My little sister got her mission call today. She is going to the Paraguay Asuncion Mission. It's spanish speaking. Woo hoo! She goes into the MTC on August 17th. I'm so proud of her. I'm also so very jealous and excited for her. She's going to be a great missionary.
Sadly, nobody guessed Paraguay. Ok, not true. It was my first guess and I told my mom that. She then told me that a boy from our old ward that we're not super fond of is going there so I decided to change it and guessed Argentina since that's close. I shouldn't have changed my guess! I was right!
CONGRATS, CHELS!
April 21, 2011
March 18, 2011
Busy, Busy, Busy
This last week has been a crazy one. Between going to physical therapy three times a week in Murray, painting my kitchen (not finished), babysitting up to 6 kids, trying to make 4 quilts and creating my Etsy shop and new blog, I might have bitten off more than I can chew. The current state of my house proves it.
I started painting my kitchen almost two weeks ago. However, what was supposed to be a simple project has turned into a major nightmare. When we got to the counter area we found that the builders had used silicone caulking on it. You can't paint over silicone. So we've had to try to remove the caulking, recaulk and then paint. Sadly, we're still trying to get the original caulking off. Silicone is the bane of my existence right now. I HATE it. It's almost impossible to remove. So now my kitchen is currently half red and half blue. *sigh*
On a happier note, I've gotten a bunch of new quilts done and finally created my Etsy site and blog and have them listed. I'm so excited! I've named my shop Pukka Designs. As per Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of pukka is:
I started painting my kitchen almost two weeks ago. However, what was supposed to be a simple project has turned into a major nightmare. When we got to the counter area we found that the builders had used silicone caulking on it. You can't paint over silicone. So we've had to try to remove the caulking, recaulk and then paint. Sadly, we're still trying to get the original caulking off. Silicone is the bane of my existence right now. I HATE it. It's almost impossible to remove. So now my kitchen is currently half red and half blue. *sigh*
On a happier note, I've gotten a bunch of new quilts done and finally created my Etsy site and blog and have them listed. I'm so excited! I've named my shop Pukka Designs. As per Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of pukka is:
: genuine, authentic; also : first-class
I love the word. You can see my shop by clicking here. My new blog is here. I was going to wait until it was completely finished, but I've decided to let you all see me build it up from scratch. So far there's only rag quilts, but I'm currently working on a couple of non-rag quilts. I'll post them soon. Please spread the word about my shop!
Here's a quick preview of the quilts in the shop:
I love the word. You can see my shop by clicking here. My new blog is here. I was going to wait until it was completely finished, but I've decided to let you all see me build it up from scratch. So far there's only rag quilts, but I'm currently working on a couple of non-rag quilts. I'll post them soon. Please spread the word about my shop!
Here's a quick preview of the quilts in the shop:
Baby Steps
Lindy has been taking a few little steps for a few weeks but is now officially walking! We're pretty excited about it. She's so spoiled (being the only grandchild on my side and ALWAYS being held) that she hasn't needed to walk nor gotten much of a chance so it's taken a little while. She's still fairly wobbly & falls & likes to walk around holding onto the walls, but hey, she's walking! Look at her go!
March 8, 2011
Pain Free?!
Last week I went to see the rheumatologist for my anylosing spondylitis. It was a great visit. Well, not at first. He reminded me of House. He was kind of a jerk. But it got better and I could tell that he really cared about what he was doing. He did a bunch of range of motion tests with me and told me that I need to go on an anti-inflammatory and start physical therapy. Sadly, anti-inflammatories can cause kidney damage & since I'm at such high risk for it anyway with diabetes, I'll have to get tests done every 3 months or so to see how my kidney function is. But he said that with these new treatments, I should be able to live pain free. That's such a foreign concept to me. I haven't had a day w/o pain since I was 10. It's exciting!
