Spring Outings

Los Angeles ZOO

 During my Spring Break, I went to the Zoo with Taryn, Christie and Christie's daughter. It was super fun because we all teach school together, and Christie's daughter is one of my students! The weather was perfect for us, we got to eat lunch next to the giraffes and lions, and we had lots of time to chat.

 Tanner was a super trooper. He was running a fever the night before and in the morning, but I decided to still go to the zoo. I gave him some tylenol and he did really well until about 3:30, which was perfect because we started leaving the park at 4:00. I knew it was probably better for him to be home, but I decided that life is too short to be sitting at home all the time with a sick baby. At this point, I was pretty sick and tired of ear infections, fevers and canceling all kinds of activities because of snotty noses and amoxicilin. So this time I decided that he was going to be sick no matter what, so we may as well enjoy ourselves watching animals out in the fresh air instead of watching TV cooped up in the house.

 I took the big stroller so that he could lay down for his naps. He actually slept a lot while at the zoo. What a good little baby!

 The Beach with The Nilssons

You might remember that awhile ago, I nannied for the Nilsson family with twin babies and a 2 year old. Well, that was actually 4 years ago! The family moved to Texas and then Utah. But they were in town during my Spring Break, so Tanner and I got to play with them at the beach!! It was so much fun to see how the girls have grown and to see their new baby boy, just 2 months older than Tanner.

 This was the first time that I let Tanner crawl and explore in the sand.

 The beach was FREEZING the day we went. So we huddled together under our towels.

 We warmed ourselves up with some hot chocolate at Johnny Rockets.

 The Twins, Brielle and Zoey! So grown up!

Above- Little Rylie is now 6 years old! Below-Tanner and Ryker had a fun time watching each other and playing in the sand together.

 Duffy Boat Trip- Newport Harbor

 Tanner and I were invited to ride on our friends' duffy boat! It's a little comercial boat with a motor, comfy seats, hooded top and plastic windows. It is only intended to ride around the harbor and up the river. We went with three other families from church, and it was super fun.

 We saw tons of pelicans, fish, seals and sea lions. These huge guys were just chilling on someone's dock!

Family Bike Ride to the Beach 

 Last Saturday, Jeremy and I rode our bikes to the beach with Tanner. It's about a 2.5 mile bike ride one way. We had a super fun time. We shopped at the street market, played in the sand, and ate a bunch of snacks. It was our first family time playing with Tanner in the sand.

 

Tanner loved watching the sand fall through his fingers. I was surprised though, he didn't try to eat the sand very much. I think it's because we stayed where the sand is dry, so all of it would fall out of his fingers before getting into his mouth.

Easter!

Easter is my favorite holiday. This year, we got to spend Easter Eve with Desha and the Summer cousins! It was especially nice to be with them shortly after Grandpa's memorial. The holiday was a beautiful (and needed) reminder of The Resurrection and that we will all be resurrected, too.

On Good Friday, I ate Hot Cross Buns. Yummy! But no one else liked them.
On Easter Eve, I served fish with honey sauce because Jesus ate fish and honeycomb with his apostles after he was resurrected. Desha made the sauce for the fish. We also had deviled eggs, veggies, salad, fruit and kuskus. For dessert we made and frosted sugar cookies together. Tanner got a taste of the frosting and wasn't too sure about it's texture.

Then, we made history by turning our mirror-wall into a giant game of Pictionary! We used dry erase markers, and drew all over the wall! You could see the drawings pretty well, and it made for some fun laughs. We started playing in teams, but then decided we liked it better just choosing our own words from the deck.

It was funny cuz both Shauna and Desha were really good at it, but in different ways. Shauna chose easy ones to draw and we would guess them within a few seconds. On the other hand, Desha chose the super complicated, abstract ones, and would end up covering the whole mirror with detailed drawings. And we could actually figure it out! 

On Easter Morning, Desha had to leave at the crack of dawn for the airport. Jeremy, Tanner and I went to church. Jeremy got picked up for the airport from church. He went to Kentucky for a school business competition. Tanner and I spent the day singing Easter songs and playing outside. It was a very peaceful Easter!

Auntie Desha

My sister, Desha, came to visit us during her spring break, from April 3-8. She lives in Portland and is getting her PhD in Natropathic medicine, emphasis in midwifery. It was SO great having her with us! I don't know many people that would choose to spend their spring break changing diapers and wiping a snotty nose. But Desha loves babies, so she couldn't resist.

Desha was amazing to us. She took care of Tanner for a couple days while we were at work. They went on walks, read books, had music time, played crawling games, and had clapping lessons. (we're still working on getting him to clap). Desha also cooked nearly every meal for us the whole week. And she did dishes and kept the house tidy. Luckily, she did have some fun, too, because we went to the beach a couple times. We also had a great time visiting and just being enamored by Tanner.

