Teton Valley

For pioneers day we went to Teton Valley and visited Mike's extended family. It was fun and the temperature was perfect. We also went on the lift at Targhee and took some pictures. Brendy, Mike's aunt, made us a little harness to hold Olivia in and she loves it. We also took a four generation picture with Mike's grandma, Mike's mom, Mike and Olivia.

Lagoon

We went to Lagoon early August and Olivia is still too young to enjoy it but we did let her ride a few rides. Mike loves to pull her elastics out after she has had pigtails in. Her hair still holds the shape but this is Olivia right after a nap.

Belly Sleeper

Olivia loves to sleep on her belly and I have caught her a few times with her booty up in the air. I love this picture. The funny thing is I slept like this all the time when I was her age.

4th of July camping trip

I know that this is 2.5 months late but better late than never. Over the 4th of July holiday we went camping with Mike's family to Smith & Morehouse near Oakley, UT. It was so much fun. We were there for 3-4 days (I think). Olivia slept in the trailer with Grandma and Grandpa J and Mike and I slept in the tent. It was nice to be out of cell phone range and enjoy the outdoors.

The most memorable moment is when we went geocaching and we went on a treacherous road and eventually we had to get out and hike the trail. A thunderstorm started and it freaked out the kids and it started pouring rain and we had to book it back to the car. We were soaking wet and I think Emily's kids were traumatized but atleast they will remember our trip.


Olivia fell asleep on one of our geocaching adventures.

My little vampire

So Olivia's lateral incisors came in before her central incisors. Basically she was our little vampire for awhile but her front teeth have finally come in so she looks normal now. She has a total of 7 teeth now. These pictures are from July 23, 2009.

Pigtails and Teething

One day the sitter put Olivia's hair in pigtails and she looked so cute I couldn't resist taking a picture. These pictures are from late-June. Olivia was also teething at that time and was getting her top teeth. She was so good about it the whole time. She never cried or anything. The one thing she did do was suck her top lip all the time. I haven't been able to get a great picture so the picture I posted is fuzzy. I think she looks super cute when she does it though.

Olivia must be a Durtschi

Here is a picture of Olivia after eating string cheese. That is what is stuck on her upper lip. Olivia loves loves cheese. The funny thing is Mike loves cheese too. Whenever I am grating cheese, Mike can eat it by the handfuls. All I can say is she must be a Durtschi.

Success!!

I have been super persistent about offering Olivia her milk in a sippie first this week and if she doesn't drink all her milk I would pour her milk into a bottle. But I finally have her off the bottle and drinking from a sippie only. I am pretty excited because I don't have to wash bottles and I don't have to buy formula anymore. My next task is to take her binky away which should be fairly easy since she only uses it at nap and bedtime. That can wait until the end of September.

On a side note I did consider giving Olivia organic whole milk especially the horizon organic milk. I bought some 2% and it was some of the best milk I have drank. But I also did some research and organic milk has to be heated at a much higher temperature which actually kills most of the nutrients. A lot of mothers noticed that their children weren't gaining weight while on organic milk.

So I decided to buy milk from a local dairy so the milk is fresh and mostly natural. The best part is they deliver straight to my door step so I don't have to worry about running out for milk. The milk is more expensive than store bought milk but so much cheaper than organic.

R1P2VLCD2

Does R1P2VLCD2 mean anything to you? If it does, please email me at sandydurtschi@yahoo.com. I would love to know how it worked for you.

California vacation

The end of May we went to Bakersfield, California to attend my niece's graduation. It was freakin' hot there and the residents considered it mild. Most of our pictures are of us hot, sweaty, shiny and oily. The picture I posted is of my nephew Spencer and Olivia after Metiqua's graduation. It was probably ten at night and we are still sweaty.



We also went to Universal Studios and the weather was a little on the chilly side. It just required a jacket but much better than too hot. This was Olivia's first time not having her naps at her normal times. She was so tired she fell asleep sitting up.



The last picture I have is of Olivia and my mom when we were shopping at the Irvine Spectrum. It was fun and the weather was beautiful. If you have ever tried to hold Olivia, you know she is quite the wiggly worm. In the picture Olivia is trying to wiggle her way out.

