Taylor, Lara, Caden + Brynn

OUR NEW BLOG

2011-08-19T20:09:00.001-07:00

We have moved to:

taylorandlara.blogspot.com

This new blog has been in the works for quite some time now...

I have been wanting a fresh start and a new blog address. I just needed some time to finish it up! I am loving the new layout and design and I'm very happy with how it has turned out. I have transferred everything from this blog over to our new one. So forget all about tlcvanleeuwen! I won't be posting on this blog anymore, so make sure to change our blog address from wherever you follow!

See you there!

Flower Baby

2011-07-26T02:36:00.000-07:00

I had to write this down. Some things are just a little too funny to forget.

Over the years I have come to really truly love my grandmother. As a child I remember helping her in the kitchen and working in the yard. She taught me so many good life skills. I also remember being scolded. Forced to drink all the milk off my cereal, or eat every last bite off my plate. It didn't matter that I didn't like spaghetti squash, watermelon rind juice, cottage cheese beat smoothies.. etc. I had to eat it. There was always a little bit of resentment in my younger days.. can you blame me? ;) She has become so funny to me over the last several years. Her way of life is so much from the past. The things she says and does seriously make me want to laugh out loud. I have so many stories I could tell.

Her and my Grandpa were headed down to Orem about 2 weeks ago and decided to stop by so they could see Brynnley. Caden immediately grabbed my Grandpas hand and forced him to play all sorts of games. My grandma sat on the couch and chatted with me while she held the baby. She used to be an OB nurse, so her love for babies runs deep. She just ooed and awed over little Brynn.. I wonder where my mom gets her baby talk from.....? She didn't like that I had painted her toe nails black, haha. She just told me yesterday at Caden's birthday party that the peach color I had on her toes was much better than the black. She held her for a long time and when they were just about to leave she gasped and looked at me. "Do you know what she looks like?" I was expecting something.. very.... well something only Grandma would say.. "She looks like one of those flower babies! She is so beautiful, she looks just like those sweet little flower babies." I smiled, trying not to explode with laughter. When they walked out the door I couldn't keep from chuckling. Ah, Grandma I love you.

The only reason I even know what the "flower babies" are.. Is from my old pediatrician's office. They have Anne Geddes photos hanging in every room. Most of them were the older style, totally cheesy, babies dressed in flower suits. Anne Geddes does have some really incredible photos that are very artistic.. but the ones that came to mind made me laugh.

So little Brynn, I want you to know that your Great Grandma thinks you are absolutely beautiful.

and she thinks you look like a flower baby.

which I'm sure was meant to be a compliment ;)

Splish Splash

2011-07-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

The hot hot Utah summer is finally here! Goodness.. it took long enough. Swimming is pretty much out for me at the moment and I really couldn't go anyway unless I had an extra set of hands to take care of both kids. Caden begs and begs to play in the water so we've had to come up with other solutions. Alpine had an amazing park put in last year and they had this little splash park under construction until this year. We were so excited for it to open and we've spent several afternoons up there playing! The water is ice cold and feels really good on a hot sunny day. They have lots of covered picnic tables and a nice pavilion where parents can sit and watch. It has been so nice to get out of the house and enjoy being outside with my little ones.

We took my family up one afternoon to play. Now that Brynnley is here they can't seem to stay away for more than a few days ;). My siblings all loved the park and Caden was very happy to have someone else to play with.

Frisbee has become one of our little family's favorite games. We spent one evening teaching Caden how to throw it [expecting that he'd never get it]. He pulled out some mad skills and I'd say he's probably better than I am at throwing it now. He's working on catching it still. It has to be right to him and not too fast, but he's caught a few over the last month! This was his pass to daddy.

Pretty good huh?

I love how much my family adores this little girl. I tell myself all the time: they loved Caden.. but not this much. Haha. My mom can't keep her hands off her! She'll walk around with her, repeating over and over: "You're the prettiest baby, Oh you're so pretty.. You're so sweet.." etc. She just loves her. Rachel is a close second. She will come up by herself just to see Brynn and Caden for a few minutes some nights. She is such a sweet auntie. I love this picture of her holding Brynn. Since the day this little girl was born everyone has said that she looks just like Rachel. We have pulled out her baby book and compared pictures and it is definitely true. I tell Rae all the time that Brynn looks like her baby, not mine!

Crazy Ladies together already ;) - this is for you Rae

We are loving summer. Seriously the best part of having a Summer baby is that I don't have to be cooped up inside with a newborn. I could have all my babies in the Summer and be in heaven. We all love being out in the fresh air.

Who wants to come play with us?

For my Little 1 Month old:

2011-07-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

I came across this darling idea on Pinterest. I couldn't pass up the chance to do the same thing for my sweet little girl. I can't believe she is already a month old. I feel like time is passing faster than it ever has. I love watching my sweet baby grow, but it breaks my heart knowing that I don't have a little newborn anymore. She is so sweet and precious.

We are so in love with you little miss Brynn. You have grown so much and I feel like you are changing every day. Your cheeks are getting chubby. The front half of your hair has fallen out. Your eyelashes are growing longer and curlier. We kiss you all day long, you have the sweetest lips. Several women have told me they are jealous of your gorgeous lips. They really are irresistible. You love being outside. The second we step out the door you go silent and stare at the beautiful world around you. You get the hiccups all the time, just like when you were in my belly. You hate them, you act so frustrated when you have them. It’s very cute. You love to be swaddled up tight, any time of the day. You sleep like an angel, you are already sleeping 5 hours straight most nights. I could watch you sleep all day. You smiled for the first time when you were 4 weeks old. You have the cutest smile. You always stick your tongue out of that big toothless grin. Everyone says you look just like your Auntie Rae, and I would have to agree. You are so sweet and perfect.

life with a newborn

2011-07-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

{First Bath}

We waited patiently that first week for Brynnley's belly button plug to fall off. I only had to give her one sponge bath, thankfully. I hate listening to those whimpering cries of a cold baby. When she was 9 days old I just changed her clothes and diaper, I decided to put pants and a shirt on her so her belly button could be better exposed to air. I sat down to feed her right after. She was sitting in my lap and as she ran her hand from her side up by her head she grabbed hold of her belly button plug and yanked it out! I freaked out for a second. The doctor said don't pull it out even if it's hanging on by a thread. It had only been hanging on by a thread, but it still scared me half to death. I had to pry the plug from her tight little fist. I guess she was sick of it ;). It was a little weepy and bloody for a couple of days. It was a happy day when we finally got to give her a real bath! She loved having warm water poured over her belly. She loves to lay in the tub. I save the hair washing for the very end, she still doesn't like that very much. I have loved using coconut oil on her, after baths. It makes her skin so soft and it smells so good. Plus it's all natural and much better for a newborn. She loves to be rubbed down and massaged.

Spoiled little girl.

{Tummy Time}

She spends lots of cuddly tummy time on her daddy's chest after work. He loves to snuggle his sweet little girl. It melts my heart how much he loves her. She is his precious little girl.

{Love and Kisses}

Caden wants to hold his sister first thing every morning when she wakes up. It took me a little while to feel totally comfortable with him holding her by himself. He does such a good job now. He loves his baby sister so much. He hugs and kisses her all day long. He is very gentle and I haven't had to worry about him "loving" her too hard. Whenever she whimpers or cries he is right at her side kissing her and giving her a binky. He thinks kisses make everything better, and most of the time they do. He is a very proud big brother. He constantly tells me she is "so cute".

I give her my fair share of kisses too. Her cheeks and lips are so irresistible!

Laying her alone on the bed or couch never lasts long... Caden is by her side in a matter of minutes to cuddle with her.

I just love this picture.

{Independence}

It really isn't fair how big Caden seemed to me once we got home. He was not my baby anymore. In fact.. He tells me he is a man every day. I'll tell him he's such a good boy, or thank him for being a big helper.. and he will reply with "I a MAN mommy". He has become extremely independent. He wants to do almost everything on his own. He never asks for any help when he goes to the bathroom now. He wants to wipe himself.. which sometimes doesn't turn out so well. He has to completely undress himself while he is sitting on the toilet. Side story: *When Taylor was a little boy his kindergarten teacher sent him home with a note one week requesting that his parents teach him to keep his clothes on while he goes to the bathroom. He apparently liked to completely undress himself even in a public setting.* I wonder where Caden gets it from. After minutes of begging him to put some clothes back on he will usually end up with just his underwear on. They are never on the right way. They are always inside out and backwards. No matter how many times we explain the right way to put them on.. he doesn't get it. Or maybe he just prefers them this way ;)

{Sleep}

She sleeps like a little angle. Once her tummy is full and she's all swaddled up she will sleep 4-5 hours straight at night . I usually only wake up with her once or twice. She still sleeps a lot during the day, but she is starting to stay awake for longer periods. Her and Caden have been taking naps at the same time in the afternoon. It has been so nice for me to either get things done or lay down for a while.

She has the sweetest sleeping face I've ever seen.

I just love having a newborn around again

4th of July

2011-07-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

On the 2nd Taylor took Caden went with his family to the Stadium of Fire. Since I had to miss out on all the fun, Taylor ordered me take out from Olive Garden [yumm] and I spent the night at home watching a movie with the babe.They had a really great time and got to see Brad Paisley and David Archuleta perform. Caden got his hair spray painted like a flag, which looked very cool ;). The fireworks were the talk of the weekend from my little man. He tells me he loves fireworks. Those yearly illegals could get dangerous with my boys around. Watch out mimi and poppy.

We weren't up for doing too much on the 4th this year. Brynn was almost 2 weeks old and life was pretty much back to normal. It was nice that Taylor had so much time off work at the beginning. I really enjoyed having him home. A family in Taylor's parents ward has a yearly BBQ/Pool Party every year on the 4th. They invited us to come join them. It was nice to be close to home and just relax. Caden loved the water. It was really overcast and kind of cool so his teeth were chattering in no time, but he did not want to get out of the water. He swam with daddy and blasted everyone with the water gun. He had a great time.

We headed up to Mimi and Poppy's house after the party to join Triest and Ross. Grandma and Grandpa got to see Brynn for the first time! We hung around and chatted. Then they pulled out the sparklers and snap pop things.. I don't know what they're actually called. Ross lit off some fountain fireworks and some other fun things. We had to make sure Caden and Gabe didn't catch each other on fire with the sparklers ;).

I'm kicking myself for not taking any pictures of Brynnley! Sorry baby girl. I think I was just not used to taking pictures of another child. Bummer. She looked so cute. I had her dressed up in a cute red smocked romper with a white flower on her head and she sported her first set of red painted toe nails. She was a doll.

When we got home that night we watched fireworks all across the valley from our deck.

It was a very happy 4th of July.

Week: ONE

2011-07-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

I have a lot I ~~want~~ need to write down. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to break down the first month [i know... MONTH!].

Here we go with getting caught up!

We were so excited about getting back home. The hospital was great and all, but nothing sounded better than sleeping in my own bed and taking a shower. My family was so wonderful and took Caden for almost an entire week! It was so nice to just have time with my sweet little baby. I still can't believe how fast my recovery was, by the end of that first week I was almost back to normal. Heaven. The best part of coming 9 days early was I never got sick of being pregnant. In fact [and.. I never thought I'd ever say this..] I kind of miss it! I really loved this pregnancy. If every pregnancy were to be just like it.. I could have a lot of kids.

Since we were not so prepared before Brynn came, there were somethings we had to take care of after we got back home. We really wanted to get a gift for Caden from Brynnley to add to his excitement and maybe help him like her just a tiny bit more ;) This boy loves big guns. He will play with my youngest brother's toy rifles all day when we go down to visit. He knows he's not allowed to shoot people.. he can only shoot the birds. So he'll stand at my parents windows and doors and hold the gun ready to fire at any bird who dares fly into their yard. haha. When we got back home I had Taylor run to the store with the mission of coming back with an awesome present for Caden. He came back very proud with a very nice pistol and rifle set that included a holster and neck tie. We wrapped it all up for our little man who would be coming to visit us that night. My parents brought the crew and dinner up a few hours later. Caden was so excited to open his present from baby sister. I've never seen his eyes so huge. I thought he was going to rip the cardboard off the guns. He was in heaven. He immediately ran over and started kissing his little sis. Thanks you, Thank you, Thank you! From that moment on.. we have not had a single second of him disliking her. She is his "favit". He has since enjoyed lots of afternoons standing out on our deck, "shooting" the birds that sit on the garages. He takes this very seriously.

Visiting sister our first night home. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and thank her for his guns all night.. and he gives the sweetest kisses.

Our first picture as a family of 4!

We got Caden back for our second night home. That weekend was spent mostly on the couch relaxing. We gave little Brynn her first sponge bath on Sunday. As soon as she was dried off and I started rubbing her down with coconut oil she was out. She falls asleep every time I rub her down after a bath now ;)

My sweet kids [kids.. I still can't believe it!] crashed on the couch. We did lots of sleeping that first week.

Caden had a bitter streak towards me for the first 2 weeks. He fought me on eating, going to the bathroom, taking naps.. but just basic everyday things. It was hard, and I'm glad it didn't last very long. He hasn't had one second of anger or frustration towards his little sister, which I am so grateful for. He's a happy little camper now and life is pretty much back to normal plus our cute little addition ;)

Newborn Love

2011-07-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

[newborn pictures taken at 9 days old]

I have been so nervous and excited to take pictures of my little girl. I have absolutely no experience with newborn pictures.. hence the nerves. But who can really mess up that much when it comes to a sweet perfect newborn. She was so cute and good for these pictures. Caden would sit and watch and ask me to take pictures of him in between. I'm very happy with how they have turned out. I still have a few more to edit and I'm planning on taking lots more.

For now.. these are my favorites:

I could just kiss those lips all day

I am falling more in love with this precious girl every day. I love holding her close and taking in those sweet moments. I wish I could keep her tiny forever. I get so emotional thinking about her all grown up some day. I want to be her best friend now and always. I can just imagine all the fun we'll have. I am so glad she is mine. I love having a daughter.

Brynnley had her 2 week check up last Tuesday. She is looking just perfect. She gained almost a pound more than her birth weight. The doctor thinks she may have been measured wrong at birth since she supposedly grew an entire inch!

2 weeks:

7 lbs 7 oz {50%}

21 inches {90%}

Brynnley is a wonderful eater. She has never spit up and she's just about the easiest baby to burp.

She is sleeping for 4 to 4 1/2 hours straight at night now.

She loves to be on her tummy and have her back rubbed.
She giggles all the time in her sleep. It is so adorable.
She loves to be swaddled.

She only cries when she is hungry or needs to poop. She is a very content baby.
She pulls the funniest faces I've ever seen when she's in her REM sleep cycle.

She has long skinny fingers.

The outside corners of her eyes turn up like Taylor's.

She has cute little ears that are very flat against her head.

Her feet and toes look just like mine.

She has dark hair, it's longer on the sides and back than it is on top.
At the nape of her neck it's about 3/4" long and very thick.

She has the cutest little duck tail.

She has a really deep belly button just like mine.

She has big beautiful alert eyes.

Her nose is shaped like Taylor's underneath and turns up like mine.
She has a long pointy tongue with a dimple right at the tip.

She has thick curly blonde eyelashes.

She has the most delicious little lips. I could kiss them all day.
She has the cutest dimple in the middle of her bottom lip.

She is several shades darker than Me and Caden. I hope it stays like that!

I love painting her toe nails, they look so cute!

She has the sweetest disposition.

She is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on.

We absolutely adore our little girl.

My Sweet Baby

2011-07-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

[newborn pictures taken at 9 days old, lots more to come!]

My heart is so full. My sweet little girl is already 2 weeks old. I am so in love with her. My love doubled the second I held her and she wrapped her little fingers around mine. My eyes well up with tears when I stare down at her perfect little face. She is mine. The long journey it took to get her here is now over. I couldn't be more grateful to my father in heaven for sending me this sweet baby. Her sweet spirit has filled our home. I am so blessed to be her mother.

... tissue please

Now for the long overdue story of The Delivery:

Beware. It's ridiculously long.

It was Monday night. I had cleaned out the car, gotten the oil changed, shopped kid to kid and written a post on this blog. I had been wanting to get out and run a few errands down in Provo, but the day had gotten away from me. Taylor came home and I begged him to come help me run errands so that I wouldn't have to go on my own. We grabbed the car seat base on our way down stairs and installed it before we headed off. We stopped at Hobby Lobby so I could get some notions for some sewing projects and I found a few cute flowers for more head bands. Taylor ran and got a new battery for our garage door opener across the street. We stopped at Old Navy and checked the clearance rack. Then we headed over to Lowes for some plywood to go under the crib mattress for our new monitor. I was so glad Taylor had come with me, cause I was TIRED. We stopped by the mall and looked around and had dinner at subway in the food court. It was getting close to Caden's bed time so we started home. We had slacked a little bit with going on our nightly walks the week previous and I was dead set on making sure we went on a walk every night till the baby came. We ran our stuff upstairs, threw on some jackets and got Caden in his pajamas. Our neighbors were just getting home and we sat and chatted for a minute. Their baby was going to be 2 weeks old the next day! She had come 3 weeks early and we were supposed to be due only a few days apart. I was totally jealous {yes emily.. I was jealous!} We told them we were going on a REALLY long walk walk to get the baby here. We all laughed and joked that it would work ;) Taylor took me on his 2 mile jogging route. I wanted to speed walk, I pushed the stroller and walked as fast as I could. My belly was hard as a rock the entire 2 miles. Walking always gave me braxton hicks. We got home and we were all pretty tired. Our house was kind of messy and I had a big day of cleaning starting the next morning. I finally got in bed about 10:30 and I was out. The last thought I remember crossing my mind before I fell asleep was, "ha! wouldn't it be funny if I went into labor tonight?" I quickly pushed the thought away. I hate getting my hopes up about things like that. Little did I know.....

