All About Allans!

#13 Soup in Winter

2012-02-01T13:19:00.005-05:00

#13 I love soup on a cold day.

Perfect because it is warm and comforting, makes the entire house smell delicious, and fills you up.

ps. not my pic, just one I got off the internet. Basically what it looked like, though. Enjoy!

My current faves are pureed veggie soups, mostly because they are super healthy and filling without extra calories. They help me feel satisfied and confident that my 'indulgence' isn't going to destroy my goal. If anything, it will help it. Since we got back from vaca, I've instituted Wednesday night as soup night. We've had some awesome ones and more awesome ones scheduled... but the best was our soup last night:

Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash

a smooth, creamy soup (without cream-- just the great creamy texture of veggies), the deep, nutty flavor of roasted garlic, the sweet subtlety of butternut squash-- absolutely amazing! Caroline thougth this was the best dinner ever!

I am in love!

Countdown to Love

2012-02-01T12:33:00.005-05:00

Inspired by a friend's blog, I'm going to share a lil somethin somethin that I love every day leading up to Valentine's Day. I am not going to limit this to 'romantic' love alone, though I'm sure there will be some of that too. And to keep the scope narrow, I'm going to shoot for things

relevant to my day, not just something I adore in general.

#14 I love Chinese ink landscapes and nature paintings

I love the composition, the beautiful forms, the skilled portrayal of nature, and especially the provocative use of negative space. Gorgeous.

The current section of my class right now is on Chinese art... and even though I am positive I will not be able to remember names and dates of even the most famous Chinese artists (despite having to write a paper... due in 2 days, I might add), I am truly inspired. I've got some great ideas for my own versions of Chinese-inspired paintings that I want to do. Something with color, but still muted and subtle. Not quite as bold as this:

but with that same gorgeous use of line and silhouette.

For those of you artistically minded who might care: I'm planning a triptych of square paintings that together depict an entire plum blossom branch. I'll paint in oil for more texture and depth, but try to capture those gorgeous lines and perfect composition. My future dining room will thank me, I'm sure.

I am in love.

Good Morning.

2012-01-31T02:47:00.002-05:00

What do YOU do at 2:48 in the morning when you'd like to be sleeping but are up with a baby that thinks it is time to get up for the morning? Apparently, I blog.

Wednesday, assuming we get the all clear that the ear infection is gone, we begin cry it out. Because as much as I love my girl, I love my sleep too. :)

Preschool

2012-01-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

Doesn't she look so grown up? At least, I always think so until I see how short she is next to the other kids. Then she remains my lil gal.Gwen was soooooo excited for her first day of preschool. We could hardly get her to hold still for any photos at all! and when I went to pick her up to come home, she bawled!

It has been exciting having our girl bring home "school" work. Today (I am writing this on Wednesday, even though it won't get posted til Friday) she brought home a pretty craft project-- some cottonball and cupcake liner flowers in a 2-D pot-- but the best part was her paper explaining her version of "what is that smell?". She drew a scribbly mess which the teacher labeled for her: "trash can". LOL. If it had been an assignment in our house it probably would have read "diaper".

I am excited for Gwen. She is loving this new stage of learning and socialization and that is exactly what we wanted for her.

Thank You Little Foot

2012-01-25T20:57:00.002-05:00

I'll forever be grateful for a little dinosaur that could convince a very stubborn picky eater--

who cried and refused anything with even a speck of green

(I had to pick off EVERY SINGLE piece of herb from her meal or she'd turn it down flat)...

into a toddler who willingly and without a fuss consumed a pile of raw spinach with raspberry 'juice' (aka vinaigrette) for 3 consecutive dinners in a row because they were "tree stars".

Yes. Thank you Little Foot.

You did in one movie what we could not do in a year of persuading.

20 lb loss, hooray!

2012-01-22T17:23:00.006-05:00

Well, folks, I am excited to report that I have successfully lost 20 lbs since I started trying (gym and eating healthy) in late June (6 months ago)!

I am thrilled to have reached my pre-pregnancy weight! I've noticed, though, that even achieving my pre-prego weight has not gotten me back to my pre-prego figure. Apparently, I'm going to have to keep going. In fact, based upon the improvements I've seen over the past 20 lbs and the way I WANT to eventually look, I think I'm going to have to modify my goal weight (which is still 10 lbs away) down another 10 lbs. Which means, if you do the math, that I've reached the half way point! I am happy about it and super motivated to keep working because I'm feeling great and looking great too! My ultimate goal is more ubiquitous, rather than arriving at a specific weight: I want to be back in my favorite jeans from when I was engaged (size 6) and be trim and strong in general. I can't wait to be HOT by summer! (and I'll look awesome in all those graduation pics!)

So even though I'm only half way there, I'm stoked about a 20 lb milestone and looking for a non-food way to celebrate. Trouble is, we don't have any money. Hmmmm.... any ideas?

Crystal Bridges

2012-01-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

I love art. I'm passionate about it, even, though not enough to memorize all kinds of facts. And I'm very particular about what I like, though I have studied enough to be able to appreciate even the stuff I don't really like. I mean, I can see why it is famous or groundbreaking or whatever even if I don't particularly enjoy it. That said, I really loved this art museum we visited with my sister in NW Arkansas called Crystal Bridges.

I LOVE architecture and three dimensional art, and the buildings really drew me in right away with how unique the shapes are, the curving roof lines and mixing of metal and stone materials, the way the water reflects to create shimmering gold affects... really, it was stunning. I want to go back in the spring/summer when there are leaves on the trees. My pictures don't do it justice, but think of this as a teaser...

I really enjoyed seeing how much Gwen loved the sculptures too. She was only mildly interested in the paintings, but these large pieces drew her attention and kept it there. Reminds me of me.

and they had an awesome children's play area!

9 Months

2012-01-17T10:53:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe my baby is 9 months. Though she reached this milestone a week ago, and I loathe going back to retroactively post things (I think I'm going to rebel and NOT post all those December photos...unless I find I just have to share something). But it would be a shame to not document her progress.
Caroline is a happy girl, quick to laugh, smile, and make noise in general. She is reaching the 'into-everything' stage and keeps us on our toes. Everything goes in her mouth and everything makes her gag, and therefore everything makes her throw up too (this girl has a powerful gag reflex. She found a teeny piece of leaf at church this week and threw up in Relief Society-- don't worry folks, just a gag not a flu) . She has found every teeny piece of paper or lint or beads or leaf things that might have escaped our vacuum scrutiny. She finally started taking a bottle and is getting really good at it, but she still prefers to nurse when she is really tired.
Speaking of tired, Caroline's sleeping habits have gotten worse. Poor girl, she has been sick again this month (family visits share more than just love and memories---all the bugs go around too). She has digressed in her nightly sleeping, getting up at least twice for feedings. Her naps are unpredictable too. Some days she only gets a one hour nap total. You'd think those days would have her begging for an early bed time, but she still refuses to go down earlier than 10 every night. Oh, believe me, we've tried putting her down earlier. EVERY SINGLE TIME she ends up throwing up in her bed from crying and then we've got a tired grouchy baby AND a mess. She ends up falling asleep at random times. Like this.
or just looking tired and grouchy like this.
We are all eager for her to stop horsin around and get better sleep. Because she is much nicer when she is well rested. And everyone knows that MOM is much nicer well rested too!

Caroline has 4 teeth and is finally starting to do more with solids. Still not a ton, but she rarely gags on the pureed food now. Yes, we're still at puree. Can't even think about more substantial food yet since she still gags like crazy if it isn't ground up nice and fine. But at least she is enjoying food more these days. She had pizza puree last night and gobbled it right up!

My favorite is seeing her personality come out more and more. She LOVES music and making sounds. I have mentioned before that she loves percussion, well, that has increased. She figured out clapping and is thrilled to clap even when there is no music on. She loves to experiment with hitting different toys together to achieve different sounds. And if you are holding her, you can expect her to slap at you to see what you 'sound' like. She loves the sound of her own voice and babbles constantly when she is happy. Sometimes she experiments with various growls, lip smacks, raspberries, etc. She will find one she likes and do it for 1/2 an hour straight. Her favorite sounds are "geuh-geuh-geuh-geuh" (very gutteral and emphatic, like you just got punched in the belly) and "mahmahmahmah" (which is her chant for food). She ADORES Gwen and follows her around everywhere trying to grab her hair. She also figured out how to pull herself up to standing and attempts to cruise along the couch.

She's growing up so fast and I can hardly believe it! We sure to do love this gal!

Some short video clips for your viewing pleasure. Nothing spectacular, but I know certain grandparents who will like them anyway. :)

Caroline 8 months

2011-12-10T08:54:00.007-05:00

A couple of days ago Caroline hit 8 months. Here's what she's up to:

Caroline has 4 teeth: two on top and two on bottom. She loves to gnaw on things, but still gags on her solids unless they are pureed really well. Solids are slow going for this reason. She still hasn't tried most foods and is nowhere near puffy snacks or regular table food. She's just taking her time. Her favorite is yogurt. She never gags on that. :)
Caroline slept 8 hours the past two nights. She is finally healthy again, besides a mild morning cough, so hopefully this trend continues. I am loving not having a 2 or 4 or 5 am feeding! She is still not a predictable nap schedule, which can be tricky, but I'm hoping now that she is healthy, things will settle in. Of course then there is Christmas travel...
Caroline's favorite toys: #1 is definitely HAIR. She grabs at everybody's! She has caused more than one child to burst into tears. And I think I might be going slightly bald. (not really, just exaggerating). #2 She also loves toes in socks. And probably the third is the Leap Frog Alphabet Caterpillar (funny, I just tried to write 'callerpittar' because that is what Gwen calls him and it took me a minute to figure out why spell check didn't accept it) that my folks gave Gwen a couple years ago for Christmas. Caroline LOVES to push his buttons and get music, pull the string and get more songs, and gnaw on the nubby antennae things. It always surprises me how much she wants to wrestle this thing considering the fact that it is hard plastic not plush. but she will roll all over the floor with it clutched to her. Her other favorite love is the baby in the mirror! She gets so excited and tries to turn the mirror over to see behind...where IS that baby?!?
Caroline still doesn't take a bottle, but we offer her one every night. Three times she has drunk between 1 and 3 ounces, but mostly she just gnaws on the nipple.
Caroline crawls, but is still slow. She hasn't achieved the forward momentum thing to really cruise, she just takes lil steps.
Caroline makes lots of sing-song and cooing noises to herself and her toys when she is in a good mood. It is really cute. Eric is always trying to get her to say "da-da".
Caroline is very cuddly and snuggly. She loves to burrow into you with her whole body when you pick her up. and then if you are carrying her on one side she will clutch the shirt on back of your shoulder with one hand and twist her body to look out. She is very content to cuddle. We love it.

Well, that's it. And for your viewing pleasure, a video of Caroline from yesterday's Cosi excursion. Thank you Erica for inviting us to tag along on your pass! We had a great time! (but that's another post). Here Caroline is, surprised by the air stream blowing up at her:

Christmas goodies... and the guilty dilemma

2011-12-07T22:52:00.010-05:00

Since Christmas gift goodies tend to be sweet, we opted for something different this year. Wanted to "spice it up"... LOL, literally! I got this idea for potpourri satchels that you can simmer on the stove during the entire holiday season from my MIL last year. Thought it was so fabulous, that we started saving and dehydrating our orange peels as soon as 2011 began. They definitely piled up on us, but it was worth it. Because the cost and work for these was greatly diminished. :) and they still look and smell amazing!

After I made a treat for the gals I visit, the gals the visit me, my companion, the families Eric visits, his companion, the families that visit us, the members of Eric's presidency (Eric's calling), the members of the choir (my calling), and the people I see on a regular basis for play dates with Gwen... seriously like 75% of our ward congregation is getting a Christmas gift! Um, that only leaves me a lil worried about the remaining 25%... I mean, it isn't like they aren't my friends too, I just had to draw the line some where, right? Should I even be worried about this? (and when I say worried, please understand that I'm not losing sleep or overwhelmed with stress, I just keep thinking about it. I'm still happy, just concerned at the same time). I just don't want to hurt anybody's feelings or miss out on an opportunity to make someone feel included who might not otherwise... that would REALLY make me feel bad. If you are reading this and you DIDN'T get a treat, PLEASE KNOW THAT I STILL LOVE YOU AND VALUE OUR FRIENDSHIP! Whew. There. Hopefully all friendships remain intact. :) Anybody else relate to this dilemma?

The Nativity Line Up

2011-12-06T09:43:00.003-05:00

Gwen lined up the Nativity participants for a little procession on the desk. With an unusual guest...

