Chris Ventures to Chicago

My sweet hubby Chris just got back from Chicago this week and I wanted to share some of his adventures and accomplishments.

The Wednesday before he left, he won second place in the UC Davis Neuroscience Annual Poster Competition. I was so proud of him--his poster looked awesome and he did a great job presenting. Plus the $500 prize was a definite bonus! lol

That weekend he flew out to Chicago with his poster to attend the annual Society For Neuroscience Meeting along with 40,000 Neuroscientists from around the world. He again had the opportunity to present his poster and some very well regarded and well-known scientists came to see his presentation! Along the way he got to see some sites and eat some Chicago style pizza. :)






While Chris was gone, Bailey and I went to Grampa's Barn here in Davis:) It's only open during October every year and they have baby animals you can pet and even hold, a pony to brush, corn mazes, pumpkin patches and more! We got a pass for the month and have already been a few times.

We played in the pumpkin patch...


We pet the bunnies...(they also had baby kittens, baby ducks and baby chicks to hold--but I didn't get pics:( )



We pet and brushed the pony...



We chased the chickens (what makes this place so unique is that you can actually GO into all the animal pens and be with the animals.)


We climbed the big haystacks and hay mazes...


And we did arts and crafts when we got home! :) And I did catch Bailey with the Elmer's glue trying to glue her bear and blanket together...

First Family Camping Trip

Chris and I LOVE camping and we did it a lot before we had the little one. I'll admit that I was kinda afraid to take her camping last year (probably because it's my first one--I'm sure the second time around I won't be so anal). And so this summer we wanted to try it out and see how she did! Overall it was a great experience and we learned a lot...lol Bailey did awesome on the hikes and playing at the lake and she overall loves being outside. It was the night that we had a harder time with. We went up to Lake Tahoe (it's only about 2 hours away)and camped right by the beachfront--we found a sweet walk-in campsite that was hidden. Bailey had no trouble with wanting to touch the fire pit which kinda surprised me:) She was pretty scared of it actually. But anyways, during the night she slept with us in the sleeping bags that we zip up together and she woke up super early each morning (she never sleeps well with us and does better sleeping by herself!) because she was excited to see us in bed with her! So between sleepless nights and taking naps on the go (hiking, traveling, etc) she was exhausted by the end of the 3 days! It was a fun family experience though and I'm glad we got to go once before it got cold. Next summer promises many more camping trips with her:) Here are some pics:

On the way home we stopped at Apple Hill and spent the day at pumpkin patches,eating apple donuts and cider, riding horses and trains, and enjoying all the orchards! (We did this last fall as well)

Bailey loves riding the ponies

Petting Zoo
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Big pumpkin!

Face Painting--on her arm!

Showing Daddy the apple on her arm

Waiting for the train:)



Daddy was her "stroller" for the afternoon...and most of the trip

World's Worst Mom Award

I'm gonna say it and no one judge me: The last two weeks have been H-E-L-L (yes I just wrote that). You may think that I am being a bit harsh when I say this, but I give myself the "World's Worst Mom" Award for some of what has occurred. So Bailey has been a total grump the last two weeks for a couple reasons: First, she had a staph infection on her little bottom that she got from who knows where. She was on antibiotics 3X a day that she HATED and I had to force it down her throat. She finally got to the point of literally throwing it back up along with food she had eaten that morning of afternoon. Secondly, she is getting at least 5 new teeth (but it's about time...she only has 5 teeth and she's 18 months old!) We've been waiting and waiting for these new teeth and now they have all decided to pop up at once. So as you might imagine, it has made life super easy for mom. :)

That was only the beginning...I took Bailey to play group this past Thursday (these pictures are not actual pictures we took) and she loves the big twisty slides but likes me to go down with her the first time or two until she will go on her own. So naturally I put her on my lap and off we went! Well halfway down her leg gets caught up under me and by the time we got to the bottom her leg was all twisted funny underneath me and she was screaming. After she screamed for 20 minutes and she wouldn't walk on it I drove her to the doc.
They did x-rays and luckily it wasn't broken but she had a bad sprain and so she didn't walk on it for 2 days or so and Iv had to just carry her everywhere. I felt so bad!

And to make the week even worse...she was finally feeling better by Saturday. Her infection was long gone, she was walking on her leg, and a few of her teeth had finally cut through. Chris was at priesthood session of conference and so I took Bailey to the grocery store with me to get a few things. She loves to pretend she's driving and so while I loaded the groceries in the car, I sat her in the driver's seat put my purse in the passenger seat and proceeded to load up the car. Afterwards, she was having so much fun that I was going to just run the cart across the aisle. So I shut the driver door (so she wouldn't try to climb out and go into the road) and jogged over to put the cart away. I literally returned 10 seconds later and there was Bailey holding my keys she had dug out of my purse, still in the driver's seat with the doors all locked!!!! I was FREAKING out, but I tired to remain calm as I tried to coax her through the closed window to push the unlock button on the keys. I also tried to get her to manually pull up on the lock or even to push the lock button on the door! But to no avail! And by this point people are starting to speculate (well come on--who wouldn't!) as I keep trying to remain calm and continue to coax Bailey into unlocking the door. About ten minutes later Bailey starts getting a little scared that I'm not getting in the car and after she tried opening the handle and realized that it wasn't opening the door she starts calling "mama!" "mama! open!" Then I loose it and start bawling and a lady come over and calls 9-1-1 and a few minutes later the fire dept drives into the shopping center with their sirens blaring (did they have to turn on the sirens? come on!) and people are REALLY staring at me now and probably thinking "what a terrible mom to let her toddler lock herself in the car!" Well they break into the car and give Bailey a teddy bear and sticker and she's all happy and I'm covering my face and clambering into the car wearing a sign that says "WORLD'S WORST MOM"

the end.

