Carly♥Seth

Disneyland

2012-01-24T14:40:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday of our vacation week we went to Disneyland.

I wasn't sure how Taylor would do being in the park and most likely a stroller all day, and I didn't know how well Brooklyn would like the rides. But I knew she would absolutely love to see the princesses, so we opted for just one day at the park with the single goal of B getting to as many princesses as possible. I'd heard from friends and family that you can spend somewhere between 2-3 hours waiting in line just to get a hasty picture with one princess. I'd also heard from a couple people about meet and greet type meals you can get reservations for and opted for that. Best decision ever. We went to Ariel's Grotto for a lunch to meet the hostess, Ariel, and four of her princess friends. Just B, my mom, and I went to the lunch.

You go down a spiral staircase in to the restaurant. Ariel is at the bottom and you wait your turn to get her autograph and then pose for a professional picture. They also turn and let you take your own picture with her. I almost started crying watching Brooklyn. She was in such awe and you could tell it was such a magical experience for her.

Oh, you BET we dressed her up! Almost all the other little girls there were dressed up also. B felt pretty fancy in the special dress her Grammy had made her. I brought a change of clothes for her to wear the rest of the day, and had a hard time convincing her to change!

After you meet Ariel, they take you to your table. We happened to be seated outside, which I really liked. We were right next to the water and the weather was perfect. They serve you some appetizers first, which were delicious and then you get to order from a menu. Fancy fancy food. It was all so good. Periodically during the meal you would hear a trumpet and then they would announce a princess. First was Belle. She would come out and then go to each table, signing autographs, talking to the little girl at each table and then would pose for pictures. We were the 3rd table right at the spot where they came out.

Brooklyn would light up each time a new princess came out. Then she would watch them as they made their way through all of the tables.

Next was Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Then came Cinderella. Oh boy. It was so funny, B had taken off her gloves to eat but as soon as she saw Cinderella come out she was scrambling to get her gloves on and frantically saying "Quick, Mom...my gloves!"

Then Minnie Mouse came out and for some reason I didn't get a picture of that. After you finish the main course they bring a dessert platter out. We were pretty stuffed by that point. They also sell the professional picture they took with Ariel. Of course we bought it! It was too cute to pass up. All in all the luncheon and experience was well worth the extra money. And maybe we didn't go to the right places but we didn't see any more characters while walking around Disneyland or California Adventure.

After the lunch mostly walked around and would take turns letting each other go on rides. My sister and cousin Ethan did a lot of fast passes and I think were able to go on quite a few rides. I think I went on 3 maybe. We all went on the little Bug's Life caterpillar rides and got some pictures on that.

Waiting in line

Brooklyn had a hard time looking at the camera long enough for a picture, and Grammy insisted on making silly faces :)

I thought this next picture was funny. I always forget to take pictures of things I'd like to remember so I kept telling people to remind me to have pics taken. Someone took this of me and Mister. Apparently he was SUPER happy to be there!

The best we could get of a family shot

When we first got to the park and put Mister in the stroller he was so excited and keep kicking his feet. Such a handsome man.

We listened to a great band for a while and Brooklyn was dancing the whole time.

During the evening we wandered around and got to ride on the carousel, Splash Mountain, and the Alice in Wonderland caterpillar ride. Really random. We tried to get pictures with the castle lit up and these were the best of the best.

Shortly after both kids fell asleep. It was a fun, exhausting day!

Christmas

2012-01-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

What a week. The whole fam caught a nasty bug and had to deal with the consequences on different days. That plus tons of snow has meant staying at home indoors the entire week. Now that everyone seems to be on the mend, it feels like a good time to update.

My brother and Erica set their wedding date for December 30th down in San Diego and shortly after that decision was made I decided since we're going down we might as well make it a real family vacation. Seth started saving up days off and we began saving money and making plans. Brooklyn was the perfect age I thought for her first trip to Disneyland. She loves all of the princess movies and getting dressed up and all that so Disneyland was definitely on the agenda. After a lot of back and forth we eventually decided to leave Christmas day and drive down to spend the week before the wedding in California.

Oh did you catch that? I said drive. With the babies. For 20 hours. After looking up ticket prices we decided to drive. It was either fly down and only be able to attend the sealing and turn right back around, or drive and be able to afford lots of fun stuff. I was super nervous about how the kids would handle being in the car but I have to say they did FANTASTIC for the circumstances. Way better than I anticipated. Ok let me back up a little.

Because we were leaving on the 25th, among other reasons, we had decided the trip would be our Christmas present to ourselves (all selves, including the kids). I got caught up more in "vacation" planning than Christmas celebrating. I did however want to make sure we had a tree and keep things semi festive around the house. On B's birthday I had grand plans to go out in the mountains with everyone (my family came up for the weekend) and cut down a tree and then go sledding. I can't remember all of the events that transpired to scrap those plans but a lot of people ended up staying home and we drove and drove and didn't really find any snow. But we did find a tree! And since Seth couldn't come I got to choose a Charlie Brown tree, my favorite kind :)

Ignore how close the road is to the tree.

The whole crew, minus cousin Ethan who is taking the picture.

After we got home I put the lights on the tree but everyone was too tired to decorate with the awesome ornaments I got for 75% off last year at Target. Never did get around to putting them on. One of my New Year's resolutions is to be better about holiday decorating :)

Christmas Eve we went to Walla Walla and did a small gift exchange with Seth's parents and Seth's siblings that could make it that year. The only picture I got of that was the little cousins (Ezra, Joshua, and B) showing off their sweet ornaments from Great Grandma and Grandpa (Gertch and Fred).

They send everyone (kids, kid's spouses, grandkids, grandkid's spouses, great grandkids etc) an ornament each year and put a lot of thought in to each and every one. This year Brooklyn got a ballerina, Seth got one with tools on it(because he's always fixing things, I got a chef one(since I love to cook), and Taylor got a John Deere tractor. They have so much family yet somehow manage to really get to know you personally. It is such a treat to open the ornaments each year and I love the collection we already have. Such a fun tradition.

Speaking of traditions, there are a couple that I want to incorporate, starting next year. I found this idea on a friend's blog. Instead of going overboard with presents, everyone gets 4 that follow this criteria:

1. Something they want

2. Something they need

3. Something to wear

4 Something to read

#4 makes me especially giddy since I love to read. What a fun way to start building their own little library of books. I think I might also do this one for birthdays. Also Seth's brother Ryan and his wife Amber decided this year to open presents on Christmas Eve to help keep the focus on Christ on Christmas Day. I thought that was a wonderful idea and want to try that too. Maybe just do stockings Christmas morning or something.

Christmas Day Brooklyn got to open some surprise presents that Grammy couldn't resist getting for her and then we went to church. Got to see a lot of old friends and I had so much fun catching up with them. The plan was to leave IMMEDIATELY afterwards but I think we got on the road like 3 hours behind schedule. Now it was on to Portland to have a Christmas dinner with our good family friends the Butterfields. They had one delicious spread waiting for us and then we played a fun and hilarious game of Minute to Win It. Needless to say we were back on the road a lot later than expected! But I'm glad we took our time making good memories and spending quality time together with friends. The next plan was to stay a few hours of the night in southern oregon with Seth's cousins, the Chambers. After the kids fell asleep we changed plans and decided to drive through the night while they were out. It was a long night for the grown ups but I think the right call. We finally arrived at our friend's, the Broadheads, sometime mid morning and crashed. Seth and I were lucky enough to go out on a double date that night while the rest of the fam stayed home with the kids.

Start of the trip!

Still happy to be in the car!

Tomorrow, Disneyland!

$1 Waitress Dress

2012-01-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

B loves to dress up.

I'd estimate in a typical day there are a minimum of 27 costume changes. She also usually demands to be addressed as whatever princess she happens to be channeling at that moment. The other day I called up the stairs to her and she yelled "I'm not Brooklyn, I'm a WAITRESS!"

And then she said she needed a waitress dress like Tiana in The Princess and the Frog.

A yellow one.

I had the genius idea to find a toddler size yellow dress up shirt and attach some fabric for a skirt to the bottom to make a dress. Apparently those shirts don't exist. At least not at the 15 different places I searched for one. Then I remembered the men's dress shirt to toddler dress tutorials I've seen here and there and had my second genius idea.

Men's shirts were half off at Salvation Army the day I went searching for a shirt. I bought one and made it a little too small and the fabric was pretty thin but not to fear because at $1 I was ok with scraping that and trying again. Found a Wrangler shirt, nice and thick, and got to work! This is the easiest project ever.

I added lace on the bottom because I love to put lace on anything and everything.

I basically followed THIS tutorial, minus the elastic waist.

The Model

No, you're not imagining it, the dress does need to be ironed :)

And I'm adding this last picture because it made me laugh so hard.

...She was done modeling, if you couldn't tell.

12.9.2011

2012-01-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

Favorite Songs: Rolling in the Deep & Someone Like You by Adele, Bare Necessities, Colors of the Wind, Little Drummer Boy, I Like to Move It, Popcorn Popping, Once There Was A Snowman, I Love to See the Temple, I Am a Child of God, The Star Spangled Banner, You Are My Sunshine, Frowny face song, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Favorite foods: apples, graham crackers, quesadillas, carrots with ranch, chips, string cheese, chocolate milk, potato wedges, burritos, fruit snacks, bananas, broccoli, waffles, chocolate chips

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite letter: B

Favorite number: 1

Favorite Princess: Tiana

Favorite movies: The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Cinderella, Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast

Favorite things to do: paint, play dress-up, build castles with blocks, read books, sing along while listening to Mama's iPod, cook, be outside, hide toys from little brother, have nails painted, dance, take baths

Stories

2011-12-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

This morning our 3 year old daughter told us that her 10 month old brother had "punched her out" and that it happened "in the bushes".

Naturally, Seth and I were horrified to hear this and immediately started interrogating Mister to see if he had really done what he was accused of. He refused to speak. After processing this horror story a bit, some details (actually all the details) didn't seem to quite add up. Upon further questioning we realized this never happened and that it was a complete fabrication. I probably don't need to even mention that this incident has shaken me to my core. Where did she learn to create such falsehoods and also hear about "punching out"?! NURSERY? Do I need to home-nursery her? If this is the type of stuff they're teaching there I just might have to.