Anybody else find this unexpected guest at the birth of our Savior a little... amusing? :)

All living things worship him, so why not extinct things too, eh? LOL.

Christmas Decorating

2011-12-02T13:29:00.003-05:00

We decorated a couple of days ago, taking advantage of Eric being home (he had the graveyard shift that night).

Gwen found this nativity immediately... maybe she remembered from last year?
Baby Jesus is her favorite.
But everyone got to play in the small Aurora house.
Gwen has decided that this Santa hat is "Daddy's hat". If anyone else wears it, she gets upset. And if he isn't wearing it, she brings it to him and insists that he put it on. He's a good sport about it. Guess little cute daughters can get dads to do crazy things. But when she isn't looking, he "loses" it. :)
Gwen posing by our countdown to Christmas blocks (made last year with Relief Society friends).
You wouldn't believe how many pictures we took to get this 'okay' one of the girls together.
I love that she is cradling the lil blue one so gently in her hands. It belonged to my Grandma Quella, a testament to her eternal frugality (notice the wire twisted around to be the loop, held on with duct tape. Yeah, I LOVE that). Gwen loves it because she can see her reflection in it. She takes it off the tree and I find it later amongst her tiny dolls 'sleeping'.
Gwen was so tired that she took a late nap...right by her favorite new friend: the Christmas tree.

Big Surprise-- check out this video!

2011-12-01T13:20:00.004-05:00

Thankful. and this is not just a Thanksgiving post.

But I guess it is that too.

notice the lil Gwen hand in the bottom right corner... stealing a roll! What a character!

Gwen has been struggling with praying lately. So after much thought and prayers of my own, this is what I've come up with. Our fridge is covered with images of things she loves or that we do regularly. Every day before bed, we select applicable pictures and carry them upstairs on her prayer cookie sheet so she can be specific about thanking Heavenly Father for daily blessings. It has helped immensely to make prayers more meaningful, more from her (rather than us just telling her what to say), and I think it helps her to be grateful. I'm grateful for the Spirit's guidance.

What I'm really grateful for, though, was a couple of nights ago, just before bedtime. I was doing dishes and prepping the kitchen for nighttime, when I heard delightful laughing coming from BOTH my girls at the same time. By the time I got my camera out, the laughing had pretty much stopped, but there are still happy noises. I am delighted that they love each other so much. My heart took a picture and I just felt so content and happy. Truly this was a moment that makes motherhood worth it.

oh, and guess what? these 4 crawling steps are Caroline's VERY FIRST crawls! How random and wonderful is it that I was lucky enough to be filming? She is still mostly army crawling, but for Gwen, she pulls out the big guns! :)

Delicious and Daunting

2011-11-14T23:28:00.008-05:00

The prospect of returning home to our own space and schedule is both delicious and daunting.

(I neglected to bring my journal with me to Idaho. Well, I guess 'neglected' is misleading. My suitcase was crammed and I purposefully selected my journal to stay in Ohio. I figured my blog could be my journal. That is why you are getting more "Elisa's thoughts" posts than usual. Hope you don't mind too much.)

How delicious it will be to return to our own beds and rooms, our own daily plans. As usual, the leisurely days have given me the break I needed and motivated me to get right back in there with learning activities for Gwen, exercising at the gym, cleaning, cooking, studying, and completing other organization or crafty projects. I am eager to get back into a routine of productivity. I am looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving just us. I'm looking forward to the culinary preparation that goes along with it, especially the hours of poring over recipes to decide which new ones I'll try this year and add to our traditional favorites. That is really going to be fun! I'm looking forward to play dates with friends, chatting with my gal friends whom I've missed so much. I'm looking forward to driving with 2 girls in the back seat, on our way to the gym or the store or wherever--just in control once again (I guess I'm a control freak because a month of being passenger has started to bug me). I'm looking forward to reintegrating myself in my ward, which will have so many faces I barely know and some I've never seen. It will be delicious to serve again, to contribute. I'm looking forward to preparing Christmas offerings for friends, Christmas gifts and packages, and even the obligatory cards. I am looking forward to the rotation of seasonal decorations that are just 'ours' and already so full of memory. It will be delicious to tidy our home, make it beautiful, and count each little blessing.

All the while, I am daunted by the prospect of weaning Gwen off of her 'shows', her new toys (which I think she thinks are hers), and her adoring fans. I'm also daunted by the prospect of weaning Caroline off of those same adoring fans. The girls are going to be going through attention-deficit-shock. I've really enjoyed the time with family, the opportunity to get to know my in-laws better, to spend one-on-one time with Elise in a Rasputin dance off on the Wii, to be tutored by my oh-so-talented MIL on a sewing project, to teasingly remind my FIL that Caroline cannot have cake and ice cream yet. It has been wonderful. The best part, though, was actually seeing how content and happy Eric is every night has we cuddle and whisper in bed. He has really enjoyed this break and I've loved seeing him so relaxed and at ease with the world. No worries to furrow his brow. Such will not be the case when he is in a rotation AND doing interviews AND preparing for boards AND serving in his calling AND trying to maximize his time with us. No, it will be a rough coming month for Eric, and I am going to miss the peace in his handsome hazel eyes. I am definitely daunted by the return to responsibility.

But, ready or not, here we come. Tomorrow will be a day of laundry, packing, putting away things we've gotten out, and walking through again and again to pick up any last item we may have missed hiding behind pillows or stacks of books or toys. (I'm sure we'll forget something. Isn't that to be expected?)

We'll be home in Ohio on Wednesday. How deliciously daunting. (hopefully I don't get a tummy ache like this guy is bound to get...)

She has Achieved Forward Motion!

2011-11-13T23:40:00.003-05:00

Caroline is army crawling!

and she's pretty proud of herself. You can just see the wheels turning in her head as she considers the world of toys this opens up to her. I don't think Gwen appreciates the progress. That's the latest achievement, but why stop there?

She also finally went from 'liquid' solids to solid solids (that improvement has occurred over the past 3 weeks) and as of yesterday has even added chicken to her repertoire! She has 2 bottom teeth to display with those big grins too. She sits up tons better and has transitioned to the high chair for meals. And, as Eric will argue, she has said her first word. "Thda-thda". You can take a guess as to why he considers that her first 'word'. I still have my doubts. :)

since the blog is serving as a journal of sorts, I wanted to be sure to document these developments. She is 7 months now, for the record. :)

I Have a 3-year old

2011-11-09T12:38:00.013-05:00

Today is Gwen's 3rd birthday. I can't believe it. Well, sometimes I can because she seems so much more grown up these days.

Today was the second installment of birthday festivities. We actually celebrated the cake portion of her birthday a couple of days ago before her cousins left. We wanted to do that part with friends and it was a big hit! Well, actually, it was pretty funny because Gwen asked Edward repeatedly the day before if he wanted to come to her birthday party... and each time without any hesitation he said "no". I think she was starting to get pretty sad about that. I guess his parents had to train him a lil bit, because when she asked him again on the day of, he said yes. and she was finally happy and said "yay!"

Gwen was excited today to see her Thomas cake come out. I spent about 6 hours making the cake. Made possible by so many helping hands tending lil kiddos. Gwen helped 'roll' one homemade marshmallow fondant rock, but after that she only wanted to eat them. I loved how the cake turned out: both delicious and beautiful! Definitely there are errors, but they aren't big deals and it was really perfect for the girl. She loved her Thomas and her Island of Sodor. And I was proud. :)

She knew what birthday cakes were all about this time and when she saw me put on the candles, she said, "but mom, it needs the yellow stuff on there so I can blow!" Yes, you're right Gwen. Blow out those candles!

She looks almost meditative here, don't you think? Planning a candle-blowing strategy, perhaps?

When I told her she could have first dibs on a part off the cake, she didn't hesitate. "I wanna eat Thomas" she told me. So that's what she did. :)

lol, her teeth were blue from the food coloring in the fondant!

Edward and Frederick enjoyed some Thomas cake.

and Caroline was happy too!

Then today, on her birthday birthday, she opened presents.

she was surprisingly timid about unwrapping. It was a very 'delicate' process.

She loved the pink fluffy purse with the frog that holds blocks spelling her name. He has his own lil blanket, which she thought was pretty cool!

Eric and I gave her some cheapo jewelry... and we probably should have saved it for later, because she didn't want to open any other presents. She told us "no thank you. I just play with my jewelries". Lol.

so we compromised by putting the jewelries in her new lil (used) back pack so she'd open this beautiful book about Jesus Christ from her G-gma. I love Simon Dewey paintings!

My MIL went all out and made this gorgeous quilt for Gwen. These fabric 'dolls' have clothes so she can dress them.

Gwen was in love as soon as it finally dawned on her what she could do with all this...in this picture, I think she was still at the 'overwhelmed' stage. :)

She is such a lil girl now, not so much a toddler. She is smart, independent and generous. She loves to take care of people, especially Caroline. Drama is definitely her friend. She actually enjoys being sad, I think, and will put herself into solitary saying "I just need to go be sad" on the stairs or in the corner...or at the very least, she'll bury her face in her hands and say, "I'm so sad" with big alligator tears.

I love our beautiful daughter, her enthusiasm for life, her tenderness, and her desire to learn. Happy Birthday, Gwen. We are so blessed you have you in our family, in our lives, in our hearts.

Trick or Treating

2011-11-01T14:46:00.005-04:00

Eric, Elise and I took Gwen out for her first 'real' trick-or-treating this year. It was really fun to see how excited she was for Halloween. She actually understood what was coming and kept asking every day for a week "are we going trick or treating today?" She told anyone who asked that she was going to be a princess for Halloween. and she was a lovely one. Nothing creative here, we just put her in her favorite princess dress up. She couldn't have been happier. She tried out all her poses:

Caroline stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa because she was in desperate need of a nap. She was really grouchy and since putting on clothes is one of those things she really detests, we didn't push our luck to attempt getting her in her bumblebee costume for pictures. (Don't worry, we'll get her in it for some pics later, even if it wasn't technically worn for Halloween.) Plus, it was cold outside and we didn't really want to take her out with her cold. We all decided it would be more fun for everyone if she sat this one out. So we took Gwen alone. She kept asking what our costumes were... I don't think she was impressed with my "turquoise coat" costume or Eric's "plaid shirt and hat" costume. Apparently, next year we're going to have to dress up to take her out.

She was so cute at each house. She'd yell "TRICK OR TREAT" as soon as we approached the door... and then would just stand there shyly when the door was finally opened. Then once her candy was in the bag, she'd yell "THANK YOU" and take off running for the next house, often dropping her bag and not even noticing. She wasn't as excited about the candy as she was about the knocking and 'trick or treat'-ing. Then when we got home, she wanted to share her suckers with everyone. It was really cute.

Eric and the Apples

2011-11-01T14:31:00.005-04:00

Eric helped out his folks by harvesting their apples... I suspect we'll see these apples turned into sauce while we're here.

Eric is such a ham... I just like these pics because he can't resist performing and making some goofy faces at the camera.

The Littlest Pumpkin

2011-10-31T23:51:00.008-04:00

Most of you, like me, probably remember trying to find the BIGGEST pumpkin to carve when you were little, or at the very least, the one with the most personality. Well, Grandma wanted Gwen to get a chance at choosing her own pumpkin for carving. So she took us down to a cute lil pumpkin store. The patch was across the street, supplying all the pumpkins for the store. But that meant the store was cute and child-friendly, just the perfect size for wandering unattached without fear of losing anybody. Gwen loved the freedom to explore.

She was excited about this maze until she realized they had put some plywood down over the hay bales to create a 'tunnel'. Then she was done.

After that distraction officially behind her, the real process of choosing her own pumpkin began. Grandma said she could pick out any she wanted.

We pointed out the huge carving pumpkins. "Oh," she said, "they're Daddy ones. But where are the baby ones?". Hmmm.

So we pointed out the pumpkins with personality. "Oh", she said, "it's squished. But where is my baby one?". Hmmm.

So we pointed out the eggshaped ones. "Oh," she said, "but where's my lil pumpkin for me?"

....Apparently, she was not interested in pie pumpkins either, calling them Mommy pumpkins. Or gourds, because they didn't look like pumpkins.

But when she found the smallest pumpkins in the whole place-- these tiny lil ghost pumpkins--it was love at first sight. She picked out the very smallest one she could find, cradled it in her hands, and cooed "Oh, here's my lil baby pumpkin! I love you so much!"

Caroline and Aunt Elise

and, no, we didn't attempt to carve it. Gwen loved her littlest pumpkin so much!

