I Was Wrong

I actually only have 369 Posts. Sorry.


Carry On.

I'll shoot for that all elusive 400 posts some other year.

Maybe next year if you're feeling lucky.  Ha!

Moving: It is what it is

Well, as of today, we have about another week until we are climbing in the car and driving away from our home.

Our house is full of boxes that Aftyn likes to run around. Full of boxes almost entirely thanks to Alyson. Thanks Alyson!

There are bare spots where once there was furniture. I've had to say goodbye to pieces I never thought much of but once they're gone I miss them.

It's a little sad to pack up what was your life and know that when you arrive at your new destination you will create a new way of life. Good thing we have so many pictures to remember our good life here.

We have had a bit of a melancholy week here but we just keep reminding ourselves how excited we will be once we get to our new city and see all the exciting new things we will get to explore and discover.

More than anything we will be taking with us, the most important are the 4 of us. I love my family. And each of our own sides of the family as well. And I love my ward family. What a lot of support we have gotten from you all. Thank you for it. Sincerely.

Christmas Eve.  These car seats in the house kept Aftyn busy for quite some time buckling and un-buckling herself.

On a floor full of toys, her favorite new toy is her sippy cup. She protested anytime it came near to her and would squawk until you shoved it in her mouth and she got a drink from it.  What a kooky kid.

My Thoughts Today

I took down most of the pictures on our walls today.
 I realized something. 
I have an emotional attachment to all the pictures of my family that are on our walls.
I had a hard time taking down the last few because it felt so final.
Now it has finally hit me that we're moving.
And I'm sad.
I'm going to miss all these people that have become a part of my life in big ways.
Darn it.

On to happier things.
Aftyn is living in a confusing world right now.  This morning I was packing a suitcase with clothes for her and Bronwyn for the next week.  Aftyn kept saying, "my blankie can come too!".  When I kept reassuring her that yes her blanket could come but that we weren't going anywhere, it didn't seem to keep her from continuing to tell me that her blanket was coming too. Poor kid. 
And Christmas is certainly going to be a little different, but just as good.  Certainly! It's hard to work in traditions when your house is in upheaval. I guess we'll get them worked in for next year.
Aftyn is so very excited to open the presents under our tree.  And we don't even have them all wrapped and under the tree yet! I have fun imagining the smile that will appear on her face tomorrow morning.  She's going to love it!
Bronwyn is trying to crawl! And has also figured out how to go from a sitting position to a tummy position.  And then she spends a few minutes pushing up with her feet and her hands making a "bridge" with her body and then lowering back down.  Baby pushups.  Very cute.  Until she gets tired of that and frustrated that she's not moving and starts to cry about it.  She'll get there soon enough.
Also, no teeth yet! Bronwyn is such a happy go lucky baby most of the time she makes Reed and I laugh a lot.  Very funny little girl.  Can't wait to see more of her personality as she grows.
That's all for today.
Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

And Then Sometimes Your Whole World Changes

Almost one week ago, all of my plans for Christmas completely changed.
You see, one week ago Reed heard back from a college he had applied to for their MBA program.

We had been waiting and waiting to see if we were even accepted and yet while we were waiting and waiting all those weeks, we had decided that it was going to be too expensive and was probably not the best opportunity for us.

And then the acceptance letter came with a scholarship that made us really stop and think.

Think about the possibility of moving WAY across the country.
Here, actually.

And so after lots of praying and fasting and pondering and weighing all the options,
we decided it's the option we're supposed to take.

We're moving. In 15 days.

With essentially our beds and clothes and a few other important things.

It's always nice when you know you're doing what Heavenly Father wants because then He's got your back.  And that's how we feel.  In spite of a quick move and not having a concrete plan yet of what's happening with our house, we feel peace that we're doing what we should.

And we're excited!

