Dear Participants,

The handmade-by-me-for-you projects are 99% done. Unfortunately, I procrastinated too long and will not mail them out by 2009. (They are related to Christmas so I might just wait until Dec. 2010 now!)

Sincerely,

Girl who knows better than to take on 101 projects at a time. (I get it from my mother.)

Just when I thought I had all the gadgets...

...santa brought me one of these for Christmas.

Yup, it prints pages up to 13 X 19 so my excuse for procrastinating diving in to the world of digi-scrapbooking is null and void. I am very excited!

Better Late than Never

I don't know if it's just me, but I've had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I think my "bah-humbug"-ness started back in October when I heard on the news about some people who went on a bank robbing spree just so they could pay for Christmas. Add that to the ever-growing politically correct term of replacing Christmas with Holiday (i.e. "Holiday Tree") and stupid commercials and ads that seem to be shouting at us to buy this [insert ridiculously extravagant item] for your loved ones to show them you really care. I could go on about how commercial Christmastime has become, but I'm sure you are all fully aware yourselves. I have also felt incredibly rushed when it comes to my favorite Christmas traditions, trying to squeeze it all in there.

Last week after taking li'l Bean to a Christmas party and feeling like I failed miserably when she wasn't cooperating, I think I just sort of gave up, figuring this Christmas was going to be a bust. Ironically I finished my Christmas shopping that very afternoon so I had "accomplished what I needed to." As far as feeling that wonderful feeling I figured I would try again next year. Then as I was driving home from the last of my stops, this beautiful song from my Christmas music collection came on. Sure, I had heard it several times before, but as I truly listened to the words, I looked in the mirror and saw my little girl softly falling asleep. I think everything just sort of hit me right then and tears started rolling down my cheeks. I felt so grateful for my family and all of my blessings (and felt slightly awkward as I was still driving, and prayed that other drivers wouldn't notice this weird girl bawling in her car...thank goodness I was almost home!) I was once again reminded how amazing this day is when the whole world can come together and celebrate the birth of our Savior. This is what Christmas is really about.

We wish you all a very, Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Love, Emily, S, Bean, Mally and Billy

I am sure all of us have found ourselves clicking aimlessly through blogs on our bored days. I am lucky every once in awhile to come across a blog that has me looking at life a little differently. Such as this one. (Admitted: I have heard of this woman's story before on the news, etc. but just happened across her blog today for the first time.)

Hers is just one of the few blogs that I've stumbled across that leave me in, well, awe for lack of a better word. I can never imagine having to ever go through anything so difficult in my life, yet if I did I am not so sure that I would handle it so gracefully. I am grateful in a way that these people choose to share their stories with the rest of the world because I know it personally helps me pause and reflect on my own blessings.

One week on, one week off

First of all, I have to wonder what in the heck I am doing up so late at night blogging when I know very well I should be in bed by now...I guess that's what I get for just taking a "few minutes" (i.e. an hour and a half) to finish a crossword puzzle I was working on.

I made it through my first week of work! I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It was nice to have a distraction for awhile and it gave S the chance to really bond with his little Bean-o. I feel so blessed.

I left my camera at my parents house on Thanksgiving and am so mad because I didn't get a picture of Bean's rockin' getup for the big BYU/Utah game tonight. So basically I am going to have to recreate the moment and take pictures later to put up here. She looked really cute and here's the shocker...she was mostly in red! (Don't worry too much, though, I added my special little touch to the outfit.) And might I add a "whoot" for the cougs! Soo relieved that they won.

Does anyone remember this post from a year ago? First off, hard to believe it has already been a year since that happened. Well, we got our Christmas tree yesterday. From a Christmas tree lot half a block from our home. We were in and out in under 15 minutes with the most beautiful tree and nothing tragic happened. Although, I have to admit I half expected something to happen like us getting into a car accident in our driveway. I believe in irony, remember? The tree was $79 but I (yes I) talked the dude into giving it to us for $65. Hmmm, maybe I should look into further developing my negotiation skills...Anyway, I'll get pictures of it up here also (once I get my camera back.)

I also want to mention that I haven't forgotten about this. I don't know what I was thinking agreeing to this the same year I decided to venture into motherhood because I knew it would come down to December and I am still trying to figure out what to do! But I haven't given up yet! I still have 32 days to come up with something.

A lot has happened in between this post and the last.

I am one year older (28 baby!) and hopefully one year wiser. S surprised me with a day to the spa for my birthday. Holy cow! Anyone ever done the spa thing before? I hadn't. It was a-mazing. And I get to look at my Chapel of Love (a.k.a. pink) toes to remind me of the wonderful day in the upcoming cold weeks...hopefully the fact that they will securely remain in closed-toed shoes will help them last all the longer. And naturally I got some more fun scrapbook goodies: the Crop-A-Dile Big Bite (no more ugly eyelet settings) and a Xyron 9" creative station (laminator, adhesive, magnet maker). I told S that I think I have just about every scrapbook gadget there is now. Now just finding the time to put them to use...

S is def-i-nite-ly (I should say 99% definite just so I don't jinx myself) going to medic school this upcoming January. Wahoo! He totally deserves it. Hopefully Bean will continue to be a good kid so he can get some studying done while momma is at work. He's going to do so well, I'm excited for him!

Speaking of Bean, she turned 12 weeks last week and is, I consider, officially out of the newborn phase. Kinda sad, kinda fun. She is so cuuuute!

Speaking of work (and 12 weeks) my maternity leave is officially up and I start back to the job-scene this week. My coworkers are more excited about it than I am. I keep having emotions ranging from, This sucks, I don't want to leave Bean for a full day, to, It will be nice to not have to take spit-up alert every two minutes! Really, I have the best of both worlds (I guess you could say I'm like Hannah Montana...) because I get to take a break and I still have a full week with her every other week. Plus I know her daddy is really looking forward to having his Bean days!!

Oh, and we went and got our family pictures taken. You can preview them here.

Camping and Room Service

S, Bean, and I decided to take our first camping trip as a family to St. George this past week. I love seeing the production Thriller and I love seeing it even more at the Tuacahn, so we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it. We loaded up our trailer and Bean and headed out on Monday morning.

Bean and trailer in tow.

