Monthly Archives: July 2008

Today was my darling baby boy’s first birthday. Calvin Wyatt Christensen was born one year ago today. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year, and yet it seems like he’s always been here. He is a smiley, curious, adventurous kid who loves his sister and loves to laugh.

To celebrate his big day we did some shopping, and then had a party of ice cream and cake over at the park. Calvin got his first pair of shoes (well, he got a pair of sandals a few weeks ago, but they hardly count), a cute little outfit, a couple books, and a big walker/rider toy. I was very careful to explain to Olivia that these were his gifts, and they weren’t for her, but that he would be happy to share them. (She usually thinks things are the other way around, and has thus adopted most of his toys as hers, having a hard time letting him play with them).

Happy Birthday Cal! We’re so glad you’re here with us!

Calvin and his gifts. Happy Birthday Calvin!

Blowing out the candle of his first birthday cake.
Actually, he just put his hand in the cake. Someone else took care of the candle.

Eating his first piece of birthday cake.
I should have stripped him first, but oh well.

We took our first overnight camp trip to Galleon’s Lap over the weekend. We first said we’d go a few weeks ago with Jared and Velda. Then last weekend we invited Jena and Lance, who readily agreed. By Friday morning everyone wanted to ditch. But Wyatt had spent too much time (and money) getting ready, so he didn’t let anyone get away with that. In the end we all had a really great time, and I think everyone was glad we went. You can see pictures in the scrapbook.

CLAP YOUR HANDS! I taught Calvin how to clap his hands today. Now he’s added clapping to his list of tricks. What a cutie!

Welcome Home Sister Brock! Sister Carrie Brock returned today from her mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Goinia, Brazil. She actually flew home to St. George, where my parents live, but first she had a four hour lay over in Salt Lake. So Wyatt and I picked her up and took her to lunch at La Puente and then to get ice cream at Neilsen’s Frozen Custard. It was so exciting to see Carrie. I am so proud of her and excited to have her home at last.

Olivia and Calvin are definitely two of my favorite things. Calvin learned how to give kisses on Sunday. He kept putting his open mouth on my face. It took a few hours before I figured out what he was doing. He was giving me kisses. I love baby kisses, even if they are a little slobbery at first.

Olivia is still such a sweetie. She’s getting more and more independent. Today she wouldn’t let me open her car door. She could do it herself. But she still lets me hold her and rock her and smooth her hair in the morning when she first wakes up.

Babies . . . sigh.

 As we approach Cal’s first birthday, it’s only natural that he experience some “firsts.” Like a couple weeks ago in Yellowstone, he had his first “falling out of the tub.” The tub in Yellowstone was much smaller than ours at home, and he swung his leg over to climb out (he’s a climber, much MUCH different than his sister). Next thing he knew he landed on his head on the linoleum. Don’t worry, it was only about 10 inches. Where was I? I was there, but it happened so fast. He’s a speedy.

And last Sunday at about 3:00 am Cal had his first milk bottle. We ran out of formula on Saturday evening, and I decided rather than buying more, we would wean him (overnight) to milk. It’s been a week, and I think the coldness still surprises him, but other than that he seems to be doing fine.

And first steps . . . I’ve been uncertain as to what were “first steps.” When we got back from Yellowstone I decided to start working with him on his walking. I’ve let go of his a few times, and he’s taken a hurried two or three steps before either grabbing something or popping on his bum. But he definately doesn’t like it, and as soon as he’s on to what I’m doing, he just gives his legs out and won’t stand up. So I’m not sure if I should count that as first steps. Thing is, he’s SO good at walking around the furniture. He’s so strong. He’ll walk along the walls, bend down to pick something up (holding on with one hand), or pull himself up. All he wants to do is walk. He just wont. Yet. But we’ll keep working with him.

