Four Years

In case anyone cares today is my anniversary. Its been four years. I was going to make a post with the picture of my wedding rings, and mention how I've recently become enamored with my diamond all over again. (I stopped wearing it for a few months because pregnancy mixed with summer gave me excema.) But I was too lazy to find the CD of pictures. Instead here are these, and our track record.In less than four years we got two bachelor degrees.
We have had two kids.
We have increased our family salary by 35% since my husband's first job offer.
We have moved more times than I can count.
Hopefully the next year will lead us to home ownership.

(In other stats, we have never had any romantic get aways for our anniversary. Last year was the only year I wasn't either, pregnant, sick or nursing a baby.)

Homemade Presents

I always have dreams about taking the hand made only Christmas pledge, so I start early and plan ahead, but I never make it. This my attempt for the gift exchange family, on my husband's side.

I ended up really loving this apron by the end, and wasn't sure she would like it. I made it back in November or October, but then by December she kept mentioning that I had never made her one, so I ended up making the perfect present.

Best part, I sewed so straight! and the pocket magically lined up with the other material.

Her daughter got a flower tutu. I had no idea what I was doing when I started out, I just had a picture in my mind. I was happy with the results.

P.S. The Pledge doesn't quite work for me anyway, because I'm a cheapskate so I don't buy handmade, I only make handmade, and the site is buy not make.

Apron Craze

If you haven't noticed I've sort of been on apron kick. I made one for my son, he picked out the yellow material, yellow is favorite color right now. And he picked out the button and told me to put it on the top, and picked out the ribbon I used for ties.

I probably should have not used it for the trim on the pockets. My husband said oh well he will use it twice then his sister will use it all the time. I have been planning to make him an apron for a while now, I use to make him wear bibs when we baked but the bibs were all put away when we moved since he had boycotted them for eating. (Which is fine because now he doesn't need them.)

Here is my latest apron. We have quite a few roosters/chickens in our kitchen when its not christmas time. Not to mention it goes with the color scheme of my plates.

Close up now, Teresa might start charging me royalities, with as many aprons as I have made.

another one bites the dust

I recently acquired another sister in law, to go along with the other ten I already have. I made her a lovely apron for her bridal shower, which I did not attend since I was in the hospital. I have only met her twice so it was hard to pick out material because I don't know her. My husband told me after I went shopping to get pink, I said does she like pink? He said have you seen her of course she likes pink. (He in no way means that as a derogatory comment, he often picks pink things out for me.) (Although I am pretty sure I don't like pink as much as some of his family thinks I do. I'm much more a purple girl.)

Here is the matching card I made, because I'm a cheapskate and don't like to spend $3 on a piece of paper. Which is the whole reason I made an apron in the first place instead of buying something off the registry.

Swing

I got this swing at Kid 2 Kid for $20 (without the mobile), I have started to put baby sister in it. It only took big brother a minute and half to turn on the music. Apparently Graco is working on a budget when it comes to sound, it does not sound like the classical music on NPR during the day, it sounds more like when my mom's piano students didn't practice enough. It also has a nature sound button, the majority of nature sounds, are just white static, maybe thats what happens when I buy used. There is a rain one and a river one, following those two it sounds like bombs going off. Luckily my son did not like the static and promptly turned it off. Although I think I will have to listen to badly praticed classical music a lot the next few days until the novelty wears off.

Blessing

Yesterday we blessed the baby. Well I should say my husband blessed her since I don't hold the priesthood. We did it at our home, on her two week birthday so all the family in town could be there. If we would have waited two months none of my family would have been present. Except my little brother and grandparents who live in the same state as me.

Trees

I have a thing for christmas tree decorations. I have spent more money on little christmas trees when it comes to christmas decorations than anything else other than ornaments. The only thing I have more of is, nativities, but I don't think we have bought a single nativity since we have been married. They are all either hand me downs from my mom, gifts, or nativities from Chile my husband bought for his mother, which she since gave back to us.
Here is the tree run down
top left: a hallmark ornament holder, I am afraid my mini ornaments will be thrown out with the christmas tree at the end of the season so this number made a come back
top middle: my feather tree to give me a flash back of my wedding reception at my parents house
top right: cone trees I bought at the dollar store,
bottom left: aspen? bark tree thing, with fake snow glitter, I'm digging it, its new this year, but terrible quality I don't know how many years it will last
bottom middle left: new nativity this year, a christmas tree and nativity all in one, how awesoem
bottom middle right: the tinsel tree pillow my mom had me make and design for her last year, so far success, my son has not pulled out the pipe cleaners
bottom right: the tree my mom gave me this year, its paper mache, I didn't know that, so I stared at it quite a while wondering what medium it was made out of.
I like gaudy little christmas tree decorations.

Here is a close up of the tree nativity.

Homemade

I wanted my son to have a big brother shirt, because it seems like an exciting thing to have for a two year old. I was right it was exciting, he loves the shirt-- his badge of honor. I didn't want to spend $15 or more on such a shirt, so I made one. My son picked out a black long sleeve shirt for $3, and then I used a scraps for the rest. I think it turned out well.

When he first came to see his baby sister, after a few minutes I said baby sister has a present for you. And he looked at her, and looked back like a present for me?! It was cute. Although a shirt was slight anti climatic for him, he later liked it.

Christmas Pictures

Isn't it the greatest that any picture taken in december automatically looks more exciting, because of the Christmas decorations in the background?

Cookies

Thank goodness for grammy to help make christmas cookies, when mommy is recovering.

