Ruffles, bows, lace, pink, frills....

...We won't be using them. Haha. We are having another boy. My guess was that it would be a boy, so I wasn't surprised. The baby looks good, and is measuring only 4 days larger than expected, so we will be keeping our due date of April 28, 2010. I think BJ will figure out how to post our ultrasound pictures tonight. We haven't picked a name yet. We have a few that we both like, but haven't decided on one yet. We are excited that Gabe will have a little brother, and it will fun to watch them play together.

Is it a boy, or is it a girl?

We invite one and all to make their guesses in our poll on the right. We find out the gender of the baby on Thursday morning. Is it a boy? Or is it a girl? We're excited to find out what you all think (and feel free to make comments too on this post if you like). Have fun!

Gift ideas that won't strain your budget

I LOVE these sites- what cool ideas! I think some of these projects would make good stocking stuffers for kids. Many of them look really easy and fast to make. You just need paper, perhaps a few other supplies you probably have lying around the house, and a printer for some of the projects.
Fantastic Toys- freebies
Feed Your Soul- free printable art
Free animal sewing cards
The Toymaker- folding paper toys you can make yourself
Gift bags made from envelopes
Make your own gift bows
Let me know if you try any, and how it goes!

My take on the envelope gift bags:

 

 

 

Regular jeans to maternity jeans

http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_Make_Maternity_Jeans_Using_Regular_Jeans_an/

On second thought, I won't post pictures of my jeans now. It's just one of those awkward, I look really chubby- not quite pregnant pictures. Maybe later...

Anyway, thanks Alise for sending me the link to this project!

Gift Tags

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week and I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on many things I am grateful for. This week I have continued working on different Christmas projects and looking for more gift ideas, and have come across many great resources on some really cool blogs. I thought I would share some of them in a post or two.
Check out these cute gift tags that you can print:


http://www.lindalumdebono.blogspot.com (Top right of the page)
http://nobitingwolfie.blogspot.com/2009/11/tag-youre-it.html
http://www.lollychops.com/ (A favorite of mine)
http://littlepaperdog.blogspot.com/2008/07/big-four-zero.html
http://limegardenias.blogspot.com/2009/11/peppermint-tags-for-you.html
http://aprintaday.blogspot.com/2009/05/downloads-tags-stickers-and-notepad.html
http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/3125/list_45_1.html
http://thepaperseed.com/?p=213
http://tipnut.com/wrap-up/

I have printed several of these with great results! I especially like how some of them look printed on brown craft paper, or various colors of cardstock.

Our little buddy

So Gabriel has been developing quickly lately. His ability to communicate, while still behind the curve is coming along. He uses a mix of words and signs to communicate with us. He uses more signs than words, but the words he now uses are "Dadda" which may mean either Mom or Dad, "Jesus" said with a strong slur. He used to say "kiss" but hasn't for a while. The signs he has learned are "mom", "dad", "more", "drink", "eat", and most recently "bath". It has been fun to watch him learn and grow. He imitates many things we do. I was snapping to some music a few days ago, and ever since, Gabe has been trying to snap when he hears music. Our most sure-fire way of getting him to take a bite of anything is to get his attention, and very deliberately eat the same item, as it is fed to him. He is very much a toddler, in that he loves to toddle everywhere. He has gotten much better at walking, but frequently does not pay attention to his surroundings, and consequently trips and falls. He walk, runs, and goes backward, all while paying no attention to where he's going. It's amazing he doesn't have more bruises than he does. He's been more healthy lately than he was a few months ago, but all the same he seems to be constantly fighting something. He's had a cold for what seems like a month, and had an upset stomach randomly a couple of nights ago. He loves books. He's just flips through their pages and likes to look at their pictures, and feel them if they have textures in them.

I am so excited for Christmas!!!!