I started my physical therapy yesterday. It kicked my trash. I was SO sore! I used to be really strong. In high school I could whip out push ups like they were nothing and even beat the boys in my neighborhood at arm wrestling. Yesterday I couldn't even do the exercises for my shoulders with 1.5 lbs before they gave out. Pitiful. It was a very humbling experience. But I guess if my shoulders/knees/back were strong, I wouldn't be in PT in the first place.
I'm going to be going a few times a week for a couple of weeks - until I learn all the exercises. After that I just have to do them by myself at home a few times a week and hopefully work up to everyday without needing Morphine (no, I didn't really get/take any). ;) I'm going to learn them all and then teach my dad since he's got it too and hasn't been to a doctor for it in over 20 years (?!). I'm hoping we'll both cut down our amount of pain significantly. I really am excited about this!
I started my physical therapy yesterday. It kicked my trash. I was SO sore! I used to be really strong. In high school I could whip out push ups like they were nothing and even beat the boys in my neighborhood at arm wrestling. Yesterday I couldn't even do the exercises for my shoulders with 1.5 lbs before they gave out. Pitiful. It was a very humbling experience. But I guess if my shoulders/knees/back were strong, I wouldn't be in PT in the first place.
I'm going to be going a few times a week for a couple of weeks - until I learn all the exercises. After that I just have to do them by myself at home a few times a week and hopefully work up to everyday without needing Morphine (no, I didn't really get/take any). ;) I'm going to learn them all and then teach my dad since he's got it too and hasn't been to a doctor for it in over 20 years (?!). I'm hoping we'll both cut down our amount of pain significantly. I really am excited about this!
February 24, 2011
Nursery Paintings
This is another very long overdue post. When we moved into our condo I wanted to have decorations to hang above Lindy's crib. I was thinking I wanted wall hangings that matched her crib bedding, but it didn't come with any. So I decided to paint my own. I got canvases from JoAnns that were already stretched (and 50% off! Woot!), paint from WalMart and freehanded them. I really love how they turned out.
I actually only got one shade of pink, green and purple for all of these. I just used white and black to change the shade. It worked out very nicely.
Lindy sat in her bumbo on the table the whole time I did these. She hadn't yet learned to crawl (like I said, LONG overdue) so she didn't know she was confined in her seat and was SO good. She just sat, watched & babbled at me. It was wonderful.
Now to paint her bedroom walls...I seriously need to get my house all painted before my sister leaves on her mission and I don't have an all-day free babysitter.
Lindy's bumper pad complete w/ Lindy's ear in the picture
I actually only got one shade of pink, green and purple for all of these. I just used white and black to change the shade. It worked out very nicely.Lindy sat in her bumbo on the table the whole time I did these. She hadn't yet learned to crawl (like I said, LONG overdue) so she didn't know she was confined in her seat and was SO good. She just sat, watched & babbled at me. It was wonderful.
Now to paint her bedroom walls...I seriously need to get my house all painted before my sister leaves on her mission and I don't have an all-day free babysitter.
Spaghetti
Tonight my mom texted me and told me that Lindy loves spaghetti. She's watching her since I'm sick. Anyway, it reminded me of the first time Lindy had spaghetti. I just had to share. I was feeding her while trying to do a million other things so Allan told me that he'd feed her. Apparently Allan's definition of feeding Lindy is putting the bowl on her high chair tray and walking away. *rolling eyes* I returned to see this:
Sadly I'd already stripped her clothes off before this picture. At first I was angry with Allan for not feeding her, but another look at Lindy and all I could do was laugh. It was worth the mess for a picture of her face. It's even in her hair and on her eyelids! I put her in the tub and after I drained it, there were red floaties in a ring around the tub. HAHAHA! The joys of parenting.
Sadly I'd already stripped her clothes off before this picture. At first I was angry with Allan for not feeding her, but another look at Lindy and all I could do was laugh. It was worth the mess for a picture of her face. It's even in her hair and on her eyelids! I put her in the tub and after I drained it, there were red floaties in a ring around the tub. HAHAHA! The joys of parenting.
Sick
I've been so sick for the last couple of days. Last night I had a fever of 102. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a fever. Granted, I also can't remember the last time I felt this sick - it was probably the last time I had a fever. Go figure.