P.S. Oh the irony of the last post about missing my mom.  Only a few days later, I've got so much on my mind and least of all is missing my mom.  :)  

I need to get this out.
I feel as if I'm floundering a bit this Christmas season.
I may or may not have mentioned it but when my parents left on their mission, I didn't "have time"
to be sad about it. Nope.  For weeks I waited to really feel the void that their leaving left in my life. But generally life was so busy there wasn't an opportunity for me to sit down and really think it out and start to "feel" myself missing them. Maybe I'm odd in that way but I guess I've learned to push aside some of those harder to deal with feelings.

No more trips to grandma's house whenever I needed a break and someone to care. No more borrowing things quickly or having my mom drop them off for me.  No more little drop ins by my mom and dad at our house when I hadn't been over to see my mom in a week or so.  I loved the instant lift that just seeing my mom and knowing she cared brought. I loved seeing the joy on her face as she spent time with my kids. I miss that.  Somehow seeing how much she loved them helped me to see my kids in a different more patient light. 

Well, obviously, it's hit me.  Actually it hit me last week at the oddest of times and I've been in a bit of a funk ever since.  Probably because it's Christmas and for me that means family.  Not that I'm not seeing family but I'm missing what feels like a vital part.  And I guess I'm just feeling sad about the whole thing.  Hopefully I will get over this really sad feeling and move on and find different ways to enrich my life, but in the meantime just know if I seem unlike myself or not blogging as much as usual, it's because I'm dealing.

Our Little Night at the Ballet

First question you might ask is, where is a picture?

Friends, alas, there aren't any pictures.  Not a single solitary one.

But let me try and paint a few in your imagination.

Picture a VERY cold night, with Reed and Bronwyn and Aftyn and I bundled up.

Picture us walking across the College of Idaho campus,

making our way to their Auditorium.

Picture us getting there a few minutes late, and walking into an

already darkened room with seemingly every chair already full.

Picture us finding 2 seats together and only having to squeeze past
2 peoples knees to sit down. Into seats that were precisely the
size of the average person not wearing a coat and leg room that
must have been spacious 15 years ago to people who on average
were not as tall as people now. 

Picture us squeezing into these 2 small spaces wearing our coats and sitting 2 children on our laps also wearing their coats. Picture Reed's arm and shoulder taking up part of my space. (But please picture me already used to that.  ;)  )

Picture the small child behind Reed saying "Hey!"  as soon as Reed's tall head and shoulders blocked his view of the stage. And the mother quickly hushing her child and moving him to HER lap so he could still see.

Picture us looking down onto the beautiful wonderland onstage

and all the beautiful costumes and dancing of The Nutcracker.

Picture a beautiful night of dancing and music and delight.

Picture a quiet 6 month old baby.  Who fell asleep at the end with no fuss.

Picture a 2 year old who kept saying, "Look Mommy, they're dancing!".

Picture a beautiful memory and a wonderful night.

Bronwyn's First Word Is :

Reed and I had a competition going.

I was really hoping for mama and really thought I had a chance

to get one of our kids to say it first before dada. 

But no such luck. 

Dada it is. 

And just today Bronwyn has REALLY started saying it for sure. 

Ear to ear grin when Reed first heard her.  :)

And almost every time since.

Can't blame him, she sure is sweet.

Some Corny Events . . .

Okay, that title is totally tongue-in-cheek.

        Something miraculous happened this week.  

Aftyn ate corn.

Now that may not sound like much, but you don't know Aftyn like I know Aftyn.

She has been averse to anything with a funny texture, 

too squishy, 

not sweet, 

too soupy, 

too vegetable-y

for as long as she's been eating food.  

So approximately 2 years and 2 months of her life.  

That's a LARGE majority of her life.

But last night, I witnessed a side of Aftyn I have never seen.

She ate and she ate and she ate that corn.  

She easily ate 3 tablespoons of corn, with no promptings and no help. 

Even better, it was the FIRST thing she ate on her plate of food! :) 

I wasn't sure if she'd have room for anymore food 

because it looked like she wanted to fill up on just corn! :)

The night before, there had been a miracle too.  