I have been listening to Christmas music all week. And loving it. It has helped me get into the spirit of Christmas as I make highly secret Christmas gifts. :D My family has a tradition of drawing names for Christmas where the giver is to put together a gift for the receiver preferably using their talents or catering to the talents of the receiver. There isn't a rule against spending money per se, but it must be a "gift of the heart". Anyway, I drew Marissa this year, so I have been busy (and having lots of fun) making *something* for her. Planning and working on gifts for others makes the Christmas season so exciting! Marissa and I are also working on a super secret Christmas project together. It is going to be so exciting to give! I can't say what it is or who it is for, but we are really excited about how it is turning out so far! I will definitely be posting pictures after Christmas!
I am a little stumped on what I could make for the men & boys (old and young) in my life. I am not opposed to spending money, but I am really having fun making stuff. The requirements are that it has to be useful and not junky. No trinkets. I have a few ideas, but none that are particularly striking my fancy at the moment. Any suggestions?

16 Months Old

Cute boy! Gabe is at such a fun age. He is very mobile, getting into everything. He is very aware of what is going on around him. He knows when we are getting ready to leave, and he makes sure you know that he wants to come along! He has been very affectionate lately. As he runs around playing with toys, he runs back to me every few minutes to hug and/or kiss me if I'm sitting on the floor, or lay his head on my knee if I'm on the couch. He does the actions to the "Eensy Weensy Spider" song, as well as "Open, Shut Them". He still doesn't say "Mama" or "Dada" (except for sometimes he signs them) but he says something that sounds a LOT like "Jesus" when he points to a picture of Jesus, which is always accompanied by big smiles. Gabriel likes to talk on the phone, whether he's just pretending, or Grandma or Grandpa or someone else is talking to him. He usually doesn't say anything back, just grins from ear to ear. I have seen Gabe "reading" books upside down several times this past week or two, pointing to words and pictures, and babbling. He has had a bad cold and cough since about Halloween that he is just starting to get over. He has been such a trouper, a really happy boy despite not feeling well. The most interesting things in our house to Gabe right now are the window blinds, the amplifier for the speakers in our living room, and the toilet paper dispensers, plus anything else that is dangerous, messy, or off limits. We keep the TV area gated off right now, as well as the entrance to the kitchen, which Gabe is not really a fan of. The toilet paper dispensers in our bathrooms also have no toilet paper on them currently, since if it is in reach, it will end up all over the bathroom floor. Haha. We have been reaching new levels of babyproofing as Gabe gets more curious and mobile. I'm sure it will only continue as he gets taller, learns to climb, open cabinets, etc. Today I saw something silvery glinting in his hand as he was running around, and after initially dismissing it, I decided I had better check it out. It was BJ's wedding ring! That could have had a sad/frustrating/confusing ending. I don't know why he decided to go pick that up, but I had to laugh out loud when I saw what it was. Good thing he didn't swallow it. Gabe has been trying hard to use a fork and spoon lately. Usually I help him, but he really likes feeding himself. Since he has had ALL of his teeth for a few months now, he eats pretty much everything we eat, with a few exceptions. Gabriel continues to be in general a happy, energetic boy who loves to laugh, and I love it! Now if only I can have enough energy to keep up with him!

Halloween

This Halloween was kind of fun, because we got to dress Gabe up and he kinda liked it! As I was making his costume, I would periodically try it on him to see how it fit and what alterations I needed to make. Gabe really seemed to like wearing it, and he even cried a couple of times when I took the costume off him to keep working on it. I'm not sure how much he understood of what was going on, but he loved looking at himself in the mirror in his costume and saying "fff-fff-fff" (woof woof). He was also pretty fascinated that people would put things in his trick or treat bag. He got to take a couple bites of his first candy bar, which he thought was pretty amazing, judging from the faces and sounds he made while eating it. We took Gabe to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat party and to BJ's office to trick or treat at all the cubicles. It was fun because everyone was dressed up- some pretty elaborately- and Gabe was somewhat bewildered by it. He did get the hang of picking up candy and putting it in his bag. We dressed him up again on Halloween night although we did not take him outside. We had Marissa and Richard over along with some other friends, Max and Rebecca, to carve pumpkins, eat treats, and watch Ghostbusters. Anyway, we thought Gabe was the cutest little puppy ever to trot (ok, so we tend to be a little biased in these things), so here are some pictures.