Luckily for me, my family lives close and my wonderful little sister came down today and watched Lindy all day long so I could rest (and keep my distance from her). When she had to go to work, she took Lindy so my family could watch her until Allan gets out of school. So basically, I have had nothing more important to do than lie around all day. It's driving me crazy.
I think the 2nd worst thing about being sick (2nd only to the fever, chills, congestion, headache, body aches and fatigue) is having to rest. While I do love to sleep, lying around all day drives me insane. I can only pray that I'll never be on bed rest for anything. I think I would die. I'm too much of a busybody. My mom (whom I get the trait from) knows this and has been texting me all day reminding me to rest, even pleading occasionally. I've been on the couch for the last 3 hours and so now I'm going to blog like crazy to keep me occupied. Beware.
P.S. Lindy was really sick a couple of weeks ago. She was throwing up and had diarrhea. Let me tell you, at least 3 diarrhea blowouts a day is NOT fun. We finally had to give her baths everytime instead of wiping her because her little bum was so raw. Poor thing. She lost quite a bit of weight. Check this out:
So sad! Her eyes look so hollow and her face is so thin in this pictures. She'd also had blow outs in all the extra outfits I had packed that day (2) so she was wearing one of Chelsea's tanktops. It took a week to get over. Luckily she's put all her weight back on and looks great now.
Luckily for me, my family lives close and my wonderful little sister came down today and watched Lindy all day long so I could rest (and keep my distance from her). When she had to go to work, she took Lindy so my family could watch her until Allan gets out of school. So basically, I have had nothing more important to do than lie around all day. It's driving me crazy.
I think the 2nd worst thing about being sick (2nd only to the fever, chills, congestion, headache, body aches and fatigue) is having to rest. While I do love to sleep, lying around all day drives me insane. I can only pray that I'll never be on bed rest for anything. I think I would die. I'm too much of a busybody. My mom (whom I get the trait from) knows this and has been texting me all day reminding me to rest, even pleading occasionally. I've been on the couch for the last 3 hours and so now I'm going to blog like crazy to keep me occupied. Beware.
P.S. Lindy was really sick a couple of weeks ago. She was throwing up and had diarrhea. Let me tell you, at least 3 diarrhea blowouts a day is NOT fun. We finally had to give her baths everytime instead of wiping her because her little bum was so raw. Poor thing. She lost quite a bit of weight. Check this out:
So sad! Her eyes look so hollow and her face is so thin in this pictures. She'd also had blow outs in all the extra outfits I had packed that day (2) so she was wearing one of Chelsea's tanktops. It took a week to get over. Luckily she's put all her weight back on and looks great now.
February 22, 2011
Miranda's Quilt
Back when we first moved back from Texas in fall of 2009 (Yep, this is a very long overdue post), I was despairing over my lack of fabric because I wanted to quilt so badly. Miranda gave me a bunch of fabric she'd had for a couple of years because she knew she'd never use it. I remember when she got it. She LOVED the fabric and yet was giving it to me. (Have I mentioned what a GREAT friend she is?) I couldn't dream of taking it until I had a very clever idea. I would take it and pretend that I was using it for a baby quilt for Lindy (who wasn't born yet) and then make a quilt for her instead, since that's what she originally wanted. Brilliant!
I used the Slide Show pattern from Atkinson Designs. I think it worked perfectly. I kept texting her pictures of my progress (until it got too big & she'd know it wasn't a baby quilt) to see what she thought. Before Christmas I took it to her. She looked so confused when she opened it. She thought it was for my baby. It took her a little while to figure out that it was actually for her and that I'd tricked her. Ha ha! I wanted to quilt it for her, but my machine went all wonky so I couldn't. I gave it to her unfinished & then Brad took it in to be quilted several months later (because I'm a loser & never actually did it). I don't have pictures of it all finished & quilted (hint, hint Miranda - I'd love a finished picture) but I do have pictures from the day I gave it to her.
