A Visitor from Japan (August 1st & 4th)

It's not very often that we have family visiting from Japan but we were lucky enough to have my cousin Megumi, and her three adorable kids, Mia, Millie, and Toki out in Utah. We didn't get to host them as she was staying with her in-laws (which was probably much more convenient for her since her sister-in-laws were also out visiting with their kids and everyone in that household speak Japanese). Megumi's English is excellent though, so it is easy to hang out with her.

Emily, Brandon and I were able to take the relatively short drive up to Farmington to visit the Nunokawa household where Megumi was staying with the kids. She had actually been in Utah since the middle of July and her husband, Hiro, had joined her then but had since returned to Japan. We missed him and due to all of our travel back east and to Lake Powell and Wyoming, we weren't able to hang out until a couple of weeks into her stay.Here is a family picture of Megumi's family in front of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. We weren't there with them for the open house because we were out of town, but I'm glad that they got to visit here on their stay.

The Nunokawa family is very similar to the Taura family (which is my aunt's family that Megumi is part of) in that there are seven kids (which is large by American standards but enormous for Japan) and incredibly open, kind, fun, and hospitable. We were served an excellent dinner, with many vegetables straight from the Nunokawa garden (the Japanese cucumbers were amazing!). Of course, although I always have my camera in my purse, I didn't bother to take any pictures but Megumi's sister-in-law, Keiko, took one with her much fancier camera so here it is:

There were kids all over the place and they were giving Lucy so much attention. I still wanted to spend more time with Megumi and the kids and since I'm not working, I invited her, the kids and their cousins over to my house for swimming. With my culinary expertise, I whipped up a menu consisting of frozen pizza, fruit (cut watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries), leftover pasta salad from dinner the night before, and ice cream sandwiches & popsicles for dessert. The kids seemed to have a blast swimming and Megumi and I had a nice chance to chat and catch up and then we followed lunch with a Japanese anime film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

I don't remember the above picture being taken but I guess it was taken right before everyone left my house because that is my couch that the kids are sitting on. Wish I had taken pictures of all the adorable kids but we'll just have to remember next week when we are in Japan. Thanks for visiting, Megumi!

Relief Society Temple Night and Red Mango (Aug. 5th)

Sometimes, you just need to get out with the girls for some frozen yogurt.

After the temple here in South Jordan...
...we headed to a new frozen yogurt place, Red Mango. One of the girls who had recently moved from California said that it was a knock-off of Pink Strawberry (or some name like that - I can't remember). Even if it is a knock-off, it was still pretty good. And it is supposedly 100% natural and healthy with probiotics and such. There were only three flavors of frozen yogurt and even though I wanted the pomengranate one, that machine wasn't working so I chose to get the original with some fresh fruit toppings. I was stoked not only because I had an excuse to go out for a frozen treat (since it was part of a church activity) but because I also had a coupon in the mail and I love saving money on delicious treats. Here is my masterful creation with kiwis, raspberries, and mangoes that I had to take a picture of before I dug in:

We got there at exactly the right time because immediately after we ordered, a bunch more people came in and the line was practically out the door. Here are the rest of the girls from that night:

Megan and Krachel - Megan is obviously really enjoying her yogurt. I should have bought hers for her since she watched Lucy for me when I was at my dentist appointment. I'll have to remember next time...Krachel and I carpooled together on the way since we live down the street from each other but she ditched me on the way home to chat with Jackie (which I forgive because it was my idea since I didn't want to wait around for their conversation to end). But Krachel is rad and she has an awesome job at Make a Wish Foundation. You can read about all the kids she helps here on their Make a Wish blog.

My flash was obviously having some problems in this one but that is Ursula and Brooklyn. Brooklyn is the one who just moved from California.


Here is Masha who was 15? weeks pregnant at this time but you can barely tell at all. And again, Megan really savoring her yogurt in the background.


And last but not least, is me and Jackie. Jackie and I are on the Enrichment Committee together so we get to plan a lot of these fun activities (although she is the one that comes up with ideas and does most of the heavy lifting). Jackie also has a fabulous fashion sense and I love her pointy red shoes in this picture. I have on my favorite red peep toe pumps but they are cut out. I know we probably aren't the same size shoe but maybe we could trade clothes...