The Belle Dress

2011-12-13T11:08:00.001-08:00

After I made the Rapunzel dress, I definitely got dress-up fever. My mom made her a Cinderella dress, so next the princess wanted a Belle dress. My thoughts ran wild with ideas. I planned out an elaborate vintage-inspired dress with lace tiers and I quickly started getting overwhelmed before even starting.I am still a novice sewer, and I was realizing I had no clue how to do what my head wanted to do. I got a few different fabrics that I thought might work out and then I thought and thought and thought but it just wasn't happening. I couldn't make up my mind and convinced myself some details would be too hard and just kept putting it off. Finally a week before B's birthday I made the goal to finish a Belle dress for a present. I loved having the peasant top for the bodice for the Rapunzel dress. Super easy, knew I could sew it, and it meant no zippers or buttons and she could put it on by herself. On Sunday night I was just going to see if I had enough of one fabric for the peasant top and cut it out. Well then I knew it did not take long to sew that part so I just did that real quick. Then I wanted to see if there was enough of the same fabric to do the skirt. There was, so I cut it out. I had googled Belle dresses to get some inspiration and ideas and came across THIS tutorial on how to gather with elastic. Before I went to bed I decided to try one gather and see how it worked out. It was easy and fast so why not do the rest?! After that the only thing left was to attach the top to the bottom. Done. Then I added sparkly gold ric rac at the waist for a lil' somethin' somethin' and I was done! And I once again loved the simplicity. Took me about 2 1/2 hours of taking my time and not getting frustrated and we had a Belle dress. Maybe someday I'll feel up to making something super complicated and detailed but for now this is perfect.

I also made her a magic mirror to complete the outfit. $2.99 for a wood mirror and 2 bucks for some fake jewels that I hot glued on. So fun!

And this doesn't have anything to do with Belle, but of course B needed a birthday crown, and one that could be used frequently after. I followed THIS tutorial, but made my own simple design. I added lace on the lower half and used a pearl and silver button as the crowning jewel. She loves it! And hardly ever takes it off.

She loves taking pictures.

To my fellow Mamas.

2011-12-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Motherhood Is a Calling

(And Where Your Children Rank)

by Rachel Jankcovik

link HERE

A few years ago, when I just had four children and when the oldest was still three, I loaded them all up to go on a walk. After the final sippy cup had found a place and we were ready to go, my two-year-old turned to me and said, “Wow! You have your hands full!”

She could have just as well said, “Don’t you know what causes that?” or “Are they all yours?!”

Everywhere you go, people want to talk about your children. Why you shouldn’t have had them, how you could have prevented them, and why they would never do what you have done. They want to make sure you know that you won’t be smiling anymore when they are teenagers. All this at the grocery store, in line, while your children listen.

A Rock-Bottom Job?

The truth is that years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things. When abortion was legalized, we wrote it into law.

Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing.

If you grew up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood, to think like a free Christian woman about your life, your children. How much have we listened to partial truths and half lies? Do we believe that we want children because there is some biological urge, or the phantom “baby itch”? Are we really in this because of cute little clothes and photo opportunities? Is motherhood a rock-bottom job for those who can’t do more, or those who are satisfied with drudgery? If so, what were we thinking?

It's Not a Hobby

Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.

Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel.

Our culture is simply afraid of death. Laying down your own life, in any way, is terrifying. Strangely, it is that fear that drives the abortion industry: fear that your dreams will die, that your future will die, that your freedom will die—and trying to escape that death by running into the arms of death.

Run to the Cross

But a Christian should have a different paradigm. We should run to to the cross. To death. So lay down your hopes. Lay down your future. Lay down your petty annoyances. Lay down your desire to be recognized. Lay down your fussiness at your children. Lay down your perfectly clean house. Lay down your grievances about the life you are living. Lay down the imaginary life you could have had by yourself. Let it go.

Death to yourself is not the end of the story. We, of all people, ought to know what follows death. The Christian life is resurrection life, life that cannot be contained by death, the kind of life that is only possible when you have been to the cross and back.

The Bible is clear about the value of children. Jesus loved them, and we are commanded to love them, to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord. We are to imitate God and take pleasure in our children.

The Question Is How

The question here is not whether you are representing the gospel, it is how you are representing it. Have you given your life to your children resentfully? Do you tally every thing you do for them like a loan shark tallies debts? Or do you give them life the way God gave it to us—freely?

It isn’t enough to pretend. You might fool a few people. That person in line at the store might believe you when you plaster on a fake smile, but your children won’t. They know exactly where they stand with you. They know the things that you rate above them. They know everything you resent and hold against them. They know that you faked a cheerful answer to that lady, only to whisper threats or bark at them in the car.

Children know the difference between a mother who is saving face to a stranger and a mother who defends their life and their worth with her smile, her love, and her absolute loyalty.

Hands Full of Good Things

When my little girl told me, “Your hands are full!” I was so thankful that she already knew what my answer would be. It was the same one that I always gave: “Yes they are—full of good things!”

Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.

Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.

(p.s. is it legal to post a whole article? I sure hope so.)

Crafty Crafts

2011-11-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

I have my dream job.

Being a stay at home mom is just the greatest.

Brooklyn is at the incredibly fun stage of imaginative play. She loves to dress up and act out her favorite movies and play pretend house and mommy to her doll. I. Am. LOVING it. Because as she gets more creative, so do I. I am having a blast learning how to sew and craft to meet her playing and learning needs. Here's some of what I've been making;

Doll clothes

Seriously addicting. So easy and so fast to do. I've made two dresses, a shirt and a skirt (all shown). Can't wait to make more! Made them all using leftover quilt scraps.

Robin Hood Hat

B really wanted a Robin Hood hat (from the Disney version with the fox). This was really easy to make, although too small. I had a few pieces of felt but they weren't big enough so this is actually half as big as it's supposed to be. I used a glue gun instead of sewing. I followed THIS video on youtube and will make another one when I get around to buying a bigger piece of felt. I made the orange feather with felt too.

Doll bed

B has been playing with her doll a lot lately but has been using Taylor's crib and blankets to put it down for naps. She usually chooses to do this right before she knows her brother is going down for a nap and then gets upset when I take the doll out. So I designed this crib and my dad built it. I had so much fun going out to the shop with him and seeing it come together. So grateful for a my talented dad and his willingness to indulge me every once in a while for things like this. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Still debating on whether or not to paint it white. We also got started on a hutch for B's play kitchen. More on that when it's finished :)

I recently got new visiting teachers and they are THE BEST. We decided to get together and make some felt dolls for our daughters. You can go to this site, http://racheldenbow.blogspot.com/2010/12/dress-up-felt-board-tutorial-and.html

and get the printable pattern for the dolls and to make a felt board. We just used small boards that I had extra from another project so that each girl could have their own little one. We stapled a piece of felt to the board for the background. The felt I had was barely smaller than the board. I have some ribbon I might add as a border but I'm not too worried about the wood showing.

We just had time to make a few basic outfits. I plan on making more hairstyles, clothes and accessories. So fun and Brooklyn loves changing the outfits.

This isn't child-related but another project I'm working on. 2 down, 2 to go.

Any tips on getting a 9 month old to sit still and look to the side for a picture??

You can find instructions for these silhouettes HERE.

I saved the best for last. My friend Jackie and I just made these. We used vintage sheets for the fabric and hemmed to size.

Isn't it the cutest little tent fort ever? The best part is that you can take it completely apart in about 2 seconds so it's super easy to store. Wanna make your own? Go HERE for instructions!

They love it!

25

2011-11-08T21:50:00.001-08:00

Today I turned 25.

I wanted to remember what I looked like. On my birthday.

So I took a picture.

I'm terrible at including myself in pictures. But I want my children to be able to see what I looked like as a young mother. I want them to be able to put a face with a story when I tell them about themselves as babies and toddlers...when I tell them how I cuddled them, and read them books, and played in forts, and gave airplane rides.

Today was a good day.

I got together with friends and we made felt dolls for our daughters.

I played with my kids and waited for Seth to come home.

We ordered food from a restaurant and ate at our own table.

I bought Christmas music and ate chocolate cake.

Party on Friday.

Cinderella

2011-10-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

A dream is a wish your...Grammy makes!

Thank you for the beautiful dress.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Sneak Peek

2011-10-29T22:37:00.001-07:00

Watch your mouth.

2011-10-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

Me: What the heck?

Brooklyn: Don't say that, mom. We don't say the heck.

Me: I'm sorry. I won't say it.

B: You did say that. We don't say that word the heck.

Me: I know. It was an accident. I won't say it anymore.

(short pause)

B: It makes me really sad when you say that.

Me: I'm super sorry that I said it. I won't say it again.

B: But you DID say it. You did.

Me: I know but I'm done saying it.

B: But you did say the heck.

Me: I promise I never will again.

Moral of the story? If you want someone around to keep you on the very straight and narrow, go find yourself a 2.5 year old

Tangled

2011-10-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said Brooklyn needed some dress up clothes?

Have you seen the ones they sell at the stores? Super cheaply made, super overpriced.

I've been wanting to make some but hadn't worked up the courage to try. Lately I've been trying to be more of a doer than a wisher. That plus 50% off at Hancock Fabrics gave me the final shove in to sewing land.

Patterns were on sale for 99 cents. I bought a couple of princess dress patterns, the actual Rapunzel costume pattern and one for a basic toddler dress. I wanted to keep things simple and I took into account my very limited sewing skills. I ended up using the basic dress pattern for the top. It's just a peasant top. and then I freehanded the skirt I guess you could say. I just cut the length I wanted and gathered it, attached it to the top and hemmed it. I was so excited to try sewing with a pattern that I forgot to add the ribbon to the sleeves like I had wanted before I sewed them to the bodice and I was definitely not taking it apart again. I was amazed that I actually figured out how to make a sleeve, I wasn't going to push my luck. For the front I made a zig zag with the ribbon, pinned it and sewed it. I probably did it wrong but I like how it turned out. It's a very simple dress, I had a couple of other things I wanted to add to it to make it more like the Long Hair (as B calls her) dress but I'm happy with how it turned out and have big plans for the next one!

Also, a BIG thank you to my mom for teaching me the basics so that I could attempt something like this.

The Rapunzel dress

Our version

I still need to hem it a little shorter. I finished at about 11 pm last night and B was in bed. It was seriously like waiting for Christmas morning, I wanted her to try it on so bad. I couldn't sleep and when I did I had a nightmare about it being too short and tight and having rips all over. Can you tell I was a little invested in this project?! These pictures are within 3 minutes of her waking up.

It's all in the hips

2011-10-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

My version:

(While gently moving Taylor's legs to and fro.)

Motor boat, motor boat, go so slooooow.

Motor, boat, motor boat, go so FAST!

Motorboatmotorboat step on the GAS!

B's version:

(while not so gently manipulating her brother's lower half back and forth):

Motor bo, motor bo, slow

Motor bo, motor, fast

motor bo CRACK!

(On cue with "CRACK", initiates extreme middle split position.)

Good things babies are so flexible!

