Whitney's Blanket

I started crocheting a blanket for Whitney a few months before she was born. I didn't get it finished, though, and it has been patiently waiting for a few months for me to start working on it again. Well, this week, I finally got around to doing it and I finished it today! I'm so glad that it's done! It was one of the most time consuming crochet projects I have ever done--and it was a lot harder than it looks because all of the different pieces are supposed to come out the same size. Not all of my pieces fit perfectly and some of the gingerbread men are crooked, but it's done!

I've finally figured it out!

I posted a few weeks ago that I needed to come up with some short-term type goals. I needed to figure out what I got excited about and do those things. I have been thinking a LOT about it since then and I think I've figured a few things out.

First of all, there are a lot of things I would like to learn and improve upon in my life. I would love to take more dance lessons, (tap, ballet, and ballroom), take voice lessons, learn flower arranging, learn how to take better and more professional pics, (that would require the purchase of a new camera), and lots of other things. The only problem at the moment is that most of those things require money. If Ryan weren't heading to grad school, I'm sure we'd be able to find a way to get at least one of those goals going. But, because we're trying to save money and pay off our car so we can be more financially prepared for 2 years of Ryan not working, none of those options are really viable at the moment.

However, there are a few things that I would like to do in the mean time. I want to develop greater creativity with my scrapbooking and even delve into card making. I made a few cards the other day--and they were really boring, but I thought it would be really fun to make cards every once in a while to have on hand for random notes.

I also have decided that I want to make a quilt. And, when I say "quilt," I mean an actual patterned, pieced, hand-quilted quilt. I got tons of quilt making things for Christmas and I want to use them. As I was thinking about this idea, I remembered a quilt that I found in one of my mom's quilting books back when I was a teenager. Thinking about making that quilt is exciting for me. And, now that I will have a place for my sewing machine in our new apartment, actually making it is much more feasible.

I'm really happy that I have finally figured out a few goals and ideas that I can be excited about!

I got tagged!

My friend, Jessica, blog tagged me...so now I get to post my top 5 favorite restaurants. This is going to be tough!

5. Hmm...this one is a toss up for me. I'd have to say Olive Garden or Pizza Factory--and the main reason on both is for their breadsticks and salad. The other food is good, but doesn't really draw me there as much as the sides.

4. Wingers: Used to be my #1 choice, but for some reason, the food there just isn't as good as it was in college. I think my tastes have probably changed. I still LOVE the wings, though!

3. Jason's Deli: Also another newer favorite. They have great healthy sandwiches, and I hear the salad bar is pretty good as well.

2. Los Hermanos: Nothing can beat this place for mexican food in Utah. I know that most Arizonans would say it's not real mexican food. But, I don't care! I love the food there.

1. Goodwood: This BBQ place is SO good! We haven't been there too often, but every time I've gone, it's been fabulous.

Roll to me

First of all, the title is one of my favorite songs ever...but that's not what I'm writing about today. This morning, Whitney woke up at 6 a.m. and was up for the day. So, I put her on the floor on her farm mat to play for a while. While she was playing on it, she started trying to roll onto her tummy from her back. I cheered her on, hoping that she would get it down sometime soon, but she was ready for a nap before she rolled.

Later on in the morning, I put her on her farm mat and she was trying to roll over again. This time, it didn't take her very long and she rolled! I clapped and "woo-hoo"-ed for her accomplishment. After another nap, I had her on her farm mat again (so she could practice her new skill)--and, of course, she rolled again. This time, I said, "Whitney, you rolled over again!" And, Kallie, remembering what happened the first time, said, "Aw-yight! Woo-hoo!" It was really cute!

I'm really excited that Whitney is becoming more mobile. The house is already baby-proofed, so that won't be difficult--and her mobility will only increase her ability to play with her sister. They already like to play with each other in a limited way, so I'm really excited to see what happens as Whitney's mobility increases.

Endure to the end!

Two weeks from today, we will pick up the keys to our apartment! I absolutely cannot wait! But, it seems the closer it gets, the further away it seems. I'm so excited to be back in our own place that the days seem to be stretching longer and longer. It makes it that much harder every day to endure to the end.

