THREE-nager

I now have a THREE-nager. I can't believe Isabelle is three. Nobody else can either apparently. She is so mature for her age. At the beginning of the year, I got a text from her nursery leader saying there must be a mistake. Why is Izzy still listed on the nursery role? Isn't she going into sunbeams? No.  Her nursery leader used the word precocious to describe Izzy. I agree.

For days leading up to her birthday, Isabelle would say, "I invited Audrey to my birthday." "so and so will be at my party too." I hated to break the news to Isabelle, but I did not want to throw her another giant party and have her expect that every year. 

This year, Isabelle's birthday included:

Pink streamers, balloons, chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (apparently adding the chocolate chips was a mistake), pizza for dinner, strawberry cupcakes (avoid these.. yuck. Maybe it was just the brand?), and a cake. Isabelle's main gift from us was getting her ears pierced! She was brave. I could tell she was nervous before going and she even said she didn't want to get her ears pierced anymore. Izzy went through with it. Even though some tears were shed, I was so proud of her! It was easy for her to pick which earrings she wanted. Of course, she chose pink. Jess, Chris, and George came to watch the big moment. Jess captured some great pics. Since then, Isabelle has been worried that her earrings are going to fall out several times. Some of her THREE-nagish self comes out when we have to clean her ears 3x a day.

I invited Jeff, Lindsey, Simon, and Esther to join us for pizza at the last minute. Good thing I did. At the end of the day, I asked Isabelle what the best part of her birthday was and she said, "Simon and Esther coming over." She adores her cousins.

Izzy was spoiled and got barbies, a purse full of makeup, a unicorn with a backpack carrier, Minnie Mouse and Daisy magnetic dress-ups, an Elsa dress, nail polish, earrings, and a puzzle/coloring book/crayons. After the food and presents, we pulled out the Nintendo Switch for a few minutes and let the kids play Mario Cart. Our kids had never played and watching 4 hooligans attempt to drive forward was amusing. Too soon, it was time for everyone to leave. My parent's watched Izzy open the gifts from them via Facetime. This helped ease the sting of them not being here. (One month down. 35 to go.)

Isabelle's Bio:

Isabelle is social. She likes to be out and about. She never wants to go home and lets everyone know. She is passionate. She is a good screamer. Isabelle is a momma's girl which I don't mind one bit. How did my baby get so big? Isabelle prefers that I put her to bed but her wish doesn't come true every night. Isabelle is chatty. Typically, Isabelle sings and talks to herself in her bed for at least an hour each evening. Isabelle is smart! She knows multiple verses of the song, "Follow the Prophet" and has been known to correct and help James with the words. She does the actions with it. Isabelle looks forward to nursery and asks if it's Sunday all week. Her favorite leader is our neighbor, Audrey. Isabelle is friendly. At church, when she sees friends or nursery leaders, she waves excitedly. Izzy also might have her first crush on one of our babysitters -- Will. 

Isabelle is beautiful. I mean have you seen her? Someone recently told me she's my twin and my jaw dropped. Biggest compliment ever. Her big blue eyes and curly hair have already given her endless attention. Isabelle is athletic. She caught on quickly in swimming lessons. She is constantly trying to keep up with her older brother. She can ride her balance bike so speedily. While going down a big hill, I was nervous she was going to fall because she was booking it. Izzy completely lifted her legs off the ground and was just balancing as if she didn't have a care in the world. She didn't biff it. Isabelle enjoys playing catch too and is surprisingly good at it. Isabelle is so eager to begin preschool this fall. She will thrive there. Izzy is also starting soccer. I think few things will be cuter than watching her attempt to chase the ball. 

