:: OH MAN ::

The worst blogger of the year goes to .... LORI! Man - I know there aren't too many of you out there, but I apologize for the lack of commitment to the blog lately. I've been so busy with my life, as we all are, and have had to put a few things on the back burner. I think I am getting more settled now and hope to get in my regular swing of things soon.

I'm entering the contest below because they are offering a little too much to even believe. It would be a Merry Christmas if I won. I never win, but now you all know what to get me for Christmas. :)

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

• digital SLR
• new bike (mine got stolen last year)
• brown boots
• deep saucepan
• my wedding ring fixed

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

• a beautiful pair of earrings from a friend. I wear them all of the time

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

• I want to make a beautifully pieced quilt with machine quilting for my mom

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

• My sisters and I all got Cabbage Patch kids one year. My mom fought off crowds to find them.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

• All Cohen wants for Christmas is a Nintendo DS with a Phineas and Ferb game. I'm sure we'll get it for him, but I still think he is too young.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

• Ham and home made candy (obviously not together) - Divinity, Marshmallows, Chocolate pretzels. DELISH!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

• All of my gifts for friends will be hand made. Scarves, mittens, headbands... yikes! I better get knitting.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

• Animated original Grinch

9. Favorite holiday song?

• Bing Crosby's "Silver Bells" & Karen Carpenters "Merry Christmas Darling"

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

• Sitting around and enjoying each other. I love driving around and looking at lights, too.

:: COULD YOU JUST DIE? ::

(Image courtesy of designer)

I just came across the most amazing Etsy shop and I wanted to share it with you. Aren't these little dresses AMAZING? FaithWorksU has the several beautiful little dresses and outfits that I know Piper would just look fantastic in... I know she wants the green one.

I have nothing to report. We are just getting ready for the big move and trying to stay sane through the billion activities and events we have going this month. We'll make it and I'll try to post more often. Sadly, I can't make any promises.

:: GENERIC - BUT SO CUTE ::

This year for Halloween, Cohen has had the hardest time deciding what he wants to be. His only requirement be that it had a mask. UGH. Anyway, finally today about 5 hours before our Halloween party, he decided that he would be Iron Man. Nothing better than hearing your kid sing a little Black Sabbath from the back seat all day long. I AM IRON MAN - Dun nun dun nun nuh nuh nuh nuh!


Piper didn't really have much of a say when I asked her what she wanted to be. I saw these cute flower combos in the scrapbook section and I knew I wanted her to wear a big Halloween flower on her head (I know... I am eating my words of me never allowing big flowers). I found some matching tulle and made her a little tutu. I guess you could say she is a cute little witch.


I wish I was able to make Cohen's costume, but super heroes are a little tricky for me. Maybe next year he'll want to be something that I can craft. I love making costumes.

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

I think this is the most amazing costume I've seen wandering around the internet this year. AMAZING. Go take a peak.

:: I Wish My Mantle Looked Like This ::

(Photo from PolkaDot Chair)

But... I don't have a mantle. There is a give-a-way for this super cute banner. If you have a mantle, you could put it on yours. Anyway, hop on over there and leave a comment for your chance to win. SUPER CUTE!!

:: About That News I was Going to Share ::

We were under contract on a house. It looked great. The inspection proved otherwise. It was in Layton and I am glad we are not moving there. We'll find a place eventually. For now, we're packing up our apartment and moving in with Mike's Grandma. Oh my. It will make for some cramped quarters. But we're crossing our fingers we find an affordable home to buy soon.

The end.

:: To Serve Love One Another ::

Tonight is our annual Relief Society Fall Dinner/Service Auction. I've learned in the past that I am not very good at offering a service to be redeemed at a later day. Last year I made a blanket, took it to the dinner, someone bid on it, my part was over. It was much more enjoyable. This year I decided to do the same thing. I'm on a sewing kick again. Making little girl dresses is pretty fun, so I decided someone else could use one, whether for themselves or for a gift.


I am wearing out this pattern. It is such a good and EASY one. It is just a jumper, with only 4 pieces to cut out and sew together. Buttonholes can be a little tricky, but if you pick big huge buttons to cover them, it isn't so scary. :) Piper has a few dresses in this pattern.