Olivia loves her hats

This picture is from May. This picture is very deceiving because in reality Olivia hates to wear hats. It is usually a wrestling match with Olivia and the hat when I have the under chin velcro on.

Making babyfood

I had grand plans of making Olivia's babyfood but that plan has come and gone. Even though I didn't get to make everything I was able to make her breakfast foods from organic produce. I bought this food mill and it worked great. I would steam it, mash it, and freeze.


This is the food mill I bought. It was compact, inexpensive, and easy to use.


I made avocado & bananas and apples & bananas. I would defrost and mix in oatmeal.

Since I wasn't able to make her lunch and dinner, I splurged and bought her organic baby food most of the time. This was my favorite brand:


I actually tasted most of the baby food I fed Olivia and they were quite tasty.

For lunch I fed her plain yogurt and she loved it. I usually buy the bulk yogurt but if we were traveling or camping I bought the yobaby yogurts which are delicious but super pricey.



I am not 100% organic but I try my best especially for Olivia. I know it is inevitable that she will be exposed to chemicals but atleast I can try to limit it the first couple years of her life. Honestly the organic food that I do eat does taste much better.

Girls just want to have fun

Even though I have slacked on blogging I haven't forgotten to take pictures. It might take me a while but I will get all these family memories documented on our blog so Olivia will have something to look back on.

Andy, Chrissy and baby Ava came to visit in April 2009. And the weather was nice for one day and here are some of the pictures I got.


Adie beating up on Olivia. Just kidding. Olivia is 6.5 months. Ava is 7.5 months. Adie is 9.5 months.


Olivia enjoying herself with her cousins.


Adie in deep thought


Ava enjoying the rattle.

Apathy vs Action

I just started reading GLENN BECK's Common Sense and found a very interesting quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.: "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

Things are changing fast in America and I fear for the worst. Sometimes I feel like I am too small and insignificant to make a change so why do anything. But maybe that is the cause of some of the problems is the apathetic attitude citizens have, myself included. I am trying to educate myself so I can make a more informed decision about certain aspects of my life.

Talking about things is good. Doing something about it is better. It is appealing to take the easy road and get the handouts and live the extravagant lifestyle and accumulate debt. I have fallen victim to materialism and consumerism. Actually I wasn't a victim, I played an active role. It is hard not to fall into the lure when it is socially acceptable and highly encouraged to buy things on credit even if I can't afford or take a handout when I am capable of earning it. I guess I have forgotten where I came from.

My parents immigrated from Cambodia. They survived concentration campus but they lost a baby, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. They came to America so they could provide a better life for their children. They came here with nothing. They worked hard and saved even harder. They were able to buy a home and cars with more than a 50% down payment. They always paid all their loans as quickly as possible. They never used credit cards.

Some people want us to believe that we can't live life without a huge amount of debt. I know this isn't true. I lived it with my family when growing up. It was hard. If I had to categorize things into Needs, Necessary and Nice to have. I grew up without nice to haves and some necessary things. It wasn't fun growing up but I look back appreciating the lessons I learned. Growing up in America, my attitude towards consumerism is very different than my parents and I have spend my fair share of money since graduating from college. I'd like to change though.

"There are no shortcuts in achieving and living the American Dream. It takes hard work, relentless dedication to your core principles and values, and, above all patience. Nothing comes easy; nothing happens fast." pg 14. GLENN BECK'S Common Sense

Politics and the 912 project

I try not to talk politics at work but in actuality I have very strong opinions. I know politics can create a rift in families and break friendships. I have been contemplating for a very long time if I should express my views on my blog or facebook because it could be so controversial to some. Growing up and especially in college I was super liberal and most of the people I associated with had similar views. I grew up, experienced more of life, have a job and pay taxes, started a family and my views have changed significantly. My perspective changed, I have changed as a person and so have my political views.

If you haven't heard about the 912 Project, check out this website: http://www.the912project.com/

The 9 Principles
1. America Is Good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” George Washington

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

The 12 Values
* Honesty
* Reverence
* Hope
* Thrift
* Humility
* Charity
* Sincerity
* Moderation
* Hard Work
* Courage
* Personal Responsibility
* Gratitude

Family Picture

This picture is from our ward directory. I know I have been terrible at posting but I thought a picture might be a nice post for now.