Last week I wrote about Andi’s wedding, saying: Wyatt asked earlier if she was going to wear hiking boots to her wedding, and I told him she was, and he just shook his head and laughed and said “She is SO YOUR FRIEND!” I decided to explain that comment a little further with this little blurb, which has actually been kicking around in my head for about six months anyway.
I have a pair of blue suede Solomon hiking boots. My pappy bought them for me nine years ago this summer, as I was preparing to spend a semester in Russia. I broke my foot earlier in the summer on a camping trip with the Kiersts, and I needed something sturdy and good quality while my foot continued to heal.

Here I am in Finland wearing my boots!

I wore them every day in Russia. I never did “hike” but they were the most comfortable walking shoe I ever found! They picked up the dirt of four different countries as I went from Russia into Scandanavia and the Eastern Block.

I wore them in college – trudging up the hill to class in the early morning snow. They were great in snow – never leaked.

I wore them every day on the Navajo Indian Reservation too. They have burns on them, scars, memories of nights in the desert playing “Flaming Soccor” beneath the hundred billion stars that you can only see when you live three hours from a town big enough to have a Wal-Mart.

I wore them across China. Starting in Beijing, they were on my feet as I traveled into the very heart of Asia, to Urumqi, where Wyatt and I spent another semester on grand adventure. They were on my feet when I slept out on the Great Wall of China, during a lightning storm.

You can barely see it, but I am wearing my hiking boots here, at a cabin we looked at buying.

I wore them the day Wyatt and I went and chose our first puppy, Cowboy. I wore them when Wyatt and I bought our first house. There are paint stains on them because I wore them when we fixed up that living room. I wore them when we went cabin hunting, and they were on my feet when I first saw Galleons Lap.

They have been through many adventures. They have crossed states and continents. Now they are old. The leather is separating from the rubber of the sole, and they leak at the slightest sign of dampness. The laces (still original) are frayed, and I don’t pull on them too hard anymore. The suede is varnished to a shine. I don’t wear them unless I’m actually hiking these days. Somewhere around our trip to Thailand Wyatt convinced me to try “sneakers” as walking shoes. But they have a special place in my closet. They have a special place in my heart.

The Raven, a bird that can live up to forty years, mates for life and is an integral part of the Yellowstone ecosystem. It also was the theme bird for the wedding, and graced the invitations and wedding programs. The morning of the wedding, as we sat on the deck of the cabin and I did Andi’s hair, we saw two ravens fly by. We took it as a good omen.

 The wedding celebration officially began on July 2nd in Yellowstone, although we didn’t leave until the morning of the third. The wedding wasn’t until Saturday, the fifth, but in the mean time there was plenty of hiking, water rafting, horseback riding, and general site seeing to be done. It was Wyatt’s first time in Yellowstone since his childhood, and he thought it was pretty amazing. He definately wants to return to do some fishing. Since we had the babies we were somewhat limited in our choices of activities. But we had a great time seeing all the wildlife and spectacular vistas to be found in the park.

On the morning of the wedding I awoke bright and early and went to help Andi make boquets, boutineers and corsages for the wedding. We used wildflowers–yellow snap dragon, blue lupine, white yarrow, and other various foliage found nearby to make the flower arrangements. Then I did Andi’s hair while Lexi (Andi’s sister) was on detail control–making sure everything that needed to go got in the car, etc. Finally we were ready to go. I drove with Andi (and her dad and Lexi) while Wyatt and the kids went with the rest of the wedding party to Artist Point. We (the Bride Party) went to the Outdoor Office at Canyon to change Andi into her dress and take down her hair. She looked so SO beautiful. The last charming touch was her hiking boots. Wyatt asked earlier if she was going to wear hiking boots to her wedding, and I told him she was, and he just shook his head and laughed and said “She is SO YOUR FRIEND!”

 Since I was Matron of Honor/Photographer I ran ahead of her and the bride party to tell Dan to start playing the music (Wildflowers, by Tom Petty, only he played it live on his guitar), and then turned around to take pictures of Andi “walking down the aisle.” Once they got to me, I just jumped in line and walked in with everyone else. 

The wedding was overlooking Artist Point, about a hundred yards from Lower Yellowstone Falls. It was so beautiful, although literally on the side of a cliff. I took turns standing on the side as a Bridesmaid and moving around to take pictures. But the whole ceremony was just lovely, especially because I knew how much it mean to Andi.