She ate noodles covered with sauce. 

Same story. 

Amazing.

The real kicker. 

She ate tomato soup last week.  TOMATO SOUP! 

Her WHOLE bowlful at that.

I used to HATE that stuff as a child.  

I never fully appreciated its fabulous flavor until I became an adult.  

Probably.

Aftyn calls this look "Princess Aftyn"  I call it crazy hair.  :)

So here's my hope:

for many more miraculous dinners 

in which Aftyn eats more vegetables, 

fruits and main dishes that she has 

heretofore shown nothing but contempt for. 

Some Latest Sewing Projects

Lovely sweater on the left, hand me down from a generous sister

Couldn't resist making this after seeing one on MakeItAndLoveIt

New pair of pants, made from an old shirt I never really wore, it was too short for me

Absolutely love bum ruffles. This may be some kind of illness they haven't identified yet.  :)

Trying My Hand At Lightroom

It's Been That Week

This was the first week in my career as a parent

that we as a family had a sickness cycle through almost all of us. 

And I know it won't be the last time.

Sadly.

I know it comes with the territory.

It's just part of the job, one of its benefits.

But ugh it's yucky.

Luckily Aftyn had it during the week

and Reed and I took turns having it this weekend.

Worked out rather nicely actually. 

And Bronwyn I'm hoping

will skip getting it.

Please.

Exciting sewing stuff posting tomorrow. 

Happy Gratitude Week!

388 Posts Later, What Has Changed

One of the reasons I have learned to love blogging is the enjoyment I get in going back and reading what I have posted about.
It's interesting to see the various reasons I have blogged over the last 4-ish years.

When I first started, it was to let everyone see this "exciting" life that Reed and I led. Ha.
To communicate with and allow family members to see what we did.
I hadn't found my voice when I first started and I definitely didn't know how
to just express myself in a vulnerable way and let myself be okay with that.
And I didn't know how to be more of my silly self.

It seems as if by the time my parents went on their first mission and I had Aftyn, this blog became about my kids.  And I'm okay with that.

If I blogged more about myself, all you would ever hear about is: I can't lose weight, Reed's working,  I've lost so much weight, I'm pregnant and going to gain so much weight, I hope it's twins, my parents are going on a mission, my parents are back from their mission, my sister the photographer, my sister who taught me how to make applesauce, my sister the couponer, my oldest sister, my sister the writer, my brother who lives in the Caribbean, my sister in IF, my brother in Utah, my brother in Texas,  Reed's out of town, Reed's tired, I'm tired, we need a vacation.  Really, who wants to hear about ALL of that?  :)
    So, I guess, I'm writing this varied post to 1) let you know that I'm aiming to hit 400 posts by the end of the year.  I'm pretty sure I can do that, it's only about 12 more posts until the end of the year and I've got that in me.
                                                                AND
   
  2) To highlight a couple of my favorite posts from the first year or so of this blog.
                   My First Post ,    I'm Lonely ,   Funny New House Story

  There are a whole lot more, but I'm feeling lazy. Any favorite posts you'd care to mention?

Time for Thanksgiving, I suppose

                                             Well,

my parents entered the MTC today. 

For the second time in 3 1/2 years. 

A lot of amazing things happened in our family the last time they served and so

in spite of being sad every time my 2 year old daughter asks to go see that Grandma, 

I know that we will be blessed for the service they are giving and the sacrifice they

are making.  

I grew up vaguely aware that both my grandparents had served missions, and 

I'm excited to be able to share this idea with my oldest daughter that both of HER grandparents have  also served missions at special times in our lives. 

Just a sample of some of the blessings MY little family has enjoyed from parents serving missions:

- Reed and I began dating and got married while his parents served their  mission.

- we became pregnant with and had Aftyn while my parents served their first mission.

With such awesome blessings, I'm going to try and be grateful, instead 

of feeling sad and missing them, that we have such awesome examples 

to look up to and be grateful for the blessings they will bring to us.  