Chairs before and after

2011-10-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

I commandeered these cute kid chairs from my parent's basement a few months ago. There were only two and I thought it would be cute to paint them so each of the kids could have their own personalized one. I'm in love with how they turned out. Not the greatest pictures but you get the idea. I am on a crafty/project spree so expect more posts about those.

BEFORE

AFTER

I think it's time...

2011-09-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

To make B some dress up clothes.

This is what she came up with to look like Cinderella:

She picked everything out herself-

blue dress

necklace

slippers

headband

I think she did a pretty good job considering what she had to work with!

Losing it.

2011-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

On this rare morning when I was somehow able to shower before 4 p.m. (or at all), I happened to be looking at the shampoo labels and noticed something shocking. Apparently what I thought had been a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner turns out to be a large and small bottle of just shampoo. No conditioner. I get that I purchased these a few months ago while in a sleep-deprived haze, but how have I gone for MONTHS shampooing my hair twice and thinking I was conditioning one of those times?! I swear my hair felt silkier after "conditioning" it. Awesome.

For lunch I was making baked potatoes. B calls them "botatoes" and the more she said it the more it sounded right and I started wondering if I also called them that. Ever repeat a word so many times you don't know if you're saying it right?

Daily.

Also, she thought I was saying "bacon and botatoes", not "baked potatoes" and kept saying how much she LOVED bacon AND botatoes so I obviously had to make some bacon. And eat some of it. And that is why I'm not skinny. I blame it on the kids. (I obviously have no control over the situation. What kind of human can make bacon and not eat any?)

Our Newest Addition

2011-09-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to introduce you to...

Cocoa!

Isn't she beautiful? Of course I am a little biased-she is mine, after all!

Nighty Night

2011-09-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is my firstborn.

She likes to take pictures of herself.

She also likes a very specific bedtime routine.

Hers goes a little something like this;

Brush teeth

Turn on the lamp

Turn off the light

Read 2 books

Turn off the lamp

Say prayers

Have a sip of water

Sing a combination of Disney, primary, and campfire songs

Foot rub with lotion to seal the deal

I have a sneaking suspicion that the last part falls under the category of "spoiled".

Summer

2011-09-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ok I waited too long and now I'm struggling to remember all the things we did this summer. Worst memory ever?

We had our annual Edwards family reunion. Not everyone can make it every year but I look forward to it and seeing all who can come. I don't have any pictures from that. We go up to Meadow Wood and stay in cabins and hang out at the lodge and just enjoy being together. There is also a pool and it was fun to take the babies swimming.

This year was a little sad because my beautiful great Aunt Linda recently passed away after a long battle with cancer, as did her brother, Uncle Bill, even more recently. I'm grateful for the fond memories I have of them both.

My cousin Lindsay and her husband Tom came for the reunion and stayed for a few days afterwards in Pendleton so we had a fun time playing games one night out at the Leonards and then had a play date with B and Miranda. (For those of you who don't know, Miranda is Lindsay's sister, and they're just a scant 22 years apart. Miranda is a few months older than Brooklyn so we like to get together and play when we can :)

We got them some treats at Dairy Queen and headed to a park. They mostly wanted to ride their bikes together. So cute!

I tried to get them to pose or stand in certain places to get some cute pics of them together but they just wanted to be silly.

Love those girls.

Next we took a little family vacay to BOISE! To visit our besties the Johnstons and Camberlangos. We were all super close when we lived in Rexburg (The Camberlangos were our neighbors) and have kept in close contact since. There are now 7 babies between the 3 of us and 3 new babies within a couple few months of each other that hadn't met yet so to Idaho it was. The visit wasn't as nearly as long as I had hoped or wanted but we still had a great time and I'm so glad they let us come hang out! Didn't really get any pictures of this either, I've really resolved to do better about that. The boys had fun fishing (and took pictures)

And the girls got to have a night out without the kiddos. Props to the boys for surviving that! I was really nervous about it but they did great. We started out at Cafe Rio, then went and shopped (for our kids haha) and ended with some yummy frozen yogurt. On Saturday, our last night there, we had a BBQ and played HORSE (I could not have done worse, sorry Seth!) and badminton. We ended the night with s'mores and I did get a picture of that.

Ya Ya somehow commandeered a whole bag of chips and ate to her heart's content

Girl loves her some chips.

uppity date

2011-08-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

I got called out by my sis-in-law Bec for lack of postage so here I am with an update.

But real quick question first...how do you all stay motivated and/or remember to take pictures of everything? I always tell myself I will and bring my camera everywhere but always end up with no pictures. I'm horrible at it but I wish we documented things better that way. Any tips?

Back to the update

August has been a crazy busy month, and was spent almost entirely away from Yakima.

Seth works in Seattle sometimes now too so he was gone at the beginning of the month for a few days leading up to another vacation so me and the kids headed to P-Diddle early. The whole occasional single parent thing is not my favorite. I need to insert here that up until this last week I've still been woken up every 1-2 hours a night by Mr. T and have been so beyond sleep deprived I wanted to kill something. Pity this fool for not letting him cry it out sooner! Anyway the reason I tell you this is the last 7 months have been a total blur and I just do not remember things like a normal person. So I know we've done lots of fun stuff but I'll probably forget to write about a bunch of them and we'll just sound boring. But we're soooo not.

New paragraph. Anyone else struggle with large paragraphs? Moving on...Seth worked Mon-Wed in Seattle and then spent the night in Pendleton and then was off for a week long hike with his brother and uncles. Word on the street is they had a great time while also having a terrible terrible time. Seth came back from the mountains limping but smiling. Boys are weird. While he was gone we took advantage of a Grammy that only has 2 grandchildren to spoil and the Aquatic Center. I was determined to get a tan this year since I haven't acquired one the last few summers and I've been a little bummed about that. Luckily I tan almost instantly and it only took me two times pool side to get nicely browned. Ya Ya was super lucky and got to go almost every day.

*picture break*

(pic by Erica)

"How can you read this, there's no pictures?"

Am I right?

And don't be jealous that I can quote Disney movies on command. Like the entire movie.

Where were we again?

Next came Mister's 6 months check up.

16 lbs 10 oz/ 28 inches

5-15% for weight, 90% for height

We grow them tall and skinny.

Here's a couple of pictures of me and my firstborn son.

I'm going to be annoying and talk about how UN-photogenic I am. I shouldn't care but I do.

Here's another one, I was determined to have a better one of me at the expense of my small child...

Somewhere in there we went to the park.

B had a good time going down slides,

And throwing rocks in the creek

How 'bout that follow through, eh?

Taylor was a good boy and was content to sit in his stroller and put things in his mouth.

We're gonna have to wrap it up here for the night. I had more written but I couldn't find the pictures to go along with it and my baby is sleeping which makes me a cotton-headed-ninny-muggin if I don't go do the same! Stay tuned for more of our summer :)

yummy muffins + pictures

2011-08-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

Seth has been pestering me to update the ol' bloggeroo so here we go.

Some members of my family are working on cleaning up their dietary habits a bit so I've been on the quest for healthy recipes. Also I've been trying to think of some good breakfast foods I could make ahead and freeze so my dear sweet husband won't go to work starving anymore. I found a promising muffin recipe and tweaked it a bit to be even more healthy. I'm kind of proud of myself because I've never tweaked anything whilst baking before, only cooking. Luckily they turned out.

Morning Glory Muffins

slightly adapted from HERE

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

2 cups grated carrot (about 2-3 peeled carrots)

1 large apple, peeled and chopped into small chunks

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup shredded coconut, plus more for topping
3 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Place rack in center of oven. Coat muffin tin in cooking spray. Toast the walnuts for about 5-7 minutes until lightly browned and fragrants. Let cool and chop coarsely.

While walnuts are toasting, peel and finely grate carrots and peel and chop apple. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the nuts and coconut. Set aside. In a seperate bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients, along with grated carrots and chopped apple, into the flour mixture, stirring until just moistened. Pour evenly into prepared muffin tin and top with coconut. Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean.

In other news- my brother Kelsey is engaged to the lovely and talented Erica, who just so happens to be majoring in photography. I have taken full advantage of this and we have already had a couple of photo shoots, with many more planned for the future. Here are a few pics from the last couple weeks.

(Taken by Erica)

You can view her photography blog here:

http://whalelook.wordpress.com/

Aaaaaaaand that's all I'm updating for now until I get my computer back on Thursday :)

Challenge

2011-06-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

One thing I really appreciate about my daughter is that she continually keeps me on my toes and challenges me to be better.

For example, she likes me to take well-known songs and add new lyrics that describe what she's doing. I've gotten pretty good at that so of course the time has come to test my skillz and push me as an artist. This particular challenge came in the form of "Old MacDonald". Try coming up with sounds for the following items that, come to find out, are on his farm;

Grammy

Papa

Kelsey

Kenzie

Boys

She started out easy on me. But the difficulty quickly escalated to

toy

outside

owie

crab

pillow

shirt

paint

toe

cold

light

wind

crib

night night

Aaaaaaand... itchy

Well played, baby.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

2011-06-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

Name that movie.

Get ready for a random, possibly long, most likely ill written post.

Ready?

Ok let's get this party started.

My mom finally finished this absolutely gorgeous tulip quilt for my girl. My mom inherited a tulip quilt that her grandmother had hand quilted and I was obsessed with it and asked if she could recreate it for Brooklyn. I love love love vintage quilts. My mom is so awesome for indulging me on this one. She just made up the pattern herself and quilted away. Hand quilted. This isn't the greatest picture, I'll get a better one soon. The border is green and white polka dot fabric and the background is light pink just like my great grandma's quilt. I had so much fun picking out different fabrics for the tulips. Now I just need to make some cute throw pillows and shams to go with it.

Brooklyn is at the fun stage where she can start doing little crafts and projects and I am loving it. I always wanted to be a mom that gave my kids plenty of opportunities to explore different hobbies and creative outlets. I've seen these little handprint/footprint animals around the web and thought she would love to do that. It was a hit. She loved getting her hands and feet painted.

Giraffe

(she painted the tree all by herself!)

Lobster

(ignore the mismatched arm length. Now I bet you can't ignore it since I brought your attention.)

Goldfish

We also made an Apple Jacks necklace using a scrap of fabric (I didn't have any yarn or string) with tape on the end to act as a sort of needle. She had a lot of fun making it and it occupied her for a good chunk of time. Ironically she didn't want to eat any of it, which is the funnest part.

Note the deep concentration.

Proud of the finished product, and the face she gave me when I told her to "smile pretty".

Our blurry helper

These two crack me up. I love them so much, and they love each other a LOT.

Taylor still doesn't know what to make of the camera.

B finally started letting me do her hair, and she looks pretty presh about it.

She has also started dressing herself. Although she hasn't told me out loud, I think she has a personal goal to wear every piece of clothing she owns, every day, in every combination possible.