In all honesty, living with my parents hasn't been too bad. We've had relative privacy and have gotten along well with everyone. I am really just more than ready to be back in my own home where we have complete privacy and get to do things the way that we want to. My parents haven't made any off-the-wall requests, but there's just a big difference between living in your own home and living in someone else's home. We are really looking forward to the move...

Make the call...

I have a confession to make. I am REALLY bad at returning phone calls. I'm even worse at even making them at all! I start out with the best of intentions and then day after day goes by and I still haven't made the calls I want to make. I guess there are a few things holding me back.

First of all, I have a hard time finding time to actually make the call. Most of the time, I'm planning to call friends--and I know that it will be more than a 5 minute phone call. If I call while the girls are awake, then I won't be able to carry on a coherent conversation because I will be chasing Kallie around the house. So, what's the lesser of the two evils? Call when I'm totally distracted and can't listen? Or not call at all? By default, I've chosen the "not call at all" option more often than not. Some people would suggest calling after the kids have gone to bed. And, that is an option. But, it seems my time is taken up by cleaning the house, doing laundry, or some other chore. The evenings are usually filled up because I'm spending time with Ryan or running a few errands or finishing the things I didn't get done during the day.

Then, because my life has been quite busy for a couple of weeks, I start feeling guilty because I haven't made the call. The worse I feel about not calling a friend, the less I feel like I want to call them. They are still important to me and their friendship is still very important to me--I just feel super bad that I haven't called.

The last thing that usually keeps me from calling is the timing. Probably the best time for me to call a friend would be between the hours of 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. when my girls are down for a nap. My SAHM friends would probably be OK with this option, as their kids are sleeping as well. But, my working friends are in the middle of their work day and can't talk at that time.

In the end, none of those excuses should really matter and I should call anyway. I think that's going to be my goal for the next few weeks: I just need to make the call.

Not the blanket!

Earlier this week, Kallie was telling me about her video, "Elmo in Grouchland." I was so sad when she told me that Elmo's blanket had been lost. I was not sad that Elmo's blanket was gone, but I was terribly sad that Kallie actually said the word "blanket"! Since she started talking, Kallie has used the word "lah-lahk" for blanket--and because I thought it was so cute, I hoped that she would never grow out of saying lah-lahk. But, I knew the day would come some time soon. When it was time for bed that night, we showed Kallie her blanket and asked her what it was. To my delight, she said, "lah-lahk!" That was a few days ago, and Kallie still identifies other blankets as "blanket" but her own as "lah-lahk." Thank goodness she's not growing out of that too quickly!

My Shows

I have really tried not to get too addicted to any television shows. I don't like feeling like I might miss out on the latest episode if something more important comes up. (We don't have a TiVo yet...) There are two shows, however, that I have faithfully watched this season.

The Office
I have to admit, I'm totally hooked on The Office. I watched a few episodes at the very end of last season, but got really into it this season. The finale happened almost a week ago and I'm practically going through withdrawals knowing that I have to wait until next season to find out what happens! Of course, they completely left us hanging at the end of the last episode--and I'm sure that the way things appeared in the end don't mean much of anything for next season--although I'm completely rooting for things to work out with Pam and Jim! Really, the next season just can't come fast enough.

American Idol
Well, it's over. And, I have to say that tonight's finale was completely anti-climactic. Two years ago, I totally wanted Carrie to win, but it was anybody's guess whether she or Bo would take it. Last year, I was pulling for Katharine, so it was a let down when Taylor won instead. This year, though, I didn't really care who won. I liked both Jordin and Blake equally and, therefore, wasn't pulling one way or another for either person. Of course, I read the analyzations on the internet today--so Jordin's win was definitely not a surprise of any kind.

The biggest question I have now is not what's going to happen with Pam and Jim or what auditions are going to be like next year, but what am I going to do on Wednesday and Thursday evenings until next season?

Nesting Instinct

The other day, my little sister, Mirinda, came downstairs and said, "You've gotta come see something in my room!" So, I took Kallie up there to check it out. In the crook of a tree just outside of my sister's window was a robin's nest with 4 little baby birds! They were all squeaking with their little baby birdy beaks open. It was such a neat thing to see. Kallie loved looking at the birds, although I'm not really sure she knew what she was looking at. It was just such a fun experience to see nature happening right outside the window!