Bean did great with the drive down. We only stopped once in Beaver to feed her and get lunch ourselves and arrived in St. George late afternoon. We stayed at this beautiful state park in Snow Canyon which is just a few minutes away from the theater. The show was that night and Bean did great. S told her to get used to hearing "Thriller" because it is one of my favorite songs. You should see my killer "Thriller" moves too. (Just don't ask S to demonstrate because it ends up looking more like a zombie version of the hula dance.)

We didn't sleep at all that night because we were so concerned with Bean being warm enough. We kept the heater on and had her bundled up (and it didn't get that cold the first night.) Still, I think Bean slept better than we did. When the storm front came through the next morning it got bitter cold and windy (the same front dumped snow back home) and S paced for awhile trying to figure out what to do. Finally he said we had better pack up and go. I only got a few pictures before we left.

Snow Canyon State Park

Bean's room in the trailer.

I figured that we would just head home but S wondered if we should just find a hotel room somewhere. I was totally game. I didn't want to go home to icky snow. We found the Marriott suites in St. George, asked if they'd mind us parking the trailer in their parking lot for the next few days, and literally set up camp in our hotel room. We brought in all of our food and everything. Bean experienced first hand the reason mommy and daddy love Marriotts so much: the bed (anyone who has slept in one of these knows exactly what I'm talking about.) Since we had a kitchen and all of our food with us, S went ahead and barbecued for us the next few nights (no, we did not barbecue in our kitchen, there was a grill poolside.) Another few perks of camping in a hotel? The room service and free breakfast!

Bean taking a very comfortable nap on a very comfortable bed.

We drove into Zion National Park the next morning. It was such a fun day! We took Bean on a few hikes (and I mean HIKES! Bean did great though!) and had lunch while some French tourists tried to take pictures of our license plates (true story.) The fall colors were amazing next to the red rocks and blue skies. We left that evening and I told S that it was one of the funnest times I've had there.

Bean sure loves her papa!
S carried her on the hikes in the SleepyWrap.

The Lower Emerald Pools. I have a million pictures
so it was hard to narrow it down to one but this give
you an idea of what the park looks like in the fall.

The next morning we headed home from what I considered the best mini-vacation I've been on. Bean did better traveling than we did I think! In fact, she literally slept the entire ride home so we made really good time. I told S I was nervous for this trip initially because it would set the precedent for future vacation plans. I think Bean will do just fine.

Baby Language part 2

It's hard to believe that it has been 6 weeks since I wrote about my frustrations with newly acquired parenthood. With what I'm sure were a lot of prayers being said in my behalf, some calm reflection on my part, and a LOT of patience, things actually seemed to start turning for the better within a few weeks. I let Bean just kind of set her pace, resigned myself to let her do so (there's the patient part) and sure enough, we fell into a sort of rhythm which resulted in peaceful days and I found myself LOVING being a mommy!! It's funny how much has changed since then...

~ I Consider myself lucky! Bean has been sleeping through the night (we are talking 9 hours minimum) for the last 3 weeks. That alone has changed so much. I did not realize what a powerful thing sleep deprivation is. Now I go in to her nursery in the morning and can't wait to see that smile on her face when she sees me for the first time that day. And on top of that, she has consistently been taking long naps in the morning so that I can get things done around the house.

~ S has really found a rhythm with her too. He is so great with her. I love watching him play with and read to her. She pretty much has as both wrapped pretty tightly around her little fingers.

~ I find myself doing things for her with no hesitation. For example, I forced myself out of bed yesterday in the wee morning hours to go stand in an insanely long line until noon just so that I could get an H1N1 vaccine. I didn't care if I got sick with the virus but solely did it so that she wouldn't get it from me. Sure it was a long wait and a pretty cold morning, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

~ Things I thought made me happy before Bean arrived seem so trivial now. I am finding that true joy comes from being with your family. The toothless-grins and coos from a baby learning to find her voice don't hurt either. She is such a cute baby! :)

I am certain that challenges will keep arising but if there is anything I have learned it's that parenthood is all about progress, not end-results. Oh, and in case you missed it, I've learned that I really LOVE being a mommy. I highly recommend it!

Ahh, fall...

This week has been the first week of fall in my opinion. With the weather and calendar changing, it truly feels like fall has arrived. Its arrival has also brought the arrival of this


and these



and of course this guy


I plan on cozying up as much as possible today while the rain pours outside. Summer rocks, but seriously, who doesn't like days like today?

~

I can't believe this little kiddo is already 6 weeks old.


While the first few weeks dragged by, the last few weeks have gone too quickly. I find myself more than halfway through my maternity leave and wishing time would slow down just a little bit.

~

It has now been a year since I started this blog. I am not sure who even reads it but I have to say it has been so much fun. While I'm sure there are people who do read it and know several details about me and my life, it is sort of fun to share my thoughts and opinions (and happy and sad events) with a sense of anonymity. I love going back and reading older posts, too. It has been a great year. So happy blogiversary to me! Can't wait to see what the next year brings!

1-2-3, Winner!

With all of the commotion preparing for and following the arrival of this little tyke,

I completely forgot to blog about one of the most exciting things that happened to me this summer!

My mom takes every scrapbooking/card-making magazine under the sun and she is nice enough to share them with me (in reality I think I have them all over at my house so instead of borrowing it's more like stealing.) In one of her particular magazines I noticed a contest where they were asking for short essays on how scrapbooking has brought your family together. The winner would win an electronic die-cutting machine valued at over $450. I was intrigued so I decided to get on their website to see what sorts of stories had been entered.

I wasn't planning on entering but when I started reading all of these depressing sob stories I decided that it wouldn't hurt to enter something myself. So I submitted the following:

"I am possibly one of the few wives in America whose husbands help them scrapbook. I consider myself color-challenged when it comes to creating my scrapbook layouts (a huge handicap for this sort of hobby!!) so I asked my hubby once what color combination would work best for a particular page I was working on. His response surprised me! He actually seemed quite interested in what I was doing and wanted to give me genuine advice! Since then I have gone to him for aide on several projects that I have worked on. He has surprised me with most of my scrapbook work area and even some supplies. Just the other night we pulled out my scrapbook supplies and created an adorable piece of wall art for our new baby arriving later this summer. If you had ever asked me if scrapbooking would be an element of my life that would bring my husband and I closer together, I probably would have laughed! But looking back, that is exactly what has happened!"

