Off to AZ

We have been wanting to go to Arizona for a long time. My grandparents who live there have not yet had the opportunity of meeting Gabe and we felt that that was a shame. So we starting making plans for going, and when my parents heard we were thinking of going, they said they wanted to go too. So here we are in the car, all five of us, headed South. Gabe by far has the most luggage. We got a not so little pack and play for him to sleep in and play in while we are down there. We have set it up before just to see how it works but have never used it yet. We are now getting down into the St. George area and seeing all the red rock around us. We have been on the road for a little under 5 hours including a few breaks, and Gabe has done well so far, but we can tell he is getting fed up with being in his car seat. He doesn't seem to take very good naps in his seat and so he is getting kinda tired too. He has been growing so much lately it seems. Rochelle mentioned in his 10 month blog that he started to do an army crawl. He is still doing an army crawl, but he is getting much better at it, and now does it all the time. He will bat at a ball, crawl after it, and bat it again until it comes close to some other toy that distracts him. He likes books now, and has learned to turn the pages of a board book (with a little help). It's hard to tell for sure, but it really seems like he knows a few words now, and tries to say a couple. He says 'dada' fequently but also sometimes when I walk into the room he will look at me and say 'dada'. He also seems to know the word 'kiss' which he says more like 'diss'. He will give just about anyone a kiss with a little prompting. He doesn't seem to be afraid of strangers too much. As long as he is fully awake, and generally happy, he will go to anyone, which is nice because that makes it much easier for us to take him over to a baby sitter. He loves noses. He can point out your nose or mouth on your face if you ask him to. He also might decide to try and pull off your nose if you are not careful. He's full of personality, and loves to be entertained. If you play with him, and give him your full attention, he will be your best friend. He loves to be taken by his hands and walked around. While he doesn't really have much balance, he sure wants to learn how to walk. We recently bought a little toy that he can hold onto to help him keep his balance, but he will still need some help for a while. We get lots of complements on how beautiful he is, and especially his eyes. Rochelle's aunts couldn't believe how blue his eyes are. He likes to make growling noises, and will do so whenever he is happy. If you growl with him, he will growl back and forth with you for a long time. He is lots of fun to be around, and seems to charm people who meet him. Anyways, it will be good to take this little boy down to Arizona and introduce him to his great-grandparents. I'm sure he will love them, and they will love him. I'm also sure that he will love the pool. :-D

Quilted Camera Bag

 

Here is a project I made a while ago. I got the idea for this camera- protecting pouch from this blog: http://ayumills.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-make-super-simple-camera-case.html
Since I let my camera pretty much just float around in my purse, I thought this might help protect it a bit. With a few modifications- i.e. velcro instead of a button- I was pleased with the result, although it was my first real experience with bias tape, so parts look a little clumsy. However, I decided I love bias tape! I know some people have a hard time with bias tape, but let me share a little secret with you- a YouTube video I found a couple months ago called the "No swearing bias tape method"- check it out here.

Handtowel Bibs

 

 

 

I have always wanted to make one of these- it's a very, quick, satisfying project that is useful! You can probably figure out how it's made by looking at the pictures. I used a $1 handtowel from Target, a fabric remnant, and some bias tape.
I would like to try this again. What I would do differently? 1. Use a more sturdy handtowel. 2. Make the neck hole much, much smaller, so as to not end up with a bib that is too big for Mommy! 3. Make the ties a little longer for ease in tying.

Update

A quick update of the goings- on of the last week...
We saw Tayler off at the MTC last Wednesday, which was a bittersweet (but mostly sweet) experience. I then flew back to Oregon with my parents. Gabe did alright on the plane, but truly, its not his favorite thing. Luckily, he had 3 people ready to keep him entertained. Once in Oregon, I enjoyed visiting with my family and just relaxing. My Mom's Voices for the Performing Arts Foundation put on a great benefit concert. The chorale did a great job, and the guest artists- Julianne Johnson, and Michael Allen Harrison- and his stepson Tanner were phenomenal. It was so enjoyable. BJ surprised my family by showing up at the second half of the first concert- on Friday- and he was able to be there until Sunday and fly back with me. I won't go on too much about all the details because they have been recorded very nicely with pictures on my parents' blog- check out the sidebar for the address if you're interested.
By the way: We are trying to plan some fun activities/ trips this summer, so if you have kids (or don't but want to come) and want to go on some fun day trips i.e. to the zoo, any number or parks, picnicing, animal spotting, scenic walks etc., let me know and we'll be sure to include you!