3:20 am. I woke up suddenly. I was all wet! It just kind of came out and woke me up! I got out of bed fast and ran to the toilet. My thoughts as I ran: "Either I'm just really wet.. I am peed my pants.. or.. no. It's not possible. There's no way my water broke." I sat down on the toilet. I had to pee. So I peed. Then I sat there for a minute. THERE IT WAS AGAIN! That was not pee! NO.WAY. There was no way. It hadn't been a big gush.. just a trickle. I didn't know what to do? Do I wake Taylor up? What if my water didn't break? Have I lost complete control of my bladder already? I got up and walked to the bathroom door. More came out! I opened the door and told Taylor to wake up. I said "I think my is breaking.. and I'm not kidding" He was up and out of bed in a second. I sat back on the toilet. More was trickling out. I was shaking. Shock. What do I do. It was like I had completely lost my brains. I couldn't think what I needed to do. I just sat there dumb founded. Taylor was looking at me like: What the heck is wrong with you? I got up and grabbed a towel and stuffed it between my legs. I told him to start packing. The only things I had packed were, the car seat, a receiving blanket, a nursing bra, and some clothes to bring baby home in. I ran and grabbed my phone. I paced back and forth. I didn't know what to do. We needed to go to the hospital. How much time did I have? Taylor finally grabbed my arm and asked what I was doing. haha. It was 3:45 in the morning. I felt horrible about calling my mom! I dialed the number and let it ring. It probably rang 10 times before she picked up. I told he my water had been trickling. She was delirious as well. She kept asking if I was sure my water had broken. Yes, No.. Yes? Now I was doubting myself. But the fact that it kept trickling out every time I made a sudden movement made me sure. She told me she would get dressed and be up in half an hour. We had some time. I stood there not knowing what to pack. My pillow and toothbrush were the only things I could think of. Then I remembered I had made a list of everything I needed to pack. I just had to find it. I flipped through all of my notebooks and finally found it. Thank goodness. It had everything I needed. I was able to grab everything and check it off the list. We got our bags packed, the camera, batteries, video camera. Then I headed into the baby's room. It was a mess. I wanted to take some things to use in pictures at the hospital. A flower head band, the white cotton gauze fabric I hadn't had time to turn into a blanket. After I had finished grabbing everything we needed for the baby, I got this killer urge to clean the entire house! Yes. Those of you who know me.. you were expecting that right? So Taylor and I ran through the house and cleaned it as fast as we could. We finished everything but the dishes in the sink and the laundry on our bed. When my mom got to our house I grabbed a few things for Caden and Taylor carried him downstairs and put him in her car. I had no idea what to wear to the hospital. I finally put on a skirt, the only practical thing I could wear and still keep a towel between my legs. I wasn't having any serious contractions at this point. They were kind of sporadic and mostly felt like strong braxton hicks. Taylor had already packed up our car. I remembered to grab a couple garbage bags and a towel to sit on. I had read of people who's water would gush on the way to the hospital and leave a huge mess on the passenger seat. That was not going to happen to me. I was still in denial as we pulled out of our parking stall.

4:10 am. We were on the freeway and the hospital was 30 minutes away. As we were driving I started having a little panic attack. I started blurting out everything on my mind. I hadn't washed my hair for days! I was going to look gross in pictures! I hadn't taken maternity pictures yet! I had planned on doing them in the next few days. Our bath tub was so dirty! How was I going to take a sitz bath when we got home? Taylor was laughing. He was thrilled that his 2 mile walk had done the trick. He was so much more prepared to meet our little girl than I was. We stopped and grabbed breakfast for Taylor on our way up. It was still pitch black outside when we pulled up to the hospital. We grabbed our bags and headed in. Thankfully I had pre-registered a couple days before so our check in was very fast. They got us in a room and had me put on the lovely hospital gown and hooked me up to the monitors.

5:27 am. They had to do the swab test to make sure my water had broken. The nurse also checked me, I was 3 cm and 60% effaced! We had to wait for about an hour to get the results. While we waited I started doubting myself again.. It would be so embarrassing if my water really hadn't broken. The nurse came back in and sure enough my water had broken. They had been monitoring my contractions and they really hadn't picked up speed much. She asked how painful the contractions were. I told her they felt like strong braxton hicks, but no pain. She was surprised. She said if those don't hurt.. you would have an amazing natural labor. I guess they were really strong for how little pain they were causing. They wanted to wait a little longer and see if the contractions picked up. They were also waiting to hear back from my doctor to see what he wanted to do. They had their shift change at 7:00 and my new nurse and doctor came in. They decided to start me on pitocin. I was kind of bummed. I had been expecting it after my contractions really hadn't changed over the last few hours. But I was still a little disappointed. They asked if I was planning on an epidural. I had been through labor once with pitocin and I knew if I had to be on it again.. I would definitely get an epidural. I told them I was going to get one. I didn't want it to slow down my labor, but from my labor experience with Caden I knew that chances were good that it wouldn't. I had gone from a 4 to a 10 in an hour after I had been given the epidural. They told me I could get my epidural whenever I wanted because I was already dilated to a 3.

7:16 am. I got my IV put in. Seriously that is my least favorite part of having a baby. I hate. hate. hate the IV. They put it in my left arm a couple inches above my wrist. It hurt so bad I couldn't even move my left arm. I can't even stand to think about it. They started the pitocin with everything else and we waited for labor to set in.

7:55 am. My doctor came back in to check on me. My contractions weren't very strong at this point. He upped the pitocin and the contractions started to pick up. He sat and chatted with us for a while. Taylor jokingly asked if he could deliver the baby. The doctor said, well if everything is going well you most certainly can! Taylor was pretty excited at the idea, but I wasn't sure if it would even happen. I had to go pee really bad. Getting off that bed and taking the IV system plus the monitor cords.. It was a nightmare. As soon as I got off the bed My water gushed all over the floor. Nasty. Yes. I went through at least 10 towels up till this point with how much my water was leaking. I got back to the bed after going to the bathroom and the nurse came in and cleaned up the mess. haha. I felt so bad.

9:00 am. Taylor had been sleeping for about 45 minutes. He had gone to bed really late and only got a few hours of sleep. I was bored. I had been skim reading through Baby Wise one more thing I hadn't finished on my "to do" list. My contractions were starting to pick up and they were starting to hurt. I didn't want to call the nurse and wake Taylor up. Laying down was doing me no good. The worst position to labor in is the one they force you into at the hospital. I sat up and crossed my legs and rolled my hips back and forth. It made the monitor stop working for the baby. I sat like that for about 10 minutes. It really eased the pain. My nurse came in to check on me and fix the monitor. She made me lay back against the bed. I told her I was ready for my epidural. She, being way ahead of me, had already put me on the list. The anesthesiologist was putting one in at the time and there was another girl ahead of me. She said the list had quickly filled in after she put me down. I was so grateful she had put me on there when she did. There were 9 other women in labor.

10:00 am. I was definitely in pain. The anesthesiologist came in and started prepping for the epidural. I really liked him. He was so funny and nice. He had me and Taylor laughing out loud. I talked to him briefly about making the epidural only take away the pain, but not complete feeling in my legs. With Caden I was so numb I couldn't even wiggle my toes. He told me his goal was to leave me with the ability to lift my legs and feel the pressure of when I needed to push. I warned him that drugs effect me really strongly. I hardly ever take medicine so when I do It has a pretty strong impact on my body. The epidural went in fast. It is such a weird sensation. When he was numbing my skin before the "big needle", He had me hunch over and stick my back out at him. At the end, just before he pulled out the needle I suddenly sat straight up. It was the weirdest sensation. It was like when the doctor hits the reflex nerve in your knee and your leg pops up. It scared me! He just laughed and said it happens all the time. I grabbed my knees tight when he put the epidural in. I didn't want to jolt up with that huge needle in my spine. He was super speedy and was done in no time.

10:18 am. The pain as gone. My legs felt tingly and I could feel the contractions, but not the pain. They brought me lime flavored ice. It was really yummy. I was starving. I started making a few phone calls. I was still waiting to get checked again to see how far progressed I was. I called my family, Caden was very excited that I was at the doctor getting baby sister out. I was so excited for him to meet her. My nurse came in and checked me. I was only at a 4 and 80% effaced. I was really hoping to be at least a 5. I asked her how long she would guess it would take me to dilate completely. She said that most girls who get the pitocin by 8:00 am will usually have their babies between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. So in her mind I still had a ways to go. I was hoping that I would at least have her by 6:00 so we could have visitors come. I was still in shock that I was having the baby! She was 9 days early. I never expected to come early.. and if I did I only thought it would be by a couple of days. I called Richelle to chat for a while. It was kind of boring to sit there waiting. I was glad I called her, It helped pass the time.

11:15 am. The epidural was starting to feel weird. The epidural was effecting me more than the anesthesiologist expected, he can't say I didn't warn him. I had lost a lot more feeling in my legs. I couldn't lift them on my own but they weren't completely numb. They felt tingly, the way your leg feels when it's asleep. It was so uncomfortable. I wished that I was just completely numb. I was so tired and wanted to try and sleep for a while. My legs made that impossible I had to have Taylor come help me turn from one side to the other to get comfortable.

11:44 am. I was feeling so groggy. I felt like I was on lortab. I couldn't think clearly I slurred my words together. I was talking really quiet. I was frustrated with how I was feeling and I just wanted to sleep. I had finally gotten comfortable on my left side and was drifting off to sleep. The nurse came in to check me again. She made me roll on my back. So much for all our hard work getting me comfortable ;) I was hoping I would be to a 5 by now. While she was checking me I asked what was causing me to feel so funny. She said it was the epidural. Strange. I hadn't felt like that with Caden. I wanted it to go away. I wanted to be able to think clearly. The look on her face made me think I was still at a 4. She finally said said, "ok! you're a 9 and fully effaced. I'm going to call your doctor and we'll start prepping for the baby!" A NINE! Wow. I guess once I get past 4 my body just goes really fast. I hurried and called my house to let my family know we would have the baby here soon. I couldn't get a hold of them! The phone was busy. I called my dad at work. He as apparently the one on the phone with them. I told him we were close and as I was on the phone with him the nurse came back to check me again. It had only been about 5 minutes since she had last checked me. I was a 10! I hurried and got off the phone. They were just waiting for my doctor while they finished prepping my room. My head was starting to clear, the adrenalin must have helped. I lost track of time at this point. Everything was happening so fast. It was a little past noon. They wanted to have me start pushing while we waited for the doctor. I told the nurses that with Caden I pushed 3 times and his head was there and they made me wait and stop pushing for almost half an hour because the doctor was delivering 2 other babies before me. The nurses there told me I pushed harder than anyone they had seen. This stopped my nurses from having me push before my doctor got there. I was glad because I knew she would come fast after I started pushing. My doctor walked in about 12:30. He praised us and said we got an award for best patients, He had been in the clinic that morning and just got done with his lunch break and was going to head home as soon as our baby was delivered. He was very happy that our schedule had fit right in with his. haha. He turned to Taylor and said "Are you ready?" Taylor and I were both a little surprised. The doctor went out to go grab 2 delivery gowns and gloves. Taylor was sending out a text that we were about to deliver and the doctor walked back in and stood in front of him holding out his robe. Haha. Taylor almost threw his phone down as the doctor waited for him. They slipped on their robes and gloves. They pulled up a stool for Taylor to sit on while the nurses helped me hold my legs up. He briefly explained how things were going to work as I started pushing. The doctor had Taylor feel for the baby's head. It was barely an inch away. The doctor wanted to let me tear on my own this time so he watched carefully as I pushed. I pushed 3 times through 3 contractions. Her head was down and the only thing holding her in was my skin. I asked if she had hair! I was dying to know. They both looked at me and laughed, yes she has hair and it's very dark! I was floored, a baby with hair! And DARK hair! I wanted to see her! The doctor wanted me to push through one more contraction to see if my skin would break. After the first push in the next contraction he said my skin was tough as nails and it wasn't going to break on its own. He barely clipped it and had me push again, her head was out! Taylor grabbed her head and turned her to the side. The doctor suctioned out her mouth and nose. Taylor held her head while I pushed her shoulders and body out. Taylor held her in his hands and she took her first breath and started to cry. It was the one of the sweetest moments in my life. He placed her on the blanket they had spread on my belly. She was beautiful. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. They clipped and clamped the cord. I pulled the blanket up over her back and started wiping off her face. I put my finger in her tiny hand and she wrapped her fingers around it. I was in heaven. They took her after a few minutes and cleaned her off, then weighed and measured her.

Brynnley Rae Van Leeuwen

June 21, 2011

1:00 PM

6 lbs 8 oz

20 inches

When her eyes adjusted to the light she kept them wide open. I've never seen a newborn with such big beautiful eyes. The doctor stitched me up while they were taking care of the baby. He said I still had minor 2nd degree tear, It tore just up to the muscle and was about half the length of the episiotomy I had with Caden. I was so thankful. I only had a few stitches to close it up. They brought my bright eyed little girl over for me to feed and hold. They gave us a good half hour to spend with her before they checked her vitals and gave her a bath. She was a great eater from the first try. I couldn't believe she was here! She was so perfect. We looked at her fingers and toes. She looked so much like Caden. Her eyes were so big and alert. She reminded me of my little sister.

Taylor took her to the nursery when she was done eating. She was still wide awake. I finally got some food. Graham Crackers and Cranberry juice. Yumm. I ordered my lunch and had it sent to my recovery room. They had me move from the bed to a wheel chair. I had a little bit of feeling in my legs, but I was still very clumsy.

Brynnley was quite content while she had her vitals checked and got her bath. She loved the water and didn't make a peep.

Look at that hair! I am in love!

I was starving. I ate every last bit of food they brought me. Then they brought my sweet baby back in all bundled up and ready to eat more. My family all came up and brought Caden with them. The baby was sleeping in the bassinet when they got there. Taylor picked Caden up and showed him his new baby sister. He was a little confused but seemed ok with the fact that this was the baby that had come out of my "belly button". He climbed up on the bed with me. I showed him my IV. They wouldn't let me take it out till I could walk to the bathroom and pee by myself. He was very concerned about the needle taped to my arm. He loved the buttons that made my bed go up and down. We had him wash his hands and then he got to hold his new baby sister. He kept saying "looks like me". Something funny, While I was still pregnant we would ask Caden if baby sister had hair? He had guessed the gender right and we thought maybe he knew what color her hair was as well. He always answered "yes" she has hair. We would ask him if she had white hair like Caden and mommy? or Black hair like daddy? Every time he answered "black hair like daddy!" I guess he knew! I really didn't believe him at the time, I was convinced I'd have another bald baby. But he was right. He was very gentle as he held his sister. He gave her a few kisses on her forehead. Then he just wanted to play with mommy's bed some more. He kept telling me he missed me and he missed daddy, but he wanted to stay at Nana and Papa's house. He was more than happy to spend most of the week down there. When My mom held Brynnley she said the same thing I was thinking. She looks just like Rachel! There is something about her that reminds us all of her Auntie Rae.

Taylor's family came to see us and his cousin Tacy stopped by too. My father in law was scheduled to leave for a 6 week trip to Kenya on the 23rd. I kept telling him, the only reason she came 9 days early was so she could meet her poppy before he left. I was so glad he got to see her. She is going to be so different and big by the time he gets home!

I was so exhausted by the time 9:00 rolled around. Taylor went home for the night because he needed to go into work the next day. I was glad he needed to get a good night sleep. I slept better knowing that I didn't have to worry about him. I didn't get much sleep that night. Checking my vitals every 6 hours. I had a blood draw at 5:00 in the morning. Then I had to feed Brynn every 3 hours or when she was hungry. Plus I just felt super anxious and it was hard for me to fall asleep.

I had a constant flow of people checking in on me by 7:00 the next morning. The nurse, My doctor, The anesthesiologist, The pediatrician, Lactation specialist. I ordered breakfast and took a shower. It felt good to get all cleaned off. I had to use baby shampoo that the hospital had because I forgot to pack any myself. I got ready and ate breakfast. The pediatrician came back in after I had told him the nurse had caught a heart murmur the night before in the baby. He came in and explained that signs were pointing to it not being a "life threatening" condition because she wasn't blue. He wanted to check it over again in the morning and they would schedule an echo cardiogram for us in the next few days to find out what was causing the murmur. It was very concerning to me. Anything involving the heart seemed pretty serious. I called Taylor and told him what was going on. He called me back about an hour later and told me that he was coming to the hospital to be with me and Brynn. I was so grateful. I didn't like being alone worrying about my tiny little baby. We had a few more visitors through the day, and lots of time with our new sweet baby all to ourselves. It was so nice to relax.

She was looking pretty orange to me, I was nervous about jaundice since Caden had it so bad. She was also wanting to eat every hour. She was starving! So the nurse recommended we suppliment with 2 bottles that night, after each breast feeding session, to help flush the jaundice out of her system and fill her tummy. She slept really well and her jaundice levels were pretty good the next morning. Thankfully she never had to be under lights.

Taylor fed her the first bottle

I love that milk face

He is so in love with her. This little girl has melted his heart.

She was so bright eyed and alert through most of the day. I love her big beautiful eyes. She has the sweetest face. I couldn't stop kissing her sweet cheeks and lips.

We were very ready to get back home. We had to wait on the pediatrician to schedule the echo before we left the hospital. We packed up and had breakfast while we waited. Once I had seen my doctor and the echo was scheduled Taylor loaded the car and we headed out. My recovery had progressed a lot faster this time around. I walked to the car instead of taking the wheel chair. It felt great.

Thank you to all our wonderful family and friends for showing us so much love and support. We love you all so much.

Much more to come on our little Brynnley.

Miss Brynn

2011-06-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

Brynnley Rae Van Leeuwen

6.21.11

1:00 PM

6 lbs 8 oz

20 in

Our sweet baby girl decided to join our family a little ahead of schedule. My water broke early yesterday morning which came as a huge surprise. She is absolutely perfect. I am in heaven holding my baby, I can't stop kissing her sweet face.

more in a few days...

Little Miss is Coming Soon!

2011-06-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd throw up a little update! I know I've been slacking and it makes me sad that I haven't been keeping better journal of what has been happening the last several months. Life has been good. We have stayed super busy. We are loving the sun and warm weather, I'm so glad the rain is gone! We still haven't been swimming yet, but this week is supposed to have several days in the high 80s! I want to go enjoy the pool a few times before little miss gets here. The nursery is finally done. My projects are all done.. of course I still have a million projects I'd like to do, but they can wait till after baby is here. I have everything critical done and it feels like a giant weight off my shoulders. This Thursday I will be 39 weeks! I can't believe it. I definitely don't feel like I'm that far along. I still feel great, the little old ladies on the bottom of our building think I'm insane for carrying groceries and Caden up the stairs every few days. My goal this pregnancy has really been to "not limit myself" just because I'm pregnant. I feel like I still have tons of energy for how far along I am. I am so grateful for a good night sleep every night. I really have been so so blessed this pregnancy.

This week my to do list is a little more fun than stressful:

Stocking the Cupboards

Freezer Meals

Dr. Appointment

Pack Hospital Bags

Last Minute Cleaning

It is exciting thinking we are only 10 days away from my due date! I still don't think I am completely mentally prepared for another baby. I am so excited to see her and hold her, until that moment.. I don't think it is going to be completely real to me. Taylor has definitely been going through more anxious waiting than I have. Every night he just goes crazy telling me he CAN'T WAIT! literally, can't wait.. like he's gonna squeeze her out of me. He melts my heart talking about his baby girl. I know he is going to be the sweetest daddy to her. She already loves him. He will sit and talk to her at night and she just kicks and kicks his face. EVERY time. She can be completely still and the second she hears his voice.. BAM! She is all over him. I hope she is a daddy's girl for his sake, Caden has been such a mama's boy and I love it. Taylor needs a turn to feel that.

At my appointment last week I was 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. The doctor is really happy with everything. My weight gain still hasn't met my goal. The baby is facing the right way and her head is really low. I am having tons of braxton hicks, some days more than others. I am already dilated more than I was when I was induced with Caden. The progress is so comforting to me. I am really hoping to go into labor on my own. I am not worried about having an enormous baby. The doctor says she is just over 6 lbs right now and doesn't expect her to break 7 lbs. I am trying to have faith that my body will go into labor on it's own before I am a week late. I am nervous that after that point she might get stress like Caden and I really don't want to have to go through an emergency procedure again. If she hasn't come by the 7th of July I will most likely get induced. But I'm keeping my chin up and my fingers crossed! I'm kind of thinking she might be a 4th of July baby......... my dreams have had lots of hospital rooms filled with sparklers since I'm missing the celebration outside. haha. Oh I hope for her sake her birthday doesn't land right on the holiday. We'll see. I am so so excited to see her.