And this is why I don't get out much;

I think I was gone an hour. This would be our downstairs bathroom with an entire roll of toilet paper and a pair of pants clogging the sink which is overflowing and flooding the floor :)

Although it's a struggle at times and I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water, these kids are totally worth the sacrifice, lack of sleep, insanity, extra pudge, and messy house. I am truly blessed.

P.s. Right before I posted this I went to see what Brooklyn was doing. She was filling my boots up with water. Awesome.

11:24 a.m.

2011-06-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

3rd outfit of the day (too small pajamas+tennis shoes)

Activity of choice: "washing" dishes.

Love.

I'm a quilter, I quilt!

2011-06-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ahoy!

Look what I did:

I made a QUILT! Can you believe it?

A quick fact about this picture; that is supposed to be an overly excited face but I'm so tired that this is as exaggerated as I can get. Pathetic. You know how everyone tells you the first two months are the hardest with new babies and then they start to sleep more and more regularly? Lies. All lies. 10 minutes max for naps which are few and far between and wakes up every 1.5 hours during the night tops and sometimes likes to tell jokes instead of going back to sleep. I've been shaking the past couple of days with exhaustion.

Back to the quilt.

This is my second serious sewing project I've ever attempted. My first was a nursing cover that I made a couple of months ago following THIS tutorial. I don't know why I thought I could make a quilt with zero sewing skills but I had a vision of the crib bedding I wanted and took the plunge. It's been a few weeks coming since I only worked on it at my mom's house so she could help me when I was totally lost. I am proud to say though that I did the whole thing except a couple of stitches my mama had to do on a hard part. She would tell me how to do a step and then I would do it. I even did the hand quilting on the back of the binding! You can't tell but this quilt is actually made from a bunch of little squares. THIS is the tutorial I followed in case you want to make your own! I am totally obsessed with quilts and plan to make more.

.

2011-05-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is how I feel every time I try to get my beautiful princess of a daughter to eat something.

(replace phrases like "come down to dinner" with "eat your food")

current list of food she will eat;

baked potato wedges dipped in ketchup, apple juice, water, cookies and milk, bananas, toast, apples, cheese, otter pops, eggs, mac n cheese, pasta, meatloaf dipped in ketchup, yogurt, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, homemade pizza, grapes, ramen, chips (her favorite), small selection of cereal and the occasional carrot stick. Aaaaaand that's it. Healthy right? Yikes. Major meltdown if you offer anything else. Also it's hit and miss if she'll even eat any of the above mentioned foods. Or she'll pretend she wants it and after I make it she'll spit out the first bite and...melt.Down.

Little humans have a mind of their own. Literally.

But, despite the regular meal showdowns, I still have one sweet, smart girl that likes to hang out with her mom all day. She keeps me on my toes and forces me to be a better person. I'm constantly evaluating my behavior and character in an attempt to be an example I would be ok with for my children to follow. She brings so much joy and laughter to my life. I miss her when she sleeps and on the rare occasions we're apart. Her triumphs are my triumphs and her hurts and sorrows make me ache to the core.

Plus, who can really complain about a kid that potty trains themselves?

Seriously? Seriously.

Torn.

2011-05-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

My daughter is running for Meltdown Queen of the Year. And, although I want to support her in whatever she does (especially in an area where she has obvious talent), I'm kind of hoping she doesn't make it very far in the competition. I don't want her to let go of her dreams, but I'm hoping she'll try her hand at the Quiet Contest next.

No worries...

2011-04-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

We're still alive.

I'm just tired is all. I think about stuff to blog several times a day but never get around to actually doing it. I also am failing miserably at taking pictures. Ever. I'm working on it...so here's one from today.

That's me (and Mister). With a perm (just me, not him). And although I feel 90 years old saying it it's true and I am loving my curly hair, which was previously stick straight no matter what I tried. Yay for low maintenace!

Very soon I'm going to have a mind-bottling post to make up for the slacking.

Until then, go make these insanely good cookies and then eat the whole batch while you're waiting for said post.

Chocolate chip coconut cookies

recipe from http://www.inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

2 sticks of butter (1c), at room temp
1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 lb chocolate chips/chunks

Cream the butter and the sugars until light. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk, stir to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix.
With a spatula fold in the chocolate and coconut

Drop by spoonful onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° for 11-13 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.

Smarty No-Pants

2011-04-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

I walked out of the kitchen the other day to find Ya Ya reading a book to her brother.

Love those kids.

Um...yeah

2011-03-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

That just happened.

Babies

2011-03-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

As my due date got closer and closer, I started getting really emotional about adding another baby to our family. We had always planned on having more than one child, and sometimes I even have little glimpses of a nice brood of children running up to me. But I suddenly felt terrible about what I was doing to Ya Ya. I would cry thinking about it. She was going to feel abandoned and neglected and like I didn't love her as much, I just knew it. How could I do that to her?! She was still my tiny baby. She was not old enough to understand. She was asleep when it was time to leave for the hospital. I went in to kiss her and give a quick snuggle and say goodbye to my firstborn. Aaaaaand i bawled. And bawled. And Seth and my dear sweet mother made fun of me.

But she was just fine.
Turns out my baby grew into a big girl sometime when I wasn't looking.

Now when she helps me in the kitchen she informs me she's putting the green broccoli in the green bowl. And the orange carrots in the green bowl. And makes me cut up more veggies so she can keep helping.

She yells things like, "Careful a(of) cars, Dad." From the back seat.

Or when I ask her why she took her shoes and socks off while in the car she replies, "Um, CUZ." In a grown-up sassy tone.

She calls this little guy "Mister", and loves to hold his hand while she falls asleep.

My girl is doing just fine.

Favorites

2011-03-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do a favorites post for awhile because I love sharing. Sharing is my favorite. But seriously there are so many products out there, and you can spend a lot of money on stupid little things to try to find something that works well. I love it when I can find someone that has actually used a product that I am thinking about trying and they can give me a review before I spend my money.

1. Schick Hydro 5 razor

The best razor ever. Seth's sister, Rachel, gifted one to him. Used it once and was never the same. Super close shave, doesn't knick you easily, no razor burn afterwards. Amazing. I get razorburn with every other razor I've tried. Not with this. Go get one. You won't regret it.

2. Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream, Fragrance Free

Brooklyn has extremely sensitive skin. Just sitting in the bath for a few minutes gives her red patches of irritated skin. She gets a lot of rashes on her face also. This lotion has worked wonders for her. I slather in on after her bath and all the irritated spots disappear. It clears up her face too. Highly recommend if your baby has sensitive skin.

3. Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask

I don't have terrible skin, but if I get lazy and don't wash my face at night a couple or few times in a row and start to suffer the consequences with breakouts, this stuff clears me right up. It is awesome. They used to have it at Walmart but now it's kind of hard to find. Whenever I see it I buy it. I don't know if they are discontinuing it or what. It probably causes cancer or something but boy does it work well!

4. Garnier Frustis Triple Nutrition Shampoo and Conditioner

I have to wash my hair every day or I become a total grease ball. Sometimes I can get away with every other day, but that's pushing it. I discovered this shampoo at my parent's house in my sister's bathroom. Love. It. Makes my hair feel super thick and does not make me greasy. I can easily go every other day without washing. The conditioner does not cause me to get greasy, I love it. Also I usually feel like I need to use a different shampoo every few days, like they stop working as well if you use them too often. Not with this. Since I've bought my own I only use it and my hair feels fantastic every time.

5. Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara

I know almost nothing about make-up. But I am picky about my mascara. I don't have super long or thick eyelashes and most mascaras major clump them together to look like I only have a couple on each eye. This stuff never lets me down. It fans out my eyelashes really well and layers well so that they look a lot thicker. I use Glam Black.

6. Recipes

Want to know where to find the best recipes ever? Look no further than ourbestbites.com. Everything I have made off of that site has been beyond delicious. My personal favorite? The Taquitos!

Welp, that's all I've got time for to post. My babies need me. But I'll be thinking of more favorites to post soon. Let me know if there is a product you can't live without.

Easy Peasy

2011-03-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Recently while I was in Pendleton I had a conversation with my friend Breann about how cooking dinner is a whole new ball game after kids enter the picture. I love to cook. And when it was just me and Seth dinner could be a several hour process. Now with two kids I need fast and easy, with hopefully a little nutritional value thrown in as well :]

I thought I would post some of my favorite easy recipes now and then to maybe inspire a few of you mamas out there as to what to make for dinner.

Chicken and Broccoli fettucini

You need: 1 Rotisserie chicken ($5 at Walmart)

1 large head of broccoli

1 package of fettucini noodles

2 small jars of your favorite alfredo sauce (one is just not enough, in my opinion)

Directions: Put a large pot of water on to boil (for the noodles). While you're waiting for it to boil, cut up the broccoli into smaller pieces, set aside. Also pick the meat off of your chicken and shred into small pieces. Cook the noodles according to directions. For the last 4 minutes add the broccoli to the cooking noodles and then drain together when done. Pour in the alfredo sauce and chicken, mix and serve!

This whole recipe takes about 11 minutes-the time it takes to cook the noodles. All of the prep can be done while you're waiting for the water to boil and the noodles to cook. It also makes a ton so you either have lots of left overs or it would be a good meal to make if you're having people over for dinner. Get a bag of salad and some breadsticks and you have quite the feast!

Another favorite recipe of mine is a crockpot meal. This is slightly adapted from a recipe Seth's cousin, Janine, shared with us. I forgot what she called it, we just call it Salsa Chicken.

SALSA CHICKEN

2 frozen or thawed chicken breasts

2 cans of beans (I like to use 1 can black beans, 1 can red kidney beans)

1 bag frozen corn

1 jar medium salsa (such as Pace, and make sure it's medium, not mild...even if you don't like spicy things. It won't be too hot, I promise.)

Tortilla chips

Optional: cheese, avocado/guacamole, sour cream

Pour frozen corn into bottom of crockpot. Place chicken on top of corn. Cover with beans and salsa. Cook on high for 4 hours. Shred chicken and mix everything together. Serve over chips and top with cheese.

I like mine with pepperjack cheese and some guac on top. Delicious and so easy! Also makes a ton, so good for a crowd. Enjoy!

my new man...

2011-03-07T16:57:00.001-08:00

Checking himself out in the mirror

They love each other :]

The Story

2011-02-12T00:33:00.001-08:00

I know, I know.

I sincerely apologize for taking so long to write this post.

I get so impatient when people don't immediately publish every detail of their pregnancy and labor.

So here it is-The birth story.

Even though this pregnancy was much different than my first, I still assumed labor would go somewhat as it had before. I prefer to try to go as natural as possible. I'm not going to go into all the reasons why on this post, maybe another time. I'm not a fanatic about it, it's just really exciting for me to feel what my body goes through to bring a new life into this world.