After the ceremony, and a day of driving around the park to get various pictures, we returned to the cabin rented by the Kierst for the reception. It was a lovely dinner and a great time enjoying the happiness of my best friend.

The honeymoon? Well, first Andi and Jeff are taking a severe back country hike to “Fairy Land” in Yellowstone, a hike Andi has already attempted twice. I hope this time they make it. Yellowstone back country is pretty rough.

Then they’re rushing back to Dallas to catch a flight to Africa where they will be on Safari in four different countries for 19 days.

Congratulations Andi and Jeff, I love you guys!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_d36O7Xl8&hl=en&fs=1]

For the past week and a half we have been in celebration of Andi’s wedding. The nuptials took place last weekend in Yellowstone, and we’ll get to that later. But she came to Utah (from Dallas, Texas, where she and Jeff live), two weeks ago to finish all the final prep with her mom.

Since I was her Matron of Honor, I decided to throw her a little bachelorette party. But, since none of the wedding party was in town besides me and her parents, it ended up being the six of us (Jeff, Andi, Chris, Cheryl, Wyatt and me). We had a great time going to the Utah Arts Festival, showing Jeff the Salt Lake Library (which was next to the Arts Festival) and taking everyone out to dinner at the Red Iguana. It was nice to just socialize and spend time with everyone before the rest of the wedding party descended, and Andi’s guests and nerves caught up to her.

Andi also asked me to make the vow book for the celebrant to read from. I decided I wanted to make a pop-up/shadow book. It took a while to get the exact layout clear in my mind, but once it did, everything came together just fine. I know some of these pictures are out of focus, and otherwise pathetic, but you get the general idea.

As one last kinda cool side note, Andi realized the day of the reception that she didn’t have a guest book for people to sign. So she decided to use a book that I made years and years ago, when I lived on the Indian Reservation (I’ve never written about those adventures here . . . well, maybe someday). It was a basic book with hand sewn blank pages, a black paper cover with a brown paper spine, a single cottonwood leaf that had turned golden was embroidered on the cover with gold thread. (The leaf had help up shockingly well over the years) and it had a brown twine tie. Thing is . . . it was made in the very early days of my book making, and it was-rustic-in its quality and construction. But perhaps that matched the feel of the wedding in Yellowstone. I don’t know why she happened to have that book with her, but I thought it was flattering that she would use it for something!

I made this invitation for Andi’s Bachelorette Party.

I wrote the text for the vow book using Cezanne and Garamond fonts, and embellishing with raspberry red and lime green. I printed it on vellum paper, and then backed it with white card-stock to help the text stand out more.

This is one of the shadow pages – like my “Lady of Shallot” book. It’s Andi and Jeff overlooking Lower Yellowstone Falls. The actual wedding ceremony took place only a couple hundred yards from here, at Artist Point.

This is the second shadow page. It’s Andi and Jeff with the forest behind, and a summer night sky with a full moon. Though you can’t see it in the picture, Andi’s entire dress is coated with purpley moonlight glitter, and the moon and stars are outlined in silver glitter and the moon is cut out of pearly iridescent construction paper.

I took these pictures of Andi and Jeff. I was taking pictures of Andi in her dress at the home she grew up in in Summit Park. I then added the antiquing effect to create a more vintage look.

This is another pop up page, with layers of forest, and Andi and Jeff in the foreground. Again, Andi’s dress is glittered.

We went to the rodeo on Wednesday night, as a kick off to our fourth of July weekend. It was opening night, and the stands were, surprisingly, only about half full. Olivia was really into it though. It’s the first year she seemed to be even aware that something was going on. She talked about how the horsies would jump and jump and jump, and the cowboys would fall off. Cal was more interested in walking along the benches. One funny thing that happened though was one rider, who was riding a bronc, was RIGHT IN FRONT OF US as he went flying into the air (we had front row seats, center of the stadium), and as he was flying up into the air, he took his cowboy hat off and waved at us. It was pretty funny. I love the Oakley Rodeo.