(By the way, here's a portion of the wall art to which I was referring:)


I entered on, like, the last day they were accepting submissions. Not thinking much of it, you can imagine my surprise when I opened my email a few days later only to find that I had a message saying that I had WON!! I was at work when I read it so naturally I was all bubbly and excited. I couldn't wait to tell S! He didn't believe me at first and wondered what the catch was. A week later he was a little surprised (I think, even though I had convinced him this was legit) to see this arrive:

He read all of the instructions and loaded all of the software on the computer for me. Now, I haven't blogged about it up until now so naturally I haven't found a chance to play with it yet. As Bean's naps get longer and more predictable, though, I think I will find the time shortly. As best as I can tell it is compatible with our computer which means that I can design my own die-cuts and custom wall art (along with dozens of premade designs that came with the software) and this baby cuts it out for me. Eat your heart out Cricut!

I kept telling people that I never win anything, let alone anything this nice. Part of the contest was that the story would be published in an upcoming publication. Bonus! I had sort of made a quiet goal to get myself published in one of these magazines in the next few years. I had meant a scrapbook layout, but figured this counted too! Now for the ironic/unfortunate part. With the down economy the company had to stop publication last month. So it will not appear in any magazine. However, it is published on the website (which they are maintaining) so I figure it still sort of counts :)

Baby Language

To say that these last 3 weeks have been a challenge would be an understatement. I try to maintain a relatively upbeat attitude in these posts (face it, reading a downer post isn't exactly the funnest thing) but I am not ashamed to say that I had absolutely no idea what being a mother entailed. I've questioned at times whether or not this was the right decision and also questioned my abilities to be able to meet all of the demands of a child. I think there was sort of a honeymoon period where everything was exciting and new and when that period started to wear off, I was faced with a newborn who was, in her best effort, trying to tell me what she needed and I, in my best effort, was trying to understand (she has reflux so feeding and burping her has been a huge challenge.) I had a pretty dark day earlier this week where every instance left me frustrated and in tears the majority of the day. S had gone back to work and I felt that my life would now consist of being held in complete isolation trying to do my best to care for this new baby but feeling like I was coming up short. I finally called my mom (I felt bad doing so because they were 2 days into a vacation!) I thought later how poetic it was that here I am, almost 30 years of age and in that moment I still needed my "mommy." I wasn't sure how much I would get out of the conversation because they were in an area with poor cell phone coverage and I was barely getting two to three words out in between sobs but somehow she managed to understand what I was saying and told me that this is hard and that what I was feeling was "normal" and that things really do get better. She also gave me real world advice, like carrying Bean around in the Sleepy Wrap so that I could actually get some housework done!! The best advice she gave me, though, was just to hold Bean and rub her back and talk to her honestly. Tell her this is really hard but that I am doing my best and that I still love her soo much. I think that in doing this, I was able to connect with Bean on a level that I hadn't been able to up to that point.

So in the days following the dark day I have managed to get out of the house and build up some sort of routine, although primitive. I managed to get almost all of my laundry done (S asked why laundry was so important to me and I think I figured out that it is the feeling of control that it gives me, rather than just having clean clothes to wear.) I've hung out with my friends which is a great distraction and have made plans to keep me motivated. I'm not saying that things are completely better overnight. I am still mostly overwhelmed all of the time and still have moments of feeling completely cut off from the outside world, but I am coping which is all I can really do for now. As long as it gets a little bit better everyday, I tell myself that I've gotten through harder things and that I can do this.

S will argue with this, I'm sure, but he has been so instrumental in me managing new mommy-hood. Just knowing that I have a partner in this who feels very much like I do is comforting. I love him so much! If anything these last 3 weeks have made me feel closer to him than ever. We looked at each other a few nights ago and honestly agreed that "this sucks" which is a feeling that I think neither of us had imagined we would feel. In some strange way, saying that and having him agree was such a relief because I didn't feel like such a bad parent. And truthfully there are times when I look at Bean and just don't like her very much!! But the larger truth is that we love her more than anything and I think that right there is why parents are willing to go through these challenges and bring children into the world. She is a beautiful baby and at the end of the day, we are really, really lucky to have her in our lives. And I'm sure as the weeks go on, my posts will become more optimistic as I achieve victories in parenthood!

A short note...

...Dear stay-at-home moms.

I apologize for questioning whether or not you work. I had no idea.

Sincerely,

New mom going on 3 weeks.

Hello world...

I would like to introduce baby H, aka Bean.


We are now about 2 weeks into our new little adventure, and a crazy, fulfilling, emotional two weeks it's been! She arrived without any complication (to her or her mommy) and was met with so many open arms to give her hugs and kisses. I am amazed at how popular this little kiddo already is!

The hospital stay (which I opted to extend to the maximum length) was sort of a blur with visitors and nurses and doctors. Not to mention I was on some pretty heavy pain medication and received multiple infusions to tame some underlying medical problems which have a tendency to flare up postpartum. We got home a week ago Sunday and, well, to say I was overwhelmed was a little bit of an understatement! Luckily I have been blessed to have S home the last few weeks and he has stepped in and done so much so that I could have time to heal and acclimate to mommyhood. I'm feeling pretty amazing for it only being a few weeks!

Now to Bean. She is the darn cutest baby I think I have ever seen (and although I might be a little biased, I have had several others agree with me!) Minus a few feeding problems, she has a really happy disposition and has already slept several hours through a few nights. (Although S is getting up with her at night so I can get a full night's sleep, so he'd have to tell you how she really is at night. Poor guy.) As I hold her and rock her I am filled with the most overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I have heard so many mothers say the same thing--that having children changes your life. It's true and I can say I finally "get it" now. Besides my marriage, she is the best thing that has ever happened to me!

One more thing...

I hope this doesn't come across as mean or ungrateful because I LOVE receiving comments (in fact, keep 'em comin!) I've turned on comment moderation though, just in case those who know baby girl's name accidentally mention it in a comment. I've been pretty lax about S (he's a big boy and can fend for himself) but will probably be more rigid when it comes to her. So if you forget, it doesn't mean I don't love or appreciate the comment, I'm just keepin control of what I can since this is technically a public blog. I always have the other blog up and running too, and will hopefully have more to publish now that she will be here (as always let me know if you want to read so I can add you to the list.) Thanks to you all and happy reading!

So we're having a baby this week.