I'll add another update after my appointment this Thursday. Hopefully nothing but good news will come!

I've been searching for a cheap little swim suit for baby girl. I finally found the one! Kid to Kid is amazing. Love shopping there for my kids. I always find the cutest things.

here's the suit

and here's a totally adorable dress! oh the day she comes home from the hospital is gonna be fun!

Rock On!

2011-06-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

His new favorite thing.. doing this totally awesome hand sign and screaming "Rock On!"

Love this boy.

35 Weeks

2011-05-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy is flying by. I have to stop myself from thinking about how soon she'll be here. I start doing all these comparisons in my mind.. Richelle found out what she was having 4 weeks ago from next Wednesday. By next Wednesday I will have as much time left in my pregnancy as time has passed since she found out! It seems like that big news happened just yesterday! I seriously start to have a panic attack when I think about it. My dreams have been filled with nothing but labor and delivery and what my baby looks like.. so far.. sad to say, my dreams have not made her very cute ;) So I'm hoping they aren't as real as they sometimes seem. I am scared and so excited for the next 5 weeks to pass. Becoming a mommy of 2 kind of scares the daylights out of me. I'm scared for the transition. I really hope I can be the kind of mom I want to be.. I'm hoping the newborn phase will be less of a shocker this time around. I really can't wait, scared or not! This baby is going to be so, so loved. I can't wait to kiss her and hold her.

Everything about this pregnancy has been so different. Baby girl is so different from Caden. Some nights while I'm sitting on the couch I seriously feel like she is going to explode out of my skin because of how hard she kicks. Taylor and I will watch her move and it looks like 2 cats fighting under my skin. I don't know how my body even handles the movement. She isn't causing me much pain while she moves. She's not quite in my ribs yet. She loves to be on my right side, I always find myself leaning to the left to make more room for her wiggly feet. She moves so much more than Caden ever did. She is really responsive to Taylor and Caden. This morning while I was still in bed, Taylor bent down and started talking to her. She has been dead still up till that point, but the second she heard his voice she was kicking his hands and face. Caden loves to lay his head on my tummy and make weird sounds or repeat "hi baby, hi baby" and feel her kick his head. Hopefully that doesn't become a trend.. kicking big brothers head. I can't wait to have her here to add to our family. We are so excited.

My fears of my body being in the same "state" as it was with Caden are practically gone. I can have felt so much better this pregnancy, it isn't even comparable. By 35 weeks the first time around I was swearing I'd never have another baby. My back killed. I was living on tums. My feet were so swollen I couldn't wear normal shoes. Life was pretty miserable. I have little to nothing to complain about this time. It seems like it's too good to be true. I figured that, at this point, in order for me to weigh as much as I did the day I delivered Caden, I would have to gain 23 lbs in the next 5 weeks! 23 lbs! Can you believe that? I'm not worried that is going to happen ;) I might not meet my weight gain goal, but I have certainly tried my best. One thing is for sure. I will never let myself go like I did with Caden. Eating well, eating the right amount, and exercising {occasionally} has made all the difference in how good I have felt this time around.

Here's my 35 week comparison picture:

Caden on the left. Baby Girl on the right

Things are looking great at my appointments, I am hoping and praying that I will go into labor on my own. No emergency inductions. And I'm hoping I don't come more than 5 days late.. That would mean 2 more family members will miss her birth :( Starting next Tuesday they will check to see if I'm dilating! I really hope I do this time, being induced a week late at 1 1/2 cm was painful and disappointing. How early do most people start dilating anyway? What is a normal number per week for the last 4 weeks? I'm clueless. All I can do is hope.. and maybe go jump on a trampoline.. that should help right? ;)

Graduate A

2011-05-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

The end of May. This has to be one of my favorite times of year. The snow is gone, the rain is {almost} gone, and it's warm enough to forget about the jacket! Summer is just around the corner. The kids are getting out of school. Let the fun begin!

I can hardly believe it's been five years since I graduated. Had someone asked me 5 years ago where I would be today.. My answer would have been completely different than where my life has taken me. A husband, 2 kids, a house. I never would have dreamed this is where I would be. Life is so much better than I could have expected. It was hard to believe Lane was graduating 3 years ago, and now watching my little sister walk in cap and gown was somewhat surreal. This girl is going places. She is so smart and funny. BYU broadcasting department is banging down her door to give her a job. She's going to find some lucky guy and hopefully give me a few nieces and nephews... ok, maybe not in the "near" future.. but I can dream, right?

This was the day Lane graduated. I can't believe all the changes 3 years has brought.

Some things have stayed the same and others have drastically changed: Jarom is now towering over me. Ben is almost as tall as Me and Rachel. Taylor now looks like a man instead of a scrawny boy ;) sorry babe.. you know you look a little shrimpy in that picture. Caden is almost as big as nanny was.. almost ;). My brothers are all getting so handsome! My pregnant body is looking much better this time around. There is only a 3 week difference in how far a long I am/was in these pictures. 35 weeks now, 32 weeks then... funny how that worked out. Rachel's hair somehow ended up being about the same length. And none of us can wait for Lane to get back home at the end of this year!

Oh, the goofy picture..

Graduate A! My mom made her a $100 lei + a candy lei, and Caden and I made her a $20.11 lei. It looked like she has a boa constrictor around her neck! Everyone was touching her money as she walked past, haha. Spoiled little girl!

Caden scooped up Auntie A's violin as soon as the orchestra was done playing for the ceremony. He wanted to carry it everywhere for her. While I was taking some pictures of her and her friends he tugged on my shirt and said "Mommy ook at me! I BIG STRONG!" haha. This case was almost as big as him so he thought he was pretty tough to be carrying it around.

I love these pictures of her. She is such a doll. Another Leishman Graduate! Congratulations Sista!

It's about time

2011-05-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little down the last week or so, I seriously think it has something to do with the weather ;) Enough with the rain and the clouds! I would die for an hour of sunshine.

I came across this image today.

It got me thinking. What makes me happy? My immediate thought was "shopping!" HA, can't do more of that. I thought a little more. Things that really make me happy... Spending time with my little boy. I love sitting out on the deck talking to him and observing things going on. He makes me laugh so hard, the little phrases he picks up and says constantly, like: "Actually... No" or "One Second". He pulls the funniest faces and makes the best expressions. I love that he'll sit down and have a conversation with me. He makes my day every day. What else makes me happy? Being outside, going on a walk. As bizarre as it might sound cleaning makes me happy. I don't like to have to clean, but it makes me happy once it's done. Cooking a good meal makes me happy. Eating healthy makes me happy. I am most happy when I find myself doing the things that I know I should be doing, taking care of myself and my family.

I love doing projects . That feeling of accomplishment is so rewarding. But as the last few months have passed and project after project has been checked off I don't find myself being as happy as I would like to be. I feel guilty when I take time away from being with Caden to finish this or that. Or leaving Taylor to watch a movie by himself so I can start something else. That is not rewarding. I have spent the last 2 weeks going over and over my never ending list of things to do before this baby gets here. I am overwhelming myself, I have too much on my list. I need to cut it down. I don't need to do everything right now. It would be nice to have it all done, but there are other things that are more important. My little boy isn't going to be my only child for much longer and I want him to know and feel how special he is. I want him to have all the attention he can get.

I'm going to do more of what makes me really happy. Serving, loving and enjoying the moment. Time is passing too quickly and I don't want it to pass with feelings of regret.

Life is too good to let it slip by.

and the winner is....

2011-05-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

du du du DAH!

Wouldn't you know.. I choose one that I don't even ask anyone's opinion on.. Sheesh. I found this last minute and I knew I had found my bag. Here's my reasoning. This bag is seriously the best bright color ever. It really goes with everything. I have a mustard yellow bag and It is falling apart from how much I use it. I know this is a good color choice for me. I love the longer fabric shoulder straps on this bag, and the removable messenger strap. This will fit so much better under my arm, and if it happens to be overflowing with blankets and books [definitely will happen] I know I'll have room to still pull the straps over my shoulder. If I want to take off that messenger strap then I have 2 nice D rings that I can clip a pacifier pouch and keys to. It is nice and deep and has great pockets on both sides of the inner bag. It is practically perfect. AND the inside is purple! Hooray for more color! The consensus from the post below is definitely favoring bag #2. That would have been my top pick out of all those bags. Once I have a little bit of extra money to spend I will most definitely be getting that bag as well. My only problem with it is the straps.. For a diaper bag, I just think it might be a little too close to my under arm to stay on my shoulder. I am seriously in love though.. Maybe a good birthday present? We'll see!

Today was the start of some FANTASTIC sewing projects. I know.. I need to post pictures. And my pile of "to dos" is slowly turning to "dones".
I am feeling a little relief.

Check me out over here tomorrow! Cute and easy tutorial you'll love!

Diaper Bag Love

2011-05-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

July 1st is fast approaching! I have been finishing things here and there. The nursery is still underway, but I'm making progress. I have a million felt flowers, half made, half cut.. sitting in a bowl with no clips attached. So I still have a lot of work to do. As I have been looking over my "to do list" I am realizing most of the things I need and want to make are all going in one special bag. The Diaper Bag! Yikes and I don't even have one! I've spent the last several days doing some searching and have come across quite an assortment of bags that are all pretty smashing! My problem is... well, I can't decide! This is my mothers day present and Taylor is begging me to make a decision. HA. Good Luck ME! So I need some help. I obviously love the bags on the top row.. but color choice is hard for me. I have a mustard yellow bag that I love (it goes with everything), I am in love with the stripes and Black is so classy! Plus I have 6 other fabulous bags that I keep going back and forth between. So give me some opinions! Which one is your absolute favorite? Cause this mommy can't decide!

Which one... which one..

If you want to see the insides of these bags visit my Pinterest and click on the bag, then wait for it to come up on its own page, then click on it again and it should take you to the etsy store I found it at. The etsy stores have lots of other pictures as well.

Thanks for your help Ladies!

30 week update

2011-04-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

This last week has gone by so fast. Last week I got so much accomplished and it feels great!

I finished cleaning and organizing our garage, and I must say.. it looks fantastic! Taylor was shocked when he came home and everything was moved and cleaned. The weather was nice last weekend, Saturday was so beautiful. We attended, probably, the saddest funeral I've ever been to. Randy Stout, Taylor's high school lacrosse coach passed away from an unexpected heart attack earlier in the week. He left his wife and kids behind, one of them is Taylor's good friend. Pregnancy hormones + Terribly sad funeral = lots of tears. I feel so bad for the loss of that family. I headed straight from the funeral to take my written final at BYU. I barely studied, I tried to spend a few minutes before it started out in the hall going over notes. It was a pretty easy test and only took about half an hour. Walking out of the building felt great! 60 degrees, sunny day.. and school is done! Taylor met up with me in Orem to get a new phone afterward. He got one of the new Android phones and I took his old one. We took Caden to the park and had a picnic and played on the swings and slides. I can't wait for it to be warm enough to do that every day, PLUS go swimming. I really can't wait for that! After we got home Taylor and I sat and played on our new phones for most of the night setting them up and learning how to use them. No wonder everyone love's smart phones so much.. They are AWESOME! I seriously LOVE my phone (i don't think I've ever said that before).

The weather decided to go rainy again on Sunday and it's been cloudy and rainy every day since. I'm looking forward to some nice days in May. My best friend finished her last final EVER on Tuesday and is graduating today! I couldn't be more thrilled. I think I may have been more excited for her to be done with school than I was! We have spent every day talking about baby projects on our lists and doing research to crack the secrets behind expensive baby clothing and blankets. Oh we are going to make so many cute things! It is so fun being pregnant at the same time as your best friend. I just can't wait to find out what she is having! Only 2 more weeks!

I had my hair done on Monday and man.. I feel like a new woman! It is so blonde and so pretty, she trimmed all my ends and it is looking so healthy. We went over ways to help my hair grow faster and keeping it healthy. She was so sweet and gave me an entire bottle of deep condition formula AND she had me come in to her salon for a deep condition treatment last night! Gosh I'm spoiled.. THANK YOU kins! I have been doing tons of research on hair treatments to restore it's health and keep it strong. Maybe if you're lucky I'll share what I've learned.. just maybe (as soon as I have time).

Pregnancy has been great this week I had 2 nights where my belly was hard as a rock and I couldn't eat hardly anything. Everything needs to stretch.. cause baby girl needs more room. She is still so active. Caden sat and watched her move one day on the couch. She was kicking so fast and hard, she actually started kicking right under my belly button and every time she kicked I got an outie. haha. Caden was laughing hysterically. He thinks she is coming out of my belly button.. so as soon as she started kicking it he said "baby isher comin out, hold her?". I keep telling him when it gets hot outside and we start going to the swimming pool then baby sister will come out. He seem so excited to have a baby to hold and love. Sleeping has been good this week. I've found ways to stay very comfortable. My measurement today definitely tell me that my belly is stretching and getting bigger. A whole inch! wow little girl. You must be getting big in there! 3/4 of the way done! Only 10 weeks left!

Finals

2011-04-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Finals are here! Can you believe how fast this semester went? I am still in dis belief that April is half over! I took my practical final on Thursday, basically they gave us a pattern part and said "sew it". It was so much easier than I was anticipating. This sewing class has been so great. I have learned so much, mostly about basics and improving on my skills, but I can tell you this.. The stuff I sew now is so much better quality. I have bags and bags of sewing projects to be done before baby gets here! I take my written final on Saturday.. then I'm DONE! I hate tests, seriously they take it out of me! This class has been so nice to never have homework or have to study for a quiz or test. I'm considering not studying for the final this weekend.. Even If I get 50% on the test, I should still get a B+ in the class. And It's sunny and warm outside! I wanna take Caden to the park and Hee Haws for Spring Fling! Plus.. Studying is boring! Maybe just a quick review before the test on Saturday will cut it ;)

We are finishing organizing our garage today! Our house is totally deep cleaned, organized and purged! I'm almost done with school, and the sun is shining! The next 11 weeks will be filled with tons of projects, lazy days at the pool and getting ready for Sister to arrive!

I have lots of posts to come. New and Old!

sleepin' in style

2011-03-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

This boy is growing up too fast on me. Of all the rewards he could have gotten for potty training he chose sunglasses. Of course he looks killer cute in any pair of shades, just like his daddy ;) He chose a pair of blue aviators (possibly from the coaxing and compliments we kept giving him) and looks like a total stud whenever they're on. With all the driving school has brought me we spend a lot of time in the car. First thing when we get in he asks me to hand him his glasses. Most of the time he falls asleep with them on and ends up with big red aviator lines all over his face. I had to take a picture because I laugh every time I see this in my rear view mirror.

At least he's sleepin' in style ;)

...is this a joke?

2011-03-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

So we all know my weakness during pregnancy right? Sugar. Yes anything sugary, sweet, delicious. Problem is... I can't just indulge my cravings! My weight gain limit is going to come sooner than I know it and then what?

So this last week Taylor came home from work with a bag. Acting very strange, he tried to keep the bag behind his back and sneak past me in the kitchen. He opened the fridge and filled the doorway so that I couldn't see what he was doing.. and next thing I know there was an empty bag going in the trash. What does he think I'm going to do? Of course I headed over to the fridge and start looking top to bottom to see what he was hiding. But he did a good job, I couldn't find it. Next morning I was making waffles with Caden and needed the whole wheat flour out of the back of the fridge. There it was sitting on top.. 3 boxes of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies! Is this some kind of a joke!?! It almost killed me to keep from ripping the top off a box and start eating. When Taylor came home for lunch we totally cracked into a box.. and man oh man. It was like heaven. I ate a few cookies then my man came out with the "nutritional facts". Way to kill the enjoyment. Do you know how many calories those cookies have? 4 cookies = 160 calories. 6 grams of saturated fat and 11 grams of sugar. BABE! What were you thinking? Therefore I can't eat these cookies. He's done it again. Finding some way or something that prevents me from enjoying his favorite treats ;)

Not. Fair.

needing opinions

2011-02-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

I don't know if anyone out there still reads this, I get a few comments here and there. I know I've totally been slacking on this blog. I have so much to catch up on and It is so overwhelming that I just put it off completely! sad, I know :( For those of you who still read I could really use some opinions!

We have taken some huge leaps forward with Caden. Potty training and bedroom change in one week has gone over so smoothly! Now I'm ready to start working on the nursery! I can't wait to post all the fun projects I have going up in baby girl's new room. I am having an impossible time deciding what to do for bedding in the crib! help! I want to make a cute mini duvet cover for a little crib comforter I got. What to make!?! I am all decided on the bumper pads and crib skirt, even the pillows! I just can't seem to make up my mind on the duvet. I am in love with all of the following:

1.) Anthropologie Rosette Bedding 2.) Urban Outfitters Corner Ruffle Duvet

3.) Layla Grace Whisper Linen Duvet 4.) Urban Outfitters Waterfall Ruffle Duvet

I love them all. Both of the Urban Outfitter Duvet covers are so dreamy. I love how simple the Layla Grace comforter is. It might be nice to have a simple duvet and more decorative pillows. And I just love the knotted rosette cover. See my dilemma? I can't choose. I could really use some opinions!

Which one do you like most?

The skirt will be white and lightly gathered and probably made of linen so it flows nicely. The crib sheets will be white. The bumper pads will be big and round, you know balloon bumper pads, in either teal or white. The pillows will all be different and girly: flowers, bows, ruffles.. you get the idea, In all different shades of teal.

and click HERE to see the nursery as it is now {minus all the cute little girly things I've added}

That should help in placing the duvet ;)

Sweet Valentine

2011-02-15T22:06:00.000-08:00

February 14th, the day of love. Also a day with every excuse to make sweet treats ;)

I was feeling super ambitious this Valentines Day and decided that I wanted to put my skills to the test. I am dying to be a pro "pretty sweets" maker. Cupcakes are so simple and always look so cute. Sugar cookies are delicious and can be decorated so many different ways. I want to learn. I need to practice. So Valentines Day was my day! Sunday morning I made some cupcakes for my cousin's homecoming. I just used a golden vanilla cake mix and whipped frosting from the store. I didn't have time for much else. I wanted to practice my swirling skills. I've never done this before on a cupcake and it always looks so pretty! Turns out, it's super easy. Start in the center, squeeze out a dollop and continue a swirl around the dollop to the outside of the cupcake. Easy. They turned out so adorable. I made some cute heart toppers the day before out of royal icing and let them dry overnight. They added the perfect touch to the cupcakes!

