Updates

Zuri is all over the place! Her favorite thing to do right now is climb. She climbs onto everything that she possibly can. She has learned how to climb over our blockers to keep her out of certain areas; she climbs on step stools, boxes, chairs...etc. She still has trouble getting down, and although she has no fear with edges, she is getting better. I took a video with my camera of her climbing on a diaper box. She had already gotten on top of it when I started the video, but she is figuring out how to get down. I put the pillow to help her (and in case she tumbled); she managed to get up without the assistance of the pillow though. You can see how proud of herself she was when she got down on her own.

Zuri now has two teeth--her canine teeth are out, although you still can't see them when she smiles. She oscillates between being really happy and cute, and really ornery. It will be nice when teething is all over.

As for other news: we have decided for J to attend BYU. We weighed the pros and cons of both schools, and BYU came out the clear winner. The one factor of the medical emphasis that the University of Utah provided that BYU seemed to be lacking proved false. We found out that J will still be able to do his internship at the hospital while attending BYU, and BYU's program is one of the best in the nation. BYU also gears its classes for the LSW license and BYU's graduates have a 93% passing rate, while the U's is only 35%.

Whether or not we are going to move is still in debate. Although we love our ward, love the area, and will be sad to move, this house needs a lot of work. We are infested with ants that crawl from the heater vents; termites are wreaking havoc on the walls, so that they crumble when you touch them. We are ready for a change...the issue will just be finding an affordable place. We are not completely opposed to downsizing, although it would be a major challenge. It is so nice to have Zuri in her own room--it gives me a much needed break and she sleeps better (I think because it's quieter). I sleep better as well, not afraid that my every move will wake her because she is such a light sleeper. We are in prime location as far as BYU is concerned because it is within walking distance.

BYU

We just found out--J was accepted into the graduate program at BYU! We are excited, but now we have a tough decision to make. Do we go to the University of Utah, or BYU? J has already accepted and registered for classes at the U... We have already planned to move, but nothing has been set in stone yet. J is excited for the medical emphasis that the U offers, but his first semester of classes do not seem very interesting. We love the area in which we live, and BYU is within walking distance (of course I am a little biased). Not having to move up to Salt Lake would be nice, and BYU is cheaper... Hmmm....we shall see...! Comments are welcome!!

Pool-Time Fun

Zuri and Aimee had fun playing in the pool. It was hard to get a good shot with Zuri actually looking up. She was too busy playing and didn't want to be bothered with a picture.
Zuri kept trying to get out of the pool so she could explore everything, but Aimee had other ideas. Aimee only wanted hugs and kisses and a playmate. It was too funny. Zuri is sure going to miss Aimee when we move north.

Easter

Saturday afternoon we drove from St. George to J's parents for Easter. Zuri loved her basket and loved the eggs, especially when the eggs had something in them and rattled!

We also celebrated Adilynn's second birthday (Adilynn is Zuri's cousin; Josh's sister, Maria, her toddler). Although Zuri didn't understand what was going on, she had a good time celebrating by playing with the balloons.



About a month ago, all the girls went up to Salt Lake and we got pedicures. We also went shopping, and Maria and I got matching Easter outfits for the girls. We had a fun time trying to get them to sit together and pose for pictures.


They had fun playing on the piano. Zuri loves anything musical. In fact, whenever any sort of music plays, she always stops and listens. It's really cute. We went outside for pictures on the trampoline. Zuri laughed and laughed when Adilynn jumped and bounced her. She really enjoyed playing on the trampoline!

Zions National Park

Friday we went to Zions National Park. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was overcast but not raining; cool but not cold. We had fun hiking and exploring. We saw several wildlife including deer and wild turkeys. I was excited about the deer; J was excited about the wild turkeys. He even took a two minute video of a male turkey courting two female turkeys. He was bummed he forgot his camera at the hotel, and did what he could with my camera which is why the turkeys aren't as clear. We are pretty sure that this is a bobcat track. My foot is next to the footprint to show relative size. There were other tracks but this one was the best. As per usual with Dad, we went exploring. We had fun with a little rock climb and following a dry riverbed.

Zuri loved the exploring, and did a little of her own.

On the trail to the Emerald Pools, the trail become stroller unfriendly (the shot above is from the waterfall at the middle pool). Not letting that stop us from our destination, Dad and J took matters into their own hands...

...and the princess fell asleep. She had such a cozy ride, and the highest pool was definitely worth the climb! It was by far the best of the three pools.

J waded into the river for this shot. The water was very cold and onlookers laughed as he came hopping out of the water.

St. George

We had a busy week! We went down to St. George Thursday and spent time at the temple. Dad watched Zuri while J and I went to a session on Saturday, which happened to be the only day we had bad weather. It was our first time at the St. George temple...it is so beautiful inside! There is also so much history about the temple that I didn't know until we got there. Lol, it's a lot like the Manti temple in that there are tons of stories that people love to tell!

Zuri had fun playing in the grass. She loves being outside and exploring. She zipped along the grass and had a blast until she did a faceplant. She didn't like the feel of the grass against her face. It was too funny. She was more careful after that.

Water Baby

Yesterday, Dad, Lana, Zuri and I all took a walk around Rock Canyon Park and the Provo temple. At the end of the walk we stopped at the fountain on the temple grounds and Zuri had a blast playing in the water. She absolutely loves water. I think she will be a swimmer like her Mama! Doesn't she look just like her Daddy? She was trying to crawl out of her stroller in this picture. It was so funny to watch her try to crawl up the back.

Zuri was fascinated by the water. She loved playing in it and watching the fountain as it spewed water. She loved when it started out low and went really high. She was soaked by the time we left!

The video was taken on my new camera, so there is no audio, but you can still see how much fun she is having!