We are blessed with the great friends & family ....

I have every intention of writing real thank you cards, but I have not yet sat down to do them .... so let me post a thank you note for all of you to see now, just in case I get further delayed in my thank you note writing task.

Our holiday was spent at home in Salt Lake City. We are fortunate to have so many friends that were also in town that we did not have time to get homesick. Though, we do wish we could have been in Ohio celebrating with all of our families, too. We miss you all.

Steve and I started the holiday off right -- first, a day of skiing together, followed by a day of anti-gravity yoga and massages. We rarely get to do things together (without paying an arm-and-a-leg for a babysitter), so we took advantage of our flexible work schedules over the holiday and the stability of Carolyn's day care to spend a few afternoons out together.

On Christmas Eve, we made a delicious dinner at home. Dinner included tomato-cheese tarts, spiced parsnip soup, cabbage-lentil salad, creamed spinach, rice pilaf, and steamed trout. RJ joined us for the evening and brought a cheesecake that we barely could find room in our bellies to enjoy. Zak, Nikki & Joshua, and Elizabeth stopped by to help spread some christmas cheer.

On Christmas day, Carolyn slept in until 1030, so we had a very leisurely morning. I wonder when or if she will become one of those kids who wake up at 330 to see if santa has come. Steve and I made christmas brunch together and then opened up our presents. We then spent the afternoon with the Raymo-Zimmer family, enjoying a traditional turkey dinner and some games.

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And now for the official thank yous

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Thank you to Grandma Carol & Grandpops Harry for the Julius monkey bag and towel. She immediately covered her doll baby up with the towel and said "Night Night", and then quickly stuffed her purse with small toys. She has carried it with her everywhere ever since. Her money will go into her bank account, and Steve and I are spending our share on personal things: skiing for him, and for me, some spending money for my trip to Vegas in a few weeks.

Thank you to Grandma Lynn & Grandpa Mike for all of the loot. Carolyn has gone to bed with hardly even a whimper the past three nights, thanks to the ladybug star-light you gave her. She particularly loves my old Raggedy Ann doll, and looked pretty cute in her snowman jumper and her bathrobe. Steve and I both love our new Uggs and will be buying a new digital camera, as well as video camera with Dad's special gift. Not to mention, I love my new orange purse. And, Steve is particularly excited by the new flashlight. The pop-up book is definitely not something for Carolyn -- not yet, at least -- but is one of the coolest things I have seen in a while.

Thank you to Jason, Heather, Addie, and Emerson -- Carolyn's feet are toasty and warm in her new Uggs. And, we cannot wait to get a treat from Caputos Deli. See you on Skype. I see that I missed three calls from you yesterday.

The $5 red or green gift exchange in the Tangeman family was pretty exciting, especially since we were able to open up our gifts with you while video calling on Christmas Eve. Steve really does love his windshield wiper from Jared. And, Carolyn has already worn her new red PJs from Lisa. She also loves the animal book, saying baa-baaa, mooo, and oink at every page.

The Altmans also did a gift exchange this year -- Carolyn got new cozy PJs from Rachel, Steve can now walk safely on our steep driveway in his Yak-Trax from Scott, and I absolutely love my new scarf and gloves from Jeni. Thank you to the Altmans. We missed you on Christmas day.

Thank you to Great Aunt Lee for thinking of Carolyn, a deposit will be made to her bank account.

Thank you to Mary Ann & Howie for the placemat, chocolate milk straw, and McDonalds coupons. I have never seen Carolyn drink her milk so fast.

Carolyn would like to thank RJ for the new outfit -- I had no idea she knew who Elmo was, but she says "Elmo" everytime she sees the shirt. Oh, and she loves tormenting Leo with her new green toy. Thank you, RJ, for being such a good neighbor and for being so good to our family, especially Leo.

Zak & Tess, we enjoy spending christmas day with you and your family. We really appreciate the invitation and definitely enjoy the food. Delicious! The Sort-It game was interesting, while Carolyn looks great in her new PJs. Thank you. We are fortunate to have you in our lives.

Kim & Nick, the stolen has been a nice treat, and the picture is fantastic. It is rare to get a good picture of just me and Steve. Most of our pictures in the past year and a half are centered on Carolyn. You will soon experience this transformation. We are so excited to meet your child this summer. You will be awesome parents, and what an exciting adventure it will be.

Josh & Michelle, the chocolates and wine were delicious. Michelle, I love my new hat band and jewelry. And, Josh, the homemade wraps were incredibly practical and cool. Your creativity is awe-inspiring, and your friendship is something we truly value.

Nikki & Joshua, we look forward to our night out together. I will look at the calendar and make it happen -- hopefully sooner rather than later. We are so happy that you came over on Christmas Eve. We couldn't ask for better friends, and we look forward to many more memories in years to come.

Stobe family, the coloring bag has been a lifesaver at restaurants lately, and I have been using the insulated bag as a lunch bag. Thankfully, Steve managed to fit the beer in his suitcase, so he could enjoy a taste of Cleveland. I just saw your pictures and it looked like you had a great holiday, too.