I made a little tag so it is ready to give away if the purchaser is getting it for a gift.

And... contrary to my old beliefs, every girl needs a big flower on her head. I made this one using a tutorial I found online. I'll link you to it later. I hope this item is well received.

:: SUMMER IS OVER ::

And that is fine with me... I can't wait to wear sweaters and boots and watch the leaves change. I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. Time has flown by the last month. Our life has been a whirlwind and we've got some great and exciting and frightening news to share... soon.


But, in the meantime, Cohen started kindergarten like most 5 year-olds. You can tell from the above photo how seriously he took his first day of school. He was a little sad because he didn't know anyone in his class. All of his buddies from preschool are in the other AM session at the school. But, with no problem, he had two new best friends by the end of the day. Silly kid.


He likes his teacher but is a little shocked at the amount of work he has to do. He wonders why Kindergarten isn't as fun as preschool. Welcome to the next 20 years of your life, kid! I was very proud when his teacher told me he was more than ready to start and was very smart. As his mother I say, "Of course he is..." but I bet she says that to all the moms.

:: WINDY DAYS ::


There is always a weird little storm that rushes through Utah at the beginning of August. Usually it is a three day rainstorm, but this year "A Mighty Winds A' Blowin'" (love that movie and I love folk music). Yesterday we had gusts up to 50 mph in the SLC Valley. It was crazy... and SO HOT. It felt like the death that is summer in Phoenix.

I love this time of year, though. Everyone gets eager to do last minute camping, swimming, traveling, etc., before school starts. I love the smell in stores when stock the shelves with school supplies (I also love school supplies... I could blow $500 bucks on pens, pencils, erasers, markers, and paper in a minute). All of the moms in our neighborhood are talking about which school their kids are going to and organizing carpools. We're all buying new clothes for the kids- I also love my Fall wardrobe 100% more than my summer clothing. I've pulled my stacks of corduroy fabric off the shelf to make Piper some jumpers and pants. I love that we have 3 barbecues to attend this weekend. Ahhhh.... I love a good season change. Always my favorite.

If any of you reading this are in Salt Lake this weekend, head down to the Gallivan center and support the local craft and music scene at Craft Lake City. I can't wait to see all of the great stuff including Suzanne's revamped venture. Cub Country is playing at 6:00 - WAHOO! All of this is going down Saturday from 2-10. Be there or be square.

PS. I borrowed this picture from my brother-in-law's Facebook page. I hope the moon stays red all weekend.

:: HE'S 5 ::

(blowing out the ScoobyDoo candle... I am so prepared)

I found the birthday pics. Whew... they were in the file with my writing samples I send out with my resume. Hmmm?

Cohen had decided he wanted a party with a "Jellyfish" theme. We figured water and a jellyfish cake would suffice. I bought and organized everything, and Mike made the cake and entertained the kids. Just the way I like it.

(The firing squad)

This was a really funny bunch of boys. They all did so great together and there was no crying. We bought them all squirt guns and filled up 200+ balloons, filled up a pool and hooked up the slip n' slide. They took care of themselves.

(The squirt guns were Mike's idea)

Mike was the ring leader. They chased him for 15 minutes having the best time.

(The gifts... and Cohen's plumber bum.)

(Water gun wars in action)

Overall the party was a success. Cohen said it was "TOTALLY AWESOME" and that is all that really matters. We love that he is five because now we don't have to tell him how many days until his birthday.

:: 4 MONTHS ::

Here she is... all 17 lbs of her.

PS. Cohen did turn 5 last week. I cannot find the pics on my computer anywhere and I am just sick because I've already deleted them from my camera. UGH... I'll keep looking.

:: 20 DAYS AFTER THE FACT ::

So now that we're approaching Utah's celebration of July 24th, I guess today I might as well tell you about our July 4th trip. My brother Jeff was blessing his new baby that weekend so we decided to make a trip out of it. I'll just post the festivities in chronological order.

THURSDAY


I loaded up Mike's parents Subaru, picked Mike up at work, and then headed out to Boise. Both kids were such troopers and traveled so well.

FRIDAY

We met Bridger Reed for the first time. He is a darling little boy. Here are Piper and Bridger ready for our day at the beach. I am glad Piper will have a cousin her age just like Cohen has a bunch his age.


