update of the kids

Tatum-
All Boy.  Obsessed with all things superhero, transformers, video games, bikes, dirt, and friends.  He's an excellent swimmer (no floaties) and could swim all day, every day.  His fav foods are go-gurts, pancakes (with PB, syrup, and whip cream... in his mouth as well), grilled cheese sandwiches, carrots (Olaf noses), strawberries, popsicles, cereal, popcorn, chicken nuggets, fries, and all the candy junk he can get his hands on.  He is bossy, demands a lot of attention, hates losing to any game, very strong headed, stubborn and likes to be a leader.  He's also very smart, adventurous, learns quickly, sensitive, has an amazing long-term memory, loves to sing, loves snuggles, and talks your ear off with stories and scenarios.  He still is very tall for his age and weighs 45 pounds.  Wears XS clothes in the boy section (4-5).

Maeve-
Still fitting in 12-18 month clothes and hasn't changed much with her wardrobe since wintertime.  She's 20 pounds and hasn't gained much weight since January.  At 15 months, she still isn't even close to taking her first step.  She walks great when assisted by a walker toy or parent, but I think it will still be a few months before she's on the move... vertically.  We have gone through several pairs of knee pads and socks/shoes for the amount of crawling she does inside and out.  Her poor knees are so bruised and calloused.  After taking her to the N.A.E.T. chiropractor again for milk allergies (whey/lactase), she is now back on milk and dairy with no reactions!  Yea for cutting out formula and for avoiding rash flare ups!  She loves to push anything... toys, chairs, bikes, the broom,  you name it.  She loves snacking (crackers, cereal, baby treats) but still struggles to eat meals.  Still spoon feeding baby food most of her meals, and slowly broadening her interest in other table foods.  She only says "dah" and jabbers from time to time.  She loves the water, playing oustide, climbing up stairs, and wrestling with dad.  She thinks the microwave and clock are hilarious.  She loves to tease her brother (spit, pull hair, swat).  She still is so smiley and happy and brightens everyone's day around her.

Can't believe summer is slowly winding down and Tate will be in his second year of preK!

It's a...

Had an ultrasound last week (15 weeks) to determine our baby's gender.  We finally got a clear view and my doctor said she was 95% sure what it was.  My mom came to the ultrasound with me and she loved knowing a little secret before everyone else.

So while in Hawaii this week, we decided to send the news back home to friends and family on Thanksgiving day.

As we were walking to rocky coastline, we came up with this...

We are over the moon excited to have a pink one (and maybe a little terrified too).

saying goodbye

We've officially sold our home.  Papers are signed and the boxing has begun.

I've felt an emotional meltdown is right on my heels, and a little leaked out last Sunday.  Tate and I had just gotten back from St. George, while Chase stayed back to head into Vegas for work that week.  Tatum was so excited to be HOME.  It was something he was so familiar with.  He ran upstairs and into his room and was grinning from ear-to-ear.  He was HOME.  Well, between Chase being gone for the upcoming week, me being sleep-deprived from the trip, and all of the emotions of selling the house finally gave in.  I cried many times, sometimes triggered by the simliest things:  Tate knowing exactly where things are... the meer familiarity and memories of our home.  That is when it hit me.  In the rocking chair.  Rocking Tatum to sleep that night.

That corner of his room has become a spiritual space.  It was in that corner in the rocking chair that I nursed Tate as an infant.  It was where I taught Tatum songs.  It was where we would talk about our day, read each other stories, sing, and laugh together.  It was where I experienced the overwhelming nudge to quit work and stay at home full time.  We've experienced a lot in that sacred corner.

And now we will no longer have that corner in the room.  Sure we can make a new corner in a new room, but our first corner will just be a memory.

Maybe I'm too sentimental.  Maybe I don't handle big changes very well.  Whatever it is, it has been hard slowly detaching myself from the house.

I know it it just a house.. one of many we'll have in our lifetime I'm sure.  But this house was our first.  We experienced all of the "firsts" in this house.  And now it is time to say goodbye.

