4 Kids and Projects 14 Jan 2013 9:52 PM (12 years ago)

So I remember when I was pregnant with Cailin, everyone told me that if I could handle three kids, I could handle any number. And then I had Cailin, and even though there were rough spots, with the RSV, and the chicken pox, and whatever else, it was really a relatively easy adjustment. She was a good (enough) sleeper, and a happy enough baby, and I wasn't super addicted to sewing, so I was able to put my focus on her and my other girls, and then get in a bit of sewing for fun whenever I had extra time. Like I said, I adjusted pretty easily.

When we decided to get pregnant again and have Leo, I had to rely on the words of those who told me that after three it wouldn't be any different. I felt like we were probably crazy to have a fourth kid, but as long as those people were right, I would be just fine.

Well, they were wrong. At least for me. Having four kids has been a huge adjustment. I am NOT saying that I regret it--I don't. Not even a little bit. I love this sweet little boy far more than I realized I ever would (which is just silly, because I already knew how it felt to love a child...). Only saying that it has been difficult for me. The most difficult adjustment since having my first baby, for sure. I realized the other day that the reason it's been so hard is because I was in this place before, where I could sew during the kids' waking hours, and sleeping hours if I wanted, because they pretty much entertained themselves. Sewing gave me a lot of satisfaction. It was something I could do that didn't come undone immediately. And I could still keep somewhat on top of the dishes and the laundry and the cleaning. It wasn't perfect, but it was acceptable to me.

Right now, things are different. Leo is a great night-time sleeper for the most part, but has issues taking decent naps during the day. And I am just busy being the mom and housekeeper and caretaker of all the things. So these days, I don't get a lot of time to sew. My free time is spent doing dishes (my resolution is still going strong! I think I've only missed one day of dishes this year), doing laundry, cleaning up toys and clothes and shoes and food and whatever else everyone in my household feels the need to put all over the floor, and lately, potty training Cailin. I have realized that having four kids means full time mom and housekeeper and etc. It really is full time these days. I won't lie, I don't love it all the time, but I do love the little (and big) people I do it for, and that makes it ok.

The other thing that makes it ok is my "day of rest" when I have an awesome partner at home who is willing to take the baby for a couple hours so I can sew. It's been chilly here lately, but not really puffy-coat weather, so I wanted to make the girls some heavier jackets. Janey's is done now, and the other girls' are on their way to done as well. It was so nice to relax and think about numbers and construction instead of diapers and snacks and the house. Perhaps not so nice this morning when I had to clean up the aftermath, but worth it just the same.

A funny little story about this jacket--Janey wore it to school today, and upon taking it off at her teacher's request, she told her teacher that I had made it. "Your shirt?" the teacher asked? To which Janey responded "No, that was from the store for Christmas." "Oh, your skirt then? Or your leggings?" to which Janey said "No. Well, yes, she made those but a long time ago. No, my jacket my mom made yesterday. She finished it last night." I hadn't realized she was wearing so many things I'd made this morning. It was quite the mismatched outfit, but I'm glad she loves the things I make so much. That also makes it worth it.

Big Day for B 10 Jan 2013 9:23 PM (12 years ago)

So today started out pretty uneventful, got Breanne off to school, hung out with this kid:

Watched some Strawberry Shortcake with these guys:

and eventually got Breanne home from school. After some play, the girls opted for a snack and got themselves some apples. A little back story--last week, I discovered that Breanne's front bottom tooth was loose, and upon further investigation, realized that her permanent tooth was already coming in behind it.

So today, when they started eating their apples, as you can guess, it loosened that baby tooth immensely. It was bothering her enough at dinner tonight that Cory offered to try to pull it for her after dinner. Now, you have to understand, Breanne is terrified of pain. Terrified. I don't know where that came from, but she freaks out when she knows something is going to hurt (think shots at the dr--takes like 6 of us to hold her down to stick a needle in her. The worst!). I knew it was bad when she accepted his offer. And now, after a very few seconds of work, we have...

A girl one tooth down. Love this girl.

Also, I'm proud that I didn't cry. This girl is killing me with all her growing up--I'm supposed to never cry at anything, and yet I find myself tearing up all over the place when she does the next big thing. When did I become that mom?

Meeting the Greats 7 Jan 2013 10:22 PM (12 years ago)

One of the hard parts about living so far away is that not everyone gets to meet Leo. I was so happy we got to spend some time with my grandparents while we were in UT so they could see our sweet little boy.

Leo 2013 6 Jan 2013 9:37 PM (12 years ago)

For a nice little change of pace, I thought I'd interview my kids to start off the year. I found this questionnaire over at The Train to Crazy, and thought it would be fun to hear my kids' answers Tonight I have Leo's interview for your reading pleasure. Any comments I added are in parenthesis. I may or may not have totally made this up, since Leo can't exactly voice his opinions yet, but I'm pretty sure these are the answers he'd give if he could. Enjoy!

Favorite food: Milk

Least favorite food: Anything that isn't milk.

Favorite things to learn about: How to smile, and how to watch my toes.