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the beautiful sugar cookies we made before the homecoming. The few I had left over were the "not so perfect" and "a little overbaked" but you get the idea. My very talented cousin did a post on HowDoesShe with the instructions to make this adorable heart border. I had to try it out and any excuse to practice with royal icing is good enough for me. Royal icing is so much fun to use. My first attempt, well, let's just say it's not one I'd like to remember. This being my third attempt with this icing I'd say I'm becoming pro. Taylor and Caden love decorating with royal icing as well, I do all the work in getting it prepared [the hard part] and they enjoy piping it onto the cookies. How is that fair? I tried a new sugar cookie recipe for these and I do believe I have found our new family sugar cookie recipe. It is delicious, simple and helps the cookies hold their shape perfectly while they bake. I am seriously impressed. I also tried a new royal icing recipe and I think it turned out better than any other I've used. Find the delicious sugar cookie recipe here and the royal icing recipe here. There is a lot to learn about royal icing but with some practice, It can be a lot of fun!

Caden was obsessed with the little sugar pearls and put them on every cookie he decorated. His cookies turned out so darling. The royal icing smooths out so beautifully, all his cookies looked like pro baby design. He was so proud of his creations :)

Taylor and I had a little fun making special cookies. After seeing this as well on my cousin's post we had to try it. I knew Taylor would love it, and sure enough he did. His cookies were so over the top and hilarious. With a touch of edible glitter and some pearls these cookies turned out pretty darn cute. We had a great time laughing while we made them together.

Caden colored inside of a cookie cutter to make some cute little Valentines. He used every crayon in the box and they turned out so cute. He was very focused ;)

On love day itself we made a some heart shaped rice krispie treats. Caden was a little upset when I colored the marshmallows pink instead of blue. But he was more than happy to eat the rice krispie treat scraps regardless of the color ;)

We had a very fun Valentines day filled with lots of love and sweets. And the 50 degree weather was the icing on the cake.

Happy Valentines Day!

Half Way!

2011-02-12T00:20:00.000-08:00

yay! I'm so happy! Life has been a whirlwind since we found out #2 was on the way. Can every pregnancy please be like this. I feel so blessed. I'm healthy, I feel great, Baby girl is perfect. How am I so blessed?

We got tons of projects done this last week! Finished the dresser and got it home. I cleaned out the entire 3rd bedroom. Painted the ladder for the bunk bed. Installed a shelf in the closet for extra storage. Went through all of Caden's newborn clothes and pulled out the gender neutral ones. Washed all those clothes and the bags of clothes I had from Kid to Kid. Whew. What a busy week. It feels good though. We are gearing up for Valentines day, making lots of yummy treats. I can't believe we're almost half way through February! Spring will be here before we know it! Baby girl is moving so much, she still hates anything tight on my stomach. She kicks and wiggles anytime I am bending over or my waistband is cutting into me. I love feeling her move so much. Caden felt her for the first time this week. He was pretty excited. Every day he pats my tummy and says "cute baby" and cups his hands out in front of him gesturing that he want's to hold her. He is going to be such a good big brother to her. Pregnancy symptoms have been nothing too different. I had a weird pain in my side again on Sunday. This time the only thing that made it go away was standing up. It took 30-45 minutes for it to go away. I asked my doctor about it yesterday and he says it is my rectus muscle stretching. It is usually triggered by changing positions too quickly. Nothing I can do about it except moving a little slower. Other than that, I am really feeling great. I am still able to sleep mostly on my stomach, what a blessing. I am getting a great night sleep every night. I rarely have to wake up to use the bathroom. I am looking fat still. I really don't feel like I have that defined baby bump yet. I'm ok with that, the baby is growing fine, I have 20 more weeks to have a real baby bump.

The 20 week ultrasound went great. I have been so anxious to know that my little girl is growing properly. I asked a lot of questions and had the ultrasound tech show me a lot of things and check certain things. Her brain, heart, and stomach are all working perfectly. Her umbilical cord is attached well. She doesn't have cleft lip. She has 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot. She has cute little ears and nose. Her profile is adorable. She looks so perfect. What a little miracle. I loved watching her move and wiggle. She was doing flips the entire time, the ultrasound tech kept begging her to hold still ;). They burned a DVD for us which is so nice to have! I love this clinic. Have I said that already? They are so great.

20 weeks till I get to hold you, sweet baby girl. I already love you so much!

twenty week ultrasound

View from the top of her head, you can see her little ear sticking off the head!

These are for me. She has the CUTEST little feet!

Waving with her left hand ;)

The whole leg and foot

The lower legs, the little bones amaze me

My sweet baby girl

Isn't she beautiful?

a "BIG" difference ;)

2011-02-10T22:40:00.000-08:00

I was glancing back through my old pictures of when I was pregnant with Caden. Unfortunately I didn't take very many and they were all "phone pictures", but at least I have the ones I do. My weight gain goals for this pregnancy are pretty lofty. I can't lose weight while I'm nursing, so I can't gain as much weight this go around or I won't be very motivated to nurse. I gained almost 45 lbs with Caden. yikes. I know. Really that was not healthy, but I honestly felt like I couldn't control it. That was my excuse. I am feeling more and more like my limit of 25 lbs wight gain this pregnancy is something I can do. This time around I have proven to myself that I can control my weight. Here's the proof!

[20 weeks with Caden]

[20 weeks with baby no. 2]

We'll have to see if I can keep it up!

Tall Boy Dresser: In White

2011-02-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

I began a hunt over the summer last year to find a dresser perfect for our third bedroom. Yard sale after yard sale I could never find exactly what I was looking for. I took up the hunt online and searched KSL and Craigslist every day. The day this beauty came up I was on it! They already had another caller interested, but I could get there first. They sold me this baby for $20. perfect. It was the perfect fit for where we needed to put it and not too tall, not too short. It was perfect. I will admit I was a little worried after seeing it and how beat up it really was. Dings, dents, the bead board on the base was falling off, one knob was completely broken off. It needed some serious work. But who could pass up this gorgeous piece? It has been sitting in the garage over the cold months since I haven't had the energy to get to it until now. My in-laws let me use their workshop basement to crack down and work some magic.

Excuse the phone pictures. I forgot my camera the day I started working. You get the idea!

I spent about an hour sanding and prepping for paint. Some of the dents were really deep and although a few would add character I didn't want the entire piece looking thrashed. Resurfacing those deep dents took some time. I had to do some repair work on the bottom trim since it was falling off. Nothing a little wood glue and some clamps couldn't fix. Priming. Painting. Sealing. Took me several more hours. I used my favorite white paint by Benjamin Moore called White Cloud. Such a dreamy white color. I absolutely love it. Deciding on hardware was my challenge. I love the look of glass or crystal knobs, but most of them go for $8 a piece! yikes. No way. I wasn't about to put $70 into hardware! For only spending $30 so far on the piece and finishing it, I wasn't about to spend that kind of money. I finally crossed paths with these glass knobs that ran $2 a piece. much better. They were the perfect fit, although there were much prettier knobs out there, for the price these were perfect. It took quite the transformation and looks absolutely gorgeous! I am more than thrilled with the way it turned out.

I love the feet on the front, they add so much character.

The gorgeous bead trim on the bottom all repaired and securely attached. That was the hardest part to sand by far! All those little grooves!

These flowers are real. My sweet husband sent me 100 bloom lilies while he was away on a business trip last week. He is so cute. They have totally filled our house with a fresh springy look. I am in love.

Now for the finishing touches in this room... Then moving our little boy into his new big bed! I can't believe he's growing up so fast :(

But we are so excited for this little baby girl to join our family! 20 weeks left!

Weekend Getaway

2011-01-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

I have the sweetest husband. Just wanted to get that out there.

Last weekend we headed to Vegas for a somewhat spur of the moment vacation. I told Taylor, a few weeks ago, that I really wanted to go shopping at the H&M in Vegas. Ever since we went to California and shopped there 2 summers ago, I've been dying to go back! They have a maternity, kids and mens section section in the Vegas store and I was desperately in need of maternity clothes for this pregnancy. I think I bought 3 shirts and 1 belly band with pregnancy no. 1. That was it! I had nothing to wear this time around. Taylor was so sweet and planned an entire trip to go down and take me shopping. He arranged for us to stay with his dad's cousins Glenda and Randy. She was so sweet and offered to feed us all but 1 meal during our trip. I can honestly say, she made the trip possible for us. Taylor extended the invitation to his cute cousin Tacy and her husband Danny for a weekend party in Vegas!

I do believe the drive down south was the fastest I've ever experienced. Danny told stories for at least 2 hours of the trip. We were all crying and belly laughing. I don't think I have a single life story that is as funny as any one of his. Taylor brought his laptop and streamed internet through his phone to it.. ya, i know. It was so awesome. We got there late, ate dinner and spent time with our gracious hosts. Taylor and Danny spent hours out in the "man shop" out back. Randy has a workshop that would possibly compare with Santas. He made bombs for us, helped the boys cut some stretch Y key chains with his plasma cutter. Oh I can only dream of having a workshop like that someday. They had so many fun toys in their back yard as well. Zip line, spinning chairs, trampoline, spinning see-saw, and some kind of military tower with a gun [that's the best i can do with explaining it]. We had a blast and after enjoying a night of laughter and a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, we hit the sac. In the morning we headed to the Town Square shopping center. Might I add, the most beautiful outdoor mall I have ever been to. They had every store imaginable. We hit H&M first of course. Taylor totally spoiled me. He carried arms full of clothing around the store for me and sat patiently in the dressing room while I tried everything on. He gave me thumbs up and thumbs down on all my outfits, fortunately we agreed on almost everything. I walked out of the dressing room with a pile I knew would pass my "budget" and laid it on a table. I looked through and pulled out 2 items I didn't love and Taylor scooped up the rest and walked to the cash register. I wanted to cry, seriously. He must really love me ;) The weather was so perfect, 70 degrees and sunny! My shopping was done so I just followed everyone else around to the other stores and enjoyed some sun on the benches outside. Taylor and I walked into Aéropostale searching for Danny while Tacy was in a store across the street. He was at the cash register with 5 pairs of jeans! He looked like a child on christmas morning. His face was literally glowing. "$10 for a pair of JEANS!" He was actually giggling. He kept grabbing more things off the shelves. We would wait and laugh as he came out to show us all his outfits. He would walk out and look in the floor length mirror and amire his choices. Taylor and him were hilarious. I seriously couldn't stop laughing. I caught Danny saying "I have never had so much fun shopping in my life" at least 3 times. That made my day, the boys having so much fun shopping. I didn't feel so guilty for dragging everyone to a mall for half of our vacation ;) We went to a restaurant called Claim Jumpers there at the outdoor mall. My new favorite restaurant. Danny, Tacy and I all got the Caesar Salad. Oh boy, it was to die for. Best Caesar Salad of my life. The chicken was perfect, the dressing was heavenly and it had cornbread croutons! They were amazing! We were all wiping the dressing off our plates. We headed back to Glenda and Randy's for dinner and some time with their kids. On our way back we were all talking about what we would do when we got back to the house Tacy said "I think I'll take a shower", Taylor said "I'm going to play in the backyard", I said "I'm going to curl my hair" and Danny said [no joke] "I'M GOING TO TRY ON ALL MY NEW CLOTHES!" The car exploded with laughter. I have never heard a man, especially as manly a man as Danny, say those words. We had delicious spaghetti and salad for dinner. We headed out for a trip to the Venetian to see the world famous production of "Phantom of the Opera". Gosh we were all freaking out as we drove there. I have wanted to see this broadway show since I was young. I love the music, and the movie. I couldn't wait. The show surpassed any of my expectations. From the beginning of the show I had goosebumps. The set was amazing. I still can't believe how realistic they made everything look. They did a fantastic job. The singing was so incredible. Even Taylor got teared up! Thank you to my incredibly sweet father-in-law for buying us tickets to go see the show of my dreams! We headed back on the strip after the show to the stratosphere. Taylor was dying to take Danny on the big shot and other rides. I, in my current state [pregnant], couldn't go on the rides. It was $16 just to ride to the top of the stratosphere, So I opted out and decided to stay at the bottom. Tacy was so sweet and stayed with me. We got a banana split from Ben and Jerry's to share. delicious. The boys had so much fun. They came back down laughing hysterically over the picture they got from the big shot. Taylor's face is priceless. The ride instructor told them to hold their hands out in front of them [not touching anything] and look straight up as they took off. Taylor described it as "I thought I was going to blast into outer space". His face in the picture totally reflected it. He looked terrified. We all had a good laugh over it. We headed back to the car and home where we all got in bed and fell asleep. Our trip home was filled with jokes and funny stories again. It was exactly what we had all been needing. A nice little break. The weather made me so sick for spring to come. I can't wait for the next few cold months to pass!

Thank you so much Taylor for the dream weekend getaway! Muah!

16 weeks

2011-01-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'll be half way there in 4 weeks! This pregnancy is flying! I love it by the way.

This week has been so busy. I love my sewing class, it is so much fun! It really makes the beginning of the week fly by. It's nice to have something to look forward to and get ready for [no I don't always get ready for the day]. I went in last Thursday for a quick heartbeat check with my nurse, she was so nice. Everything sounded good. It took a while to find that beautiful little sound, apparently I'm carrying really low right now. I have felt a few little flutters here and there this week, not very much movement. I can't wait for the motion to get stronger so I can feel it all the time. My appetite this last week has exploded. I have to have some kind of snack between meals and before I go to bed. I usually grab some fruit out of the fridge, the oranges are so good right now, and I got a good deal on pears last week. So my snacks have been delicious and just enough to hold me over between meals. Earlier this week I was feeling some "growth" down in my abdomen. My muscles were a little sore and I felt really bloated. I feel like I am starting to show a little now, but I look like I'm in that "looking fat not pregnant" stage. I am excited for that baby bump to get a little bigger. I still weigh less than I did before getting pregnant with Caden [yay for me!] only one more pound to go! The last 3 days I've had a head ache once a day. I took tylenol one day, but I just rode it out on the others. Hopefully they go away soon, I don't function well on a headache. I've been sleeping much better this week, still sleeping too much, I should start getting on a schedule and waking up earlier. It's just so stinkin hard!

Today is the big day! I'm really excited to see the baby on a "real" ultrasound machine. It seems so weird that they might be able to tell the gender of our baby already! I feel like I should be showing a lot more for them to be able to tell. Taylor, Caden and I are all going in this afternoon to have our little sneak peak! Caden keeps saying "dole" "dole" "dole". I dunno, I wouldn't be surprised to see another little boy in there. But I will be so happy either way. It's a bit strange to me how little I care what we are having. With Caden I was really kind of hoping for a girl, but after having him and knowing how much I love little boys.. I would be totally happy to have another one!

Having a girl... would be fun, new, and exciting. Of course I would love to have at least one of each (boy and girl), and I can't imagine life without a daughter. This would be the first girl on either side of the family! She would be the only girl in a group of boys, so she might feel left out until another one comes along. She would be so loved and oh so precious. I'm sure she would melt our hearts.

Having a boy... would be sweet, adorable, and practical. I love little boys and thanks to Caden and my four younger brothers, I already know lots about them! I especially love the thought of Caden having a brother to play with (I doubt a baby sister would too interested in playing "fumble" football and cars). It would also be great to have the chance to reuse all of Caden's clothes. They would be the exact same size and season in clothing. I already miss all of the stuff we've put away, not to mention we would save lots of money by not having to buy an entire second wardrobe.

All I really care about is having a healthy baby. I will post some of the ultrasound pictures in the next few days. Boy or Girl? I can't wait to find out!

Who wants to take a guess at the gender?

Caden is voting girl.

Christmas Day

2011-01-09T23:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas day was something special this year. We spent our first Christmas Eve in our own beds. The magic candle worked like real magic, I still can't believe I finally know the secret. Oh, you should have seen Caden's face when the wick went out all by itself. He ran to unlock the front door so Santa could come in then bolted down the hall to his room and climbed in bed. With a 2 year old we still get a good night sleep, no waking up at 5:00 [like my family always did ;)]. We got up a little early, mostly because Taylor was too excited to sleep ;) but also to get the day rolling. We went in and told Caden that Santa had come and brought him some presents. His eyes were open and he was running down the hall before I could catch up. He rubbed his eyes and stood there for a while before he realized, there was his bike! The bike he had been hoping Santa would bring him! He was a little delirious at first but after we finished opening presents we couldn't get him off his bike. Taylor and I splurged and bough ourselves a blueray player with wi-fi so we can stream netflix. I can't wait to watch movies and tv shows at the click of a button. It was so fun opening presents and spending the morning as our little family. Caden was so fun and excited.

This boy got spoiled.. really, I mean spoiled. I couldn't stop buying fun toys for him. He loved his dino flashlight and cute monkey from build-a-bear. He got an echo microphone and a harmonica. I hear him making his own kind of music every day. It is totally adorable.

Picture #1: the corner of the present is un-wrapped.. gasp.. I know what it is! ;)

Picture #2: totally corny cheeser face, and thrilled over his favorite movie.

After we finished breakfast at our house we headed down to my parents. We opened presents and played with toys. We were totally spoiled again. Caden got a way cool toy screw and drill set. A truck, airplane and race car that are all held together by screws and the electric screwdriver to take them apart and put them together. He was taking the screws out before I even had them out of the packaging. He also got a very cool hotwheels tricycle. He calls this his "other bike" or "motorcycle". Since he really won't be able to enjoy his bike from us until it starts warming up this is definitely his favorite bike. He sits and watches movies on it, puts all his stuffed animals on it and takes them for rides. It has lots of cool buttons and sound effects, he loves it! My parents bought me a very nice juicer.. I can't say enough good about it. We have loved using it to make fresh juice and mixing any vegetable and fruit we can think of. It is heaven. Taylor got some new video games that he's been dying to have. We were totally spoiled! We were so excited to get to talk to my brother Lane in Lithuania. His time limit was 45 min on the phone.. but it quickly turned to an hour and a half. It was so good to hear his voice, let him talk to Caden. Hear him laugh. We sure do miss him, his 1 year mark is coming up this thursday! I can't wait to see him in a year!

We finally got to spill the beans to my siblings about baby #2 on the way. I hand stitched the words "uncle of 2" or "auntie of 2" on a shirt for each of them. They all took a long time to figure it out. I wrapped their t-shirts with another small present and they were all staring at the "other" present before they looked at their shirt. Ben was the first to read his. He was totally oblivious and said "Cool, Thanks" and put the shirt back down. Then when Rachel and Jarom read theirs they started freaking out. Ben and Nanny were so confused. Once we explained it to them they got really excited too. Apparently Rachel and Jarom both "knew" I was pregnant. Me falling asleep on the couch and my mom's occasional slips were enough to clue them in. I was expecting that Rachel had figured it out, but I was surprised that Jarom was also suspicious. My grandparents came down just before we were going to leave to Taylor's house, so we got to tell them as well. My grandma was so happy and excited, she said "I've been waiting for this news!" I think everyone was. It was so exciting to let them all in on our exciting little addition.

