Brady

A Giveaway at my New Blogspot

2011-01-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

Dear loyal 'Brady' readers,

First, I just want to thank you for reading my blog! I've had a lot of fun posting and have really loved Blogger. But, I think it's time that I moved on to greener pastures. I've been wanting a Wordpress blog for forever, and I finally have one! I would love if you all followed me over, as I will be gracing the pages of this blog no more. I am very excited about my new blog, which I've titled, Brady Revisited (www.bradyrevisited.com). I hope to do some really fun things with it, and push the boarders of my regular blogging.

As incentive for you to check it out, (and just because I love you all) I'm hosting a giveaway, a "house warming" of sorts, for you! Here's a sneak peak at what it has to do with:
(And, no, the thing I'm giving away isn't LiLi.)

See you all over there!

~Erin

Thank Heavens for Little Girls

2011-01-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

First, let me introduce you to my newest little niece, Brooklyn Pearl Mitchie. She was born January 3, 2001, 19.5 inches long, and 7 lbs. 2 oz. This is her at five days old.

Isn't she beautiful? I love her.

Second, can I just tell you how fun 1 1/2 yr. olds are? This is a great age. LiLi can now say:

bye-bye
ball
bear
uh-oh (first word)
mama
dada
puppy
hi
thank you ("dank do")
whoa
baby
banana ("na-na")
apple
ho-ho-ho
no (her favorite word)

It's nice that she can communicate with more than just pointing, grunts, and crying. Although, it's a bit trying to hear "no" all day long. We have little conversations that go like this:

"Do you want to go with mommy?"
"No."
"Do you want me to put your shoe back on?"
"No!"
"...Do you want a spanking?"I tease, (she's never had a spanking in her whole life.)
"No."
"Are you sure?"
She's pensive for a moment. Closes her eyes, and shakes her pig-tailed head,
"...no."

LiLi seems to make up for telling me "no" with all of the cute things she does. She sings everywhere we go, and I mean everywhere. It's usually the tune to the "ABC's". She also dances to music. She's the best dancer I know.

Today we made Koolaid play dough. We used the pink lemonade flavor.

LiLi loves it. It was a lot of fun to make, it was cheap (the cost of a packet of Koolaid, $.20), doesn't stain your hands or clothes, and smells good. For the recipe check my cooking blog.

I'm also working on a little Valentine's Day Quiet book for her. (I live from holiday to holiday, can you tell? I always like to have something to look forward to.) Here's one of the pages:

I'll post the finished product. It will be nice to give LiLi something to keep her entertained at Doctor's visits, church, etc.

Christmas Past

2011-01-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

I know that it's a little late to be blogging about Christmas, but I haven't had all of my pics and a computer together at the same time. I hope all of you had wonderful Holidays, we did! They were filled with fuzzy pajamas, family, an obscene amount of chocolate, and snowboarding & sledding. It was a great way to end the year.

Aren't they just so cute all bundled up? LiLi & her cousin Taylor were the best of friends this Christmas.

I'm excited for what 2011 will bring, I know that I'll get a new niece since my Sis-in-law, Lilly, was induced today! That's good, because I've been looking through photos of the past year, and they've made me baby hungry. Now I can live vicariously through her, at least for a little while. ;)

5 Things I love about the Holidays

2010-12-15T20:24:00.001-08:00

You've all heard my shpeel on how I feel about Christmas decorations being put up earlier and earlier each year (did the department stores even celebrate Halloween??...we're in trouble when major holidays like that are overlooked.) However, this year, I thought...why fight it? And so I found myself singing Christmas songs before Thanksgiving, and planning what my Christmas tree was going to look like, and making lists of people to get gifts for, and send cards to. I couldn't help it. Was the Christmas spirit taking over me? I really can't say. All I know is, I was super excited to show LiLi everything that goes along with Christmas this year. Because this year, this year! she would notice things besides the awesome metallic wrapping paper that the gifts were wrapped in. Although, metallic wrapping paper is never to be under-valued. And so I've made a list of some of the things that I love about this time of year.

5. Holiday Baking

Last night I made THE best cookies ever! They are White Chocolate Truffle Pecan Cookies. And I will put the recipe on my cooking blog, because I love you all and that's what Christmas is all about...sharing amazing cookie recipes that would make choirs of angels sing. It turned Don and I into cookie Grinches. We really did not want to share them with the neighbors I'd baked them for.

I have been baking like a demon this holiday season, and I made a gingerbread house, for the first time in a long time...I was thirteen the last time I even attempted to put one together, I think. I will post this loverly, and I mean loverly, recipe as well, in case you want to stretch beyond the average kit and graham cracker cottage. I can respect it if you don't. I didn't for about 10 years. To find the recipe you can click here, or on the side link to my cooking blog.

4. Trimming the Tree

I love Christmas trees. What is about a Christmas tree that makes it so magical that after you set one up it instantly feels like Christmas? Our house is still torn apart from construction, our pantry is only partially sheet rocked, and I've painted our once brown and tar speckled sub-flooring a shocking dark blue. But in the corner that I've set the Christmas tree up, our house is a home. Yep, it's Christmas here, too.

3. Christmas crafts

Like I said, I began the Christmas season early this year. At the very beginning of December I started stitching this with a vengeance. Last year Adelei had a generic stocking, so I decided to make her something a little more special. It goes with the two other stockings I made for Don and I. I began this tradition due to Aubrey, who introduced me to the Shepherd's Bush stockings. They are gorgeous, and if you feel like making something heirloom, you really can't go wrong with these. This is just one of the few Christmas projects I've been doing. Making something by hand is like giving someone a little piece of you. I know that that sounds a bit cliche, but it's true! Try it next time you think about stepping into a crowded store.

2. Flowers that bloom in Winter

I honestly believe that there are some things that are set apart just to fight the depressing gray that winter brings. For me, that's why there are so many holidays in winter. Anyway, my sweetie-poo brought these home for me. And I can't tell you how much it lifts my spirits just to have something green in the house! I love these amaryllis bulbs so much. Almost as much as I love...

1. Family
LiLi really has made Christmas twenty bazillion times more fun. I spent hours setting up our Christmas tree. I did it while she was asleep. And when she woke up the next morning, she walked into the living room with her little sleeper on, and disheveled hair. She looked at the tree with her big, sea-blue eyes and said, "Ooooh." That made it all worth it. I love my Bugs. Sometimes before I put her to bed, I'll grab a stuffed animal, a fluffy blanket, turn off all the lights in the house, and turn on some soft Christmas music. Then we'll cuddle as we watch the lights twinkle and dance on the Christmas tree. This was something my parents always did with us. If I can think of one, single, honest-to-goodness, Goodwin family tradition that we observed year-after-year, this would be it. Family, tree, lights, music. Magic. It's Christmas.