With Brooklyn my labor from start to finish was 12 hours. That was from the first remotely painful contraction. This time I started having painful contractions at about week 37. They were always inconsistent, and more frequent at night. But I thought for sure I was going to have him early. B was 9 days early and I thought Taylor would be even sooner. Not only was I having painful contractions but was also having intense aches and pains most of the time. In other words, the last few weeks were miserable. At my 38 week appointment I was still only 1 cm dilated (same as the week before). My doctor was going on vacation for a week and she was very confident that nothing would be happening before she got back. She wanted to schedule an induction for a week and a half later, and I indulged her because I was certain I would go way before that.

Let me add that I was going to a doctor in Pendleton and was also planning on delivering there. That is 2 hours from where we live. We got new insurance before we moved and turns out there are no preferred providers here so we decided to go with the same doctor that delivered B. We went "home" to Pendleton often enough we just scheduled appointments around when we were going to visit anyway. I was planning on staying with my parents the last couple of weeks of the pregnancy so that I didn't run the chance of being in labor on the road in bad conditions. Even though I was delivering out of town I still wanted to go natural. Since B's labor was 12 hours with the help of pitocin, I figured I would have enough time to make it to the hospital if I did go into labor before moving back to my parents' house. So, I wasn't ever planning on being induced.

Well, my baby apparently was pretty comfy. He didn't come and didn't come despite the contractions. The induction date was getting closer and I was trying to decide if I should call and cancel it and just wait for him to make an appearance. But I was so miserable. If I were to be induced we would go in at midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning. Seth was in town that weekend and we started talking about it. If I were induced he would be better able to figure out what needed to be done at work without him, know what days to take off, he would for sure be there for the birth instead of frantically trying to make it back in time, among other things. I started feeling really good about being induced, even though it wasn't my first choice. I was so against it at first but the more we thought and talked about it it started looking like a good option.

We went in at midnight on the 31st. I had been having more consistent contractions starting at about 9 earlier in the night and was wondering what they would do if I came in to be induced but was actually already in labor? I mean what are the chances you would go into labor just before your scheduled induction? Maybe the chances are good. Anyway. I get my blood drawn and go up to labor and delivery. And surprise! My favorite nurse is there. One of my good friends from high school's mom. So off to a good start. The other nurse was fabulous too. I get changed into my lovely gown and settle in so they can explain the process. I had to be on antibiotics too so they got those started. Then they insert a pill like thing called Cytotec that is supposed to be what your body naturally produces to start the labor process. They said they would give me a dose every 3 hours depending on how I'm progressing. They hook me up to the monitors to keep track of the baby's heart beat and my contractions and tell me to try to get some sleep for the first few hours. Seth cozies up on the couch to do the same. A long nap sounded wonderful, except that I have started having contractions 1-2 minutes apart before the medicine could possibly have taken effect. I was so so uncomfortable, but also hopeful that maybe this would be a quick labor. I lay on my side and toss and turn trying to get comfortable but I HURT! Finally the nurse comes in around 3:30ish to check my progress and see if I need another dose. She surprised at my contraction chart but says I'm only at a 2 and no more effaced than I was when I came in. I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure I had progressed really far. She said she would hold off on another dose since I was having so many contractions and would check on me in a bit.

At this point I'm a little depressed. How have I not progressed? And why is it so much more painful than last time? The next time the nurse comes in I ask if I can go to the jacuzzi. My contractions are starting to border on unbearable and I was hoping it would help me relax and breathe through them. This is around 4:30. Seth goes with me and plays with my hair and tries to relax me but it's getting worse. At this point I start considering an epidural. Since I was progressing soooo slow I knew I couldn't make it if this was going to go on all day. I get out of the tub and we make our way to the nurses station to ask them about hooking me up with some drugs. They say they'll be right in to talk about it. I get back in bed and the nurse explains the epidural and I say yes I think I need one. She wants to check me just to make sure I'm not to far. I'm expecting more bad news until she informs me I'm at an 8/9 and my water is about to break! I text my mom and tell her to get her tushy up there if she wants to see the arrival of her grandchild. This is a little after 6 a.m. In about an hour and a half I went from a 2 to almost 9. That explains the pain. And also means an epidural is out.

With Brooklyn I can honestly say the labor pains weren't too bad until it was time to push, and I think the pitocin had a lot to do with it. I think they had cranked the dose up at the end and when I got the urge to push I suddenly could not breathe through my contractions, which I had been handling fine before that. I pushed for 15 minutes when the nurses signaled to the doctor that my blood pressure and B's heartbeat had plummeted at which point I was given the mother of all episiotomies and out she came. That was not a fun recovery and I did not want to be torn or cut like that again, thank you very much.

So. The nurses are rushing around trying to get things ready for me to deliver, confident that he will be here any minute. I am in a lot of pain and really want a good pushing experience and am not feeling like I have enough handle on the situation to be very effective. I ask if there's anything I can have at this point and they said they could attempt a spinal, which I guess is like a quickie epidural. It's a one shot deal that numbs you up but only lasts two hours max. I said I'll take it. They get the anesthesiologist up there asap to see if he can even do that. He thinks he can. He said he has to give me a numbing shot that will "pinch" and then he will give me the shot, all of this in the back. The numbing pinch was soo painful. It didn't help that I was having super painful contractions a minute apart and in order to get the shot had to try to bend over my belly and hunch my shoulders as much as I could to expose my spine. Um, uncomfortable all around to say the least. He "numbs" me up and then starts searching for the sweet spot that will take the pain away. I say starts searching because it took him I could estimate 5-8 times before he found it. Each of those times felt like someone stabbing me with a bowie knife...or what I imagine that would feel like. Excruciating. I tried not to but I would cry out in pain each time an attempt was made. Starting to regret my decision for pain meds. I had forgotten to clarify that I wanted the pain taken away, not administered. Finally we get it and a couple minutes later my lower half relaxes. I still had full use of my legs, they just felt sluggish. My doctor comes in the I'm all set up to deliver a baby. She breaks my water and on the next contraction tells me to push. 10 minutes and no tearing later, he's out! I will say I am glad that I got something to relax me while pushing, it was such a better experience than last time. I felt it let me really focus on the task at hand and made me way more effective.

They put him on my chest and rub his back to get him to cry. He makes a few little noises but not enough to satisfy the nurses. I love how they do everything so calmly, even when they're really worried. I then find out the cord had been wrapped around his neck and he desperately needs fluids. He scored a 0 on the color scale. They whisk him away (calmly). I'm worried but don't really know what is going on and figure if it's really bad they'll tell me. They give him some liquid and run some tests. He's going to be ok. They'll just need to monitor him closely to make sure nothing is wrong and give him antibiotics. Phew. I'm really glad we came in to be induced. I now know why I had started to feel really good about that decision. They bring him back in and I finally get to hold my baby boy and love on him. He is perfect.

Introducing...

2011-02-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

Taylor Nathaniel Bagley

January 31st, 2011 at 7:22 a.m.

7 lbs 12 oz, 20 1/2 inches

He's already been big sister approved!

More details to come :]

date night

2011-01-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

I'm 39 weeks pregnant.

(see picture below for proof)

I have not been feeling very prime.

As a thank you to my two year old who has been so patient with a mama that has not been very patient to her, I decided to take her on a girl's night out...toddler style.

This consisted of:

-going to Dairy Queen and getting a special treat and eating in the swivel chairs

-going up to the church and playing with beach balls and learning how to ride our bike.(This included a lot of running around which I'm hoping might catapult me into labor)

-picking a few toys out at the Dollar Store, and finding some sweet nail polish to go home and put on

We had a good time and I loved watching my little girl run around with a big smile on her face. I tried to get a good picture of us on our fun day and this is the best we could do.

I can't believe my tiny sweet heart is going to be a BIG sister soon! I'm so glad we were able to have a fun day together before we welcome exciting changes into our family.

.nerd.

2011-01-25T11:47:00.001-08:00

Sundays and the Sacrament

2011-01-15T22:34:00.000-08:00

I am big into quotes. I love good quotes, especially spiritually related ones. My scriptures are packed with them. I always have a notebook with me and whenever I hear or read something inspirational or enlightening I write it down and put it somewhere so that I can read it again easily. Last Sunday our Relief Society lesson was on the Sacrament and the teacher used a quote from a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland entitled "This Do in Remembrance of Me". I loved the quote and wrote down the name of the talk to look it up later. I was reading it tonight and it is the best talk on the Sacrament I've ever read. I'm so grateful for modern day prophets and apostles that can teach and put into words things of a sacred nature so that I can learn and grow much better than relying on myself to obtain knowledge.

Go here to read the talk.

Along the same lines I also found this quote in a daily inspiration book I have;

"Our observance of nonobservance of the Sabbath is an unerring measure of our attitude toward the Lord personally and toward his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead. It is a sign of whether we are Christians in very deed, or whether our conversion is so shallow that commemoration of his atoning sacrifice means little or nothing to us."

-Mark E. Peterson

A big goal of mine this year is to stay focused on the important things in life, and to especially focus on my spiritual well-being. I've been thinking a lot about Sundays and how to spend them and treat them differently than every other day of the week. Now that we meet at 9 a.m. we have even more time fill with (hopefully) good things. Do any of you have traditions or activities you have found help you remember to keep the Sabbath day holy?

riddle me this

2011-01-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

I've been wondering lately, how many of you out there cook dinner every night? (I'm technically addressing the ladies since I don't think any males read my blog. Not that you can't, males. Unless you're one of those creeps that I've warned to stay away...you need to still stay away.)

So, please indulge my curiosity. I'm making a poll at the top of my page, which will be completely anonymous. If you come to this blog and see this post please answer!

So...

2011-01-05T10:14:00.002-08:00

I guess I haven't been doing very well at blogging lately.

Or...sending out Christmas cards.

SO let's get started with the catch-up posts!

First off, our family photo shoot we had over Thanksgiving by our talented personal photographer Shirlene.

I have to insert here that yes, we did have Christmas cards made with a couple of these photos and no, I did not get around to sending them out. Terrible, I know. I might still send some out. We will see. But if not here's what should have been sent to your mailbox...if I only had a brain :]

A few notes about the shoot:

My mom made my dress, which I wanted to resemble this dress from Shabby Apple. Thanks mom! You did a fabulous job. And we didn't kill each other in the process!
The pictures were taken out at my Grandpa Edwards'. The truck is Seth's dream restoration project and a major factor in getting him to take family pictures at all. And the cabin...oh just something Gramps is building with his bare hands.
I am very pregnant in these pictures. I don't think that fact came across very well.
It was -100 degress out I'm pretty sure. It's a miracle we got even one decent picture with B. She was not thrilled to be outside and told to be still and act happy.
I'm glad we did it though. As a family we are pretty horrible at taking pictures together and I desperately wanted a couple of nice family photos. Mission accomplished.