The squares are from the Freckles line by Free Spirit. So cute! The rest is just white on white and an aqua small floral pattern for the border. None of them are solids like they appear. I love how it turned out.
Oh ya, I forgot to mention that Brad was totally in on this with me. He payed for all the extra fabric & batting I needed and I made it. We make a great team.
I used the Slide Show pattern from Atkinson Designs. I think it worked perfectly. I kept texting her pictures of my progress (until it got too big & she'd know it wasn't a baby quilt) to see what she thought. Before Christmas I took it to her. She looked so confused when she opened it. She thought it was for my baby. It took her a little while to figure out that it was actually for her and that I'd tricked her. Ha ha! I wanted to quilt it for her, but my machine went all wonky so I couldn't. I gave it to her unfinished & then Brad took it in to be quilted several months later (because I'm a loser & never actually did it). I don't have pictures of it all finished & quilted (hint, hint Miranda - I'd love a finished picture) but I do have pictures from the day I gave it to her.
The squares are from the Freckles line by Free Spirit. So cute! The rest is just white on white and an aqua small floral pattern for the border. None of them are solids like they appear. I love how it turned out.
Oh ya, I forgot to mention that Brad was totally in on this with me. He payed for all the extra fabric & batting I needed and I made it. We make a great team.
"New" Kitchen Table
A long time ago, (does this sound like a storybook beginning?) I got a table off of KSL for super cheap. It was super ugly (hence it being cheap), but it was solid wood, had a leaf in the middle and had 6 chairs. The plan was to sand it, paint it black and then reupholster the chairs. It sat in storage for many, many months - first at Allan's mom's house and then in our extra bedroom.
After I got my piano, I realized I needed to get the table out of the bedrooms so the piano could fit in there. I got to work!...and made a complete mess of the extra bedroom.
Never had I been so motivated...until I started sanding the chairs. I grossly underestimated the work in sanding chairs. It was such a pain. I got discouraged and stopped. Even now, if I never sand again, it will be too soon.
But alas, a friend was coming into town and staying at our house so the table had to be finished so she could stay in the extra bedroom. That's when my wonderful mom told me that she & my sister were coming to help me with it. Aren't the great?! It was just the jump start I needed. My sister & her friend finished sanding the chairs (I just couldn't bring myself to do it) in the bedroom and my mom and I painted in the kitchen. It was a full house project!
After all the painting was finished, I went to Home Fabrics (LOVE that store!) and got this to reupholster the chairs:
So pretty!
When I pulled off the ugly fabric from the seats, I found an even uglier fabric! The seats had already been reupholstered once before! I can see why!
EWWWW!
But the seats are now reupholstered (did I mention that I also LOVE my new staple gun?) and look fantastic!
And after a couple coats of polyeurethane...
VOILA!
After I got my piano, I realized I needed to get the table out of the bedrooms so the piano could fit in there. I got to work!...and made a complete mess of the extra bedroom.
Never had I been so motivated...until I started sanding the chairs. I grossly underestimated the work in sanding chairs. It was such a pain. I got discouraged and stopped. Even now, if I never sand again, it will be too soon.
But alas, a friend was coming into town and staying at our house so the table had to be finished so she could stay in the extra bedroom. That's when my wonderful mom told me that she & my sister were coming to help me with it. Aren't the great?! It was just the jump start I needed. My sister & her friend finished sanding the chairs (I just couldn't bring myself to do it) in the bedroom and my mom and I painted in the kitchen. It was a full house project!
After all the painting was finished, I went to Home Fabrics (LOVE that store!) and got this to reupholster the chairs:
So pretty!
EWWWW!But the seats are now reupholstered (did I mention that I also LOVE my new staple gun?) and look fantastic!
And after a couple coats of polyeurethane...
VOILA!A beautiful, high-end looking table...for cheap!
You may be wondering why the leaf is not in the table and why there are only 4 chairs when I said I got 6. Well, like I said earlier, I really, truly HATE dislike sanding the chairs. Therefore, there are only 4 chairs for now. Maybe someday I'll tackle the other 2. I still consider this completed.