This is Remington. We picked strawberries out of Jeff and Heather's garden for delicious pancakes. Heather made the best syrup.

Recipe:
1/2 cup butter
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Buttermilk (or soured milk using lemons)

Bring this mixture to boil. Then add 1 teaspoon of baking soda before serving. Oh my... lip smacking!

While we finished up breakfast we started packing for a day in McCall. What was supposed to take 2 hours, ended up taking 6. We got to see everything along the road. :-)


We stopped at Horseshoe Bend pond for lunch. The kids had all fallen asleep and were a little cranky. But they had fun playing in the sand for a few minutes before we had to get back in the car.


We went to a little beach right in town (McCall is home to Payette Lake). I lived in McCall when I was Cohen's age. I don't really remember much about it, but there are little parts. Jeff says my mom used to take us to this beach all of the time. I remember going to play in the lake but that is about it. Jeff and Mike played in the freezing water while Heather and I stayed on the beach with the babies.


The kids would have played in the sand until dark if we'd have let them. Cohen was a little nervous of the water so he would not take his floaties off.


After we played in the lake we went for ice cream and then headed to the campground for dinner. Because July 4th weekend is ridiculously crowded in McCall, we headed back towards Donnely and camped at Cascade.


I love the beautiful Idaho mountain meadows.

our campsite was beautiful, but there were so many mosquitoes. We built enough fire to cook a hotdog and a s'more and then hid in our tent for the evening.


As you can see, we really know how to rough it.

Mike and Cohen looking across the lake at the cabins on the other side.


Both kids slept all night and it was wonderful. I can't wait to take them camping again soon.

SATURDAY


On Saturday morning you would have never known there were billions of mosquitoes the night before. We took a walk around the campground before cleaning up. I wish that dumb kid wouldn't have been so convinced to just stand there and keep asking "what are you doing?" so I could have taken a nice pic of Mike and Cohen on the docks.

We headed back to Nampa because Jeff was having a barbecue before the fireworks that evening. After checking into the hotel (Thanks Pops! Those beds were so comfortable after sleeping the night before on the ground).


After finding out the place Jeff wanted to take us wasn't doing their firework display that year, we headed to Boise and parked in the parking lot of a bar across from the baseball stadium. We made s'mores again and had a great time.



SUNDAY

After a beautiful blessing for Bridger, we headed back to Jeff's house to let the kids play a little longer before we headed home. It was a wonderful trip and I hope they'll let us come back next year. Whattaya say, Jeff and Heather?

:: WHAT'S UP NOW, SKINNY JEANS? ::



Now that is what I call awesome.

:: THIS TO SHALL PASS ::

Does "to" need two o's? This post is off to a poor start. I've been in a funky mood all week and I don't know why. I guess we had such a great vacation (next post) and I just realized how boring the everyday stuff can be. So, my bad mood will pass and so will my barrette making obsession.

For Bea and Ryan's new little June Bug.

For the Smyth Twins - Summer and Zoe

For Mandy and Garrett's soon to arrive Nora/Norah?

For Brandon and Bridget's yet to be named daughter.

I think I got those all correct. Anyway, it is fun and addicting and just takes a glue gun and scrapbook findings. I LOVE IT! Poor Piper has an over abundance. I'm out of control.

:: MY GO TO GIFT ::


For the most part, baby blankets are my go-to baby gifts (However, I am on a barrette kick now, so sorry if you'd rather have a blanket. Throw me hints... I'll make you a blanket.). My dear friend Erin had a sweet little baby girl last month and I wanted to make her something that showed her how much she means to me as a friend. First let me give you a background...

As a 21 year-old, I decided to serve a mission for the LDS church. I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing at all, but I turned in my papers and got a call to serve in Florida. I was very very nervous about going and knew that having a good companion to help train me was going to be a crucial part of my experience (It is always easier to blame someone else when things don't go the way as planned, right?). I went to the MTC and had an okay time. I figured most people have a 'okay' time at the MTC so I didn't let it account to much. I arrived in Florida and wondered what I had gotten myself into. Seriously, I was ready to turn around. I spent my first night in the mission home with tear filled eyes. The next morning all of my doubts and fears went away as I met Sister Erin Enke. She greeted me with a hug and bright red fingernails. I was thrilled. Erin and I had a great few months together and formed a lifelong friendship. Since we've both been home, we've spent only a handful of days together. But I'll never forget how wonderful and patient she was with me. She was fantastic and she loved Peeps and Cadbury Mini Eggs more than I do. I love those friends that feel as if you've never spent a day apart even though you haven't seen them for years.


