Back in Utah

Wow. It seems like we have been gone forever, and that is probably because we have. Samantha and I were gone for 6 weeks, and man did her hair grow during that time! Marcus was able to take 4 weeks off, which was nice for me, but I think anxiety provoking for him. He has a lot of work he's doing and catching up on, but it was worth it to be with family. Samantha was, of course, a hit in both California and Michigan.



Evidence of Samantha's extreme hair growth!









In California she seemed to be in performance mode. She began climbing up stairs, trying to stand, playing the piano, and even breaking a bowl while Mom fed her. I guess I was going too slow because she started flailing her arms and next thing we all hear is a loud crash. She knocked the bowl right out of my hands and it shattered across the floor. Oops. I was comforted seeing Marcus's mom, affectionately called "Grammy", laughing at the entire scene. Samantha enjoyed her first merry-go-round ride in San Francisco (Pier 39) thanks to Uncle Chris.






Samantha received her first black eye while visiting her family. Luckily the crying stopped as soon as she was held by her mommy. While taking a bath in the kitchen sink, she was determined to bite the faucet. She pulled and grabbed, and tried to bite....but slipped and bumped her eye. Bumpa -- (Grandpa) -- don't worry, we won't blame you forever. Afterall, it was bound to happen sometime.

Marcus and I were also able to relax a little bit by sleeping in, watching Transformers, and going to the Archery Range with Chris.

During the trip, we were happy to be able to meet up with some family. We spent a day with the Ashworth's and the Boal's. I hadn't seen my uncle and his family since we got married, so it really was a treat to spend time with them. We are looking forward to getting to know Molly and Conor, and the whole crew, a bit better.





Michael Ashworth Uncle Brian, Aunt Margaret, Marcus, Jenny, Conor, Samantha, and Molly



In Michigan Samantha had a few big firsts. Within a few days of being in MI, we had a classic Michigan storm. The sky quickly became dark, the wind started blowing, the thunder and lightning began, and it poured rain. Marcus, Samantha, and I watched the storm from the front porch.






It wouldn't have been Michigan without spending time at the beach -- so that's what we did. Though the water was too cold for me, Marcus enjoyed swimming to the dock with Ian and Lindsay and jumping off the platforms. Samantha had her first tube ride behind Grandpa's boat with cousins Ian and Lindsay. As I held her, she would look back at me and giggle. It may have been a nervous giggle, but it was a giggle nonetheless! She also went to the zoo for the first time. That was quite a treat. But the most fun was just being with her Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Adam, and cousins Ian, Lindsay, and Alex.












To celebrate how much Ian read through the summer, we went to Chuck E. Cheese's! Wow was that fun. Ok, Samantha didn't really care. But it was fun for us.






When I was little, I had one doll -- only one because most dolls scared me. Samantha began playing with this doll and I couldn't help but think they both looked alike -- maybe it was a massive amounts of hair, but it was cute to see them "play together."





6 weeks is a long time to be gone, so a part of me was ready to get settled again. But it still was very difficult to leave and start life, start responsibility, and start cooking again! (Thanks for all the great meals.) Yes, tears were shed upon leaving. We loved being surrounded by and catching up with family. Now it's time to get the oil changed, change the transmission fluid, deep clean the apartment, clean the carpet, continue to baby-proof the place, scrapbook our vacation, reupholster a chair, buy a picture frame for our family picture (thank you Jeff Allen), etc., etc., etc. Sheesh. I'm tired just thinking about it!