I went to my doctor's appointment last Thursday only to learn that baby girl is now breech. It must have happened in the past few weeks, too, because everything was looking right on track before Thursday. I told S that she must have inherited his sense of direction :) Anyway, upon learning that she's breech and that there is little chance that my doc can turn her safely at this point we scheduled a c-section.

I think I was mostly shocked at first. I had my appointment right in the middle of my shift at work and when I came down to tell my coworkers the news I started to cry (embarrassing.) I'm okay now though and am actually getting really excited. Having a scheduled c-section is a planner's dream! I arranged for today to be my last day of work so I have a few days to get ready. S and I are going on one final date the night before and I am planning on waking up the next morning and relaxing to the max before I have to go to the hospital that afternoon.

I'm also really happy because (a) I know that S will be there (been nervous since he's a firefighter that he wouldn't be around when I go into labor) and (b) my doctor will be the one to deliver her. He and I share such a similar philosophy when it comes to pregnancy that I really wanted him to be the one to deliver her and I know that isn't always the case. I'm not too heartbroken about not having a "natural" birth (is it really natural when I am planning on taking any and every kind of drug they are willing to offer me?!)

It has occured to me a couple of times that I've basically spent the last 9 months getting my body "delivery-ready" for nothing. I have heard so many times (and probably mentioned such) that the better shape you are in, the easier the delivery. I still faithfully plugged in Denise Austin's Fit-and-Firm Pregnancy Friday morning and as I was going through the routine, I thought, what's the point now?! Oh well, hopefully it will mean a faster recovery? I also found myself wondering why I was still reading the Labor and Delivery chapter in What to Expect... Knowing she's coming via c-section has definately changed things!

About the only thing that has been a problem to deal with is the fact that it is surgery and I will be awake. I still get flutters of panic if I think about it too much because I don't know how I will handle it. I'm trying to be as optimistic as possible, though, and remind myself that I have a great doc and S will be right there with me the whole time. And at the end of it I get to see our baby girl!! I am SO excited about that part! (I came home last night and found a pack of little bows that S had picked up at Target--on his own. I think he's excited too :) )

So I suppose the next post I publish will be post baby (unless she completely turns back on her own and they opt to let nature take it's course...I have to admit I think I'd be a little disappointed at that point. I feel so psyched up for this now, let's get it done!) I don't know when that post will be but I'm sure it will include lots of cute pictures! And hopefully an account of how smoothly the day went. Let's hope!

We're getting down to the wire!

As the end of this pregnancy is now only a few weeks away, I have sort of been overcome with a sense of nostalgia in thinking back over the last nine months. Of course there have been things that I will not miss (I've never had heartburn before in my life. Now I am one of Tums biggest customers.) but overall things have gone really well. I've been giving thought the past few days to the things that I think I will miss the most about being pregnant.


~S's conversations with my belly. It is so sweet to hear him prep her for the real-world stuff (i.e. Disneyland) or read her books. I have no doubt that these conversations will continue once she is born, but I won't be privy to them anymore.

~A is for Anticipation. I was one of those kids who would actually have preferred to have Christmas come later because it was the anticipation of Christmas that was so exciting. It's the same way with this baby girl. I can't wait for her to get here but am also relishing all of this excitement that's building up. Sometimes I find myself just running my hands along the adorable clothes she's accumulated in the last few months. I can't bring myself to wash them yet.

~I don't feel guilty at all for getting out of bed past 9 on my days off. I turn the alarm off and let the sun (or the need to go to the bathroom) decide for me when I'll get up. I also don't feel guilty at all for paying someone paint my toes for me (maybe a luxury to some but a necessity when you can't reach your own feet.)


~The parties! I've determined that baby showers are much more fun than wedding showers. I don't remember anyone "ooo"ing and "ahh"ing over towels and salt-shakers. Thanks to those of you who went to such lengths to host these showers. I'm pretty sure the majority of stuff we have for baby came from these parties and put S and I in a really good place as far as final preparations go.


~Being part of the preggo club. It seems like there are so many babies being born right now. I may have mentioned before that another one of my coworkers was pregnant the entire time I was. It was so much fun to compare notes and milestones. She had her baby last week and I have to admit I feel a little on my own now!


~Never being entirely alone. Not that I am one of those people who has to constantly be surrounded by people, but it has been really nice to always sort of have a companion with me, especially when S is at work. While I don't adore the direct jabs into my ribs, I love feeling her move, especially in response to something I do (like trying to move her out of my ribs.) I also just barely realized the other night that the weird twinges I was having in my lower abdomen the last several weeks were actually hiccups. I'd heard it was possible to feel them and didn't know it was hiccups I'd been feeling. It made me smile and wish I had realized this sooner. My SIL told me at one of my showers how much she missed just knowing here baby was there with her. It's probably the most nostalgic thing I've felt recently.

Now this might all seem sad and sappy and let it be known that I am excited to meet our little girl. In a way I think it is probably good to feel this way towards the end of a pregnancy because it has helped me cope with these last weeks a little better. We'll see if I feel the same way if she goes past her due date :)

So you know that neat present I got last Christmas?

My new sewing machine has been sitting pretty much where I put it at the end of 2008. I told S that I felt bad that he had bought me such a nice gift and that I hadn't really used it yet. He said he knew how overwhelmed I've been the last 7 months and that he considered it more of a long-term investment.

Well, I finally decided to put this long-term investment to work a few weeks ago when I was working on a paper craft project (to those of you who don't make cards or scrapbook, sewing on paper is totally legal and actually kinda fun.) The end results were successful enough that I think I got over my fear of using my new toy and decided to pull out a pattern and get to work.

(Sidenote: anyone who has been reading my blog for awhile knows that I made a quilt for S last Christmas, so I'm not a total beginner but (a) I was using my mom's sewing machine at the time and, naturally, my mom was there if I got into a bind and (b) cutting out squares and sewing them together ain't exactly rocket science.)

I decided to not start with anything too difficult. I need a tote bag. Voila, found perfect pattern in my mom's stash (she has a million patterns she's collected through the years and was nice enough to loan me one) and headed off to JoAnn's to get some material. Talk about a kid in a candy store, I had no idea there was so much cute stuff out there!! I also realized why my mom has so many yards of unused fabric laying around. It's too much fun just buying the stuff! Here's what I ended up with.

And then I found this material that I knew I would regret if I didn't get it. I'm planning on making a jumper for baby girl. (We'll get through the tote bag first, of course.)
And then I realized they have all of this COOL organizing stuff for sewers too!

