Lake Powell Trip

We were nervous about going on the Family Lake Powell Trip this summer. 1) It's in the middle of July, 2) We have a 5 mo. old baby 3) She wasn't known for sleeping anywhere but her crib, 4) etc. We decided we should go, for Troy's B-day and to get a "break." One thing we realized is that it's harder to relax when you go on vacation with a baby, then before you had a baby. Another thing we realized is that she is very adaptable and is just fine with new things. She slept well. Not as well as we/she'd have liked, but well enough, and she smiled and laughed the WHOLE trip. We kept ourselves busy in the 2.5 days we were there. Our activities included, but were not limited to: Swimming, Tubing, Water Skiing, Boating, Hiking to Anchient Aztec ruins, eating good food, celebrating Troy & Tyler's b-days (twins), spending time with 16 other family members, and my favorite--jumping off of the top of the house boat. I hadn't been water skiing besides a few times before I was pregnant, so I was nervous, but did very well. We had such a fun time and can't wait to go back!

The houseboat jumping was interesting. I'm very much afraid of heights, but I've been trying to get over it for a while. Many other individuals on the trip had jumped off of the top of the houseboat into the deep water, and I decided that was my next "adventure" (as if child bearing, riding "Wicked," and all the other "death defying"/"fear inducing" activities I've done haven't been enough). I had the best coaches in the world, the most inspiration, and the most determination. One person was watching, time passed, 3 people, 6, 12, came out to see the "spectacle" and give their advice. Eventually after I realized that Sophy does harder things everyday, and our family motto after all is: "We do hard things!", I jumped. It took me 40 mins and over coming the hardest fear for me: falling. Afterwards I was relieved and went home happy. I know that it doesn't sound like a big deal, but I know that Heavenly Father helped me to feel comfortable in challenging myself to overcome this obstacle. I will be able to teach Sophy more when I understand more. I know that when I trust in Him all things will work together for His good. His good may not have been for me to jump off of a houseboat, but what if what is required is harder than that for me someday? I need to practice doing hard things now so that when the time comes for the hardest things, they will seem easier to me.

Troy's Birthday!

We have been celebrating Troy's 25th birthday for 2 weeks now! We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (Sophy dressed up), took a test-drive in a Toyota Tacoma (Troy's favorite vehicle-Sophy fit in the back of the 4-door better than in our Passat!), he got a new SmartPhone (so he can check off his "Honey-do" List, I'm sure!), a Magic Bullet Blender-his idea (which we ended up being dissappointed with and will return it. Those infomercials really get you sometimes!), Orange Sliced candies (his favorite), a cake at Lake Powell, and a Waterfall landscape piece for our front yard (to be put in with Troy's dad's help later this summer). Man! We sure love Troy! It's hard to believe how fast time flies, and how much fun one little (itty-bitty) family can have. Thanks for working hard, playing hard, and loving us all Troy! Happy Birthday!!

Sophy Turned 5 Months!

Here's an update on Sophronia's development:

• Sophy has been drooling over our food and pretending to chew while we eat, so we decided it was time to see if she was ready for rice cereal and a high chair. From the beginning, she was a pro! It seemed like we had a 1 yr old on our hands! She loved feeling the texture of the food with her tounge and the chair with her hands.


• This week she turned 5 months old and the next day it seemed like she'd had enough sleep and wanted to learn new tricks. So, she began rolling. She would wake up and practice in her crib. I would find her at the end and trying to roll even further. She's sitting up on her own (for the most part), playing on her tummy with toys, and saying "Lalalala" over and over again.

Happy 4th of July & G-ma Anderson's Visit

We had a grand ole' time for the 4th. We went to the Layton parade and Sophy giggled when we covered her ears as the firetrucks and police cars came by with their sirens blaring. Too much fun with G-ma! Then we went to Morgan for a picnic buffet lunch and 4-wheeling extravaganza. Sophy even enjoyed the 4-wheeling! We didn't take her very far, but she loved the bumps and the wind and being able to see everything. We think she'll love driving, but we won't think about that now!













Grandma Anderson came to visit from Washington. She and I played with Sophy a great deal, made a skirt, and went to Lagoon. She watched Sophy while Troy's birthday wish was for me to go on the "Wicked" awesome ride with him. I couldn't believe I agreed to it, but what can you do when a birthday wish is on the line? When it was over, I was so excited I wanted to go again, but Sophy wanted to go home. Here's a picture that Sophy took of Grandma Anderson and then some pics from Lagoon.