Caroline's Personality

2011-10-30T22:29:00.001-04:00

I love how Caroline is beginning to assert herself. What I mean is, she is expressing preferences, likes and dislikes.

She loves jumping.

She loves clapping her feet if she is wearing shoes.

and she loves 'singing'...and actually, she really loves smacking things with one arm.

and I love to see how happy she is when she is doing something she loves. I can't help but smile!

Feeling Rich

2011-10-29T11:35:00.002-04:00

There is something incredibly satisfying to me about storing up food. And it isn't because I have 'peace of mind' or feel prepared for an emergency. No, for me it feels more satisfying in the same way it is satisfying to put quarters in a piggy bank or make a deposit in the bank. Like I'm rich. Yeah, that sums it up. When I see all the jars lined up so prettily, I feel like a million bucks.

4 different varieties of salsa: 7 quarts and 7 pints

(had the 4 different kinds--chipotle roasted veggie, zesty lots of bell peppers, fiesta with cucumber, and jalapeno with lots of cilantro-- in 4 separate bowls on the table to try to keep them all straight). All of the spicy peppers (not the bell) the cilantro and the cucumber were from our garden.

applesauce from Melrose apples: 9 quarts

apple picking

2011-10-29T11:34:00.001-04:00

It was surprisingly cold. So our photos aren't necessarily picturesque. More like brusque. Because we were trying to get our stash and get out before Gwen could say "Ina go home" for the umpteenth time. All these came from before she decided she was cold. She is playing with apples that fell on the ground... they were in various stages of decomposition. I know, kinda gross. She didn't seem deterred though. Luckily she was persuaded to eat a new one, rather than one of those. :)

Cumple anos y butterflies

2011-10-28T11:34:00.002-04:00

Our neighbors have a daughter only 2 weeks older than Gwen. These girls are great friends... a love-hate relationship, actually, because they really like each other's favorite toys. :) Well, lil "A" had a birthday party early, and Gwen was invited. I think we were almost the only ones there NOT Spanish speakers. Didn't seem to phase Gwen, though. She jumped right in and got her face painted with a butterfly, then had a balloon made into a butterfly.

funny story: Gwen got to try her hand at a pinata. She was timid and didn't break anything, in fact she hardly managed to hit it. But afterwards, she was talking with her daddy:

Gwen: lightly hitting Eric's shoulder

Eric: "Gwen, what are you doing? Why are you hitting daddy?"

Gwen: "Daddy, I beat the candy out of you!"

LOL, gotta love it!

On the Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-27T11:34:00.002-04:00

Our church is really great about bringing people together, helping to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. I love this about our congregation. It makes Ohio home and so many of my friends are like family. One dear friend organized a fun outing to a pumpkin patch. The turn out wasn't as large as normal because the weather advertised rain... but none came. In fact, the weather was pretty much perfect because there was a nice cool breeze but the sun was warm and bright. We had a wonderful time with our close-knit group and our children running around together.

Caroline was kind of a stinkerpot (she had her immunizations the day before) and so I sent Gwen on the hay ride with friends (thanks so much you guys!) while I waited with the squirt in the stroller.

There is something so comforting and down-to-earth about being on a farm. I love seeing my lil "sprouts" growing and am reminded of the work it takes to cultivate them... and the obvious rewards of putting plenty of care towards the eventual harvest. And you know, there is definitely a daily harvest too. :)

Crawdads with Daddy

2011-10-26T11:34:00.001-04:00

While I took Caroline to a baby shower for a friend, Eric had some daddy-daughter time with Gwen. Gettin crawdads! They came home with a pretty lil fish, small crawdads, and a nice fat polliwog for the fishtank. Gwen seems to have had a great time... and I think she feels special affection for our fish tank inhabitants because she had a role in bringing them home. She wants to feed them about every 10 minutes. :)

my family makes me smile

2011-10-25T12:16:00.001-04:00

no further explanation required. Just watch and smile.

video taken mid october, 2011

The questions she asks at the end is "What happened to my castle?" LOL, I don't know why that is so funny to me, but it is!

Haunted House

2011-10-25T11:34:00.002-04:00

Gwen loves this Haunted House that I made when I was pregnant with her. Actually, long story, it is actually the SAME house I adored growing up. My mom couldn't find another one for me, so she color copied the entire thing and sent me the sheets to cut out, glue together, then laminate. It was a tedious process, but it is definitely worth it. Last year, Gwen called it a 'barn' and wanted to play with it. But I wouldn't let her. This year I thought she was old enough to give it a try.

It became the newest 'doll house' and she was enamored! She woke up for the next week with the request, "I go downstairs and see my scary house?" as the first thing she said to me in the morning. Hey, at least it was a change from "I watch a show?" as her first request! Here she is playing with Daddy.

Ships that have Sailed

2011-10-24T16:19:00.003-04:00

No pictures of the girls on this post. Just a lot of thoughts. Here is an instance when my blog is my journal. so only read on if you are actually interested in what goes on in my head. If not, if you just like the funny posts, you are under no obligation to continue. I promise, I won't get my feelings hurt. :)

During our long day of flying to come back out to Idaho, Eric and I had opportunity to talk about a million different things. But the one that really stuck out to me--because I haven't taken time to really think about it...EVER-- was our discussion about 'wishes' or 'desires' or 'dreams' or whatever you would like to call them. A discussion about all the possible things we almost did with our lives as far as education and profession goes. Now I'm not talking about when you are 6 and you want to be a firefighter or when you are 10 and think you will be the next Jane Goodall (um, yes, that was my goal in 3rd-5th grade). Those dreams are valid, but my thoughts revolve around the choices in HS and college that shape your 'career'. Do you ever have those 'what if' moments? Like I said, I had never really thought about all the things I almost did, until now. Suddenly 'what if' is more on my mind.

I love art. and I love biological science. In my younger years, I was pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. I'm not even kidding when I tell you that at the end of 10th grade I told my adviser I wanted to illustrate biology textbooks as a career. I think I would have been amazing at it. Eric tells me there is actually HUGE demand for qualified science-artists who can illustrate what the intellectuals can't. But, that ship has definitely sailed. I don't remember much biology. And this field would not afford me the interaction with people that I thrive on.

I thought about being an architect. The art and engineering was both lovely and challenging... but I was intimidated and scared to pursue such an ambitious field. Plus, BYU didn't have an architecture program. If they had, I might have given it a shot. But that ship has sailed too. I am neither prepared to go into such a rigorous field nor confident that I could design anything fabulous. I guess I will just have to be one of those admirer/critics that appreciates fantastic architecture when she sees it.

Then I was going to be an industrial designer. Again, that combination of art and science was so intriguing to me. But I got in there and realized I was not trendy enough to make really great designs, nor skilled enough to really master all the industrial materials, nor interested in the huge time commitment and ridiculous work hours. I didn't fit in the program and really didn't see myself fitting in the profession. Again, I can admire great design when I see it... but don't want to be the one making it.

I thought I'd make a pretty fabulous landscape architect because I love gardening and being outdoors. But I got talked out of it (I won't say by whom), which I think is a shame. Because I could have been great in this field. But that ship has sailed too because going into landscape would require full time education which I'm not willing to do with little kids... and let's face it, when they aren't little any more, I probably won't want to do it then either. I'll probably keep it as a hobby-- or at least be an annoying client looking over the shoulder of whomever comes to trim our trees when I'm 50. :)

I thought about floral design-- the hands on, almost sculptural elements were satisfying along with the 'outdoorsy' quality to it. The foil, of course, is the business side of things. Plus it could easily digress into floral grunt work and lose that creative, stimulating quality. It can't be all weddings and events, there are also the 'boring' bouquets and balloon thingies.

I thought about illustration because it is a career with a more stable paycheck. I could definitely have done that, and I suppose that door hasn't entirely closed, but it would require self-marketing and business sense.... which, shamefully, I don't possess much of. Which, by the way, is why I would make a terrible 'artist'. I'm not interested in trying to get into the gallery scene, which is where the money is to begin until commissions come in. And that's just it. I'm not eager to seek out commissions.

I love sculpture. That hands on thing again. And I can do it outside or work with natural materials like wood and stone that are just so satisfying. I'm very good in sculpture too, it comes naturally to me. And my work is actually-gasp-right up there with my competition instead of mediocre (like my painting). but it is a)expensive. equipment and materials. b)space consuming. equipment and materials. c) time consuming. I want to focus on my family. and d)marketing. the bane of my artistic pursuits. I guess sculpture will just remain a strong desire-- or a very expensive hobby, if we ever have the money to make that a reality.

Then there are the fields like culinary arts that would be amazing because I LOVE to cook, I love the intellectual, scientific challenge of it combined with the sculptural element to food presentation. Or there are the performing arts that I would have LOVED to actually do something with-- musical theater particularly. Though I'm not the best dancer, so that would probably have been a flop. Still, there are always community productions...

So then we come to teaching. Because that is the field I'm actually pursuing. I can take the art I love--and all those talents at appreciating good design that I DIDN'T create-- and combine it with an art history intellectualism I'm good at and teaching skills that aren't too shabby either... and voila! you've got a career that is flexible enough to allow me the familial focus I demand, stable (hopefully) so I'm actually employable, artistic but without business savvy, and intellectually challenging. I think this is the best I'm going to get at this point. And I think I'll be good at it. and I am excited to teach.

but sometimes I wonder...

especially those hands-on or science-oriented fields that would be so fun...

what if...

But you know what? An entire fleet of possibilities has sailed. And it won't do me any good to mourn their departure. I'm not on a leaky rowboat or anything, I've got a decent rig--- and my beautiful family is here with me too. So while it may not be the first dream or the most exciting or exotic dream I've had, it is a fit. And for those of you who successfully caught the ship I dreamed of catching at one time or another, I'll admit sometimes I'm jealous of you. But I also don't begrudge you your happiness. Maybe I'll take a vacation tour on one of your ships some day. In the mean time. I've got a ship to sail (aka, a paper to finish) and a family on whom I need to focus. Today is infinitely more vital than possible tomorrows of yesterday. So to all those ships that have sailed...

bon voyage.

the cabin: everything else

2011-10-12T16:26:00.000-04:00

on the porch

Blowing bubbles with Aunt Elise

Goin on a bike ride, Eric and Gwen jogging alongside for a spell.

"Cuz, I'm just so sad cuz I want my mama"... be assured, I did return from the bike ride. Until then, luckily Gwen had an 'empathetic' daddy.

Typical Gwen. Silly.

Gwen is cute from behind

Gwen and Grandpa

Grandma with sickie Caroline. When the babe was struggling for sleep, Mama Allan had the magic touch. Baby Whisperer.

Lessons from my Children

2011-10-11T15:07:00.003-04:00

I was contemplating what makes motherhood so integral to eternal existence. I enjoy motherhood the most when I see my children happy, when I see their faces light up with enthusiasm for discovering the beauty in the world around us, when I see the tenderness in relationships. The rewards are obvious when Gwen squeals to see me after nursery and screams out "MAMA!!!!" with arms thrown out wide in anticipation of a hug. But eternity isn't always beautiful along the way. Like this morning when she threw a 25 minute tantrum because I attempted to get her pj's off, diaper exchanged for panties, and clothes on so we could go have fun picking pumpkins with some friends. What about the 'joy' of motherhood then?

and I thought of so many dear friends of mine who have not yet been blessed with children in their homes. Years and years of hopes, dreams, that longing and waiting and not wanting to give up hope but each time it doesn't work out the heartache is more painful.

and I thought of children around the world and locally too who do not feel loved by their mothers, if they even know them. Eric and I watched a documentary in which one beautiful girl says, "most girls are born from a mother... I was just BORN."

and I thought of some friends that have not necessarily enjoyed their calling as a mother: perhaps losing themselves in the service of others is less pleasurable if that sacrifice results in not knowing the face in the mirror at the end of the day.

and I thought of a talk by Sheri Dew called "Are we not all mothers". She suggests that even those without children can 'mother' a child, whether a family member, friend, student, or neighbor. Mother is synonymous with nurturer.

and I thought of our Savior. The perfect Exemplar of nurturing... and of patience... and how He can make all that is challenging about motherhood: the waiting and desire, the daily grind and frustration, the emptiness of NOT having a mother-child relationship and proper love, the struggle to be better, or whatever aspect of motherhood might be hard....He can make it all okay. He can counsel and lift and support and comfort and guide and teach and love and make it possible for each of us to overcome challenges and ourselves to be the MOTHER we desire to be.

to me, Motherhood is more than just successfully bearing a child. There are plenty of women who have kids but don't magnify their role as mothers. And there are plenty of women who don't have kids of their own that are AMAZING mothers. I am in awe of those women because they are better at mothering than I am, and I get more practice at it.