Kallie Moments

Kallie has done so many funny things lately that I feel like I'm constantly writing about her. I can't help it! I want to make sure I get these things written down before I forget about them. Here are a few random Kallie experiences from the past few weeks:

Y Carissa was using her cell phone to tease Kallie by bopping it on her tummy. Kallie complained a few times about it and then suddenly said, "NO, See-yuh, NO!" I couldn't help but laugh about it. Kallie hasn't been much for saying No yet--but I'm sure I'll hear that word a lot more before too long. (I guess I should explain here that Kallie calls Aunt Carissa "See-yuh.")

Y Kallie received the Little People house for her birthday. We named one of the Little People dolls Kallie, because she is the older sister in the little family. Just after Kallie started playing with her house, she realized that there was a bathroom complete with a potty. So, she took her Kallie Doll and put her on the potty. A few seconds later, she took the doll, stood her in front of the sink, and said, "Wash, wash, wash!" When Kallie pulled the dolly out, she looked perplexed and said, "Mommy, towel?" I pointed out the towel sticker over the bathtub--and Kallie reached in, pretended to pull out a towel, and used it to "dry" her dolly's hands. Once again, I couldn't help but just laugh at what she did!

Y After watching her parents and grandparents read the newspaper and do the crossword puzzles, Kallie will insist on sitting at the kitchen table and holding the newspaper. She will try to open the paper up and tell me that she's reading it. And, when she gets ahold of a pen or pencil, she will color on the newspaper. To her, that's what Grandma is doing with those crossword and Sudoku puzzles on the comics page. It's just really cute that she loves to mimic that way.

Y Kallie INSISTS on being a helper--and I love it! Anytime Whitney is fussing, we can ask Kallie to sing to her and she will. It is adorable to hear Kallie sing her bedtime song to Whitney. I didn't realize she knew the words until she started singing it to Whitney. Of course, if you don't know that's what she's singing, you'd never guess--but I know what it is--and it melts a mommy's heart.

I think that's all for now. I'm sure there are more things, but I'll have to write another installment another time.

Kallie the Farmer

Last night, Kallie decided to try to start a little garden. She found a perfect little hole with lots of germs to help enrich her little plant. Only problem was that the perfect little hole was her right nostril.

Neither Ryan nor myself actually saw her shove the corn up. At the time, I was feeding Whitney cereal and Ryan was cleaning up from dinner. Kallie looked at me, stuck her finger up her nose, and said, "Corn!" Knowing that I had pulled the same stunt as a child with peas, (and actually wondering when Kallie would do the same thing), I immediately realized what was going on. Since I couldn't leave Whitney, Ryan came over and tried to get Kallie to blow her nose a few times. As most people know, most 2-year old's nose blowing skills are not all that advanced, resulting in Kallie sucking in before blowing out--and NO forward progress for the corn. I decided that advanced assistance was needed and headed downstairs to retrieve the baby aspirator. Just as I was about to head back upstairs, I heard a cheer from the kitchen. Apparently, my little sister, Carissa, had modeled how to hold one nostril shut while blowing--and following the instructions, (with some assistance from Daddy), Kallie popped the corn right out.

I'm sure we'll have many other little farmers in our family--but I'm glad to get the first mis-planted seed out of the way for now.

What do I do now?

For the past few weeks, Whitney's sleeping schedule has been pretty crazy. She wakes up around 3 a.m. and again between 6-7 a.m. Because I was so tired, I would put her straight back to bed after her 6 a.m. feeding. But, then she ended up having a very fractured schedule the rest of the day--and it seemed like she and Kallie never slept at the same time.

So, yesterday, (after consulting my beloved baby sleep book), I decided that Whitney was ready for a new sleep schedule. Instead of putting her back in bed at 6:30 yesterday morning, I got up with her and let her play. She was ready for a nap by about 8 a.m. and slept for a little over 2 1/2 hours straight. It was wonderful! Then, I put both girls down again at about noon. I figured I'd have an hour and a half to two full hours to get things done. So, I worked as fast as I could and got everything done by 2 p.m. Imagine my surprise when I had another FULL hour before either of the girls woke up! It was amazing. I didn't know what to do with myself for that entire hour. I have decided, once again, that I need a hobby!

