Like Weeds

I have really been neglecting my blog lately. My photoblog, however, has been getting a lot of attention. I had a little spring rush and was editing like crazy. I'm glad to have a respite, because sometimes prolonged editing in front of my LED screen makes my eyeballs start burning out of my skull.

My kiddos have been changing so much lately. Max has been doing a lot better. Between Dempsey being born and us moving, he has had a lot of regression in the last few months back to very infant-like behavior. He would refuse to use the words that he knew, more whiny than usual, wanting to suck on a sippy cup constantly as if it were a bottle, and very antisocial(crying the entire 2 hours through nursery even with one of us there). In my research of his behavior, I was reassured that it was very typical with children that are so close in age and going through stressful situations like moving, to revert back to behavior that is more comfortable to them. So, at this rate Dempsey may be catching up to him very soon and I will most likely be potty training them as if they were twins.

He seems a lot happier lately. He has been using his words more. He didn't cry much in nursery this last week(even though that's our calling now, so we are in there the entire time). He seems to be adjusting to a new routine and feeling comfortable in his new home slowly. One of his favorite things to do is go outside in the morning right after they have turned the sprinklers off in the courtyard. The sidewalks are covered with puddles and he loves to run as fast as he can and splash water all over. I love how happy it makes him.

Some photos I look at my kiddos and I see glimpses of me or they look just like Adam.

Today, for some reason, I kept seeing my Mom in my kids and the resemblance was crazy to me...maybe I was just missing my mom a little bit. :)
Max is beside a photo of my mom in kindergarten and Dempsey is next to a baby pic of my mom.

My baby girl is 8.5 months old now. I have missed a couple of her monthly updates, and she is almost crawling and practically walking. She has no balance, but she loves for her hands to be held so that she can lead ME around the room. She is very strong-willed just like her brother and I am very terrified of the day when they are both running from me with reckless abandon. For now, though, I will just enjoy my sweetheart who is eating 3 jars of baby food a day, loves elmo like her brother, hates bows on her head, has 8 teeth already, is very tall and wears size 18-month clothes.

Totally rockin' the 80s zebra shorts!

Grandad is 80!

So, I wanted to share a little about my Grandad, because that's really all I know is a little. Grandad is what my younger brother Tori has called him for as long as I can remember. Anyway, this weekend he is turning 80 years young! How amazing is that? We have to miss his birthday celebration, so I am going to put up a little tribute to him here.

Jack D. Sheffer

The "D" doesn't stand for anything on his birth certificate, but his father was a huge fan of the boxer Jack Dempsey, so that's who he is named after. Then we named our daughter Dempsey after Grandad.

Jack is #5 out of 8 brothers.
He lived in Hurricane, Utah for much of his schooling, because his mother was ill and they thought the warmer climate might help her. Ultimately they moved back to the Uintah Basin and he graduated from Alterra High school in 1949. I love the photo on the right, very James Dean.


Unfortunately, a couple months after his graduation his mother passed away.
All eight brothers are pictured below, dressed for her funeral. She was only 44.

(L-R) Rulon, Dan, Gene, Jack, Don, Bert, Ivan, & Klin

Grandad went on to marry Betty Elizabeth Powell and start a family. They have 4 children: Marilynn, Scott(my dad), Mark, & Jean.




He worked for many years blasting dynamite in the Gilsonite mines. The Uintah Basin is the only place in the country where this mineral(a type of natural asphalt) is found.



In 1985 they moved to Salt Lake City to manage some condos in the avenues. We loved going there to visit them as children, because 1) it was the "big" city and 2) they had a swimming pool on the roof of a 7-story building! holla! We always had family photos taken on that roof...





Vernal was always his hometown, so as soon as they could retire and move back, they did.
He's a huge baseball fan and loves University of Utah basketball, so he doesn't often go without wearing Utah or Cincinnati Red.


My grandad and my grandma are both very avid horseshoe pitchers.
They have gone to the Senior games in St. George and won gold, silver, & bronze medals.


This photo is from their first cruise together in Alaska. For this 80th birthday, all his kids sprung for a another cruise in the Caribbean.

Grandad is always good for a story. One of my favorites is when he talks about his dogs named "Stoopid" and "Dummy"--my husband does a killer impression of his gruff voice.
We love you Grandad! Happy Birthday! You are definitely one of a kind!