A few firsts

Sam painted his first watercolor:

I made my first cupcakes from scratch:

Red velvet w/ cream cheese frosting. Recipe here.

I also made a loaf of focaccia bread the other day sans breadmaker. I've made pizza dough before, but not a whole loaf of bread. I thought it was really good, but that could just be because I made it. And I looked up a dipping recipe that I'm excited to try next time I make it.

First time camping with kids.

Friday after Dan got home from work we drove up to Double Lake. We got there around 8 and Dan put up the tent by the light of the van. Then the battery died. (But we got a jump the next morning.) The four of us snuggled into Dan's 17-year-old "3-man" tent. I think when they said 3-man, that meant three tiny men laying shoulder-to-shoulder and no bags or anything because it was a tight squeeze.

Sam loved sleeping in a tent and was all smiles. He snored like a bear all night. Afton slept really well, too, considering it was pretty chilly out. Dan and I slept horribly. But I think that's just what happens when you camp as an adult. And when the site across the road from you is having a birthday party and doesn't go to bed until 1:30.

In the morning we walked down and around one of the lakes. Dan made flapjacks on the ol' (well, new) camp stove and we went on a little hike through the woods.

 Sam loved throwing pinecones and picking up sticks. He kept using them as drumsticks.

 

 

Can I just say how sad it is that our child thinks that a bump in the road is a hill? He would get to the "top" of the road and say, "Look! I'm going down!" and then turn around to walk up it and say, "Look! I'm going up!" Houston is too darn flat.

 Sam wanted to climb the tree.

It was a fun little trip! We won't wait another 3 years before doing it again.

Six Months

Thursday Afton turned six months!

She is 15 pounds, 9 ounces (50%), 26.5 inches long (75%) and has a fairly large, but not as large as Sam's was, head (80%).

She is beautiful and sweet.
Dan calls her his snuggle bug.
She has only rolled over like 3 times in her life. And none of those were recent.
She can sit up unassisted for about 20-30 seconds.
She doesn't like rice cereal or oatmeal. All I've gotten her to eat without gagging, screaming, or violently vomitting, is peaches and bananas.

(She'll hate me for this pic when she's older.)

She usually wakes up between 3-5 times at night and I am going INSANE. (It it's been a long time since she's eaten, I'll feed her, but we usually have to just go up and pop her pacifier back in and re-wrap her arms. It's pretty frustrating for us.)
She loves her big brother Sam and always has a ready smile for him. He likes to make her smile and distract her by running in circles around the room when I'm trying to feed her.

We love her so much!

Forbidden Gardens

A few weeks ago, we decided to take a trip to China (or maybe just Katy, Texas), to a little place called the Forbidden Gardens. I'm not sure I should tell you about it, since it's forbidden, but now that it's no longer in business, I think it's okay. (After like 30 years of being open, they were closing to make room for a new freeway. Like we need another one of those.)

(A little crooked, but "tevs" as Candice would say.)

 The Forbidden Gardens is home to replicas of the Terracotta Soldiers, as well as a model of the Fobidden City. It was pretty busy since it was their last weekend.

 I guess they believed in decapitation.

 Sam is so cute. He picked out his outfit.

I'm happy that we went-- just to see it. But it was past its prime, I'd say. May it rest in peace.

Can I just say that I HATE looking into the sun for pictures? I CANNOT keep my eyes open. And Sam was being shy and would therefore not even look at the camera.

Wendy-boo

When we watched Wendy a few weekends ago, she was not a happy camper. She missed her mom. So since she was already sad, I figured I couldn't make things much worse, so I took some pictures of her. She is teething and the only thing that gave her comfort was that red towel. So that's why she's got it.

I think she has such pretty eyes! Looking back, I should have wiped her nose.

 I am SOO over this, Aunt Kristen!

Storage space and printing blogs

Turns out that if you exceed your alloted picture space, you have to buy more. It was $5 for 1 GB of storage. So I bought it. Hopefully that helps. It takes a day for the transaction to go through, so if all goes well, I should have more pictures up tomorrow.

In addition to purchasing more space, I'm making a blurb book of the first year of our blog (2007) so that I can get it in print and then delete it. So if you're feeling sentimental, feel free to go back and read our first blog posts. We used to be funnier.

Once I finish 2007 in blurb (It's taking me a while to get things arranged how I'd like them.) I'll start working on 2008 and so on. I think it will be great to have a journal-like record of the things we've done through the years.

Weekend roundup

Friday Kirk and Gretchen came over to spend the night so that we could watch their kids first thing Saturday morning. Dan and I were supposed to go on our Valentine's date, but around 4 p.m. Afton started some serious vomiting, so we decided to stay home and make sure she was okay. By 9:30 she was better. I'm glad it was just a short illness.
So since we were home, we rented the movie RED. I thought it was pretty good. I was skeptical when Kirk first suggested it. Dan and I discussed how we're not even sure we understood the plot, but that's not important, right?
Saturday we watched our two plus their two while they ran a 10-miler. The kids did great! Carter and Sam had lots of fun together.

I want to add more pictures and write about our little adventure to Forbidden Gardens, but Google is telling me that I can't add any more pictures until I buy more storage space. Has that happened to anyone else?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Warning: Picture overload. I can't help it!

(See how her pockets are hearts, too?)

I forgot to mention these awesome picture frames that Dan created. The paintings are courtesy of a random European woman who showed up on our doorstep one day. She said she painted them, but we're not sure if that's true. We liked the pictures, though, so we bought them.

This one's in the guest room.

 Guest room bathroom. (Hence the poor lighting. And I was holding a baby. That's why my pic is crooked.) I liked this picture because I like aspen trees and it reminded me of Utah in the fall.

Isn't Dan talented? He's working on another that's a little bit fancier. Hopefully pictures in the near future.

Creating

Sometimes life gets a little monotonous. And I get a little bored. Wondering what to make for dinner, doing laundry every Monday, figuring out how to keep my kids entertained. Life as a mom is like that. And I'm in no way complaining. I wouldn't change any of it!

Recently I was reminded of this talk by Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf, a leader in my church. I remember hearing it two years ago and totally loving it. I love it even more now. Here's part of it:

"If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.


What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.


If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it...

The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."

I love the idea that I'm creating (even if it's something small and simple) and it makes me feel good about what I do. Just wanted to share that with you.

So here are some things that we've created lately.

Sam made this snowflake necklace at the library's storytime.

 We finished the mobile. Not exactly what I was picturing, but the birds were too heavy for the ribbon. We had to improvise. At least the project was free! (Scrap fabric and stuffing, sticks, wire, and hanging supplies we already had.)

 Sam loves these window decals. He puts them on and takes them off all the time. He calls this his "Choo-choo train of hearts."

 I got the recipe for this delicious dish from Real Simple. It's penne with roasted red onion, brocccoli and sausage. So good!

 Do I ever need an excuse to make treats? I don't think so.

 Happiness in a cup.