When I got home, Brandon informed me that Lucy woke up from her nap and cried for an hour, not taking the bottle from him, before eventually crying herself to sleep. But he said it was worth it for me to have a night out. Maybe we'll have to go straight to a sippy cup - cause Mommy needs some more nights like these every once in a while...

Mother-in-Law Visit, Part I (July 27th-30th)

Some daughter-in-laws don't always look forward to their mother-in-law visiting, especially when they have a new baby. But I definitely was. Before Susan came out, I sent her an e-mail telling her how excited I was to have her stay with us because then she could hold and play with her new granddaughter (and I wouldn't have to feel guilty or worry that Lucy wasn't getting enough attention) and then I would be able to get lots of cleaning done around my house and errands done around town and have someone to keep me company. Maybe even sneak out on a date with my husband since we had free babysitting. But things don't always turn out the way we plan, do they?

After returning home from our string of crazy trips - Mass, Lake Powell, and Wyoming - I was so worn out and had absolutely no motivation to do anything. I spent a good portion of the day in my bed and was afraid that I had some postpartum depression returning with a vengeance. It's hard to think back to this time because those feelings feel so foreign now, but at the time, it seemed that I would never feel any different. I guess that is what depression is like. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy - there is nothing so hopeless and frustrating.

In addition to these feelings of depression, Lucy's sleeping was still off and since we had her sleeping in our bedroom (Brandon's mom was sleeping in the spare bed in Lucy's room), lack of sleep was also compounding the problem. So out the window went all my ideas about getting stuff done. When Susan left, the house was a mess, she had done the majority (all) of the cooking, and I started throwing up in the mornings. Susan gave me a scare that maybe I was pregnant and suffering from morning sickness but I knew I wasn't. I was allowing myself to get so stressed out that my body was having a very negative physiological response. And I knew this because it happened those first couple weeks when Lucy was born (and it magically went away as soon as I stopped being so stressed). I would just vomit all this liquid each morning (since my stomach was empty by that time) and then gag and choke on my cereal afterward. Fun, right?

So my poor mother-in-law - she felt pretty helpless. But each day was a little bit better. We went here:and finally bought a crib for Lucy (which I still need to put together).

Then I went to this guy:
and found out I had ten cavities. That's right, people - 10 cavities! I guess pregnancy can make you more susceptible to cavities because of the acid from throwing up and reflux as well as an actual change in the pH of your saliva from the hormones, thrown in with your baby leeching minerals from your bones and teeth if you aren't getting the proper nutrition. Makes sense, I guess. I hadn't had cavities in years so it really sucked and I had just had a cleaning and check-up when I was 6 months pregnant and was fine. Apparently, it doesn't happen to all women but I have talked to several women who said that they had a similar experience. And I frankly wasn't too surprised cause although I ate really well during pregnancy - I hadn't been eating very well after pregnancy and also did have a lot of reflux toward the end of my pregnancy and more vomiting after pregnancy than during. But thank goodness that we have good dental insurance.

So yeah - I'm sure that Brandon's mom didn't have the best time during those few days but she was going to California to visit her other son and grandkids and would be back in Utah with us the next week for a few more days with us. I was determined that by the time she returned, I would be back to my normal self...

Lucy's Baby Blessing (July 26th)

It took a while but we finally did it. We mostly postponed so long because we were waiting for family to get into town. Lucy wore a hand-sewn kimono that my mother made for her when she was out here from Japan. It's more beautiful on the hanger than it was on Lucy as she kept getting tangled up in the long sleeves. But Brandon gave a beautiful blessing to Lucy, which we recorded for her to have when she is older. The thing I remember best is his blessing for her to find joy in her life - a good reminder for mom too.

A lot of the people we care about were there to share in the occasion:
Emily and Jared made the short trek from Pleasant Grove. Although Emily is expecting, she had no desire to use Lucy's kimono for her own baby blessing (although we don't know if it is a girl or boy yet anyway).

Me, Lucy, and Brandon's mom, Susan - or Grammie Sue as she prefers to be called by her grandkids. Lucy is number 5 for her.


Family picture time...

...and lots of kisses from mom. Mostly because I was so thankful that we had survived our trips to Mass, Lake Powell, and Cokeville.

