The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

We all went to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk today. We started the day with nothing to do but after certain events unrolled we found ourselves on the road to Norwalk CT. It's about an 1 1/2 from home. All the animals were found in the Long Island Sound. Including the Sharks. Oliver was a cutie and didn't really notice the animals as much as all the noise and the lights but he'll grow in to it.
We saw a real live sea turtle, he was almost full grown and he was huge! He was probably the same size as me and he was beautiful. I've never seen a sea turtle swimming before. We saw one in the aquarium when we went to California but this guy was swimming around and it was amazing to see such a big awkward animal moving as gracefully as he did.
There were sharks, otters, harbor seals, fish (lots of fish), geckos, frogs, lobsters, rays, a touch tank, and an albino aligator. An albino aligator is probably the most rare creature we will ever see. Me and Bryan have seen 2. They can not live in the wild, they will be eaten within minutes after being born. Why? They can't camouflage. In a river that is dark green/brown that is located in a forest that is dark green/brown things that are white had better be very poisonous or they are eaten quickly.
I love aquariums and I know that all these things are swimming out there in the ocean somewhere. But somewhere is how I always intended it to be. With the emphasis in animals that swim in the parts of the ocean where we are most likely swimming I learned that we are swimming next to many things, some with very large teeth.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

I woke up yesterday morning to a pounding on my door. I didn't know who would be knocking on my door that early and figured that it couldn't be anyone good. So I crawled out of bed and walked slowly down the stairs to my front door. A little worried about whatever would pop out at me. I found Sis. Rasband on my front steps asking if I would like to join her and her family at the picture book museum. Of course, I would love to. I got dressed super super quick and hopped in her car and we were off. Oliver screamed through most of the trip but that's just a normal thing now. The museum was amazing. We saw all of Eric Carle's pictures and the original "Pat the Bunny" Books. I really enjoyed seeing Pooh Bear and Piglet. It was a museum that was a lot of fun for me and Oliver. Oliver really had a good time with all the colors and the noise and all the children running around. I know because he was smiling.

I <3 NY

On Sunday night me and Bryan decided to do a quick run to NYC. To test out bus schedules, see what's around, and go on a mini adventure. So, after church we rushed to Bridgeport to catch the train into Grand Central Station. Then we walk around Time Square, ate dinner, saw the Empire State building, and hopped back on the train and headed home so that we could get our car out of the parking garage by 11. It was a quick trip but so much fun to know that we can just hop on the train and be in NYC in a couple hours.

Floatin' the River

For our Youth Activity this week we floated down the Farmington River. It was a blast. The youth are so much fun and I just love them. I road down in a little boat that we bought 10 min before and Bryan was learning to Kayak. (Don't worry I left Oliver with someone.) Bryan makes a very sexy Kayaker. I had been told that this river was very easy going and that there wouldn't be any parts that I might get plunged into it's murky depths. I believe the exact quote from Brother Bayley was that it was just like the lazy river at Lagoon. I thought that it would be awesome to bring along my camera to take some shots on the river. Everyone told me that it would be fine and wouldn't be "swimmin' with the fishes" if you know what I mean. We got to the first set of rapids about 10 min later. If the rapids need a lifeguard then you know you should probably watch out. These rapids had a lifeguard. Me and the Bishops family were caught completely off guard. Madison was crawling into the boat at the last moment and I was hanging on for dear life with my camera straight up in the air so it wouldn't get soaked. After that the ride was not as eventful. We got stuck on a few rocks, splashed by a couple of smartaleck kayakers, and stuck on a tree. When we had reached our destination a person, who chooses to remain anonymous, jumped over the edge to pull us to safety. While most of this river is about up to your waist this particular part was above your head. She came back up splashing and cussing and lost her $20 sunglasses. Once pulled to safety we lounged on the rocky beach and waited to be picked up and taken home.

To see more pictures go here.

Photos by Clair

I've decided I want to be a photographer when I grow up. Me and Bryan are working hard to save up for a nice new DSLR camera and then I'll start school in January at the New York Institute of Photography. If you'd like to see what I'm doing visit photosbyclair.blogspot.com

At the Beach

One thing that is new here is having a beach. We made it a huge deal to go to the beach. Packed a lunch, left at 7 a.m., drove really fast, applied a lb. of sunscreen, and set ourselves up to live at that beach all day because it was the only time that we would be at the beach for a whole year and we had to appreciate it. . . oh, wait, we are not in Idaho where the nearest beach is 15 hours away. This is Connecticut and the nearest beach was only an hour from our home. I've driven to Pocatello for less.
Although the beach was not a beautiful californian beach it was still beautiful to be at a beach. It was a sandy beach but a dark beach a little dirty. It's actually a bay, so we didn't have big waves or nice fluffy sand. Alright, I'll admit it, it was a pretty sucky beach but it was still a beach and still within an hour of our house and that is priceless. We put Oliver's toes in the water, he wasn't such a fan. Most the time he just slept. But that's what he does during most our adventures.
Both me and Bryan are super sunburned. I'm only sunburned on one side of my legs while the other side is still pasty white. Bryan's back is the same color as my crayon and it hurts for him to get dressed. Next time we'll remember the sunscreen and maybe we'll drive an extra hour so that we can go to the nice beaches of Rhode Island.

Rodeo, please. . .

Hey,
I'm just letting ya'll know that we would love to hear and see pictures from the rodeo. We really really miss everyone and really really missed the rodeo. Thank you keeping us up to date. We miss and love you all very much.