I pray for strength these next few weeks as we slowly say our goodbyes...

Three records

Three December records today for SLC:

*Driest ever (.03" of water)

*Least amount of snow ever (.1")

*Record hottest for Dec. 30th (57 degrees!)

Chase couldn't grab his clubs and cousin Taylor fast enough.  Kid in a candy store I tell ya.

gearing up for round two

We're gearing up for another sleepless night and another crazy round of wind... but this time mixed with snow!  They held a brief sacrament meeting today then dismissed everyone and started giving out clean-up assignments.  Chase is at it again.  So hopefully with all the ward and neighbor men, along with the National Guard, we can get debri cleaned-up before mother nature strikes again...

Stay tuned.

102 mph winds!!

To say the last few days have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. Thursday morning around 2am the winds came in full-force (class II hurricane to be exact). By some miracle, Tate slept through most of the noise until 6am, but Chase and I were awake all night. We literally heard tree limbs slam against our house, shingles rip from our roof, and sirens blare throughout the night. We lost power at 6am when Tate woke up, screaming, so we pulled him in bed with us and he watched a movie on my phone. When we finally got up, Chase walked outside to access the damage. Our house had minimal damage... missing shingles and siding and a very slanted tree. Some of our neighbors, however, had extensive damage: fences completely torn apart, mature trees uprooted, trampolines transported, windows blown-out and more. We were without heat and power for 12 hours, so we retreated to Chase's parents for the day. The wind did not let up until 2pm. We jumped in the car and drove around to see the damage. Centerville was the hardest hit area. Our jaws were dropped as we witnessed the mess. We were exhausted and felt "out of body" all day. All of our "to do's" seemed trivial and we honed-in on what really needed to be done. Chase worked tirelessly with men in our neighborhood to begin the cleanup efforts. He hasn't stopped yet.

It's been amazing to see everyone come and work together after this storm. We've met new people and non-members. It's also given us a reality check as to what's most important (especially this time of year).

So grateful for a wonderful home and neighborhood, wonderful and safe family, wonderful friends, and for this gospel!

A few photos of our neighborhood from my phone:

11.11.11 at 11:11:11am

I know where I'll be this Friday at 11:11am (a certain store's grand opening), and I'll definitely have a camera in-hand. Where will you be? Take the {dear lizzy challenge}

Get in FRONT of the camera!

Images by Sarah Wilkerson

If you're like me (the shutterbug of the family), it's pretty rare to see yourself IN photos.  You're always the one taking the pictures (or maybe you simply hate seeing yourself in photos).  Being the one BEHIND the lens is where I prefer, but I'm also sad that there are many events and simple candid photos I wish I would have been in.  I recently came across {this article} on Pinterest, and I thought there were so many great tips on how to get into the photo when someone isn't around to take the shot...

"Because You Were There, Too: 13 Tips For Family Self Portraits"

Definitely going to be using my self timer more often...

Pinterest

So I just joined Pinterest (why am I just now hearing about this?) and I'm starting to work on my inspiration boards.  For those of you who are new to Pinterest, it's basically a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.  It's a step-up from bookmarking in my opinion.

Watch {this tutorial} for more info.
Happy pinning!

Tips for flying with toddlers

Tate and I survived his first two flights.  He didn't sleep on either one, so I had to keep him busy the whole time.  But to be honest, it wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be...  just a little tiring.  So here are a few tips I learned (flying with a 15-month-old boy) that will hopefully help any of you first-time mamas...

1. ARRIVE EARLY.  When you're in a hurry and stressed, your child can sense it.  It also gives them extra time to get the wiggles out and do one last diaper change.

2. MAKE FRIENDS WITH NEIGHBORS.  Thankfully, my mom was with me on the flight, but I think it's important to make your environment as friendly as possible.  Tate and a soldier became buds (and he even gave Tatum a few patches off his uniform).

3. BOTTLE & BLANKIE.  I gave Tate a bottle at takeoff and arrival to help his ears adjust to the elevation and comfort him if there was turbulence.  He's very attached to his blankie, so that made him more comfortable too.