Can't wait!

A Long Awaited Day

Sorry it's so yellow, it's just a REALLY genuinely excited smile!

A few months back, I introduced the idea to Aftyn that binkies could be used as money

to go and buy toys at the store! How exciting, hmm? 

We talked about it a few more times that first week that I brought it up, but I don't think Aftyn or I really felt like it was time yet to take her precious binkies to the store.  

There was no TOY that could take the place of a binky. Yet.

Enter: Toy Story 2.  

Aftyn watched it for the first time a few months ago, more or less.  Almost instant love. 

She liked Woody, and Jessie and Ham and Rex.  

I got a really cool T-Rex at a garage sale that she has really enjoyed.  

So, the other night, after re-introducing the idea of putting her binkies in a ziploc and buying some toys with them, well, I pepped her up with a re-showing of Toy Story 2, in the middle of which I said, "Let's go to the store and buy a Woody toy, a Jessie toy and a Buzz Lightyear toy!" to which she replied, "okay Mommy!" . 

So we finished the movie and off we went to Walmart to find her toys, with a ziploc baggie full of her 4 binkies clutched tightly in her hand.

She was SO excited! We have never gone to the store and just bought her new toys.  Not sure if we ever will again, so to just pick up and go buy toys with her was a new and exciting event!

We quickly found the Toy Story toys, thankfully, and then decided which ones were the ones she REALLY wanted to buy with her binkies. 

With a Jessie, Ham, Woody and little green martian man in our cart, and a bag of candy that mommy " needed", we found just the right cashier for our transaction.

A very sweet elderly woman who had checked us out several times. 

I hurriedly explained, as I laid the toys by her register, that my daughter would be buying HER toys with her binkies, 

*wink wink* 

and that then I would be buying my candy.  

So she rang us up, and after I asked her how much it came to, I told Aftyn, "okay, you have to pay for your toys!", so Aftyn handed her baggie of binkies over all by herself with only a second of hesitation and then I stepped up with the money to pay for the rest.  :)

The cashier was really helpful with this whole ploy because she brought Aftyn's bag of toys right over to her and told her "okay, here are the toys you bought!".  

Aftyn had a grin from ear to ear!!

Even getting out to the car, we couldn't get there fast enough to open up Jessie's box so Aftyn could hold her and play with her on the drive home. 

These are the pictures we took once we got home.  

Seriously, ear to ear grin. 

I've never seen Aftyn SO excited about anything.

I call this one, nervous excitement.  What did I just do? I traded my binkies for toys?

We literally got home from the store and put Aftyn right to bed.  

For the first hour, we heard nothing from her room.  

After about an hour, I went in because I was hearing noises.  

She was crying.  :(  

And then she started sobbing to me that she wanted her binky.  oh man.  

I laid down with her, and a little while later, she was asleep.

The next morning, nothing but excitement about her toys, and one little mention of a binky when she told me she was a little tired, but I quickly changed the subject with breakfast. 

Last night went swimmingly.  

With no afternoon nap for Aftyn, at bedtime I turned on her bedtime lullabies that I got from my sister in law at Aftyn's baby shower and in about 10 minutes she was  sleeping.  :)  

She seems to be doing really well, and I'm excited that she's coping so well with this change. 

I'm so proud of her, and maybe a little sad that she's growing up so quickly.  

Potty trained and no more binkies.  

She's officially a big little girl. 

Halloween, A Few Days Later

Our son, Brawn

Dorothy and Toto

 If you too are wondering where the boy clothes 

came from that Bronwyn is wearing, let me tell you a little story.

  

Long long ago, in a land far away, Boise actually, 

there lived a little girl named Alysa 

who believed that she would only 

be bearing the souls of little boys on this earth.

When lo and behold she and her husband became pregnant,

she convinced her very kind husband to let her 

go shopping for little boy things since SHE knew they were

going to be having a boy.  

Alysa acquired many cute little outfits for that boy baby

she knew she was carrying. 