To everyone else, thank you for the cards and pictures and fun during the holidays.

What a special holiday it has been for us.

Thank you to all of you.

I really hope I have not forgotten anyone on this thank you note.

Whoa - a Glimpse of the Terrible Twos?

Last night, my colleague Norm invited us to dinner. He lives right by downtown, so we decided to take Carolyn to see the christmas lights on Temple Square before we went to dinner. She got out of the car and excitedly started saying "Neigh - Neigh" while pointing to the horses and carriages lined up on the street. When we got onto the grounds of temple square, she started running around and pointing to the lights, saying "lights" and "pretty."

It was a fun family moment.....

...... until Carolyn decided she wanted to jump into the fountain.

Obviously, as good parents, we did not let her play or jump in the water (it was below freezing). But, she just kept pouting "watty-watty" - her word for water - and would try to escape from us and run back to the fountains as soon as we walked away. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of fountains on temple square, so it only got worse. She eventually broke down into a full-out scream and at one moment, even laid completely on the ground flailing her arms and legs. She was inconsolable. It was embarassing. And, Steve and I could hardly help ourselves from laughing at her spectacle. We quickly found a gate and took her onto the sidewalk, just so she would not encounter any more "watty" and so we would not have to endure the incredulous looks we got from other parents with well behaved children.

Once she calmed down and forgot about the "watty," we entered another gate and decided to show her the rest of the lights. It was going well. At the nativity scene, there was a very realistic looking flock of sheep. She was excited and started saying "baa-baa" and was cutely pointing to the animals she so proudly knew .... and then she tried to jump the ropes to go see the "baa-baa" up close and personal. And, you guessed it, madam crazy revved up her engines again. So, we scooped her up, quickly exited the gardens, and found our car. Yes, we got the hell out of there with our crazed child! As we reached our car, both Steve and I were still laughing under our breath. We agreed that this was a well-intentioned, but unsuccessfully-executed attempt at family fun.

Whoa!

This girl has a strong will.

How much worse will it get in the "Terrible Twos"?

God help us.

Some more holiday photos

One of Carolyn's favorite gifts this year was the "baby" she received. My grandma made Raggedy Ann for me when I was young, and it was gifted to Carolyn this year from my parents.

She also really likes her "Bugs in a Jug" toy. She picked this out at the toy store, and it was the one toy that she has played with consistently since getting it. She pulls them out, puts them back in, pulls them out, puts them back in .... Yesterday, she had taken the jug into her room, pulled out all of the bugs, lined them up on the floor, covered them in a blanket and was patting them saying "Night Night".

She quickly learned how to unwrap gifts. Here, dad is helping her open up a picture of her and her cousins. As soon as she saw it, she smiled and said "Addie".

And, for whatever reason, her obsession right now is with bags. Every gift that she opened had to be put into a bag. She then had to put all of her loaded bags onto her push cart. God forbid she ever is homeless, but I am relieved to see that she might do OK given her ability to load up her cart with all of her cherished belongings.

A video of her loading up her Christmas loot

loading up her bag
Originally uploaded by boo4172002

Dancing, Dancing, Dancing

Christmas Eve Dancing
Originally uploaded by boo4172002

As soon as we turn on the James Brown Christmas CD, Carolyn is up dancing. Dad joined in too. Makes me giggle.

Merry Christmas

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas. A tradition in our household is to wear matching PJs on Christmas Eve (well, this year, they were coordinating). Check back later for more photos.

HO HO HO - I hate him

Not so much a fan of Santa Claus this year .... she will say HO HO HO anytime she sees a Santa. She pulls out her "Twas The Night Before Christmas" book every night and kisses santa good night, but she certainly did not appreciate meeting him in person.

Another homemade sweater

The ladies in Centerville are very talented and keep Carolyn dressed well ... this handknit sweater and leg warmer set was made by Mary Ann. What a cute little snowball!

18 Months Old

Carolyn's growth stats from her 18-month well child visit:

31" long

23 pounds, 9 oz

She is average, right around the 50th percentile for length and height.

She sure did hate the doctor this time. She was happy in the waiting room, looking at the fish tank, but immediately started screaming as soon as the MA called her name and we had to go back to the room.

A very special Daddy-Daughter Date

While I was at my final ski lesson, Steve and Carolyn went to the symphony. The Salt Lake symphony orchestra does a special children's christmas symphony with sing-a-long carols.

A Daytime Date

While Carolyn was at school, Steve and I played hookie and went skiing. It was the annual University of Utah ski day, so lift passes were cheap and lunch was even cheaper. How nice it was to be out for the day! Steve and I have not been skiing together since Carolyn was born. We were home by 4, and decided to curl up and take a nap together before we picked her up at 5:30. Daycare is awesome. She loves it there, and we got to spend the day together on a date. And, not to mention, when we picked her up, she presented us with a special christmas gift - a plate with her handprint. Apparently, they are making cookies to go on the plates next week, but the kids were so excited to show the plates to their parents that they had to give them out today without the cookies.