Caroline had her 6 month appointment yesterday. I've mentioned numerous times that she was sick pretty much for a whole month in Idaho/Utah. She' better now, but she's still got this horrible cough that only rears its head at night. Poor thing, it sounds awful. and she isn't sleeping really well. We've been home for a couple of weeks now and it hasn't really gotten better. But only at night. During the day, she is happy as a clam. She has been back to her chipper, active, sweet, happy self here. Well, at her appointment yesterday we found out why the cough has persisted: she's got an ear infection. What amazes me, is that we had NO IDEA because she was still such a sweet, pleasant baby. No fussiness. (That was before immunizations, of course. But we'll ignore that for now) She is an example to me of not complaining, of choosing happiness, of choosing to be happy NOW even if conditions aren't perfect. Why wait for that golden ticket to the chocolate factory? Why not be happy now? Why look down? Why not look up to a better view?

My point is: my children teach me to be more like my Savior. And to me, THAT is what motherhood is all about, no matter WHAT COURSE that journey takes.

ps. Caroline's 6 month stats:

height: 26 1/4 in 75%

weight: 16 lb 2 oz 60%

head: 17 1/2 in 92%

pss. this post was prompted partly by Caroline's 6 month appointment, partly by General Conference thoughts, and partly by a blog Group Writing Project. As far as that goes, check it out for participation because there are prizes involved.

the cabin: the river

2011-10-11T14:47:00.000-04:00

man, I have sooooo many fabulous photos from the cabin this time around, partly because my MIL sent me the gorgeous pics she took as well. I think THIS post will be all about the river and the next will be everything else.

The colors were softly vibrant (is that an oxymoron?) with gorgeous slate and cornflower blues contrasting against warm golden yellows with some grey-white and sage green all mixed in there too. A color scheme I TRULY adore. I think it is so peaceful. and the location was intoxicatingly peaceful too, not just the color scheme. and I'm trying to select only my fave photos to share.Gwen and Grandpa
Grandma and Gwen

Gwen was drawn to the water, not surprisingly. Keep in mind that we were in the mountains, kinda cold water and all. But she was undaunted. She wanted to get in. What began as a shoes and socks off endeavor quickly became pants and then shirt off adventure. If she had been allowed, she'd have stripped off her diaper too and gotten even more soaked. Her toes were purple by the time we got her out (not that she came out willingly), but she loved it all the same. She wanted to go back, but we never got time again after that. She is kind of a fish. It is cute.

while still fully clothed.
Me and Caroline
cutie
Eric flyfishing--- such a beautiful sport. I love the line shining through the air.
Gwen was captivated too.

Train

2011-10-10T14:43:00.001-04:00

Aunt Marian took Gwen and me along with lil E and not-so-lil S to see an outdoor train exhibit. It was a gorgeous day, the train was really cool, and there was plenty to entertain. Gwen loved it! Only challenge was trying to explain to her that she couldn't touch it...

Great Grandparents in Mapleton

2011-10-09T13:48:00.000-04:00

Great Grandpa Collin and Great Grandma Peggie came up to see us... Of course Gwen had G-gpa helpin her on the trampoline. And Caroline got some snuggles with G-gma, though she was sick (again) and didn't enjoy herself.

and then they had us at their place in Mapleton for a few days. Gwen had time to see horses and bunnies

and of course, visit the lil hideout across the homemade bridge (that her daddy helped build when HE was a kid, incidentally),

and... get into equipment that she shouldn't.

Funny train of photos because you can see the drama when G-gpa told her she shouldn't be kneeling in there or touching it because of the oil and dirt. He gently pulled her away. and she bawled. had to hug mama. then she wouldn't hold g-gpa's hand again until he helped her forget that she was upset at him by showing her some wild berries. She's such a drama queen.

There were blackberries for picking

and playing time with G-gma

G-gma with Caroline... still sick, I should add.
and Gwen happy as can be with a lego super gun that some more "cousins" helped her build.

A really great time!!!!

Birthday

2011-10-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

I turned 29 while in Utah. I wasn't expecting much because a) we were so far away from all my friends, b) Eric was so busy with his rotation and usually got home pretty late and c) I didn't want to make our hosts feel obligated to provide my birthday, so we weren't even going to tell them. We figured, we'd just celebrate later.

well.

I forgot to take Facebook into account. Aunt Melinda knew right away. And then Mama Allan sent me a package with 2 Bobby Flay cookbooks I've been wanting. And then I got special birthday emails from several people. And then my wonderful friend Jordan, definitely the best roommate I ever had, brought her family up to visit me and remembered it was my birthday and brought me colorful ramekins! It was really wonderful to see her, get to meet her kids in person, and just have a great time chatting.

lil R adored Caroline... who didn't quite know how to react to the lovin...

and THEN I got this mysterious text from Eric telling me not to eat too much and to dress up nice for when he came home...

So we left the girls with Uncle Matt and Aunt Melinda to put to bed and headed back up to downtown SLC for a special date. to..... Melting Pot! I've been eyeing their menu for years, it seems, but we've never been. It was wonderful! Really fun, delicious, and surprisingly not an over-stuffed feeling despite the quantity of food. Probably because we were there for more than 3 hours and the food consumption was spread out over that entire time. Terrible pic of us, all blurry, but had to document the night!

days later, I got on Facebook and was really touched by so many of YOU leaving me messages on my b-day. Seriously, I got almost teary-eyed for the sentimental thoughts from people I didn't know cared about me enough to think of me on my b-day. I don't do that, so the fact that someone else thought enough of me to take time to write a lil somethin, well, it just made me feel like a million bucks.

turns out, I had a pretty wonderful birthday!

In Utah with Cousins

2011-10-07T13:42:00.004-04:00

We spent a little less than 2 weeks in Utah with more family. Explaining to Gwen that her newest friends were "first cousin once removed"s just didn't make sense. They really were wonderful with her and she still talks about "Cousin R" and "Cousin S" and "Cousin L" (only she uses their names, of course. I just omitted those for online). She was THRILLED when they got home from school!

Gwen loved the trampoline and anyone willing to take her out to it. She enjoyed the anthropomorphic tendencies that it gave to balls... they would chase her and she loved it! Cousin S shows her some things...

Cousin R painted her toenails, which she still talks about. Apparently, I don't do as good a job. :)

Cousin L shared her toys... but really, Cousin L's deepest love was for Caroline. Had to take these pics because they matched. Unplanned, but so cute.

okay, so pretty much everyone loved Caroline and showered her with attention whenever she was awake. She ate it up! Thanks so much Uncle Matt and Aunt Melinda for hosting us for a couple weeks (and Eric for the entire month!) The girls loved it, really!

"Night" stroll

2011-10-06T11:54:00.002-04:00

We wanted to take a stroll along the Canyon rim. There's a nice paved trail there. We decided to go in the evening when it would be cool... and that "evening" kind of got away from us and turned into "night". Oh well, had a great time anyway. The girls were bundled up, the scenery was lovely--even as it got too dark to capture on film--and the walk was a great time with Grandpa!

Isn't the Twin Falls temple lovely at night?

Interruption

2011-10-05T22:14:00.005-04:00

I interrupt the Idaho-Utah blog roll to tell you some fun stories:

1) Caroline is rocking on hands and knees... yes, already. I'm surprised, actually, because Gwen didn't do this until like 8 months.

2) Caroline adores the johnny jumper we got from a friend--- as soon as her toes touch the ground her face lights up and the big grin doesn't disappear for about 20 minutes.

2) Gwen has entered the "why" stage with full force. (Honey, do you REALLY want to know why the sun goes down? or why the car needs gas instead of coal and water?)

3) Gwen has also entered the "no, mommy, I do it myself" stage in the past few days. and for the most part, she does a really good job doing whatever it is herself. Except wipe. She still wants me to do that. figures.

4) Gwen's verbal confidence has increased with her physical confidence. She kind of likes to tell us what to do. a lot. So far it hasn't been disrespectful, but that 'first-child-bossy-tendency' is definitely alive and well in our girl.

in other words, our house is gettin pretty crazy.... :P

bonus story for your tickling pleasure:

Gwen was taking a bath.

Eric was... ahem... using the restroom discreetly turned away from her.

All she knew was that he WASN'T sitting down.

She declared:

"Daddy! You pee pee out you belly button!"

hilarious, no?

Hike down in the Canyon

2011-10-05T11:53:00.004-04:00

Papa Allan (aka Grandpa) had a day off work so we decided to go on a morning hike down into the canyon for a good workout, some brisk air, and lovely scenery. It was breathtaking, and I'm not exaggerating about that. If I can be perfectly honest, I've never really thought Twin Falls was pretty (Much to Eric's dismay). This trip changed that for me. I fell in love with the canyon. Can you blame me?

Gwen was in a backpack---not a child carrying backpack, just a regular backpack. She just stood in there. She didn't seem to mind, though.

Caroline enjoyed the Bjorn.

Wild blackberries for a quick snack

Enjoying the river with Ollie

I LOVED the hike down... and got a FABULOUS workout on the way back out. Man. I'm telling you, my Father-in-law makes it look a lot easier than it is! Either that, or I'm in a lot worse shape than I thought. Which, I suppose, is entirely possible.

Gwen with Grandpa

2011-10-04T11:35:00.004-04:00

Gwen has her Grandpa wrapped around her finger. I'll just say it like it is. She was always thrilled for Grandpa to come home from work because it meant someone to take her outside...to the swing, the castle (club house), the dog (Ollie), and the horses.

The swing

the castle

the animals (and the water!)

Thanks Grandpa! Had a great time. Shall we do it again tomorrow? :)

Family Photos Courtesy of Mama Allan

2011-10-03T11:34:00.005-04:00

Several of you have complimented our new family photo (and I'm POSITIVE the rest of you were thinkin it, even if you didn't say so!). Well, this gorgeous photo is the work of my very talented mother-in-law. When Eric was home for Labor Day, she obliged and took some family pics for us. She captured the lighting perfectly, don't you think? There were so many, but here are my favorites:

love this one because you can see Caroline eyeing my glasses... and the next pic was her hand slapped across my face!

Canning Project: Tomatoes

2011-10-02T11:32:00.002-04:00

Labor Day Weekend Eric drove back up to Idaho to be with us. We were all happy to see him! and he got to join in the canning project of the weekend: tomatoes!

Don't you just LOVE the fact that the menfolk prep the tomatoes in the club house? Cracks me up! And as you can see, Gwen was a big help. Well, she just wanted to be where the action was... and where her Daddy was!

Uncle Collin and Daddy also worked on watering the trees in the orchard. Guess where Gwen was? Right. The water...

Princess Gwen-- Lovin the Attention!

2011-10-01T11:31:00.002-04:00

Gwen loves being a Princess-- and what could be better than adoring subjects surrounding her, doing her bidding (which was usually "you wanna play! you be Emily, I be Thomas.") I loved watching all her uncles on the floor using exaggerated British voices to play trains with her. They are way more creative in the 'play' department than I am, gotta admit. The scenarios and stories they come up with, seriously...

the awesome pillow and blanket fort the Uncles made for her.

and though she fought naps every day, all that fun got to her pretty much every time.

side note, just to brag on her, Gwen has pretty much mastered potty training. Accidents are rare. She loves her big girl panties AND the bragging rights every time she is successful (she'll come charging out of the bathroom: "Dadda! I went PEE PEE!!!!") Next step is removing the safety net of diapers/pullups at nap and bed times. Are we ready for that?

Everyone Lovin on Caroline

2011-09-30T11:23:00.007-04:00

Caroline, poor girl, was sick off and on the ENTIRE month. That nasty cold with green snotty congestion and crazy disgusting sneezes. She had a rough time, but made the best of it. Thankfully, there were plenty of willing hands to hold her or try to make her smile. And succeed they did! Check out these grins! (What the picture can't reveal is the delightful, squealing 'screaming' that always accompanied her play time in the evenings! She gets really excited and worked up! So funny!)

It was really special to be able to capture some Caroline and Uncle Bryce moments. We managed to time it just right and be in Twin Falls for his last Sunday before leaving on a mission to Iowa. He really has grown into a wonderful young man and we know he'll be an amazing missionary. I suppose, in fact, that he already is! He's been in the field for a couple weeks now... Too bad Caroline was having one of her "I'm-not-feeling-well-and-don't-expect-me-to-smile-when-I'm-miserable" moments.

Special moments with Uncle Collin, Aunt Rachelle, and Aunt Elise

can you tell she doesn't feel well?