After we finally got done with our phone conversation with my brother we headed up to Taylors parents. I really am so grateful that we can live so close to both of our families. It was so fun to be able to spend time with the people we love most. My mother-in-law packed each of us a cute stocking with presents. Caden was so excited to open another sock full of goodies. He got so many fun things, tie-dye jammies (i am absolutely in love with), mega legos, cute books and puzzles. He was so spoiled. Taylor and I were both spoiled beyond expectation. Taylor got a nice wool dress coat and new luggage which he desperately needs for traveling. I got, probably the coolest toy of the day. A dyson vacuum! And a beautiful wall cubby organizer. I am still dying to get it put on the wall in our family room! I also got.. well, I should say "we".. but technically my father-in-law said it was for me. A gun. Yes, I said a gun. I opened the box and shut it really quickly after I got a peak inside. A gun! Are you serious? It was an unexpected and slightly (scary) shocking gift ;) Taylor pulled it out for me and he showed me all the cool features. My Father-in-law felt it was important for me to have a way to protect myself and my kids if the situation ever came along. I really am grateful for this gift, I will feel much more at peace when Taylor is away and I have a weapon. Now, I just need to get to the shooting range and learn how to use it ;)

Once we started opening presents under the tree Taylor and I both got really anxious for them to open the "big surprise". I stitched "the spoiling begins in... 6 months" across the front of a newborn onesie for them to open. We timed it just about perfect and had Bret and Ingrid open it together after most of the presents were done. Triest and Ross and Grandma and Grandpa were all there. They were all so excited once they read the onesie, I think they were all pretty surprised too. I don't know that any of them were suspicious of me being pregnant.. at least not 3 months along! Caden told them all when the baby was coming on "Duwy fowst"! This will be grandbaby #5, what do you know, my lucky number! It will be so fun to see this family grow and watch all the cousins get together and play.

Caden got some new movies that he sat and stared at for, not kidding, at least 15 minutes. He was so anxious to get the plastic wrap off "How to Train Your Dragon" which has actually been the movie he prefers over "Toy Story 3". It is so nice to have some new movies for our collection. He also got some Buzz Lightyear rain boots. He loved them from the second the wrapping paper was off. He will wear these after he gets out of the tub, while he's watching movies, and I've even caught him in his bed with them on in the morning. What can I say, he loves Buzz. Caden was so excited to give Poppy his christmas present, I have pictures from when we made it I need to post. We went to Color Me Mine and made him a BYU candy bowl for his office.The inside has Caden's little hand prints all over and the outside looks like a football helmet . It turned out really cute and Caden was really excited to give him our little creation.

[some of our fabulous gifts]

I had to post a picture because I was totally blown away. After cleaning up from Christmas I couldn't wait to get our new vacuum out and suck up all the dirt. I didn't realize how much dirt there was to actually suck up! The canister was to the "max" fill line after I had vacuumed the hall and our bedroom. No Joke. Taylor and I were both shocked. Our old vacuum must have really needed replacing ;) This thing even does hard floors and It actually does a better job than my broom (goodbye mr. broom). I have become somewhat of a vacuum maniac over the last 2 weeks. I mean, vacuuming has always been my favorite chore, but now I love it so much more!

Chrismas was so wonderful. I can't even thank everyone enough for all the wonderful gifts we recieved. We are so blessed. Blessed to have wonderful family and friends to share this time of year with. Blessed to be having another baby. Blessed to have the gospel. Blessed to have our Savior.

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Baby Bump [no. 2]

2011-01-03T10:14:00.000-08:00

A few days after I found out we were pregnant I decided I wanted to keep some kind of journal through this pregnancy. With Caden I didn't have a blog, I never wrote in my journal and the only record I have of things that happened during pregnancy were a few emails I had sent to friends. I try to recall when this or that happened during my first pregnancy and I can hardly remember. It was only three years ago, but remembering specifics has become a challenge! This time around I want to remember everything. I want something for my kids to read. So when my girls ask me how my pregnancy's were, I can tell them. I've made an entry every week and a few extras here and there. I have included all my belly shots, all the ultrasound pictures and lots of other fun pregnancy info on the blog! I also have the information about the cleanse I did, our nursery, my delivery story with Caden and other random info as well.

I don't really want my pregnancy experience to take over this blog and replace all the other things that are happening in our life. So I wanted to invite anyone who is interested to read my baby bump blog. I have it set to private, so leave me your email address in the comments below and I will add you to read! The blog is: larasbabybump.blogspot.com

[of course I will still add some pictures and updates on this blog, it just won't be as often or detailed as the baby bump blog!]

To My Man

2011-01-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

Three years has brought us:

94,670,777.9 seconds • 1,577,846.3 minutes • 1095 days • 1 1/3 Pregnancies • 1 handsome boy and 1 baby on the way • 3 cities • 1 state • 1 home of our own • 4 cars (I still miss your truck!) • 3 football seasons • 4 jobs • 1 broken foot • 4 stitches • 0 pets • 1 grandparent's funeral • 1 siblings wedding • 1 missionary farewell • 2 airplane trips together • 1 visit out of the country • hundreds of movies • 148 episodes of house (we have some catching up to do!) • a million hugs and kisses • and lots of love and happiness.

You make me laugh and smile every day. You are my best friend, I am so glad I get to share every day with you. You have made me a better person and helped me grow. You are the best daddy and an amazing leader in our home. I love you. I am so glad we get to be together forever. Happy Anniversary Lover Boy!

Coolest Big Brother

2010-12-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

This picture just about sums it up! We are so excited to finally be expecting baby #2.

Caden is going to be a big brother in 6 months! Being a mommy of 2? I am so excited. The fact that we are really having a baby is starting to sink in! Sometimes I felt like this day would never come. It was a long process and took a lot of faith and prayer, but baby #2 is finally coming! Feeling the little twitch of baby kicks is making it more real for me every day. The lack of posts on this blog may partially have been due to no energy and not feeling so well. Or maybe I just got lazy for a couple of months ;) I am excited to be in my second trimester and I'm hoping it brings lots of energy and motivation! Oh, yes, I need it.

The Due Date is: July 1, 2010

We are so excited and ready to have a new little baby at our house!

Once There Was a Snowman

2010-12-21T12:22:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie. I was a little distraught over the fact that we might not get a white Christmas. This coming from Mrs. "I hate snow" is kind of a big deal. Waking up this morning to a very white world has my Christmas spirits soaring! Our deck looked like it had enough snow to make a little snowman and oh how my little boy loves playing in the snow. I went in his room to wake him up, threw some snow clothes on and we were out in the snow before we even ate breakfast! He had so much fun rolling and patting the 3 balls into place. He loved the carrot nose and button eyes. He really felt that we needed a button for the snowman's "shirt" {hence the single button ;)}. He was so proud of his work. He begged me to call daddy to come home and see his creation. When I ran to grab my camera, I came back out to see him hugging and kissing the snowman. I laughed, asking him what he was doing, his reply was simply "Mama, love snowman. Kiss snowman!". Could he be any more stinkin' cute? He has been walking around all morning singing "snowman, snowman.. tall, Tall, TALL!"

We are all pretty happy about the white outside! I can't wait for Christmas!

Magical Time of Year

2010-12-19T22:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas is 6 days away. I can hardly believe it. How have the months passed so quickly since this time last year? It's been a whirlwind. Now to top it off we have the best holiday a few days away.

Christmas really is a magical time of year. The love, family coming together, celebrating the birth of our savior, the snow (which may not come this year), the excitement of Santa coming. It is all so magical. Nothing makes this Christmas more magical than having a little 2 year old. He makes me excited. His dash to the tree in the morning to plug in the lights. The reminder that we have to move the mouse on our Calendar. He brings the spirit of Christmas into our home.

We are planning on sleeping at our house for Christmas this year. Our very first Christmas at home. Santa will come and hopefully bring Caden a certain 2 presents... Toy Story 3 and a Bike ;) oh please don't forget Santa. Caden has been a very good boy this year. We have really enjoyed doing some family Christmas traditions: candy advents, decorating our tree together, build-a-bear, visiting Santa at the mall, watching our favorite holiday films.. and burning our magic Christmas candle.

We got some new ornaments for our tree this year. Caden found adorable little birds in a basket while we were shopping. I couldn't say no to that cute little face of his, and the birds were really cute! We pulled out a few of the ornaments that my mom gave from my childhood collection. Caden quickly fell in love with my little Santa Clause. He will stare at him and pat the little penguin's head. Sometimes I catch him talking to Santa saying things like "I good boy", "reindeer fly in the sky", "Toy Story, Bike". It melts my heart. He loves Santa. He would do just about anything for him ;) Our tree has been Caden's pride and joy. He plugs it in first thing in the morning, and he makes sure it stays on all day.

I always looked forward to our candy advents. We would choose anything we wanted to put in it: candy, crackers, gum, fruit snacks. You name it. This year we used york, peanut m&ms, butterfinger, snickers, and scooby snacks. Caden helped me lay the candy out (and stole pieces when I wasn't looking). We wrapped them in red plastic wrap and tied them with green ribbon. Then hung them over our pantry door. Each day we cut one candy off. This has to be one of Taylor's favorite traditions. His candy is always cut to the exact day ;)

And for our Magic candle. This is the best tradition ever invented. Thank you dad for being so creative. When I was a girl I was always so amazed by this magic candle. I still to this day do not know how it works. My brother and I have examined every candle my dad has made, cut it apart, watched him endlessly while it burns on Christmas eve.. and we still don't know the trick. When I called my dad at the beginning of the month I asked what I needed to do this magic candle. A candle with wax the same color through the core, and puff paint. I proceeded to ask him "so.. dad.. what do I do to it? I mean, how does it work?" He started laughing uncontrollably. He couldn't believe I still didn't know how this magic candle works. He told me he'd show me Christmas week (yes, I am anxious to find out!)

You start with 24 dots on the candle. Every night we light the candle and read scriptures about Jesus until one dot burns off. On Christmas eve we read the story of Jesus's birth. This night is different. Santa is getting ready to leave his work shop any minute to bring presents to our house. While dad would read we all watched the candle very closely. The flame starts to flicker, the wick falls and the candle goes out. SANTA IS COMING!!! Somehow this magic candle goes out by itself on Christmas eve. Meaning Santa is on his way! We run to our beds and try to fall asleep as fast as we can ;)

I am so excited to have our own magic candle this year. Caden loves lighting it and watching it burn a dot every night. Every night he points to the very last dot and says "Santa Clause". He knows. I can't wait to watch the magic in 5 days! The excitement makes me feel like a kid again.

During this Christmas season the true magic is feeling the overwhelming spirit fill our home as we read scriptures and sing Christmas hymns. Remembering the birth of our Savior. Remembering what he has done for each and every one of us. I am so grateful. I am blessed with a beautiful little family. Taylor has a good job that he loves. We have a place to call home. We are close to both of our families. We are truly blessed.

May the magic of Christmas fill everyone's hearts and homes.

Water Bottle Perfection

2010-12-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

Stocking stuffer anyone?

I had to share this brilliant invention. Camelbak is awesome! Right? I mean I don't know how everyone else feels.. but I really love their products. My friend introduced me to this amazing bottle a few months ago.. and needless to say... I had to buy it. Perfect for stocking stuffer! These water bottles are so cool. The Better Bottle is completely spill-proof (really), BPA-Free.. and my favorite part.. they have a straw! You can drink from these without lifting them! Perfect! The nipple folds back and they have a plastic loop making it easy to clip it onto something. They have 3 different sizes and 11 different colors. And they are super easy to clean. They even have cute kid sized bottles with adorable designs printed around the outside.

Yes, I bought one for each of us :) and I can't wait to open mine!

The Funny Things He Says

2010-12-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little guilty. My camera hasn't been out much in the last month. I haven't taken the time to even draft a few posts about thanksgiving, Christmas tree, holiday traditions.. and most importantly my adorable little boy. I don't know what caused my lack of motivation to start Christmas shopping this year. I seriously waited to start till it was 3 weeks away! Shame on me. Now I am suffering the lack of time during the holidays! We are headed out to finish a project at color me mine (one present) and pick up a few more small items at the mall. I am completely finished with Caden's shopping (yes I bought too much for him). How does anyone stop buying for their cute little kids? I see something and think, ooooo Caden would love that! Then buy it. As I was finishing all the wrapping yesterday I felt so guilty about the gigantic pile of stuff for Caden and the 4 little presents I had for Taylor :( Guess that's what happens when his stuff costs 1/4th as much as Taylor's presents.

Christmas is a week away! I am so excited! Next week is going to be insane with Christmas parties! Food, Family, Friends! And I am praying for snow. Yes. You heard me right. We have no snow. Our streets are bone dry and the sun has shown through clear blue skies for the last 2 weeks. I checked the 10 day forecast and it says *SNOW* for Christmas Eve and Christmas! Please let it be, it just isn't Christmas without the snow!

We still have a bunch of little traditions to do next week before the big day arrives:

1) Make sugar cookies and take to friends!

2) Watch Holiday Inn

3) Watch Christmas Story

4) Go see a nativity Scene

5) Make Gingersnap Cookies for Santa

{didn't you know those are his favorite ;)}

and anything else that comes to mind....

My cute little boy is SO excited for Christmas. He is so fun and cute. I love this age, well I love every age, but this age is so fun. He has learned the actions and most of the words to: patty cake, itsy bitsy spider, popcorn popping and once there was a snowman. We sing them all the time. I should post some videos. He is also saying the funniest things. Here are some that have made me burst out laughing:

- When we leave the house to go anywhere Caden always has to bring a few toys. Usually it consists of his stuffed animals "horsey dodo" or "doggy" and a toy car. This particular morning my arms were full, I was carrying hoodies for both of us and my coat, a wipe case and Caden's gloves. I was in a hurry and needed to get down to the car quickly. I asked Caden to hand me his doggy on top of the pile in my left arm and then I picked him up in my left arm to carry him down the stairs. As soon as we started going down He reached into my arm and pulled his doggy off the top. I was holding everything tightly and him pulling sent the wipe case flying down the stairs. I looked at him and said "CADEN! don't do that when I'm carrying everything." He looked at me confused and said "Mama, DOGGY did it!" I couldn't stop laughing. He's starting early, blame it on someone else!

- We were making crepes for dinner one night and I was pouring and flipping them in the pan while Taylor was setting the table. Caden was helping Taylor but wandered over towards me. He patted my bum and said "good boy Mama."

- We went to Sizzlers with our good friends on a weekend. Caden eats for free there and we LOVE it! I went to the salad bar and got him some things I thought he would like: watermelon, grapes, tortilla chips and guacamole, fishy crackers, and vanilla and chocolate pudding. While the rest of us were waiting for our food we were all just talking. I looked over at Caden's plate and he had spooned tons of chocolate pudding onto one of the tortilla chips. He looked up at me, smiled and said "mama, chocolate chip!"

We sure love him. I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season! If I'm lucky I might get to some new posts with pictures this weekend!

Christmas Spirit

2010-12-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

December is finally here! I can already tell this Christmas is going to be so much fun for our little family. Caden loves our Christmas tree. Every morning he runs out of bed and plugs in the lights and they don't go off till he goes to bed at night. He is so excited for Santa Clause to come to our house. He loves the nativity scenes and holding the little baby Jesus my mom has in her nativity collection from Jerusalem. We are definitely feeling the Christmas spirit at our house.

I finally added our Christmas album onto the blog. These are a compilation of our family's favorite Christmas songs. This is what we love listening to at our house.

Christmas time really makes me reflect on family and how important they really are to me. I love being so close to family. I am so glad that Caden has aunts and uncles that love him and play with him and teach him. I am so grateful for my husband and little boy. They mean the world to me. I am so lucky to have wonderful Grandparents. I love them all so much. My Grandpa Leishman passed away about a year and a half ago after battling cancer for many years. This season always brings back all the fun memories I have of him. I remember every year at our family Christmas party he would always request that we sing Silent Night as the last of the Christmas carols. He has forever made that one of my favorite Christmas songs. In the Taylor Swift holiday album that was released last Christmas I found the most beautiful arrangement of Silent Night. I love Taylor Swift. The first time I heard her arrangement of this song I wished I had been able to share it with my Grandpa. I can't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes every time I listen to it. So Grandpa I hope you can hear this beautiful song. I think about you every time I hear it. I love you and miss you.

This is a great album if anyone is looking for good Christmas tunes! Of course I am partial... but I definitely recommend it ;)

If you want to listen to Silent Night go to the bottom of the left column and click on Silent Night in my music playlist.

Just a Teaser Picture...

2010-11-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

Yes! We finally had some family pictures taken, it's about time now that Caden is 2! I'm so glad we got out before the cold weather rushed in. We are busy, busy, busy with the holidays fast approaching. And I know I'm far behind on my blogging. Christmas shopping and decorating my family room have been consuming my time. I can't wait to get the rest of these pictures done! Thanks to Richelle for doing such a great job, love you girl! Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

Oh Halloween. I love you. October is by far my favorite month.. and since Halloween falls right into October.. I happens to be one of my favorite holidays.

I couldn't believe how much difference a year made in Caden's excitement for Halloween. He was begging to go trick-or-treating a week before Halloween. Now if you know our family.. you know we are die hard Cougar fans. And True blue must run in my little boys blood. He loves BYU. Especially BYU football. There are some days when he tells me he doesn't want to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, he wants to watch BYU Cougar football. Yes I'm serious. Good thing I love watching football too. Caden chose his costume for Halloween. We took him to a costume shop and let him walk around. He narrowed it down to 2 costumes: Elmo, or a BYU football player. Hmmm. Now which one is more practical? Football of course! How many of our future kids will be wearing this outfit for football games and Halloween? Plus Mommy and Daddy already had costumes to match! haha. He was so excited, I had to pull it out of the box several times before Halloween to let him look at it or try it on. When Halloween came he was so excited for me to paint the black under his eyes. He held so still. He took the whole matter very seriously ;)

Since Halloween landed on a Sunday this year everyone went trick-or-treating on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather was wet and cold. That didn't put a damper in our step. Caden made the entire round in my parents neighborhood. Then we took the van and drove through the big neighborhoods to get the big candy. I figured I would just keep Caden in the van while my siblings ran up to the doors.. that was not what Caden had in mind though. He wanted to hit every door and sit in the trunk with his cool uncles. I felt like he was saying "Don't you know mom.. that's the cool thing to do." He got so much candy. Five or six full sized candy bars, money.. and a full ice cream bucket of candy! Yes I was shocked. I swear he got more candy then I ever got as a kid. After trick-or-treating, we headed back to my parents and watched a "scary" movie (according to my mom) called Rear Window staring James Stewart. Haha. I laugh thinking about it. My mom swore it was the scariest movie she ever saw when she was 23. The movie was around 120 min long and it didn't get even slightly suspenseful until the last 10 minutes. Haha. Oh, I love you Mom. Surprisingly Caden watched the entire movie.. He thought it was pretty suspenseful ;) or maybe it was just the Orange Julius and Popcorn that was keeping him seated?

It was a great Halloween once again!

Taylor and I dressed as Caden's football fans. Caden of course was a BYU football player. Jarom wasn't dressed yet. Ben was the Nutty Professor. Nanny was Jack Sparrow. And Rachel was Nanny's parrot. I loved her feather eyelashes! They looked so amazing.

We just so happened to get our favorite Cougar's (now Colt) number!

Tough guy! I love his cute face!

Can anyone guess what Caden's favorite candy was???