This hobby issue has been around for a LONG time. Since before I got pregnant with Whitney, I have felt like I need to find something that I enjoy doing that will make my days (and my life, for that matter) more interesting. I want to be so excited about doing something that I look forward to doing it and make time for it regularly. There isn't much that makes me feel like that these days. Guess I'll have to give it some time and figure out what I really enjoy doing!

Starting on Solids

I finally decided to start Whitney on solids last week. I gave her rice cereal on Wednesday and then we left on vacation on Thursday. I didn't take it with us, so I started back up again on Monday. Even after only a few days, Whitney already begs for her cereal. When she sees the bowl and spoon, her eyes get HUGE and she kicks her little legs and flails her arms in excitement. She really doesn't eat much at a feeding--a tablespoon or less--but it makes such a difference in her happiness levels.

Up until today, I was only giving her cereal at lunchtime. But, tonight, I fed her some before bedtime. I'm interested to see how and if it changes any of her night time waking habits. I would LOVE it if cereal helped her sleep until 6:30 or so tomorrow morning, instead of her current 3:30 or 4 a.m. feeding. Only time will tell!

Learning Time

Kallie has, once again, been getting SO bored lately. The other day, she was reading her Winnie the Pooh Alphabet Book and I pointed to a letter and said, "What letter is that, Kallie?" And, she responded correctly, "Buh, buh, Bee!" I was shocked that she had actually been paying attention when I had gone over that sound a few days before. It made me realize that her little brain is working faster than I realize and I need to help her keep it up! Thus, the concept of "Learning Time" was born. I call it Learning Time because it won't really be school--since she's definitely not ready for that--but I will hopefully be teaching her things that will help challenge her mind just a bit.

As all of this was coming together, I read a blog entry that a friend of mine had written. Her cute little boy is about 4 months older than Kallie, so he's just a step ahead of her. In the blog, Delia recommended a website called Kids Craft Weekly. It is run by a former business woman turned SAHM who lives in Australia. What a great idea! I was hooked as soon as I looked at the page! I can't wait to start the "theme weeks" with Kallie and do my research finding songs, stories, and other ideas to go with the wonderful plans already on that website.

I also started working on a "Useful Box" tonight. (Something the website talks about.) I picked up a few cute paper punches for a dollar a piece at Michael's. I can't wait to stock my useful box and start using it!

If you want to see Kids Craft Weekly, here's the link:

Bear Lake

We got back yesterday afternoon from our trip to Bear Lake. We had such a great time! We didn't really do a ton, but it was so nice to get away--AND--be in our own place again for a few days. Sometimes I forget what that's like. Anyway...here's the run-down.

Thursday:
We drove up to Bear Lake. The trip up was nice. Both Kallie and Whitney were good the entire 3 1/2 hour drive, (which included a stop at Wal-Mart). I bought the "Elmo in Grouchland" DVD for Kallie to watch in the car. Ryan and I didn't really know what was happening in the movie because Kallie was using the headphones and neither of us had seen it before. At one point, Kallie yelled out, "Oh no! Elmo's lahlak!" Both Ryan and I busted up laughing because it was so cute that Kallie was concerned about Elmo's blanket. (I later watched the movie with her and realized that Elmo's blanket falls into Oscar's garbage can. No wonder she was worried!)

We stayed at Ryan's parents' timeshare condo, which had a great view of the lake. It was a 2 bedroom place and very comfortable for our little family. When we got there, we decided instead of going out for dinner like we had planned, we would just fix something that we brought. At that point, we realized we had left the salad and the broccoli, both main staples of our planned meals, back in Orem. Oh well! The girls went to bed and Ryan and I stayed up and watched "Stranger Than Fiction."

Friday:
I woke up Friday morning with a sore throat. I thought that maybe it was from allergies because we slept with the window open. But, when it didn't go away by the end of the day, I was REALLY hoping I wasn't getting a cold.