Common site- Desha's camera in a baby's face. Desha takes hundreds of pictures of Tanner when she visits.

 We had to cuddle under the blanket at the beach because it was pretty windy. On this day, Desha took Tanner to the water and they played "run from the waves."

 That's right- Tanner can blow snot bubbles from BOTH nostrils at the same time.

Having Desha here this spring made me realize how much she has been there for me, esp since the time that I started college. Our personalities are very different, and our life interests and paths have sometimes made it seem like we are worlds apart, but despite this, Desha has always reached out to me. Whether it was a quick phone call, or letting me visit her when she lived in SLC, or posting videos about pregnancy on my wall, or sending me special gifts, or being that listening ear, she has been a great sister to me. 

When we were in Colorado for Grandpa's memorial, Desha and I had a chance to reminisce childhood memories about our grandparents. It was a neat reminder to me that Desha is the only person with whom I share many life experiences. It is fun now to be adults and to reflect on our childhood, comparing perspectives on the same experiences.

I hope Desha knows that I love her and appreciate her. And I hope she knows that I admire her today just as much as I did as a tiny girl. Actually, I might admire her more today. I am so impressed with her passion that she has in her fields of study. She has done some really amazing things in her life, inspiring many people through the various organizations that she is in. And she is, of course, the perfect Auntie that any kid could want! 

Video- Tanner super excited about playing ball with Daddy

This videos was filmed the week of March 19, 2012. Tanner had just barely discovered how fun playing ball is! We could not stop laughing at his reaction every time Jeremy caught the ball. I have no idea how he learned to make the sound (I worry it's ruining his voice), but it has become his go-to cheer when he is really excited about something.

Grandpa's Memorial- March 30

Our Grandpa Reed Higgins passed away in March. He is my mom's dad, and lived to be 93 years old. He is a wonderful person, and I grew to love him very much while sitting at his feet, listening to his stories of childhood adventures. As a young teenager, I would write down the stories he told me in my journal. I realized early how important it was to be with him. I made a conscious effort to spend time with him during my busy high school years and during my visits home from college. One of my favorite things was to sing with him and for him. Grandpa always made me feel like a million dollars when I sang for him. I had the privilege of singing at his memorial last week in Colorado. It was a beautiful service with a formal military salute. 

For many years now, every time that I said goodbye to Grandpa Higgins and my grandma, I've acted as though it would be the last time I see them. I've tried to make my time with them special so that I have no regrets once they pass on. That is the main reason that we brought Tanner to Colorado last September. We spent as much time with all our grandparents as possible, and it was the last time I saw Grandpa Higgins. I'm so grateful we spent the time and money to do that. It was Tanner's only chance to see his great-grandpa. 

 (Sept, 2011)

 (Sept, 2011)

(Sept, 2011)

This is the first time that any of my close relatives have died. For me personally, instead of it being a a time of sorrow or despair, it has been a time of solemness, gratitude and quiet joy. I didn't cry at the news of his passing because I knew his time was near and that it was God's will. But I have cried when thinking about the sweet times we had when I was younger, kind of in a "I am so grateful that I had those experiences with him" sort of cry. 

 I have a strong knowledge and belief that death is not the end. I know that our spirits live on and that someday, we will be resurrected just like Jesus was. I know that family relationships last for eternity because of sacred priesthood ordinances that take place in God's temple. I know that our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ live! Death is how we return to them, and we can live with them according to our faithfulness and through the love and mercy of His Son.

 (Jeremy, Tanner, me and my friend Stacy and her husband Dan)

 (The Higgins cousins. No boys!)

 (But now, there are boys since we have Jeremy and Tanner!)

 My Dad made a swing for his grandkids. Tanner LOVED it!

 We had nice visits with relatives and great food.

 
 

 Tanner has taken a great interest in balls. And he loved spending time with his Papa.

 We visited Grandma several times. Tanner could not stop looking at his great-grandma! He gazed and gazed at her, watched her slowly eat her food, following her hand as it moved from her bowl to her mouth. If she wasn't looking at him, he would tilt his head, break a smile and say "uh?" to get her attention. 

 Grandma and I sang songs for Tanner. As we sang, he joined with his two pitch melody "uh-uh-uh." It was a very special visit.

 Tanner and I ended up traveling twice in March because of Janae's wedding in Utah two weeks before the memorial. (I'll try to make a post of the wedding once I get some pictures. Jeremy had our camera with him in China at the time). Anyway, this picture displays some of the challenges that come when traveling with a baby. Tanner is a wonderful traveler because he is such an easy baby. But the logistics of traveling with a baby is not easy. Doing things like going through security, taking diaper changing stops, and finding places for feedings is a constant challenge. All our stuff took up the entire row on the conveyor belt at security!

But all the challenges of the travels were worth it. We had a great trip and a wonderful visit with our family!