On All Hollows Eve

2010-11-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

I just had to share a little part from my brother's email last week. I seriously got goosebumps from this picture. It is amazing how different holidays can be in other countries. Coming from America where Halloween is basically all commercial.. to Lithuania where it is all spiritual. Pretty amazing. I love hearing about Lithuania's culture!

"We carved pumpkins on Sunday, it was fun. The only pumpkin that I could find was greenish blue! They don't have the big round ones like back at home. It looked cool though and we did some traditional faces. I had to keep up the tradition of carving pumpkins! Yesterday we also went to a big graveyard here in Kaunas to see one of the holidays that they celebrate. November 1st is called All Saints Day. The legend goes: that on All Hollows Eve all the spirits rise from their graves. The day after, All Saint's Day, the souls return to their graves. But sometimes they lose their way and they need to be guided back. So the people in the city go and put candles on the graves so the souls can find their way back. The graveyards are COVERED in candles and it is so cool! It's totally something that you would never see in America."

- Elder Leishman

Ooo. A graveyard in the forest, totally creepy. I love this picture!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Taylor found this cute little pumpkin patch near our house. He is so cute, always wanting to start new traditions. I love that about him :D

Caden has been dying to get a baby Bunkin. Our Neighbors had 3 pumpkins sitting by their door for a couple weeks before Halloween. Every time we would leave the house he would bend down and count "1, 2, 3 Bunkin!" and take their little boy's baby pumpkin and put it by our door. Haha. No Caden, put it back. We'll get you a baby pumpkin soon. He was so excited when we went to the pumpkin patch and he got to pick out his very own baby pumpkin. They even had cute wagons to pull the pumpkins in. It was really so fun. The guy thought Caden was so cute that he gave us his baby pumpkin for free. It took his little hands freezing to put the wagon back and get in the car.

{don't mind my frumpiness, this is the only picture of me}

Happy Halloween!

I'm dreaming of...

2010-10-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

In the words of Taylor:

"I'm dreaming of a white.... Halloween?!?"

Well no actually. I prefer my October without snow. But yes Utah.. I still love you. Even if you decide to snow in my favorite month of the year. We'll just keep hoping that this weekend comes with no snow and lots of fun. There was, however, a certain little boy who was pretty excited about the snow.

women . sharing . ideas

2010-10-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

As the newest member of the How Does She team, I just had to do a little plug.

If you haven't checked out this site.. you should. Really you should. This amazing site was started by my cousin and two other amazing women. They have collaborated so many amazing ideas, adorable crafts, delicious recipes and great ideas for showing your love for your husband and family. I am really honored and excited to be a new contributor. This is such a fun site. Seriously check it out: www.howdoesshe.com

As for my life lately:

October? Gone... Almost? Seriously? I'm sad that my favorite month of the year is almost to an end. This month has flown by. I've been so busy with pictures and editing. I am ready for a break! I'm 2 days shy of finishing my cleanse! I am really so proud of myself, I can't believe I am almost done. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I was anticipating.. And the results have been well worth it. I feel great and I've lost more than all the weight I was hoping for! Saturday I AM going to eat a bread twist and ranch dressing from pizza factory... Anyone want to join me? I am so excited for Halloween next week, I am planning on making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, mummy oreos, beef pastries, creamy tomato basil soup, alfredo sub melts... Oh I can't wait. Pumpkin carving. Haunted houses. Halloween. I need to get my house clean and do possibly 5 loads of laundry!? Then we can get to all the festivities!

I Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful month of October!

Check out my first "official" post on How Does She!

Little Poser

2010-10-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's the the magic age of 26 months or what? But my little man went from difficult to get a picture of to... amazing little poser! With no bribes or incentive he sat so still and posed for every picture I wanted to take! What happened?! I don't really care, I'm just so excited to finally have a cooperative little model!

I have been working on getting a wall collage put together for our family room. For some reason I have put the most lived in room off, to be decorated last? It has always seemed like such an overwhelming task. I'm glad I waited so long because my ideas for the room have changed over and over, and now I have a pretty good idea of what I want! It will be hard to go through and choose which of these pictures I want for the wall. He looks so stinkin' cute in all of them! Taylor was so nice to take a few pictures of me to add to the collage. Now I just have to wait for his hair to grow a little so I can take pictures of him! Then print and frame!

Oh help me out, which ones do you like best? I'll never be able to decide!

Fall Wreath Tutorial

2010-10-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Fall! There is no better way to bring that incredible fall air into your home than a little decorating {and possibly some chocolate chip pumpkin cookies ;)} This is by far my favorite season of the year and I always get excited to do fun fall activities!

I spotted an adorable corn husk wreath in a home decor store a few weeks back. I took a good look at how it was put together and decided it would be more than easy to make! I headed to the dollar store and wal-mart to pick up the supplies and my grand total came to $7.00!

Here's the supplies you'll need:

- 1 green foam wreath (dollar store)

- 1 pkg of short sewing pins

- 1 8 oz pkg of corn husk (walmart, with the Mexican food)

- 1 brown ink pad - optional

First off separate the corn husks cause they'll all be stuck together. Then soak them in a sink full of water until they're pliable, around 5-10 min. While they are still damp tear them into 1-2 in pieces. Let them dry for a few minutes. Beginning on the outside pin the wider ends of the pieces to the foam wreath. I stacked 3-4 strips on top of each other then pinned. The more you stack the fuller it will be. On some you may need to use 2 pins to keep them in place. You could use hot glue, but pins are more forgiving and I like forgiving! Work your way around the wreath pinning each row closer to the center. Wrap the last row into the center and pin down the wider ends well so they don't show through the center of the wreath. Now hang it up and make sure you haven't missed anything. Then take the ink pad and stain the tips and edges of the husk pieces. You can skip the last step, I just thought the ink added a little more character. Hang it up and let it dry! That's it! easy.

Cheap, easy and it turned out adorable!

anthropologie: CRACKED

2010-09-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here we go! This is probably the most exciting project I have ever finished. I am, needless to say, completely in love with it!

If you remember back to this post. You will recall I mentioned seeing this beautiful duvet cover at anthropologie with Taylor's cousin. Way over priced, I couldn't bring myself to buy it.. but could I make it?

Yes I could! Thanks to my best friend! Richelle, seriously girl, you are amaizing! She took the time to look over the pictures on anthro's website and made a sketch and basic pattern for me to attempt this duvet cover. She is almost done with school at the Y, majoring in Home and Family Living with an emphasis in sewing. Let me tell ya, SHE CAN SEW! I couldn't have done this without her help and knowledge.

After 30 yards of fabric, 2 twin sheets, 3000 yards of thread, 16 buttons and 2 months of work I am done! Finally done! I don't think anyone is happier than Taylor at this moment, my sewing machine is finally moved off the kitchen table ;) My promises of putting it away went from 2 weeks to 2 months pretty fast. This was a ton of work. Some days I couldn't bring myself to work on it, but slowly it came together. It completes the look of this room. A white dream. ah. This is bliss.

The pillow shams from Anthro cost $68 for 2. The duvet covers cost $168 per, and I needed 2. Had I purchased them my grand total would have come to $404.00 + tax. The cost of making them myself? The 30 yards of fabric and 3000 yards of thread cost $45. The twin sheet set cost $15. The buttons were $3. My grand total was $63.00! That means $31.50 per duvet cover/pillow set. You can't beat that!

Although time consuming and somewhat tedious this has been a fun project. Piecing it together and watching my work come together into this masterpiece was well worth it. I am in love. Aren't you?

3000 yards of thread

2010-09-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

I am done. Finally done. This project has taken me a good 2 months to finish!

After

-30 yards of fabric

-2 twin sheets

-3000 yards of thread

-16 buttons

this is all that remains:

Who wants to see the finished product!?

From the Park Bench

2010-09-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

As Caden grows and the days have become cooler, I love the park more and more. We spend time at the playground every day that the weather permits. It's almost like an extension to our condo. We love having a fun playground right outside for burning energy. My little monkey loves to run from swings to slide and climbing everything in between. Unless he needs a push on the swing, I enjoy my time watching him from the park bench.

I am so excited for fall to be here! We are loving every minute!

My Boy

2010-09-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Does he really have to grow up so fast? There should be laws against it!

He is so handsome, and yes, I tell him all the time. I think I might give him a big head. He'll walk up to me and say "mama I tute" (i cute).

I tell him all day long how cute he is and how I love his hair, his eyes, his toes, his nose, his mouth. He is so perfect.

Seriously, doesn't his sweet face scream model!

Here is a quick list of the cute things he does and says right now:

- "mama! hurt head!" (or any other body part that gets hurt) He loves to taddle on taylor, If they are rough housing and he gets the smallest pain. "MAMA! Dada HURT!" Daddy gets in trouble every time ;)

- "Help me hair" (instead of saying help you, he says help me) He is always wanting to help me. He wants to help cook, Help sew, Help me put on my make up, Help me dry my hair. It is so sweet.

- "Plane Sky, Dada, Poppy Bye Bye" Since Taylor has started doing some traveling Caden thinks that every plane in the sky is taking his dad and grandpa on a trip.

- "uh ohhhh. Mama BIG BOOGER. Hand NOW" haha. He always thinks he has a big booger up his nose. He'll either try to blow it out himself or ask me to pick it out. Then he wants me to put it on his hand so he can look at it. Little Boys.....

- "Yeah Yeah CouDoe Fooball!" (BYU Cougar Football) anytime he sees the stretch Y or a cougar, this is what he blurts out. He was really well behaved at the home game we took him to 3 weeks ago. He talked about it for days. I'm sure it won't be his last with that true blue blood running through his veins.

- Me: "Caden Guess what?" Caden: "ummm... What?" This is probably my favorite thing he is doing right now. Every time he is asked a question he responds with "ummmm..?" before answering. He has to think so hard before answering ;)

- "gasp, mama! I-Cole" (motorcycle) "gasp, MAMA! Dane" (crane) "gasp, MAMA! DaBee Duck" (garbage truck) He gasps before saying anything exciting. It always scares me when we're driving and that big gasp comes out. Then he shouts out anything cool he sees out his window. Cranes, trucks, Airplane, Motorcycles, Horses, Birds. He is so observant.

- "doe park, wing, water.. wing" (go park swing, water swing) Every day he wants to go down to the park. He loves the swings more than the playground. The sprinklers and rain always leave big puddles under the swings, So he calls them water swings.

- "My bubbles!" "Mama, My BUBBLES". Me : "no my bubbles!" Caden: "NO NO no NO MY BUBBLES mama, MY BUBBLES!" of course he is a little more than obsessed with Finding Nemo right now. He makes a game out of this going back and forth over "my bubbles". I don't know how he picked that one liner out of the movie as his favorite!

- "BIG BIG Dino" He loves dinosaurs. Any Dino is big in his mind. Even his little toy dinos. He loves to feed his dino's "big food". He'll dig their heads into his breakfast and lunch saying "BIG Dino Hungy". It is too cute.

- "Mere mommy" "Mere daddy" (come here, c'mere) I love this cute word.

-When we hear daddy's motorcycle rolling up our street I'll tell Caden daddy's home! So he'll run and hide behind front door and when Taylor walks in He'll run out of hiding and start tickling daddy.

He always has to pick out his own clothes, some days it only consists of underwear and sunglasses. He wants to wear a tie every day of the week. He can put on most of his shoes by himself. He will tell me exactly what he wants to eat and drink for lunch and breakfast. Ranging from blueberry waffles to honey toast. He wants to do his own hair and brush his own teeth. He has his days, and he can be quite the handful. He wants to be independent and in charge. But even on those days he still melts my heart and makes me laugh.

I love his cute talk. He makes me laugh over all the funny things he says and does. He is the most adorable lovable little boy. I love watching him grow and learn, but some days I wish time would stand still.

That's a Lot of Candles

2010-09-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

"Happy Birthday this weekend, sis! You are going to be 22! haha you old fart." - Lane

Yes this is exactly what I wanted to hear from my wonderful missionary brother. Old Fart? I think not! Haha. Really, 22 isn't that old. I mean, sure, when I was 10 it seemed like 22 was a bazillion years away! Now it seems more like 40 is a bazillion years away, I hope that doesn't creep up on me as fast as 22 did.

I had a wonderful birthday. I was totally spoiled by my adorable husband and son, and my wonderful family! Taylor made me breakfast, apparently he can cook! My family offered to take Caden for the day while Taylor and I went to play. We dropped him off with Auntie A to watch Nanny's soccer game. He was really excited and wanted to join in the entire game. I can't wait to get him involved in sports.

Taylor came up with the cute idea of making a Birthday plate at Color Me Mine. A special plate just to be used on birthdays! We came up with a design pretty quickly. With both of us working together it took us very little time to finish. It turned out so adorable. I love the paint tubes you can draw with, it adds so much to the pieces! Taylor came up with the cute cupcake for the back and drew it up himself. I was very impressed! It was such a fun activity, I always enjoy Color Me Mine.

You're so cute hun, this was such a creative idea.

We went to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. Pizza Factory. mmm. We ordered everything I love: BBQ chicken pizza. Bread twists. A side of ranch. And the enormous and delicious mango passion-fruit smoothie. Just talking about it makes my mouth water. We stuffed ourselves, it was so delicious!

Taylor took me to the mall to do some birthday shopping. It was so nice to have him gladly walk in and out of every store I wanted to stop at. I wish it were my birthday every day! We headed home to relax for a while before the BYU football party my in-laws host every year. My family brought Caden up to our house, along with balloons and 2 jello peach pies. oh heaven. This would be my choice desert every time. It is so delicious. We lit candles and sang happy birthday. As I looked down at the cupcakes the only thought I had was "that's a lot of candles!" Hey, I still managed to blow them all out the first time. We ate pie and cupcakes. I ate a lot of pie. A lot of pie. It was so good, and I felt like I was going to explode with all the delicious food I had eaten.

We headed up to the BYU football party. They had a great turnout! A large portion of the football team came. Unfortunately I only knew 3 of the players, did we really lose that many seniors last year? bummer. They had delicious food prepared by the owner of Cucina Toscana {best Italian restaurant west of the Mississippi}. Home made pasta that tastes like nothing you've ever had before. Home made hot chocolate. More like Chocolate pudding. BUT I was so full from the rest of the day that I literally only had a few bites. We enjoyed seeing friends and Taylor's family. Caden was running around showing everyone his cute little brown tie. He was quite a hit at the party.

All in all, my birthday was fabulous! I got clothes, shoes and jewelry {the gift that never gets old ;)}. A gift certificate to Allen's Camera. Lollia Lotion. mmm. Taylor bought me a pair of Victoria's secret boyfriend pants. I am a huge lover of comfortable clothes. Sweats and Pajamas. These sweat pants are brand new to Victoria's Secret, and I have never had a pair of pants that I have loved more. I want to go back and buy every other color they have. I would wear them constantly. They are so comfortable. I love them. My dad decided that for his birthday present he would help me build a media console for our tv. I have been dying to get in the wood shop at BYU and build some furniture. I can't wait to get this piece done. We have made a few alterations to it to fit everything we have better. It will look something like a mix between these two with 2 shelves instead of 1. It is going to look so amazing in our family room!

Pottery Barn

knock off wood

Thank you, Everyone, for making my Birthday so special!

I feel so loved.

SCORE

2010-09-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

There is a reason I always check Plato's Closet before heading to the mall. Today I stopped by on the search for another pair of dark skinny jeans. I found a pair of J. Crew Toothpick jeans that fit me like a glove!

Retail price: $100 +

My find: $15

Yes. I love Plato's Closet.

Camera Strap Slipcover

2010-08-31T23:15:00.000-07:00

Over the past several months I have been on the hunt for a camera strap slipcover. I have fallen in love with so many, that I couldn't bring myself to buy just one! The problem is, they all cost $30 {or more} plus shipping. Which meant I couldn't buy more than one! They were all so cute, I couldn't decide! So I just looked.. and wanted.

Last week I decided that since my sewing machine has been sitting out on our kitchen table for the last month anyway, I should just try sewing a camera strap myself. They didn't look very difficult to make, so why not? I went to the fabric store to get enough fabric for one strap, but ended up walking away with enough for seven! I got a little carried away... I couldn't help myself! I ended up spending $20 for all of the supplies: Fabric, Batting, and Thread. The first attempt turned out so good that I decided to experiment and duplicate my favorite styles from online. They all turned out so adorable. I'm not keeping all of them for myself.. I'm giving a couple of them away. But of the five I will have left for myself, I am not going to be able to decide which one to use! I think the purple zebra stripe slipcover is possibly my favorite?

this one's for my mom :)

Who wants one?

-LOLLIA-

2010-08-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have been the proud owner of a travel size tube of Lollia hand cream for the past year. I received it as a gift from my mother-in-law a little over a year ago. I have made it last as long as I possibly could, smelling it often, using it... not so often. I have enjoyed every last drop. And now it is gone! I don't know why I never bothered buying another tube, But it may just end up on my birthday wish list. I love the Lollia Relax scent. It is so dreamy. I would love nothing more than to have my entire house filled with the aroma of Lollia Relax. I really love Wish as well. I love almost all of their scents, and it is a dangerous thing to take me to a store selling their products. walk away. Walk Away! I have to tell myself, or I would easily end up spending way too much.

Relax

"A rich exotic blend of fresh Lavender, Bee Blossom Honey with White Orchids and warm woody undertones of Indian Amber delicately completed with a touch of Tahitian Vanilla"

If that doesn't sound like paradise, I don't know what does?
Check out their website, I promise you'll love it!

I finished Harry Potter yesterday. sigh. I loved the ending. I still can't believe it took me this long to finish the series. The sixth book was totally spoiled by the movie for me. It was still a great book, but I'm sure I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have if I hadn't seen the movie first. I am really excited to see the last book on the big screen. If you haven't read it yet.. DO! Don't let the movie spoil it for you. It was such a good book. I'm still debating which series to read next. I've added several more books to my reading list. Taylor just started Hunger Games, So I'm not sure if I want to fight him over who gets to read, through the whole series. So I might finish Angles and Demons and The Lost Symbol first. Not decided yet. I have 2 big projects that I need make some progress on before I sink myself into another good book. I can't wait to get them finished!

Summer Skies

2010-08-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

The skies this summer have been amazing. The weather has been constantly changing from stormy, to blazing hot, to cloudy, to cold. I have seen more lightning storms this summer than I have in the last 5 years. Taylor and I woke up at 3:00 am one morning because of a major lightning storm. Neither one of us could fall back asleep with the light flashing through the windows and the sound of thunder crashing. We decided to go out on the deck to watch the storm. I couldn't refuse the chance to try and catch some pictures. I huddled in a blanket ready to snap anytime there was a bolt. There were a lot of black pictures, but I managed to get a couple amazing shots! Our power has been out more than 10 times in the last month, It reminds me of living back east. Everything from the sunrise to the sunsets have been beautiful. It has been nice to have the hot and cool weather over the summer. I'm not quite ready for it to end! The 3 months of hot desert summer usually have me begging for fall to come. But this year I'm not quite ready.

The very next day...

2010-08-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

There is really nothing but pluses for having Caden and Taylors Birthdays one day after the other. We can use the same decorations. The birthday shopping and wrapping gets done at the same time. They each get to feel special on their "own day" and It's a party for 2 full days at our house!