Favorite color: The color of mom.

Best friend: Mom, and anyone else who protects me from my crazy sisters.

Favorite game to play: See if I can convince mom I'm asleep so she puts me down for a nap so I can wake up... and then smile my biggest smile so Mom forgives me.

Favorite thing to do in my spare time: Be held by Mom.

Favorite book: Anything read by Mom.

Favorite movie/tv show: Psych, because Mom holds me while she watches it.

Favorite holiday: Mother's day.

(he is in LOVE with his toes, and will smile and coo at them for at least 10 minutes at a time (eternity in baby time) several times a day. So cute!)

Things I do well: Eat, sleep (at night, not napping), smile and cry.

Thing I need to practice more: Napping.

Favorite place to go: Mom's arms.

Favorite family activity: Being held by Mom and cooing and smiling at her.

Favorite thing about being home: Mom.

Favorite thing to do outside: Ride in the stroller and look at Mom.

Favorite chore: Eating.

Least favorite chore: Napping in my bed.

Favorite song: Anything Mom sings.

What I want to be when I grow up: I don't want to grow up, life is pretty great right now.

Place I really want to go: Anywhere with Mom.

Something I liked about last year: Getting to eat real food.

Something sad that happened last year: Getting evicted from Mom.

What I like to do when I wake up: Eat.

My favorite part of each day: Eating.

My favorite drink: Milk.

My favorite sport or activity: See my favorite game to play, above

Something new I'd like to learn this year: I've got a pretty sweet gig, but walking and playing seems like they might be worthwhile...

Sorry about the massive picture overload, but I just can't resist this face. Leo is such a sweet little baby. He loves to eat, and would pretty much do it all day if I'd let him, but to his dismay, I don't. He's a great baby though--sleeps a solid 8 hours most nights, eats every 2-3 hours during the day, is smiley and happy and talkative after most every

feeding until he's tired, then a few bounces, a pacifier, and a couple bum pats later, he drops off to sleep. So easy. Except he won't sleep for more than 1/2 hour, most likely, which makes accomplishing much of anything fairly difficult. He's worth it, though. I sure do love this sweet baby boy.

Cailin 2013 5 Jan 2013 10:49 PM (12 years ago)

For a nice little change of pace, I thought I'd interview my kids to start off the year. I found this questionnaire over at The Train to Crazy, and thought it would be fun to hear my kids' answers Tonight I have Cailin's interview for your reading pleasure. Any comments I added are in parenthesis. Enjoy!

Favorite food: Pineapple

Least favorite food: Tomatoes

Favorite things to learn about: Babies

Favorite color: Pink

Best Friend: Leo

Favorite game to play: Boots Dora!

Favorite thing to do in my spare time: Pick a flower

My favorite book: Blues Clues (we don't have a Blues Clues book, as far as I'm aware. :))

Favorite movie/tv show: Boots Dora, Pocahontas and Blues Clues (we're in the middle of a huge Pocahontas phase right now, she'd watch it and the sequel all day if I'd let her).

Favorite Holiday: Easter

Things I do well: Picking up easter eggs (little stuck on the Easter thing for some reason, haha).

Thing I need to practice more: Coloring a butterfly (?? She's actually quite a good little artist, for not even being 3 yet).

Favorite place to go: Grandma's house and Happy Hollow

(She's showing me how to make a bad guy face so she can fight me)

Favorite family activity: Play

(she's a serious ninja!)

Favorite thing about being home: Going to bed with my blankey

Favorite thing to do outside: Swinging at the park

Favorite chore: Picking up toys (ha. ha. ha. Though she may be my most helpful child in this arena, she is not by any means a great pick-er-up-er).

Least favorite chore: (she couldn't think of anything).

Favorite song: ABC's

What I want to be when I grow up: A flower person

Place I really want to go: A restaurant. Chicken nuggets... food!

Something I liked about last year: Playing with Hazel

Something sad about last year: Taking away toys

What I do when I wake up: Get up, then eat breakfast

(this was so weird, but she fell asleep in the shopping cart. Totally rocked herself to sleep. SO funny!)

My favorite part of each day: Eating breakfast (I'd argue it's more likely dessert, but this kid does love to eat).

Favorite drinks: Orange juice, passion fruit juice, no, egg nog! (Can you guess what drink she just discovered? Ha).

My favorite sport or activity: Jumping off the couch (seriously...).

(also weird when she fell asleep on my grandma's coffee table...)

Something new I'd like to do this year: Go to the park (we go every week... I'm not sure she understood the question).

(she probably walks better in my boots than I do...)

Oh Cailin. What can I say about this girl? She's kind of a crazy girl, jumping off furniture, climbing on stuff she shouldn't, and just generally being a wild child... but she's also super sweet, frequently coming up to tell me "My want you, mom," or "My wuv you, mom" and giving me a hug. She knows how to push my buttons, frequently refusing to do what I ask, running away when I tell her to come... but she also knows how to make me laugh, saying funny things, and reacting in hilarious ways. She loves her baby brother, and adores her older sisters, but is not afraid to hold her own when she isn't getting what she wants. She's been my biggest challenge to parent, but as we've grown to understand each other (and I've worked on becoming more patient), I've learned to really, really love being her mom, and I'm so grateful for the chance I have to watch her learn and grow. Now if we could just get her to want to be potty-trained...