Time Honored Tradition

2010-11-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

LiLi makes the holidays so much more fun. That's one of the things at the top of my list of 'things to be thankful for'.

Be Witchin'

2010-10-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my sisters, mom, & I went to Gardener Village's "Witches' Night Out". It's a magical night of the year where it's cool to wear hats that can poke someone's eye out and fabulous stockings that you secretly want to wear year round. This year I decided to go platinum. Don called me Lady Gaga for days. I'm so much cooler.

Anyway, if you've never been to Witches' Night Out, I strongly suggest you go. Witches' Night Out is for any woman who's ever wished that she could be a witch. I'm pretty sure that applies to all of the female species.

"I found myself wishing that I could use a spell that would make it so that not a speck of dirt stuck to any surface of my bathroom the other day," I tell my sisters and mom in the car on the way over.

"Oh. So you'd use your magic to do good stuff?" Aubrey asks with a wide eyed tone.

"That and the ability to smack people without them seeing me."

If getting into the Halloween spirit isn't enough to make you go, then go for the caramel apples. And they have witchin' coupons. At any rate go so you can dance like a fool with your girls. I can't tell you how many times we've had to pull my mom out of the Congo line. She thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread.

Note: I don't have any pics of mom, because she came late and it was too dark to take pics. I did get one of of her outrageously twinkly/flashing wig, but I don't know if she wants me to share.

Mornings at the Brady's

2010-10-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

LiLi is wearing her fuzzy elephant pajamas. The ones where, before I put them on her, and she's sitting on her changing table in only her diaper, I softly rub on her back and she giggles like it's Christmas and arches her back. This morning she's found a wrist rattle, and is having the time of her life with it. Wrist rattle and cheerios. Life can't get any better. She shakes it happily in her high chair. And then brings it so close to her face that she's almost crossed-eyed.

"Can I see it??" I ask as I tenatively pull it away. Then I beat it like a tamborine, and start singing a song for LiLi. Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. All one-and-a-half year olds should should know the Beatles. LiLi apparently loves them, because she's swaying in her chair as I sing the song, and grinning, showing all four of her bottom teeth. I finish the song and hand the make-shift tanborine to her. She madly beats it and sings as well. The girl is a natural, and I instantly like her version of the song better than mine. And quite possibly the Beatles'. Then she picks up her sippy cup full of smoothie as well as a Cheerio and tries to eat and drink at the same time. "I don't think it works that way, but if you can manage it, more power to you!"I laugh. My daughter: singer, tamborine player, and natural multitasker. She's my little sunshine.

Happy morning. Happy Fall.

LiLi Gets a New Coat

2010-10-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

My title sounds a little like a children's book, or an episode of "Little House on the Prairie". But I think we can all agree that fall is coming. Which has led me to look for a coat for my little bug. I didn't really find any that I liked. My ambition kicks in at the weirdest times, I blame it on my mother. Because if I wasn't her daughter I wouldn't have had the hairbrained idea of making one. As it is, the coat turned out pretty cute. And just because I thought it would be cute, I added a baret. Adelei is now ready for fall in style. Especially since it is my firm belief that every little girl should have a red coat. She looks like my little Parisan.

About Don

2010-09-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today is our 5th anniversary. I'm not usually one to get all mushy and tell you how wonderful and perfect my husband is. If I brag about my husband, it's usually in a tongue-and-cheek kind of way. It's just the way I am. Lucky for all of you, I've decided to set aside my reservations for today for one very good reason: Sometimes we assume the people we love know we love them, and so we don't tell them.

In light of that, let me tell you a little about Don: Don is the sort of person who will stop everything he's doing to come pull his wife out of a snowbank. Heck, he'll pull anyone out of a snowbank. It doesn't matter if we're driving home,it's 3 in the morning and it's a blizzard outside, and we still have an hour or two to drive. That's all the more reason to stop and help someone in need. This could quite possibly be a metaphor for his life. I once heard a friend say that when they died, they wanted people at their funeral to say that they were the sort of person who, "returned the shopping cart". Because that simple act says a lot about you: you're considerate, willing to do your part. And more likely than not, it extends to all the aspects of your life. So I think that an epitaph of "he pulls you out of rut" is an even better aspiration.

This characteristic also shows that Don is prepared. Whenever we go on a trip, long or short, our truck is packed with tools, toe straps, cables, etc. Not because Don is a hard core boy scout,living the motto, but because he wants to be able to take anything life has to throw at him. Case and point: last winter we were Christmas tree hunting with my family. Some oversight led us to only bring one chain saw. Our group got split up just when we just happened to find the tree we wanted. Because Don was there, there was no need to sit around and wait for my dad to bring the saw. He calmly pulled out his .45 and shot the dang thing down. It brings a whole new meaning to "Christmas tree hunting". The poor thing died quickly. No suffering.

While Don's the one of the biggest "man's man" I know, beneath that rough n' tough exterior you'll find a huge heart. Dog lover. Nature lover. Music lover. He'll never admit that he watches chic flicks with his wife not because she makes him, but because, I suspect, he kind-of likes them. He called up my sister before mother's day to ask her questions about jewelry making so he could make a necklace for me. One like my mother has that we can't afford. He gave me flowers for a month after LiLi was born just because he knew it made me ridiculously happy. He does laundry and dishes when I'm so sick of doing them I think I'm going to puke if I see another dirty sock. And the day LiLi was born he didn't look at her with the paternal pride I expected him to, instead I looked up and saw him crying, realizing that he was a daddy. Don was actually ready for kids before I was. He probably would have been happy had we had some right away, but the thought scared me silly. So he waited for me.

Thinking about all this, I realize that...dang. I'm lucky. My sentiments echo Elizabeth Barrett Browning,

"I love [him] to the level of everyday's most quiet need, by sun & candlelight. I love [him] with the passion put to use in my old greifs, and with my childhood's faith...
-I love with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life!-and if God choose, I shall but love [him] better after death."

Here's to five, Baby.