And the main event - Lucy - always happy and thoughtful (like her father).

The group picture we took didn't turn out too well so I don't want to post it but other people there were Brandon's dad, brothers, Damian, Ethan, and Adrian as well as his wife Natalie, and son Taylor. Susan's parents, Grandma and Grandpa Thompson made the trip up from St. George and Aunt Cynthia, Uncle Eric, cousin James and his wife, Stacy and their two little ones also made it up from Springville.

Thanks to everyone who made it (hope I'm not forgetting anyone). This was the last big event of our very busy July.

Cokeville, Wyoming (July 25th)

So you would think that after a trip to Mass (some stress) and then Lake Powell (more stress), we might give ourselves a break. But when family calls, one must heed. So the day after we arrived home from Lake Powell, we headed up to Cokeville, Wyoming - the location of the Dayton Family Pioneer Day celebration/reunion. We mostly went because Brandon often misses this annual tradition because it usually coincides with San Diego Comic-Con - an important can't-miss-work event that he wasn't able to go to this year. But in some ways, we gave ourselves a little bit of a break - instead of heading directly to Cokeville from Lake Powell all in one day (Friday), we stayed overnight in our own beds at home and headed out the next morning (Saturday) for what we thought would be a day trip.

Cokeville was less stressful and bordered on enjoyable at times for me. I like the slower pace of life up there and because there is so much extended family visiting, it's easy to go off on your own to relax without feeling like there is an expectation for you to be anywhere or do anything. We missed the morning parade but made it for the fireside and lunch.Here we are at lunch with Brandon's mom. We were starving and the barbeque was delicious. Brandon's dad is always amazed when he watches me eat as I suppose he's never seen a girl pack it down like I can.

Brandon's dad with his mother, Grandma Dayton. She is 99 years old! And she is also one of the sweetest people ever. You know just from talking to her that she was (and is) a real lady. She has countless grandkids and great-grandkids but you never feel like a number to her, even when you've married into the family. She is equally loving and kind to everyone around her.

Brandon giving mom a break. He's always really good about taking her when he can.

The family has invested in building a cabin on the ranch and it is just about done:
There is some finish work that still needs to be completed like baseboards but overall, it's a really nice place.
Lucy seemed to enjoy it too - hanging out on the floor while the adults chatted away.

After our tour of the cabin and some visiting with family, we were off to Uncle Robert & Aunt Carol's home for dinner. Aunt Carol knows how to entertain a crowd like nobody's business and the food, again was excellent. And with so many baby-loving family members around, Lucy was whisked away for some lovin:
We ended up staying later than planned and figured it would be better to stay overnight in the cabin (even though we had nothing with us at all) than to drive back home (the 3 hours) so late at night. So we left early Sunday morning at the crack of dawn with the cows mooing to make it to church for Lucy's baby blessing that was scheduled (see next post).

Lake Awful (July 21st - 24th)

Most people would assume that going to a place like this:

on one of these:

with one of these:
would equal a totally awesome vacation. But then, I'm not most people.

The above pictures are just taken from the internet on Google image search and are not my own. That is not the house boat we were on or the motor boat that we had but you get the idea - it was something similar. However, Lake Powell (the first picture) is where we went (although I don't remember having a view like that). I didn't take any pictures the entire time. Why? I was absolutely miserable...

I'm not sure how much of my misery could be attributed to the stress of traveling with a 3-month old, some post-partum depression, lack of sleep, the heat, the stress of vacation with in-laws (I love my husband's family but sometimes it is just a reminder that I'm not with my own), or perhaps I just don't like Lake Powell that much. I know that comment might be considered sacrilege to some, but I didn't grow up with the "awesomeness" of Lake Powell and countless family vacations there so it is probably pretty easy for me to take it for granted.

My husband's family is a Powell family. They've been going on family vacations there for a long time. That lake is legendary to them, I think. They have a lot of memories of really good times (talent shows, great water for wakeboarding) and some difficult times (boat breaking down, an automobile accident on the way that could have killed someone). But it seems like even the crappy times somehow contributed to the wonder of Lake Powell for overcoming it But this was only my third time to Powell. I hadn't really established any meaningful memories with the lake.

