Trapeze

Barely out of school and doing her bit for the British war effort, Marian Sutro has one quality that makes her stand out—she is a native French speaker. It is this that attracts the attention of the SOE, the Special Operations Executive, which trains agents to operate in occupied Europe. Drawn into this strange, secret world at the age of nineteen, she finds herself undergoing commando training, attending a “school for spies,” and ultimately, one autumn night, parachuting into France from an RAF bomber to join the WORDSMITH resistance network.
   But there’s more to Marian’s mission than meets the eye of her SOE controllers; her mission has been hijacked by another secret organization that wants her to go to Paris and persuade a friend—a research physicist—to join the Allied war effort. The outcome could affect the whole course of the war.
   A fascinating blend of fact and fiction, Trapeze is both an old-fashioned adventure story and a modern exploration of a young woman’s growth into adulthood. There is violence, and there is love. There is death and betrayal, deception and revelation. But above all there is Marian Sutro, an ordinary young woman who, like her real-life counterparts in the SOE, did the most extraordinary things at a time when the ordinary was not enough

I don't remember where I first heard about this book, but it seems like lately it has been turning up in several magazines I read.  It seemed like a book I would like - a mix of historical fact and a good story, so I downloaded it and was not disappointed when I finished listening.  Usually I prefer to read a book, but in this one the narrator was British with a great French accent so it really helped get into the characters and locations.  The history behind the women spies of the SOE is fascinating to me.  I have done a little extra reading and am so impressed with the women who were recruited by and worked for this organization.  Part of me would love to live such an exciting/daring life, but most of me is grateful to be able to live a safe, relatively non-eventful life.   Better to read about and live it vicariously.   I found myself really liking the characters in the book, especially Marian.  It was easy to root for her and get caught up in her missions.  I thought I had the ending figured out and was not too thrilled with what I expected for her.  When there was a plot turn I was pleasantly surprised, then shocked when it made another turn and ended in a way I didn't expect.  It wasn't a very tidy ending so I find myself thinking about it a lot and wondering about the rest of the story for Marian.  I think that is the mark of  a good book - one that keeps you thinking.  I thought it was a great read and would definitely recommend it.
A-

Fiesta Days 2012

Throughout the rest of the state the 24th of July may be known as Pioneer Day, but in Spanish Fork it is Fiesta Days, and we love a good fiesta.  Since I started running I have run the 10k almost every year (except for a few years when I was doing the Spudman a few days later).  It is a fun race, good course, and definitely a holiday tradition.  We run the race then hang around to see my dad get an award (he always places in his age division), and stay for the parade.  This year I was a little hesitant to run - it would be my first race post baby and I wasn't sure that I wanted the stress - emotional and physical.  Luckily my dad and Jarin wanted to run so I couldn't stand to be left out and signed up.  When I got up this morning I was so nervous and wished I had just stayed in bed.  Most of my runs lately are about an 11-12 minute mile so I was really hoping to get in at under an 11 minute mile average.  The race starts off on a steep hill which is always tough, but I switched it into granny gear and kept plugging through the initial hills.  After about the first 3/4 mile it is mostly flat with a few short downhills.  I kept making little goals for myself and planned some strategic walk breaks, but those ended up being super short because I felt so good.  Ok, it hurt, but I forgot how good it can feel to run hard and push myself.  I did get by with a little help from my friends Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry - they have some great girl power songs that came on at the right moments and kept me moving.  One of the great parts about this race is that as soon as you finish they give you a card with your stats.  I finished with an average of 9:59 per mile.  Whoo hoo!  There have been times in my running history when I would have been disappointed in that, but considering where I have been over the last year, it felt like an amazing victory.

T

 This was Luke's first parade,

What better place to watch than on grandma's lap.

She spent a lot of the parade covering his ears,

Cannons, sirens, loud cars,

We need to invest in some baby earmuffs.

Grandma and grandpa love their babies.

I promise Calvin was having fun,

This is just his serious pose.

Mountain Dew enhanced happiness.

Is it the parade or the drink that is making him so happy?

The General Lee?

Next to the roller skating Captain America,

This was one of the best parts of the parade.