{Day 10}

2010-12-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

-Something you're afraid of-

I'm afraid of my daughter growing facial hair.

(I don't think she shares the same fears)

Shuffle

2010-12-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

{Day 9}

-Put ipod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs-

Since Christmas is so near, I thought I would put the first 10 songs from my holiday playlist. And then because I love Christmas music, I decided to put the first 20. I just couldn't help myself :]

1. Soul Cake- Sting

2. The Little Drummer Boy- Frank Sinatra

3. The Christmas Song- The Raveonettes

4. Away In A Manger- Casting Crowns

5. White Christmas- Ella Fitzgerald

6. Silent Night- Sixpence None The Richer

7. Winter Wonderland- Louis Armstrong

8. Joy to the World- Sufjan Stevens

9. Music Box Blues- Trans-Siberian Orchestra

10. White Christmas- Bright Eyes

11. Winter Night- Little & Ashley

12. Christmas- Leona Naess

13. Silver Bells- Bing Crosby

14. Go Tell It On The Mountain- Sarah Evans

15. O Holy Night- Mariah Carey

16. Have A Holly Jolly Christmas- Burl Ives

17. Blue Christmas- Johnny Cash

18. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- Judy Garland

19. Baby, It's Cold Outside- Lady Antebellum

20. Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over- Jack White

Birthday Girl

2010-12-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

My tiny tiny baby turned 2 today.

I can't believe it. Two years has FLOWN by.

Let me tell you a little bit about our sweetheart.

LIKES

Dancing, singing, jumping, snuggling, reading, carrots,

chocolate, makeup,

Lady and the Tramp, brushing teeth, cooking, runnng,

talking on the phone, boots, animals, otter pops, wiping down the shopping cart,

kisses, grapes, eggs, bath/swimming time, slides,

nursery, prayers, water, dressing up, jammie shoes, taking dogs for walks,

apples, chips, pony tails, coloring, ABCs, puzzles,

cheese, learning, the number 2, hiding in the closet, driving, cookies,

riding on shoulders, Itsy Bitsy Spider, pasta, horsies, painting her nails, big kids, laughing, being outside, family.

DISLIKES

Porcupines

Hulk figurines

Tutus

Beast from Beauty and the Beast

The lion-looking thing in Hop on Pop

Having food on her hands

Happy Birthday, B!

You are one special girl and we love you with all our hearts.

6, 7, 8

2010-12-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

{Day 6}

-Song that makes you cry-

There are a couple.

1. How Great Thou Art

2. O Holy Night

#1 is just a beautiful song and is a perfect reminder of all our Savior has done for us.

#2- My Grandma Edwards died when I was in 6th grade. She was the best Grandma that there ever could be and I miss her a lot. She played piano and organ and I've always felt connected to her through music. I recently found the arrangement of O Holy Night that she would play and that we have a recording of. Every time I play it I cry thinking about her and also because it's a very moving song anyway (and is my favorite Christmas song.)

{Day 7}

-Favorite movies-

Oh boy.

So many.

What About Bob

Nacho Libre

Sense and Sensibility

Anything with Chris Farley

Almost anything with Will Ferrell

Little Women

Dan In Real Life

Harry Potters

Twilight series (oh yeah!)

The Princess Bride

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

The Scarlet Pimpernel

Aaaaand that's all my brain can come up with right now.

{Day 8}

-A place you've travelled to-

England/Wales/France for two weeks to play basketball the summer after high school. That was a fun time. Except the part where I forgot to get up and walk around on the 8 hour leg of the trip and ended up getting massive cankles and swollen feet for 24 hours afterwards. Yuck.

Happy

2010-11-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

{Day 5}

-pictures of things that make you happy-

Daddy-Daughter relationships are so precious. My mom once told me a big reason she thinks it was easy for me to believe in a Heavenly Father is because I had such a good earthly father. I completely agree. I knew he loved me, supported me, wanted the best for me and would always be there, so it made sense how that could be true on a larger scale. Hopefully B will be able to learn some of the same lessons from her Dada that I did from mine.

Day 4

2010-11-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

- Something you're looking forward to-

How about some THINGS?

Wearing sweatpants for "The Duration"

Christmas

Meeting my baby boy

Coming up with a name for baby boy

Watching my little sweetheart grow up

Growing up myself

Working off the baby weight (yay for exercise!)

Family

2010-11-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

{Day3}

-Your parents and siblings-

I should just leave it to the illustration above to tell you about my family, since I feel I captured their personalities perfectly, but for those lacking the gift of discernment I'll include a few words.

DAD: Hard-working, spiritual, humble, talented, adventurous, artistic, non-judgemental, honest

MOM: Selfless, intelligent, organized, dependable, excellent cook, wonderful mother, nurturing

KELSEY: hilarious, knowledgeable, peace-maker, outrageous, giving, thoughtful, musician

TAYLOR: Perfect.

McKENZIE: spunky, goal-oriented, forgiving, driven, righteous, smart, compassionate

Let it Snow.

2010-11-21T15:39:00.001-08:00

Stress

2010-11-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

{Day 2}

-Something that stresses you out-

Something that USED to really stress me out was dinner. I love to cook, and having a home cooked meal every night and eating together as a family was a big deal in my house growing up. It wasn't uncommon for me to spend 2 hours or more making dinner for Seth and I each night when we were first married. That all quickly changed when B came along. All the sudden this little person wanted a little bit of attention while I would try to cook. So. I've been on a quest to find simple, delicious, quick, and at least semi-healthy recipes so that I can enjoy my tiny girl and put something on the table at the same time. I just discovered this Baked Ziti recipe that I'm now going to share with you! Lucky day! I didn't know what baked ziti was until about 2 weeks ago when we ate it ate our neighbors house. I was impressed and searched out a recipe. Here it is.

BAKED ZITI

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

¼ teaspoon sugar

1 pound ziti

8 oz mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or grated Parmesan/Romano cheese mix)

salt

Directions:

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, heat oven to 400. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for the ziti

Meanwhile, cook 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil, sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt.

When the water is boiling, stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the ziti. Cook, stirring often, until the ziti is almost tender.

Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the ziti and return it to the pot. Stir in the tomato sauce and toss to coat.

Spread half the ziti in an oiled 13x9 pan. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Spread the remaining ziti and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. (you can add as much cheese as you want both times).

Bake until cheeses turn golden brown (about 20 min), and take out of the oven.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve!

OH, you'd like some breadsticks too? Ones that don't take several hours to make? Ok.
QUICK BREADSTICKS
1 cup warm water
3 T brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast
Directions: Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add remaining ingredients. Knead slightly, adding more flour if too sticky. On floured surface, roll out to a 10X12 rectangle and let rise for at least 20 minutes. Cut into strips using a pizza cutter and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until lightly brown.

Brush with melted butter or olive oil mixed with minced garlic and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

AND you want a yummy salad?

Grab a bag of baby spinach, an avocado, some feta cheese and italian dressing. Slice up the avocado and combine all ingredients. Go light on the dressing, a little goes a long way.

28+15

2010-11-18T14:39:00.000-08:00

Pregnancy update:

-Baby moves a TON. I almost feel like I should bring it up with my doctor to see if it's bad if they never seem to stop moving.

-We still have no name for him :(

-I've had a few contractions and my legs get tired fast if I'm over-doing it.

-The weeks are FLYING by. I can't believe he'll be here so soon. I'm so excited to know what he looks like and to cuddle him. I've been looking at baby clothes and it's hard to believe newborns are so small! B will seem huge in comparison I'm sure.

Also, I've decided to do the 15 Day Blog Challenge that I saw on my friend Ranae's blog.

Day 1-Self portrait picture, and 15 interesting facts

Day 2- Something that stresses you out

Day 3-Your siblings and parents

Day 4- Something you're looking forward to

Day 5- pictures of things that make you happy

Day 6 — A song that makes you cry {or nearly and why}

Day 7-Favorite movies

Day 8-A place you've traveled to

Day 9- Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 10-Something you're afraid of

Day 11-Favorite tv shows

Day 12-What you believe

Day 13-Goals

Day 14-Some pictures you love

Day 15-pictures of your Dream house

DAY 1

I'm letting the photo above count as the self portrait :)

15 interesting facts

1. I hope to have all of my kids by age 30

2. I am an avid nap taker, and always have been.

3. I miss my friends that I grew up with and wish we could all live close forever and ever.

4. I have a knack for memorizing quotes from movies after only seeing them once.

5. I want to one day have a big shop and lots of tools so I can build furniture.

6. My grandpa taught me how to shave.

7. I have played piano for 16 years and have never memorized a song.

8. I love love love to cook and bake and clean and do all other traditional housewife duties.

9. I feel the most beautiful and love my body the most when I'm pregnant.

10. I'm a worrier- If Seth hasn't called me by 6:00 at night to tell me when he'll be home I assume he's been mugged or taken hostage or killed or something equally as extreme. I have to check on B several times a night to make sure she's breathing and warm enough. I would have let her sleep in our bed until she got married if Seth would allow it.

11. I crave donuts more than any other food but only actually eat them maybe twice a year.

12. I have a shampoo fetish. Every time I go to the store I want to buy and try a new kind.

13. My dream car is a VW bus.

14. I really want to learn how to play the trumpet.

15. I would rather wear a dress than jeans.

Progress

2010-11-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

My Mother-in-law came to visit us for a few days last week and our goal was to get some projects done.

Let me just say right now that I am completely spoiled in the parent department. I was born into a talented family and definitely married into one also. When it comes to building/sewing/painting/quilting/organizing/cooking/making anything you can dream up, there is someone close at hand that can make it happen.

The big project we tackled was a buffet hutch that Jill had given to me a few months ago. It was brown when I got it and I wanted to paint it a fun color but it took me forever to decide which color to go with. I finally decided on a light blue and wanted to distress and glaze it to make it look vintage-y. I'm glad I did my time in cabinet shops and learned how to make over furniture! It has come in handy. I had painted the two doors and drawers a few weeks ago but hadn't pumped myself up to do the body yet. Enter MIL. She busted it out in no time. Then I had the honor of distressing and glazing. I thought I had taken a before picture, but this is the only pic I could find that shows the hutch.

AFTER

I am so in love. I got the lamp at Goodwill for $6 I think and the mirror was a swap I made with a friend for a different mirror I had. I love the circle mirror. It was white when I got it and Jill spray painted it a darker blue we picked out. I need a new lampshade but then this little nook will be complete. That thing has so much storage too it's great. Don't you love our baseboard heaters?