Fall Pictures

We just got Bailey's 18 month fall pictures back and were very pleased at how they turned out! Many thanks to Julia--the amazing and talented photographer! Bailey was not very cooperative, of course, and made it very difficult to get smiley shots. :) But overall, we were very pleased; and besides, being contemplative and sassy is kinda Bailey's personality--so the pictures really showed that! We were able to get a few family shots amongst Bailey's, but not very many. It's crazy to compare last Fall's pictures with this year's! Time flies and they really do grow up so fast.

We just got back from a family camping trip at Lake Tahoe! I got lots of pictures and will be posting them with details of the trip this next week!

Today was Bailey's first day of nursery! Mommy is very happy to actually attend church meetings:) Hallelujah!

Today we also got Bailey's pictures done and (of course) I don't think she smiled for a single shot...

Back to School:)

It's that time of year again that the leaves start slowly turning, children are walking or riding bikes to school, and instead of being over 100 degrees it's in the lower 90's :) LOL I'm am SO way behind in posting, but these are all some things that have been happening the last couple months--and yes, most of them are of Bailey because she dominates our lives still.

Chris is studying his booty off for qualifying exams this weekend (and of course it's during labor day weekend...so we're not going anywhere fun!) and after he passes (because although he always stresses about failing he always ends up at the high end of the grading scale) he will have a master's degree and be going on to do his PhD research! We're really excited and happy for him. He works so hard and is still a great and fun father to bailey and a wonderful and helpful husband to me:)

I started school last week and have two classes this semester. I will be officially starting the music program next fall and will hopefully be done at the end of that next year if all goes as planned. I also got another piano student!! so although things are busy, I tend to like it that way! :) anyways, i'll let the pics do the talking about Bailey:)

Oh! and i just wanted to say how much i love and will miss my sweet friend Jo Lynn who just moved (although she only moved 15 minutes away...) but she's in another ward now and we probably won't get together as often...but we'll still get together at least! lol

This is a really funny video of Bailey "helping" dad fix the bike. She'll get into his tools and start pretending to work on the bike like dad and whenever chris would grunt or make a frustrated sound then she would do it too!!!


Mommy and Bailey


Mommy going to school and with my most recent acrylic painting (which I hated by the way and gave away to a friend!)


Bailey loves to play the piano...maybe she'll play one day:)


My most recent hairdo experiments:)




Park adventures--she loves all the dogs that are usually at the parks



This one's for Grampa Cunningham--she loves to carry around her State Farm bear:)


Sporting the sunglasses on a fine summer day:)


What toddler doesn't love to "drive" at this age??


Playing with her new hammer/peg set from Shalyce:) Thanks again Shalyce and Karter:) We miss you guys!

A Visit to St. George

I had the opportunity to fly to Vegas and meet my Dad and then drive to St. George to see my Grandpa. This is hard and I really don't know what to say...but since this blog is also my semi-journal, I will speak from the heart.

My Grandpa has always refused to place Grandma in a home. After she started to get a little dementia, they moved from Lone Pine, CA where they raised their seven children and where we all played as kids, and moved to St. George in a little town home next to the temple in St. George (around 5 years ago). Grandpa has always been an independent man and so when his health was really failing and he called my Aunt CiCi to come out and help (she's an RN) we knew it was bad. Cancer had gotten into his bloodstream and the doctor didn't give him more than a week. So Dad and I met in Vegas and then drove to St. George to see him for the last time. There had already been a few cases where his breathing and heartbeat slowed so much they thought he wouldn't make it before we got there.

All the family around him kept reassuring him that we were on our way and to hold on and he did. We got there and it was the last time he opened his eyes and tried to speak. After that evening he slipped into a semi-coma and didn't open his eyes again, but struggled breathing. We gathered around him and had a family prayer of release. He hung on until the following afternoon when he drew his last breath with Grandma laying and cuddling beside him and all his loved ones around his bed singing his favorite hymns.

I can honestly say that this was probably one of the hardest things to go through that I have ever experienced in my life. It was so beautiful to have all of us gathered there singing to him and I know he would've wanted to go that way--without all the I.V and computers hooked up to him in a strange hospital room. He had his sweetheart of 68 years, some of his children and grandchildren by his side. The spirit was so strong when he passed as we sang. I know he would've wanted to go this way. My Grandpa was a good man and lived a good righteous life--it's neat that the last check he wrote that same week was one for tithing (even though "technically" he has already payed tithing on his retirement back when he was putting it away), but he faithfully wrote a check out every month he got some of it.

A really hard part of this trip was leaving BAiley and Chris. I love them so much--Chris has been amazing and has stayed with Bailey since Thursday. He has been so sweet and supportive. It would've been hard having BAiley there while I was struggling with this and while I sat by his side for a day and a night. I also was then able to spend a couple nights sleeping with and comforting my Grandma. I am so thankful for the gospel and the knowledge we have that families are together forever and not just until death. Without knowing this I could not even imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one.

The funeral was beautiful, short and sweet. My dad spoke and the Gradnchildren sang "Families Can Be Together Forever." It has been a hard week and emotionally draining, but I'm so grateful that I was able to go. I am now waiting in the LasVEgas airport to go home and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to see Chris and little Bailey--I love them so much!

I unfortunately didn't get many pictures, but here are a few:

My cousin's sweet newborn babygirl--Eva


Shalyce's adorable little boy--Karter


Grandpa, the morning before he passed