Knee-Hugger

2010-09-20T14:59:00.001-07:00

I know that I haven't posted it on here, but LiLi is walking!! She's been walking for a while, and I've tried to record it via my crappy compact camera (because it's the only one that will take video) only to be thwarted several times. So I finally gave up. It didn't occur to me to take several quick, consecutive pictures of her tottering towards me until last night. Maybe I'll do that.

But, one of the major perks that comes with LiLi walking, is the fact that she'll grab onto my knees and hug them. It makes my insides melt. I've always wanted a knee-hugger. It almost makes up for the fact that she's no longer a baby and now officially a toddler. Almost.

Labor Day

2010-09-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

We have been in the middle of an extreme home makeover. It all started when I was in the bathroom, and looked in my shower and saw the wallpaper was sloughing off, and I decided that I could not live with that another day. Especially when I saw mold growing underneath it. So the next day I rented a wallpaper steamer, and took all the wallpaper off of my walls. It took about a week. There was a lot of wallpaper in my house, every possible surface that could be wallpapered was. I hate wallpaper. I will never do that to someone. Never. That was back in April...I think. The whole thing snowballed from there. Don looked that the situation and decided, why stop there? We hated the layout of our house, and how dark it was anyway.
So we came up with a game plan:

We were going to knock out all of the walls in the main living area (which included the kitchen, living room, dining room, and computer/entry room).
Install a beam. Because one of the walls we were planning on taking down was a bearing wall.
Reroute plumbing and electrical so we could move the kitchen and make it bigger.
Knock out chimney, because it's an eye sore. This would mean that we'll have to reroute the furnace underneath.
Install tile floors and get rid of our scuzzy carpeting.

That's the master plan in a nutshell. Perhaps I'll have to put some floor plans up on here. It's an ambitious plan, but in the end I think that we'll be proud of our house, and feel like it's really ours. Plus, little-by-little it's taking away the cigarette smell left from the previous chain smoking owners. That smell was in everything...the wallpaper, the cabinets, the carpet.

So here are some visuals:

Kitchen

Before:

The opposite wall was covered in cabinets, it was gallery style.

I'm pretty sure a Mary Engelbreit wanna-be inhabited my kitchen before me. Look at this wallpaper. It's not as bad as some of the other stuff. But still enough for me to hate it.

After:
Right now we are living the minimalist lifestyle. No cupboards, no counter space. Only a table, stove, and fridge. It's kind-of like camping...sort-of.

Living Room

Before:

This was our quaint little living room. See what I mean about the wallpaper? Everywhere. And it all had at least a little bit of blue in it. The people were blue freaks. You'd be really scared if I showed you my blue tub, sink, and toilet. Yes I said blue toilet.

Here's the wall that you see the green couch backed up against in the previous picture. Yes it's ugly. That gray mark is Don experimenting with venetian plaster.

After:
And here's how it looks with the wall partially gone.

Here's how it looks with the wall all the way gone, and a beam installed. It's times like these when I'm really glad that I married Don. Not only is he able to calculate what type of beam we needed for our house, he's also able to install it. So top that.

Chimney

This is the fireplace on the other side of the living room. It was in the middle of the house. That would make sense if it were still a real fireplace as it used to be, but someone turned it into an inefficient gas one. Plus we have a wood burning stove in the basement. It's an eyesore to say the least. But I'm happy to say that it's now gone, as of yesterday. :) :) (That deserves a double smiley face icon.)

See? No more fireplace. Just a big hole in the floor and ceiling. And a lot more light. Ahhhhhh. Light.

Here's what our living room looks like now:

It's our make-shift dining room. Soon to be our official, pretty dining room. This picture is pre-chimney removal, as you can see off to the right.

Dining Room

Before:

Alright. Now you can't see it, because Don had already taken it out in this picture, but there was an old door to the right of where he is that never opened because it was screwed shut. It was pretty much worthless because there's a sliding glass door about five feet away from it on the same wall. So we took the door out, obviously, and the huge window that was next to it. And all of those black dots on the wall behind the china hutch? That's tar, there used to be a scary huge mirror that covered the entire wall that made you do a double take every time you walked past it because you thought you saw someone else instead of your reflection. It was really scary at night, when you're all alone. I don't miss it. I much prefer the ugly black spots to it.

After:

This is what it looks like now. Don built a wall and put in a window. Then he finished the plumbing this weekend and installed the sink. This is where the kitchen will be, in an "L" shape. Tons more room. An island...we have big plans for it. It's probably going to be my favorite part.

This was my view when I was washed dishes before: the mint green garage (minus the two-by-fours, the window wasn't framed in).

This is my view now:

Green. Into my backyard. It makes all the difference in the world. I just might like washing dishes now.

So, we'll keep you updated on everything! Right now I'm painting cabinets with a vengeance. And the next step will be working on the electrical and rerouting the sister flue from the furnace that we knocked out yesterday. It's a lot of work. But it's worth it.

A big thank you to Bruce, Dona, Katie & Galen for coming over the last two weekends and slaving away at our house. We had so much fun, and were able to get three times as much work done with your help. You are wonderful!

LiLi Gets a Haircut

2010-08-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Today LiLi and I had a showdown. It was time to do something with her hair. It has become somewhat unruly, too short to really do anything with, but too long not to. So I decided to give her bangs.

It was about as easy as herding cats. And I sounded something like this:

"Hold still, sweetie," I sing in a sugery sweet voice.
"Hold still, Bugs."
"LiLi, hold still. Please."
"LiLi, hold still!"
"LiLi!"
"Child! Hold still!!"
"LiLi! Mommy's not kidding! I have extremely sharp scissors right next to your-LiLi! Stop it!"

I'm happy to say that things were a triumph. She has both eyes, and her hair looks cute. At least I think so. Feel free to give me some positive reinforcement.

I think it makes her look less like a baby and more like a toddler. She's growing so fast. LiLi now likes to:

say, "Hi, dada", "mama", "baba" (baby), "papa" (puppy), and "uh-oh"
walk when she thinks I'm not looking
giggles like it's Christmas when anything super fuzzy comes her way
imitate Don and I
holds her sippy cup by herself (Finally. Too bad we skipped the bottle phase, this one would have come sooner.)
randomly lick things with interesting textures
dance
sing

I must have done something right in getting to be her mommy. She's constantly making me laugh with her sweet baby antics.

Beach Bums and Cherry Bums

2010-08-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

LiLi and I have spent a lot of time at the pool this summer. She is a water baby and loves splashing. I love dressing her in her swimming suit that has cherries on the bum. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever. A few weekends ago we got together with Aubrey & Co., and Ashley. We'd been talking about going to the pool together for a while, and Madi had finally gotten her cast off. So the timing was perfect. And so was the day.