This blanket is easy but can look so fantastic if you choose the right color scheme. With this version, I cut 3 1/4" strips of fabric in various lengths and sewed them together in one continuous piece. I then cut 40" strips and made enough to get a 40" width when sewn together to make a square. After basting the quilt, I just rand the blanket through my machine on the seams to quilt it. Easy peasy. I feel that the 'fanciness' comes through the binding. It doesn't matter what your quilt top and bottom look like. When you have a nice hand stitched hem, it really finished the quilt. Heather Bailey and You Tube both have fantastic tutorials for this type of binding.

Anyway, there you go, Erin! I hope you and Lucy enjoy it! Good luck on your motherhood adventures. :)

:: INDEPENDENCE ::


In a few short hours we're headed to Boise for a visit with my brother's family. We're going camping near McCall - where I lived from age 1 to 5 - and to play in the Payette Lake on the beach. Burrr.... mountain lake water. Cohen will love it.


I made Piper some head gear the size of the National Firework show using this tutorial. I swore I'd never put giant bows and flowers on her sweet little head, but what better way is there to show America how much you love her than dressing up your kid in Americana fashion?

Have a safe and happy weekend. I am just so excited to be going somewhere.

:: I HAVE NOT PERFECTED TIME MANAGEMENT ::


I just can't fit it all in anymore. I'm putting this HORRIBLE picture of myself up so I'll find the time to blog and push it toward the bottom of the page. This picture was taken at the Mule Deer Foundation Dinner just 2 weeks before Piper graced us with her presence. I won a vest this year... not a gun. Take a look at my wrist. YIKES! The swelling makes it look like I am wearing a rubberband. I have a few more things to do before I can download all 1 billion pics from my camera and edit them. I'll get back on the ball. NO ONE wants to look at this photo very long.

:: A GIFT FOR HOLLY ::

When my family moved to St. Anthony, Idaho, in 1988 I met two girls in my neighborhood right away. Holly and Annie introduced me to a whole new world of Barbies and making movies. Fun times. The best part about our friendship is, we're still friends. We lose touch for a few years, but then we pick up just like no time has lapsed at all. Don't you just love friends like that? Anyway, Holly is having her first baby at the end of July, and I was able to attend her shower last month while she was in town.


I bought this Michael Miller/Robert Kauffman (I can't remember which) fabric when FabricBliss.com was closing out. I held on to it for a little while not wanting to cut into any of those precious little birds (you all have a piece), but when I heard Holly was having a girl, I knew this would be a perfect quilt for her. I was so tempted to keep it for myself. It is so cute and I wish I had more. Does anyone know where I could find it? Does it look familiar to you?

My latest crafting obsession is making barrettes for little girls. I wish Piper had more hair. Right now I am just clipping them to her headbands. I'm sure they look silly to others, but I think they are darling on her round little head. I'm not really into the giant satellite dish flowers on little babies, but I love the little ones.

I also threw in a few flannel burp cloths because you can never EVER have too many of those laying around. I do a load of burp cloths, bibs, and blankets every other day because Piper is a spitter/drooler. I thought Cohen was a slobber monster, but Piper wins hands down.

:: TEACHER GIFTS ::


I did decide to do gifts for Cohen's teachers. I wish I would have put a little more thought into it.I just made them earrings and gave them some jam.


If you live in Salt Lake City and have a 4 year-old, go down to the Granite School district offices and request these two ladies. They are FANTASTIC!

On a side note, after receiving a pair of earrings and matching bracelet as a thank you for making a bag, I've decided I need to learn to make jewelry better. I used to be really into it and wore about 20 necklaces and bracelets at a time. I had so many that I had to wear that number so I could wear them all. Then one day, I took most of them apart and put the beads back in my supply box. That was end the end of it.

