Hooper August Party

Even though my paternal grandparents have both passed away, I am very blessed to have an extended family who gathers together throughout the year. Uncle Rob and Aunt Susan often host us, allowing Miss V to see their rabbits, chickens, and dogs, and to get crazy electric hair on the trampoline. We love to visit relatives, eat delicious food, and remember the crazy shenanigans the uncles pulled when they were kids.

Miss V

Johnson men

Troy and his baby girl L

Nate and Charity

Aunt Susan and Uncle Dennis

Grandma Hooper (Mom) and Miss V

Ultrasound at 20 Weeks

3D image from the front

Husband took an extended lunch break so we could go together to see the new baby in the ultrasound. Miss V loved being at a doctor's office, where she wanted to explore, but didn't have to be examined this time. Everything looked normal and healthy, and unlike Miss V, whose legs were crossed half of her ultrasound, this made his sex clearly known. We are having a son! He's been moving quite a bit (still too small to feel on the outside), and the ultrasound tech caught him moving his legs in a little run. I'm guessing he and Miss V will keep each other on their feet.

Baby kept his dukes up most of the time. The ultrasound technician had a hard time trying to get a good photo of his face because a tiny hand or an arm kept preventing it.

At this point it seems V has my face and eye shape, and Zak's fair hair, nose, and blue eyes. It'll be exciting to officially meet and see our little man in person when the time comes, which now seems to be coming very quickly.

Strong little legs

Profile view in 2D

33 Years

Many years ago, Dad had a friend, "Cheetah," who moved to the next town over and became friends with Mom. In adulthood, Mom would arrange a date for Cheetah when he would find a double date for her. After a family get-together in 1981, Cheetah was bored and moved up a planned date for that Thanksgiving Day. Dale met Alice.

Dale proposed in February, and they were married in August. After nine moves in two states, five kids and a quasi-daughter, one miscarriage, numerous jobs and church callings, hundreds of campouts, a masters degree, one self-built observatory, four deceased parents, one grandkid with another on the way, and countless removed rocks, chore charts, and weeds pulled, Alice and Dale celebrate 33 years of marriage.

I've seen Dad kneeling to pray at the foot of the bed, Mom staying up to do the dishes, the two of them at the table going over taxes and budgets, Mom and then Dad standing at the church podium to give talks, our family sitting together to read scriptures three verses at a time, flowers on the countertop to celebrate anniversaries, and the infamous "gunny bag" held by one and enforced by the other to take away toys we kids neglected to put away after numerous warnings. We are a family of shouters, clenched teeth, door slammers, and incidents remembered, but my parents work together. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your example of a strong, everlasting marriage, improving every year.

 

Girls' Week

Zak is our neighborhood's scoutmaster, so when he (and some other wonderful, helpful men in our community) took the boys up north to scout camp this summer, Mom and I took Miss V down south to visit my Trena sister in sunny St. George.

After Mom's car got some last minute repairs, we drove to Salt Lake to visit a friend, and progressed on our trip, listening to tales of Narnia along the way. Little Miss V had been sick a couple weeks earlier, and still had a problem throwing up when she got upset, so on the ride down around hour four she started crying, and spit up. Fortunately, we were prepared with towels, water, changes of clothes, and wet wipes, and that was the only time we needed them. Trena already had a bed set up for us, for which we were very grateful. We kind of took over the house with all of our stuff, so I hope we didn't overwhelm them.

We watched movies, shopped for food, jewelry, and wooden craft projects, and helped organize their storage shed. (Mom doesn't get called a superwoman for nothing). One morning we went to the neighborhood pool. Miss V fell asleep as I held her, so we laid her in the shade and enjoyed the sun and water (We paid for not reapplying the sunscreen, though).

Thursday became Miss V's day. We drove into town for the interactive Children's Museum, the St. George Carousel, and the perfect little-kid splash pad and stream. Inside the museum, she loved pretending to drive the vehicles, including the airplane. The projector facing the ground with a giant interactive piano and balloon-popping game, as well as the bell-ringing rope were also hits in her book.

Friday we spent in our comfies, sanding, painting, and mod-podging. Trena worked on letters for a Bee Happy sign, Mom prepared a liberty bell, and I did a spring flower and camper trailer.

Before we left on Saturday, Dallas watched Miss V so Mom, Trena, and I could go to the St. George Temple together. With a toddler, I don't go as much as I used to, so it was nice to be there with two very special women in my life. The drive home started with V giggling for about ten minutes while playing peek-a-boo and twirling an umbrella. She slept for part of the journey, and besides the sacrificial death and miraculous return of Aslan, our return trip was thankfully uneventful. Mom brought us home to an awaiting Zak.

Unfortunately for Mom, the rest of her night involved being stranded in a parking lot for an hour or two when her car refused to start, until my brother got out of a movie with my dad's car. Everything's sorted now, and we're glad to be back home with Daddy.

Hogle Zoo

Family friend, Elise, works in the educational department at Salt Lake City's Hogle Zoo. Last fall, she invited us to visit, and we gladly accepted. She was even willing to come in on a Saturday she had off to give a proper tour and introductions to the animals. We also arranged to meet up with the Porters and my sister Cassie and her husband, Nate. I worried over the weather forecast, but it was a beautiful November morning, and clouded over as we were leaving.

We took Miss V to the Idaho Falls Boo at the Zoo when she was just a couple months old, so this is the first Zoo experience she started to understand. We made the entire loop, and I was so proud of Mom-in-law, who has had knee surgery, but was pressing forward the whole time.

Elise knew many of the animals by name, and told us their preferences and habits. Apparently, Hogle Zoo has some of the oldest zoo animals, and many who are nursed back to health. Thanks again to Elise for making our visit to the zoo possible in the first place.

As we worked our way back to the cars, the clouds came, and the rain began. It was perfect timing. We went out to eat with the Porters afterward, and then spent the night at their house, where Miss V and her Grandma Porter made lots of pretend phone calls to one another. 

Cousin Jenny and I got passes for our families this year, so we went to the Hogle Zoo again with her neighbor and Cassie. As we entered the zoo, the giraffes had gathered close to the crowds for a feeding with their impressively long tongues. When I was in second or third grade, we went to the zoo for a special bird show, but the power had gone out, so the birds couldn't perform without their cues. After twenty long years, I'm proud to say that I was able to see the bird show, and it was very impressive. I think that and the elephants were Miss V's favorite parts. She even walked the whole time without having me wear her in the Boba carrier (although it was definitely her nap time by the end). We're looking forward to going again, especially as autumn approaches.

August 2015

August 2015