4. NEW TOYS.  I went to the dollar store and bought sticker books, glow sticks, slinky's and other quiet and fun new toys.

5. SNACKS. I stocked up on blueberries, string cheese, and other healthy snacks.  I didn't want to risk a motion-sick baby full of junk food.  Be sure to have baby wipes on-hand too to clean up any messes.

6. DVD PLAYER.  Self-explanatory.   It kept Tatum entertained for quite awhile.

For Sale

FOR SALE!

I have just placed a bunch of items for sale on KSL classifieds...
Mini fridge, HD radio, framed art and more.

Go buy my stuff HERE

50% off photo books

One of the projects I'm currently working on is printing a yearly book of our family...
I'm finished with 2006 and currently working on 2007 (yea, I'm a little behind).

Snapfish photo books are 50% through Monday, April 4th (use promo code 11BOOKSBD)!  I've used this site before for photo books and they turn out great.  I've never seen a deal this great from them before, so it's definitely a good time to whip up and order a photo book (perhaps something to do while watching conference this weekend).

Free Christmas Music

Just downloaded 14 FREE Christmas songs from Target.com!

They've been using these songs in their commercials this year.

So unique and refreshing.

Go download them {here}.

balsamic binge

I'm obsessed with balsamic vinegar lately (especially when it's paired with olive oil, basil, parmesan or mozzarella cheese and tomatoes).  Some of my latest favorites:

-Tomato Basil Salad (pictured above) or Caprese Panini- Plates & Palates
-Margarita Pizza- Roosters
-Mozzarella & Tomato Sandwich- Tony Caputo's
-Pear & Gorgonzola Salad- Blue Lemon


How do you use Balsamic Vinegar?   I need recipes!  Please share...

Blog2print

I know many of you are like me and say "I want to print my blog someday."  What better time to be thinking about it than now, as the end of the year (and Christmas) are quickly approaching!

I've used Snapfish, Shutterfly, and MyPublisher before for photo books, but this site is as easy as it comes to transfer your blog into a book!

check it {here}

downtown rising

it's exciting to see downtown rising!

the city creek center is really starting to take shape (watch the conceptual tour).

kallie snagged me for a belated birthday lunch at blue lemon in city creek.

they only use organic and fresh ingredients from local providers.

it was artfully prepared and oh so delicious (not to mention reasonably priced)!

restaurants like these make me really excited for all the great changes coming to slc.

i'm the next oprah

Oprah's farewell season starts today.  Tear. "Oprah-fy" yourself here.
Who wants to be my Gail?

... at least I have the new Nate Berkus show (starts today on NBC), Glee and Modern Family (new seasons start next week) to look forward to!

Now if i can just figure out a way to watch all these shows without a dvr...

this week did me in

this has been a stressful, tiring, fun and eventful week...

hosted two baby showers. one for allie.  one for jentrie.
enrichment planning meeting (yes, I'm the new r.s. enrichment leader)
haircuts (tate and me)
united way day of caring project. see me (chewing gum) in this video
a wedding reception
desert star theater's "my big fat utah wedding"
two photo shoots
playing with sister as much as possible
oh yea, and work.
still trying to figure out a time to exercise?

i'm off to NYC to visit my joy the end of this month... it can't come soon enough!

Help... mom bloggers needed

Just passing along some information from a contact of mine...

Hello, my name is Leslie Hart (aka Lulu). I am the local publicist for Feld Entertainment in Utah.  Feld Entertainment produces Disney On Ice productions and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 

We are looking for local Utah Mom Bloggers to help us get the word out when our shows are coming to town.  We can give the bloggers ticket give aways to use on their sites, tickets for the blogger to bring their own families to the show and many fun and excititing articles and games that can be use on their sites as well.

 Interested Mom Bloggers should email: Lulu Hart at lulubugllc@aol.com

Piper & Chloe

If you're in the Farmington area this weekend, be sure to check out Piper & Chloe... all things handmade. I purchased lots of fun things from the showcase last year!