Gabe is 10 months old!

Wow, did that ever go by fast! Here are the recent "stats" on Gabriel: Gabe is looking less and less like a little baby and more like a little boy. He is so curious, and loves to poke and prod things to figure them out. He has been babbling all sorts of "words", especially "dada", and he also loves to growl. He is fascinated with people's noses and takes every opportunity to point them out (or just grab them). He has really good fine motor skills and uses his little pincer grasp to pick up food and toys. One of his favorite games right now is to play "roll the ball" where you sit in front of him and you roll a ball back and forth- Gabe also kicks it- it really goes where he intends it to go for the most part! Also, he has shown a lot more interest and understanding of being mobile by walking than crawling until yesterday, when he decided that eating Grandma C's shoelaces was interesting enough to try to move across the floor on his tummy. Gabe also loves to have stories read to him. Cheerios are still probably his favorite thing to feed himself. He hates being in the stroller to go shopping, but he loves going on walks outside in the stroller. He also hates going in elevators for some reason. He is a very sweet, affectionate little boy. Although he doesn't like to be held for too long, he does love to give wet kisses and hugs. Gabe is pretty friendly, and as long as he can see someone that he knows, he is happy going to new people to play.
Here are some pictures from the past couple of days. My parents brought Tayler to the MTC and we were able to see him off. It was really good to visit with him and be able to say goodbye at the MTC. Afterwards, Gabriel and I flew back to Oregon with my parents. I will post more about that later.
Anyway, I love this kid, and am enjoying watching him grow and develop! What a sweet guy he is! BJ and I have so much fun with him.

Just one of those days

Yep, it's just one of those days... not a bad day, but not a great day either. Gabe has been sick with a cold and an ear infection and is cutting his 8th tooth, I am sick now too with the same cold, have a ton of laundry to fold (blech) and to top it off, my sister is leaving today with her husband to live out of state for the summer. Boo hoo. However, there are some good things in all of this.
Below are two pictures from last Friday night, when Marissa watched Gabe while BJ and I went dancing up in SLC. It was the first real, dress-up, fancy, eat-out date night we have had without Gabe since he was born. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also, despite his illness, Gabe has been a real trooper, trying so hard to be happy. He truly brings sunshine into our home.

Also, I have had the opportunity the past couple of days to really reflect on the blessings in my life, and realize how thankful I am for the many little things in my life that I usually take for granted- like the use of my hands, my ability to see and hear, and a loving family that accepts me no matter what. I am truly grateful.

Clothing Reconstruction

Since highschool, I have had a love and fascination with clothing reconstruction. I often tweak little thinks (nothing really drastic) on clothes I buy, to make them fit better or improve the look. So when I saw an idea on the web to make kids pants out of T-shirts, I thought of this old sweater I had in my sewing drawer that BJ didn't want any more. I thought it was just the thing to use. After I made the pants, I saw what remained of the sweater and thought I could easily turn it into a mini-sweater for baby! The neck was a problem- way too big for a small head, so I added the button with an interesting result. Anyway, I realized that this was actually the first thing I have made for Gabe. I think I'll definitely be making more stuff that way.

 

 

 

 

I love recycling!

