Crocuses in our front yard... need I say more? I am so excited!
3.11.2009
One-Year-Old laughter...
Sorry I'm not so great at holding the camera steady... but I love the video, so I thought I'd share.
My New Camera
So a couple weeks ago, we got our tax return back. Hooray for tax returns... especially since this may be the last year we get one for a while (but that's a different story). At any rate, we were able to pay off some debts we had, and actually have a little money to spare! I chose to spend a little on the girl's birthdays, part of which included FINALLY buying a new camera (we've been using Cory's dad's first digital camera--a Kodak, and decent for what it was, but definitely dying...) so we could take decent pictures and video of the big event. After much research (Cory left the decision up to me... yikes!), I finally decided on the Canon SX 110.
It's sort of an in-between--not a point and shoot, but not a DSLR. And I love it! It has 9 MP, 10x optical zoom, and all sorts of cool features. Plus it's a Canon... hard to beat that these days. So you'll hopefully be seeing a lot more video from me (since I can very easily do short video clips with it), and better picture quality over all. Hope you like it as much as I do! :)
It's sort of an in-between--not a point and shoot, but not a DSLR. And I love it! It has 9 MP, 10x optical zoom, and all sorts of cool features. Plus it's a Canon... hard to beat that these days. So you'll hopefully be seeing a lot more video from me (since I can very easily do short video clips with it), and better picture quality over all. Hope you like it as much as I do! :)
3.08.2009
Janey Wants Cake
So here is the last of us singing to Janey last night with her cake and lit candle... I was afraid she'd grab for the candle and get burned, so I blew it out pretty quickly... turns out Janey just wanted the cake. :)
3.07.2009
Birthday Pics
Birthday morning... Janey loves her new table and chairs set... she thinks she's such a big girl, and insists on sitting in her chair to open all the presents. Ok, actually, she didn't want to help open them. But she did insist on sitting in the chair.
Eating Cake...
Trying to get every last lick...
Janey LOVES her new rocking horse... thanks Grandma and Grandpa!
Other presents...
Everybody loves a good hat...
And a new rocking horse makes it even better!
Everybody had a good time at the party:
Isn't this one beautiful little girl? (Even with the remains of her shiner?)
Eating Cake...
Trying to get every last lick...
Janey LOVES her new rocking horse... thanks Grandma and Grandpa!
Other presents...
Everybody loves a good hat...
And a new rocking horse makes it even better!
Everybody had a good time at the party:
Isn't this one beautiful little girl? (Even with the remains of her shiner?)
Janey is One!!
I can't believe my baby is one. I know most of you have heard me say this, but seriously--Breanne just seemed so OLD when she turned one--so ready for a forward facing carseat, so ready for oranges and milk... so ready to be a one-year-old. With Janey, I do not feel this way. This last year has gone by so fast for me, and even though I have loved almost every minute of it, I just can't believe it's gone. Seriously. This little girl has brought so much into my life. She is such a momma's girl, and I honestly can't imagine a life without her sweet little person in it. So, a few things about Janey (and some of my favorite moments relived...):
March 7, 2009:
How can she be so grown up? Where has my baby gone? As much as I miss the days of cuddling and cooing, I am also looking forward to the next stages of Janey's life--she continues to be more and more entertaining and fun as she gets older, and I am excited to see what she brings to our lives next. I love this little girl.
Janey was one of the most mellow babies I have ever seen, which was such a blessing for me. She was sleeping through the night (8 hours, baby!) by 2 weeks (that's when I decided to quit waking her up for feedings... sheesh), and has continued to do so for her entire life thus far, minus a few nights of teething and other illness.
She caught RSV when she was about a week old, and it was terrifying. Watching her struggle to breathe in the middle of the night and knowing there was nothing I could do but hold her... very overwhelming to a new-to-two mom like myself. She was a serious fighter, though, and surprised even the doctor by not having to be admitted into the hospital.
Janey started rolling over just after she hit the three-month mark... which is about a month and a half early. She quickly mastered this art, and began rolling everywhere. She (like her sister) rolled constantly until she was between 9-10 months, when she discovered the army crawl. Within a month of army-crawling, though, she discovered the real crawl, and then walking (all within a month).