She officially entered the 'grabby' stage this month. Glasses, hair, lips, clothing...beware. This girl has a vice grip! (funny story bout that: Gwen has learned when sitting next to Caroline in the double stroller to lean to the outside---otherwise Caroline always finds her hair and PULLS!!!)

Watch out Grandpa, Gotcha!

Her development this month? Well she hit and surpassed the 5 month milestone, has made her first real attempts at solids (and depending on her mood likes her rice cereal), is rolling from front to back and back to front freely, finally successfully sleeps on her back, and has a hilarious 'courtesy' laugh when you tickle her-- sometimes it sounds like an old man

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig.

2011-09-27T22:41:00.006-04:00

We're HOME!!!!(I'll spare you the details about how we came home at 3:30 am to literally hundreds of dead fruit flies in our fridge and I subsequently had to empty the whole thing...just in CASE their excuse for being there was that we'd lost power to the unit somewhere along the way...one doesn't take chances with mayo)

Well, I am sooo excited to share a TON of photos with you guys from our past month! I'll drizzle them out over the next couple of days. As I have time. I'm on a declutter-cleaning-organizing spree which demands attention until completion. I can't exactly just leave a project unfinished. It is messy. So I'm taking it room by room and piling everything in the living room for giving away. I'm THRILLED that so many things have found good homes already! It makes the 'separation anxiety' a ton easier.

But what I know you REALLY want to hear about is how these girls are doing:

This one is 5 1/2 months now, can you believe it?

And this one is looking forward to her 3rd birthday in a little more than a month.

Both have really grown up this trip, so stay tuned for all the evidence!

I'm a Big Girl Now--my first Storybird book

2011-09-15T17:44:00.005-04:00

In case any of you were curious, it was Storybird.com This illustration is by Pascal Campion.

you'll have to check it out! Here's my one and only story: http://storybird.com/books/im-a-big-girl-now-daddy/

Please read this and comment if you can help...

2011-09-12T14:10:00.002-04:00

Folks, a couple of years ago, one of YOU posted something on your blog about a website that stocked TONS of illustrations from unpublished artists. You could browse their work and pair individual images with text to create a one of a kind children's book. I remember visiting the site and loving the quality of art (not just cheesy stock art)-- there were some AMAZING paintings. I especially loved one artist who had lots of images of family relationships. One of a child walking with dad in a brilliant fall forest. Can ANYONE help me out? What is this site?

My Gwen and My Caroline and My Eric

2011-08-23T14:16:00.009-04:00

Haven't updated pics in a while... and I don't see it improving any time soon! So here is a quick update, pretty much just a smattering of lovely photos that I don't have time to make individual posts for but didn't want to leave out of the 'journaling' for this summer. Enjoy!

My sis, her hubby, and her 2 lil ones stopped by on their way to Iowa for dental school... so I got to meet her new lil gal, we'll call her McK. She is a month younger than Caroline, so, of course, we had to get the 2 lil ones together for comparison.... see any resemblance? No? Yeah, neither did we. As J put it: 'sure they look related... they're both human'.

I loved this series because NONE of the pictures I took DOESN'T have a blurry child in it. those kiddos... don't they know to cooperate for a photo? HOLD STILL!

Gwen is quite a lil princess

They didn't know I was watching them. I loved the Daddy-daughter casualness of these shots.

Gwen has been gettin her drama queen ON recently. Who knows why she's sad here. She might even be pretending. She does that.

our pole beans are aesthetic, I think. I love the way they curve out into the negative space.

the red chilies from our garden are so beautiful

I bottled 19 quarts of peaches... and 5 pints of bread and butter pickles (not pictured) I'm pretty proud. I wish it was a nice, round number like 20. that 19 bothers me for some reason...

Eric and I had a date night where I painted and he read to me. It was the first time I've done oils since BYU (about 4 years, maybe a lil more). It was so relaxing! I'd forgotten how soothing it is to just paint. If only it wasn't so messy. Clean up takes as much time as the painting! Well, I've started. Top pic is after our date. Bottom pic is after a Saturday nap time. Been fun! Still lots more to do...

Gwen being dramatic at the playground. Caroline was in the bjorn.

Took the girls for this 'new' (Craigslist) double stroller's maiden voyage. Went to a splash park downtown that we've never been to before. It was HUGE, lots of fun, music broadcast over loudspeakers, Sunny95 giving away free popsicles (Gwen got hers EVERYWHERE! LOL), and just a great time with our friends. My biggest beef was the traffic, the construction, pay for parking, and ... the infamous traffic incident I blogged about earlier on our way home. Other than that, a fabulous outing!

Caroline loved hanging out in the stroller

all set with her bucket, her plastic box, and her friend Shane

just bein silly

Do these pics tell a story? She wouldn't hold still! Can you tell she is totally dancing to the music? My favorite is the 3rd down on the left because it looks like she is doing some crazy disco move.

Friends: Amber, Kenzie, Shane, Gwen, Gracie, and Sabrina

at a friend's b-day party, Gwen loved borrowing these fancy Cinderella slippers

Gwen found the b-day girl's special crown and thought it was intended for her

all the lil girls enjoying a Barbie fairy movie of some kind- I have to add that this is Gwen's 2nd friend b-day party this summer... and now she talks about birthdays all the time. Thanks a lot, guys, for being so awesome. Now the bar is raised... and we're not even planning on doing a party... hope she won't be disappointed. (nah, as long as there is cake and ice cream, she should be JUST fine. :)

Gwen gets this non-blinking-zombie look on her face when she watches tv

Caroline had her first go at bananas... and I think she is starting to like em!

Also re-started our delightful International Culinary Challenge group up again and kicked things off with a lil Dominican Republic night.

Go to our blog here for recipes and pics!

Well, there you have it! Hope you liked em! Going to be gone for a while, so please don't miss us too much. I might find time to update while we're gone, but most likely it will all come as one LARGE installment upon our return.

driving ooops

2011-08-17T14:15:00.003-04:00

I committed a serious traffic violation today because I wasn't paying attention. (I'm not going to specify what exactly, just in case there are cops out there with nothing better to do than stalk blogs looking for confessions and offering ticket citations for infractions). I was in an unfamiliar part of town, looking for a way to an on ramp... and I wasn't focusing on my immediate surroundings. Let's just say, I feel AWFUL... and idiotic... I'm trying hard not to beat myself up because everything turned out okay, no collisions, no injuries. My babies are fine. All that is really wounded is my pride, my driving confidence, and maybe the horns of other cars. Today, I was THAT driver.

Maybe that will teach me to think more generously about drivers who do stupid things.

WHO IS THIS GUY!?!

2011-08-15T20:25:00.003-04:00

Blows my mind... I found a marriage record, completely unexpected... and discovered that

my great-great grandma was married to someone NOT my great-great grandfather!

their marriage is 3 years prior to her marriage to my gg-grandfather... so what happened? Did her first husband die? Did they get divorced? Did they have kids? What a mystery!

WHO IS THIS GUY?

anybody else ever find out something unexpected about a member of your family?

Really, this surprise has gotten me thinking about marriage and how much I value mine. What would it be like to lose a husband after only 2 years? Sometime between their marriage and her marriage to my GGG-Father, she moved to Guatemala City. Was that a move made together with her first husband? Did his death/divorce/or whatever leave her stranded in a strange city to work out her sorrow and frustration so far away from her family support? Or was it a choice of hers to leave El Progreso, a fresh start, a chance to get away from the memories when she married the second time so far away from home? my heart goes out to my GGGmother who had some unknown struggle. She is suddenly more real because of this discovery. I am so grateful for my husband, for the fulfillment and joy I have every day because I know we are sealed together for eternity. Eric is a wonderful husband and father, my best friend in all the world. I hope Arcadia found joy like I have. I hope she--and all my own descendants--know what it is like to be sublimely happy in marriage.

4 Months

2011-08-10T17:29:00.011-04:00

This post was waiting for a cute recent pic of Caroline. She's had a cold this week and then REALLY struggled after her immunizations, so she has not been in the mood for a photo shoot. But she's coming out of it... and we're only 5 days overdue for her 4 months (it was monday), so here ya go:

Stats:

ht: 24 3/4 in (75%)

wt: 14 lb 13 oz (80%)

head: 16 3/4 in (90%)

Caroline is still our lil angel, though she has actually digressed in her good sleep habits. She has begun waking up in the middle of the night for another feeding. All i can think is that she is legitimately hungry...this girl is either eating or thinking about eating, seriously! She also is more opinionated about when she is ready for sleep. If she falls asleep while eating and I 'gently' pull her away, she gets TICKED and lets everyone know it!

She has learned how to roll over from her back to her tummy...and sometimes back again, though she most often gets stuck. She hasn't mastered it yet, but she is getting really good. and luckily, she can be pretty content on her tummy for at least 5 minutes before she gets upset.

can't really tell in the pic, but her eyes are still blue... though they are a deep, darkish blue. They could still go brown. We'll just have to wait and see.

Caroline is VERY talkative, engaging us with bubbles, gurgles, coos, sing-song melodies, and the squeals that sometimes still become screams just for fun. She loves to wake up and blow raspberries first thing in the morning. She's still sleeping in the swing in our bedroom, so it is easy to wake up to such subtle noises. It is pretty cute and beats crying, so I'll take it. :)

she's not super interested in table food yet, so we're taking it slowly. She's had a nibble of banana and that's pretty much it. She's just not too keen on anything in her mouth besides Mama's milk. No binkies.

and, let me assure she is moving around a ton. Let's just say all those lovely fuzzy lines in these pics are evidence of her activity rather than my poor camera skills, shall we? :)

and just for comparison, here's a pic of Gwen at 4 months. They really don't look all that alike, do they?

Firsts and some not-so-firsts but still 'funs'

2011-07-25T12:16:00.006-04:00

Caroline rolled over from her back to her tummy unassisted for the first time on Friday... and I MISSED it! She was hanging out in the living room while I prepped dinner in the kitchen. I peeked to check on her... and lo and behold she was on her tummy just lookin around! She hasn't done it again since then, so maybe it was a fluke, but I am still excited about her development!

Caroline also transitioned from the cute gurgles and bubbles of last week's vocal experimentation to SCREAMING. She discovered the sound on Friday (I guess Friday was a big day for her). She just likes the way this new noise sounds, so she'll lay on the floor screaming even if she is happy. It kind of makes it hard to tell what she needs. And our house just got really noisy.

Gwen has been dreaming. Wednesday after her nap she said she was riding on the back of a blue elephant. Saturday when she got up from her nap she said, "I SAW him! The carrot was dancing! Outside! Let's go see him!" Funny. blue elephants. dancing carrot dreams. Gotta love kids.

Gwen also had her first successful poop in the potty. (And then 2 accidents in the same day. obviously, we're not finished training yet.) That's progress!

Not really Gwen's first birthday party to attend since she's been to 4 or 5 before, but this was the first one that she was really old enough to appreciate, I think. She really had a blast at J's Princess Party. I think Cinderella's visit, the crown, and the wand have rekindled her interest in Princesses. She wants to have them all the time and loves going around saying, "biddy,boddy,boo!"

5 years

2011-07-22T06:42:00.006-04:00

I am jumping the gun since our anniversary isn't actually until the end of August, but a friend is sponsoring a group writing project (with prizes involved!) that just happens to revolve around "the next 5 years"... which really got me thinking about our upcoming anniversary.

5 years ago, Eric and I were still in Utah.

Now we're in Ohio.

5 years from now, we'll be where ever residency takes us.

5 years ago, we rented a duplex in Springville from Grandpa.

Now we rent an apartment in Columbus.

5 years from now, will we be renters or own a place of our own with a fenced in backyard? (pretty please...)

5 years ago, Eric and I were still undergraduates at BYU.

Now Eric is a 4th year med at OSU and i'm in a master's program at CSU.

5 years from now, he'll be an MD almost finished with residency and I'll be a master of humanities.

5 years ago, we were poor newlyweds.

Now we're even poorer, very much in debt not-so-newly weds.

5 years from now we'll have an income!

5 years ago, I was skinny and so was Eric.

Now, I'm not so skinny...and I think Eric might be skinnier.

5 years from now... hopefully I'm skinny again!... and Eric will most likely still be skinny! :)

5 years ago, we were a family of 2.

Now we are a family of 4.

5 years from now, will we be a family of 6?

5 years ago, we had children aged 0.

Now we have an almost 3 and a 3 1/2 month old.

5 years from now, Gwen will be turning 8, preparing for baptism. Both Gwen and Caroline will be in Elementary school. Weird.

5 years ago, I taught at the MTC and Eric taught Physics students how to be better writers.