If Isabelle had it her way, there would be no meals, just snacks. Isabelle despises having her hair brushed and bawls almost every time. Isabelle is terrified of automatic toilet flushers which are in many public restrooms. Isabelle is a girly girl. She wants all the accessories, is often found roaming stores in princess high heels, likes wearing gobs of lipstick, and if she had it her way would have her nails painted daily. Isabelle still changes outfits on the regular. Dresses are still her first choice and she has very particular taste. She wants NOTHING to do with having to wear shorts underneath her dresses. If Isabelle spills anything or gets her clothes wet, she immediately demands to change. Isabelle is brave. She is fearless when going to the dentist. She doesn't mind getting shots and didn't cry during her Covid-19 vaccine. We recently went to Isabelle's 3-year-old checkup. She weighs 31 pounds (54 percentile) and is 37.3 inches tall (57 percentile). The doc and I talked about how to deal with THREE-nager behaviors and I was given some good advice. Izzy is 3 going on 30 and we love her to pieces!

My Mermaid and Merman

Finding swimming lessons near us that meet my criteria hasn't been easy. I don't think I'm too picky, but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for this experience. In Pleasant Grove, James took swimming lessons at the rec center nearby which was dirt cheap. His swimming skills showed for it though, and I don't think he retained much that careless teenagers taught him.

Our rec center here in South Jordan also offers swimming lessons, but they seem nearly impossible to get into. I've tried many times and never succeeded. Our area has a few swimming lesson facilities, but the prices are hard for me to swallow. A friend mentioned that her kids do swimming lessons in a backyard pool. I immediately asked for the info and reached out. The Swim School took us several months to get into, but it was worth the wait. 

When I heard lessons were in a backyard pool, I expected the pool to be uncovered or have one of those ugly bubble things on top. No, this backyard pool is completely enclosed and in its own building. It's lovely! My kids had swimming lessons in May and then we won the summer swimming lottery and they had 2 sessions (8 days) of swimming lessons in July. Miss Kimberly is a friendly and patient instructor. During the summer she has teens that help her. 

A huge bonus with lessons at this pool is that my kids don't dread them. In fact, they ask constantly if it's time to go swimming. Watching my kids get so excited and learn new skills makes me happy. James' face probably hurt because of how big his grin was this week when he got to use a kickboard and fins. He was so proud of himself. He's getting good! 

We had a little scare this month during swimming. Izzy was waiting for her turn to go out with the teacher and was sitting on the steps of the pool. Her toy floated away and she followed it. I didn't notice, but luckily someone else saw that she was face down in the pool. Izzy was fine and hadn't been there long, but was understandably scared. She used to be fearless in the water, but since that experience has been more hesitant. Can you blame her? She was shaken for a few days but seems to be ok now. Lesson learned... I sit right by the steps and don't let myself get too carried away with my phone or book. None of the other moms could believe that Izzy is 2 (almost 3, but still)! They also can't believe how incredibly cute she is. I mean, I can't either.

On the last day of swimming, the teachers asked the kids if they wanted to try to jump in and grab onto the swinging rope. James and Isabelle both wanted to try. It was laughable that Izzy said she wanted to. The last few days of swimming, she jumped in very catiously and sometimes needed encouraging words in order to go. She was nowhere near grabbing the rope, but kept going again and again. It was hilarious. James got pretty close to reaching the rope. Maybe next session!

Notice Isabelle's name variations

At the end of each class, the kids get to pick a treat! They always remembered to do that. Daily, the kids also get to add their names into a drawing. At the end of each session, there is a winner. In May, James won a coupon for a free Crumbl cookie. In July, Izzy won a free ice cream cone at Nielsen's Custard.

Swimming is a skill I want my kids to have. These lessons will be worth every penny. I have seen so much progress! James can jump in and get all the way to the other side of the pool on his own. Izy floated for 20 seconds by herself this week. We hope we're able to continue lessons this fall, but we'll see if we're lucky enough to get in. The kids are already talking about going back.

3rd Child

For the past few weeks, It has felt like I have a 3rd child. People have seen me lots with my niece, Daisy. I will proudly take credit for her cuteness. She is absolutely adorable! We have been spending most of our time with Daisy and Jill while they have been in town. Sadly, their time in UT has come to an end. We have been going going going doing all the things. 

We went to the aquarium on Friday, July 1 with Lindsey, Simon, Esther, Daisy, Jill, Jess, and George (not pictured). My kids whizzed through that place while others could have spent hours there.