Modern Medicine

Dear Cortizone cream and yeast shampoo, thank you for making my baby so much more comfortable.  We can't believe improvement we have seen in just one day.  Hopefully it just keeps getting better.

Dear Dr. Huber, thank you for getting Luke in so quickly and being such a caring doctor.  If you need a good pediatric dermatologist, I can hook you up.

Dear Tim (aka daddy), thank you for giving Luke baths, putting on his medication and always taking such good care of our boy.

After

Before

Three Months

Last Friday I was lucky enough to get together with several friends from high school.  Most of them got married a lot sooner than I did so their kids are quite a bit older - marriages, college, high school dances, etc.  I feel like time is passing so quickly that I'm going to blink and Luke will be moving out and leaving his mama behind.  We are having so much fun with him, every day seems like a new adventure.  The picture taking sessions are still a little tough, crazy eyes and a lot of falling over, but he is still adorable. See for yourself......

Caught the drool mid picture.

This picture shows how long and tall he is getting.

So the news of this month...

*Weighs 14 lbs 10 oz, not sure of the length but he looks giant next to other kids his same age.

*Starting to drool a lot, soaks his shirts as well as mom and dad's.

*Talks constantly, loves to tell mama about his day when I come home from work.

*Laughs at his brothers and sister and loves when they come to visit.

*First trip boating.

*First time being babysat, Tim's parents and then my parents.

*Still sleeps through the night, it's not strict, but has a general napping schedule.

*Loves to be changed, lies on the changing table and laughs.

*Knows distinct voices and looks for me or Tim in a room.

*Starting to become a bit of a mama's boy, I was surprised to see him get fussy with other people.

*Really struggling with cradle cap, eczema, and other rashes.

*Is the complete center of our world and the light of our lives.

Boating Fail!

We had planned since last week to go boating (thanks to Jarin and Jami and my parents).  Unfortunately the weather didn't exactly decide to cooperate.  Friday night's storms turned into Saturday morning clouds and it looked pretty iffy.  After waiting it out for awhile, we decided to give it a try and put in both the boat and the wave runners.  The waves were so rough that we only were out a few minutes before everyone started getting sick.  After going back to the beach for lunch we did do some riding on the wave runners and the kids swam and played in the water.  It looked like the water had started to calm but turns out it was the classic calm before the storm.  We ended up having to load everything in the rain and finally gave in to mother nature.  The worst part is that it seems wrong to even complain about the rain since the entire state is a burned up dust bowl.  Thanks to the rain, only a few pics.

My mom is such a good sport,
Always content to tend the babies.

Cowboy Up

Thursday we made our annual trek to Nephi for the Ute Stampede.  My dad's extended family was from Nephi so we went to the celebrations a lot when I was a kid.  It kind of cracks me up that they still have a bathing beauty parade and a cattle drive through the main street of town.  The rodeo is always fun, entertainment both in and out of the arena.  This year it seemed especially loud, poor Luke wasn't sure what to think of all the noise but he did amazingly well and can add "First Rodeo" to his list of accomplishments.

The family that ropes together....

Cutest cowgirl ever!

Yep, even Luke wore a pair of boots,
Can't go wrong with the John Deere ropers.

Gavin's a modern "rocker cowboy".

Clearly everyone was super excited to be there.

Lately Luke drools/blows bubbles a lot,
Glad we caught that on camera.

By far my favorite shot of the night
Could they be any sweeter?

Our Birth Story

When Jami first suggested that she shoot the birth, I was a little unsure.  Since it was my first, I felt so unprepared for the process and worried that it would get ugly and I wouldn't want any pictures to remind me.  And, let's be honest, I was worried that the pictures would show more than what made me comfortable.    Then Jami showed me some examples and I changed my mind immediately.  I loved that the camera could capture the emotion and the moments that would otherwise be forgotten.  Once that was decided, the only worry was whether or not the baby would make his appearance before Jarin and Jami left for Mexico.  He must have been listening when he decided to make his appearance on the 14th, made it with two days to spare.  Jami actually shot over 400 pictures.  The other night I went through them all to try to do a little editing.  Looking at the pictures made me laugh and cry and remember all over again what an amazing miracle birth was, and what a fantastic experience we had.  I have tried to narrow it down to my very favorites so, prepare for picture overload and here you go...