Now we both teach ABC's, numbers, colors, animals, manners, potty training, obedience...

5 years from now, we will still be teaching all the above, plus a few more things.

5 years ago, we made sacred covenants at the alter of the temple.

Now we are striving to honor those covenants.

5 years from now, we will STILL be striving.

5 years ago, we were happily in love.

Now we're happily in love.

5 years from now... we will be even MORE happily in love!

I love my family SOOOO much! I can't believe how much life has changed in the past 5 years and I can't even really imagine what lies in store for us. Bring on the next 5 years!

Caroline 3 Months

2011-07-12T18:19:00.000-04:00

Last Friday Caroline hit the 3 month mark. She has found her feet, grins all the time, rolls onto her side, wiggles and turns around so that we can't safely put her on the couch anymore, jabbers and sings to herself, thinks faces rule the world, can get her arms out of her swaddle in the mornings, and is basically the most pleasant baby! When she pulls her feet up to grab at them, and her belly bulges out to the sides, she looks like a pleasantly fat Buddha. :)

Gwen is reading!

2011-07-11T18:25:00.000-04:00

I have to tell ya, I'm EXTREMELY proud of my smart lil 2 1/2 year old! She is reading 3 and 4 letter words! Mom, Dad, hot, dog, milk, etc. Anything phonetic, she can sound it out and READ! The longest she's read, I think, is napkin. I am not only proud of her, I'm amused by the phonetic lapses in our English language. The other day I heard her 'reading' to herself...

"buh- eh- ah-rr-ss ah-nn kk-hha-ah-ih-rr-ss" (lol, Bears on Chairs!)

Even though it isn't perfect, even the imperfections make me glow with pride. I think my daughter might be a genius. (and all of you can just roll your eyes and give me patronizing compliments. I know I'm only slightly biased)

and these other pics, because I think my daughter is beautiful:

can you tell she is obsessed with Thomas right now? He even gets to wear bling! :)

I found a relative! Guatemalan President!

2011-07-10T21:39:00.003-04:00

Folks, I'm SOOOOOO excited about family history right now! Gotta tell ya, I have been scouring baptism and marriage records from Guastatoya, El Progreso, Guatemala (a lil parroquia where I have at least 3 generations of ancestors) and found the evidence that links my Grandmother's grandmother as a cousin to a very famous Guatemalan President: Jose Maria Orellana Pinto! He took over the presidency in a coup, then got elected officially, and is especially famous for his work on the economy. His face is actually on the Quetzal, Guatemala's equivalent to the dollar! It has been a popular rumor in my family that we were related to him, but unfortunately, pretty much EVERYONE with the last name of Orellana claims relation to him, and we didn't have proof. Well, NOW WE DO!!!! His father was the brother of my great-great-great grandmother. Pretty exciting stuff, folks!

Arkansas was AWESOME!

2011-07-10T17:37:00.007-04:00

Trip to Arkansas was a great success! We had all kinds of adventures! Gwen had the best time, I think, and was hardly grouchy at all (once we gave up on trying to sleep Gwen with her cousins in the same room and put her to bed in our room. She just had too much fun in there... sleep didn't happen. Side note, but I gotta add that even after we moved her into our room, we once heard her jabbering during a nap... and discovered that her cousin A had climbed into her packnplay with her and they were just chattering away!)

If it looks like the trip revolved around food... um, it pretty much did! We were treated again and again by both my parents and my sister's family and let's just say we got pretty spoiled! (good thing I got a work out every morning with either my mom, racquetball with my dad/bro/hubby, or intense gym-going with my amazingly in shape sister!)

click on any pic to see it more detailed. these collages can get kind of tiny, but it is faster than uploading individual pics

Welcome BBQ with Spencer at the grill... oh, man, the food hit the spot! and relaxing together while the kids played was amazing! I love the both cousin J and cousin A chose to pose with their bacon when I came over with my camera... :) And you gotta love the stacked cups next to Gwen. She thought they were toys. She also thought the plastic knives and forks were fun... she kept dropping them between the wood slats so they'd fall irretrievably under the deck.

Enjoying the kiddie pool... not just for kiddies! Eric and my bro, Spencer, had a lil splashing contest that turned into wrestling. Boys. Go figure! the gorgeous gal is my older sister, Tamara, and the goofy guy in orange spraying down the kiddos is my dad. He loves being a Grandpa. :)

Gwen, cousin A, and pretty much everyone enjoyed picking fresh blueberries from Grandpa's bushes. I think it was a morning ritual for Gwen and Grandpa to check to see if they were ready. She was quite "regular" on this trip!

One of my best friends from HS, Carly, and her sweet daughter, Im..., came for dinner to hang out and catch up. It was so wonderful to see her and share our lovely children!

Gwen and Grandpa demonstrating that the smores were good

Mexican dinner with everyone except Spencer. Love the pixie tails on lil cousin L'S!

Splash park with the Heiners. J and A were totally into it... Gwen wasn't so sure. Though after we left she kept asking for days to go back to the "splash".

Post Splash park frozen yogurt with the Heiners... Caroline is there, under her carseat cover.

Had some shopping--just us gals!-- my sis posing in cute shoes to prove it. Had some of us together, but unfortunately, I looked awful beyond crop or photoshop fixup, so those pics didn't make the cut.

Swimming with the Heiners-- Eric was a great jungle gym.

Pizza to celebrate cousin J's sportiness

Kayaking with the Heiners

Off the dock activities!

Lunch with everyone at Huhut Mongolian BBQ... DELISH!

Gwen sitting with Grandpa

Gwen learned how to ride a tricycle... and LOVED it!

Gwen relaxing with Grandma "Sugar"

My Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa lovin on Caroline. She found her feet on this trip!

Gwen really grew up in my eyes too. She remembered everyone's names, used complete sentences with finesse, and developed a real bond with her cousin A, closest to her in age. Even though we've been home for 2 weeks now, she still asks me regularly "what is A doing?" or "Gwen to go play with cousin A? At his house? Please mom?" How can I refuse a request like that? We'll just have to do it again soon... see ya'll at Christmas! :)

Perilous--check this out, folks! It's a Contest!

2011-07-05T12:54:00.005-04:00

Hey, I know I've been MIA for awhile. We went down to visit my family in AR and I have SOOOO many photos, I am admittedly daunted by the task of documenting everything. I'll get there, but it may not be awhile. Living in the present trumps uploading pics. Sorry.

But, I DO want to give a shout out to my sister, Tamara, who has a video interview here (not available after today, so don't procrastinate watching!) about her recently published book, Perilous. Check it out! You just might be inspired to purchase a copy for yourself or someone else you love!

and if you DO go and check out the video, leave me a comment about your thoughts on Perilous. There just might be something homemade in it for one of you.... :) (Let me spell it out: I will randomly select one name from the comments I receive to win a homemade prize from me. I will tailor the homemade goodness to you/your family if you win. but there's a catch: I must get at least 5 comments, or the contest is nullified. So spread the word!). don't delay! Check out the video, leave me a comment, tell others, and cross your fingers that you win!

Gwen's Turn

2011-06-13T07:40:00.000-04:00

When I took Caroline's 2 month pictures, Gwen was really into it. Afterwards, she climbed up on the blanket and said it was her turn to get pictures. I had to oblige. She's so beautiful!

swimming

2011-06-12T08:24:00.000-04:00

all the way to a midweek swimming activity, Gwen kept reminding me: "Mom, I not swim with my teacher, just my friends". Apparently, she has already discovered that swimming with her teacher means she'll have to put her face in the water. Here she is enjoying the time with her friends.

Sisters, Sisters

2011-06-12T07:36:00.001-04:00

I hear the song in my head, how bout you?

Gwen ADORES Caroline. And Caroline likes Gwen---most of the time. She gives her big grins... but also scowls at her when Gwen pokes and prods. :)

Gwen calls her a "chubby lil girl", constantly asks how she is doing, and wants to know where she is at any given moment. She also has ears tuned to hear Caroline, as more than once she has alerted me that "Caroline's awake. She wants to eat." when I hadn't heard her yet. And my favorite was when she said, "I go upstairs check on Caroline, right? I be right back". LOL, gotta love sisterly love!

Picasso with Chalk

2011-06-11T07:15:00.004-04:00

Picasso is in the house. Well, okay, in the backyard. Gwen has rediscovered sidewalk chalk. It is messy. And cute. Eric took these pics during some Daddy-daughter bonding time.
Notice here that she has applied the chalk to her toenails like nail polish and her lips like lipstick. No wonder she came out afterwards looking like a whimsical canvas.

Antrim Lake

2011-06-11T07:06:00.004-04:00

Last week we went to Antrim Lake with some friends from Eric's lab. The weather was gorgeous, the beach was crowded, and we had a great time!

Gwen loved building sand castles with Daddy and digging sand ditches (motes, of course) with Mommy

She had a blast swimming, even though she protested wildly at any suggestion of going under water. We had to keep close tabs on her though, because she would get up from playing in the sand and charge to the water without any notice. She wasn't scared at all.

Eric and I took turns. Caroline sporting her cute swimsuit from Grandma. Thank you!

She wasn't as excited about getting her lil toes in the chilly water... we only tried that once.

being comforted by Daddy

Until she finally fell asleep. It was wonderfully cute.

2 months

2011-06-09T08:59:00.004-04:00

Caroline is 2 months today. She is such a pleasant baby, so in some ways I am surprised we have really had her for 2 months. It doesn't seem that long (that's a good thing--the days and nights aren't dragging by). but on the other hand, she seems so much bigger and livelier, I can't believe she is ONLY 2 months! So different, it seems like she ought to be 3 months at least.

stats (of course, taken a week ago):

11 lbs 4 oz 75th percentile

22 inches tall 48%

15 1/2 in head 75%

recent pics:

100 things to be grateful for: #81-100

2011-06-04T20:21:00.002-04:00

Wednesday

81. great friend E

82. getting to spend some quality time together for a long overdue chat

83. good news is always welcome

84. I finally care about the protagonist in a book I'm reading for school... there is a reason why this novel is barely 1/2 finished after a full 2 months. Good to at last be sort of interested in what occurs. :)

85. polar bears catching and eating fish before our eyes! Also jumping and leaping in the water!

86. sharing the first fresh peas from the garden right out of the pod and seeing how much Gwen loved em!

87. plenty of time for Sunday School lesson preparation

88. inspiration that I KNOW comes from the Holy Spirit-- and therefore from my Heavenly Father-- to guide me in my preparations. What a huge gift!

89. Gwen gives me sweet kisses every night after prayer

90. Looks like grocery bill for this week will be WELL under budget... a nice cushion from overflow for surprisingly expensive weeks is always nice!

Thursday

91. making kimchi with Emi

92. oh, the delicious smells of kimchi-- brings back so many wonderful memories of Korea!

93. eating kimchi... you get the idea. I LOVED doing this with such a dear friend! we had so much fun!

94. Caroline has survived her first round of immunizations... a lil worse for wear, but she'll make it. :)

95. getting a tuition reimbursement from my MA program (had to pay out of pocket while the scholarship fund was going through)-- a nice, timely, lil cushion in the bank account to help us pay hospital bills!

96. a thoughtful note from Eric's grandparents

97. getting the Utah away rotation in the month of September just like we wanted!

98. Gwen minded me very well today

99. Netflix online viewing: gotta love Thomas the train

100. Hooray! so glad to be done with this posting project! (I'm prepared to admit that it has sort of worn me out having to attempt to post daily for 10 days, even something as pleasant and beneficial as a list of gratefuls. Obviously, daily posts didn't really happen because I got so behind, but the "pressure" was still there in the back of my mind. Glad to be back to posting when I feel like it!)

100 things to be grateful for: #51-80

2011-05-31T20:42:00.002-04:00

Sunday

51. Church. I am so grateful for the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ

52. Sacrament. I need that covenant renewal so badly every week.

53. nursery. Gwen needs this play time with her friends

54. "Jesus magnets". The best gift I could have imagined for my lil toddler-- she LOVES them!

55. sitting with Camilla in Sunday School. I've missed her.

56. sitting with Heather C. in Relief Society. I'm going to miss her.

57. amazing home teaching visit. Brought the spirit and challenges me to be better.

58. all the phone calls being finished early-- we enjoyed a relaxing and quiet (er) evening than typical

59. reentering my calling: I'm scheduled to teach again!

60. being of service to my dear friend and neighbor by editing her paper

Monday

61. sacrifice of others to give us the freedoms we enjoy

62. freedom

63. holidays when the family can be together for something fun during the day!