We went to the Riverton carnival on Saturday, July 2 which was a hit. Uncle Chris instantly became the favorite when he won a blowup spiderman playing a game and gave it to my kids. There were so many rides and it wasn't crowded at all thank you triple digit temperatures. It was boiling, but we didn't let that stop the fun.

Andrew and I hosted a 4th of July BBQ for my family. All of my siblings were there and Grandma and Grandpa Denning came as well. We had key lime pie which might need to become a new 4th of July tradition, fancy Trader Joes popsicles/cookie sandwiches, homemade lemonades, and more. I made rolls, funeral potatoes, a Ditto favorite--raspberry pretzel jello, and Andrew marinated/grilled chicken. Our trampoline kept the kids entertained! The kids enjoyed sparklers and pop-its until Izzy touched a sparkler on the ground and burned herself.

Giggi and Go-Daddy

We also went hiking with the 3 kiddos and Jill which wasn't always easy. We went through many snacks and treats along the way. We hiked Gloria Falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon the morning of the 4th. I highly recommend this hike! Everyone in UT seemed to have the same idea that day. It was incredibly crowded, but so worth it. It's 2.3 miles roundtrip. Jill said the waterfall reminded her of Hawaii. It was massive! The waterfall was loud and Izzy was afraid of the sound. This hike was more treacherous than I expected (mostly at the end), but if 5-year-old James can do it, it's manageable. We were stopped by some grown men near the end who were huffing and puffing and asked if they were almost finished.

Jill and Daisy were there, I promise.

On Saturday, July 9, we hiked Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. This hike is 1.5 miles roundtrip and was also packed. Parking here was stressful and I was grumpy about it. We lucked out and managed to squeeze into a spot right by the trailhead instead of having to park on the main road which would have doubled the length of the hike. We found a caterpillar on the trail and the kids were amazed to see it and carefully took turns holding it. We also saw 2 "chickmunks" in Izzy's words. I was surprised that in order to get to the falls, we had to use a rope to climb down some steep rocks. I was ultra-cautious and slow, especially since I was carrying Daisy. Once we got to Doughnut Falls, it was cool! Our feet were soaking wet, but it was a hot day and felt sort of good. James was a fan of walking in the water with his shoes on. We got snow cones at the end which helped keep the kids going.

Note the steep rope part. 

I love the mountains!

We went with Daisy to her first movie in-theaters. We saw "Minions" on Tuesday, July 12. Daisy did well. The last 30 minutes, she climbed up and down the stairs in the theater. I did not like the movie one bit and I can't really explain why. It didn't seem to have much of a plot? I hadn't seen a "Minions" movie before. To help pass the time, I ate so much popcorn I felt ill and was on my phone. (Which I never do in theaters. Don't worry, I dimmed the screen and nobody was behind us.)

Daisy didn't want to leave her mom and be pictured

We went swimming a couple times and the kids could have kept at it for hours. The lazy river at the rec center was a hit and James was finally tall enough to go on the big kid slide. We went to the swimming pool in Jessica's complex as well. The weather said there was a 100 percent chance of rain. We thought we could just wait it out for the predicted 10-15 minutes under the canopies, but boy were we wrong. Biggest rainstorm ever. We were absolutely drenched before we ever got in the water.

Walks became a favorite and were part of our routine. We also let the girls ride in the bike trailer a few times. We even rode to Cold Stone for ice cream one night. It was the best. We attended library storytime often. One weekend, we had Daisy all to ourselves while Jill went on a girls trip. A frequently asked question around here has been: "when is Daisy coming over?" and "Can Daisy sleepover tonight?" 

Izzy and Daisy got to go to nursery together more than once! Notice James' love for Daisy. He has a special bond with her.

The past few weeks have been a blast and a nice distraction from some hard things. I suppose it's time to get back to reality though and into more of a routine. I see you messy car. I miss my 3rd child already! (Oh, and Jill.) Until December, Denning-Plantiers!