(Cory was in the middle of telling me that he didn't understand a single thing going through her head when she plugged her ears, started rocking from side to side, and singing her ABC's. I was going to defend her, but had nothing to say after that).

Janey 2013 4 Jan 2013 10:29 PM (12 years ago)

For a nice little change of pace, I thought I'd interview my kids to start off the year. I found this questionnaire over at The Train to Crazy, and thought it would be fun to hear my kids' answers Tonight I have Janey's interview for your reading pleasure. Any comments I added are in parenthesis. Enjoy!

My favorite food: Treats

Food I don't like: Hamburgers

Favorite things about school: Science and lunch.

(showing us a science experiment she learned at school)

Favorite Colors: Gold and silver

Best friends: the brown haired Sadie, Payton, and the yellow haired Sadie

Favorite game: Sorry and puzzles

Favorite thing to do in my spare time: Play with toys, on screens

Favorite Books: Rapunzel and sleeping beauty.

Favorite Movie: Tangled and Brave

Favorite Holiday: Christmas and Easter and um Halloween. And there is Thanksgiving and New Years (apparently those weren't favorites, but she forgot that we weren't just listing holidays. Funny girl).

Things I'm good at: Coloring pictures

Things I need to practice more: Math and letters and reading.

Favorite place to go: Happy Hollow and Grandma's house and the Children's Museum and Disneyland (we've never actually been, haha).

Favorite family activity: Playing games (I would argue it is planning and carrying out a party, but I wanted to put down her first answers).

Favorite thing to do at home: Doing activities and playing with our family.

Favorite outdoor activity: Play.

Favorite chore: Cleaning the mirrors.

Least favorite chore: Cleaning up.

Favorite song: Call Me Maybe

What I want to be when I grow up: A mom.

Place I really want to go: Disneyland.

Favorite part of last year: Our Oregon and Utah trips.

Saddest part of last year: When you (me) took away our toys.

What I like to do after I get up: Eat breakfast, play on the tv

Favorite part of the day: Eating treats.

Favorite drink: Lemonade and passion fruit juice.

Favorite sport or activity: Dancing.

Something I'd like to learn this year: Reading.

(reading to Leo while I'm making their breakfasts).

Janey has grown up so very much in the last year. She now knows all her letters and most of their sounds, and her numbers up to 20 (plus some past that, but those ones she has solid for sure). She is a lefty, which is frustrating when she plays Kinect and does other activities meant for right handed people, but she's getting used to it. She loves to draw (each girl has a notebook for church, and hers is completely filled, while the other girls still have a bunch of pages left), and she LOVES to plan a party. She would plan parties every day if she could... and in fact, she does most days. I regularly receive invitations telling me to bring "speshul treets"(her words, Breanne's spelling) to the "show" or "dans" that they're planning for that evening. The event is often forgotten before it occurs, but the notes I receive are often among the highlights of my days. Another thing about Janey is her lack of middle-ground. She is either quiet and mild, or on high energy, with The Voice. You can hear The Voice from anywhere in the house. The Voice is used for all energetic emotions: happiness and anger, frustration and sadness. The Voice is super shrill, and makes me absolutely crazy. We're working on toning it down, and working through our problems with a Normal Voice. :) Despite The Voice and how it grates on me, I really do love Janey. She is a sweet, sweet girl with a gentle heart, and she desperately wants to make those around her happy. And she's only punched Breanne in the nose one time. That counts for something, right?

Breanne 2013 3 Jan 2013 11:02 PM (12 years ago)

For a nice little change of pace, I thought I'd interview my kids to start off the year. I found this questionnaire over at The Train to Crazy, and thought it would be fun to hear my kids' answers Tonight I have Breanne's interview for your reading pleasure. Any comments I added are in parenthesis. Enjoy!

My favorite food: Corndogs
Food I don't like: Chicken nuggets, hamburgers, cheeseburgers (she's convinced she hates cheese, but only when she realizes it's there, haha).
Favorite things to learn about: Math (she's really good at math, and is also a very good reader. So proud).
Favorite color: All the colors (first time I've ever heard her say anything other than red. She's growing up! *sniff*).
Best friends: Sophie, Riya, Lexie and Sasha
Favorite game: Kinectimals and... that's pretty much it.
Favorite thing to do in my spare time: Play Kinectimals. (sensing a theme here yet? It's a game on the xbox 360, in case you were wondering).
Favorite books: Nancy Drew and Junie B Jones and Magic School Bus and Magic Treehouse.
Favorite tv show: Power Rangers Mystic force. (ugh!)
Favorite holiday: Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and that's pretty much it.
Things I'm good at: Reading and math, kind of cartwheels, sort of.
Things I need to practice more: Cartwheels
Favorite place to go: Grandma's house, and friends' houses and the park.

