Letters to Lyla and Lottie

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Lyla's first 4th of July

1 comments Posted by Todd & Chelsea at 4:02 PM

The 4th came just one day after we got back from MX. Talk about jet lag! I insisted on doing the parade however, as it was Lyla's first Independence Day! I'd only had her dress for a month and her bow made on special order (I know, ridiculous). Lyla loved the parade. She lives for hustle and bustle. I was afraid the sirens would scare her (since the vacuum does) but she wasn't even phased. She screamed with excitement watching the kids chase the candy. I couldn't help but think that next year that'll be her! Crazy. After we went to the park and later went to the old stand by, Brads. That evening we ate homemade ice cream (we, minus me!) and watched the fireworks. Lyla gave them little attention but loved crawling around the grass with Addy. I'm grateful to live in American, especially after visiting another country.

Tradition: Fuzzy Lammy Style

0 comments Posted by Todd & Chelsea at 12:35 PM

*This post is sorely out of order*

There has always been things...events/stories/outings...from my childhood that I have a been excited to share with Lyla since she was born. Things that left a impression, however minor, in my heart or mind.

Visiting the baby lambs is one of them.

Every Spring, my mom would pack us kids in the van and drive us down to the fields (that just so happen to by less than 10 ft from my current house) to see that newly born lambs. I still remember thinking how cute they were--all fuzzy and awkward. It was just one of those seemingly small outings that has always stuck with me. I think it taught me that even as children, we mattered. That mom wanted us to experience some of life's little miracles. That we were worth her time.

So...this spring, I couldn't wait to take Lyla to see the baby lambs. I know, I know...she won't remember. But I will. Her first trip, of hopefully many, to see the baby lambs. Lucky for us, we just had to walk! It was windy and the sun was in her eyes but I still think she enjoyed it. She perked right up in the stroller when she saw them scuffling about. We watched them tug at their mommies and fight for a nuk (which made me happy our babies don't come in bulk).

Anyway, It was a special experience for me to share with my girl. I hope she always knows that she matters to me. That I want her to experience ALL of the miracles of this world.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Mexico: Numero Ocho

2 comments Posted by Todd & Chelsea at 5:30 PM

Our last day in Mexico we went for a walk on the beach, ate at McDonalds (they offer salsa on their hamburger) and then endured another 18 hours of travel. It was sad to say goodbye, but we were ready to get home. The trip home was easier in my mind. EXCEPT for when we arrived in Las Vegas at 1am and still had to drive the 3 hours to Cedar City. Crawling into our bed that night was amazing.

Lyla learned some things in Mexico....1) she is equally adored by Mexicans 2) She can eat solids and the cookie Carmellitas is especially good. 3) Limes are good! 4)she can poop sand 5)Sunscreen sucks but not getting sunburned like everyone else was worth it! 6)sweaty back is no fun!

Adios' Mexico!

Mexico: Numero Siete

0 comments Posted by Todd & Chelsea at 2:43 PM

On the 7th day, we braved the beach again. Floating in the lazy river was much more my cup of tea, but I thought Lyla preferred the beach. This time she REALLY went to task on the sand. It wasn't so much that she was eating it intentionally, but she just couldn't help but putting sand-laced toys in her mouth. She created quite the beard. I think she loved hanging on the sand. This time we swam more in the ocean. Lyla loved watching the water sneak up upon her! She would squeal with delight. It was a true joy to watch her. We met a very talented Tido on the beach who sold us some amazing hand-painted dishes. Poor guy. We liked his work so much, our orders sent him working all night long in order to get them finished and delivered to us before we flew out the next day. I got two salsa dishes for my visit teachers too.

It was a good last day at the beach.

On our last evening, we took a taxi cab in town to a highly recommended restaurant. Again, this was nothing but a cultural experience. Outside, there was a woman on next to some type of makeshift stove making tortillas. Our first sigh of the authenticity of this restaurant. As we walked along the cobblestone path to our table. I caught sight of another makeshift stove, on other side of the restaurant. Just as I went to turn, I saw a lady lift up a white sheet on a table grab what I assume was meat, and toss it on the grill. Hmmm. Yikes. Maybe refrigeration is overrated? I tried to keep an open mind. We ordered what we thought we wanted based on the pictures, and sat back to enjoy an evening out. The low lighting and quiet of the restaurant set a nice mood for sipping coke in a bottle and chatting. Lyla was so well behaved. She loved the tall high chair she got to sit in. I think that's where the prettiness of the evening ended. The food was....questionable. Meat that resembled jerky. Jenny ordered soup with "chicken" that resembled fried cottage cheese. Pretty sure it was intestine.