And I don't do water sports. I tried wakeboarding one of the previous times in Powell but I hurt my back and suffered back pain for a year. It was one of the most frustrating experiences because I consider myself a pretty athletic person and somewhat coordinated (I mean, I played field hockey and did hurdles & pole vault - that should count for something). But I couldn't even stand up - I just kept getting pulled forward on my face. And what was even more frustrating was that the person who was trying to teach me (Brandon's brother, Adrian) just kept saying, "Just let the boat pull you up!" as if I was some kind of idiot for not getting it (or maybe that's what I was thinking). Yeah - not helpful. Every time I heard that motor start up, my heart started pounding, adrenaline started pumping, and the fear trickled in. By the end of that experience, I was exhausted and not only failed (my attempts to even stand) but had hurt myself in the process. I wanted to cry. So maybe that one negative experience would taint all future experiences at Powell.

But I hate that it did. Powell is a constant reminder of that failure and I sometimes think that I will try it again but the fear starts trickling in again and I think about back pain for a year. Then I think that I just will be one of those people that goes to Lake Powell and doesn't ski or wakeboard - I'll be confined to riding on tubes or just the boat, which is still enjoyable. And then I'll take comfort in the fact that watersports can be dangerous and my mom was always worried about my participation anyway. But in the back of my head will always be this nagging of my failure.

However, on this trip, I had absolutely no intention of attempting water skiing or wakeboarding. I was freaking out in my head the moment we got there on account of Lucy. We had not had a good night's sleep the night before. We had just flown in from Mass and our flight was delayed two hours (getting us in past midnight as opposed to 10:00 p.m.). Lucy's sleeping schedule was all messed up from the travel and when you're used to your baby sleeping through the night at 6 weeks (I know - spoiled), it's a hard adjustment to wake up once or twice in the night. So we were exhausted when we arrived. And it was hot but I didn't want to take off her clothes cause then she would have no protection from the blazing sun. And when we finally got on the boat to take us to the houseboat, I was paranoid that she would somehow get dropped off the side of the boat, sinking to the bottom of the lake and drowning. I was even concerned about the bumping of the boat on the water as we sped away - I mean, I wouldn't even put her in a jogging stroller til 4 months.

I thought I might settle down once we got to the house boat but then I realized I forgot her bottle and pump (which she doesn't take the bottle too well anyway). And with the heat, I really couldn't leave her because she was getting so dehydrated and wanted to nurse so frequently, throwing her feeding schedule out the door. And I certainly didn't want to take Lucy with me on the boat, exposing her to the sun & heat, bumping, and greater risk of drowning.

So I was stuck...and I was miserable...and everyone knew it...which made me more miserable. This may just be me projecting my ideas on the situation, but I feel like at Lake Powell, and any family vacation for that matter, there is this expectation that you should have fun. And if you're not, or even worse, are in a bad mood, you're ruining it for everyone else. And although I am positive that everyone was quite sensitive to the fact that I had a baby and was still acclimating myself to the stresses of that, I'm quite sure I was no fun to be around and probably was putting a bit of a damper on the whole overall mood of the place. Cause no one likes a fun hater, and no one knew what to do with me. So I allowed this knowledge to burden me a little more.

I had hoped that nights would be a respite - it was cooler and I could just sleep. But with 15 people all sleeping in the same space, I was hyper-sensitive to any noise that Lucy made in her sleep. So I didn't sleep so well as she would cry out (which she normally does at home but then falls back asleep) and I would immediately nurse her to quell the sound. So I was still exhausted. And although I had recently been finding some solace in books at home, I couldn't seem to concentrate on that at Powell either - my mind was just so stressed out.

That trip couldn't have ended soon enough for me. But eventually it did, with the last night there being the worst as there was some crazy windstorm that drove us inside to sweltering heat and even less sleep.

So I said that I didn't take any pictures of this trip, but my mother-in-law and brother-in-law did, which I snagged from facebook. So here are a few to get a picture of how crazy I must be:Here is me and Lucy on the boat on the way to the houseboat. Little did I know of the misery that awaited me. I thought that once we got to the houseboat, my mind would settle down, but it didn't...Here is Lucy who was probably warmer than comfortable, but relatively happy. This trip did more damage to mom worrying about her than it actually did to her.