64. Hocking Hills, especially gorgeous and refreshing waterfalls

65. 1 sleeping baby on the drive down (which offset the whining of the other one: 'I wanna get out my seat")

66. 1 sleeping toddler on the drive back home (which offset the crying of the other one for who knows what reason)

67. great friends with whom we managed to meet up and hike around together

68. the "old man" of the cave, whom Gwen liked more than Santa Claus

69. amazing location for enduring the grueling workout of stairs

70. feeling like I earned my dinner of burgers, homemade onion rings, and blackberry-cheesecake shakes

Tuesday

71. NOT eating the ant I found in my cereal

72. ibuprofen for the headache that follows sore neck and shoulder muscles from hiking wearing a baby

73. Donald in Math Magic Land to entertain Gwen so I could rest til #72 kicked in.

74. FINALLY capturing that elusive Caroline grin on camera!

75. libraries with all their educational entertainment

76. a baby who miraculously fell asleep on the floor and slept protected under a chair for the duration of big sis's play time at said library

77. chatting with Sabrina, particularly grateful for her willingness to drive to meet me there so we could hang out.

78. Gwen actually obeyed me and didn't fight me about having to hold my hand in the parking lot

79. planning to make kimchee with Emi: I'm so excited!

80. long showers

Photos: Hocking Hills on Memorial Day

2011-05-31T17:29:00.006-04:00

Emi invited anyone interested to join them at Hocking Hills for Memorial Day. We jumped at the chance since the only other time we've been was 3 years ago when I was pregnant with Gwen. It was August, excruciatingly hot, and the waterfalls were all dried up. It wasn't the best it could have been, so we vowed to return earlier in the year. Well this was our chance. and it was AWESOME! (Btw, I got an excruciating workout this time as well. Maybe it is just me...)

the whole group: Gwen, Eric, Jes, Brad, Sakura, Trevor and Emi

(Caroline and I are behind the camera)

the fam

fam plus Emi and Sakura

Gwen LOVED touching this waterfall after I 'helped' her do it the first time

Daddy carrying more than his fair share of the weight

Proving that I was there

Eric thought this sequence of photos was hilarious since he captured this poor girl biffing it. I was using her as an example: "see Gwen, this is why mommy has to hold your hand. the rocks are very slippery and you don't want to fall and get ow-ies like her"

the very Harley Davidson-esque tattooed "old man" of Old Man's Cave. Gwen liked him more than Santa Claus. As we were leaving she said, "at first he was a bad guy, but now he's nice"

Gwen posing. She said, "my turn daddy!"

beginning to get wet

Gwen enjoying the water. even though she was shivering all over, she didn't want to come out.

Eric takes the waterfall plunge

all wet

scenic view, and more evidence that I was there

the rest are just pretty landscape shots

Photos: Zoo with Daddy & Asian Festival

2011-05-31T16:43:00.004-04:00

100 things to be grateful for: #51-60

2011-05-28T20:43:00.002-04:00

51. ward breakfast

52. playing at the park with friends

53. when other people hold Caroline so I can eat, take care of Gwen, or whatever

54. inspiring gals like my friend C, who ran a 5k this morning in her 3rd trimester of pregnancy and then showed up for the breakfast (rather than going home to a soothing bubble bath or massage)

55. Asian Festival! totally free parking and entrance and performances!

56. a healthy walk to and from the event

57. when a Korean lady offered me a job as a youth pastor teaching Sunday School at her Korean church

58. Gwen LOVIN the lil hut with the tea set and wooden sushi roll that you could 'cut'

59. amazing weather for the event! sunny, but not excruciatingly hot

60. Emi chasing Gwen down for me again and again since I was wearing Caroline.

100 things to be grateful for: #41-50

2011-05-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

41. trains. Gwen loves them and that makes me love them!

42. chocolate covered strawberries (I was good-- I only had 1)

43. fitting into jeans without the aid of a rubberband (granted they are not my pre-prego jeans, but I'll celebrate my wins)

44. Fridays

45. library free movie 'rentals'. Looking forward to the original Tron tonight! Gotta see it before we indulge in the new one...

46. Microsoft Excel: how else could I create a handy and tidy spreadsheet to track our competition in like 10 minutes?

47. a much anticipated full diaper from Caroline (I know you're wondering 'how is a huge poop something to be grateful for?' well, folks, she has been savin this one. I am glad she is finally comfortable!)

48. bonus: though she completely blew out of her clothes, the carseat miraculously is unaffected!

49. Logan. Gwen's friend came over to play today. He calls her "Dwen", and they totally boss each other around but don't seem to be bothered by it. I am amazed at the physical things she will try because she is inspired by him.

50. My favorite thing she said today: when Logan handed her her favorite turtle, she said, "Oooh, DANK you my Logan!" and hugged it to her. "MY" Logan?!?! LOL!

100 things to be grateful for: #31-40

2011-05-26T19:49:00.000-04:00

31. healthy new niece! born yesterday 8 lb 9 oz, 21 in long She is adorable and I can't wait to meet her!

32. healthy sister. always glad to hear post-delivery recovery is going smoothly.

33. considering her description of this labor and delivery, my gratitude for the quick speed of my own with Caroline is renewed.

34. swings at the park

35. Gwen giggles: purely contagious!

36. inspiration that told me to head to the car NOW... because not 10 seconds after I got the kids loaded in, rain came down in torrential SHEETS

37. Gwen eating all her dinner, including about 15 green beans without a huge fuss! (granted, they were in exchange for about 30 slices of strawberry, but a mom celebrates the wins)

38. girl time

39. Eric putting Gwen to bed at night. She LOVES her special time with him.

40. and guess what? tonight she was actually ASLEEP in her bed when I got home! No toys, blankets still on, she must have actually been tired!

100 things to be grateful for: #21-30

2011-05-25T09:51:00.003-04:00

21. Mission calls: my BIL Bryce just got called to Des Moines, Iowa!

22. homemade cookies from my MIL--doesn't get much better than that!

23. winning the mission guessing game. Well, Caroline won, actually, but I never win anything, so vicarious wins are still a big deal!

24. BIL Collin. He had a birthday.

25. homemade bread that actually rises!

26. that said, I am grateful to my MIL for sharing her expertise in a 1-on-1 baking tutelage session in which I gained all the tips and skills that allowed number 25 to happen

27. competition-- it brings out the best in me because I am so naturally competitive and it drives me to accomplish more than I would otherwise. Eric and I are embarking on a friendly competition, inspired by the Biggest Loser, only with a twist since Eric has to gain weight and I have to lose it. Going off of percentages, with weekly points and a grand prize for reaching team and personal goals! I'm stoked to begin! (and I should add that Eric is taking the competition really seriously. He lifted weights last night for 1/2 and hour and got up early this morning to power walk 3 miles before going in to the lab)

28. Gwen's compliments. She praises me for my clothes, my hair, my jewelry, etc. I love to hear her say in her sweet voice, "I like your necklace Mom" or "oh, your hair is so beautiful". Makes my day!

29. FHE. Gwen has been struggling with showing affection to Eric, for who knows what reason. She wouldn't sit on his lap, give him hugs or kisses, and would run the other direction screaming "no-no-no-no" if Eric tried to give her a hug. I felt bad for him. So I planned a lesson about Daddy, focusing it around the Primary song "I'm so Glad when Daddy comes Home"... and it is working! Yesterday she greeted Eric and giggled the whole time while she sang along with me and performed all the actions. What an inspired way for family to grow together and to provide a forum for teaching and learning.

30. To go along with #29, I'm grateful for how music can get Gwen to do just about anything. :)

100 things to be grateful for: #11-20

2011-05-24T17:25:00.003-04:00

11. a zoo membership-- having a place to take Gwen is wonderful!

12. Shane Smith-- he is Gwen's best friend, and I gotta tell ya, he is so conscientious of her and tries so hard to make her happy. I LOVE seeing how happy she is to chase him, be chased by him, have him help her up on benches too high for her to get up on her own, or even try to put her shoe back on when he discovered her distress at it falling off her foot. I LOVE that Gwen has such a wonderful friend in her life!

13. leftovers. nuf said.

14. a baby that LOVES to nurse! What a huge blessing that is, in so many ways!

15. Biggest Loser-- I've been watching this season on Hulu when I nurse. Never watched it before now, but I am really motivated by the contestants to make smart choices with my nutrition. I'm proud that today I was strong enough to opt out of fresh bread and blackberry jam and chose raw, plain cauliflower as my snack.

16. baby Caroline grins!!!

17. ATMs that don't require me to get out--let the sleeping children sleep, ya know? :)

18. Eric and Gwen daddy-daughter walks (and my quiet time with Caroline)

19. corn on the cob

20. fresh raspberries

100 things to be grateful for: #1-10

2011-05-23T13:36:00.005-04:00

inspired by my good friend, Jordan. 10 'gratefuls' for 10 days, no repeats. my list will not be ranked in order of importance to my life or eternity, just things especially pertinent to the day. Begin:

my sister and her family are safe after a dangerous tornado last night in Arkansas that took 100 lives
ditto to the safety of my parents and brother, also in Arkansas, but not as close to the tornado
when Caroline's naptime and Gwen's quiet time magically coincide!
rain- don't have to water the garden
a lul in the rain for enjoying outside with the kids
5 transplanted tomato plants from my good friend Emi because she heard all our starts bit the dust
a baby who slept 7 hours straight last night!
a great, uninterrupted scripture study
air conditioning-- because up until a week ago ours was broken and it was sweltering.
my wonderful friends here... contemplating how many have already moved and those who will leave soon, it just makes me realize even more how much I love them and will miss our close proximity.

Caroline 1 Month

2011-05-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

Caroline is 1 month now, and a few days (I'm already behind, are you surprised?). Photos taken when she was 1 month and 2 days old.

Stats:

10 lbs (75th percentile)

21 inches (50th percentile)

31.5 cm head (70th percentile)

She is still a champion eater, chunking up so her face has changed quite a bit, and doing well with sleeping too. Most delightful developments are the small upturned corners of her mouth that peek out every now and then and have each of us convinced that we got her to smile at us first!

Grandma Sugar and the Girls

2011-05-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

Grandma Sugar, aka, my mom, was able to come for a couple of weeks to spend time with the girls. Caroline got in some good shoulder naps, but Gwen was really the greatest beneficiary of the visit.

She LOVED playing with "Grandma's jeweleries" and put them on herself, her animals, her babies, her tree house, etc, etc. She would ask for them constantly...if she wasn't asking for "Grandma's brushes". Which are makeup brushes. She loved to empty the bag and dust the soft brushes on the appropriate place whether eyes, cheeks, nose, or chin. She'd then look at herself in the hand mirror and say something about how pretty she looked. Now, I've never let her play with my makeup... but now she is asking for my bag when she sees me putting on my makeup... Hopefully out of sight out of mind?

And for your viewing pleasure, some great pics of Caroline and Gwen. I love the one of them together because Gwen looks so content and Caroline looks like she is trying to squirm away.

Thanks for everything, Mommy, and thanks for the great visit! We love you!

Allans Visit #4 Eric's Birthday and more pics with Caroline

2011-05-15T13:22:00.000-04:00

In addition to being Gwen's Blessing day, Sunday was also Eric's birthday.

We celebrated with some delicious

crock pot carnitas with homemade pico de gallo in tortilla wraps,

opened presents (including but not limited to a book about Battles that changed history complete with tactic illustrations, Donald Duck in math-magic land, and thoughtful cards)

followed by peach cobbler (Eric's fave-- baked in the Harris's oven. Again we were indebted to them.) and ice cream.

And of course, there were several more photo ops with Caroline. Papa Allan got her to fall asleep on him twice...and managed to eat ice cream while she snoozed! P.S.: Mama Allan, I'm including all these pics here so you can tell me which ones you'd like me to send you. I'd be happy to send them all, but that might be kind of repetitive.

Caroline's Baby Blessing

2011-05-14T13:20:00.000-04:00

Sunday was Caroline's Blessing day.

This dress was the dress I was blessed in as a newborn.

Caroline looks like an angel.

Like a Christening, this is a significant day.

A day to commemorate how grateful we are for her,

how grateful we are for the gospel of Jesus Christ that makes our family eternal.

It is a time to contemplate all of our deepest hopes and desires for her,

the kind of woman we want to see her become,

the kind of faith and testimony we desire for her to develop,

the abiding relationship we truly want her to enjoy with her Heavenly Father and her Savior.

It is also a time for family and enjoying the significance of our eternal relationships.

I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ that enables me to have hope for my eternal family.

I am so grateful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ which enables his Priesthood to bless our family.