Yes, I know it totally clashes with my blue walls, but that is my NEXT project.
To be continued...Yes, I know it totally clashes with my blue walls, but that is my NEXT project.
February 16, 2011
Ow!
I just had to share a funny story about Lindy. These are the things I want to remember. Today I was using the bathroom and Lindy crawled in and came up to me. She saw my pump site in my thigh, grabbed it, and pulled. I wasn't expecting it so I yelled, "Ow!" She then grabbed it again and said, "Ow!" She did this numerous times until I could finish my business & get my pants up & my site covered. I swear, the girl grows more arms while I'm trying to restrain her two! It hurt, but it was so funny that I couldn't be angry. Babies really are like sponges. Good thing all I said was "ow!" :)
February 15, 2011
Chocolate
Miranda, being the bestest best friend that she is, got me some gluten free chocolate dipped wafer cookies this week. Not thinking, I left them on the floor in the living room when I went to...do something around the house. Lindy found them & figure out how to pull them out. She obviously enjoyed them.
I love the "Mommy, I didn't eat your chocolate" face. Once again, I couldn't be mad. All I could do was laugh.
I love the "Mommy, I didn't eat your chocolate" face. Once again, I couldn't be mad. All I could do was laugh.
February 6, 2011
Scalped!
As we were getting ready to leave Colorado, I told Allan that I was going to to upstairs and get a wet washcloth to get the bow out of Lindy's hair. (I stick it in with Elmer's glue. All you need is H2O to get it out.) Allan decided that using the "band-aid method" would be much faster. Lindy looked totally shocked for about 2 seconds and then started screaming. Looking at the picture below, I don't blame her.
At first I was totally horrified. Then on the way home, when I was texting my mom about it, I couldn't stop laughing. I literally laughed until I cried. Allan scalped Lindy. See?
Can you tell where the bow was? HAHAHA!
At first I was totally horrified. Then on the way home, when I was texting my mom about it, I couldn't stop laughing. I literally laughed until I cried. Allan scalped Lindy. See?
Can you tell where the bow was? HAHAHA!Trip to Colorado
At the end of January, we went out to Colorado Springs to surprise Mike & Megan. We called Meg's dad beforehand to see if they'd be around. We were a bit nervous that the secret would be let out, but they were definitely surprised!
We had so much fun! Allan and Mike played video games all week long. Allan was in heaven. Meg and I made lots of new hair bows for Lindy (see next post about one of them) and talked about how we need to live closer together so we can be crafting buddies. We also went to Meg's brother's and sister's basketball games (Mike is the asst. coach for her brother's HS team so that was even better) and played Ticket to Ride and Bohnanza (we just had to teach them!) over and over. In all the times we played, I think I only lost once, maybe twice. It was awesome! And of course, I had to do some coupon shopping out there since they doubled the value of coupons. I scored some AWESOME deals!
Lindy was SO good for the whole trip, even the long drives. We're really lucky. She loved everyone and was very social. It was a nice break for me because everyone loved her and took her so I didn't have to for the most part.
And of course, Allan and I just had to go dancing out in Denver. It was so great! We got to see our wonderful friend, Nate. We miss him so much. And Denver dancing is fantastic. I think my favorite part was when I was dancing with a guy who was really good and we were having a fantastic dance and I was feeling all cool...then my knee gave out (happens all the time - stupid joints) and I totally fell on my butt. Yeah, not so cool after that. Talk about a lesson in humility! LOL! All I could do was laugh.
We ended up staying for almost 1 1/2 weeks. It wasn't our intention, but a big storm hit. Sadly, when we left, we ended up driving in it anyway. What is normally about an 8-9 hour drive was a 13 hour drive. But we made it home safely and were happy to be able to spend so much time with them.