Favorite family activities: Playing games together.
Favorite thing to do at home: Watching movies and playing Xbox games
Favorite outdoor activity: Climb in trees, practice riding my bike, monkey bars. (Seriously, she has some major calluses from the monkey bars and tree climbing--she loves them).

Favorite chore: Cleaning the mirrors, and I also like doing dishes.
Least favorite chore: Cleaning up.
Favorite song: Trouble is a Friend (seriously... should I be worried?), Blood Brothers (really a cool music video, follow the link).
What I want to be when I grow up: I don't really know yet.
Place I really want to go: Disneyland.
Favorite things that happened last year: Getting presents and Easter.
Sad thing that happened last year: Bella (our friend's dog) died.
What I like to do after I get up: Play Kinectimals on the tv (she and I both think she's addicted to the game...).
Favorite part of each day: Eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, and screen time.

Favorite drink: Passion fruit juice, orange soda, ginger ale, sprite, and diet ginger ale (Cory bought it to try it, we both hated it, but the girls liked it as much as the regular ginger ale).
Favorite sport or activity: Gymnastics (hopefully this year will allow for some classes).
Something I'd like to learn this year: Science (she's so envious of Janey's friday afternoon science experiments in school).

While Breanne and I have had our differences over the last year, she really is such a good, good girl. I'm re-realizing lately that she is, despite how much I've grown to expect of her, only 6. That is not very old, and not as capable of organizing as I'd like, even though she's very capable of doing lots of things I don't think to ask her to help with. I don't know why she and I were butting heads so much, honestly, but as I've made more of an effort to remember that she's only 6 and she's trying her hardest to please me, it's been easier for me to see just what a sweet girl she is, and to just enjoy her company.

2012 Projects 2 Jan 2013 10:44 PM (12 years ago)

So even though I wasn't blogging much last year, I was still busy creating stuff behind the scenes. I thought I'd throw together a little collage of all my projects that I took pictures of (there were quite a few more that I never took pics of, but these are most of my favorites anyway) so you could see them, and I'd have them somewhat documented. :)

So in order of the photos, those projects are:

Christmas dresses

a shirt for me that didn't work out so well

my pin cushion

Cailin's jacket (a top 5 favorite)

a tie onesie and a carseat cover for a friend

rice krispie hershey kisses for V-day

V-day skirts for the girls

Cailin's quilt

Easter dresses

a shirt for me (actually made 2 in this style, I liked it so much)

Easter dresses again (whoops)

a skirt for me

pj pants for Breanne

Belle dress for Janey

new swimsuit for Breanne

a dress for me

capris for Janey (another top 5 favorite)

a dress for Cailin (also in my top 5)

a maternity swimsuit for me (one of the most difficult things I've ever taken on, since I created the pattern all myself too... women's clothes are hard!)

new backpack for Breanne (another top 5 favorite, but mostly just because of the details and the bright fabric)

Janey's skirt

another skirt for Janey's first day of school

Leo's mobile

100 boxes with bereavement diapers and blankets (I had a lot of help with these, I was just in charge of the project for our humanitarian aid group at church)

Leo's quilt

Leo himself (my favorite thing I made all year!)

Breanne's batgirl costume

super soft pillows for the girls for Christmas

and Leo's pants for a wedding/his blessing

Whew! That's a lot of stuff, but only a portion of what I actually wanted to make. I don't think I ever imagined as a youth that I would become such an avid sew-er--I remember actually telling my mom that there was no way sewing costumes would ever be cost-effective on one of Breanne's early Halloweens. I'm so glad that I discovered my love for it, though. It's become a great creative outlet, and has done a lot more for me than just save me money (it probably hasn't done that, actually, haha). I am so glad that I've found something that brings me joy that I can succeed in when so many days are exhausting and leave me feeling like I'm failing. So there you have it. 2012, despite my exhaustion during most of it, was a successful sewing year. I so hope 2013 will be the same.

2013 1 Jan 2013 10:40 PM (12 years ago)

Well, my blogging for 2012 was pretty spotty, huh? Sorry about that. Life's been pretty crazy and busy, but good. I'd like to tell you more about it, and I will, but it'll (probably) happen in the next few days. Tonight I just want to talk about what I'm hoping for for this year.

2013.

I'm not one for big resolutions, but this year, I came up with one. My one and only solid goal for this year is to have my sink clean at some point every day. Every day. I don't know why it's taken me 4 kids to get to this realization, but I need to do the dishes every single day. That's it. Aim high, right? I'd love to commit to more, but I just don't have it in me right now. Life is too un-plan-able, and busy, and exhausting.

I do have a theme word for this year as well though, to go along with that goal. That word is simply MORE. More doing the dishes, more playing with my kids, more blogging, more sewing, more exercising. Just more effort at really living my life.

And that's it. 2012 was a surprisingly great year for us. I'm hoping that 2013 will just be a little bit MORE. I hope it is for all of you, too. I'll be back soon, I promise this time.

