this & that

Princess II

Scarlett seizes every opportunity to dress-up Autumn as a princess.  She finds it easiest to dress Autumn when she hangs in her door-way bouncer.  Good thing I did not have a boy, as I’m sure he would be the next man-fairy at this point.

Check out Princess  ‘Needs her Eyebrows Waxed’ and her heels

Autumn might win for most patient baby ever.

And here is Autumn’s wardrobe consultant….

Good Day

Today was good.  I loved being a mother every moment.  Scarlett was pleasant and agreeable.  No tantrums.  Autumn giggled and giggled.  I took the time to really play with Scarlett, on the ground.  We cuddled.  We napped together.  I was patient.  We made cookies.  We read and read. We sang songs.  We danced around Autumn on the floor while she cooed at us.  We painted.  We kissed (cheeks and chubby thighs).   My girls and I were just completely in love all day long.

I am already mourning that the day is over.  My house is a mess.  I never even put on make-up.   I am still wearing my pajamas.   It was a perfect day.

The Tiny Bow

I’m not a fan of huge bows / flowers on baby girls’  heads.    I like the emphasis to be on the baby, not the huge flower growing out of her head.

However, with my little bald beauties, a small bow is a nice way to let strangers know she is a girl  and I like the look of smaller ones.   I’m often asked how I get these bows to stick and where I get them.   The bows are purchased from the scrapbook section of  Target and I use a small dab of corn syrup to secure it.  It is non-toxic, stays in very well, and easily comes out with water.

How to Prepare for Children

My good friend forwarded me a hysterical email with 11 tips for those preparing to have kids.  I laughed until I cried and had to share my favorite five tips.

Lesson 1:

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel…

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Lesson 2:

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this – all morning.

Lesson 3:

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 4:

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 5:

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying ‘mommy’ repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each ‘mommy’; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

The Octopus and the Goat

Ramblings

– We started a sleep training program for Scarlett a few nights ago.    We had to put her back in bed 24 times last night the first night, 4 times the second (we cheated and gave her a bottle that night), and 41 times tonight.

– Scarlett now calls Autumn “Chubs”.

– Making Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp for dinner tonight.  I love that recipe.  I’m also excited to try this tomorrow.

-I purchased my first pair of tall boots this week.  I know, I’m about 8 years behind in the fashion world.

-Now that Verizon is getting the iphone, I need to decide if I want to go with that or a Droid.  My current phone is  archaic with no features whatsoever. Opinions?  This will be my first smartphone.

-My favorite new healthy meal is cooking this amazing seasoned salmon from Costco and then crumbling it over spinach with feta, crasins and some balsamic dressing.  It’s DELICIOUS and so healthy.

-I have to go to court to testify against the intruder later this month.  Not looking forward to that.

-When in Utah, my mother showed me a new way to do Scarlett’s hair that helps it stay out of her face better than any other style.  What would we do without our mothers?

– I found these engagement photos of Nate and I this week.   It was a little depressing – they made me fee old.  I want to be that cute, young, and well-rested again.

– I can’t believe I’ll be 3o this year.

Simplify, Prioritize & Consistency

These three words sum up my New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m taking a lot of time this year to really think them through.

1. Simplify – Eliminate clutter, noise, and unnecessary activities from my life.  Find ways to make my life easier and less demanding.

How I am simplifying my life:

I’m allowing myself to make simpler meals and focusing more on health

I’m opting for take-out a few times a month

I’m reading less blogs (which also helps me feel less insecure)

I decorate for holidays only if I feel like it.  No Christmas tree, no problem.

When I host dinner, I let people bring dishes instead of trying to do it all myself.

I’m turning down some playgroup, birthday party, church events and other invitations to avoid over-scheduling.

I only wash my hair twice a week (I do shower daily for the record)

I order everything I can online (thank you Amazon free shipping) to avoid errands with kids.

2. Prioritize – Decide what I really want to focus in on my life and organize myself and activities to make those priorities happen.

SCHEDULE (actually put on calendar with email reminders) sewing, journaling and scripture reading.  Dishes and all else can wait when it is time to work on these.

3. Consistency– I’d rather start small and be consistent than think grand and fall short.

Specific Goals this Year:

-Sleep (what’s that?):  Our #1 Goal!  I’m up 3-6 times a night and this MUST stop for my sanity.  I miss REM sleep.

-Quilt: I’m always so focused on little girl clothes and need to branch out a bit.

-Try a recipe with Kale: This is just one of those super foods I want to try and incorporate into our diet.

-Read 30 minutes (min.) to my girls in addition to bedtime reading.

-Read scriptures more often

– Make more gifts instead of purchasing them

-Journal twice a week

-Run a 5K

– Paint at least once.

Favorite Photos from Christmas

Nate’s Mother and Autumn

Cousin Lily and Autumn

Grandpa Russ and the kids

Great Aunt Liz and Scarlett

Loved

I always knew that I would love my children with every fiber of my being but I never expected how loved they would make me feel.    Whenever I walk in the room, Autumn beams, making me feel unconditionally loved in a way I could not comprehend before.

PS…. we are loving our new SLR camera!  Now I just need to learn how to use more than the automatic features.