San Francisco

We continued our trip to California! I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Muir Woods- I guess some of you don't know that my maiden name is Muir. I am distantly related to John Muir, the explorer. It was fun to finally get to this beautiful forest of gigantic redwood trees. Cody made me carsick on the windy road that takes you back to the forest.

Cody and Londyn by an old tree- from 800 AD

Makes you feel little to be next to these large trees :o)

The highlight of our trip was probably how interested Londyn was in all of it. She had her head back almost the whole time and was so captivated by the roof of the forest. It was so cute!

Cody made me do it. The sign says stay on the trail, but the trail ended.

Cute hubby and baby

Family pic in the Cathedral part of the forest. It was a very reverent place. We were amazed by the beauty and it made me miss my home in Washington with all the greenery and moss everywhere.

We saw a large bird and went to see what it was- A Northern Spotted Owl!! He was cool and let me take lots of pictures!

One day she will love the beach...but not this day.

The Golden Gate Bridge. It was terribly windy! Beautiful sight though. Northern Cali isn't quite as smoggy as Southern- It was clear and sunny despite the wind!

Little girl was ready for day #2- shopping! And Fishermans Warf.

Cody had to drive the famous switch-back Lombard street on the way to the mall. So steep but pretty neat to drive down!

There is nothing like getting a family photograph in front of a penitentiary.

Londyn went on her first swim, she really liked the water.

There is nothing like relaxing at the pool on a big floatie.

Now there are two ducks in the family. Cute little webbed toes.

Tahoe

New this week- Londyn smiling at Cody. Her Daddy knows how to make her light up! She has the cutest little smile with cute dimples!

Just last week Londyn started staring at lights, fans, windows and more! She has spent much of her time pondering her surroundings! So fun to see her change and grow!!

We ran away for the first time with Londyn this week for our first official family vacation. We wanted to go further but we are glad we stopped where we did. She did great most of the trip with the occasional crying spell during the long car ride. We found our usual pace was now a thing of the past but we did make it to most of the sights we had planned.

We made the 72 miles drive around the lake (no wonder Londyn had crying spells) It was a very pretty drive and the lake is so clear and blue it is amazing! We stopped at a cute wanna be ski lodge restaurant on the beach called Jason's Grill. It was so good and would be so fun after a day of skiing at one of the surround resorts. The narrow road wound around the lake through the surrounding mountians. We were greatly rewarded for the long journey as we stopped at Emerald Bay to take pictures at the end and saw a rainbow form over the bay. It is so pretty to see the waterfalls running from the snow covered mountians down to the lake!

The amazing rainbow!

Lake Tahoe wasn't a warm place at all, especially for a baby. We bundled up the warmest afternoon to walk to the lake. We had fun strolling around on a fun trail. There were beautiful tall trees and mountains all around. Along with some huge pinecones!!

We want to go back to Tahoe- only next time either to ski or play on the lake!

The Parable of the Talents

I am a lucky girl. I have the best friends EVER. They are so talented.

And best of all, They share their talents with ME.

Londyn has been showered with beautiful blankets, burp rags, wall decor, hair flowers and more!

My Aunt Bonnie made this beautiful white blanket for her sweet grandaughter. I got a few large bags of clothing from them with this sweet blanket inside! I was so excited! It will be perfect to use on her blessing day and it makes a great background for pictures! Such a cutie.

Today I got a Mobywrap in the mail from my good friend Julie. We went to a track meet at BYU so we tested it out. Worked perfectly! Londyn went right to sleep!




This cute chair was painted by Kara my friend at work. It is adorable and matches perfectly!


She loves the chair, even tough she wasn't happy with Me and my camera. :o)
My friends will all be blessed for sharing their great gifts! They inspire me to find/improve upon my own. Thanks and we love you all!

Idaho Spuds

We got to have some fun with family last weekend in Idaho. We walked around the river with Chad and Allison and got to see the sun for a minute and the temple.

We went to Kaileys end of the year play and hear her sing all sorts of America songs. She is getting so big!

Londyn finally got to meet her Uncle Jordan! He got her the cutest little Harley Davidson Booties!

Londyn got to try on Kaileys cute glasses. Just a little big. This is about how everything fits her- She is over a month old and barely fits into some of her 0-3 mo clothing. I guess I won't complain- I don't want her to grow up!

Celebrating Mothers Day!

   This year Mothers Day was a little different. I got to spend Mothers Day with my Mom and my Grandma Hinckley. Naturally I started planning a breakfast and dinner for my Mom, but then I realized this year I got to take the day off! I was spoiled by Cody and my Bro and Dad as they made a wonderful french toast breakfast (my fav) and a yummy BBQ dinner. I also got the best Florences chocolates from church. Then we all got together and took 4 generation picture(see below).

    I have been thinking a lot about being a Mom this last week and what it has taught me already. Everyone has a different experience but I know I have been taught some great lessons already. Not just about changing diapers, preventing rashes, etc. But my trials have already turned into the greatest blessings I could ever imagine. When I was only 18 weeks pregnant we found out about Londyn's cleft lip. From the statistics they told us to plan on her having a cleft palate as well and the specialist believed he saw one on the ultrasound (ba ha- another lesson learned- don't believe everything they tell you). We were shocked by the news as well as the thought of the baby having something "different" about the way she looked and possibly talked, etc. I really thought it was tragic. I know it is natural to panic when they tell you anything is wrong and panic I did. I kept saying "why couldn't she be a boy because boys love scars." I spent hours doing reaseach, finding causes and had to convince myself it was nothing I did wrong. I was distraught. It was a hard time as Cody was traveling for work and I kept feeling pity for myself. As with most trials, I have never prayed so much in my life. All that praying made Londyn come to life for us. She wasn't just a fetus growing inside me anymore. She was real, she was my daughter, mine to protect and love.

   My prayers were answered and I know I had heavenly help getting through long days at work in between the ultrasound when we were told there could be very serious heart problems and a possible cleft lip/palate and the appointment with the specialist that confirmed the lip- but also revealed a perfect heart.

    The day of her birth it was a true miracle to find she had no cleft palate. In all my research I could only dream that that would be the case. It is a major difference. Since then I have learned to appreciate her cute little cleft. It is not only a part of her, it makes her who she is, and I know this is crazy but it is going to be just as hard to have it fixed as it was to find out about it. I know Londyn is a special baby. She will be a strong little girl. I believe she was sent here to help someone, maybe You and/or I, maybe we need to be more kind, more accepting, more loving. I am not sure if I will ever know.

    Thanks for all your prayers and your support. We will need them! Her surgery is June 8th and will only last ~1-1/2 hrs. We are nervous to let her go and it will probably be the longest hours of our lives! Londyn is strong and she will do great. But for now- we are loving her just the way she is, truly perfect in every way.

Family Fun and Cousin Sammys Blessing