Big Y Bag Boy

Everytime I go grocery shopping at Big Y, I run into the same bagger checking me out ( not looking checking me out but ringing me up checking me out). He always has some way to make me feel like a fool. The first time I went in Oliver was screaming and screaming. He didn't want to be put in the carseat because he'd already spent 40 hours in that dang seat. So I hold him all around the store dragging the cart behind me and taking forever when this punk kid shows up and says. It must be really hard to have a colic baby and try to go shopping. I do not have a colic baby!! I have a baby that has spent a week straight in a carseat and thinks his parents have abondoned him. Like this kid even knows what colic is. I don't think I even really know what colic is. So I kindly tell him to get lost, I can do it on my own.
The next week he is checking me out when he says "So, how old are you?" I look him straight in the eye and I say "Why?" He tells me that him and his friends have a bet about how old I am. (Obviously I am not a very experienced Mother but this is ridiculous) I ask what they decide on and he tells me that most think I'm 15. 15? You can't even drive a car in this state at 15! Do I look 15? Post baby I definitely do not. I say I'm 21 and leave in a huff.
The next shopping trip I'm wearing my post baby pants. (Because I don't fit into my prebaby pants I had to buy some pants. I was trying to decide between 2 pairs. The pair that is a little too big or the pair that is a little too small. I figure since I'm losing weight I should probably go down. ) They are a little smug but okay, the only problem is the zipper. As I walk around it just works it's way open. All the time. I'm picking out cereal to eat in the morning when this kid (we'll call him Joe from now on) tells me that my fly is down. Again I leave slightly upset.
By today you'd think why is she still going to this grocery store. It has the best deals and is laid (layed?) out in an orderly manner where the pb isn't hanging out with the beer like the grocery store down the street. I'm checking out, holding my screaming child, pulling the cart behind me, with my zipper down and I look up to see Joe standing behind the counter with his fancy gelled hair and too tight girls pants. He rings me up tells me I saved $4. 32 then tells me "It must be hard to be a single mother. I'm lucky that my dad's always been around."
I'm seriously considering buying my pb next to the beer.

New Driver (World Watch Out!)

I don't feel these pictures need an explanation except: "Watch out World, here I come!!"

1st smiles are so precious. Oliver smiles all the time now. He is such a happy baby and we love him so much. We wish everyone could see how much he has grown and developed. He is a beautiful baby and brightens my life more than I ever expected it to.

Ballroom Dancing and Heublein Tower

I was recently put in as 2nd Counselor in the YW and Bryan was put in as 2nd Counselor in the YM. My dad said that we are in opposite callings but I feel we are in partnership callings. It's really nice cause we get to know the same people. Our schedules are the same. Once a month we get to have activities together. We are both ambassadors to the other side which makes planning our newsletters and coordinating things pretty easy. One of our first activities was ballroom dancing and it was so much fun to see all the kids learning how to dance and being awkward. One of the sister missionaries taught everyone how to dance but she could only dance with her companion or a girl so she was confusing us and herself when trying to remember both the boys part and the girls.

Hublein Tower is castle built up on a hill with only one way to get to it. . .Hiking. This is a good hike for me. It's not long, it's not hard. It's a little more than a nature walk but as soon as I got fed up with going up (Connecticut hasn't learned the value of switchbacks, they are a very direct people. "Straight up and over" is their motto), it stops and levels out and becomes a nice flat path along a ridge looking over the Farmington Valley. I'm pretty sure you can see into Massachusetts from there. (MA is only about 30 min. from home so maybe it would be more impressive if we said we could see into Maine) I was hiking at the rear end of the group with 2 girls from the Bronx. They had never been hiking and pretty much loved it. They complained a little (they are teenagers for gosh sakes) but definitely enjoyed it. The castle is beautiful and I'd like to take Bryan and Oliver up sometime.

The Carousel

I love to ride carousels. Bryan...not so much. I grew up riding the carousel in Rexburg. It is the pride of the community and I have watched the price rise from 10 cents to now a dollar. It may have gone up but now I'm gone so I don't know. It is 1 of 170 antique carousels still working in the world, built in 1926. I found out that Hartford has another running antique carousel in Bushnell park and I wanted to go ride it. I thought to make a full day of it and go to the carousel museum then go ride the carousel. The Bushnell Park carousel was built in 1914. I told a family in my ward about it and they seemed interested so we all made a day trip out of it. I learned a lot from the museum. I suggest to go to a carousel museum you'll be pretty enlightened. The horses are hollow, they have a romance side and an apprentice side. Next time your on a carousel take a look and see if you can tell which is the romantic side and which is not. If there is a lion on your carousel there can only be one because he is king. There is always a lead horse. He is the most beautiful and that is the horse they count rotations with. After all the interesting info we put it into real life and rode the carousel. One of the girls sat on the lead horse and Oliver took his first ride around a carousel held by his mom. The way every first carousel ride should be.

At the Farm

We decided to take Oliver back to his "roots" and go visit a farm. The local 4-H Farm is the closet one to his roots that we could find. Most the farms around here are pick your own ________. (Insert whatever is in season) The 4-H farm has pick your own _______, too but it also has a few cows and thats what we really wanted to see. Places like this thrive on volunteer work and as soon as you step out of your car you are attacked by people asking if you would like to volunteer and get a "real" farm experience instead of just looking around. My "real" farm experience was to clean all the laminated posters in the animal barn that told cute little facts about bunnies, cows, goats, and sheep. Oliver couldn't be held during most of this and was pretty upset by that until he realized that there was something else hanging out on the other side of the stroller. Occasionally an animal would get all worked up about something which would lead to a whole ruckus in the barn. Every time this happened Oliver's eyes would go really big and he'd pull his head forward so that he could look around and see what all the fuss was about. His favorite was the little calf named Corrona. Oliver looked at Corrona and Corrona looked back at Oliver. They were fascinated by the other thing that was making noise. Needless to say, I am now going to volunteer more often and have more "real" farm experiences by taking photographs for them to document what they do.