And here is what I missed out on. I forget how beautiful Lake Powell is - I wasn't paying any attention in my neurotic state:
Brandon's brother, Damian - much more relaxed than I was...

Not sure who this is but he/she was definitely having more fun than I was...

But I missed this the most - beautiful hikes around the surrounding canyons of the lake - one of my favorite things to do. Maybe next year... but definitely without a baby.

I was somewhat comforted when I returned home that not all people are Lake Powell people (Lindsey) and that I was really brave to bring my baby. So I stopped beating myself up about this trip. I may not have been at my best, but I'll have lots more chances to show my husband's family that I can be crazy in a good, fun way. But maybe that will be in a rented beach house in California - then we could have all the grandkids we wanted there and another brother too...

Heather's Wedding (July 17th)

I was the first out of my high school friends to get married 5 years ago in 2004. But since 2007, and every year thereafter, each of my friends has followed suit starting with Laura and Lee (September 2007), Julie and Danny (July 2008) and this year, Heather and Brian. Next year will be Betsy and (November 2010). We'll see if the trend continues in 2011 but for now, it's been a great excuse to come home to visit.

Laura and Julie's weddings both occurred when I was taking an unplanned hiatus from my blog, so I have never had a chance to post about them although I do have some pictures. There were a lot of things that were missed those two years so I'll have to post about all the important events sometime before all the memories fade. But for now, we'll focus on the present and take a look at Heather and Brian's wedding.

Most of these pictures, I snagged from other friends' albums because I am too lazy most of the time to take my own pictures. Especially when everyone else is snapping away and I know I can just steal theirs. And I'm in dire need of a new camera as mine is always acting weird on me. So thank goodness all my friends are such good photographers and post their pictures right away for me to steal:Here are all nine of us girls - plus one. Lucy has lots of honorary aunties in Mass. It's hard to believe all the changes that have happened since high school but comforting to know that everyone is happy, especially on a day celebrating Heather's wedding. She was a gorgeous bride.

I love these ones of me and Lucy. She was so good during the ceremony but just to be safe, we sat on the very back row so that I could stand in the back to bounce her (why is it that babies always like it most when we are standing and seem to immediately know when we have sat down?).

The weather was beautiful for the wedding - it's always a big gamble having your big day outdoors but the risk can pay off and it certainly did for Heather. The sky was overcast - perfect for pictures and not too sunny or hot for guests. And the rain held off until the reception was well under way in the tent.

Me and Laura with Lucy. Laura has been one of my closest friends since kindergarten. I always took for granted how close she lived to me when we were younger (I could ride my bike to her house) and now we're all grown up and far apart. But she is still one of the most warm, loving, and kind persons I know and I love seeing her, even if it's only once a year. I'm glad that Lucy will get to know such a person as Laura.

Betsy, Julie, Bekah, me, and Lucy. Betsy will be next to get married in November 2010. Julie just got married last year and is enjoying the married life, teaching, and being a recent new homeowner. And Bekah is across the country like me, but in California, enjoying the single life out there. I think that she can feel my pain with the cost of plane tickets.

Table picture! The food at the wedding was delicious and the centerpieces were beautiful. This wedding and reception was so Heather (is best I can describe it) - her personality was infused into everything and it felt just that - personal and beautiful.

Lucy got lots of love and holding from her "aunties" - everyone got in on the action - Melanie, Bekah and Betsy in the first picture and Jamie keeping her all to herself above.

Julie is another friend I miss immensely - she's always good for listening and you can expect that she will give you the honest truth but without being harsh. It was great sitting next to her at the reception and catching up. And as always, she is sporting the perfect summer tan. She's also great to sit next to at a wedding reception because she'll drink your champagne for you when you can't so you don't have to feel like it is going to waste.

And I think that this is the only picture of just me and Brandon. Lucy was off in the arms of some stranger, probably - she was being passed along like a bread basket. But it was nice to have other people looking after her for a while.

And here is our last girls picture of the night. Being married and having children certainly makes life a lot different. But with friends like these, you can always count on them being there with you through life's ups and downs. Looking forward to November 2010 - maybe there will be some new babies by then or a pregnancy (just hopefully not my own, yet!).