Backpacking in the Uintas

2010-07-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Don and I went backpacking this last weekend to the Uintas. Grandma Dona watched LiLi for a few days (thank you!) It was the first time I'd been away from LiLi for more than a few hours. I cried.

We camped at Gem Lake. It was close to three other lakes, Joan Lake, D26, and Echo. They were only about a 1/3 to a 1/2 a mile away, except for Echo, which is about an hour away. Joan Lake ended up being my favorite, it was the prettiest, the most swimmer-friendly, and the most pristine.

This was my first backpacking trip. After strapping on our gear, we scrambled straight up a deer trail for about an hour. That's when I realized that Don was slightly crazy, or maybe just completely crazy. He was actually taking it easy on me. Usually he hikes all day there, and all day back, pausing for a day in between to fish.

Don also had a lot to teach me, how to filter water, fish, build a descent fire (it's a lot harder to do it without lighter fluid...give me some slack, we made boondoggles and did skits at Girl's Camp,okay??) He was a very patient teacher,...(bless you, Honey for putting up with your "outdoor challenged" wife). Fishing was fun. I caught a few fish, the dog (that one wasn't my fault), and *cough* myself. I don't really want to talk about it.

Needless to say, we really did have a blast. Between Don's gourmet backpacking meals (i.e. the best fish tacos you've ever had in your life!), swimming, hiking, exploring, photography, and just relaxing, we couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Just me, my honey, ten thousand mosquitoes, and breathtaking views. It was hard to come back, although having a cute baby that I missed like crazy made it a lot easier. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Gem Lake- filled with blooming lily pads, and complete with an amphitheater of sandstone cliffs, it was a peaceful place, and we had the most success fishing there.

I am a chronic "water-gazer".

All of the sandstone was covered in lime green lichen, I loved it. As if the place didn't have enough color.

Lady and I did yoga together (although Don says it looks like I'm praying to her). She's a natural at the "downward/forward facing dog" poses.

Joan Lake- crystal clear water, with just the right temperature for a hot summer's day. It felt like my own personal garden, with terraces of sandstone, and wildflowers everywhere.

Echo Lake- twice as big as Joan's Lake, ideal for canoeing; it's also located near a waterfall, and easy to get to.

The only time I can get Don to smile for the camera is when he's in the great outdoors.

Moving Tough Cookie

2010-07-02T11:48:00.001-07:00

Alright. You know how I moved this blog a year ago due to technical difficulties?? Well, I never moved my cooking blog, and it's also experiencing difficulties as well. I'm not sure why. But it's extremely frustrating. And so, I finally had enough today and moved it. Here's where you can find me cooking:

http://toughcooky.blogspot.com/

You can also find a link to it on my sidebar. So, hopefully this will also help me, and you as well, since my last cooking blog wouldn't show updates if you happened to have it on a blog roll.

And just so you know, my last post will come in handy for your 4th of July. Here's a little taste, no pun intended, of the latest!

I bet God is a fly fisherman

2010-06-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

"In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman."

~Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

One of the things I like about Don is that he's an outdoors man. I love watching him fish. He's so methodical, so calm, so in his element. I am of the same opinion as Norman Maclean, that fly fishermen are a cut above bait fishermen, they are the scholars of the fishing world, paying attention to the smallest details: what sort of insects are out at that particular time of day? What stage are they in? Larva? Adult? In addition to this, they need to be familiar with the fishing habitats: which holes are most likely to be housing fish? There are questions of skill: Which cast is going to be the best for the location I'm in? All of this leads a fly fisherman to be thoroughly in tune with nature, it's essential if they want to be successful. And being in tune leads one to respect, you'll seldom find a fly fisherman that litters, or doesn't have their permit, or even tresspasses. It is in essence, a gentleman's sport.

Don fly fished for almost an entire day,the other day at Fishlake, and then some the next morning with my dad. "It doesn't bother you, does it?" I shake my head. I understand the need to "re-create", and to have the water talk to you, it's good for the soul.

One Year and Counting...

2010-06-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

I know you all know that LiLi is a year old now. So why post about it? Well, better late than never, right? I've been going to get her One Year pictures for a while. But I just haven't been able to find a place with the quality I like, for the price I like. After looking at Sears, Target, Walmart, etc. I thought, psh. I could do better than that. So I took some, and this is how they turned out...

And my personal favorite...

I can't believe LiLi is a year old already. It makes me somewhat depressed. I really didn't expect it to go this fast. I wish babies would stay babies forever. Sometimes I'll just hold her and try and make deals with her, like, "If you stay a baby, I'll just love you and take care of you, and be your mommy forever." I think the reason why she doesn't go for it is she knows that I'll do those things anyway.

And to think that a year ago she looked like this:

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hold my ever-growing baby.

Mom Spelled Backwards is 'Tired'

2010-06-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

I just found a booger in my hair. And as I picked it out, and shook my head wondering how long it had been there, my mind flashed back to yesterday. I was feeding LiLi oatmeal, and she started to gag. In an insane & mindless effort to save her clothes and not have to wash it out of her highchair (like I did the day before) I caught her recycled cereal in my bare hands. I then calmly walked over to the kitchen sink, and scrubbed. Twice. If that doesn't get me into the 'Official Motherhood Club', I'm not sure anything will.

It's just a sad reminder to me that all of the glamor is gone. I came to this startling realization a few months after LiLi was born. We had decided to go tubing in Idaho. And as I self-consciously pulled at my modest two piece swimming suit, I looked down at Don's size ten shoes that I was wearing. I had forgotten mine, and the river ran on a bed of harsh traverntine that had given me some lovely shinners on my legs and attempted to turn my feet into mincemeat. In that cumulative moment, all I could think was, ...."Oh my."

Nursery

2010-06-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the recently completed nursery!! We've been working on it for a year (mainly because we were refinishing the hard wood floor we found underneath the grungy carpet). It's so nice to have somewhere to put all of LiLi's stuff. It's even nicer to be able to put her in her own room for nap time and do what I need to do and not wake her up. Anyway, it's turned out really cute. I still have some tweaking to do, we still need to put doors on the closet and add baseboard to the inside of the closet as well. But I didn't want to wait until I had everything perfect because I'm too dang excited. Enough chit-chat. Here are the pics:

It's really funny how everything just sort-of fell together. I made the quilt when I was about 5 months prego with her, and it worked out really well with everything else.