Taylor got nutella crepes bright and early before work on his birthday. Yummy :) After work we met up with my family at Honda Powerhouse to find a helmet for Taylor to wear on his new dirt bike. Can anyone say SPOILED? I have never heard the end of his motorcycle begging till now. Rules are: No freeway and Back roads only. I am terrified of him getting in an accident! Therefore the helmet was crucial! I think we all had a little too much fun trying on different helmets. And Caden was in heaven the minute he saw all the motorcycles. He wanted to sit on every single one. I heard him yelling from across the room at me "MAMA!! MAMA! LOOK!!!" He was pointing to the ceiling? I walked over and there hanging from the ceiling was a 4-wheeler. haha. He was amazed! It was, what he seemed to think, the coolest thing in the entire store. He stood there staring at it for a long time. Taylor found a nice full face black helmet, which looks very attractive on him ;)

My parents took us out to our favorite pizza joint for dinner. Brick Oven. Yum. It was kind of a 3 way celebration: Jarom, Taylor and Caden! The waitress thought we were joking when we said we have 3 birthdays to celebrate. It was delicious of course, and Monday night meant FREE rootbeer! They have the best rootbeer in the whole world! Their chocolate moose pie looked rather disgusting, but it tasted very good. We had a great time! At home we opened presents, Caden thought it was an extension onto his own birthday.. and wanted to open all of Taylor's presents. Then we made amazing fazookies {half baked chocolate chip cookies topped with vanilla ice cream, fudge and whipped cream} after Caden was asleep. It was quite day :) mmm. Fazookies sound good right now!

Happy Birthday Taylor!

I love you so much!

i two!

2010-08-21T02:02:00.000-07:00

He's two, TWO!!! When did this happen? I can't believe how fast he is growing up. It seems like I was just holding my little baby for the first time, and now he's all grown up! NOT FAIR!

He is such a doll. He is talking so much now, He is constantly chattering. He talks to his toys, in bed, He'll sit on my lap and just talk and talk and talk. Half the time I spend trying to understand what is coming out of his mouth and he always responds "NO mama" then repeats what he just said. It usually takes me four or five times to get what he's saying right. He is a goof, adorable and so much fun. I love you Caden James, more than I can tell.

His birthday fell on a Sunday this year... not much I could do about that. We had his favorite breakfast "onch toast". He enjoyed at least 2 pieces. We made cupcakes and let them cool during church. He spotted them as soon as we got home and thought he'd sneak one. I caught him right in action, but it was his birthday! LET HIM EAT CAKE! I asked him what color he wanted his frosting to be, can you guess...? BLUE! We have brainwashed our poor boy to love everything Blue and BYU. While he was taking his nap we blew up 50+ balloons, by mouth! Talk about lightheaded! We decorated and frosted cupcakes. He was so excited when he woke up to a blue house with TONS of balloons! I decorated one of our chairs special for him. He called it "my chair" for days after his birthday. My family came over for cake and presents that night. He blew out his candles all by himself! Must be the sign of a two-year-old. He got an overload of presents. I always leave the toy buying up to my mom. She somehow finds the toys Caden will love above all others. I have completely given up trying to compete! So I just stuck with clothes, puzzles and movies. He has found a true little boy love for Dinosaurs. He was so excited when he opened his glow in the dark "DINO NO" jammies. He would wear them day and night if they were always clean. He got Monsters Inc. which I believe I've seen over 50 times since his birthday. He loves it, more than I think he has ever loved any other movie. He talks about it constantly, and notices every little detail in the movie. Silly Boy. I am glad to have a new movie to watch with him. He loves all of his new toys. A choo choo whistle. A little cat you wind up and it does flips. But I think his favorite is the set of toy dogs that you can clean in the sink or bathtub. The spots on the dogs react to hot and cold. So when you wash the spots with warm water... they Disappear! Then when they cool down, the spots reappear. Caden will stand at his bathroom sink and wash them every day. "Mama, doggy bath. Dirty bye bye." I don't know where my mother finds these amazing toys. She has the charm.

A package of clothes was delivered a couple days after his birthday. All morning I told him the mail truck was going to bring him a birthday present. When the doorbell rang he was so excited to get the package waiting on the doorstep! He tried using my keys to open the tape, but he needed a little bit of help. He pulled everything out and ripped open the plastic. He loves getting new shoes, and getting 2 pairs of new shoes! He was oh so excited.

The balloon popping was more fun than any two-year-old should be allowed to have! 50 balloons! He popped every single one. A fork and a knife seemed to do the trick ;)

Happy Birthday Caden!

I love you so much, I am so glad you are my little boy.

Dreaming in White

2010-08-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Mmm. White. My favorite color.

White encases just about everything I want in my house: Clean. Peaceful. Bright. Cheerful. Elegant. Relaxed. Light. Classy. Open. Beautiful. Timeless. This is my perfect dream color. I would love for my house to be white from top to bottom with a splash of color thrown in here and there... or not. These are a few of my favorite white rooms from my inspiration folder.

See. White is perfect. Don't you agree?

When Mommy's Not Watching...

2010-08-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

How is it already half way August? This summer has gone way too fast! I promise I will gradually catch up on blogging ;)

When mommy's not watching... we all know what happens right?

I walked into our bathroom for a minute or two to brush my teeth. When I walked out to check on the very quiet Caden.... I found him in front of the mirror with a black and blonde eye liner pencil. One in each hand, he had drawn 5 eyebrows on his face. He looked excitedly at me and said "Mama! Pretty Eyes!" haha. Adorable, huh? He couldn't get any cuter.

I love you little boy!

OUCH

2010-08-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

You know that thought running through your mind when you get sick? "I should be more grateful for my health.. I take it for granted." Well I don't think I've ever appreciated my ring finger enough.

A week ago I was cutting some bread to make toast for Caden, in a hurry, I wasn't being careful.. result = sliced fingertip! Sick right? I probably screamed loud enough for the little old lady on the bottom floor to hear! It was awful.. just awful. We rushed to the doctor and I got 4 stitches. My instructions were: keep a bandage on it for the first day, then take it off and don't get your finger wet unless you're washing your hands. My finger swelled so much that my ring was almost cutting off the circulation. This picture was taken before there was any bruising or swelling, but my finger ended up looking something like a purple sausage. My list of can't do's seems a mile long, everything from can't shower normal to can't pick Caden up. My left hand has basically been out of commission. I am typing this post with great difficulty ;) This week has been spent doing a lot of watching movies and reading.

BUT

I do have a lot to be thankful for:

- I happened to cut my finger while Taylor was home on his lunch break, he was supposed to head back to work 5 minutes after I cut my finger. I'm so glad he was home when it happened.

- We called my doctor and their sister clinic had an opening 5 minutes from the time we called. So we didn't have to pay for a trip to the emergency room.

- Caden was so sweet and knelt down on the floor next to me while I was bawling. He patted my back and said "oday mama, oday mama". He was so well behaved through everything.

- I was also able to get the blood to clot quickly thanks to all the first aid I learned from girls camp.

- I am very lucky it was my left hand and not my right.

- It's also very lucky that it was my ring finger not my middle or pointer finger.

I'm getting the stitches out tomorrow morning. I'm hoping the skin will all heal well. I think I may lose the feeling in my fingertip permanently, But it's too early to tell. Bummer. I can't wait for it to get better. I have a ton of projects I would like to be working on. But they'll just have to wait.

Knife and Fork

2010-08-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

*highly effective method for popping balloons*

Girls Camp

2010-08-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

oh, where to start...?

At the end of April I was called to a meeting with the bishopric. As I sat down with the first counselor, he said "we have big calling for you, and we are hoping you will accept".. oh the nerves ran high, what could it be? Relief Society Teacher? (i can't do this!) CTR 5 teacher? (not again!!!) When he said "We would like you to be the Ward Girls Camp Director" I felt like I was going to explode with excitement! I know I startled him half to death with my reaction. WHAT?!? REALLY??? he looked hesitant "It's ok if you feel it is too difficult of a calling...... we can always call someone else" WHAT!?! ARE YOU KIDDING!????? I WOULD LOVE TO BE OVER GIRLS CAMP!!!!!!!!! He started laughing immediately. I couldn't believe it. I love Young Womens, and I LOVE Girls Camp. After 2 1/2 short months of planning and preparation.. we headed to girls camp! I was nervous to see how girls camp would be run in this stake, I didn't know the campsite or the stake leaders, and I barely knew the girls I was taking with me. I ended up being the only leader that was able to stay at girls camp the entire week, so I knew I had to try my best to get to know the young women in our ward. Looking back now, I know that my calling was inspired. Being a part of girls camp and becoming a part of young womens has been a huge blessing for me.

First off, I love camping. I love nature. I love getting dirty. I love fishing, hiking, outdoor cooking. I love fires, I love roasting marshmallows. I love gazing at the stars. I love everything but the outhouse when it comes to camping. FORTUNATELY.. we didn't have to use an outhouse :) So you can imagine that my week at girls camp was bliss for me.

We did Tie-dye. Cute Crafts. Canoeing. Skits. Devotionals. Certification. Zip line. Firesides. Bathroom Cleaning Duty. Eating. Cooking. Games. We went on a "way too early" hike. Waking up at 4:45 a.m. after a night of non-stop rain to go on a hike.... maybe not the best way to start the day. The hike ended up being really fun though. It was hard, but fun. We were crazy girls all week long. We probably drove our priesthood leaders nuts. The whole time we were up there the girls kept telling me I didn't seem like a leader, I was more like one of them. And I felt like it. We had so much fun

Our last day we did a confidence course. Before we left we all painted our faces. The YCLs were pro at the cable walk. I think they got 10 girls across in 5 minutes without talking. It was impressive.

The second course just about gave me a heart attack. literally. I was screaming and running back and forth.. it was scary! All of the girls had to get over the top of this wall and onto the platform in 20 minutes. The first girl Karissa was able to pull herself up after 3 tries. I still have no idea how she got up there. She went from hanging, arms fully extended, to throwing herself over the wall. Then She pulled Amanda up and over.. BY THE BACK OF HER PANTS! What the heck Karissa.. You are like the hulk! Fortunately we had a cheerleader on the bottom who helped lift everyone. I'm glad someone had some experience. This course was not safe, but we got everyone up and over safely.

I love this girl. She reminds me so much of myself when I was a teenager. She turned 17 on our last day of camp. SO I appropriately painted he face with a huge 17! By the time we finished the wall course she was dripping sweat and paint!

I wore Taylor's sweats the whole time we were at camp. But I wasn't the only one sporting my man's clothes.

I totally regret not bringing my nice camera.. but I am pretty impressed at how well my little point and shoot did.

PICTURE TIME!

I love the fun at girls camp. But Even more I love the spiritual side to girls camp. There is something about being away from everything that helps me just get it. There are no distractions. The spirit was so strong at all of our firesides and devotionals. We heard so many great speakers, they told us incredible stories. I felt like so much of what was said was aimed directly at me. I know my Heavenly Father is so aware of my needs. I came away from camp with a heart so full. I love the gospel. I am so grateful to live in a place where I can be surrounded by it everywhere I go. There is nothing like it and the peace it brings to my life. The young womens program is so amazing. It is exactly where I need to be right now.

I love my calling!

Lazy Summer Days

2010-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

yes I'm back! and YES I survived the last 2 insanely busy weeks! I am so glad to be home and have nothing planned for the rest of my summer. We will probably be at the pool every day for the next month! I have a lot to catch up with right now, but I am really feeling lazy and I just want to lay around, read, and play with Caden. So I'll get around to girls camp and birthdays... but you might have to wait for a week or so ;)

To keep you entertained I thought I'd share some random stuff:

This is the story.of.my.life. I just finished my 7th load of laundry in 2 days... and now it's time to fold!

The natural wavy hair is definitely in style right now. I never thought I'd live to see the day when I would choose my natural waves over doing it straight or curled. It is really starting to grow on me! I have worn my hair wavy every day but two over the last three weeks. Crazy, I know. It's so convenient to just let it dry after a shower! I am finally starting to appreciate having natural waves.

I also never thought I'd live to see the day that I would own a pair of skinny jeans. I have tried on skinny jeans occasionally over the last two years, and every time I've hated the way I look in them. It took my best friend forcing me to buy a pair to realize that I can pull it off! AND I really LOVE the way the way they look! I have a pair of dark blue and light gray skinnys. I just bought a pair of charcoal Jeggings {jean leggings} they are SO cute. Now I'm on the hunt for a pair of aqua blue skinny jeans and I think my collection will be complete!

I go through phases with nail polish.. most of the time I stick with the seasonal colors and paint my nails a different color every week. I don't usually like the super bright "HOT" colors. But I can't get over this Flirty Fuchsia polish. It's been on my toes for the last month. I will probably use the entire bottle by the end of the summer!

I can't stop eating strawberries. Caden and I have gone through at least 5 clamshells of strawberries over the last month. Mmmm yummy! Every time I go to do laundry it looks like someone sprayed all of Caden's shirts with red food coloring! Thank goodness for boiling water.

Now, I'm not usually much of a reader. It's not that I don't like reading.. I really do like reading. I think it's more a matter of finding time to read. There are so many other things I'd rather do than read. After seeing the previews for Harry Potter 7, I decided I've put off my "must read" list for too long. I'm behind the TIMES! So here we go!

I am sad to say I haven't finished the Harry Potter series yet. I loved 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.... then I never took the time to read 6 or 7. I'm almost half way through the Half-Blood Prince, and I'm loving it!

I have to finish the 7th book before the movie comes out! So this is definitely next in line.

I have heard nothing but "amazing" about the Hunger Games series! These are a must read.. my pile is already getting enormous!

I've been wanting to read Angles and Demons since my Junior year in high school. I loved the Da Vinci Code, It sits at my top 5 favorite books. So I have to read the other books written by Dan Brown. So after Hunger Games I have Angles and Demons, then The Lost Symbol.

Taylor and I must be a funny sight sitting next to each other in bed at night with a different book in our lap. I'm not sure he'll be able to find enough books to keep up with me! Maybe he'll just steal the book I'm trying to read... it wouldn't be a first!

OAKLEY RODEO

2010-07-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July is possibly one of my top favorite holidays. Family, sun, food, rodeos, fireworks... It's just so fun! I am truly grateful to be a part of this great nation. This year's 4th was definitely one of my favorites {the fact that it was practically a 4 day celebration kind of added}. The HIGHLIGHT of this holiday is always the rodeo. We missed the Oakley rodeo last year.. which was pretty devastating.. Seriously! I look forward to that rodeo for months! I was so excited to be back on track again this year! The Oakley rodeo is by far the best rodeo I've ever attended.. the cowboys are great, the clowns are hilarious, and the atmosphere is so patriotic. We got totally geared up, bought Caden a cowboy hat {which he has to wear every day now}, packed our bags and pillows and drove to Oakley!

What a stud.. he is the CUTEST little cowboy I've ever seen! His face totally lit up when he saw his aunt and uncles pull up in the car! Nanny dressed up with complete cowboy attire and guns for him and Caden to play with!

Well.. so much for a cute family picture, ya little stinker!

oh WAIT! There he is!

Rachel's chubby chipmunk cheeks 2 days after having wisdom teeth out! HA! I love you Ray

oh boy, OH BOY.. I'm pretty sure I'm married to the biggest hunk on the planet.

Poster size print PLEASE!

Caden was so focused on the "horsesss and moooo dows, and MEAN bulls"

It was so adorable. Every time one of the calves was being roped or bulldogged, he would get so worried and have this terrified look on his face! I had to reassure him every time that the baby cow was ok. Cute boy. He loved the Bronc and Bull riding, takes after his mommy!

I am so glad I captured this.. I was just taking a shot of him with the stings in his mouth. He had them in his mouth for most of the rodeo. But as I was taking the picture he decided he wanted the cowboy

hat off.. Only He didn't take the strings out of his mouth before tugging the hat off his head! It resulted in something like
"THE JOKER FACE." We were all dying as he was prying the hat off.

We would ask Caden "what does a firework say?"

"BA BANG! wow!"

After the rodeo we headed up to my Dad's family cabin. My Grandma and most of my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins joined us for the rodeo and cabin trip! Caden and I were the first ones asleep at about 11:30.. I'm pretty sure I heard people running around till at least 3:00 in the morning. Oh this family never sleeps. We started the morning off with french toast and wabash hash.. mmm yummy. My boy can pound french toast.. He usually scarfs 3-4 pieces of french toast in a sitting. He can out eat Me and Taylor!

After one ride on the 4-wheeler this boy was hooked. We would get off to let someone else take a turn and He would grab onto his helmet so we couldn't take it from him. He LOVED riding. He wanted to go again, and again... and again...... and AGAIN......... AND AGAIN! He couldn't get enough of it. While we were waiting between rides he went out and found one of the adult helmets, put it on, and walked into the cabin saying "cycle! CYCLE!" he was ready to ride again.. only.. his helmet wasn't on quite right. We all started laughing. His head would flop from side to side from the weight of the helmet. From the back and side it looked like his head was turned backwards. Ah, could he be any more adorable?

The three of us attempted a ride on the 4-wheeler. Half way through our ride, Caden's hands kept slipping off my wrists. I'd pick them up and tell him he needed to hold on! I couldn't hold onto him because I was driving. It kept happening over and over! I kept telling him "You NEED to hold on, you might fall off!" Next thing I know BAM, his head crashed forward! I quickly braked and lifted his head.. he was completely out! He must have been exhausted.. It scared me half to death! He slept the whole ride back and didn't wake up until we took the helmet off him! Hilarious!

The spray bottle made for quite the entertainment... he was completely soaked, and he soaked anyone who wasn't looking out.

OH! It works as a water bottle too!

He looks so stinkin cute in that little red helmet.

Let's go back and do it again! I love this time of year!

HAPPY 4th of July!

pine cone model

2010-07-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hello July! Where is the summer going? Life has been fun and super busy lately. I feel like I don't have time to breath! I wish the summer months weren't so busy and didn't go by so fast.. cause I'm going to miss them when they're gone. Caden has loved every minute of the warm weather, we are at the park at least once a day. He loves to go swimming or go down to Nana and Papa's house to play in the sprinklers with Nanny and Ray. He is nice and sun kissed with a head full of BLONDE hair. He has cute little freckles on his scalp and a few on his face. His feet are always dirty, and his flip flop tan lines are getting darker every day. This boy is loving summer!

He is starting to talk a lot, he has only said 2 full sentences to me, but his vocabulary is growing quickly. A few weeks ago he came in the bedroom and asked me for "appow juish" I told him it was out on the table by the tv. A few minutes later he waltzed in the room and said "MAMA hewp me fine it!" what? did he just say a sentence to me! haha! I was shocked. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, he says "help me" and "find it" all the time. Yesterday we were eating lunch and I was eating some watermelon, he grabbed his fork, reached across the table and said "mama, i wan some." haha ok, watermelon coming right up! He is totally adorable. I love his cute voice and all the cute things he says. He makes me laugh all the time.