Jill also painted B's little nightstand a cream color. I stole it from my parents house since it was tucked away in a store room. I think both my brother and I used it at one point. There was scribbling all over it from our younger days and I was a little hesitant to paint over it since I'm a little sentimental about stuff like that but decided there was really no reason not to. I got the mirror at Real Deals in Walla Walla for super cheap and the lamp on clearance at K-mart. Soon I'll be able to post a picture of the fabulous quilt my mom is making B.

I've been wanting to do a house tour for awhile but I've had so many little things half finished I haven't felt like showing anything off yet. This was a good start! I hope to be having more posts like this in the near future.

Mischief

2010-11-12T13:45:00.001-08:00

The Idea

The Damage
Surveying her work
Forgiven :]

oops.

2010-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

This is about how my doctor appointment went yesterday...

Guess I ate a little too much this month?

27

2010-11-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Can you guess how far along I am? My goal is to take a picture every week and it will most likely be on Sundays because...

1. I feel cutest in dresses and I always get ready on Sundays since I know for sure I will be going out in public. Don't act like you "get ready" everyday. Psh.

2. Seth is around to take pictures. (His favorite!)

In this post I would also like to mention a random thought.

-We're watching Amazing Race right now and I haven't ever really paid enough attention to it to know all the contestants or what is happening each week, but I do know that the asian dad makes me so sad and I have no idea how he has made it this far. I just looked up and found out his name is Michael. So sad.

Oo De Lally

2010-11-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

Birthday came a few days early for me.

I've been looking for months for a decent sofa on Craigslist to no avail. We bought a couch at DI when we were first married for $30 and immediately covered it with a slipcover. Well if you remember THIS post, you'll understand why I had to get rid of the slipcover. The couch beneath is less than cute but we're not in a position to go out and buy brand new furniture at our leisure-thus the Craigslist hunting. Well on a whim I decided to look in the Tri-Cities area and spotted what appeared to be a miracle. The same Ikea couch that I was considering saving up for was being sold for 100 dollars. The picture looked like it was in excellent condition. I almost had heart failure even thinking about this working out to my advantage. To make a boring story shorter, I GOT THE COUCH! And my mom even went halvsies on it with me so technically I got it for 50 freakin' bucks. Insanity I tell you. Take a look...

I love it. It's a good size and really comfortable and the best part is it also has removeable slipcovers so it will be easy to clean.

And then to remind me why we don't spend tons of money on brand new furniture, B drew all over the side of the couch with pen within 30 minutes of setting it up. But I couldn't even get too upset because I know it will come off.

That little stinker. Good thing she's cute.

Just a Reminder

2010-11-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

I know none of you have forgotten, but just in case I wanted to put it out there that my birthday is in ONE WEEK. From today. I know I can't believe it either! So just on the off chance that you didn't plan months in advance about what to get me, there is still time to go get something extra special. Let the countdown begin!

26

2010-10-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

I usually post the same pictures on this blog as on Facebook so if you look at both I apologize. This is me at 26 weeks! This pregnancy has flown by with a toddler around to keep me distracted and busy. This is sadly the first picture I've taken this round. I'll try to be better about it from here on out. Only 3ish more months to go!

Halloween

2010-10-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a cuter puppy?

So, I've made a little goal of taking more pictures with all of us in them. I just realized me and Seth are never in any. Looks like we need a little more practice in having our pictures taken but it's a start! So here's some pics of everyone that made up our Halloween group this year.

Mama

Dada

Uncle Kelsey

Grammy

Ya Ya

We went to the Trunk or Treat at the church for about half an hour. B was more interested in running around in the grass. Then we went home and watched Signs. That's my kind of Halloween!

Colorado

2010-10-08T20:46:00.001-07:00

Me and the two little ones accompanied my mom to Colorado last week to visit my grandparents. We travelled via airplane, which I was worried about, but it was just fine. I didn't take many pictures. I've gotten a little lazy about it. But we had a good visit and Yaya was able to spend lots of time outdoors and saw lots of horsies.

There was a fair or something going on in a nearby town so we went to that for a couple hours. B got to ride a pony, but spent most of the time on the playground that was in the middle of the festivities. Also located in that area was a mechanical bull that she would sprint towards every time someone was thrown off, hoping to get on. Maybe she's going to follow in Papa Gary's footsteps?

Here is a four generation picture.

Brooklyn, Me, my Mom, Grandpa Morgan

And one with Grandpa, B, and Grandma Ole

We had a nice trip and ate lots of good cookin', but I'm glad to be back. We've been traveling a lot this summer and I am worn out and ready to stay at home for awhile. So, if you miss us, come visit! We'll be staying put for awhile.

Oh I almost forgot to mention on the last day there, my mom sang the ABC song to B and now the little princess sings it all the time and I've got to say, it's the most precious thing in the world. Just thought you should know.

Owies

2010-10-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

Lately B has been obsessed with Band-Aids. She'll randomly start whimpering and hold her hand up limply and say "banaid." While playing with her Dada today she toppled over and came up holding her head. She was sure she needed a Band-Aid for it, so Seth made her one. She was quite pleased with it.

I love my little girl.

Bought:

2010-09-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hymns + Folk? Forgettaboudit.

Go here to purchase.

Progress

2010-09-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Something is happening to me. Something that has never happened before. I married an organizer. I married my opposite. I am one of those firm believers that it is pointless to make your bed since you're just going to get back in it later. I even trained my brain when I was younger to legitimately forget 30 seconds later the chore my mom had asked me to do. If cleaning was important I would remember to do it, right?

Since becoming a wife I've started working on my cleanliness...for Seth's sake. It has still remained a struggle until recently. I would sit there and think the jobs ahead of me were insurmountable.

As a little side note-I have what I refer to as an extreme personality. I can't do a little bit of a big goal and be satisfied. If the whole house needs cleaned, that means I have to clean the whole house right now without stopping. So I either do that, or nothing. My brain explodes when I think about just cleaning the living room today and then move on to something else tomorrow. As a result I either get a ton done or basically nothing.

Anyway. After getting over the morning sickness this round I suddenly felt like I could conquer the world! I had so much energy and instead of getting burned out quickly on things like doing the dishes and wanting to call it quits for the day, I would keep going and going and going until our humble apartment was sparkling. Not really sparkling, because I know Seth wouldn't like to come home to sparkles everywhere. But really clean. I've previously mentioned my run-in with nesting. I don't like things to get the best of me. So yesterday I took on reorganizing the majority of the house and purging what we didn't need and I actually finished the job! Usually this would mean Seth coming home to all of our worldly possessions covering every inch of available space. But I took everything out of the closets and drawers AND put everything back. I did end up with one battle wound. While trying to get a heavy box of books out of the back of a closet my hand slipped and I punched myself in the head. Instead of getting discouraged and giving up, I just punched the wall in retaliation and moved on. (Just a little punch. More like an "Oh you got me this time! punch but with a little bit of "You better not ever again." Punch. ) I have a bruise on my head this morning. But I did get the bed made. Did you know it only takes about 1 minute?

Watch:

2010-09-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law posted this on her Facebook. Thought I would share the goodness :)

Howdy Howdy Howdy

2010-09-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

We're in town for the Pendleton Round-Up

Once a year, everyone gets to be a Cowboy/Cowgirl

.No questions asked.

Although after seeing these two cuties all hicked-up, I'm thinkin we need to re-evaluate that once-a-year deal. Don't you agree?

Oh boy oh boy!

2010-09-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

We're getting a Little Mr. in February!

Cannot WAIT to meet him! (But I will)

Name suggestions are now being accepted :)

My Little Helper

2010-09-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes

2010-09-09T17:31:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I post pictures of B's bum covered in poo (next to the couch she demolished) and then delete them because my mom says what if there's a creepy old man reading your blog?

If you're a creepy old man and read this blog, please stop.

Sometimes I write a whiney post and then delete if shortly after posting because I decided I'm not going to be a public complainer.

Sometimes I let my child practice jumping on the couch. I tell myself it's ok because she's too scared to do it without holding my hand.

All the times when I'm having a bad day/week and my baby comes up and gives me several random kisses, it makes me feel better and remember the sweet and important things in life.

How could I not after looking at this face?

9:43 A.M.

2010-09-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Exhibit A

Hope your morning was as fun as mine!

Weekend

2010-09-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went up to Seattle to have a mini reunion with Seth's family. Not all of his siblings were able to make it but we had a fun time with the attendees. We kept super busy the whole time which was a change from our usual pace. I liked it. Every night we were worn out and B slept sooo good.

We stayed at Seth's sister and brother-in-law's house. (Thanks Sarah and Theron!)

Right when we got there YaYa had to run down and play with her favorite toy

On Saturday morning we went to the zoo for several hours. I was excited for this because B loves animals and constantly wants to watch them on the computer, read about them in books and watch moomies (movies) featuring them. She knows the names and noises of over 25. Don't act like you're not impressed.

She got to pet some goats

And sit on a lion

And hold a bird

Then later that night we went to our first Mariners game! Turns out we were on tv too. Anyone see us? It got pretty cold but was still a good time. Here's my little sweety pie being cute...

And even cuter with her DaDa

The next day we went to the fish ladder/Locks and walked around and enjoyed the view. We sat on a hilly area and all the boys ended racing down and up the huge hill. It was pretty hilarious. B was trying to apprehend any dog that walked by. A random couple were kind enough to let her pet their dog. Then she tried to take the leash from them so she could bring him home. Silly girl.

We also had an intense game of Catch Phrase and ate some excellent home-cooked meals. Everyone took turns cooking and everything turned out great. All in all a great weekend with family.

Next week we join the Edwards side for the good ol' Pendleton Round-Up (100 year Anniversary, woot!) AND most importantly to find out if B is getting a brother or sister!

Also coming soon: a food post.

side note: I just finished my smoothy and found a wad of paper and a bobby pin in the bottom of my cup. I wonder who put that in there?

Stop!

2010-09-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

With summer coming to a close, many people I know have been commenting about their kids going to school. A lot of people are sending their oldest off for the first time. You always hear everyone saying that your babies' lives just fly by and before you know it yada yada yada. Um...this freaks me out. Because it is so true. I mean B is still pretty tiny-to me anyway. I'm really struggling with the idea that she's becoming more toddler than baby because I always want her to be my itsy bitsy snuggle bunny sweetheart. I'm not ready for her to grow up. I don't ever want her to be old enough to go to school and be away from her Mama. I don't ever want her to be big enough to fit into her Dada's shirt...

No seriously I don't, because then she'd be kinda huge(for a girl).

I know I know. I'll enjoy each stage of her life. I will. But a little piece of my heart sheds a tear each time she enters a new phase.