Craft Day

Marissa and I have been getting together about once a week to do a crafty-homey type thing. This project was the result of Marissa wanting to make something in the "home decor" department. We thought letter blocks were cute, but didn't have any wooden blocks. We ended up downloading a paper folding box template and making our non-cubical cubes out of cardboard. (Not recommended, for time management purposes) Then we covered them in paper- black and white scrapbook paper on one set, and brown craft paper on the other. It's all held together with generous amounts of Mod Podge. I love the contrast of the red letters on the black and white. I used wrapping paper to make the letters on the Christmas block set. We traced around enlarged letters from a font we liked on the computer so the letters would match (I don't consider myself an artist in that department at all). Anyway, despite being fairly time consuming (mostly assembling all the little boxes) we had fun putting this project together.

Sweater Love

I love sweaters, but I always have a few that aren't "quite right". It's easy to give many sweaters a style makeover to make them more wearable.
I had fun experimenting with turning pull-over sweaters into cardigan-style sweaters.

My sister and I added some interest to a boring, plain sweater just by sewing on some ribbon and a few buttons. Sorry, I forgot to take "before" pictures of the next couple!


Similarly, this sweater wasn't working for Marissa because the sleeves were an awkward length- too long for 3/4 sleeves, too short for long sleeves. So we decided to go short!

I have a few other ideas for sweater refashioning, which I have yet to try. If they work out, maybe I will post more pictures.

Long Time

Yep, it has been a long time since I posted. A lot has happened in the past month or two. I will try to catch up.
Here are some albums and videos that I meant to post when Gabe turned 15 months old. Now he is nearly 16 months. Wah.





This video is from about a month or so ago, when he was really starting to walk around more. Now he is much more stable and just running all around the house, following me from room to room.

My mom came to visit about 2 weeks ago. We had her stay with us the 5 days she was here, and we had a good time! I was terrible about taking pictures, although I got a few. Some of the things we did were: Go see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearsal, make applesauce, lots of baking, visiting my Grandma Christensen, driving up Hobble Creek Canyon and taking pictures, barbecuing, and lots of visiting.


Probably the main reason that I haven't posted in a while is that I haven't been feeling too energetic lately because... I'm pregnant with Baby #2! I am due April 28. I have been very fatigued but the nausea is really starting to decrease. Thank goodness. I am definitely showing earlier than with my first pregnancy, although it is definitely the awkward stage where I just look chubby, not pregnant. Thus, no pictures yet. Haha.
Anyway, more to come on some of the other things I have been working on lately.

Time to blog again

Rochelle has been asking me to contribute to the blog again. I remember a time when I was doing much if not most of the writing, and I was the one trying to get Rochelle to write. My, times have changed. But I should be doing more of this. I should be recording history better, and journalling better. We've had a good month. My birthday came and went, and it was fun. We had a couple of different little get-togethers with people, and that's kinda the way I think I prefer it. I enjoy small groups instead of large crowds. I can focus more on the people I'm with instead of trying to say 'hi' to everyone, and bouncing from conversation to conversation. We went to Sam Hawk with Richard, Marissa, Charles, and Annette. I always thoroughly enjoy myself there. The food is great. And the company was splendid. And my parents treated us to a dinner at Teppanyaki. Eating there reminded Rochelle and I of a chance meeting we had had there before we started dating years ago. It's a funny story. I'm not going to take the time to post it here though. At least not right now. ;-) And Rochelle and I celebrated on our own some too. Rochelle decided that for my birthday that we could get a grill. I've always wanted one, but it hadn't always been feasible until recently. So now I'm 30, I have a wife, and son, and a grill. Isn't life grand? I tried it out, and promptly burnt the first thing I cooked on it. It seemed fitting and proper that I did. Traditional. Men around the country burn their meet on the grill and somehow love it all the same. I can now join in their ranks. Well... I could go on, but I've learned that if I blog too much in one post, the post won't get read, and I'm afraid I'm nearing or past that point already. But I will try to post again soon. I like to hear myself talk, and this seems as good of a forum for that as any.