Life

What's new? Not too much. BJ is really busy with work right now, preparing for some kind of security audit, and I am doing the same old stuff, working a bit at the clinic and taking care of things at home. Gabe just turned 9 months old last week and- get this- cut his 7th tooth. I am completely serious. Where did all these teeth come from?! I was talking with a friend of mine this morning whose daughter has 7 teeth also. But she is a year older than Gabe. Hmmm. I hope he doesn't have teeth crowding problems like I did. Other than being somewhat cranky from teething, Gabe has just been delightful! He is in such a fun interactive stage. He loves to growl, and he has started giving real hugs where he either puts his little chin over your shoulder or lays his cheek on your cheek, and wraps his arms behind your neck and strokes your hair. Precious! He is loving table food, and is quickly tiring of baby food. However, Cheerios will probably be one of his favorite foods for a long time. He is so good with his pincer grasp now, he pops those Cheerios in his mouth with no trouble. He does take a couple of naps per day- sometimes they are each only 30 minutes or so, but sometimes he'll sleep for over an hour. He is very curious and wants to learn and be entertained. He loves to play with (aka yank on) zippers, earrings, necklaces, and watches, so watch out!


Lately, I have been crafting a ton as well. I get a lot of satisfaction out of making things and trying to be creative. I don't know if other moms out there have felt similarly, but sometimes I feel guilty when I spend time on stuff like that (hobby stuff) when there are a zillion other things I think I should be doing (i.e. laundry, picking up toys, dishes, etc.) However my little projects really seem to rejuvenate and relax me and give me a sense of accomplishment, AND I enjoy myself without feeling like I just wasted half my day (I was feeling that way a few months ago when I was searching for something to do and would end up turning on the TV to watch shows I didn't even like much). Then today I read a quote my cousin Cami posted on her blog which really helped me understand why it was ok for me to have personal time and interests. It is from a conference talk by M. Russell Ballard:
"Sisters, find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children. Avoid any kind of substance abuse, mistakenly thinking that it will help you accomplish more. And don't allow yourself to be caught up in the time-wasting, mind-numbing things like television soap operas or surfing the Internet. Turn to the Lord in faith, and you will know what to do and how to do it."
-M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 110
I read that and I thought to myself that this is really true. I have noticed that when I take time to develop my own personality and work on hobbies and projects that I am interested in- even if it is only for 15 minutes a day, I am in general happier, more productive with monotonous tasks, and can take care of BJ and Gabe more unselfishly. So while I try to maintain a good balance between personal hobby type stuff and domestic duties, I have found that they complement each other nicely!

Easter

I've been meaning to post these pictures we took of Gabe on Easter. BJ actually took about 200 pictures, but these are some of my favorites. There are a couple that I think look so much like pictures of BJ when he was a baby. Like father, like son.

 

 

 

 

For Easter, after church, we ended up having my sister Marissa and her husband Richard, and his sister Diana over for dinner. We ate ham, rolls, veggies, mashed potatoes, salad, jello, and a yummy apple crisp that Marissa made from a recipe on Allrecipes.com I think. We enjoyed the company, and we also enjoyed watching The Testaments again, which is a video depicting events in Christ's life, his atonement, resurrection, and appearance to the people in the ancient Americas. We felt it was very fitting for Easter with its message of faith and hope in Jesus Christ.
I am indeed grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ which makes it possible for us to return to Him, and especially because He understands us. He understands our sorrows and pains, and thus knows how to comfort us if we let Him. I know this is true; I have felt that comfort in my own life.

Placemat bag

So, I'm a little bit in love with bags of all sorts. I buy bags, and I make bags. I have bags full of bags. It's kind of an addiction. Probably not healthy. But they make me happy! Here is a bag I made a while back. Actually, I probably made at least 5 or 6 similarly designed bags, but was not smart enough to take pictures of them before I gave them away. I heard a couple years ago that you could make a cute purse out of a placemat, and I was intrigued. I'm sure there is a pattern on the web, but it didn't occur to me to look at the time I started making them, so I just kind of winged it, with some interesting results at first. Eventually I found something that worked and looked good to me. This bag went to one of my nieces for her birthday.

PS- I just googled "placemat purses" and came up with a bunch of pictures and tutorials. So there you have it. If you want to make one, do a search! (I could post my own instructions, but why reinvent the wheel?)