We played so much and had so much fun that I completely forgot to take pictures. Hey Meg, will you send me whatever pictures your family took on your phones? :)
We had so much fun! Allan and Mike played video games all week long. Allan was in heaven. Meg and I made lots of new hair bows for Lindy (see next post about one of them) and talked about how we need to live closer together so we can be crafting buddies. We also went to Meg's brother's and sister's basketball games (Mike is the asst. coach for her brother's HS team so that was even better) and played Ticket to Ride and Bohnanza (we just had to teach them!) over and over. In all the times we played, I think I only lost once, maybe twice. It was awesome! And of course, I had to do some coupon shopping out there since they doubled the value of coupons. I scored some AWESOME deals!
Lindy was SO good for the whole trip, even the long drives. We're really lucky. She loved everyone and was very social. It was a nice break for me because everyone loved her and took her so I didn't have to for the most part.
And of course, Allan and I just had to go dancing out in Denver. It was so great! We got to see our wonderful friend, Nate. We miss him so much. And Denver dancing is fantastic. I think my favorite part was when I was dancing with a guy who was really good and we were having a fantastic dance and I was feeling all cool...then my knee gave out (happens all the time - stupid joints) and I totally fell on my butt. Yeah, not so cool after that. Talk about a lesson in humility! LOL! All I could do was laugh.
We ended up staying for almost 1 1/2 weeks. It wasn't our intention, but a big storm hit. Sadly, when we left, we ended up driving in it anyway. What is normally about an 8-9 hour drive was a 13 hour drive. But we made it home safely and were happy to be able to spend so much time with them.
We played so much and had so much fun that I completely forgot to take pictures. Hey Meg, will you send me whatever pictures your family took on your phones? :)
January 16, 2011
Lindy's 1st Birthday
**I've been waiting to post this until I had all my pictures loaded. Sadly, all the pictures on my camera were somehow wiped out. I have no pictures or videos of Lindy's first birthday. I'm devastated. Tears have been shed over it. If any of you readers have some, please, please, please send them to me.
Lindy's first birthday was so much fun! We only invited family over so it was fairly small, but still a blast. It was rubber duck themed since Lindy LOVES rubber ducks. Chelsea and Jackson went to town with the decorating and my mom got some darling duck balloons. I had no idea they were going to do all that, it was awsome!
We did a potato bar for the adults and then watched Lindy tear into her cake. I made two - one for Lindy to destroy and one for everyone to eat. She was a little bit hesitant at first, but after Allan took her hand and smashed it into the cake, she was good to go. She did exactly what I hoped she would- mutilate it and get it everywhere. It was all over her hands, legs, torso, feet and hair. Fantastic!
I decided to play around with fondant for the cake for everybody to eat. I'm really excited about how it turned out. Not too bad for my first, eh? The ducks are the only thing that isn't edible. I got real ones for Lindy to play with after.
It actually tasted really good. Usually fondant is not so great, but this stuff was. Woo hoo!
Lindy then opened presents. It was fun to watch. She was actually more interested in the presents than the wrapping paper. I've heard that's rare. :) She got some clothes and lots of new toys.
Lindy's first birthday was so much fun! We only invited family over so it was fairly small, but still a blast. It was rubber duck themed since Lindy LOVES rubber ducks. Chelsea and Jackson went to town with the decorating and my mom got some darling duck balloons. I had no idea they were going to do all that, it was awsome!
We did a potato bar for the adults and then watched Lindy tear into her cake. I made two - one for Lindy to destroy and one for everyone to eat. She was a little bit hesitant at first, but after Allan took her hand and smashed it into the cake, she was good to go. She did exactly what I hoped she would- mutilate it and get it everywhere. It was all over her hands, legs, torso, feet and hair. Fantastic!
I decided to play around with fondant for the cake for everybody to eat. I'm really excited about how it turned out. Not too bad for my first, eh? The ducks are the only thing that isn't edible. I got real ones for Lindy to play with after.
It actually tasted really good. Usually fondant is not so great, but this stuff was. Woo hoo!
Lindy then opened presents. It was fun to watch. She was actually more interested in the presents than the wrapping paper. I've heard that's rare. :) She got some clothes and lots of new toys.
