up Chris in his A Cappella tux:

Grandpa and Ethan play with Brett's Ferrari.

Amy and Betsy are silly. Less than two months until Ellie makes her advent!

The Rest of November

Mom and I decided to take a little overnight trip to Annabella to visit Cindy and fam. Michael came home from SUU (with a friend, above, in red--a cousin to our Lifferth neighbors in Springville), so we were there for his birthday party.

John and I went to our writing group at Charlotte's house. She is working on her contribution for the book about Gene. I hope she writes her own book as well. I have video of her telling a story from their adventures on a mission in Samoa--two married 19 year olds--Gene using a machete, hitting a wasps' nest, and slicing open his thumb--very funny (after the fact, of course).

John and I went to the BYU/USU basketball game. I kept missing the plays because I was too busy looking at the fans. It was sort of fun to hear them berate the refs: "Oh come on! Come ON! Ya think so? Oh really?" and so forth. John says when Uncle Bob is with him the comments from the stands are considerably more salty.

I went to The Farm with Rob and the babes. They love Tena's airplane even in the snow.

We visited the tack room with Grandpa:

and walked around the farm yard:

We went up the lane to see if the pond was frozen enough to slide on.

It was a lot of fun to watch the fish beneath ice clear as glass:


Grandpa tests the ice. Crack! Nope, not safe yet.

We walked with Grandpa up the hill to help feed the cows:


Later, John and I went with Rob, Colette, Johnathan, Betsy, and Ethan to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.

Ethan liked this dinosaur which was just his size:

Here he tries on his dinosaur face (and shows his beautiful teeth).

Johnathan and Ethan check out the dinosaur foot.

Johnathan plays in the sand and water place, which is a big hit with the kids:

Massive shark:

The Utahraptor is pretty creepy:

I can't believe I took no photos of Thanksgiving. We (John, Chris, and I) ate here with Mom, Dad, Grandma Gene, Rob, Colette, and Johnathan (Nicolle flew to Ft. Worth for her mom's birthday and to help her sisters drive back with a car). John did a great job with the turkey, gravy, and stuffing; Chris did the potatoes; Mom brought salad, relish try veggies, and pumpkin pies; I did rolls, cherry pies, apple pie, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate cream pie, and whatever else. Colette set the table. When I talked to Dave he said he was disappointed that we only had seven pies for nine people, not 1:1 as we've sometimes had in the past. Oh well.