I am so grateful for my parents and my children, for the links that extend back across generations and will continue with my posterity. What a huge blessing to be an eternal family.

Where did my posts go?

2011-05-13T14:42:00.001-04:00

hey folks, so I posted 3 new posts yesterday and had 4 more in drafts, nearly completed with photos uploaded and everything.

and today, they are gone. just gone. not even there in drafts. What happened? What is going on with blogger? Anyone else having this trouble? Will I get my posts back?

Allans Visit #3 Appliances Nightmare

2011-05-12T13:21:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't you know, when one appliance breaks, they all follow suit. When it rains it pours, I guess.

Our fridge had been on the fritz for a while, leaking and stuff. Maintenance had been out to look at it and said they'd get back to us on what might be the problem. Well, Saturday morning we woke up and opened the door... and discovered the fridge must have finally bit the dust completely because it was no longer cool inside. We emailed maintenance, pulled out an ice chest and some ice, and deposited all extremely perishable items inside, leaving the condiments in the fridge.

No big deal. Under control.

That afternoon, during lunch preparations (remember I was hosting 3 extra adults and of course wanted to put on something delectable and special for the occasion), I began an oven preheat for our Sweet Potato fries. And suddenly, sparks started to shoot out from under the oven door accompanied with fire cracker sound effects. My mom and I were the only ones in the kitchen at the time and we both squealed. Turns out the filament burnt out. Can't use the oven for fries or pineapple. Luckily, our neighbors were kind enough to lend us the use of their oven for the fries and the broiled pineapple. Also, luckily, our stove still worked so we could pan fry our Teriyaki steaks. For a moment there was a scare because the burner wasn't getting warm, but then Eric thought to check the breaker, and sure enough the oven burn out had kicked it off. Reset, no problem. And suddenly we were extremely grateful for the functioning stove. Plan B without an oven would have been to fire up the charcoal grill. So, I began the somewhat ridiculous process of walking between our house and our neighbors to stir, flip, adjust temperatures, rotate, season, etc, etc, with Eric spearheading the cooking at our place.

No big deal. Under control.

During the final 20 minutes of lunch prep, when some things are at the ready to eat stage and we were trying not to let anything burn or get cold while the rest finished up, maintenance showed up at our back door with a temporary replacement fridge to hold us over until Monday when our new one would arrive. So, while trying not to let things burn, shuttling back and forth between our kitchen and the Harris's kitchen to check on the sweet potato fries, trying to make the Pineapple ice cream shakes before the ice cream melted completely, etc... we had to empty the rest of our fridge and freezer, deposit everything on the non-existent counter space, quickly spot-clean the nastiness that was revealed to have been hiding under the fridge, and keep out of the way of the crew moving things around. It was pure craziness.

No big deal. Under control.

Thankfully:

when the fridge went out, we hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. If we had, we wouldn't have been able to fit all the perishables in the ice chest.
since we were eating in the living room anyway, there was no rush to try to clear EVERYTHING off the table right away. Since it was piled high with all the contents of our broken fridge--and the temp one was significantly smaller--trying to put everything away was kind of time-consuming. We could eat and then get to it.
our neighbors let us use their oven. repeatedly. even when they had to run to the store, they trusted me to go on in.
we got a temp fridge. and then we got a new fridge!
the stove still worked.
and perhaps the biggest one of all: Caroline slept til right after all the craziness was over. Can you imagine if I'd had to stop right in the middle to nurse a hungry, crying baby? Oh man, I shiver just to think of it!

Appliance Nightmare? No big deal. Under control. :)

Allans Visit #2 Fishing

2011-05-12T13:11:00.000-04:00

Papa Allan and Aunt Elise took Gwen fishing on Saturday while my mom, Caroline, and I got some last minute accessories for her blessing. You'll notice the delightful brown streak on the seat of Gwen's pants. Apparently, she was excited to slide down the muddy slopes. Papa Allan showed her how to throw rocks in the water. You'll also notice her extreme pride and excitement as she shows Caroline the fish she brought home to share... :)

Allans Visit #1 Holding the Baby Photos

2011-05-12T12:56:00.000-04:00

I know Mama Allan is chompin at the bit to see these photos, so I'm finally getting around to uploading, editing (and I DO apologize for the awful color in some of them--lighting wasn't always working with us), and bloggin a post or two. :)

Papa Allan and Elise came at great sacrifice (so I'm told--apparently Elise ran the risk of having to take finals by missing school) to be here for Caroline's Blessing (see a later post). Though they arrived late Friday night and departed early Monday morning making the trip a startlingly short Sat-Sun extravaganza, we managed to cram in quite a few festivities.

First, some standard "holding the SPGB-SPN (Squeezable Pink Niece)" photos.

Easter Festivities

2011-04-24T13:13:00.002-04:00

Keeping Gwen entertained daily has become quite a task since we don't go out anywhere. Thankfully, there is a holiday coming up that gives us some things to do.

Decorating Easter Cookies

Dying Easter Eggs

Gwen asks to see "my duck and dinosaur" and that means she wants to look in the window of this sugar egg.

Funny, eh? Nice dinosaur...worm.

And Finally, A Brief Birth Story (for Posterity)

2011-04-23T14:25:00.000-04:00

I was induced with Gwen, took FOREVER to progress even on Pitosin, and went from mild, crampy pains to sudden excruciating pain when my water broke completely. Even then, I was still only a 4.

So at my wed dr appointment for Caroline when the doc told me I was almost a 4, I really began to wonder what to expect. I had been having contractions off and on for over a week. Nothing consistent. I certainly didn't want to have our lil one arrive suddenly at home, so on Thursday when my contractions became more regular, we decided to go in to the hospital.

We packed Gwen up for an overnight at a friend's house (which she was stoked about, as you can see), and realized we didn't have a prego pic of me, so we took one. You can see from my face that I'm pretty comfortable. Yeah, my contractions were definitely there, but not too painful. Just crampy feeling like I had on the Pitosin with Gwen.

The hospital deflated us. I wasn't progressing. They told us to walk around for an hour and come back. We did. Let me assure you, the hospital did not design a nice path for pregnant ladies to help their labor along. We were off roading it. Came back, got checked again. Contractions were super close together... for about 15 minutes... then they tapered off again. At 9:30 pm the hospital sent us home. While they admitted we'd probably be back around 2 am, they didn't want us to wait around there, I guess.

We picked up Gwen, ordered a consolation pizza, and I prepared myself for what I thought would be a long, increasingly uncomfortable night with a delivery in the early morning on a night of little sleep. I was pretty bummed.

But, tender mercies abound, and sometime around midnight I fell asleep. Woke up at 5 am with absolutely NO contractions. I wondered about false labor, etc, etc, still having no real concept of what to expect.

Between 6:30 and 7:30 I had 2 contractions. Much stronger than the day before, but clearly not a regular pattern. 7:30 they all the sudden picked up the pace and became quite painful. We packed Gwen up, dropped her off at the same friend's house (thanks, guys!), and arrived at the hospital by 8:30 am. I was pained, but still worried that this wasn't the real deal and that they would send me home again. I was relieved to hear that I was almost a 7. They got us a room right away.

Got an epidural, hung out with Eric making phone calls and updating everyone. Started pushing around 10:30. There was miconium in my water, so they called up specialists in case she inhaled any. Also, her blood pressure was dropping with each push (which made me nervous because I was worried about her health but did NOT want to have a C-section after all that work I'd already done!) so we wanted to get her out quickly. OB told me that it would have been easier, probably could have gotten her out in 2 pushes, if she had not been posterior (facing front instead of back). Her forehead kept running into my pelvis. She wasn't coming out. Tried the suction cup, but eventually just helped me out with a healthy episiotomy. After that, she popped right out. No need to worry bout the inhalation of miconium, she was born bawlin and kept it up for a solid 15 minutes.

After a couple minutes of skin to skin, tried nursing. And she took right to it. Nursed for an hour. Yes, an hour. What a blessing, especially in contrast to how much Gwen HATED it!

The nurses and staff kept congratulating us on our speed. Apparently there were 18 other women in labor that morning. I was the last to arrive and the first to deliver. Go us!

So, in summary, hard labor started around 7:30, arrived at the hospital at 8:30, started pushing around 10:30, had Caroline at 10:53. Not a bad labor and delivery, I'd say!

More Caroline Pics from Grandma

2011-04-23T14:12:00.003-04:00

I mentioned that my MIL took lots of pictures of Caroline. Did I mention she is talented?

I love how the lil feet here form a heart...

She's darling in pink

And in addition to the hands folded under her cheek (which I think is ADORABLE), I love that Mama Allan successfully captured her sucked in bottom lip. That puckery face is priceless!

Gwen's Tea Party

2011-04-22T17:54:00.002-04:00

Not to be outdone, Gwen needs a couple of shots to demonstrate her love of her new tea set, which she has dubbed "my tea party". First thing in the morning, when you open her bedroom door, the first words out of her mouth after 'hi mama' or 'hi daddy' are "I play with my tea party? I go downstairs? Play tea party?"

She's 2 Weeks, so here are some more pics

2011-04-22T13:58:00.004-04:00

Snuggling with Daddy

Please take a binkie...

First real bath... not too bad, just a lil chilly. She loved snuggling in the froggie towel afterwards. and then peeing on Mommy.

This face isn't flattering, kind of makes her look like a gremlin, but take a look at the fuzzy head. Think she'll be curly, or will she outgrow that?

Eric Makes Us All Proud

2011-04-19T20:03:00.005-04:00

Eric makes me so proud.

I don't brag about him enough in this blog. Usually posts are dominated by kid antics, photos, or random musings of my own. But I really need to take this opportunity to share some of Eric's accomplishments in the past 2 weeks.

He not only got accepted into the Landacre Honor Society (a medical research honors society), but scored a 3,000 scholarship for his excellent research in Radiation Oncology.

In the same week, he presented a poster on his research and was awarded a 500 dollar travel award so that he could present his research at various conferences.

And that day was actually my due date. (Good thing she was late, eh? Eric wouldn't have been able to present if he'd been at the hospital with me.) So immediately after scoring these recognitions, we were greeted by our lil gal. Needless to say, the emails that floated around the department about Eric's awards and his new family member were pretty impressed with all his accomplishments! Well-deserved recognition, if you ask me. He has worked so hard this year to try and boost his match potential...and it is validating to see his efforts finally bearing fruit!

We are so proud of you hon!!!!

Sweet Caroline

2011-04-17T11:57:00.005-04:00

duh-duh-duh duh... (You do hear that song in your head, don't you?)

Grandma has been here visiting with us. She has cooked delicious food, cuddled the lil gal, played lots of tea party with the bigger gal, and treated Caroline to more than one photo shoot. These are my favorites from the first one. Eye candy! More to come later!

First 2 are just precious, demonstrating how sweet our lil one is.

and these others capture some of those great faces that she makes. We don't yet have a successful capturing of the dimples, but we're working on it!

Caroline Isabel

2011-04-12T13:50:00.004-04:00

Caroline Isabel

born April 8, 2011 10:53 am

7 lbs 7.7 oz

19 in long

13 in head

head full of dark hair! We love it!

Labor and delivery were actually not too bad at all. I can't complain. In fact, I received some great blessings for which I continue to feel really grateful. I suppose I'll do a longer post about the whole experience, but not today. We are home now. Recovery is going well, Caroline is a champion eater (no kidding--she would eat ALL DAY LONG if I'd let her) and loves to sleep too.

Gwen is only interested in Caroline in small doses. When she arrived at the hospital, Eric said, "Gwen, there's your baby sister, right there!" and she said, "Yup. ....I look out the window?" as she gave only a passing glance at Caroline and bee-lined it for the curtains. :)

She asks to hold "my baby", but is ready to be all done after about a minute. She is mostly intrigued by her sister's tiny features and wants to touch her ears, nose, cheeks, hair, etc. She giggles as soon as Caroline is on her lap, though, which is really cute. She also LOVES the teaset that Caroline brought as a gift. She wants to play "Tea Party" with someone, anyone, ALL DAY LONG. Good gift, Caroline. You've found the key to winning your older sister's heart. :)

Baby Time!

2011-04-01T15:54:00.003-04:00

LOL, nah, that's April Fool's. But I guess it isn't really that funny. Oh well. :)

I finished Gwen's stool for her bathroom (to facilitate hand washing post potty use). Her potty is a lil green turtle, and she loves fishies, turtles, and all sea creatures, so I thought this would make a nice matching set. I got the unfinished stool for Christmas. Looked online and on cover of Finding Nemo for inspiration. Drew them on the wood. Painted with acrylic paints. Finished with spray to seal it. Tah-dah!