Janey started getting teeth during the first weekend of October (the Friday before General Conference, whenever that was), and has continued to get them very quickly. She is now up to 9 teeth... four front top, four front bottom, and one top molar. She loves to chew her food with her front teeth, which I think is hilarious.
Janey also makes a "funny face" on request--she scrunches up her eyes and nose, and breathes noisily through her nose--it is my favorite face. If I can find a good picture of it, I'll post it. She is just adorable, what can I say. :)
Janey started to learn to walk right at the same time as I started potty-training Breanne... which was the first time I'd ever questioned the distance between my two girls. Trying to keep Janey away from the potty while we were sitting in there all day was quite the feat. So fun, though, to have both girls going through something so important at the same time.
Janey is now on the small side--she came out 8 lbs, and only 18 inches long, which was pretty chubby (she came out with rolls on her thighs... it was just too much! :)). She's kept her chubbiness, and has also stayed pretty short, making for some adorable thighs and chubby cheeks, and a cute little belly. Perhaps this is part of why I can hardly believe she's one--last time we had her weighed, she wasn't even 17 lbs!
And now... Janey is a full-blown walking climber! I never would have guessed this, coming from her very very mellow beginnings and all, but she is such a daredevil these days. Scares and thrills me to death every time. Seriously, though, she is just reckless sometimes, constantly falling down and bonking her face on things... last week she had both a serious gash above her eyebrow, and a black eye... so sad. I swear, I pay attention to her, she just has it out for herself. :) She is also already trying to jump, something Breanne didn't even attempt until she was much older.
I really do love this sweet little girl--she gives me hugs and kisses constantly (not very many people get these from her, as she's a little more reserved than other babies we know), and sometimes needs only me, which is a wonderful feeling. I really can't think of any better words to describe this little girl--she really is just a sweet little one, and her little words she's starting to figure out are sometimes the highlights of my day.
March 7, 2008:
March 7, 2009:
How can she be so grown up? Where has my baby gone? As much as I miss the days of cuddling and cooing, I am also looking forward to the next stages of Janey's life--she continues to be more and more entertaining and fun as she gets older, and I am excited to see what she brings to our lives next. I love this little girl.
2.28.2009
Scary ABC's
Ok, so I can't find a way to steal a video off of my sis-in-law Katie's site, but I really wanted you to see this. It's the last video on this post (the others are of my cute niece Claire, and my siblings-in-law).
A little background--Breanne will tell you that her favorite song is the ABC song. Lately, though, she's been singing it with a bit of a...um...twist. She really really likes to sing it in her "scary voice." And also featured in the video are her crazy glasses... she received these goggle-like things on Halloween from someone in the area. She puts them on every now and then, and it makes me laugh. So there you go. Enjoy the scary ABC's. :)
2.22.2009
Making Baby Wipes
I've been meaning to do this post for a while now. A couple of months ago, I got sick of buying wipes. I loved the Target brand wipes for both their price, and their quality, but the drive to Target was just too much to justify, just for a box of wipes. Especially since I never seemed to leave with just a box of wipes... So anyway, with a little internet searching, and some help from my friend Heather, over at Want What You Have, I came up with this super-easy solution. I'll be honest, ever since we received a box of Kirkland brand wipes for Christmas, I've felt spoiled, and might be a little bit sad to go back, but the cost savings alone is enough to justify it for me. Hopefully this will help out some of you, too.
So here are your basic ingredients:
You need:
2 Tbsp. Baby Soap,
2 Tbsp. Baby Oil,
2 1/2 Cups Hot Water,
and a roll of Bounty Paper Towels (the really nice, thick, expensive kind. Don't worry, they're still cheaper than a pack of nice wipes, especially since you get two packs of wipes per roll of paper towels).
You'll also need a container that can hold your half-roll of paper towels--mine is actually an old brown sugar container from a set of canisters we got at BB&B for $10.00, and it does the job perfectly. You can use old wipes boxes, too, but you have to fold the wipes up the right way yourself, which is a big turn-off for me.
If your baby has a little bit more sensitive skin, as mine does, you may wish to switch to Coconut Oil (which seems to be in a solid state, actually), and I also switched to the Oatmeal baby soap, which is supposed to be gentler.