That day, we all went to the beach. We drove south for a while, but had a very hard time finding a beach that wasn't just grassy. So, we turned around and drove north for a while, crossed the Idaho state line, and finally found North Beach, which my SIL recommended to me. It was a nice beach and we got to drive our car out right next to the water. Kallie had a BLAST playing in the sand, building castles with mommy and daddy and wading in the shallow water. She had a little purple boat that she was scooping water up with and pouring it back out. She didn't want to leave when it was time to go.

That night, after the girls went to bed, Ryan and I played his "Twilight Princess" game and beat the Sky Castle. (I realize that doesn't mean much of anything to anyone reading this blog, but it was a lot of fun for us!)

Saturday:
I woke up feeling terrible. Guess that throat thing wasn't allergies after all! Ryan knew I didn't feel well, so he took Kallie to play at the resort's playground area. Turns out the playground was just a square area covered in bark. So, Ryan took Kallie to the city park, about a 3-minute drive away. She loved this, too, and didn't want to leave. Ryan had to promise her a movie in the car to get her to go. After her nap that day, Ryan took her swimming in the resort pool. And, once again, she loved it. I think overall, she loved spending time with her daddy--and the activities were a nice bonus.

I stayed home with Whitney all day and did a lot of word puzzles and watched movies on TV. I was quite bummed that I got sick on vacation and had to miss out on going out and doing the fun activities with Kallie, but I really love that Kallie and Ryan got to spend time together.

After they came back from swimming, we all went to run a few errands in preparation for our trip home the next day. And, when the errands were done, we went out to dinner at a very small locally-run place there in Bear Lake. You would think that the parents of two young kids would know by now...but we have managed to continue learning the lesson of "Don't take your kids to restaurants that don't have play areas." The girls were great until we ordered. At that point, we were stuck and couldn't leave. I ended up walking around with Whitney until Ryan was done with his food and then he walked with her until I was done with mine. Mostly I felt sorry for the 2 other couples that were there. The place was rather echo-y and hearing hollow echos of crying and squealing kids doesn't make for the most pleasant dining experience. Maybe we'll eventually learn that lesson...

That night, Ryan and I watched "Pursuit of Happyness" and got things mostly cleaned and ready to go the next day.

Sunday:
We went to church for the 9 a.m. meeting. Since the busy season doesn't start for about 2 more weeks, that was the only meeting in the area. That's our regular time, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I ended up walking the halls with Whitney, (because she only likes sleeping in her own bed), while Ryan battled with Kallie in the chapel. Whitney finally fell asleep 10 minutes before the meeting ended, so I got to sit for that long. :) At the end, they gave all of the moms Utah Truffle candy bars. YUM!

After church, we went home and put the girls down for naps while we finished packing and Ryan loaded the car. I was really dreading the ride home. I hate changing altitudes when I'm congested. It takes an extra long time for my ears to finally pop and the pressure can be almost unbearable. But, it went OK. We didn't stop 1/2 way again and by the end of the trip, Kallie was SO restless. Apparently, she can last about 2 hours or so and then she's done for a while. Guess we'll have to keep that in mind for any other car trips we may decide to venture out on in the future.

That evening, we had a Mother's Day celebration at my Gramma Betty's house. It was fun to see everyone and enjoy being around the moms in my dad's family. Afterward, we came home and celebrated Mother's Day with just our family. Ryan is such a thoughtful guy--and I'm so lucky to have him as my husband! It was a great weekend, capped off by a wonderful Mother's Day.

I should be packing...

But I'm not yet. We're leaving tomorrow a little after 12 p.m. for our family mini-vacation. It will be fun to get away for a few days. Tonight, we're going shopping to get new running shoes for Ryan and groceries and snacks for the trip. I'm planning to fit packing in there somehow--and at least get the girls' stuff taken care of. I'm really looking forward to this little adventure we're going on this weekend!

All my boyfriends!

After a few long hours of shopping with mom and dad today, Whitney and Kallie were both exhausted. Although Whitney took a short nap during the shopping trip, she was still very tired tonight. And, as a result, she got the giggles. The funniest part was that only one thing was making her giggle--and it was saying "All my boyfriends!" in a silly voice. My SIL and sisters came up with the phrase when discussing my 20 year-old sister's guy friends, (because there are a LOT of them). So, it came up in the coversation tonight and Whitney just laughed and laughed. Of course, a baby's laugh is like potato chips, you can't have just one. So, we were all joining in the fun of the giggles and endlessly repeating "All my boyfriends!" Ryan decided that since Whitney is already into the idea of boys, he's going to start preparing for her dating years now!