About a month ago, we were out at dinner and on our way back to the car Caden spotted a pine cone on the sidewalk. He squatted over it and looked totally confused. I told him it was a pine cone, and he could pick it up and bring it home. I looked over my shoulder in the car to see why he was being so quiet and he was completely enthralled with this pine cone.. He was examining it from every angle. When we went to get him out of the car seat he had hooked the pine cone on his shirt and said "dool" (cool) haha. He stared at himself in the mirror for a long time and thought he was lookin' pretty hott. What a goof. He even posed GQ style for the pictures with with the pine cone. I think he may just usher in this new style ;)

He has snack time just about the same time every day, right when I need to get ready.. if I get ready. He always has the same thing: Muffins, cut into quarters, in a bowl. A fork. A bib. And a sippy with Apple Juice. Most of the time he'll bring his snack into our room and eat on the floor by the bathroom so he can watch me get ready. He thinks the bib is so cool.

The other day I had Caden on my lap while I was on the phone, I needed to write something down and had a pen, but no paper. I just decided to write on my hand instead of getting up. Big Mistake. As soon as I was off the phone he pointed at my hand and seemed very interested in the writing. I have caught him at least 3 times since then drawing on himself. Yesterday was the worst by far. He had drawn everywhere. Between his toes, the backs of his legs, his elbow.. I think I need to put all my pens up high. At least he isn't drawing on his clothes or on the walls! I love that face of "uh oh... am I in trouble?" Mr. Tattoo Monster, you are too cute.

The next three weeks are going to be pretty insane for me. I have the 4th year hike and a missionary farewell this weekend. Next week will be spent preparing for girls camp and planning birthday parties for my boys. Then girls camp, Then my brother's birthday party, then my boys birthdays, then my best friend's brithday.. AH and July will be gone! I have tons of cute pictures from the 4th of July weekend which I'm hoping I'll have time to get to next week.

wish me luck

{22 Month Pictures}

2010-06-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

I finally had some time to get these pictures edited. I can't believe he's almost 23 months. He is growing up way too fast for his Mama's liking. Guess it's time to start planning his birthday party for next month!

He's such a sweet and silly boy. I love how funny he is getting, he makes me laugh all day long. I love this age. I just love this boy.

my little brother

2010-06-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

He always hated it when I called him that.. "little brother." Ah, he used to tell me "It's younger brother, younger brother.. not little brother" Haha. I must have made him feel small or something. We were always best friends growing up. We made messes like you wouldn't believe. Seriously.. One time, when we were probably 6 and 4, we grabbed my moms colored sugar used for decorating cakes or sugar cookies.. We pulled our beds off the box springs and sprinkled the green sugar all over the beds, box springs and the carpet. Then we went and filled 2 spray bottles with water and sprayed the green sugar until it bled and stained everything. I can only imagine the way my mother felt. You don't want to know how I would have reacted to something like that. She was so patient and gentle with us.. haha, we really didn't deserve it most of time. I remember watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Him. He would always run behind the couch and peek over just enough that you could see his wide eyes, every time the kidnapper came on the screen! Haha. We made up so many fun games, we would play pride rock with our huge bin of plastic animals. He would play barbies with me and I would pitch baseballs to him. We always shared and always got along. Our relationship never changed from the time we were kids. I couldn't wait for him to come to high school when I was a senior. We ran with the same group, he was friends with my friends and I was friends with his. We swam together on swim team, He was much better than me. We studied together and hung together on weekends. We were always there for each other. We were always best friends.

He's been gone for 152 days now. It seems like I haven't seen him forever, but it seems like he left just yesterday. I miss him. I miss talking to him about everything. A letter once a week just doesn't cut it sometimes. He is doing such a great job, learning an extremely difficult language, teaching the people of Lithuania. He is such a great missionary. I admire him so much. I am so proud of him. I am amazed at how much he is growing and changing every week. He is such a great example.

I love you Lane, you will always be my best friend and little brother.

{photo taken on the beach of Klaipeda Lithuania}

the glowing orange room {MAKEOVER}

2010-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is the room we've all been waiting for... right?

Anyone who saw this room in it's glowing orange stage had something to say about it. The most common reaction was "WHOA HA!" It was always a shocker! I think the only person who actually liked the color was my sister.. go figure! Taylor bought me paint and volunteered his time as my Mothers Day gift and we tackled this huge project! It was well worth the time and effort.. cause it turned out perfectly.

Before

The other big part to this room was the bunk bed makeover. Taylor's parents offered us a log bunk bed that they no longer needed for their house.. and while I don't want my house to end up looking like a log cabin.. it was such a great offer! We weren't about to pass up free furniture! I wasn't sure what I would do with it.. should I paint it or leave it? I didn't know what would be better. After finishing the desk and coat hanger I realized refinishing furniture wasn't as hard as I was expecting. We used the left over paint we had from our previous projects and painted the bunk bed the same color. It was a lot of work. I couldn't have done it without some help from my man.. thank you so much hun! We sanded, primed and painted the beast until it was beautiful and white.

Before

This is the color the bunk bed was before we painted it.

AFTER

ah... this room feels dreamy to me. I love the coastal feeling of white and gray. This is my heaven.

Although it is a long way from being finished, when it's done I'm sure this will be my favorite room in the house.

I bought this adorable lamp table at a refinished furniture yard sale for $30.00! Yes, I am serious! Their furniture was SO cute and way affordable. I will be hitting their sale every spring and fall!

Did you spot the bird cage above? I spray painted it white.. and now it is beautiful!

Before

Here is the lamp from my last yard sale adventure. The shade got a perfect makeover.

After

I like burlap in small doses, I mostly like the texture it added to this lamp. I watched a few tutorials online for covering lamp shades. Then pulled out my hot glue gun, a needle and tread.. and covered this baby in 15 min. The flower.. well let's just say I had no idea what I was doing. I love how it turned out, but I don't think I could duplicate it.

The curtains are a work in progress as well. They will end up looking something like this. But I'm going to make 2 panels so they can pull to either side of the window. I can't wait to get them done!

I've had this picture in my "decorating ideas folder" on my computer for a while. Now I have the perfect room for this project. For now this is just a guest room, but when we have another kiddo or Caden grows out of his crib, this will become his bedroom. So I have to add things to make it his big boy room! I love this idea, and I wish I knew who it came from cause I would totally give them the credit. I am slowly gathering the letters and I can't wait to get them painted and hung!

On Memorial Day we went to the Gateway mall with Taylor's cousin Tacy and her husband Danny. I forced a stop at Anthropologie.. the boys, of course, didn't join us. I love this store, but it is way over priced. Maybe someday I will have money to shop there... maybe? I love their ideas, I love their style. It's very inspiring. I fell in love with this bedding while we were there. Unfortunately it is $189 for a twin duvet cover.. and I need 2! So I am trying to decide if I want to attempt duplicating this on my own. It doesn't look too difficult.. it would take a lot of time.. but it would take this room to the next level! ah, we'll have to see. Currently we have sheets, a down comforter and fleece blankets on each bed. That will have to do for now!

I think I could duplicate this...... it's just for a twin bed?

The Pink Poo Poo

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

Last Monday we hit Nicklecade for some fun. With all 100 tickets we won, we decided to get a whoopie cushion. We thought Caden might get a kick out of it and it could provide some serious entertainment for all 3 of us. Here is our first attempt at using it. Caden thought it was hilarious and now he calls it the "Pink Poo Poo". Once he learned to use it on his own he constantly asked us to blow it up for him. Now it has air leaks all over and bite marks from him trying to blow it up himself. We will have to save our nickles for another trip to the arcade so we can get a new pink poo poo ;)

a little teaser picture

2010-06-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

I will definitely claim this cutie ;)

I finally got out to take pictures of my little man.. it's been what..??? 6 months since I did a real photo shoot with him! I'm horrible. Oh, come on.. I'm busy! I will have several more pictures to share once I get around to editing them! I love his feet.. I think I've said that publicly a million times.. but seriously! Aren't they the cutest feet?

Peek Inside {Nursery & Master Bedroom}

2010-06-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Now that I finally have a leg up on decorating our house I thought I would let you take a peek inside!

the nursery

I am still in love with the color of this room. I would love to have a laundry room painted this color.. it's so bright and fresh! If you haven't seen the before pictures of this room click HERE. I finally went and got some prints done for the cute teal frames around the nursery. I don't know why I waited so long? I got all the frames from D.I. for .50 cents a piece.. good deal eh? I just painted them with left over acrylic paint from the chandelier.. Super easy and cute! I'm still undecided on curtains for this room. I really love the framing around the window and I don't want to take away from it by adding curtains. I don't know.. Any thoughts? I am also still deciding on the wall space above the changing table as well. I have a huge frame that I might paint and get a mirror cut for.. but I'm not sure yet. So for now this is what we have!

the master bedroom

I love our room. I love the color. I love the vaulted ceilings. I love the window placement. I could go on and on. This room is a combination of new things and old things, great finds and a new coat of paint. The desk and coat hanger I refinished are on either side of the room. The dresser is on the wall next to our bathroom door. The curtains were made by yours truly. And there are many other great finds scattered around the room. I still haven't decided what to do with the ledge above the bathroom door, or the wall next the desk... but we'll get there. I also need to paint the chair at the desk sometime, I'm thinking black or red? We'll have to wait and see!

Bubble Oodles

2010-06-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know about the rest of the moms and tots out there.. but we LOVE to blow bubbles!

Caden can entertain himself for a very long time with his bubble set. I strip him down to a diaper, grab a book to read and go sit out on the deck several times a day to blow bubbles. I bought this Gymboree bubble set last Summer at the baby expo in Sandy. I saved it for a Christmas present since Caden wasn't old enough to really enjoy bubbles before then. Turns out.. it was a great investment! I love this system. You pour a little bit of solution in the yellow cup and dip the bubble wand in. The long tube keeps the solution away from his mouth so he doesn't end up eating it. It's super easy for him to use and it makes TONS of little bubbles. We love it. It's a great way to keep my boy entertained. Now that summer is here I thought some other mama's out there might be interested! You can find them online at Gymboree.com under Play & Music Toys, Books & CDs. They are called Bubble Ooodles!

Happy Summer!

I can't wait for the high 80's weather this weekend! We'll be swimmin' every day!

Yard Sale Mania

2010-05-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Memorial Day weekend yard sales have begun!

I woke up early with Caden to go wait for this yard sale to start this morning. I got there 15 minutes before it was supposed to start and there were already 8+ people shopping! WHAT?!? They said they weren't going to open the barricade until 8:00 exactly. I should have followed my gut and showed up 1/2 an hour early. I missed out on some awesome deals... a little white bench for $10 and an entry way table for $25... man, I'm still kicking myself! Almost everything they were selling was designer home decor and clothes. 5 sisters pulled all their stuff and put on a huge yard sale. It was definitely the best yard sale I've ever been to {second to the refinished furniture yard sale} I got so much stuff.. the stroller was overflowing and I felt like I was going to have to fight people off from taking the stuff I wanted! It was incredible.

Guess how much I got this huge pile of stuff for......?

Vintage milk cartons

Tai Pan Trading vase

Pottery Barn jar

Tai Pan Trading towel holder

Pottery Barn lamp that is going to get a shade makeover!

Tai Pan Trading mini chest

Tai Pan Trading basket

Dulce & Gabana purse {it's real.. i asked} i LOVE it!

Pottery Barn 60"x 33" red rug

Entry way rug

Old Navy jeans, Childrens Place shirt and pajamas, Gap jacket, sweater, shorts and shoes, and 2 pairs of snow pants for the next two years.

Seriously in love with this sweater and jacket for my little man.

Plus I got 3 dvds, 3 yellow tiles and 2 flower hooks.

I'm thinking retail this stuff would have cost me about $600+

My yard sale shopping definitely paid off.

I spent $50.00 total!

I know right? I did some bargaining.. and I walked away shocked at how little I paid for everything. Who wants to go yard sale shopping with me next week???

Vitamin D

2010-05-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

Is summer ever going to be here? This is a serious question.

You wouldn't believe it from the weather we've had today and yesterday, but it snowed on Monday.. and I'm not talking light snow for 15 min. I mean a real snow storm for 4 hours.. it resulted in broken tree branches and major accidents on the freeway. Come on, it's almost JUNE! I sure hope the warm weather is on it's way. Our pool is opening next Monday and I can't wait to spend my summer soaking up the sun and swimming in the pool!

We spent the day at my parent's house yesterday for Rachel's birthday. While we waited for all the kids to get home from school we decorated the house, made cupcakes and played outside. Caden loves the trampoline. He begged all Winter to go out and jump on it. Now that it is finally starting to warm up I have no problem letting him run wild in the back yard. We were in desperate need of some Vitamin D, so I stripped Caden down to a diaper and t-shirt and let him loose. We spent a good hour running around, playing lacrosse and jumping on the tramp. He loved playing ring-around-the-rosy on the tramp.. "and we all fall down" he would let go, fall and bounce right up! We has a great time, I can't wait to do that every day. I am so ready for this summer.

AND I finally got around to spray painting a few things for around the house. I love white.. can you tell?

{vitamin d}

I have been doing a bit of research on the importance of Vitamin D and also on Safe Sunscreen. I figured someone might be interested in this. I would highly recommend reading both of these short articles.

Here are a few key points I took away:

-Limited sun exposure several times a week is all you need to enjoy the wonderful benefits of Vitamin D, such as healthy bone density and growth and lower cancer risks.

-The application of sunscreen with an SPF factor of 8 reduces production of vitamin D by 95%

-The FDA does not protect us because they haven’t published safety standards for sunscreens. The Environmental Working Group has listed 150 toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in cosmetics, and many of them are in sunscreen. Some of them, including petroleum products, ironically enough, are linked to skin cancer!

-Don’t buy into “waterproof” formulas. First of all, dangerous chemicals are used in commercial sunscreens to cause a water barrier, and ALL sunscreens need to be re-applied every two hours. The high-SPF formulas have the highest levels of toxic ingredients.

-It is important to wear sunscreen if you are going to be in the sun for long periods of time. Just make sure the sunscreen you choose to use is made up of non-toxic ingredients.

-This is the sunscreen I will be using for Caden and Myself this summer.

mr. cowboy

2010-05-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

This kid loves farm animals.. let me tell ya. He can spot a horse, cow or pig from a mile away.

After Sunday dinner on Mother's Day we decided to go on a little adventure to my in-laws horse property. They have a new baby long horn we were dying to go see. Bret helped Caden pull grass and feed it to the horse. He wouldn't pet it.. but he wanted to feed it over and over. He didn't find the long horn very interesting. Every time I tried to show him the new baby cow he would turn back around and point at the horse. Maybe we should start saving our pennies now so he can have one someday?

The neighbor had a pair of HUGE pigs.. I'm talking monster pigs! Bret's buddy Gary told us some stories of how a pig will shred a human to pieces in seconds and leave not even a trace of a bone. Taylor started daring Danny (our cousin-in-law) to slap the pig. Ha Ha! Oh, I wish I would have filmed it! Danny doesn't take dares lightly, he is very competitive ;) He would lean over the fence to slap the pig...... and freak out! After a few attempts he finally smacked it a couple of times. Of course there was no reaction from the pig. A few minutes later the pig owner came walking through the pig pen.. and no, he didn't get eaten. Haha, we all had a good laugh. We were all a little confused about the validity of the stories? I hope I never find out.

[pointing at the horse]

After we got back to the house Taylor took Caden on the dirt bike for a very short ride. Without asking mommy's permission {I would have said no btw}. He held on so tight and squealed "fassssst! fassssst!"over and over.

Yard Sale Finds

2010-05-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

After searching craigslist and mapping out the best route, I hit 4 yard sales this morning. The rain didn't seem to keep people away. I found some great stuff that I've been hunting for. I can't wait to get started on refinishing two of the pieces.

book/magazine holder: $7.00

wooden rooster: $1.00

white metal trays: $5.00

decorative bird cage: $2.00

total: $15.00

I can't wait for the memorial day weekend yard sales... antiques, winter willow primitives, pottery barn, shabby chic, furniture, decorations.. BLISS! I can't wait to see what deals are waiting ;)

curtain inspiration

2010-05-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

oh curtains {sigh}... I am not good at just making them up... or following a pattern. I need to be inspired by something amazing, and easy. I have a folder on my computer of all the pictures that have sparked or inspired ideas. Maybe one of these days I'll post all of them so you can see what projects are to come ;)

I found this curtain online about a year ago.. I don't remember the site?
Well I fell in love with them. I knew I had to have them in my house someday.

I spotted the fabric at Jo Annes about a month ago and since it was on clearance I bought plenty to make the curtains! They were super easy.. I sewed the top over just enough to fit the curtain rod through and folded the edges over twice and sewed it. The ties... I just took an old sheet and tore it up into strips and sewed them down the middle to create a tube, then i folded the ends in and sewed it shut! easy. easy. easy. They turned out just like I had hoped!

I'm working on the final touches in the second bedroom.. the ex-orange room. I have found this site so inspiring: frenchlarkspur.blogspot.com/. I love all her ideas. I love her style. I just love everything on her blog. The wall color in this picture is almost identical to the color we painted over the orange in that room. I love it more and more every day! I could seriously paint my whole house this color.

I love this curtain. I love that it looks so light and airy. It is a 100% linen fabric. I'm pretty sure it is an oatmeal color. I ordered fabric online a few days ago and I can't wait to get started on this project. I am still undecided on the ties at the top? I like how thin these are, but I think they would also look cute thick.

What ties do you think would look better?

crushed

2010-05-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel when I look at my blog and see few or no comments.

Crushed.. not dead.. just crushed :(

{....so make me feel better!}

Paint and Labor

2010-05-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am starting to feel better about my to do list. I've crossed off my two biggest projects! I haven't taken pictures of the bedroom or bunk bed yet {Taylor took the pleasure of making a huge mess in the room.. which I get to clean up}.. so pictures will come soon, but for now you'll just have to wait and wonder ;)

For my Mothers Day gift Taylor took me paint shopping and volunteered to labor away on the dreaded orange room!
He is the best!

I decided on a light shade of gray. I wanted the room to feel really open and bright.. but not plain white. The color is called Gray Owl click Here to see the color swatch. So just imagine this room in that color ;)

The bunk bed turned out better than I was expecting.. really it looks pretty amazing. Other news: We got a washer and dryer finally! Don't laugh.. ok.. well maybe you can laugh. I did. Taylor found an old whirlpool set for a really great price. But when I say old, I mean old. Haha.. but they work great! That's all that matters, right? I won't be showing them off to anyone, that's for sure ;) They look something like this set.. not exactly.. I think our set is probably older.. but you get the idea.

I feel like the blogging world has been kind of dead lately :( I want to know what everyone is up to!

my take on it

2010-05-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well if we're going to be all complicated about it, I need to add my take on it. All I really wanted you to say was... HE LOOKS LIKE ME ;)

I agree. He doesn't look exactly like either of us. BUT I think he actually looks more like me, really i do.

from me:

hair {the curls}

ears

lips

eye shape

eye shading

skin color

from taylor:

eye color

eye brow shape {we'll see if they go dark and bushy}

chin

face shape

a mixture:

feet.. a little more like mine.

nose.. I really can't tell yet.

too early to tell:

Hands