June 2008

Here's a slideshow of the month of June:


It includes:

• Sophy's Friends: (listed in order of appearance) Griffin, Alex, Jarom, and Bunny- part stuffed animal/part soft blanket.
• Sophy's Tricks: She's become quite talented lately. She accidentally turned her mobile on in her crib before we came to get her (guess she wanted to get the party started without us). She also has been showing us how flexible she is by eating her feet and sometimes her hands at the same time!--though it's been difficult to get that on camera. She's been learning a great deal playing in her ExerSaucer (though she can't understand why the large objects don't fit in her mouth. Afterall, her feet do!). The mirror has been her new best friend. She seems very excited and shy to meet the baby in the mirror. She can crawl up things and scoot on her back quite well. The trick that seems to work the most is her smile. She is already getting away with far too much!
• Mommy's Race: On June 28th, Emily ran her first 5k since Sophy was born, The North Salt Lake 5k Fun Run. Her only goal was to finish, and she almost did, but had to walk a few steps toward the end of the race. She was very suprised to find out that her run was in the 26 min range and she ended up placing 2nd in her age group-winning a prize waterbottle! Sophy and Troy were there cheering her on, and that made all the difference!
• Gerber Family: It's hard to believe that Sophy is almost 5 months old. She is talking, eating, and sleeping up a storm, and LOVES to be a part of everything! The College even gave her a Westminster bib sporting Westminster Class of 2030. Scary to think that she'll be going to college someday, much less, moving around!
  
  

Volunteer Event

Well, anyone that knows me knows how much I enjoy keeping busy and love the chance to help managing events--it may just be my weakness (or my strength depending on who you are I suppose). I recently have become involved in the coordination of the volunteer aspects for an event called "Summerfest International." The event is a weeklong celebration of International performances, art and food from 10 different countries around the world. It is similar to an event I assisted management of at Westminster. The difference is that they are bringing in the performers from the actual countries they represent! I love the people I've been working with so far, and I am loving the opportunity to gain new experiences in the Event Management world.

While I am not incharge of the advertising for volunteers, I told them I would help out because I believe this to be an amazing opportunity for anyone who needs something to do, wants to share your testimony, meet new people, experience cultures from around the world, work on your second language, or most importantly wants to be more involved in the community.

The event itself runs from August 4-9th, 2008 and is held mainly in Bountiful Park. Here's a link to the event: http://www.bdac.org/summerfest/summerfest.htm. The performers are coming from China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Greece, India, Israel, Mexico, Mongolia, Romania, Russia-Cossacks, Russia-Siberia, and a clogging group from the USA. There are currently volunteer opportunities in many areas and schedules to fit the needs of the volunteer.

• Host Performers in your home during event
• Poster Distribution before event
• Runners to pick up and drop off In-kind donations
• Grounds Crew keep park clean and safe (get to ride 4-wheelers!)
• Security during event
• Stage/Lighting for performances
• Park Set-up/Tear-down before and after event
• Serving Food during the Mayor's Reception
• Sales Booth during the Street Dance
• And More!

Volunteers who qualify will be treated to a complimentary breakfast, lunch, receive admission to the Summerfest International as well as the Bountiful Rec Center-during the week of the event-and of course, a new and nifty free T-shirt, and so much more!

To sign up for the opportunity to be a host family and/or volunteer during the event, fill out the form at: http://www.bdac.org/summerfest/contact/volunteers.htm or contact me at smilyrunner@gmail.com with any questions you may have.

Graduation Day!

Today Troy graduated from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. The ceremony was wonderful. Gov. John Huntsman spoke, and there were bagpipes galore. Sophy didn't mind the first half of the ceremony, but screamed louder than most of the proud parents during the second half. Her reason: they were interrupting her nap. Mom and baby were in the hall watching Troy on a TV as he walked across the stage. Grandma and Grandpa Gerber came to watch Troy and hold Sophy. We had fun! Troy has worked for the college full time while going to school full time and this semester started a new job, trained people in a few of his old duties, had a baby (with some help of course), finished his classes as well as a senior project. The greatest part is that he was able to receive the award of Magna Cum Laude at graduation, meaning that he maintained an average GPA of 3.75 all 4.5 years!! We are so proud of Troy and excited to have him home with us more often. Way to go Troy!