Wicked

Yesterday we saw "Wicked" at the Capitol Theater in SLC. It was AWESOME! The girl who played Elphaba was just amazing. What a strong singer. We enjoyed the music and the story. The audience really responded well- I think everyone was just so excited that it was finally here, and the cast did such a great job. I was initially stressed about trying to find someone to watch Gabe while we went, but a friend of mine graciously agreed to watch him, and we were able to enjoy ourselves the whole time. We also enjoyed the drive up and back with both BJ's parents, Danielle, and Kimmy.

Sleeping!

Well, Mr. Gabe here has been fighting naptime with everything he's got for the last couple of days. So when I heard the sound of silence coming from the other room a few minutes ago, I was naturally worried, and curious. This is what I found! (We normally keep a blanket or pillow behind him when he's playing because sometimes he decides he wants to plop back and roll around.)

Baby Legs

A recent trend of the last few years have been "Baby Legs". They cover your baby's legs (obviously), keeping them warm and protecting their knees while crawling, and are especially handy if you like to keep your baby in onesies and not have to deal with snapping pants up every time you change their diaper. You can order them on the internet for about $12 a pair or... make your own! I bought a pack of 3 tube socks for $4.00ish from Target and so each pair cost me less than $1.50, and 10-20 minutes each (because I didn't want to follow the directions, and I ended up sewing things backwards like 3 times. Silly me.) You could probably do it for cheaper if you found a sale. Also, the socks I bought were no ordinary tube socks- they were womens above- the- knee socks (don't tell Gabe), so they will fit him for a long time.

Here is the tutorial I looked at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/babyhopes/sets/72157594274454468/

Quilted doorstop

I found a tutorial on one of my favorite craft blogs for a nine-patch doorstop. At first I didn't consider making it because it seemed like something I would never use... but then I recalled how for the last 8 months we have been using bags of random junk as a doorstop for our bedroom door, because it swings wide open and we like to keep it open a crack so we can hear the baby. So I decided to make one. I looked at the pattern and instructions and decided I would make my own version, because I didn't feel like following a pattern. So I used scraps from BJ's quilt, and from an old pair of jeans (you can get so much mileage out of a pair of jeans- don't throw old ones away!) and came up with my own pattern based on the one I found. The pattern looks great, with a zipper on the bottom that you can open to let out the filler beans or whatever so you can wash it. I like the idea, but didn't have the right size of zipper, so instead, I made an opening with kind of a flap on the top that buttoned shut, and I put in ziplock bags full of dry beans as filler. I also made the handle longer so it could hang on the doorknob if we wanted, and I tied it (instead of machine quilting it) to make it all matchy-matchy with BJ's quilt. I won't bore you with the rest of the details (although if you are really interested, I will give more detailed info on how I made it) but I had fun making it up. I love making useful things! Here is the link to the original design: http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2007/10/my-first-tutori.html

Family Visit

We had a great week last week with my family who came and stayed with us for spring break. It was ironic that the weather was so nice right up until the day they got here, when it turned freezing cold, and then was nice the day after they left! But we had fun all the same. We visited with my grandma and some aunts, uncles, and cousins, from both sides of the family who we enjoyed seeing again. We (the girls) did some shopping, and the boys played racquetball. We played lots of games, and watched some movies. My parents, Tayler, Richard & Marissa, and BJ & I also made it to the Provo Temple. One afternoon we went to the BYU Museum of Art to see the exhibits, mainly the Walter Wick Eye Spy exhibit. If you haven't seen it yet, you should (I believe it will be up until August). It was so fun. He had many of his photographs- some were Eye Spy, some were optical illusions, etc. They also had displayed some of the models he and his team put together to create the setting for his photographs. It is a really worthwhile thing to go see if you haven't yet and you are in the area. Gabe was teething through much of the visit, but he was a trooper and did his best to be happy (I'm sure it helped that he received constant adoration the whole time). My mom took a funny series of pictures of him that I will see if I can post (Called "Gabriel's Shoes"). My mom also cut almost everyone's hair while she was here! She is so talented. She even did Cara's and my precision cuts (I went a bit shorter- I guess after I initially cut it for Locks of Love, my fear of having short hair just disappeared and I just went all out. Well, to a degree!). We didn't get to do much outside, but we did enjoy just visiting and enjoying each others company. Woohoo for family visits!