One week

Today is my daughter's one week birthday. Have I mentioned... she has blonde hair and way less than I thought any of my children would have since, my baby pictures, my husband's baby pictures, and my son had lots of hair. She has navy eyes, like my son did, so I guess she will have brown eyes like her brother and dad. She has my husband's ears, while my son has mine. She has my mouth, and sad face looks, angry looks, and crying looks, just like my son. My son has his dad's feet, but she seems to have mine. Alive for one week.

My skinny baby in fat baby clothes.

I love this picture, I bribed my son to stay there for a picture with a cookie. But he was sucking his thumb next to her, before I pulled out the camera.

Also apparently she is growing up, yesterday she decided she didn't want her arms bundled (swaddled). Every time I do she whines until she can pull them out.

Booktime

Snow Day

Yesterday we had a huge snow day. Luckily my son got to out, to play while his dad shoveled. Unluckily my daughter had to go out, to see the doctor and get her bilirubin tested.

Baby Crazy

So far baby blues have not come, maybe they will come later than 4 days after birth. Life is great now, having an almost three year boy, and newborn girl is great. I'm loving it.

anticipation

I knew a few readers were waiting in anticipation for when my blog posts stopped, to know when the baby was born. So I tricked you. My baby was born on Friday morning, at 5:07 AM MST weighing a healthy 7 lbs 8 oz. She was 21 inches long (her big brother was the same weight and length).
Nothing like a full moon, and a snow storm to usher in labor (my labor started two days after my due date). My water broke at 5ish pm the night before, I never got contractions, around 10 the doctor told the nurse to hook me up to pitocin. Long story short she was born about 12 hours after my water broke, not bad at all. I don't feel like writing anymore details, if you really want then email me, and I'll send you what my husband sent out to family.
P.S. All things considering I feel great. Way better than I did after my son. Recovery from the second is SO much better than the first. I would totally recommend a second.
P.P.S. My son is so happy to be a big brother, he has been happier the last two days than he has been in months. He likes to hold her, kiss her, and tickle her toes.

Star or Angel?

I told my husband when I was little I thought stars were secular, because growing up my family had an angel on top of the tree. He told me he thought angels were pagan, because its like you are worshiping the angel. So I made a star, I decided to make it because it seemed easier than finding what I wanted. I wanted a star in complete glitter. I picked the wrong type of glitter, using crystal (white) colored glitter instead of silver, but I put a little silver on top of the white. If I wasn't about to pop and I wasn't feeling a little poor this holiday season, I would have redone the star is silver glitter. Here is the finished product. One version with the flash and one without the flash.

I told my mom what my husband said about the angel, and she said what does he want to do put the baby Jesus on top of the tree? I told him that, and he said, he doesn't think we should have trees in our houses. For some reason he has decided to be anti christmas tree this year.

The last holiday craft of 2008

These little pillows are pretty self explanatory I think. The buttons are about 1/2 inch tall. I decided to put the phrase 'believe in hope', from Elder Uchtdorf's talk in October. There is no point in celebrating Christmas if we don't have hope in the redeeming power of our Savior, right?

Here are the wise men

Together next to each other on the mantle. They are too little for the couch, they would get lost under someone when they sat down.

Here is the back material, I absolutely love it. It is so unlike anything a chain store like JoAnns would sell. I bought it two years ago in March on super clearance at a quilting shop. I usually can't afford quilting shops.

Now its time for the baby to come. Sure, since I'm over due I bet some of you faithful readers are waiting in anticipation to figure out when the baby is coming. I'm boycotting talking about it, because the baby is boycotting being born. She is getting close though, and when she is done with her boycott, I will post a terrible picture of a newborn, and your anticipation will be over. Tonight is a full moon, and it is suppose to storm all weekend. Both good signs in my opinion, my first was born in the middle of a snow storm, so I've been waiting for the storm to come.

J's Holiday Craft #2

We have a full size, 6 foot christmas tree this year. It was payment for babycare help with the new baby. We don't really have enough ornaments for a full size tree, so my son and I found pine cones outside our public library, and he glitterized them. His grandma helped him as I took pictures.

I thought glitter was expensive, so I ended up only buying paint pens.

He sure had fun making his sparkly pinecones.

Holiday Jammies

I decided I wanted Holiday jammies, so if the adult was in them, the kid needed them. I was going to go for a little more green and red traditional looking bear suit. My son liked these better, and I figure moose with red scarfs is plenty festive if its the ones he wants. He loves them, he never wants to take them off.

So he decorated the tree in his jammies.

J's Holiday Crafts

I'm not the only one making holiday crafts in my house.

My son picked out this fantastic snowflake mask in the store and wouldn't give it up. So then we came home and he painted it.

Snowwoman Ballet

I few weeks ago in a craft store ad I saw a skinny snowwoman, and I thought that is the snowman for my house. I went to the store planning to spend about $10, it was $25, I decided no. It wasn't as cute in real life less ballerina like and more gaudy woman like. So I decided to make my own. The two look nothing a like, I love mine, especially way more than the one in the store. The tutu is huge, for the size of the snowman.

Here is what she looks like on our key spot. I have a thing for gaudy christmas tree cones.

Plus it only took one nap time to make.

Happy

Last night my husband pretended to put our son to sleep in a box. When we were uploading the pictures later, he said doesn't that make you happy?!
I said no this is the picture that makes me happy. The other day I defrosted a frozen muffin, and ran downstairs, then came back up to find my son holding a huge muffin, smiling. Screaming in delight, "MOM!"