And because I can't leave you without a picture, here is our first semi-decent family picture with all 6 (!!) of us. Enjoy!

Thankful 24 Nov 2012 10:36 PM (12 years ago)

Leo 20 Nov 2012 12:26 PM (12 years ago)

Our sweet baby boy is here!

And, well, has been for a month and a day now, but hey... better late than never, right?

Our little Leo Michael was born on October 19th at 3:11 pm, and weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs 12 oz, and was 20.5 inches long. A healthy and hearty (and long!) baby boy. The last month has been one of adjustment, mostly for the girls and myself, but we're surviving just fine. So far, the thing I've noticed the most about having four kids is just the increase in the level of noise... though that may have more to do with Cory having gotten Rock Band the week before the baby was born... ha.

My delivery was mostly uneventful--I chose to be induced a week early (something I never thought I'd do), for two reasons. One--to get my (strep B) antibiotics in (takes a bit of time, so being induced meant I could plan better for that and get the full dose in), and Two--purely for convenience--I knew my mom would be in town by then, and I could plan on her having my girls and taking care of them. I was so stressed about this delivery--what if I went into labor in the middle of the night, during school, while Cory was at work, etc. It was so reassuring to know that I was just going to go to the hospital at a planned time on a planned day, and would have a baby.

Last pregnant photo--I look so ready to have a baby, don't you think?

So at 7:30 on the 19th, Cory and I drove to the hospital to have a baby. They got me all hooked up to the monitors (I was already contracting at that point, but honestly, I had been for weeks, so that was nothing new), and started my antibiotics around 9. They started the pitocin shortly thereafter to get things moving. At 10:30 the doctor broke my water, and I got the epidural sometime around 11. I was still somewhere around a 4, but I knew by this time around that once I got past that 4, I'd go quickly. Around 1:00, I started to feel some pain in my right hip with every contraction. I rolled over to that side (sometimes that helps the epidural meds to kind of drain to that side), but it didn't help. The pain continued to get worse, and I felt more and more sensation over the next hour, and around 2:00 I started to progress, and went from the 4 to complete in about 45 minutes. At this point, though, I was in a LOT of pain. I had complete feeling through my right side, and since I'd had a lot of pitocin at this point, the contractions were pretty fierce (I hear they're worse with pitocin than naturally, but I wouldn't know, since I've always had pitocin with my deliveries). The anesthesiologist had given me a pain pump thing that I could push, and the nurse suggested I do that, so I did, I think 3 times in the last half hour, in an attempt to get my right side more numbed, but it didn't work, either (it did, however, succeed in numbing my left knee for the next 12 hours, so frustrating!). I think this was the point where I realized I was going to feel a LOT more of this delivery than I had meant to--I always wonder after I deliver if I could go without pain meds--and now I know--I could, but I don't ever want to do that again. :) The doctor came in around 3:00, and was SO wonderful about encouraging me--I know that Cory and the nurse had been talking me through contractions, but something about the way the doctor was able to talk to me and tell me that I was doing great, and guiding me through it all, was so comforting. And so, during one contraction, with three smallerish pushes, Leo was born. I have never been so grateful to have labor end--there was no crying this time about how I wasn't ready to have another child (I've done that each time when it was time to push)--I just needed it to be over. I sincerely admire women who do this all without meds, but I don't ever want to be one of them again. And that was with only half-feeling. :)

Thankfully, that scrunchy little face made it all worth it. Around half an hour later (after I was done being stitched up and everything was all cleaned up), my mom showed up with the girls. It was perfect timing, really--after all the mess, after I'd thrown up once, but before I threw up again... dang pain meds on an empty stomach! Anyway, seeing the girls with their new baby brother was so great--

Doesn't Breanne look so grown up here?

Hearing Janey say "Hey! Hey! Weo! Weo!" every time he cries is one of my favorite things.

And this little girl was SO PROUD to be a big sister. So sweet. And.. ahem.. helpful. Ha.

After everyone went home, Leo and I had a lot of quiet time to spend together. I decided that's one of the perks to living away from family--the hospital stay was mostly calm and relaxing, with very few visitors, so we could sleep a lot. So nice, though a bit lonely.

A few more pics from the hospital stay--

Warming back up after his first bath--

Finally eyes open--look at that hair!--

Trying to figure out this new place in the middle of the night--

And back to the sleepy boy--

So while this delivery may have been my most difficult (not as long, or as much pushing as Breanne, but much more painful during the actual delivery), turns out, once again, it was totally worth it. We love our little Leo.

August 22 Sep 2012 11:00 PM (12 years ago)

All right! Next up, August.

We started out August in Utah. You can tell this is Utah because the top melted right off of that white crayon... you can see it stuck to the side of Cailin's cup holder. Waaaay too hot. But somehow, still a great trip.

While in Utah, I bought boy fabric. You'll see what I did with it when I get the nursery finished. :)

On the way home, we decided to go the Yosemite route for a change of pace. I then realized that Nevada is kind of plain the whole way through, no matter which way you take. Somehow, it's still pretty though.