Don't laugh, I realize that an entire thread box is overkill for 3 spools of thread but they just look so cute in there.
I can't wait to fill it up with pretty colors. And don't get me started on the bobbin box.

Of course, I needed something to store all of the pins in.Pretty and practical.

So I pulled out my fabric and pattern and realized I had nothing to cut it with or on. Needless to say I ended up back at the craft store and scored a cutting mat (just like the one my mom has used for years and years) and some pink sewing scissors. Now I'm ready. I think. I'll keep you posted on the progress...or lack thereof.

Despite my recent patriotic post...

...I have to admit I was throwing myself a bit of a pity party for having to work on the 4th of July again! That's five years in a row! I guess once I resigned myself to it, though, I decided I would make the most of it. Luckily my coworkers were game.

I got to work about 2 hours early that morning so that we could take shifts and watch the parade. Growing up in this city has definately made this the hometown parade. I even marched in it a few times when I was in dance class as a kid. Trust me, it's definately funner to watch it! Anyway, we missed most of the cool stuff but a parade is a parade, right?

Then on our way back into work, we ran into some local firefighters who were still totally enthused about having just been in the parade. They gave us the rest of the beads they had thrown out. I decided it was a perfect photo-op so we grabbed the other two coworkers and got a group picture. I love these girls!*note to self* If I am working next 4th of July I am totally buying some patriotic scrubs!

For lunch we had a great little barbecue (we know how to party it up in my department.) I brought the traditional Suddenly Salad. Hey, it's convenient and it tastes great. I even added red peppers.

And of course, what is a 4th of July without fireworks?! Naturally, we had to walk a ways to find a safe place to light our sparklers but once we did, we (okay, I) turned into kids again. (I remember how cool I thought it was that I could write my name in the sky.) Not exactly the same effect lighting them in the middle of the day, but it was still fun! Since someone had to capture the event, I am represented in this photo by my hand and half-burnt sparkler.

So there you have my humble little 4th of July celebration. And you know what? It was actually a really fun day!! S had to work too so I opted to go straight home after my shift (13 hours is a long day!) and listen to the celebration continue outside while I watched So You Think You Can Dance.

Let Freedom Ring!

I don't know what it is about the fourth of July that I love so much! Maybe it's the epitome of the season...being the only major holiday we celebrate during the summer. I love the parades and the crowds of red white and blue that line the streets to watch them. I love the early morning breakfasts and cannons going off first thing in the morning (they still do this in the town where our cabin is.) I love that all of the lays potato chips go on sale immediately before the holiday, signaling that a barbecue isn't too far away. And I love laying on the grass, watching the fireworks overhead. (That is one of my first, favorite memories with S, the summer after we graduated from high school.)

I've never had to serve in a war (or had anyone close to me do so.) I've never lived anywhere but America. I think freedom is something that we tend to take for granted and only realize what a blessing it is when it is threatened (think Sept. 11.) It's amazing to me how much S and I have been blessed with. We have a home. Two stable jobs. A little daughter on the way. We don't have to worry when our next meal will be. Although these situations do arise in our country, for the most part, it is a privilege to be able to live in a nation where these things can be afforded to us. It's nice to be able to have a holiday when we can recognize that.

So there's my sappy Independance Day schpeel. I hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July!

~

There is one additional thing that is most-definately blog-worthy...

S got into Medic School!!!! Not only that, but he placed first on his written test and interview! Talk about blessings; he has had so many doors open for him (thanks in great part to the tremendous amount of work he's put into it.) Saying I'm proud of him would be, simply put, an understatement.

I loves me a Dr. Pepper...

Apologies if you've already heard this one.

When I found out I was pregnant last December, I decided that I would give up caffeinated beverages altogether. It wasn't a big deal because I limit myself to one carbonated drink a week which is usually always Dr. Pepper. Sometime mid-January I realized that knowing that I was not "allowed" to have my DP for the week somehow made me crave it more. I doubt that I was addicted to caffeine prior to being pregnant (come on, one a week is hardly excessive) but I all of a sudden really really wanted to be! (PS: Non-caffeinated DP is just not the same.) As I would meet my parents for our weekly lunch, I would look wistfully at the DP and resign myself to getting rootbeer instead.

While we were on our trip to Lake Powell a few months ago, I started getting these terrrrible headaches. I've never had headaches before (thank goodness) and these were nearly debilitating. All I wanted to do was sleep. After the 8th day of misery I decided to call my doctor's office (yes it took me 8 days to decide to get help.) His nurse told me to take Excedrin and that if that didn't work, they would prescribe something stronger for me. I've never even taken aspirin before. I kinda always assumed that aspirin during pregnancy was a no-no, but she didn't seem too concerned so I went ahead and took it. It worked BRILLIANTLY! After a few days of Excedrin and some good quality of sleep, I felt back to my old self.

As you know, Excedrin consists of three main ingredients: acetaminophen, aspirin, and CAFFEINE! (You should have seen me the first morning after I took it. I was bouncing off the walls and jabbering away a mile-a minute.) I went to see my doctor for my regular appointment a week later. After reassuring me that the risks of me taking Excedrin were minimal, I said, "Here's the deal. I've been reeaaally good about not having any caffeine at all during this pregnancy. It doesn't seem that you are that concerned that I just loaded myself up on a bunch. Would it kill me to have, like, one Dr. Pepper a week?" He started to laugh and said that they usually recommend laying off the caffeine at the beginning of a pregnancy if the person has major caffeine-addiction problems, but that it is really harmless at this point and that if it makes me happy to go ahead and do it. After all, as he put it, anything that makes me happy at this stage of pregnancy should be indulged in.

So there you have it. For the last month and a half, I have gone faithfully to the DP once a week and enjoyed every sip. S usually knows when this will be happening and will call and ask how the DP is that day.

I say, "Wonderful."

Does anyone else have this problem?

My cat, Billy, is addicted to water. Whether it is a rainstorm, shower, me refilling his water, whatever. He is absolutely intrigued by water. The rainstorm thing is funny because he will just stand in it, like, maybe I should go inside, but he doesn't. The shower thing is unnerving. If I forget to shut the bathroom door, I suddenly see ruffling on the outside of the curtain and feel like I'm being watched. The water dish is frustrating. Usually after I clean out the water fountain (yes, our cats a fountain) and fill it with fresh water, it's a matter of minutes before water is spilled on the mat and the culprit's paws are wet. I don't get it. I thought cats were supposed to be afraid of water. We came home from our trip not to long ago to find Billy's head wet. I figured it was their water dish again, until I went in our bathroom and realized that the water faucet was dripping. And there was black cat hair in the sink. Hmm, best I can tell he actually figured out how to turn the water on himself! Weird...