The first step is to cut your paper towels in half. This is the hardest part. I usually use my little hand saw, or a serrated knife. Choose a half to use for this set of wipes, and save the other one for next time. Then, after you've decided on your ingredients, pour your hot water into a bowl (I just do it all in my measuring cup, for ease), and then you add your oil. If you're using baby oil, you can just continue at this point. If you're using coconut oil, you need to wait for it to melt, like I'm doing here.
Once the oil is pretty much melted, you can add your soap,
and then thoroughly stir it all together. I think the oatmeal soap is bubblier, for some reason.
At this point, you put your paper towels into your container, and then pour the mixture over it. Most of it should go into the center, but make sure to pour some on the top, and down the sides as well. I usually only use about 1 1/2-2 cups of the mixture (but make the whole thing so I get the right soap/oil/water ratio).
Now put your lid on, and flip the container upside down. Leave for 5 minutes and check your email, or my blog or something. :)
When you come back, you should find the paper towel center very easy to pull out, and when you take it out, it should start the wipes coming up for you!
When you come back, you should find the paper towel center very easy to pull out, and when you take it out, it should start the wipes coming up for you!
Just continue to pull the wipes up from the center, and enjoy the cheap goodness of having done it yourself!
P.S. Sorry about the sideways pulling-up pic--I can't seem to get it to flip, and I don't really care to figure out why right now. Off to bed for me.
List of 100
Bold the items you have done:
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. (Not completely, of course, but some)
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma. (I want to, but I've never met the requirements for one reason or another)
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (I was published in a book, but I'm not the only author in it)
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. (Not completely, of course, but some)
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma. (I want to, but I've never met the requirements for one reason or another)
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book. (I was published in a book, but I'm not the only author in it)
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury. (I was called like 5 times last summer, but every single case was resolved before it went to trial. Lame.)
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury. (I was called like 5 times last summer, but every single case was resolved before it went to trial. Lame.)
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day
...Only 41... sigh. Someday I've got to make it out of the states so I can cross a few more of these off my list!
2.21.2009
The Works
So when we moved into our house, I noticed that we had a bit of a ring in our toilet from the hard water. I assumed I'd be able to scrub it away with some comet or something... but I was wrong. I tried Scrubbing Bubbles, Comet, and a couple other cleaners we have hanging around here, but nothing seemed to work, even with serious scrubbing. So finally, last week, I was so sick of looking at my gross toilet (we've been potty training over here, and thus spending a significant amount of time in the bathroom) and thinking about how it looks like I never clean it, even though I do pretty much weekly, that I decided to do some research on the web to figure out how to make it better. Why I didn't think of this before is beyond me, but hey, that's the truth of it. Anyways, so everywhere I read online, they were raving about this product:
The Works.
So I broke down and bought some. Which was the first (very pleasant!) surprise: it was only 1.99 a bottle at the grocery store. I read that you could actually get it at the dollar store, but I didn't have the patience to go to another store. So anyway, I brought it home, and poured in on my toilet. As it spread down the sides of my toilet, I heard a slight fizzing sound, and when I looked at the ring, it literally disappeared before my eyes! Amazing. I didn't even have to scrub! Seriously, I am so excited. My toilet looks great. If only I'd figured this out back when I was puking my guts up multiple times a day... maybe I wouldn't have thrown up so much if I hadn't had to stare at such a gross toilet! :) I don't know why this makes me so happy, but I really am excited to have a nice, clean, non-stained toilet again. Yay!
The Works.
So I broke down and bought some. Which was the first (very pleasant!) surprise: it was only 1.99 a bottle at the grocery store. I read that you could actually get it at the dollar store, but I didn't have the patience to go to another store. So anyway, I brought it home, and poured in on my toilet. As it spread down the sides of my toilet, I heard a slight fizzing sound, and when I looked at the ring, it literally disappeared before my eyes! Amazing. I didn't even have to scrub! Seriously, I am so excited. My toilet looks great. If only I'd figured this out back when I was puking my guts up multiple times a day... maybe I wouldn't have thrown up so much if I hadn't had to stare at such a gross toilet! :) I don't know why this makes me so happy, but I really am excited to have a nice, clean, non-stained toilet again. Yay!
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