Cruisin' Alaska

In November of 2021, we booked a trip with the Ditto clan. Debbie Ditto turned 70 years old in April of 2022 and her birthday gift was an Alaskan cruise with her children. At first, all 7 of her kids were booked to go, but unfortunately, only 5 of her 7 kids could make it. (Birch, Sara, Vaughn, and Tavia were sorely missed.) Debbie's sister, Ginnie came along too and shared a room with Debbie. I had never met Ginnie before and really enjoyed her company. Debbie cried with excitement when we told her about the trip. 

We sailed with Royal Caribbean. It was a 7-night cruise and we left out of Vancouver, Canada. I had never been to Canada and desperately wanted to finally get my passport stamped but to no avail. (Canada and the Bahamas have failed me!) 

Andrew and I weren't able to find a good flight that arrived in time for our cruise departure, so we flew in the night before. On Sunday, we attended church, and guess who we ran into?? Andrew's cousin, Christy, and her son which was a pleasant surprise. 

It was a long time to be away from our kids. We are so thankful to my parents for helping watch our children for part of the trip. They were extremely busy making final preparations to move to Brazil. Jeff and Lindsey also helped watch our kids for a chunk of the time and our kids had a blast with their cousins! They got to see the new Buzz Lightyear movie, go swimming, play at a splash pad, go out to ice cream twice, play in a bounce house, and more. It put my mind at ease knowing my kids were left in such good hands with people I trust completely who love my kids wholeheartedly. 

On our journey, we stopped at 4 ports. We lived for port days and spent as much time as possible off of the ship. It's hard for me to pick just one favorite city in Alaska. They were all stunning.

Port #1 Sitca: Tuesday, June 14

It was a chilly day in Alaska. It wasn't rainy though. At one point,  I was cold enough to put on gloves and a hat. Some warm chowder helped.

We went to a bear reserve where rescued bears live. We got to be up close to 8 bears. Watching the bears eat was hilarious. A couple of the bears were teenagers and energetic/fighting. After the bears, we saw eagles. There are so many eagles in Alaska and we listened to a well-done presentation about eagles. It was sad to hear that so many eagles get hit and injured by cars. After seeing the eagles, we hiked back toward town. I can see why "ABH" takes so long. It felt like we stopped every 5 seconds to get video footage or take goofy pics. Thanks, Kelly! We did some souvenir shopping and ate dumplings which were only so so in my opinion. Kelly bought the best popcorn and I definitely regret not buying a bag of my own. I tried to buy some in another city later on and it didn't compare.

What happens when Andrew tries to kiss me spontaneously & in front of his family.

Port #2 Juneau: Wednesday, June 15

What a sunny and beautiful day! We were told numerous times how lucky we were to have this phenomenal weather. Annie said it felt like Ken intervened and made the weather beautiful for Debbie's birthday trip. We took a bus to go whale watching. There was a money-back guarantee if you didn't see whales. It felt like a long boat ride before we got out to the whales, but then we saw so many! I was surprised they weren't blue whales. All of the whales were black. We even got to see a baby whale with her mom. We also saw a popular hangout for Sea Lions. We then took a bus to a glacier. We hiked up to the glacier and later checked out the visitors center which had lots of fascinating info about how much the glacier has shrunken in size. Apparently getting married or engaged near the glacier is popular. Once again, we ended the day souvenir shopping. We got our kids t-shirts, I picked out a sweater, and Andrew got an Alaskan sticker for his laptop. Juneau had a cute main street.

Port #3 Haines: Thursday, June 15

Another gorgeous, cloudless day. This was by far the smallest port city we went to. Thankfully, we were able to track down 2 rental cars. I don't know what we would have done without the cars. It was a tiny city with not a ton to do. We were able to drive around and see some breathtaking scenery. A few braved the cold water and climbed a tricky rock for an epic pic. It was impressive. (I did not participate.) 

Later, we drove to another area of the town and did a hike which made my heart happy. We ended up at a beautiful destination. It was basically a rocky beach. We ended up seeing a sea lion and the boys skipped rocks and probably would have kept going all day if we let them. Let me just say, I am proud Andrew is my husband. I discovered he has a hidden talent--rock skipping. Grannie survived the hike and was so proud of herself! This hike definitely pushed her limits and I think was around 2 miles. Some of us tried to find a shorter route back for her, but it was extremely steep. We stopped and ate fish and chips back in town, shopped, and of course, tasted the local fudge. Thank you, Julia! 