Dad of the Year .... not today

Look what I get to do when dad is on duty Originally uploaded by boo4172002

I had to go out of town for a funeral, leaving Steve in charge of Carolyn for the evening. When I got home he told me how much fun he and Carolyn had together. He even video-recorded it to show me .... check it out and see what you think!

And, he cut her hair too

Not sure why -- Dad cut carolyn's hair! Originally uploaded by boo4172002

First, I was a bit miffed by the couch jumping stunt that Steve was so excited to show me. And, then I find this pile of hair. Sure, Carolyn was getting a pretty bad mullet, but her blonde curls were so cute.

Whoa, a lot happens when I have to be away for an evening.

I am pretty sure that Steve is not going to get 'dad-of-the-year' for his activities this evening. But hair grows, and no broken bones.... so I can't be upset for too long.

The little Christmas helper

Carolyn loves christmas, especially the lights.

She also loves dancing to the Christmas music. She asks us to turn it on every evening. The video below shows you her new style of dancing (on her knees).

Before the holiday season is over, I should probably take another photo of our christmas tree, so you can see how top-heavy it looks. All of the ornaments are on the top half of the tree because our little helper has pulled them off one-by-one and brought them to us.

A Long Awaited Post (November)

See some pictures of our holiday in Dayton.... thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, and I am fortunate to be able to spend it with my family. This year, the Altmans came down too, so we were able to spend the holiday with both sides of our family.

A tradition in the Utz household is to make homemade noodles, which are served on top of mashed potatoes. Yum! Carolyn helped this year .... and so did Sadie, who ate almost the entire batch of drying noodles while we were out to dinner.

Another thanksgiving tradition includes a craft that everyone has to do. We receive it in our invitation and must bring it to the feast. This year, everyone had to make a napkin, saying what they are thankful for. Here is a photo of the boys displaying their napkins. And, note that Jason is wearing the turkey hat, meaning that he won the "over-eaters award" this year.

In the Utz household, we play a lot of games, too. Scrabble was the crowd favorite this year. Grandpops Harry certainly made up a lot of words, and somehow ended up winning too!

Carolyn enjoyed playing with her cousins, Addie & Emerson. She especially liked all the attention she got from Addie. Addie taught her a lot of new words, including "What does a snake say?" Since we have been home, Carolyn says "Addie" a lot. I think she misses her.

The grandparents also provided a whole of entertainment for Carolyn. She loved every minute of it, and so did they! Grandpops Harry gave her as many blueberries as she wanted. Great Granny loved to hold her. And Grandpa Mike had a cool chair that she learned how to climb up, so she could curl up and nap with him. Grandma Carol gave Carolyn a new stuffed giraffe, which may end up replacing Kitty as her favorite. And, Grandma Lynn made her laugh and laugh!

All of this fun made for one tired little girl.

I know, I know ... I need to update

I have heard that from several of you. The month of November was a busy one, which took me away from Salt Lake City for the majority of hte month. I spent some time in Philadelphia for work, while Carolyn and Steve survived their first extended time together without me. (they did great! And I thoroughly enjoyed the time away!). Then, I had another work trip to Atlanta a week later. This time, Carolyn stayed with my parents in Ohio (she did great! And they loved every minute of it!). We then all spent a relaxing, but busy week in Centerville for thanksgiving. The semester is coming to an end and I am just about ready for christmas, so I will upload the blog soon. Actually, I may need to take some new photos because I have not pulled out my camera for a long time. That reminds me, I better get a good picture of us for christmas cards, which need to get in the mail sooner or later.

The little duck

Here are a few pictures of the Halloween costume I made for Carolyn:

One of Carolyn's Best Friends

BISCUIT

She is such a lover, but also such a bugger.

Thankfully, Biscuit just takes it.

Pumpkin Carving

The other night, several friends came over with their pumpkins and knives. Together, we ate donuts and cider, and baked pumpkin seeds. And, oh yeah, check out the pumpkins we carved. I carved the one with the cat and pumpkin in the window. Cool, eh?

A trip to the zoo

The zoo is at the edge of our neighborhood. Carolyn has been before, but this time, she really got into it. She knows a lot of her animals and animal sounds, so she was excited to point them all out. Her favorite animal this trip was a baby black-footed cat that looked just like her. She also really liked the black swans. The most exciting part of the trip today was seeing Zuri, the baby elephant. How cute is that!

The littlest reader

Carolyn loves reading books.

She likes it even more when sitting in her new chair.

A day at the farm

Carolyn knows a lot of her animal sounds and was ready to show off when we were at the farm on Sunday with Michelle and Max .... Moo, Cluck-Cluck, Oink, woof-woof, meow-meow, cocka-doodle-doo, quack-quack, baa. She had so much fun looking at all the animals and playing in the pumpkin patch. And, how could we not have enjoyed the day when it was 75 degrees and sunny.

This photo has to be my favorite of the day ... Carolyn, just like her daddy, sticks out her tongue whenever she is concentrating on something. Here, she insisted on carrying the pumpkins from place to place. Some were bigger than her, but that did not stop her from trying.

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