Finished!

The blanket is finished!

And the walls are painted

We were going to move in the crib but we are getting the carpets cleaned next week, so we'll wait until next weekend. I am planning on painting her chest of drawers/changing table today.

Deployment Ceremony

A friend hired me to come photograph the deployment ceremony for her husband. I'm not really equiped for indoor shoots, but I did my best.

What I'm coveting:

I want this lens so bad!! According to Pioneer Woman, it is her new favorite and from the shots she got with this lens . . . It's mine too! And I've never even touched it but, who wouldn't trust Pioneer Woman?
It is a 35 mm lens and is great for portrait shots. I foresee MANY portrait shots in our near future =).

Working on Emmalee's Room

It all started with this crib bumper. I walked into a children resale shop and spotted it across the room. Up until that point, I hadn't found anything that I even remotely liked. But, I knew I had to have it. They didn't have any of the coordinating bedding, just the bumper. It was only $8 and they were having a 25% off sale. So, I snagged it for $6! I was so excited!!
The tags had been cut off, so the chances of trying to find the rest of the set online seemed slim-to-none. But, I took a shot and Googled "patchwork crib bumper." The Land of Nod was the first match and I thought, "oh that would be nice if it came from there." I clicked, scrolled, and almost fell out of my chair. My "perfect" crib bumper, that I scored for $6, was a Land of Nod $80 bumper! And they were still selling all of the matching pieces. Unfortunately, the matching pieces were also expensive but they offer complimentary fabric swatches. I requested them and had my mom do the same. We ended up with 30 -3 in fabric squares of ALL of the fabrics in the patch work.
So, this brought me to tonight:

I started my first quilt! Well, I'm not actually going to quilt it, it's going to be the front of a duvet.

My Mom was going to make it all for me, but I got too antsy today and had to go borrow Angie's sewing machine and start it myself.
Last night we bought coordinating fabric to border the squares on the front and a deliciously cozy bump fabric for the back. They also have fabric that I'm going back for to make the curtains. But, I'm doing one thing at a time.
I took advantage of having the sewing machine here and tried one of these as well.

Just cut out from an old t-shirt, sewn together, and added a cute bow. Depending on the amount of hair on her head, I can see a lot of these in our future.

Emmalee talks

Number 1:
Emmalee is a little gymnast/kick boxer in my belly. I told Annagrace to come feel of my stomach. She put her hand on and said "I hear Emmalee!"
Me: You hear her? What is she saying?
A: Emmalee said Annagrace needs a Peanut Butter sandwich.
She had asked a few times for a peanut butter sandwich and we told her no, it was too late, it's bed time. We couldn't stop laughing at her creative way to get her way. And of course we had to give in. She's tried the same line every night since.

Number 2:
Today I explained to Annagrace how Emmalee will be born by C-section. I explained how the doctor will cut my belly and just pull her out. At first she shocked me and completely understood the whole process. But, then it sank in and the little sweetie said "But, I don't want the doctor to cut you!" We reassured her that it wouldn't hurt and she was still a little worried. So, we asked her if she wanted to see the video of when she was born. She got really excited so Tyler went to find it. I never thought I would be showing my 2 1/2 year old her birth video but she loved it. She cheered when we saw her for the first time. But, then we took a turn for the worse. As all babies do when they are first introduced into this world, she was crying a lot in the video while they were cutting the cord, cleaning her, doing foot prints, etc. Annagrace started tearing up and asked "what's wrong with me, why am I crying?" We tried to explain that all babies cry and that she was all better when they wrapped her up and handed her to Mommy, but she was really upset that she was so upset as a baby.
Boy, is she going to be in for a rude awakening when Emmalee gets here. She is either going to be the most attentive big sister or the most compassionate and be crying right along with her.

Thankful

I am so thankful for my Mama! It is such a comfort and a blessing to know she is there for me. I can wake up in the morning feeling like crap, call my Mom and say "do you want to entertain a little monkey today?" And she ALWAYS answers "Sure, I'll be there in 20 minutes to get her."
How awesome is that?
This pregnancy has been a huge strain on my body and energy. When I wake up knowing that I'm not going to be of much use to Annagrace, I would much rather her spend the day with her Grandmother and Granddaddy, where I know is going to be constantly entertained! She loves being at my parents house and I love that she loves it. And I LOVE my Mom and Dad!

Beautiful Ears

One of Annagrace's Christmas gifts was to get her ears pierced. It took her a week to decide to actually get it done. Tyler had New Years Eve off so we took the opportunity to make it a family event/day. First, we went to see Princess and the Frog and then headed to the mall.
She enjoyed picking out her "diamonds."She was so excited (we really had to pump her up).

Luckily there were two people working at the booth that day so they were able to do both ears at the same time. This was a HUGE blessing, I don't think we could have gotten her to do the second ear if they had only done just one at a time. She did cry, but I think it scared her more than it hurt.

She was better within a couple of minutes thanks to an ice cream cone and a ride in the yellow school bus.

We finished out the day with dinner at Olive Garden, Annagrace's favorite. (Yes, my two year old's favorite place to eat is Olive Garden - bread sticks and Mac n' Cheese!)

I'm so proud of her and her beautiful ears. I can't wait until she can start changing them out to match her outfits.

2010

Happy New Year!

This year will be a biggy for us - we will become a family of 4! I couldn't be happier or more excited.
My resolutions this year don't have anything to do with weight (come on I'm pregnant) or money (although we need to stick to a budget).
In this new year/decade:
1. I want to live in the moment. Be carefree and enjoy every moment with my, soon to be, two little girls and WONDERFUL husband.
2. Remember all of my many blessings from my Heavenly Father. And thank him excessively.
3. Always see the good in others.
4. Be more outgoing. You can never have TOO many friends.
5. Work on my anxiety (usually over cleaning which is heightened due to pregnancy). The house is important, but it shouldn't cause me so much stress.
6. Daily Scripture STUDY. Not just reading. I want to feel like I'm 15 again and in Seminary. I never felt stronger in my knowledge of the scriptures as when I was a teenager. I am forever grateful to Sis. Meadows and early morning Seminary!
7. Try to catch up on my scrap booking. I haven't even finished Annagrace's first year and Emmalee will be here before we know it. I'm grateful for this blog to fall back on, to keep track of what happened when and where!
8. Say "THANK YOU" more often.
9. Love my husband more. Meaning: put forth more energy into his activities and interests, encourage him and his Priesthood abilities, and spend more one-on-one time together.
Last, but not least:
10. Love myself more.