Andrew is so proud of this pic. Do you notice the fly?

Port #4 Ketchikan: Friday, June 16

Perfect weather once again! In fact, jackets were unnecessary. All week, we had been wanting to go ATVing and we finally found an excursion that wasn't sold out. We went side-by-siding and got to see some phenomenal views. My only complaint was that we couldn't drive faster. I do not speed in a real car (in fact, I've never been pulled over), but I go for it when adventuring. I will say I got up to 32mph which was speedier than Andrew. Our excursion included "reindeer sausages." When we got back to the city, we walked the streets, shopped, and ate more fish and chips. Good thing I love seafood-HA! I got a burger. Andrew worked in Alaska the summer we were dating. He spent 2 weeks of his time working in Ketchikan. It was neat to have him point out places he'd been. Blayre bought doughnuts for all of us to try and they were delish. Grannie splurged and bought herself a ring from a jeweler. We teased her because we never saw her actually wear the ring. It was far too precious and expensive to take out of her secure wallet. She didn't want to lose it. I wonder if she is showing off her prized possession on her finger now?

Ship Time

We had lots of time on the ship. Four of the evenings, we went to shows. We went mini-golfing. The boys played shuffleboard and basketball. There was a ping-pong table and I was not on my game.  Embarrassing. We hit the gym. After all, we had to work off the unlimited food. Karaoke happened and we went twice. Andrew performed, "Sugar We're Going Down" and much to Grannie's chagrin, Blayre signed Grannie and Ginnie up to sing, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles. They were wearing nearly matching outfits (not planned) and it was hilarious. Blayre also signed the Ditto boys up to sing, "Man, I Feel Like a Woman," but they shockingly changed the song to, "Old Time Rock and Roll." There were some horrific singers. In fact, Logan got excellent video footage of a terrible singer. He legitimately hurt our hearts. We played so many games! All the games a girl could ever want-- Skull King, Rook, Family Feud, and Nerts.

Andrew displaying his 2nd place metal in the speed climbing competition

We found the game room

Up early to see the boat pass through the fjords

Bleh! I ate so much! It's hard to say no when the food is endless. We had the same waitress each night and go to know Veronika well. She had quite the story and is Ukrainian. Hearing about the hardships her family is facing was eye-opening. Veronika recently married a Russian and they ended up getting married over zoom, so he was able to flee Russia. What a story. We plan to stay connected on social media.

COVID-19

Covid definitely made cruising more complicated. Everyone who got on the ship had to take a covid test. Not any test would cut it, there were very specific guidelines. I was relieved knowing that everyone on the cruise ship was healthy from the beginning. My biggest fear was that I would get covid while traveling and miss out on time with my parents.

Things got dicey with the covid testing. Andrew's brother, Birch ended up testing positive and Birch and Sara didn't come. Andrew and I ordered special expensive tests to take in front of a proctor via Zoom and my test was missing a piece. It made for a stressful day. I had to scramble to get tested another way. Walgreens barely pulled through. I was able to snag one of the few available faraway appointments. It took longer than they said to get my Covid-19 test results, so I called. I nearly had a panic attack when they said had no record of me taking a test. Thankfully, someone else was able to find my results and I was negative. Unfortunately, they couldn't email me the results. They requested that I come to get retested. Finally, Andrew just had them print off the results and he went to pick them up. We finally had my negative covid test results in hand 1.5 hrs prior to when we left for the airport. Phew!

My worst fear happened. I brought home an unwanted souvenir--covid. At times it was mild, but other times I was pretty sick. It was devastating to miss going to see my parents get set apart by President Eyring and other events. Thankfully, I was able to say my goodbyes to my parents after they finished up at the MTC. 

My travel buddy

All in all, we couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous location to vacation. Happy 70th birthday, Grannie!