Yosemite itself was worth the extra drive, at least once.

Sun through the clouds. So pretty.

And there were hundreds of these windmills--so picturesque at sunset.

Back in CA, Janey finished up her summer dance class, and had her recital.

Tiny dancer. Also my first ever sock bun. So sweet.

Little dancers are so funny.

Ballet...

And tap. Yep, that's Call Me Maybe. Song of our summer, pretty much. I love watching this age of kids dance. The distraction level is hilarious.

Our friend had a fairy party. I love their concentration here.

Everyone loves a bounce house. Yay for neighborhood meet and greets!

Can you tell who didn't feel good this day? She fell asleep 3 times in the first hour she was up. I was not at all surprised when she threw up a little bit later. Poor girl. :(

Thankfully, she was back to her old self the next day. Love this fairy.

Last park day before B started first grade!

Breanne's big accomplishment of the summer--she finally figured out how to pump on the swings. She is so proud, I love it.

Finishing up school shopping with some yummy ice cream.

Cailin also loves ice cream.

And the final hoorah of summer... hanging out at our favorite kiddie park. Waiting in line here, almost impatiently.

Who says this is only a double stroller?

Love their happy faces... this is by far their favorite ride.

This one likes this ride best.

See?

Breanne could spend all day here petting and feeding the farm animals. Janey's not quite as sold.

Jailbirds.

Back at home, I also grew my belly a lot.

Cailin wishes she was a monkey. Her exact words were "these is mine monkey bars, Mama!"

All ready for first grade! And I didn't even cry... but I'm pretty sure it's because Cory dropped her off. If I don't have to watch her walk away, it's not so bad.

These two watched until she was out of sight. Such sweet sisters.

The biggest difference between 2 and 4 is the ability to dress yourself. In coordinating clothes.

In other news, my belly did this. A lot.

Cailin loves watching Dora on the iPad. Or, you know, my phone, the tv, or wherever else she can find it.

Our friends brought their convertible to the park one day. Don't these girls look like they just belong here? For the record, there's a reason kids shouldn't drive until they're at least 16.

Awesome playgroup at the fire station. They warned us at the beginning that they might have to leave if they got a call, and sure enough, they did. It was just the right amount of time, though. So fun, and the girls understand a little bit more about what to do if there's ever a fire. So glad we went.

And on the last day of August, we went to a bbq at our friend's house... where all the little ones were girls. There was actually even one more that's not in the picture. Anyway, I love that they all went and sat themselves down together like this.

August was another great month, full of driving and shopping and getting ready for school to start, and playing in the meantime. Oh yeah, and baby growing. A good, but very exhausting, month.

July! 21 Sep 2012 9:13 PM (12 years ago)

In July...

we had some old friends from Provo come visit us. We took a trip to the beach, and had a great time playing in the sand, once the girls decided it wasn't the worst thing ever to walk in it... :)

I still have this same pedicure... someone should come paint my toenails before this baby comes.

Just hanging out on the beach.

Cailin dressed herself to go play outside, and then asked me to take her picture by the fence (this is where I do most of my project photography, so she thinks it's important to take pics there).

We had a 24-week ultrasound to make sure my placenta had moved up... it had, and we're good. Cute baby, huh!?

I love these two, and I love photo booth. Everyone with kids needs to teach their kids how to use it, and then just let them do it. :)

The girls did a little Wii yoga together.

I found this makeshift phone charger...

Breanne left me a few gems on my computer, this is one of my favorites. Most are funny, this one kind of melted my heart.

And a little bit of Cailin talking about how excited she was to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Utah.

What to Say? 20 Sep 2012 10:57 PM (12 years ago)

So the problem with not blogging for three months is that I have no idea where to begin again. So... rather than try to figure out where to begin, I'm just going to dump a whole bunch of photos on you with minimal explanation. So without further ado, I present you with the end of May, and all of June!

Proof that I occasionally do my girls' hair. (Also, they love it when I make them homemade McDonald's... ha.

Helping Dad make cinnamon rolls...

Cailin wanted to be just like Breanne and do the puzzle on the back of the cereal box.

Pretty pretty girl.

Dancing sisters.

Beauty.

See the admiration in their faces? She can BLOW UP A BALLOON BY HERSELF!

Cailin was not a fan of the merry-go-round at the beginning of the summer.

She did, however, love the super chocolately brownie. So did I, not gonna lie.

Cailin started drawing our family! Prodigy!

Cailin and I also got to spend some quality time together when Cory took the two older girls on a father-daughter campout (didn't take Cailin because none of us have ever been camping together... gotta start slow). Yay for chocolate pancakes!

Post-swim nap... with backpack, sans clothes.

Swim lessons!