This is what is called a "Life Line" because it has little mementos from LiLi's life (a dress her Aunt Ashley made her, the outfit we brought her home from the hospital in, the little name tag that was in her room in the N.I.C.U., the cowboy boots Papa Scott gave her the day she was born, etc.)

I'm still working on this side of the room. I'm going to paint the changing table white, and I'll probably take down the granny squares afghan...I'm debating. I kind-of like the retro touch, but it might be a bit much. I'll probably paint the bird cage white as well.

This monkey was hand-sewn by my Grandma Leavitt. It's made out of socks! How cool is that? She gave it to LiLi for her first birthday (of which I will post about sometime in the near future.) But I love it! It's the coolest stuffed animal ever. The pattern that she used was from 1968, back when they were all the rage. Funny how things come back into style.

About a month ago while I was accessorizing this room I decided that LiLi needed a mobile. Was she too old for one? Maybe. But things looked bare without it. I hadn't seen any that I liked at the stores, and so I made one. Out of floral tape, wire, embroidery floss and paper. I'm trying to get back in touch with my crafty side. Maybe one day I'll be able to go out into the wilderness with a tooth pick and dental floss and build a shopping mall. Or maybe not.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll keep tweaking it. I have big plans to paint a picture for the wall where I have the "Life Line", because that was just a temporary thing. We'll see if I'm ambitious enough.

So, we're slowly but surely making our little house a home. I've recently taken off all of the ugly wallpaper that was plastered to our walls (as I alluded to in my last post). It's made a huge difference, our house looks really ugly, but it feels better because there's more light. Aubrey said that walking into the nursery was like a scene out of Coraline, because the hall looks completely ghetto. It's quite a contrast. And to think her room used to be the ugliest one in the house. I wish I could show you before and after pics. I'll be able to with the rest of the house. We've got big plans! And a lot of tile.

Silver Lining

2010-05-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

The other day our water heater broke. It sucked. I was without hot water for 24 hours (Don hooked things up so I still had water, thank goodness). Unfortunately that was the 24 hours that I was waging battle against the horrific wallpaper glued to every possible surface of my house. (And I mean every possible surface. Stupid wallpaper...) Try scrubbing glue off of walls with cold water. Not fun. My arms looked like they had a rash because they were raw from freezing glue water running down them. How gross is that?

Don, however, was able to find a silver lining in all of this. After running to Lowe's to pick up a new water heater, he grinned as he whipped out his favorite tool.

"Well, at least I get to use this!"

That's my man.

Wise Man Say: Baby Who Feed you Food, Usually Have Soggy Fingers

2010-05-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

I saw a fortune the other day that said, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you; the food tastes much better." No joke. Chalk that up to coolest fortune ever! ...which is the source of inspiration for this title, that and the fact that LiLi has started sharing with people. The first time was yesterday. She picked up a gob of blue jello, and pinching it between her two chubby fingers she offered it to me with a wide smile. Surprised, I went to take it from her, she tried to snatch it away at the last second, but I was too quick for her. I've got skills. Today she offered me a Cheerio, and this time she didn't try and take it away. She gave me three. Grinning each time I ate it from her hand. This has lead me to learn a very important lesson. I'd like to say it's about sharing, but it's not. It's this: when a baby offers you food, more likely than not, they'll do it with soggy fingers. I'll let you draw your own conclusions as to what that means.
But seriously, I'm really happy that LiLi is learning to share. I think Don Herold says it best:

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."

Here she is offering me a chunk of cheese:

Cheezes for me?!?

Obviously I was too slow. But it's the thought that counts.

Bed Head

2010-04-27T16:10:00.001-07:00

I love nap time. Today LiLi and I napped on my bed. That's one of the perks of being a domestic diva, you get to have nap time (depending on how many kids you have). I only have one, so when she naps, I can, too. It's the best thing in the whole world to cuddle up to a little baby with her chubbiness as she baps you in the face with her dimpled hand while you try to get her to sleep. One second she's making baby sounds, and the next, you look over and she's out cold, eyes closed, showing her extremely long lashes. But waking her up from nap time is almost as fun. Because she's all rosy cheeked, fuzzy, and extremely cuddly and warm. She also gets a major case of bed head. Let me show you:

Look at those crooked pig-tails. Hehehe.

Hey, Bugs....I don't know why, but when most people call their kids, "Princess", "Sugar Plum", and "Sweet Pea", we call LiLi weird names like, "Bugs", "Stinky Pants", and "Monster". It's so sweet.

I love her "Cabbage Patch Kid" face. It kills me.

And I love nap time. Did I say that already?

Spring Pictures

2010-04-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad that spring is finally here. I thought Old Man winter would never give up. Ahhhh, spring. This means fragrant blossoms, warbling birds, well-groomed gardens, evening walks , and lots and lots of sunshine!! Color is back in the world.

And my camera is loving it.

Babyhood and the Traveling Pants

2010-04-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

Considering how long it's been since I last posted, and the numerous events that have occurred in between: Easter, St. Patrick's Day, our trip to Denver, CO, Galen going to prom, etc. You think that I'd post about some of that. But, no. For some reason it goes against the grain for me to write about really important things like that if I don't do it right away. Unfortunately, as a blogger, I write on a whim. And all of my whims to write about those things have passed. I waved to them as they went by. So, if you're wondering about the last time I had a family function, you'll probably have to read my journal. Scratch that, I write on this more than I write in my journal. You might not be able to find anything about it at all. I'm not sure why this is the case. It's just the way I am. Anyone can post about holidays and family reunions. Pity my poor kids. Instead of recording and documenting wonderful things like Easter I'll be documenting things like this:

LiLi has this fascinating phenomenon of traveling and scooting out of her pants. I find them in the oddest places. It's like tracking an animal. Instead of looking for prints, or broken bushes, I just look for the pants and know she can't be far away.
The question as to why she sheds them is easily answered: they get in the way, and she's a busy girl. LiLi doesn't exactly crawl yet. She sort of army crawls/scoots. It's how I would imagine a human canoe moves. She paddles with her arms, and pushes with her toes. It's the darnedest thing. Don is worried that she'll never crawl like a "normal baby", and gives her daily lectures on how if she learned how to crawl properly, she would be able to get around faster. That's the last thing I need. If she crawled like other babies, she not only would be into all of the drawers in the house, like she already is, but I wouldn't be able to stop her. That and her pants would stay on. Then I wouldn't be able to post baby pictures like this. With cute, chunky legs like hers, who needs pants?? It's just so cute! I love it. It's one of the simple pleasures of my existence.