BJ

Happy 30th Birthday BJ!

It's true: BJ has finished his 30th year of life. I am fortunate enough to have spent the last 5 years at his side, and look forward to many more years together.
I could wax profound here, but let me just say that I love you dearly BJ, and wish you the happiest of birthdays!
I will let BJ give the birthday synopsis if he so desires!

14 Months Old!

Well, the time sure does fly. This has been a fun month as we continually see more and more of Gabe's fun personality emerge. Here is his "bio" for the month:

Gabe LIKES: playing with his toys, unstacking and knocking things down, graham crackers, poking people's noses, playing "chase", exploring anything and everything- rooms with open doors, trying to open the toilet lid, opening and closing cupboards and drawers, climbing over obstacles, and watching people blow bubbles.


Gabe LOVES: Grapes, fruit, cheese, playing with Mommy and Daddy, playing peekaboo and pattycake by himself, having stories read to him and turning the pages, going outside, bath time, playing with real or pretend phones, remotes, etc., playing roll the ball and throw the ball (he has pretty good aim too), and kick the ball (with some help), looking at himself and others in the mirror, making people laugh, or gasp with "surprise".

Gabe does NOT like: eggs, nap time, nose wipes, sitting still for too long, being in confined spaces, strangers trying to hold him.

Gabe hasn't started walking independently, not that I think he couldn't, but he seems to be content with crawling (which he started late as well) or holding on to things as he walks. He will take a few steps, but then he "dives" toward whatever his goal is. We put some shoes on him, which may help, but we shall see!
Gabe is starting to communicate more with us, not so much by him speaking, but in gestures, grunts (!), and a few signs. He evidently understands a good deal of what we say to him. He will sometimes point to his mouth when he wants to eat, and clap his hands when he wants more of something. He looks at the picture of Jesus in his room when I say "Where is Jesus?" and he crawls toward me as fast as he can if I get my keys out and say "Let's go bye-bye." When I remind him to be gentle, he reaches out and strokes my hair as "gently" as he can. He gives kisses when asked to, and sometimes without being asked. This week as I have picked him up, he puts his arms around me and pats me on the back.
Gabe still takes a 1 hour morning nap, but I think we are about to phase the afternoon nap out; we end up with a lot of screaming and lately he is pretty happy to just keep playing- and then we put him down for bed an hour earlier, at 7pm. :D Gabe goes to bed pretty easily though, we lay him down while he is still awake, and although we sometimes hear him crying a little bit (like if he hears any loud noises) he usually goes right to sleep and doesn't wake up until 6:30- 7:30 in the morning.
We have had some concerns with Gabe's health this month. First, we were worried that Gabe might have a milk intolerance because he was throwing up for a week, so we took him off milk completely. We have started giving him cheese again and other things with milk, even making rice cereal with milk, and no problems so far, so we will see what happens with that. Then last week we all got pretty sick with congestion, aches, pains, slight fevers, etc. and Gabe started having difficulty breathing with wheezing so we took him in to the after hours clinic and got him started on breathing treatments, which we have been continuing at home, but with less frequency as he is getting better. Poor little guy is used to the mask on his face and just leaves it alone (for the most part) while we sing songs or read books. Then we found out he is getting another ear infection. Big surprise. The doctor really recommended that Gabe gets tubes put in his ears, so we may be doing that soon.
Gabe is really a pretty happy kid. We love him dearly and think the world of him, as parents do of their children. We have so much fun with him and are really enjoying watching his personality develop.