:: LISTED MIA ::

In the words of Rancid, I'm "listed MIA" for a little while. I'm taking a break from most things in my life to just sort stuff out. Nothing is wrong... I just haven't been blogging for awhile. (Due to the fact that I've taken 300+ photos and they are all still on the camera). I've been sewing a lot to get my mind off of stuff. I'm looking for a pattern. Have any of you sewers out there seen a pattern that is similar to the dress in the photo above? Isn't it darling? Let me know. This dress is by the children's designer Misha Lulu. I LOVE IT, but I don't want to spend $59 on it. Ya' know... true to Utah mentality and my blog name "I can make it."

:: 2 SHORT MONTHS ::

2 months and 4 days old
13 lbs 5 oz
24 inches long
16.25 inch head
That's my 95% gal!

:: LAZY SUMMER DAYS ARE ALREADY HERE ::

Now that Cohen has finished preschool (a post on that is coming soon...maybe...I did make teacher gifts and they were well received.), we're sitting in our PJs a little longer in the morning. Our air conditioning is not working so we're hot. Cohen has taken to wearing no shirt. He doesn't understand why I don't. I'm not about to explain it to him either. I'm not quite into the routine of having two kids yet. I feel like I do a lot of laundry and dishes. Not much else. We'll get there.

:: TEACHER GIFTS ::


Cohen's last day of preschool is May 20th. That is only three more days to figure out how we're going to spend our summer vacation. But first things first...teacher gifts. Give me your opinion on this topic. Are they necessary? I don't remember giving my teacher anything at the end of the year. I mean, my presence was a gift within itself. :-) I don't know what to do. I made them market bags for Christmas. What have you done for your children's teachers? Maybe some of my jam stash?

:: MY BIKE GOT STOLEN LAST YEAR ::

So I need a new one... Wouldn't you love to have one of these? Enter this contest and you just might get one.

:: A SMILE & A GREAT MAN ::


I am not writing this post so that you'll feel sorry for me, or be jealous of my patient and caring husband. I am mostly writing it for my own records. I've mentioned in the past few weeks that Piper has been SUPER cranky. Nothing would soothe her. I would feed her, then change her, then leave the house because she'd fall asleep in the car. It was getting old and Mike and I were waring down quickly. On Wednesday Piper's cry changed for the worst. At first I was so annoyed, but then I began getting concern. On Thursday I woke up with a horrible sore throat. At my 6-week postpartum visit I had my doctor do a strep test mostly because I was 100% sure it wasn't. Of all of the sore throats I've had in my 30 years, never has it been strep. I was correct. The test came back negative.

Later in the day I was really tired and starting to feel cruddy. Late that night, my temperature was over 104 degrees to I took myself to a walk-in. Again they conducted a strep test and it came back positive. Booooooooooooo! I had exposed myself to all sorts of folks that day and I felt really bad about it. When I got home Piper was screaming in agony (one point for Mike). It was horrible but I was so sick that I just took an Ibuprofen and headed for a nap. Finally Mike patiently got her to go to sleep and then put Cohen to bed (two points for Mike). Then he went to see Star Trek with his brothers. Not 10 minutes after he walked in the door (at 1:30 am) Piper started screaming again and my fever was back up. He paced the floor with her until 8:00 am until I was feeling better enough to get myself up (three points). He called in sick to work so he could stay home and take Cohen to his Kindergarten orientation (four and five points). Good man!

Piper screamed between 20 minute cat naps. I made an appointment for her to see her pediatrician at 2:10 pm. Mike took her (six points). He poked and prodded and tested and could tell something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't determine what. The doctor sent them to the hospital for blood work (7 points). While we waited for the results, Mike made dinner (8 points) and then took Cohen to the park (9 points), but not before calming Piper down and putting her to sleep (10 points). The doctor called and said the blood work came back fine but that if her temperature went over 100.4 degrees we needed to call him.