Some day I know she'll be absolutely mortified that I posted this on the world wide web. Some day I might feel guilty about it. But that will probably coincide with the day that she'll do something equally as embarrassing to me, like saying a prayer at Primary asking for Mommy to be nice to Daddy. This is for that day. Until then, I'll work on posting about holidays.

Granna & LiLi

2010-02-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

LiLi & I spent the day with Granna. We looked at a photography exhibit, ate oatmeal cookies & sipped soda pop under the sun. LiLi showed Granna all of the cool things that she could do, like click her tongue. The last time we saw Granna was Christmas, so there was a lot to show and tell.

My mom always has a way of summing up things. Today she said it all when she looked at LiLi and said,

"we're going to be great friends."

Thanks for the great day Mom.

Ashley "Hot Lips"

2010-02-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Have I told you how much I love Ashley?? Well, I do. I took this picture last Thursday of my spastic sis and it just makes me so. darn. happy. When you have a little bundle of joy waking you up at one, and then again at five, you need that.

Zumba with Aunt Kyla

2010-02-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

With the beginning of the New Year came some resolutions. One of which was to work out. Original, I know. Luckily my Christmas gift from Don went hand-in-hand with it: a membership to the Bountiful Rec Center for a year. A few weeks ago I went to my first official Zumba class.

"What's Zumba?" my mother asked after I began telling her about my experience.
"Zumba is a mix of Latin Dancing and Aerobics."
"It sounds carnal."
"It is."

Maybe too carnal to me. I find myself willing that small 1/8th part of Filipino to show itself during the classes. It's the closest thing I have to Latina blood. Maybe it is considered Latina. But if it's even trying to come out, it's being crushed by that dang 7/8ths of Caucasian. I don't know if my hips work like that. I try, oh do I ever try. I used to dance in high school, but they didn't teach us anything like that. Maybe I took all the wrong classes. But I'm pretty sure that Richfield High didn't even have hip-hop. Nope. Now that I think about it, my dance instructor was stuck in the 80's. Even her car and bangs were 80's. She had the closest thing to the 80's claw that I had seen in at least a decade. So a lot of good all my dancing does me now. That and I'm rusty. I feel like the girl on Dirty Dancing, the part where she's just barely beginning to dance and can't get her feet and legs to get in sync. That's me. It's a nice contrast from my Zumba instructor who's tied ribbons to the back of her pants to accentuate how well she can move her hips. Show off.
In my agony I look over and see a woman who seems to have figured it out. I look harder, and stop. It's my Aunt Kyla! And she's better than me! No wonder all of her daughters can dance. Not that that seems to make a difference, as a lot of the steps we're doing in our class my mother seems to have done naturally all of her life. The pony, for example, is one that's practically my mother's trademark, and it's taken me these twenty-something years to master. So, on that note, I'll end with a plea: Dear Mom, please come with me to Zumba so you can teach me how to do it. But, please refrain from joining forces with Aunt Kyla and showing me up. The sooner the better. Thank you.

Two Half-Pints

2010-02-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

I have very few pictures of LiLi and I, so I decided to have Don take some. I edited, and I think they turned out. We're two peas in a pod, she and I. Or as Ashley likes to say, "two half-pints".

People used to try and explain to me what being a parent was like. My favorite analogy is from Aubrey, "It's like having your heart in another person. You just don't realize how much you can love someone." I remember the first time I heard LiLi's hurt cry. It was high pitched, shrill, and went through my entire body like a bolt of lightening. No, I had no idea what motherhood would be like.

Judges Wanted

2010-02-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a photography class. I figured since I have this great camera that I should figure out how to use it. So, I made it a New Year's Resolution to learn about the basics. Can you keep a secret? I don't think that I've ever kept a New Year's Resolution, so be super excited for me, okay?
Anyway, I've been taking pictures like crazy, and I need you to help me decide which pictures I'm going to showcase for my class. In this case I can't decide between some of LiLi's, and since I can't have all of my pictures be of her, I need to narrow it down to one. So let me know your vote in the form of a comment and why you like it best (i.e. composition, light, or just plain "because" will do). I have until next Wednesday to decide. Thanks for your help!!

Option #1:

Option #2:

Option #3:

Life With Don. Warning: Not for the faint of heart...or stomach

2010-02-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

Grandma Goodwin, you might want to skip this post.

Last night Don let out a burp that would have wilted lilacs. After four and a half years of marriage, and a lifetime with two brothers I'm no stranger to the fact that guys think bodily functions are pretty much a ten on the "hilarious scale." My brothers educated me at a young age to their fine skills of gleeking and buttercups. You can pity me now if you'd like. But what didn't kill me made me stronger. Really. And, heaven help me, it might have even made me an enabler. And so, the following conversations ensued:

"Nice one. I bet you could burp the whole ABC's," I mused.
"Nope. I can't burp that long."
"You don't have to do the whole thing with one burp."
"A girl I knew could. She would take a swig of root beer and do it."
He demonstrated, using a fake burp, since he hadn't honed his skills to do it for real yet,
"a-b-c-d-e-f-g-h-i-j-k-l-m-n-o-p-q-r," (fake gasp) "s-t-u-v-w-x-y-z."
"Wow. That's talent. Most people I've seen do it take breaths in between the letters."
I probably shouldn't have said that last one. I could see the wheels in his head turning before he decided to give it a go.
I could hardly hear his attempt at the letter "a", but he grew stronger. By "g" I was officially grossed out. But by "L" I was kind-of laughing. Okay. I was laughing. I'll admit it. He was getting tired.
"This is hard," he panted in between burps; he had gotten to "q".
By "w" I had tears running down my face. He had gotten stuck on "w" and had to try three times. So gross. That one's tricky, especially after going through the whole alphabet. He ended with gusto on "z". That's my man.

Five minutes later we were having the following conversation:

"Guess what? LiLi doesn't have to use her baby bath anymore. She can just sit in the bottom of the shower."
"What??" This time I really am mortified, "You pee in the shower!!"
"Just in the drain. It's great: I just put some toys in the bottom of the bath and let her chew on them."
"She's going to get some weird disease because you let her chew on toys that have been contaminated with your pee."
"She's not going to get a disease from my pee. Besides," he amended, "I don't pee in the toilet very often."
I slap my forehead with my palm. D'oh!
"I-I mean the bathtub very often."
I'm shaking my head and trying not to smile in spite of myself, because I knew full well what he had tried to say, but his last statement causes a series of thoughts to run through my head:

1- I should wash out the tub more often.
2-Why do I even try to keep this house, and baby so clean when it's clearly a losing battle?
3-What argument can I come up with that will seal the deal to make Don wash the tub from now on, as in forever??
4-It's a good thing I'm the one who gives LiLi the majority of her baths.
5-I utter a silent prayer of thanks that she has a mother.

