Grandma Crandall's 90th Birthday



At the end of April we went down to St. George to celebrate Dan's grandma's 90th birthday! We had been looking forward to the trip for months and were so excited for Daphne to meet her Great Grandma Crandall for the first time. Dan's dad also lives in St. George so we were looking forward to spending some quality time with him. Daphne did AMAZING on the trip to St. George. Traveling that day seemed to take FOREVER with a two month old baby but we made it! 

Daphne with Grandpa Crandall at Chuck O' Rama the night we arrived.
This was the first time we had taken her to a restaurant since she was born.
She experienced lots of firsts while out of town!



Our trip to St. George was a short one (less than 48 hours) so we did the best we could to cram as much fun as we could in with the time we had! Saturday morning most of the family went repelling. From what I heard, everyone had a blast:) Dan enjoyed freaking out his brother as they went down "ozzie" style (see below).

We decided while although this trip was full of firsts for Daphne, it was best if we didn't make it her first time to repel as well...and well, let's be honest, walking backwards off a cliff to bounce your way down just isn't my thing:) Instead, Daphne and I hung out at Grandpa Crandall's apartment and worked on taking her 2 month pictures. Let's just say that we still hadn't captured the "one" by the time everyone got back so both Dan and Natalie came to my rescue! Natalie worked on helping Daphne not wiggle too much while Dan and I snapped pictures like crazy. We got a few funny ones along the way but FINALLY got one I was in love with. I know, I am a little picky sometimes!



Outtake #1: Binky!

Outtake #2: Although Dan is trying to prove to
the world that she will be a Saints fan...the pic was a no go:)



Outtake #3: Her cute little hands were
CONSTANTLY over her mouth!

Outtake #4: When her hands weren't in her mouth she was grabbing the owl....

Outtake #5: HAHA, this one is my favorite! She was so wiggly that she kept on falling over...Natalie did her best to try and prevent Daphne from toppling but it was inevitable!

And FINALLY the keeper!

That afternoon the girls all went to the movies while the boys were on baby duty and recovering from repelling.



Dan watching sports while Daphne proves she is
more like me...no interest in the TV whatsoever

Enjoying her Aunt Nattie!

That night we attended Grandma Crandall's 90th birthday celebration. It was such a memorable experience. We loved the time we got to spend with her and enjoyed getting to learn more about her. Uncle Grant read a document she had written about her life and we were each given a copy. I learned so many things about her that I never knew. One of my favorite parts was hearing how when she was a kid they only had an outhouse and her mom baked bread EVERY SINGLE DAY. It's amazing at how busy our lives have become, I couldn't imagine having the time to bake bread every day. I love how much simpler life was back then. Another part I loved was hearing about how when she met her husband, Max, for the first time she knew that he was the one she would marry from the time she set her eyes on him. The funny part though was that she was already engaged at the time so so as she put it, she quickly got "disengaged":) At the end of the party we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. It cracked us all up that she didn't want to blow out candles, instead she chose to eat her cake while we all sang. I guess at that age you deserve to not have to wait for the singing to end eat your cake.

Daphne and I at the birthday celebration

We FINALLY got a picture of both Boston and Daphne
 being held by their awesome Aunt Nat together!
We have wanted one for awhile but every time we
try one is crying, eating, or sleeping!

Daphne being held by her Great Grandma Crandall at the birthday party. She is the 35th great grandchild and currently the youngest in the family. It was fun to get pictures of the oldest and youngest Crandall together!

 

The Crandall Clan

Sunday morning we went to sacrament with Grandma Crandall at the Assisted Living Center. We enjoyed getting to spend a little more time together before we had to hit the road. I really enjoyed the talk that was given. The lady gave an example of how when she was baptized she was totally overwhelmed by the thought that she was going to be held accountable for all her decisions the rest of her life. She loved the feeling of having a clean slate and was overwhelmed by the desire to try and be perfect the rest of her life! Obviously, that is impossible, but despite that, she was still overwhelmed. She talked about how over the years, the temptations to sin are just as strong as before, but she is less overwhelmed by trying to live righteously each day of her life as she has learned and grown. It reminded me a lot of how I have felt about motherhood. It has been the most rewarding yet overwhelming thing I have EVER done but each day it seems to get a little less overwhelming despite the fact that the challenges are still there. I love the opportunities I have been given to grow so much these past few months and hope I can continue to learn the things I need to in order to be a great mother.

Shortly after church we were back on the road! Daphne did great for having to be in a car all day for 2 out of the 3 days...but she definitely let us know that she was sick of it about the last half hour on the way home, and to be honest we were sick of riding in the car too so we couldn't blame her! What a short but memorable trip:)

After church in front of Grandma Crandall's home.