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.