Friday night I was feeling a bit better so I let Mike sleep the first half of the night. At 3:00 am I had not been able to get much sleep and started getting a fever again, so Mike woke up (11 points) and stayed up with Piper until 7:00 am (12 points). He took her temperature and it was over the point so I called the doctor. He told us to take her to Primary Children's Hospital to get a spinal tap and some other respiratory tests to rule out meningitis and RSV. Sick kids go to PCH so I was a nervous wreck. Mike took her again (13 points) because I didn't know if I was contagious or what. He watched her get the same tests again (14 points) and waited patiently in the hospital room holding her and waited for the results. Luckily, she just has a bacterial infection was was treated with antibiotics and was then released. She has slept most of the afternoon, but woke up for about 2 hours and didn't cry once. She did have a fever so Mike went to the store to get some Ibuprofen (15 points) but she was smiley and happy.

While I enjoyed a happy Piper, Mike left again to get his mother's Mothers Day gift (16 points-he gets a point for this because I usually make/buy it instead) and stopped at Arby's to bring home dinner (17 points) on the way home. Now he is playing Zelda with Cohen (18 points) while I sit and type this (19 points) and talk to my sisters (20 points). I feel so lucky to have a happy baby and such a fantastic man. I feel like I need to change the celebration to Mike day tomorrow to make sure he knows how well appreciated he is.

For those of you that hung in there and read this entire post... you get points, too. Troopers!

:: I DON'T THINK I PRODUCED A BECKHAM ::

Cohen finished his first attempt at organized sports this year with indoor soccer. We put him on a team that was coached by his friend's parents. His favorite buddy, Sam, was also on the team, making it easier to talk him into going.


Most of the time he covered his ears because he thought the refs whistle was too loud. It was funny to watch him walk around clueless with his ears covered. I guess every team has to have one of those kids.

While the game was being played, he enjoyed his time on the bench the most. I think his absolute favorite part of the game was doing the cheer, slapping high-5, and then getting a treat. He really just loved being part of the team and he had a good time going out every Saturday. Plus, getting a trophy meant he was the best player right? So, maybe it is a good thing that he can't Bend it Like Beckham... it lessens his chance of being an underwear model. Aye Crarumba!

:: A LITTLE PRAYER ::

For those of you who know our friends, Adam and Lindsey Smyth, please keep them in your prayers. Their twin girls were born 10 weeks early and have to hang out in the NICU for awhile. I know all will be well, but I cannot imagine having to leave my babies at the hospital.

:: A BLESSING ::


We had the opportunity to bless Piper in church on Sunday. She looked so darling wearing her "vintage" dress from 1978. My mom made it for me and I wore it when I was blessed. Mike gave her a beautiful blessing that encouraged her to be courageous and strong and to stand up for what she believes in. His words were beautiful. I especially appreciated that he blessed her to be open-minded and supportive of others. I think when raised in an actively religious environment, one tends to become closed off from other beliefs and look down on others that do not share the same values. I am thankful for my parents who taught me to be understanding yet firm when faced with spiritual challenges, and most importantly to love everyone. And... now I step off my soap box.


These silly little booties were also part of her blessing get up. I guess my Great Aunt Lavera (what a name) started making these booties for the new babies in the family. I don't know if my Grandma Seegmiller (my Mom's mom) made any or not, but she did make these little pom-poms. My Aunt MaryAnn (my Mom's older sister) continued in making a pair of booties for each family. These are the first pair of booties that she made and the last set of pom-poms my Grandmother made. I think it is pretty awesome and was honored to have Piper wearing them (they weren't finished in time for Cohen's blessing).


Now on to the party after church. I think I went a little overboard with the spread, but I couldn't help it. Who knows if I'll ever have another one. I made cookies with "teal" (read: cookie monster blue) frosting and covered them with pink and brown sprinkles.

I pulled out any pink container I could find and turned it into a serving device. I also found the matching plates, forks, and napkins for 25% off at XPEDX.


Adding her birth information to the water bottles and filling little candy cups with pink and aqua Jelly Bellys and mints, added just enough to color to tie the whole thing together.


We had a great time and it was fun to hang out with our family for the afternoon. Piper is a sweet baby... a bit fussy... but so fantastic. We're just so lucky to have her in our family. I hope she can look back at these pictures of her blessing day when she is a teenager and hates me. I'll probably have to look back at them and remember how much I loved her, too.