December 31, 2010
HUGE Savings
Have I mentioned how much I love couponing? I do! I love the thrill of getting a killer deal on stuff. And tonight, I totally scored. I went to WalMart and price matched other ads and then used my coupons. Because I knew I was going to make out like a bandit, I went around WalMart and wrote down their prices for everything I got so I could see just how much I saved. I'm a nerd, I know. Everything in the picture below (all pictures were erased from camera) would've been about $223. After the price matching it was $170. After coupons.....$22!! Granted, I had to pay $11 in sales tax (for the original $170) but it was so awesome!
4 Puffs plus lotion: FREE!
4 Puffs plus lotion: FREE!
4 Vicks DayQuil/NyQuil: FREE
4 Vicks VapoSprays: FREE
4 Crest Pro-Health Mouthwashes: FREE
10 Nivea Lip Gloss/Chapsticks: FREE
18 Tide Single Loads: FREE
18 Pantene shampoos/conditioners/gels/hairsprays/creme $.75 ea
2 Old Spice Body Sprays: $1.25 ea
2 Colgate toothbrushes: $.49 ea
6 Gillette Proglide razors: $.97 ea! (Normally $9 ea)
4 boxes of Fruity Pebbles $.88 eaOk, I confess, it should've been a little bit more, but the coupons weren't going through so they ended up entering them all by hand and I think they entered a few more than they should've. I haven't officially gone over it yet. I'm still enjoying my high of saving over $200! Woot!
Christmas 2010
This Christmas was a lot of fun for us. I think it was mainly because it was Lindy's first Christmas. I thought she'd be far more interested in the wrapping and tissue paper than her own gifts but that wasn't the case. She loved her gifts. It was so fun to watch her play with them. Santa brought her a full lenth mirror for her room. There's one at my parents' house that she loves and always goes straight for so she needed one for her own room. She also got a monster bowling set from us. I figured she can play with the textures for now and when she gets older she can actually bowl with it. She also got new binkies, puffs to eat and some Hot Wheels cars. She really enjoys pushing them around the kitchen. She was happy all day. It was great!
I think this was my best Christmas ever because not only did I get to celebrate Lindy's first Christmas but got the best gift in the entire world! Allan got me a piano. A real piano! It's beautiful! I've wanted one for so long. I would've loved to have forgone a bed for a piano when we got married but Allan wouldn't have it. I cried when I saw it. I also cried everytime I thought about it and tried to tell people what Allan got me. I'm now past the tears so I can blog about it. Apparently Allan's cousins bought a new grand and so they gave this one to us. How nice is that?! I'm so excited to get it moved to my house (it's currently in my parents' garage) so I can play.
December 20, 2010
Our Crazy Christmas Season
December rushed in and now it's almost over. I can't believe how quickly time flies! It has truly been a month of great trials and great blessings.
It started with lots of studying for finals. Allan is finally done with school for this semester and is so grateful for the break. He did very, very well in 2 of his classes and well, we'll wait and see about the last one. But hey, it's over!..until January.
Last week I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). It's a form of arthritis that affects your knees, shoulders, heels, pelvis, spine and others and causes random tender spots around your body. The main symptoms are chronic stiffness and pain and fatigue. This is my 4th chronic disease. I'm getting quite the collection here. Haha. This one wasn't a devastation though because I've had symptoms for over 10 years. It just hasn't been advanced enough to be picked up by x-rays and MRIs (they look for sclerosis in the pelvis as the main sign) until now. It's just nice to not be told "We don't know why you hurt. You just do." because that's what I've been told for the last 10 years. At least now that there's a diagnosis they can do things to help me. So it's actually kind of a relief to finally have the official diagnosis.
My singing group, Voices, started to perform and we had 24 performances in just 2 weeks, not including the 6 Christmasgrams we did in just one day. It was a blast, but very tiring. I'm so happy to have a whole week off. We perform at the North Visitors Center at Temple Square on Thursday and then have one last performance just for family and friends on the 26th and then are done...until we start practicing for our singing Valentines in January. :)
I'm amazed I made it to every performance because like I said, a huge part of AS is fatigue. I was truly being sustained by the Lord. In fact, the day after our crazy 2 weeks, I crashed pretty hard. I didn't get out of bed much for about 2 days. Luckily though, I didn't actually get sick. It was a HUGE blessing.