Even some cute Sunday shirts and ties which she adored  and

dreamed of her son someday wearing.  

When the mighty ultrasound technician showed Alysa and Reed

the cute little GIRL growing in her womb, 

Alysa was very confused.  

And didn't know what to do with all the cute 

little boy clothes she had acquired thus far in her pregnancy.

So she packed all the clothes up, 

giving a few things away to those who actually HAD little boys, 

hoping she could use them for her NEXT child, 

who she also knew would be a boy.  

And when that too didn't turn out as Alysa had expected, 

she decided to pack those boy clothes up and save them

for that future boy that will someday be coming, but not this year.  

Or possibly even next year either. :)

And if Alysa never has a little boy, well, at least every once in awhile

she can dress up her VERY girly girls as little boys at times in their lives

when they cannot protest such treatment.  

             THE END

Our Ride On A Train

This past weekend, 

thanks to a friend with connections, 

we got to ride the Thunder Mountain Line as a family up to Banks

where we could each pick a pumpkin

and then bring them home! 

Aftyn was very excited and seemed to enjoy the whole trip. 

Here are some pictures documenting it all:

On the train tracks, before we boarded the train! So excited!!

This is where we sat, on an outside car.  It was nice and sunny outside, not cold like we thought it would be.

Snack time aka pumpkin time!

We had so much fun and even had plenty of time

to catch up with our friends who came along too!

Aftyn was Here

Bubbles On My Mind

Today I experienced one of the most perfect 10 minutes of my life.

First of all, I had Christmas music playing on our cd player.

(Christmas season starts early at our house.  Always.)

Then, I spotted our gargantuan sized bottle of bubbles which were leftovers 

from  some generous person at my parents house.  

I've had the intention to go outside and blow bubbles with Aftyn 

since we got them and not until today did I ever do it.  

I got Aftyn on board with the idea quite easily and so we went outside.  

(Bronwyn was sleeping.)

Once we were outside, I noticed the wind was blowing! 

Not so much that it was too cold  but just enough that all I had to do 

was a little arm waving with the bubble wand and the wind blew all the bubbles 

that Aftyn could have wanted in 10 minutes.  

There were bubbles flying in the wind, over the house, and stuck 

on lots and lots of grass in our backyard.  

I wish I'd had my camera to capture Aftyn out there completely enraptured 

with this "bubble land" she had to play in.  

She was giggling and chasing and pretending that we had to catch them 

as she systematically stomped and popped as many as she wanted. 

Nothing more sweet and innocent. 

I certainly wish there were more moments in life like that that remind me

to look at life's little joys and appreciate them, just as a child would.

* This perfect experience only lasted 10 minutes because I noticed that Aftyn was barefoot and her little feet were red from cold.

And when I suggested we go inside because her feet were cold she didn't try to tell me they weren't and went inside quite readily.

Further Ado About Bronwyn

Some of the things I have grown to love about our Bronwyn would have to include:

snuggly, as in likes to snuggle

smiley, that's an understatement

adores Aftyn

has become a great little nurser

silly

goes to sleep by herself'

makes me laugh -out loud- daily

loves to be played with

CHUBBY cheeks

she is all eyes when Aftyn is around, and if Aftyn chances to look her way,

which is happening A LOT more often, she squeals which makes Aftyn smile

and laugh, and then Aftyn will usually tell me with a big smile on her face,
"she likes me"! 

-And oh how that makes my heart sing with joy
when I see them playing and smiling together -

She seems to get a lot of comments when we're out and about, and they either include:

"oh, what a little doll", meaning she looks like a doll       OR       "she's so small!"

Aftyn and Bronwyn have a game they play, it goes like this:

Aftyn squeals, Bronwyn squeals back,  Aftyn squeals again,

Bronwyn squeals back.

And on and on until Aftyn or Bronwyn get bored

I feel so blessed to have Bronwyn in our family.  

I can't imagine life without her.