Now don't get me wrong, these conversations might give you the impression that Don is...is...maybe I'll let you come up with the adjectives. The point is, is that's not what I'm trying to say. And in my husband’s defense, that's not what he is. He's just a guy. And I'd have to admit I probably wouldn't want him any other way. Especially if it meant that he'd start going to a tanning booth and vainly glancing in the mirror, or wearing cherry lip gloss. (I don't know why I threw that last one in.)
What a pair we make.

*a special thanks to Don for relenting, and letting me publish this post. Love you, baby.

Piggly-Wiggly Tails

2010-01-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick LiLi update for those of you who are wondering what my little peanut is doing. She can sit up now all by herself. She's such a big girl, and she knows it. She can also feed herself a cracker, which gets pretty messy. Most of it ends up in her hair. And speaking of hair, last Saturday night I discovered that her hair is long enough to put into pig tails. I had to share pictures. I'm way too excited about this, but I think it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

There's my little sunspot. Oh, goodness. It's too much.

Sweet Babies

2010-01-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

Look at what I found tonight after dinner:

It just might be one of the sweetest things ever. It makes me melt whenever I look at it. I don't think it gets any better than this.

Except for maybe this:

Jesus Must LIke Robots

2010-01-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day back in Primary. There was a darling elderly lady who looked like the grandma that everybody would want who did a spotlight on one of the kids.
"Try to guess who this person is," she challenged. "This person's favorite song is, I Am A Child of God..."
There were several murmurs from the Primary children as the popular song was announced. The first clue didn't really shed any light on the mystery person.
"This person has dark hair and dark eyes..." People started scanning the room. The next clue narrowed the field down a bit more.
"This person's favorite place is Denver, Colorado."
"Oh! That's my favorite place!!" A boy around five or six on the second row back announced.
"It is?" The woman asked with her eyes sparkling, "and what is your favorite thing to do in Denver?"
"Visit my grandparents!"
"Oh! That's this persons favorite thing, too!"
"Really?"
"Yes. And do you know what else?"
"What??"
"This person likes robots."
"I like robots!"
"And this person likes purple!"
"I LIKE PURPLE!" the boy said jumping out of his seat with his hand straight up in the air.
"Do you know who this person could be?" The she inquired, speaking directly to him.
He didn't miss a beat,
"Jesus!"
I was pretty sure our bishopric member was going to fall out of his chair from laughing so hard, and I was seeing tears. I'm glad I'm back in Primary.

Light

2009-12-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

My favorite thing about Christmas is the lights. Winter always seems like such a dark time of year, so it's nice to see strings of lights glittering on houses and trees. When I lived in Logan I would eagerly wait for them to put up the lights on main street. They did it the lazy way, with strands of lights looped around the outside of the tree instead of the painstaking individual branches. So when you drove by it was like a swirling, dynamic light sculpture.
I remember driving to my Grandparents house in Fountain Hills, AZ and looking at the hundreds of luminaries that dotted the roads. It's one of my favorite memories. With few trees to decorate, they found a way to add more light to their town as well. This year I decided to adopt the tradition. So, I lined our walkway with white paper bags filled with sand and lit by a single candle. Luminaries are so classic, so simple, a variation on one of the symbols of Christ, the Light of the World.

Today is the shortest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. The sun is the furthest away from the earth that it will ever be, and so, it seems fitting that on these cold, dark days, that we celebrate light. The ancients watched the heavens more then the average person does today, and so they had a holiday called natalis solis invicti, the Roman "birth of the unconquered sun". It just so happens that it's on December 25th. Happy Holy-days.

Kids are Hard

2009-12-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Had a photo shoot to do some X-mas pics for my sister, and this is what Madi and Jaden were like most of the time:

Kids are hard to photograph. I know this will be priceless someday. But today, it wasn't funny...well, earlier today it wasn't funny.

"What do you do all day??"

2009-11-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly enough, that question was from another mother. She's my new hairstylist, and works full time. Young. With a little girl about three. I like her a lot, but still, her comment left me a little floored. What don't I do?
Adelei is now nearing six months old (that's 2/3rds of my pregnancy!), and she's hit a growth spurt, which means she's eating what seems to be 24/7, and continually attached to me. She's grown 2 inches since her 4 month check-up. Don and I discovered this after pulling out the tape measure due to curiosity, and the number of comments from people saying she was thinning out. Measuring her calmed my mommy nerves. LiLi also doesn't believe in taking naps. What's a mother to do? I try and tell her that she's a little baby who's growing fast and needs lots of sleep. Her usual reply is to grab her toes and coo. How can you argue with that??
In my spare time (ha, ha). I've been crafting. I'm doing my first craft fair. And I have to admit, it's been a lot of fun. I learned how to knit. (Just when I thought I couldn't get any more domesticated, I pick up knitting.) I'm actually kind-of proud of it. It's versatile, pratical, and an outlet--for art, for frustration, for zen. I'll keep you posted on the craft fair (or most likely tell you how it went). But until then, her are some pictures of my creations.

The "chirp" knitted hat:

Handstiched felted wool lamb (the felt was too thick for my dang sewing machine):

And my masterpiece:

This last one's not for sale. My little niece Madi already asked.

My Little Blossom-head Pixie

2009-11-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

For Halloween Adelei was a fairy. I got ambitious and decided to make her costume. I haven't sewn anything serious ever since I got married. Don was a little surprised at my skills. He watched me at the sewing machine, scratched his head, and asked,
"If you can sew, then why do I have a bunch of pants with holes in them that I never wear?"
"Because you didn't ask."
I'm pretty proud of how her costume turned out. It took a while, but it was worth it to see it on her. It's so fun to have a little girl to dress up.

Don dressed up, too. For the first time he wasn't a cowboy. This year he was a...

Jamaican. I think he secretly wants dreads.
Four years of marriage, and this man still surprises me. Hope everyone had a good Halloween!