:: I NEED A NAP ::

Image found here

I wish this was a picture of Piper. She isn't sleeping much. Her little body is having some trouble on the inside. I want to fix her. I think this is the hardest part of being a parent. I am getting ready for weekend company. We are blessing the babe this Sunday and having the family over for dinner after (20+ people crammed in our apartment - reason #750 to get a house). I've gone a little overboard with the pink theme. I can't help it...it is all so cute. I'll try to remember to get some photos of all of my hair-brained ideas. It is the lack of sleep that is making me crazy. Have a nice restful weekend.

:: I WANT THAT ::

Mike just might get this for Father's Day...

Image: PantryPress Inc.

Or this lovely print...

Click to link over to Cameron Moll's site...

And... I would really like this one...

Image: TRMACKSTUDIO

You know... if I had a few extra bucks to spend on artwork and such.

:: KNIT THESE SOCKS ::


Are you sick of Piper pics yet? She is now 4 weeks old. The novelty of having her around is wearing off and the fatigue has officially set in. I am not saying that I don't want her around. I AM SO GLAD SHE IS HERE. I'm just not taking pictures of every little thing she does (read: sleep) anymore. She's almost sleeping all night, and only wakes up about 2:00 am for a food and then usually goes right back to sleep. That is a baby worth keeping around.

But I really wanted to talk about these socks. Sue made them for me with a matching hat. I love them and it makes me realize I just need to sit and learn to finish making socks (read: I've made 7/8ths of one adult sock. I haven't taken the time to learn to finish the toe) so I can make her, and all of my friends with kids, a whole bunch of em'. Fortunately for all of us SLC punks, Unwind offers a baby sock knitting class almost every week. Supposedly these babies only take about 2 hours total. Maybe next week...

:: A LITTLE TOO RIPE ::


I bought a bunch of strawberries (for .99 cents an lb) with good intentions to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. HOWEVER, all 4 packages had a rotten berry hidden in the middle, therefor making the entire batch a little too soft for my preference.


Then the next day, my pal Jodie brought me some delicious home made bread (you can see it in the back)...


So I made some freezer jam. Easy peasy. This is project #6, I think. I am going to make a whole freezer full of jam this summer to give as neighbor gifts this Christmas. I got the idea from my MIL. She delivers jam with hot rolls every year. Makes me wish I lived next door.

:: A GREAT GIFT IDEA ::


I got these great pacifiers from the Coffeys. I think this is such a fantastic gift idea and that is why I am sharing. Piper got the sparkley girly version in pink, clear, and purple. They match every outfit. LOVE IT. I'm thinking I'll probably save my pennies for the diamond one. Oh brother.

:: EASTER ::


As much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't as much into the true meaning of Easter as I was into the candy and baskets. Bad... I know.


Two reasons for this mentality:

1. Easter has the best candy... HANDS DOWN! While I was pregnant, I had such horrible heartburn whenever I ate sugar so I backed off. I have almost put myself in a sugar coma eating the delicious candy this season. However, because I have lost 20 lbs since Piper was born (and if I may brag, I only gained 9 lbs during this pregnancy) I want to keep with the flow. So, after this candy is gone, all candy must be gone. Boo! But I am on a roll.


2. I have two cute kids and they looked cute in their new Easter clothing. Piper made her debut at church this Sunday, and how fun is it to dress a daughter up??? Loved it! I even made Mike dress up like an Easter egg yesterday, but he sure looked great.


Next year I'll be more spiritually minded. I promise.

:: 2 WEEKS + 2 DAYS ::


I'm feeling like I've got this "mother-of-2" thing down... almost. It is nice that Cohen's Spring Break coincided with being a new mom, because I have had a hard time getting out of the house before noon. The poor kid would be late for school every day, if he even made it. There are a few things I need to work on, but I am not going to beat myself up. For example, today I got out of the shower and he was sitting on the couch playing Zelda, drinking a Diet Pepsi, and eating a bag of Dorritos. It was only 9:30 am and I don't let my child drink caffeinated soda at all. Oh well. I can't always win.

I have not downloaded any new pics from my camera because I just haven't. I do want to share some new pictures of Piper. She had changed immensely and is just too cute! She is starting to look so much like Mike's side of the family. She's a pretty good baby. She is only waking up 2 times each night. Mike takes the earlier one and I do the second feeding. Unfortunately, she stays awake for my shift and I feel like that sludge at the bottom of a coffee pot for the first few hours of the day. But I can't complain. Mike gets up in the night... what a rock star! I just love that man.