I have interesting cats for sure. Mally is starting to really get on my nerves. She is so NEEDY all of the time! At the first sign that I'm awake, she is in my face purring, demanding her morning rubdown. It is something that she has always done, but has suddenly become very annoying. Which concerns me (some of you may already see where I'm going with this.) A cat that is self-sufficient in most ways (minus the obvious) is getting on my nerves. Am I going to be able to handle a baby?! I would like to think that I'm a very nurturing person. I like having people depend on me, but I also like to be independent and free to do my own thing. I haven't had those "maternal instincts" kick in yet. S has been nesting to a certain extent (finishing up projects around the house, furnishing and decorating areas of our home that we haven't gotten to.) Other than crafting a few onesies, I haven't felt the urge as much as I thought I would. The novelty of being pregnant is starting to wear off, although I found that buying cute clothes that actually fit me is helping. I miss parts of my pre-pregnancy routine. I'm anxious for this to all be said and done, but at the same time anxious as to whether or not I will be a good mom and hoping that I can do this! I try to remind myself that if having children weren't such a wonderful thing that the human race would have ceased to exist long ago. I also try to remind myself that I must have maternal instincts somewhere in there and that eventually, they will make themselves known. In the meantime I'm just trying to be patient and not kick Mally off of the bed.

When you give a moose a muffin...or a cupcake...

I guess this secret is too good to not share (and when you read the recipe, you'll realize it's no secret at all)! Here is the recipe for those cupcakes. Enjoy!

Marriage is all about compromise.

I have wanted S to get firefighter license plates for our cars since he was hired on over a year ago. He has been very hesitant and with his good reasoning, I said that it was okay if he didn't want to get them. Then a few weeks ago, he got a hold of some car decals for professional firefighters. I chose one out that matched my car well (everything is matchy-match when it comes to our cars...right down to the car seat we bought for baby girl) and S put it on. I must say it is quite nice! Not too flashy and not something someone would recognize until they got up close.

By the way, S got a cool black and orange one for his truck and he also picked out a pink and white one for baby girl's stroller...or her pink Power Wheels.

~

I think I have finally broken free of my crafting hiatus. It has been such a good week to do so, also! It's the first full week I've had off for some time where I had absolutely no plans, so I decided to go to work.

First, I had picked up some newborn onesies and iron-on decals a few weeks ago. I had some anxiety when it came time to affixing them because I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and I didn't want to make any mistakes. So I finally picked up a onesie and a cute rubber ducky applique and thought here goes nothing! And it worked....miserably! Apparently I hadn't read the directions thoroughly when it came to the part where it says "dry iron." The ducky melted away and I was left with a onesie with a giant burn mark. It got me a little over my perfectionist attitude though (as I was going to have to go back to the store and buy one to replace the one I'd ruined) and I decided to just see what happened with the others. S tried his hand at the first (he's much more patient than I am) and gave me some pointers. The rest actually turned out okay, I think!


Next was tackling a scrapbook album that I started last year. Each page was a border that I had hung underneath my dry erase calendar and on the opposite page I typed up the month's most memorable events. It was a good idea and I kept up on it, until last December when the final pages were done. Then they all just sat around unbound, lacking any desire to be put together into an album. While S was on the computer the other night I came in to do something that should have taken me 30 seconds and suddenly ended up finishing the album! The whole thing took me about 10 minutes to finish (if you don't count the 5 months prior to that!)


Finally, when S was at his station last fall, I would send him to work with treats and such. It's a great way to satisfy my love of baking without consuming everything I make. I found this recipe for creme-filled cupcakes that intrigued me, so yesterday I whipped up a batch. They were fairly easy, the most time consuming part being the baking and cooling. Not to toot my own horn too loudly, but I think they rival their Hostess counterparts.

After I dropped them off at the station that evening, S said he was in his room studying and he heard his engineer exclaim, How did she get the cream inside?! It's a secret...

Good News Minute:

A few things we've had to smile about lately!

• S just learned that they posted a date for the test to get into medic school. He was also personally reminded from the Chief of that date, so I think that's a good sign that, hoping he does well on the test, he will get in. I told him that I'd help him study as much as I could (hey, I ended up learning a lot from that anatomy class he took!)
• We had our first "stay-cation" outing this week: a trip to the Bees game. Yeah, they lost miserably but the food and company was great. I love baseball.
• S took charge and replaced the front yard sprinkler system installed by our homebuilders. It was honestly a piece of crap. Luckily S knows a thing or two about sprinkling systems so I am confident that the plants we put in this year will actually have a shot at making it. He also is working on putting in some sort of sprinkler in the back so that I won't have to go out and hand water every day (yahoo!) Which leads me to a story that is honestly so funny that I will risk public humiliation to share it. I came home from work the other night and S told me to go out back and see what he had been working on. He turns the valve and a sprinkler head pops up to which I reply, "Oh, Cool!" Not even two seconds later I said, "Hey, it's raining!" At this point S says I had confused look on my face as I looked up at the clear sky and tried to put two and two together [in my defense it was dark and I was standing on the other side of our yard]. This confusion quickly turned into embarrassment as I "got it." S just started to laugh like crazy as I went back inside to finish my yogurt. Still laughing, he came back in and said something like, "You are so cute." I told him as soon as I finished my snack I would be going upstairs to look at my diploma. S started chanting, I am smart, I am smart...over and over again. At this point I started getting the giggles which turned into a laugh-so-hard-I-cried-fest. Geez, I really wish I was making this stories up.
• We watched Seven Pounds which is honestly the stupidest movie I have ever seen. The good part of this is that I got so bored that I started poking little girl fetus and she started kicking back so that S could really feel her this time. Minus the rib jabs (and the fact that I swear she actually likes to sleep in my rib cage), I'm having a lot of fun with her moving! Oh, and apparently she likes Jolly Ranchers and Madagascar 2.
• I got released from my calling as a sunbeams teacher. I would say this didn't qualify as good news, but I was getting so burned out. The nice thing is that I wasn't called to be anything immediately after I was released (which is a first, I think...usually it's from one calling to the next.) Between being pregnant, trying to deal with a bunch of bored 4 year olds and trying to make up the time I missed coming in late to work (which has meant 11+ hour work days), I didn't realize how much of a burden it had become. If I wasn't before, I definately now am a firm believer that Heavenly Father really does know what we can/can't handle!
• At the exact moment we needed to get new tires for my car, we found rebates from not only the tire manufacturer but the dealership as well. And they aren't cheap-o tires either. We will essentially be getting one tire for free!