I Need:

2010-09-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

Your support. Does anyone else feel if they proclaim something publicly on their blog it's more likely to happen? I'm kinda banking on that right now.

I am once again attempting to grow my hair out. But I don't want it to just be an attempt this time-I need it to happen. I'm over short hair. I've had short hair for 5 years now and I'm in a rut. I have tried so many times to do this though and I major fail every time. We're talking it doesn't even get to my shoulders really and I break down and chop it.

I am not a patient person. This endeavor takes patience. But I just want to know- WHY DOES IT TAKE SO FREAKING LONG TO GROW?!?! How can people seriously just hang out for two years and not let the in-between stage drive them insane??

So here's my plea. Don't. Let. Me. Cut. It.

Don't tell me I look, or have ever looked, cute with short hair. Instead, use phrases like, "Mmm actually you kind of look like an ogre with short hair." Helpful things like that

When I ask you if I should cut it or grow it out, say GROW IT OUT.

Be forceful about it.

Please.

Back to my blog superstition.

I,Carly Morgan Bagley,hereby commit to 1 full year of hair growth.

If I make it one year the rest is cake, right?

So let it be written, so let it be done.

3

2010-08-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

August 24th marked our 3rd Anniversary of marriage. We often joke that we tricked each other into marrying each other because the longer we're together the more opposite we discover we are. This, however, has worked out perfectly. I have learned so much from Seth, and been able to improve myself in ways that I'm positive wouldn't have happened if I had married someone exactly like me. We really are a good team. Now, I usually don't like to blog about anniversaries and Valentine's Day and things of that nature because they seem cheesy and forced. So instead of having a long drawn out made up post about how Seth comes home every night riding a white horse, I'm going to list 3 things I absolutely love about my Hubby.

1. He is positive. And optimistic. He has taught me it's no use dwelling on possible negative outcomes, but to live happily and deal with the bad times as they come, but not to expect them. He sees good in everyone and always gives people the benefit of the doubt, which I sometimes have a hard time doing.

2. He is never critical of me and my shortcomings. I can honestly say I have never heard a word of criticism from him. He has never told me I look anything but beautiful, never reprimanded me for letting the house become a disaster zone, or for not making dinner, nothing. What a blessing that is. I was used to being praised growing up and although he doesn't hand out compliments like pretzels, he never ever says anything negative about my looks or conduct. It would be extremely difficult for me to function if someone was forever critical of me.

3. He strives. He strives to be the best husband he can be, the best father, an incredible provider, a reliable friend, supportive son/brother/uncle/son-in-law. If he ever suspects he could do better at something he puts his whole self into making it happen. I've never met someone so bent on self improvement and action. He makes the most of each day and each relationship. I'm working on being more self motivated like him.

Marriage isn't a breeze, but it is so worth it. I'm so glad I found someone capable of bringing out the best in me and that inspires me to be better everyday.

(4. he has a nice bum)

Homeboy

2010-08-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

I had to.

You better believe I found Seth and B a good hiding spot after watching this.

A Smelly Post

2010-08-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

So, this pregnancy has been a little more difficult than the last. Mostly because I have been extremely nauseous and had horrible morning sickness the first trimester, which I did not experience with Brooklyn. The thing that sets the queasies off the most is smells. I'm still struggling with them. So I thought I would pass on some wisdom that has been shared with me and what I have found to help ease the constant gagging.

For trash can smells: tons of baking powder in the bottom of the trash can really seems to help. Odor shield bags didn't work for me because the smell was too strong and not pleasant in my opinion and seth was allergic to the perfume. (quick side note, whenever I think or read "in my opinion" I pronounce it en mi opinion in a spanish accent. weird?)

Also if you have a baby/toddler still in diapers- I keep all of my grocery bags and wrap up the #2s right away and throw them in the outside garbage, or do the same thing every couple of #1s. Diaper genies didn't work for me, and neither does letting wet diapers sit and ferment in a hot room in a garbage. I suggest dispelling them immediately.

For kitchen smells: Pouring baking soda and vinegar down the drain keeps it from getting too stinky. We don't have a dishwasher and I've struggled finding dish soap that wasn't either too soapy smelling or too sweet. I got some Gain original scent today and I like it so far and it's not too strong. Clorox disinfectant wipes have been good to me. After B was born I became a bit of a germaphobe and sometimes letting a dishrag sit around or even cleaning with one felt like I was creating a germ army. So I wash counters down with them and the stove and everything. Leaves a nice clean scent and you feel like things are sanitized.

For Laundry: I don't know if anyone struggles with this but I thought I'd add my two cents. Seth is allergic to most things scented, and for the most part that hasn't been a difficult adjustment but I LUUUUURVE how fresh laundry smells and unscented detergent does not= fresh laundry smell. Maybe I'm weird but it really bothered me! So we compromised and he said I could use Tide (the best) if we used unscented dryer sheets. Deal. Well I got the original scent Tide and for some reason it made me queasy and does not smell like I remember. BUT the Clean Breeze Tide does! So if you want nice smelling laundry that I approve of use that. Also even using good detergent I noticed towels still seemed to stink, especially dish towels, so my mom suggested putting a little vinegar (about 1/2 cup or so) in the rinse cycle to get rid of funkiness...it works! Or if you got distracted and didn't change your load for a few hours, put it back on rinse and add vinegar, even with clothes, and you won't get that moldy smell.

That's all I can think of for now. Anyone have more smelly suggestions?

Take your pick.

2010-08-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

Alright we have a date set for the big ultrasound! September 14th at 1:45 p.m. we will be finding out if YaYa gets a little brother or little sister. I added a poll to the top of my blog...go vote!

While we're on the subject, every time I think "little brother", which I do a lot because I think we're having a boy, I also think of this:

Health Nut!

2010-08-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Man oh man do I have one health-conscious little girl! She just amazes me with her daily commitment to a healthy lifestyle. She always makes sure she's surrounded with good, nutritious food. Like today, she spread a whole bag of dried cranberries evenly on the living room floor, shoved a banana in the dvd drawer, smeard chewed up almond paste on the couch and rubbed yogurt in her hair right after her bath( I heard it's a FAB natural conditioner.) Every where I looked today there was yummy food. I can't wait to see what nutritious tidbits she shares with me tomorrow! It just goes to show that feeding your kids healthy foods=good behavior.

Fan Monster.

2010-08-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today we found one of these in Brooklyn's room

It bit her finger and made her cry

We had to put a bandaid on it and go night night

She's still working up the courage to walk by it.

Victory.

2010-08-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today while doing the dishes I had to really push myself to finish the whole sink. Granted, I had taken the last couple days off from doing dishes and as a result there was quite the pile to tackle this morning. But I was motivated. Until I got to the bottles/sippy cups/water bottles. Those things take FOR-EV-ER to clean and after washing about every other dish I owned I didn't think I was up to it. I also didn't want to have an unfinished job. You see, I'm a Starter working towards my Finisher's degree, and this was basically my chance for extra credit.

Many of you know that I'm a teensy bit competitive. I also used to be a pretty good self motivator. I've had to work on it a little more since becoming a housewife/mother of a toddler. I've resorted to giving myself pep talks and using other various motivational techniques to get chores etc done. Although effective, today I had the fleeting thought that my pep talks might be a little extreme. This is seriously what was going on in my head;

Come on Carly, you can do this.

Grab those bottles and you clean the CRAP out of them!

Don't you leave them there all dirty like that- that's a bunch of bull!

NOT IN MY HOUSE, NOT EVER!

This all seemed normal to me right up to the moment I was backing up to get a running, screaming start. Then I thought, WHOA! Mucho takeiteasy! But then again, I got those dishes done and I usually would have left them for later. So although I would love to look like this after cleaning,

I'm pretty sure I look more like this.

(except with a shirt on, of course.)

Cleanliness

2010-07-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Lately I have noticed many young mothers admitting/lamenting that although they are constantly cleaning they're homes are constantly messy. I wish I could relate. Because although I too am constantly cleaning, my home is constantly messier. Not just messier than their homes, but messier than when I started cleaning.

Like today I went to clean the kitchen. My biggest complaint in there were the dishes. It's easy to get behind on them since we do not have a dishwasher. And no, I am not a dishwasher, so don't ever ever tell me that joke unless you want to do the dishes every time you come to my place. Well, I get started on the dishes and when I'm finished I turn around to see that every zip lock baggy we own is on the floor along with the boxes they came in, the pot holders are in the silverware drawer, the dish towels and dish cloths are stuffed in the utensil drawer and the highchair had been disassembled. This scenario seems to repeat every time I try to clean anything.

I'm wondering if this apparent curse was born the time I forced nesting on myself when I was pregnant and ended up creating a disaster zone instead of making things ready for a baby. If this is the case, DO NOT FORCE NESTING! It will come back to haunt you when your baby turns 1.

here she is plotting her next anti-cleaning attack

Right and Wrong

2010-07-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the line between right and wrong seems a little blurry.

For example-

How can it be wrong to teach your child to play her $1 recorder with her nose when it brings her so much joy she falls on top of you from laughing so hard?

Oh...

2010-07-20T13:46:00.001-07:00

Did I mention that I'm pregnant?

Music

2010-07-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

Time for another playlist. Recently I've been trying to find some swell Sunday music. If you also happen to be looking let me suggest the following;

How Great Thou Art- Carrie Underwood

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing- Sufjan Stevens

Amazing Grace- Chris Tomlin

All Creatures of Our God and King- David Crowder Band

All Creatures of Our God and King- Bethany Dillon/Shawn McDonald

Beautiful Savior- Melanie & Roger Hoffman (from "Lullabies of Jesus")

How Great Thou Art- Selah

Did You Think To Pray- Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (so fun!)

How Can I Keep From Singing-SheDaisy

I Know That My Redeemer Lives- EFY 2000 cd

I also hope to purchase THIS soon, and can't wait for THIS.

And while we're on the subject of music, I've been considering devoting my life to learning instruments. I have the piano down pretty well. I'm already committed in my mind to learning the organ. And once I've done that and find I still desire to master more I will move on to trumpet, fiddle, violin, cello, accordion, guitar, ukulele, and possibly end with bagpipes. Because how sweet would it be to be an 80 year old lady rockin' the bagpipes at everyone's funerals?

She's a keeper

2010-07-10T13:37:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn is such a sweetheart. Whether it's giving me an extra long kiss on the head while reading a book on the couch together or patting my leg while I throw up in the sink and then shouting "All done!" enthusiastically when I finish, she always knows just what to do to make me smile.

Not only is she sweet, she's very very thoughtful too. Like when she finds the gum or mom's chocolate and gives me a piece and claps her hands together and says "THANK YOU!" (reminding me to be grateful) and then takes a piece for herself because it's only fair.

I am one lucky lady to have her in my life.