Am I wearing a sign?

Last night, Ryan and I went to Wal-Mart. We had to return a few things and pick up a few other things. So, as we were checking out, I noticed that the cashier's name was Amanda...same as mine. Meeting another Amanda isn't common, but it's not a rare occurrence either--so I didn't say anything about it. Because of the things we were buying, she asked if someone was having a birthday and proceeded to tell me that her next baby, (her third child), is due on her birthday and she hopes it's a girl. I asked when her birthday was and found out that it's the same day as mine! Another Amanda with the same birthday--now that IS a rare occurrence. (We're 2 years apart.) She then proceeded to start listing off all of the other family birthdays and celebrations that are close to hers. When I commented that there were a lot of birthdays at that time of year, she assured me that February is an even busier month that her birth month. And, unsolicited, she ticked off all of the birthdays and events in February. It sounded like there was something every day in the month of February for her family. Then, since we were finished with the financial transaction, we wished each other luck and went on our merry ways.

The reason I ask if I'm wearing a sign is that this situation is very typical wherever I happen to me. My husband swears I should have been a therapist because people I have never met feel inclined to share their life story with me at the drop of a hat. I'm not really sure why this happens! I don't feel like I'm overly chatty--I just casually converse with people when the opportunity pops up. Most of the time, they make the first comment and I respond. Before I know it, I know the names and ages of all of their children/grandchildren/friends' children, etc., their shoe size, social security number, and their entire relationship history. I'm still trying to figure out why these people determine that I am the perfect person to give all of this information to. For now, I just presume that someone has posted an invisible sign on my forehead.

Cheap Thrills

I can't help myself! Every time I go to Target, I have to stop by their Dollar section to see if they have anything new. It's not that they have stellar items in their bins...but I love to look for cheap little toys that will entertain Kallie on especially boring days. Among other things, I have picked up stickers and sticker books, a light-up necklace, a light-up top, and some of those little sponges that pop out of gelatin pills when you put them in water. Kallie loves all of these--and I love that they were so cheap. At just a dollar, who cares if they get trashed by next week? A dollar or two is definitely worth my sanity for a few days.

One week to go!

I'm so excited! We're going on vacation next week! We're heading out one week from today to stay a few days at Bear Lake. I realize it's probably going to be cold, but that's OK. I'm just looking forward to getting away for a few days. Ryan is really excited about taking Kallie to the beach to play. She loves the water and has been talking about the beach ever since we first told her that we were going. I know it's going to be a lot of work for me--but I figure I could be living life here or at Bear Lake for those 3 days. And, I'd much rather be at Bear Lake. Plus, Ryan is a wonderful husband and daddy. He definitely does more than his fair share when he's home--so I know it will be somewhat of a break for me. I keep thinking of things I need to pack, so I guess I'd better get started writing them down!

Has anyone seen my patience?

I don't know what has happened in the past few days, but I feel like I have no patience anymore! Maybe I'm not getting enough sleep...maybe Kallie suddenly broke into the Terrible Twos...either way, my patience somehow disappeared in the middle of it all. I normally feel like I can deal with Kallie's extreme curiosity pretty well. Lately, it seems that she's going from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next, to the next--and all of those things are things she has been repeatedly told to keep away from. I really try hard to be very positive, telling her what I want her to do, as opposed to what I DON'T want her to do. But, after the 30th time of telling her something, I lose my cool. I don't usually yell--I just get really frustrated and end up putting her into Time Out.

The other part of this is that I'm trying to use "Love and Logic" parenting. Really, I think it's a wonderful way to teach children discipline and empathy. The empathy right now is the hardest part for me because I always forget in the urgency of the moment. I guess I need to utilize the idea of "reprov[ing] betimes with sharpness" better--with sharpness meaning that it is taken care of quickly and to the point. Until I better learn this, could you please keep an eye out for my patience? And, call me if you find it?