There's no place like home...

At least, that's how I feel after driving nearly 3000 miles in 2 weeks!

We decided that we would try to get a couple of vacations in before baby comes and the end of April seemed like the perfect time to do it, so off we went! We headed up the California/Oregon Coast for the first trip. Scott had never been there and it had been I awhile since I had, so we were both really excited to go. We traversed the arid desert, Sierra Nevadas and central California for 1000 or so miles until we finally made it to the coast.

I love the climate of the Pacific Northwest! Everything is so green and the rainy/misty weather doesn't bother me at all! We spent the next two days going through the Redwoods. (I have to be honest. I was pretty sick of trees by the time we got up into Oregon.)

The rainy weather we had on day two disappeared and it was actually really sunny for the duration of the trip. We camped in some great spots, my favorite probably being underneath the redwood trees. To give you an idea of how tall those trees are and how much light they shut out to the ground below, S and I slept in until 10:30 thinking it was only about 7:00.

On our fourth night we found a great place to stay that was right on a secluded beach. As soon as we had camp set up, we took our camp chairs and barbecue grill down to the beach, had lunch and played in the sand for awhile. The water was too cold to enjoy, but that didn't detract S from throwing on his swimsuit anyway. I accidentally found out that the shorts I had brought for the trip no longer fit me but, luckily, I could fit into the hubby's.

Day 5 we woke up and realized that we still had a lot of distance to cover in 3 days so we thought it would probably be best if we cut into central Oregon and headed up to Portland. I've never been to Portland nor the Columbia River Gorge so I was very excited. The river is HUGE, exactly as I had expected it would be. We didn't spend a lot of time in Portland, but I would really like to go back someday. I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was going to the Bonneville Dam and seeing the fish ladders there. Just off of one of the dams there were a group of Sea Lions who were taking advantage of the fish and having themselves an entertaining (and slightly gory) feast.

They also have this fish hatchery with the world's largest Sturgeon--10 feet! For a fish! He was more the size of a dolphin.

Night 5 was accidentally our last night because, as we headed out the next day, we were making good enough time that S decided we might as well drive straight through. I was sad that we actually had more time to spend on the coast than I thought we would and didn't take advantage of it. But I have to admit, my bed felt awfully comfortable that night!

I went back to work for two days and then it was off for vacation two: our (becoming) annual trip down to Powell. I was pretty concerned that I might not be in the best shape for it, but I ended up being okay for the most part. I drank tons of water, stayed in the shade, and tried to take naps whenever possible. All in all I think it was the more relaxing vacation of the two. It's so beautiful down there and, since we didn't have a boat growing up, most of it is still relatively new to me.

I think our lil' girl liked the boat, too. She was very active for most of the trip. It's hard to believe that she'll be with us on our next trip down there! A little tiny part of me missed having the opportunity to get on the wake board, but I had fun playing photographer. S had a lot of time behind the boat this trip.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. They were great trips and we had fun. However, we are both glad to have an excuse to stay home the rest of the summer and take it easy.

In bloom!

We came home to this and I was ECSTATIC!

These are the most promising strawberries I've ever planted. Haha, I planted two bundles of six bare root plants thinking half of them would die. All of them survived! We are going to have a LOT of strawberries!

And my pea plants. I've planted them for the last several years, both here and at my parents, and I've never had that great of success. So when I had TWO plants come up this year, I was thrilled!

It's been 3 years since we finished our backyard and all of our perennials have really taken root. I think this is the lushest it's looked back there in the spring time.
My mom asked me today what else I was going to put in the garden this year and I told her not much! Especially anything due to be harvested around the same time I am!

Are you "green"?

I'm not, not really.

It seems that this week has been all about being green, with earth day and arbor day. I read a post on one of my favorite blogs that I read and I had to laugh because I completely agree with the author. It's not to say that I don't try to do my part with being one of a billion other residents on this planet. I don't litter. I try to recycle when I can (would probably do more if our neighborhood had an active recycling program.) We bought the reusable grocery bags (because you get a refund for using them.) And I'm a fan of gardening. But, unless nothing else is available some day in the future, I will never drive a hybrid. I still enjoy being in the great outdoors, even if it means I am "polluting" it somehow by being there. And I think earth hour is a ridiculous idea. Really? You want me to cut all electricity in my home at the time of night I'm going to need it the most?!

I understand the need to be a little more conscienscious of the decisions that we make on a day to day basis, but it seems like everyone has gone a little overboard with the idea. It almost seems like a fad now. (Does anybody remember the Atkins craze when carbs were the enemy? Have we just decided to move onto the latest craze?) Also, anyone who believes that global warming is a problem needs to come live in Utah for a few months. It's called a cycle. We have years where the earth warms (dinosaurs) and years where the earth cools (ice age.) I'm sorry, I don't remember them teaching in history class that the dinosaurs became extinct because they weren't driving a Prius. It's ridiculous to panic about things that are so out of our control anyway.

I'd rather just enjoy life, thank you.

~

Yesterday I had one of those moments that I've become rather famous for...

I had asked S if he would mind taking over trimming the lawn for me. The engine on the trimmer lies really close to my belly and I've heard super loud noises are not good for the baby. He said it was fine and I said thank you...

E: I just don't want her to be deaf.

S: Huh?

E: Deaf.

S: What?

E: Deaf!

S: Dead?

E: DEAF!! D-E [at this point I realize the smirk on his face...I then "get it" and mutter] oh, shut up!

S: [smiles] I think you need to be more worried about her being gullible!!

Have I told you the story about opening doors with my badge?? Like I said, wish I could blame it on pregnancy...

Isn't it ironic?

One of my favorite songs when I was a tween, I remember that "irony" meant only what Alanis sung about: forks and knives, crashing on your first airplane flight, that sort of stuff.