 And I've found I tend to get sappier when the kids are sleeping and no one is currently "needing" me. :)

image via here

Miss Independent

I don't know what exactly my theme is with this post.

Bronwyn is changing.  

Funny how with Aftyn, I couldn't wait to see her changing and growing 

and trying new things.  

With Bronwyn, I feel like I'm still trying to hang onto the baby-ness of her

a little longer.  

I want her to be content being swaddled a little longer,

laying on the floor passively watching Aftyn play 

instead of wanting to get in on the action herself. 

I want to freeze time

Babies really do only stay small for such a short short time

Who's Responsible?

What can you do when your mailman breaks your mailbox?

Thanks, Kamber for your comment, which made me realize

maybe a little background information is due here.  :)

One day, after seeing the mail truck drive by the house, I went out to the mailbox to get the mail.

Only to notice our mailbox door hanging askew, like this:

I was all kinds of mad. After getting the mail out, I could see that the pin that usually kept

the broken side of the door hinged to the mailbox had just fallen out,

but was nowhere to be seen on the ground.

I had no idea what to do.  I asked Reed about it later, thinking maybe he had noticed it earlier or

had possibly done it without telling me.  He too seemed surprised when I told him the mailbox door

was broken.  So, now I knew it was the mailman.  Here now a week and a half-ish later,

I still have no idea what to do.  Which is why I'm presenting this question for all the world to see.

Who is responsible for this problem? I want to fix it before the whole door breaks off because of 

the alternate mailman who seems to care less about our broken door and always leaves it just

hanging there after putting our mail in the box whereas the guilty mailman always takes the time to

put the door back in place.  Any ideas who should be responsible for this problem?

Pictures That Prove Yesterday Turned Out Okay After All

The Sitting Up Early Prodigy

Even better when Aftyn volunarily sits next to her!

Such a cute view of both girlies. 

Pictures From Our Weekend

Aftyn and Daddy, spending some quality time outside. 
Also notice our lush green grass that Reed has worked so hard at all summer.

Bronwyn and I had a fun birthday party to go to
and in the end decided we would all go!

Aftyn used to do the same thing in this swing. 
Those fishies must be irresistible.

Not The Kind of Thing I Normally Blog

I just read the greatest blog post by someone I don't even know.  Know what the title was?

"I Am Flawed".

Awesome.

Where do I sign up because today has definitely been

that kind of a day so far.

Reed had to go to work WAY too early, and while

preparing for his early day

managed to wake up a cranky baby who woke up

the cranky mommy

who then had to listen to said baby cry for 2 hours.

(Off and on.  Just when I thought I'd gotten her settled down,

she'd start up again.  Ugh.)

Until that mommy stuck that baby

right where she needed to go all along.  Into the baby swing. 

And then both cranky

baby and mommy slept for an additional 3 hours.

Yes friends, I am flawed.  I am not that perfect mommy/wife/sister/friend

that I would like to be

but the question is, are any of us?  :) 

On days like today when even my best doesn't seem

like its enough, its nice to remember that other people are

as imperfect and maybe even cranky

as I have been this morning.  Even better to remember that your

little 2 year old who has had

to deal with your crankiness will forgive you as soon as you ask

AND as long as you give

her a hug, a smoochie and read her a few books.  :)

*EDITED TO ADD* After telling Aftyn I was sorry, I said "Can I have a hug?" to
which she added "And a smoochie too?".  Love this little girl so much.

Oh Well

The other night just as I was falling asleep,

I came up with a funny topic to blog about!

But in the morning, I had no idea what it was. 

And now a few days later, I still can't remember what it was I felt was so funny.  

Oh well. 

Here are some pictures instead.  :)

Crazy Hair         Crazy Eyes

What is really going on in this picture that you can't see?  

Aftyn is edging away from Bronwyn's grabby hands.  

Even to take this picture I had to tell Aftyn to stop pulling away from Bronwyn 

and to just lay still. 

A picture just because

What a big baby she is now! I love that she is goo-ing in the picture.