Princess Janey 5 Jun 2012 1:50 PM (12 years ago)

A few months ago, Janey was invited to a princess birthday party. All of our princess-y dress-ups have been torn to shreds, so we decided to make her a new princess dress. One fabric shopping trip and a couple hours later, we came up with this:

(in case you're not a regular around here, Janey is the beauty on the right)

I used a stretchy, slightly shiny fabric (no idea what it was, it kind of reminds me of a sports jersey or something though in weight), and I combined different elements of these two tutorials to make it. We put a pettiskirt (and a couple other skirts, haha) underneath it to give it some fullness, and she was set and ready to party with her friends. :) She ended up dressing as the same princess as the birthday girl (so cute!), and as the guest of honor--a real live (possibly drunk or high) Princess Belle. So awesome. :)

PJ's for Breanne 25 May 2012 6:18 PM (12 years ago)

Breanne has been growing like a weed lately, and has outgrown nearly all of her pajamas. I searched for pj's at the store back around her birthday, but seriously, there were no cute/remotely modest pajamas available. So, the first things I made with all that new yard sale fabric were some new pj pants for her long legs.

(Yay for blurry iPhone pics... sorry!)

Each pair has contrasting fabric for the cuffs, and 2/3 have contrasting waistbands as well. The cuffs fold up for some extra length, but the waistbands are just for the cuteness factor. :)

Comfy enough for karate moves (she really, really, really wishes we'd sign her up for martial arts... dang Power Rangers!)

And various kinds of jumping:

Close up of the fabrics--waistbands:

And all three together:

These were a really quick and easy project--I just used the same pants pattern I used for her Christmas pajamas, but added a couple inches with the cuffs. I had some issues figuring out how to sew the cuffs on pretty (they're actually all different, but I never found a method I loved... maybe next time?), but they all came out well enough for children's wear, I think. And since they're just quilting cotton, they're perfect for our somewhat cool evenings here.

Also, did you know that Breanne can crack eggs perfectly? Yeah, me either, until the other day when I finally let her do it on her own. I guess I should have more faith in her growing abilities...

(insert bittersweet sigh here.)

Skirt Week 2012 24 May 2012 3:32 PM (12 years ago)

So a few weeks ago, I went to see my mom graduate from college. I decided at the last minute that I needed a new skirt for the occasion. :) Fortunately, I had a fabric I was in love with that was just waiting to be used. It's a piece from the Lisette line for JoAnn's, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to go into my cart. I love it.

It's really quite a simple skirt, based off the tutorial here. I didn't follow it exactly, but the general idea is the same. The skirt is gathered in the front and the back (with elastic in the waistband) but not on the sides. The idea is to not add any extra pouf to your width, which I thought seemed like a great idea. Also, since there is so much gathering in the waist, it will easily fit me comfortably for my entire pregnancy.

I decided to submit the skirt into Crafterhours' Skirt Week this year--I've wanted to enter before, but just didn't get up the nerve/didn't have a project I loved enough to enter. This year, I figure--why not? I love the skirt, maybe someone else will appreciate it too.

So... I love it--what do you think?

It's A.... 23 May 2012 10:25 PM (12 years ago)

So sorry to keep you all in suspense, I wanted to get the perfect profile picture off the video of our ultrasound the Dr. gave us, but I haven't been able to do that. So, without further ado, or pictures... this baby is officially a happy, healthy, very active baby...

BOY!!!

I know, right? I still can't believe it myself. Who knew we could ever make a boy? I know I was beginning to doubt. :) Even though I've had a few days to process the information, I still have constant moments of realization--yesterday I said something to Cory about his Son liking weird foods (I swear all my cravings are for foods Cory doesn't care for, haha), and that word, Son, was just so weird coming off my tongue. The good kind of weird, though. We couldn't be more excited. Bring on the blue and boy names. We need all the help there we can get. :)

Easter Dress Tutorial 17 May 2012 11:05 PM (12 years ago)

So as if the ultrasound being this afternoon wasn't enough excitement for one day, I am also SO excited to tell you all that I finally finished my tutorial for the girls' Easter dresses.

They were actually made for a guest post I'm doing over on Craftiness is Not Optional. You may have noticed the Vintage May button on my sidebar--I was so, SO excited and flattered when Jess asked me to be part of her series this spring. Jess makes the most beautiful little girl clothing--I've been follower of her blog for a long time now, and I was so excited when I met her through a mutual friend of ours. She lives a couple towns away, but we've become friends through playgroups and craft nights, and just talking (blog and sewing) shop. It's been so great to have another real-life bloggy/sewing friend. :) Anyway, after she asked me if I wanted to make something, I couldn't wait to get started on my project, and it ended up becoming the girls' Easter dresses as well (good thing, because energy is in short supply in my body these days). Also, Breanne wore hers to Vintage/Retro Day at school.

I believe that would be 3 birds, one (well, ok, 3, because I had to make one for each girl) stone(s). :)

So, if you're interested in seeing how the girls' Easter dresses were made, feel free to head over to Craftiness is Not Optional today, and check it out.

Baby Poll!! 17 May 2012 11:34 AM (12 years ago)

Hey all, it's that time again! Can you believe that tomorrow is the big day for the ultrasound? I know, me either! So, I've set up a poll on the sidebar--feel free to cast your vote about what you think this baby will be!