Adelei Update

2009-09-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

My baby is now doing all sorts of fun things. She likes to grab her toes, and she's discovered her tongue, and likes to stick it out. She is now 4 months old, 24.5 inches tall, and weighs 14.19 lbs. Can you believe it? I can't. As of Sunday, she officially laughed. Before then it was more like a, did she just giggle?? Wait, do it again, Baby, I'm not sure if you did it or not. But on Sunday, there was no denying that my little 'Nilla Bean laughed. Ever since then she's laughed for me every day. It is the best thing in the world. Baby laughs are magic.
While I've taken an enormous amount of pictures of my little Lei-Lei, I decided to put some video on here just so you can see her cute little personality. She is so much fun. I'm the luckiest mom in the world.

Cooking Blog

2009-09-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm attempting to start up my cooking blog...again. Last time, my camera was at my in-laws for a month or two, and then by the time I got it back, I was so pregnant that I really wasn't cooking any more. So, here it goes! Fall is my baking season, you'll probably see a lot of that. There's a link on the side of my blog, and you can click here to view it as well.

Bon appetit!

Are you kidding me??

2009-09-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

I have something to complain about. I went to two different stores the other day and both had their Christmas decorations out...it's early September, you ugly-little-money-grabbing-commercialized-store-mongers!!! (Try and say that five times fast. I dare you.) You ought to be horsewhipped. I know the economy sucks, but honestly...stop rushing the season. There are still at least two major holidays to go!
Which leads me to a question...why doesn't anyone celebrate fall anymore? Not Halloween. I'm talking fall, people. You know...bountiful harvest? I think that it was one of the most celebrated times through most of mankind's history and now it's not even noticed. Too lowly and unimportant to be noticed. So sad.
I'd get on my soap box and go off on how the human race is no longer close to the earth and how it's made us loose touch with our humanity, but it would sound a little too tree hugging/hippy child for my taste. Which I'm not. But really, it just might add a little bit of balance to our fast paced consumer society if we all slowed down, and took a deep breath of the approaching autumn air.

*photo courtesy of wikimedia.org, and yes, there will be more posts of Adelei. Just had to vent, I feel so much better.

'Tis the Season

2009-09-02T12:16:00.001-07:00

It's fun to show off your garden produce. I'm so dang proud.

It's salsa season. Are you excited? You should be.

Because with salsa you can make things like this:

Yes, please.

Erin's Nach-yos, Mine.

Ingredients:

Chips (as many as you want)
1 Jalapeno
slow cooker Mexican chicken*
1-2 cups cheddar cheese
salsa
(optional) sour cream & gauc
whatever other toppings make your boat float

Layer first four ingredients, broil on low for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Add remaining toppings. As Don suggested, this would be good with pinto/kidney/refried beans as well. But I just happened to grab whatever was on hand.

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 (6 oz.) can diced green chilies
1/2 cup salsa
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 (14 oz.) can pinto beans (I didn't have this on hand, thus the reason my nachos didn't have beans)

Combine all except pinto beans in crock-pot on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks put back into crock-pot with pinto beans. Cook for another 1/2 hour on high.

Salsa

Ingredients:

3-4 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 peppers (jalapeno, bell, habanero, whatever you like), diced
3-5 tomatillos, diced
3-4 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 chopped onion
1-2 tsp. tumeric
1-3 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients to taste. I like to try in with a corn chip to make sure it's just right. Chill in fridge, or inhale immediately.

Enjoy.

We did.

2 Months

2009-07-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

My little vanilla bean turned two months on Monday, the 27th. We had a check-up in Logan. Adelei has almost gained 4 lbs., and grown 2 inches. She is now 11 lbs. 13 oz., and is 23 inches tall. She is in the 75th percentile for heigth and 77th percentile for weight. And she's loosing her newborn look. She gets prettier every day. Where has the time gone?

The Sweetened Condensed Version of Our LIves

2009-07-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

I hate to view my blog as an on-line journal. And you've probably noticed, I'm not very good at keeping all y'all up to date on the things that are going on in our lives. But some major things have happened that need to go on this blog, so let me give you an update of the things that have happened in the past two and a half months. It's been busy.

For starters, we moved to Bountiful and bought a house. I don't have a picture of our house yet. And I'm too lazy to go take one right now. Sorry. But it's a cute little starter home about 2 minutes away from where Don works. It has wonderful popcorn ceilings and retro wall paper. Both of which are coming down!

A week after moving into the house we got a dog. Her name is Lady, and she's part boxer, part lab. Which apparently is called a Boxador. I like Loxer better. She loves to play fetch with her bright pink ball.

About a week after that Adelei was born. This is actually her at 3 weeks. My little vanilla bean. She makes me happy. Yesterday she rolled from her stomach to back, and peed on my pants through her diaper. She also smiles and coos everyday now. Sometimes, if she's really happy, she'll squeal.

A month after that Ashley, my little sis, was married on June 22nd, to Cody Robert Webb.

And since then we've had a series of family reunions (one on the fourth, the other was with Don's family last weekend).
This is our first candid family photo. Adelei's fussing, and I'm not looking at the camera. Here's to keeping it real.

Oh, and I also chopped a foot off my hair. Do I miss it? Surprisingly, not really. It's easier to take care of, I actually do it more, and it doesn't get tangled in Addie's little hands. Short hair is kind-of liberating. I've also had a career change from Civil Engineer to stay at home mommy.

Okay, now that you're all up to date, now I get to do the fun part. Here are some pictures I've taken over the last little while that make me happy, and a video at the end with my darling nieces and nephew taken on the fourth that I just have to share.

So, my life is pretty sweet right now. Especially with Adelei in it.

Meet Adelei

2009-07-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

I am completely and totally in love with my baby. When Don and I left the hospital, I grinned, and glancing back exclaimed, "Honey, we got the cutest one!!"
My beautiful Adelei was 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 20 in. long. She was born at 1:22 pm on May 27th with chubby checks and huge eyes. She is the most beautiful thing in the whole world. And Don is just as in love with her as I am. When she was born, she had to briefly stay in the NICU due to the long length of the labor (18 hours, and all natural, I might add...and you wonder why it's taken me so long to post).
The night after she was born I woke up at around 3 am to find my husband had completely vanished. I couldn't imagine where he had gone, did he catch a late night movie?? I called to find that he was in the NICU, holding and feeding our baby girl. And that's how it's been ever since. Don was the first to discover that Adelei has a dimple in her chin. The first to have her fall asleep on his chest. He loves being a daddy.
And so, here's our little Adelei. Finally. We've all waited a long time to meet her.