Why am I not going to my Grandpa's funeral this weekend?

I have looked forward to my Grandpa's funeral for many years. Don't get me wrong, I have not looked forward to his death, but rather to his funeral. I see it as an opportunity to celebrate and pay tribute to a wonderful grandpa, father, marine, cowboy, patriarch, and man. (For his obituary click here.)Reflecting on his life, he accomplished a lot in his short 89 years. He fought in WWII, had 8 children, 41 grand children, and 60 great-grand children! He served diligently in the church and never faltered from his faith. He was a real life cowboy. So when my mom informed me that EVERYONE (meaning his children and grandchildren) would be there with the exception of my cousin who is due with a baby anytime and is on bed rest, my brother who is serving a mission in Argentina, and me, my heart sank. I knew this day was coming. He had been sick for awhile. We went to visit him in April and it was clear that his days were numbered. If he had his way he would have left us years ago, shortly after my Grandma passed. I always thought, flights from Denver to Salt Lake are cheap, or it's only an 8-10 hour drive we'll just jump in the car and go when the time comes. However, my life is not my own anymore. I am a mother. I cannot think of a scenario that would not be traumatizing for my sweet daughter. Some of you may not be surprised to hear that I have not been given one of those easy, go-with-the-flow type of babies. Instead I have been blessed with a lively, opinionated, determined child. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame her for our absence. I love being a mom and would not trade it. However, I've learned in my 10 short months of mothering experience that sacrifices will be made. Believe me I WANT TO BE THERE! I want it so badly. If I thought I could leave her without traumatizing her I would (P.S. That would require weaning her cold turkey.) I know what some of you are thinking, just suck it up, get in the car, and go, it's your Grandpa for Pete's sake! Well, we just got home from 8 days in California and we leave for Idaho for 9 days early next week. Clara needs some predictability and consistency for awhile. She needs her mom, her dad, her bed, her toys, etc. Trust me, I have played out every possible scenario in my head and none of them work out. Funerals also happen to double as impromptu family reunions. Who knows when my family will have a reunion that is so well attended again. So, to my cousins, I'll miss you. To Grandpa, I love you and tell Grandma I said hi! And I have a feeling that you understand.

Summer Adventures!

Now that summer is finally here, we've been having all kinds of fun!

Swinging at the park with the ward play group,


Riding the train at Belleview Park,


Visiting the animals at the petting zoo,


Making a mess,

Trying new foods,



Learning to share,




And camping! I think this last photo pretty much sums up the camping trip. She loooved it! We should have her sleep in a tent every night!

What did you do last weekend?

We held the first ever Frederiksen Family Ultimate Game Tournament. Nate came out strong and won the first four in a row. But I made a massive come back winning the next four in a row. With the tournament tied we played a round of Idiot and I came out on top. Then I sealed the deal by winning an intense match of Disney Scene It and ending the best of 11 tournament. Yup, that was six victories in a row. Better luck next time Mr. Frederiksen.


We also took this chickadee to the splash park by our house for her first experience with water outside of the bath tub. She loved her swim suit, hated the water. I think there were too many kids and it freaked her out. Oh well, maybe next time.

And this is what we had for dinner tonight. I was proud enough to take a picture of it. Grilled tilapia with home made mango salsa on brown rice with grilled zucchini, ciabatta bread, and salad made with lettuce from our garden. Delicious!!!

And I think she has a new favorite food...mango!

Nate vs the bird

So last weekend I went down to the basement and heard this incessant chirping noise. I walked over to one of the window wells and lo and behold a baby bird had fallen down there. She (we've decided anything little and cute must be a she) was hopping around trying so desperately to get out to no avail. So I did what any good wife would do and went and got my husband to save the day! We thought she couldn't fly so Nate was going to open the window, and trap her in a box so he could release her outside. As soon as the window was open she flapped those little wings and tried to make a grand escape. Nate was quicker and got the window closed in time. (Thank goodness! I could not imagine having a bird flying around in my house!) Then he had this brilliant idea to vacuum her out. He apparently had read a story online about some people who had a bird in their house and successfully vacuumed the bird out. He made a contraption that went on the end of the vacuum hose so as to not actually suck up the bird into the vacuum but merely attach it to the end. That bird was too wiggly and freaked out from the sound of the vacuum and our vacuum wasn't strong enough to hold her weight. So we went to plan C. Nate climbed into the window well with her and attempted to trap her in a box. Easier said than done. But alas, eventually he was successful. The little birdie was trapped and released in the front yard where she sat in shock for some time before flapping her little wings and flying far away! Nate is my hero!

The vacuum

The prisoner

The hero

Success!

Fly birdie fly!

9 months!

C had her 9 month old check up today and she has slowed down a bit.
height: 28.75 in. (85th percentile)
weight: 19 lbs. 15 oz. (70th percentile)
head: 18.75 in. (97th percentile)
Her latest tricks include scooting backwards and getting really mad about it, waving (although it looks like she's fanning herself), "singing", saying mama, dada, baba, and pretty much any other sound you can think of. She loves to eat Cheerios, puffs, peas, oatmeal, and anything we are eating. She loves to carry her sippy cup around with her but she mainly just chews on it. She has 5 teeth and is working on a 6th one. Her hair is long enough for a little pony tail and it's pretty cute! She loves her daddy and lights up the second he comes in the room. Her favorite book is "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" and her favorite song is "Itsy Bitsy Spider." She still doesn't crawl and we are ok with that! :-)

Update in reverse

We've had a fun couple of weeks. C loved her Easter dress, but she did not love sitting in the grass. (Oh btw, she sits now and is quite pleased about it!)

Her new favorite thing to play with is Nate's Easter basket, so I haven't put it away yet. She just barely figured out today that there is candy inside those fun eggs. I guess it's time to put it out of reach!

Alex spent Spring Break with us and we went to the downtown Aquarium one day. It was lots of fun! I don't know if C was more excited to see the fish or her reflection!

My parents stopped in for a day or so as well (I don't know why we didn't take pictures!) We've been enjoying the the beautiful Colorado spring weather (finally!) and can't wait for summer!

6 months!

Can you believe she's 6 months old already, because I can't! At her check-up this week her stats were as follows:
height: 27.5 in. --97th percentile
weight: 18 lbs. 4.5 oz--90th percentile
head: 18 in. --97th percentile
Some of her favorite things include bath time, daddy time, her exersaucer and bumbo, blowing raspberries, making lots of fun noises, babbling, putting things in her mouth, rolling over (finally!), watching me cook dinner, going for walks in the stroller, singing songs, reading books, and generally being a very happy baby. She has tried several foods. She likes eating solids but still struggles with eating off of a spoon. Her favorite so far is frosting...oops, maybe that wasn't on the list of approved foods, but she loved it and licked her lips for a couple minutes afterwards! (She has a sweet tooth, what can I say? She is my daughter!) She likes most things we put in her mouth except of course the amoxicillin she's supposed to take for a pesky ear infection. She is really good at throwing a fit when that stuff comes her way. She has eaten rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, peas, applesauce, and pears. Oddly enough she has the hardest time with the fruits and seems to prefer the veggies. She makes some pretty funny faces every time we give her fruit. These pictures come from her photo shoot with my friend Rachel. Rachel is a very talented photographer and we're glad Clara cooperated enough to get lots of cute shots! I think these pictures really showcase her personality. Enjoy!