I am so excited for Easter. I have all of the new springy clothing purchased (I've passed up those cute little Easter dresses for many years and now I get to get all indulgent) and all of the candy purchased (read: it is now 1/2 eaten and I need to replenish or Cohen is going to think the Easter Bunny is lame!) and all is well. We're going to an egg hunt at a friend's house and I'll probably be making our own little Easter dinner on Sunday. Mike's mom has shingles (poor gal) and we spent a few days with my family during Conference (and bummed some free dinner) so I think we're on our own.

I think that is all, really. Some of you wanted to hear my birth story. If you don't, you can stop reading now. If you are interested... read on friends. I'm going to do it in a time line because Cohen is now begging for the computer.

Monday 3/23
9:10 am - Took Cohen to school
10:30 am - Took Great Grandma to the doctor
12:10 pm - picked Cohen up from school
1:00 pm - started noticing contractions
2:00 pm - timed contractions and they were 5 minutes apart
3:00 pm - called Mike and told him to get on the train and get home
4:15 pm - dropped Cohen off at Nanny's (Mike's mom)
4:30 pm - checked into the hospital
5:00 pm - dilated to a 3+ and 80% effaced
6:15 pm - no change - the nurses made walk the halls for 1 hour
7:30 pm - dilated to a 3+ and about 90% effaced
7:31 pm - nurses said they would probably send me home
7:32 pm - asked if I could stay for one more hour
8:30 pm - dilated to a 5 and almost 100% effaced (I got to stay)
9:00 pm - was admitted and did all of the paper work
9:30 pm - called the parents and in-laws to update them


10:00 pm - dilated to a 6 - sweet relief - aka Epidural was administered
10:30 pm - my water broke all by itself. WAY TO GO!
11:00 pm - dilated to a 9 - signed a lot of new paper work because I was attempting a VBAC (vaginal birth after cessarian)
Tuesday 3/24
12:00 am - dilated to a 10 - met the on call doctor (she was fantastic and laughed at all of my stupid jokes)
12:10 am - started pushing
12:57 am - Piper was born


It was fantastic. I am so glad that I opted to do a VBAC. Recovery has been great. I feel fantastic. I am so glad that I have so many great friends and family that have stopped by to visit, brought us meals, taken Cohen to play for a few hours, and cleaned my house. I love you all!

:: SHE'S HERE ::


I don't have the awake-ness to write much, but I thought I'd share a picture of my sweet new baby girl. Piper Mae was born 3/24 at 12:57 am. Labor was a breeze and I was able to have a VBAC. WAHOO! We just got home from the hospital. Cohen thinks she's pretty cute and always wants to burp her and get her bottle. Thanks for all of the induction tips. I didn't have to use any of them. I went into labor on my own. I dilated without Pitocin. My water broke by itself. I'm so proud of my body.

:: DUE DATE #2 ::

My due date has been changed three times in the last 9 months. At my first appointment they weren't sure, so they sent me for an "invasive" (without going into too much information) ultrasound. The date the gal gave me was April 4th. About three weeks later at my appointment, my doctor did a bedside ultrasound and said, "I think this baby is due closer to March 23rd." Then when I did the big 20 week gender ultrasound, a different doctor said, "I am saying you are due to deliver around March 28th."

Due Date #1 - April 4th
Due Date #2 - March 23rd
Due Date #3 - March 28th

So, although I tell people that I am due "the end of March" I can't help but keep March 23rd in my mind. It is March 23rd and here I sit. Because most of you know that weekend trips to Wendover used to pay my rent, wanna make a bet?

Here are some facts to base your wagers on...

I am trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cessarian) so I must go into labor on my own.
They cannot induce me with pitocin.
I have an appointment tomorrow (Tuesday) to strip my membranes (whatever that is).
I have an appointment scheduled for March 30th (if I haven't had the baby) to discuss a possible C-section. (cross your fingers that we don't have to discuss it.)
I'm already a little dilated and effaced.
I tend to break down when I get miserable.

There you go. Also, please leave me with any of your "old wives tales" about inducing labor. I will not drink castor oil.