As an adult it is easy to find irony in almost any situation. A friend (who is also pregnant) was the first to point out some general ironies, including the fact that she hoped for a girl first and I a boy. Yup, she's having the boy and I, of course, am having the girl! Irony can sort of wear you down if you let it. i.e., Why don't things ever go my way? But I think it is more interesting and downright humorous! For example...

I was mowing the lawn the other day and I noticed as I got close to a group of quail that they all ran away. Not that I've never seen quail before but it occurred to me that they have wings! Why don't they just fly?!

The last couple of times that we have gone to make appointments for pedicures, it has snowed. Last week, right after a snowstorm, I walked out of the place with bright pink toes. And I couldn't even wear sandals to show them off to the world! (I did, however, wear sandals to church today and, as I told S, I couldn't stop staring at my feet!!)

Four hours ago I was talking to S and saying how I thought it was interesting that he had been with the fire service for over a year now and he still hadn't gone on any "cool" gory traumas. An hour and a half ago he called me to tell me that I had, in fact, jinxed him; he had just gotten back from his first real gory call. I didn't feel too bad. Firefighters (and apparently half of my coworkers) like that sort of thing.

Possibly the most ironic thing is that I've been complaining about being cooped up inside while the snow keeps coming. Today has been absolutely beautiful! And how have I spent it? Inside watching TV.

So it's true, irony is everywhere you look. Usually after pointing out an irony, I will say something like, "Isn't that ironic?" If the conversation is with S, he then continues to belt out, "It's like Rai-ai-aaiin..."

In case you haven't heard, we are having a...

GIRL!!!

I have told several people that I am concerned that my maternal instincts are so off before this baby is even born! The clues were there, I suppose, but I stubbornly held strict to the assurity that it was a boy. And I was wrong.

Several have asked if I'm okay with this change of events and I say ABSOLUTELY! I've had to adjust my way of thinking/planning a little bit but I am still really excited! Having a girl definately changes things. Pink instead of blue; My Little Pony instead of G.I. Joe; dance classes instead of peewee football (really thrilled about that one!!); sunbonnets instead of baseball caps; fairy parties instead of pirate parties...the list goes on and on. I would say "Barbie's Dream Corvette instead of Firetrucks" but I'm pretty sure she'll have both!

I've already put much thought into the different challenges we'll face raising a daughter first and I have to admit that sometimes I start to panic a little. (It doesn't help when people say things, like, oh, boys are so much easier to raise than girls...) However I try to remember that each stage of life is just that: a stage. And that as she grows, I will grow. That helps me feel better.

I already expected it, but this pregnancy has changed so much for S and I in only a week. I find myself staring at her ultrasound pictures in awe. As I've studied the one of her profile, I can see similarities between her, S, and I already and it is just the most incredible feeling I've had thus far. It has also made me impatient in the sense that I am so anxious to meet her in person and see what kind of cute little personality she develops!

(Cute little baby girl from openclipart.org.)

Guess who's a birthday boy?

S is having the ultimate of ultimate birthdays this week. Likely due to the fact that he is turning his lucky number (a pseudo golden birthday?), not only is it his birthday but it is his first day off of probation with the fire department. And the weather is supposed to be absolutely perfect that day. Oh yeah, and he gets to find out if this baby is a boy or a girl!!! A pretty great day in my opinion :)

So I thought to honor him (and slightly embarrass him), I would dedicate the rest of this post to him by highlighting all of the things that make him so great! (Sort of like, S: This is your Life!, E-Style.)

He is an incredibly hard worker. Not only that, but he is the type of person that will drop anything to help anyone. Just this weekend he spent several hours aerating people's lawns, traveling as far as Tooele, free of charge. Others aren't always as willing to drop what they are doing to help him in return, but that doesn't seem to phase him. He's just the kind of person that goes the extra mile. (Don't worry, the pic below is NOT a result of his aerating skills! This is when he replaced a broken valve at our cabin for my dad.)

He has an incredibly distinguished laugh. Put him in a crowded room with everyone laughing and I will be able to pick him out of the crowd.


He L-O-V-E-S Disneyworld and can't wait to go back!! (Hahaha, aww, come on it's not that bad!)
He has a unique way of pronouncing the words "Pillow," "Milk," and "Cookies." Next time you see him, say something like Hey Scott, don't spill the milk and cookies on your pillow! It will really get him going :)

He has a really good relationship with his parents, which I think is sooo important. They did a great job raising him and I am 100% sure that he will be a great dad himself.

He is Mr. Adventure. One of the few people I know who has no problem getting up at 4 in the morning in the freezing winter if it means he gets to go play in some powder that day.

He is also Mr. Domestic. S has been in more arguments at the fire station over who gets to vacuum than anything else (hence why his coworkers asked me to take a picture of him with this vacuum.) When I was visiting the station once, one of his coworkers asked if he was like this at home. I replied, "Yes, he is." Hey, I can think of worse things.
He has mad wake boarding skills...but he didn't always! It took him, like, 20 tries before he finally got up. But only someone as determined as he is would try 21 times until he got it right. Saying he is a determined person is an understatement!

He is a fisherman. And he doesn't think it's weird at all that I like to tag along (I've been the only girl fishing on a boat full of guys before and he thinks it's great!) He probably gets somewhat annoyed when I keep yelling, Hey, I got another one!!

I love that he likes to be as outdoorsy as I do. I don't know what I would do otherwise.

I actually think it's really fun to be super-fans of rivaling schools. It makes life interesting and gives someone bragging rights for awhile (it's definately been his year...though I was thrilled when the U got out in the first round of the tournament as well!)

Ironically, being a firefighter and all, the boy can sleep through ANYTHING! In fact, as I write this, he is probably zonked out watching another episode of Family Guy. I always let him sleep and he says, "Why didn't you wake me up?!" I stopped trying a looong time ago...

Let's face it: He's a hottie! I call this his calendar pose...

I don't know anyone else who can finish off a banana cream pie by himself. I was daring this year and made one from scratch for his birthday. Yes, that means crust, custard and even the whipped cream. I told him I was really nervous because he is very particular about his banana cream pies! He gave it rave reviews though so I could breathe a sigh of relief. I don't really care for banana cream pie that much so I said he could take whatever was left over to the station to share. He gave me this sheepish look and said, Um, I will if there is any left.

So there you have it. Just a few reasons why I think S is a great guy and deserves to have a great birthday!