Here are some facts about this pregnancy to help you make an informed choice (ha, like there really is such a thing...) :

--My "morning"sickness has been in the evenings, mostly, very similar to Cailin's pregnancy.
--I do not love chocolate, or peanut butter, unless they're put together.
--I did not like bread, avocado, tomatoes or eggs for the first trimester.
--I threw up every time I drank OJ in the first trimester.
--Even though I didn't like whole/chopped tomatoes, I loved salsa, and pizza sauce. Just fyi, in past pregnancies, pizza sauce made me throw up.
--The baby's heartbeat is consistently around 170 (really fast!).
--I started feeling a LOT better after 14 weeks, but I still need my unison and b6 or I start puking again the next day.
--I started feeling the baby move two weeks ago, and the baby is already kicking pretty hard, and moving around a ton (I'm 16.5 weeks now).
--The Chinese Gender Chart suggests this baby should be a boy... and it's been right with all my girls so far. However, it also said Cory should've been a girl, so...

There you go. I think those are all the hints I have. Let me know what you think, and after my appointment tomorrow at 2:00, I'll let you all know who was right. I can't wait!!

Happy Birthday Cory! 16 May 2012 10:44 PM (12 years ago)

I love this man.

Here he is helping me create a chore chart for our girls (so far, so good!)

And here he is playing with the kids (but actually making them do math, sneaky!)

And here, you should note his hand. We were headed to a party, in costume. I love that he does silly stuff with me on occasion.

Here, he's attempting to teach Breanne to ride a bike without training wheels... she still hasn't figured it out, but not for Cory's lack of trying.

When I felt crappy and tired, he was willing to walk down to the water's edge with the girls to make sure they stayed safe.

And most of all, he continues to love me, even when I'm at my craziest. I'm so, so lucky.

Happy Birthday, Cory.

And Then There Was This 15 May 2012 7:00 AM (12 years ago)

That's all.

16 Weeks 14 May 2012 5:32 PM (12 years ago)

Alternate titles to the post: A New Shirt I Made (that makes me look kinda fat), or My Mirrors Are All This Dirty. You can decide which you prefer. 16 weeks was shortest.

Today 12 May 2012 9:34 PM (12 years ago)

Today was a beautiful day.

We spent a good 4 hours at the "duck park," where Cory's work held a company picnic.

No one told us that it wouldn't actually start for 2 hours after the "start time," so we had plenty of time to throw rocks at the water, watch the ducks and geese and a few squirrels (we didn't bring any bread, thankfully, since there were signs everywhere telling us not to feed the ducks, as it ruins their migration patterns?), and play some really lousy badminton.

Then when the party really got started, we got to eat yummy Indian food, and watch the kids play some crazy Indian games (did I mention we were literally the only non-Indian people there?).

We won some baseball caps.

Guess who still loves hats?

Janey was great at the drop the handkerchief game (basically duck, duck, goose but involving a handkerchief...?). Cailin saw them playing, and informed me that she wanted to play duck, duck, goose--it looked enough like the same game, I guess.

We all had a great time, and came home plenty dirty and tired. When I took this last picture, all I could think was that all my ducks were in a row. Sort of.

Thanks, TCS, for the great day at the park.

Score! 10 May 2012 9:28 PM (12 years ago)

While I was out in Utah, I got to spend a bunch of time with my mom. It was pretty great, not gonna lie. My favorite parts included pedicures, and just the chatting while we drove and shopped. Gotta admit, though, a close runner up was yardsaling (my mom calls it yardsailing. I kind of like that, too). She has these crazy friends that we go with (I actually really like them, and mostly don't think they're crazy, ha), and it's just really fun to go spend carefree time buying cheap stuff.

I thought I'd scored when I got a couple maternity skirts for a dollar, and a few tops and a pair of shorts (that fit today! Hooray!). But then. Oh then. We stumbled upon the mother load. :) A yardsale where the entire garage was full of tables with piles and piles (all neatly folded, mind you) of brand new fabric. It was beautiful. All fat quarters, half yards, and yard cuts, and all in pristine condition. I might have thought it was heaven. haha. Anyway, they were selling it for $8.00/lb (probably not a great price), but I walked through and gathered up all the fabric I liked anyway, in hopes that they would negotiate.

And they did. The guy who weighed my fabric held it up off the scale, so instead of being the 12 lbs it was, it was only 6. And then when I only had enough money for 5 pounds, he quickly shouted "sold!" and tossed in the two vhs's I was picking up for the girls (Tarzan and Aristocats, movies we didn't have, but I like enough to own in vhs until they come out of the vault) for free. So yes, I still spent $40 at a yard sale, but after I added up all the fabric, it was around 30 yards... for brand new, brand name fabric (mostly Moda and a little Riley Blake, in case you care). I am so excited! Can you tell? A whole post about one yardsale purchase. Ha. I did promise the lady who was selling it that I would make beautiful things with it (she was NOT impressed with the man bargaining with me... haha), so you can definitely expect to see some of this in the near future. :)

I'm Thinking... View RSS