Later that night, Todd remarked,

"I'm pretty sure that burp just meowed".

Definitely the best quote of the trip.

I guess it made for a good story, since we're still all paying for it. Montezuma Revenge like no other! Truly, the whole next day on the airplane was rough. A

Mexico: Numero Seis

0 comments Posted by Todd & Chelsea at 2:19 PM

Day 6 was about RECOVERY. We were spent from the day before. SO we chilled at the pool the whole day. I had a lofty goal of getting tanned or sunburned come hell or high water and boy did I reach that goal and then some! All trip Melissa had been calling me whitey mcwhiterson. It was true. All trip I stayed in under the umbrella or in the shade to be with Lyla. SO Melissa doing her duty to protect everyone's eyes from my whiteness, offered to watch Lyla in the hotel room for a few hours so I could get some sun. I laid out for 2 hours with no sunscreen. And I got toasted. On my legs and lower arms. After the roast, we came inside, made a play barrier for Lyla and relaxed some more. Tough life huh? Lyla and Addy were so cute together. Here's them tossing the ball. In the evening when we were fixing dinner (chicken burritos...we literally ate Mexican food every night) I was letting Lyla air out her bum, and she repaid me by pooping on the nice marble floor. Pretty gross. After a scrumptious dinner and the best cantaloupe ever, we hooked the DVD player up to our flat screen and watched Big Love (tv series we're watching on Netflix). I could hardly move most the night and cursed myself for being vain and wanting to get tan. Todd cursed me too because I complained a lot. All in all, it was another great day.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Mexico: Numero Cinco

0 comments Posted by Todd & Chelsea at 9:53 PM

Our fifth day in Mexico was certainly the busiest. We spent the whole day touring the city of Acapulco. Baldo, our awesome tour guide, was nice enough to spend the whole day with us giving an inside look into Acapulco. We took some photos right outside our hotel room since this was the first day we had real clothes on (and I wore makeup)......

Baldo drove into the city---which mainly had bars appealing to tourists. The city was a little rough in my eyes. Then, we stopped to get some pesos, and set out for a beautiful drive along the bay, up in the hills where the rich people live. I remember being surprised at what constituted "rich". Still, nothing can beat the views these homes had. Acapulco is so tropically beautiful. The road up towards the nice part of Acapulco winds right along the ocean.

Addy enjoyed the ride, and this twix....

First Stop: a fort built to keep the city safe from pirates. The structure still stands. It was built at the top of the city so that intruders could be spotted. It provided an amazing view of the city, ocean, and bay area.

Next stop was the flea market: another cultural experience. The main thing I recall about the flea market was simply how sweltering hot it was. I remember thinking these people must feel as though they live in hell. No breeze. Slightly smelly. Dealing with cocky Americans who try to take you for every penny. I guess the later went both ways though. I loved all the things for sale, but hated being harassed by each person selling. One older lady followed me around the whole day saying "lady...how much you pay?". I hated bartering because it just didn't seem right...so I basically got taken. Oh well. Lyla got two adorable Mexican dresses, a t-shirt, and a bell. I got a plate and a spoon holder for the stove. We all left with serious swass. After the flea market, we had dinner in town at a "nice" restaurant. It had gravel floors and fans. Oh how I missed AC, but it was all part of the experience. We ate the best Mexican food we had all trip and sipped cokes in glass bottles. We had this really cool older Mexican waiter who did magic tricks for the little girls. I wanted to snap a photo (didn't out of respect) because he had one of those faces that you know has a story to tell.

Lyla learned she loves limes

After dinner we went to a the biggest attraction in Acapulco, the Cliff Divers! It's a 50 ft cliff that men jump from every night. There is some pretty cool story about how the cliff jumpers started but I can't remember it! Oh well. The cliff jumping is pretty serious. They are unionized! And make lots of money. It kind of reminded me of the quintilette boys from Twilight. haha. I was REALLY cool to watch. They walk down this path, jump into the ocean (with HUGE swells), climb the cliff bare footed, and then dive off the cliff! Pretty intense.

Look CLOSELY to see the divers

After the divers, we stopped in old town for a Palletta (ice cream). There were a lot of homeless begging for money in this area. They all looked so skinny.

And that wraps up our day in the city! I loved observing the culture and scoring useless trickets. I've never heard so many spanish adorations for Lyla. I wish I knew what they were saying but everywhere we went people went nuts over her.