Our last trial was that Allan lost his job last week. Needless to say, we are pretty stressed. It's also been a great blessing because it's truly brought Allan and I closer together and closer to the Lord. We've felt a constant feeling of peace both with each other and in general. It's so nice! But if anyone knows of job openings, please let us know! We so appreciate everyone's prayers.
I'm hoping to post a Christmas card on our blog soon as we just didn't have the time nor energy to get them made and mailed out to people. In the meantime, happy holidays to all!
November 17, 2010
Downtown Stomp
As many of you know, Allan and I have been helping to run the local dance scene here for a while. It is with great sadness that I tell you that Downtown Stomp has had it's last dance. I'm truly devastated about it. I have LOVED being a part of this. But between work, school and families, it just got to be too much for all of us to do. So we had one last big event to end with a bang. And what a bang it was! Tons and tons of people came for the "Shark Attack" workshop with Shauna and Mark (hence, Shark) from Denver and we had five teams compete at the dance. It was awesome! What's even more awesome is that the Salt Lake Jitterbugs, Allan's team, won the competition! I tried to upload the video but it's just not working. I think it's too big. You can watch it on my Facebook page though. Good job, Jitterbugs!
November 15, 2010
First Word
Lindy said her first word last Friday (Oct. 12)! She threw her hands up in the air and said, "Ta-da!" It was so dang cute! She's been clapping for a little while now and recently started throwing her hands up in the air after she would do it (I have no idea where she learned that) so I started saying "Ta-da" when she would. On Friday she mimicked it. She did it over and over and over. Luckily my mom and dad got to see her do it. She's such a ham.
Sadly, she hasn't done it since. She doesn't even raise her arms up anymore. I do it to try to get her to and she just stares at me, although she has started shaking her head. The little punk. I'm hoping I can get her to do it again one of these days so that I can video it and post it.
Sadly, she hasn't done it since. She doesn't even raise her arms up anymore. I do it to try to get her to and she just stares at me, although she has started shaking her head. The little punk. I'm hoping I can get her to do it again one of these days so that I can video it and post it.
November 5, 2010
Trafalga
This week Liz asked me if I wanted to take the kids on a play date to Trafalga. I most definitely did so we packed them all up and went. It was a blast! I got to ride the roller coaster with Benjamin and was even able to take Lindy on the carousel. She just looked confused at first and then decided she loved it. She was squealing with delight!
Sadly, Allan's abuela (grandma) died this week and so he decided that he was too sad to work (after finding out we were all at Trafalga) and left and met us there. I was happy to have him. We started all the rides over again when he got there. It's amazing how much playing at Trafalga helped him feel better. ;)
We were literally the only people there so a worker was assigned to us and just followed us around to do whatever rides we wanted. Luckily, we had a manager who was totally laid back and let the adults go on some of the rides they shouldn't have. It was so funny to watch Allan try to squeeze into the little airplanes. I thought the thing might break. Once again, I wish I had pictures!
This manager also let us take Lindy on the lighthouse ride, which is a little kid version of The Rocket at Lagoon. I couldn't believe he let us! She really enjoyed it though. The one she liked the most was the boat ride. It's just like Tidal Wave at Lagoon, only smaller, once again. Lindy would go crazy when we'd get to the top and start going back down. It was so fun to watch! She's such a little thrill seeker. I can't wait for next summer when she'll be a little bigger and able to do all the rides.
Sadly, Allan's abuela (grandma) died this week and so he decided that he was too sad to work (after finding out we were all at Trafalga) and left and met us there. I was happy to have him. We started all the rides over again when he got there. It's amazing how much playing at Trafalga helped him feel better. ;)
We were literally the only people there so a worker was assigned to us and just followed us around to do whatever rides we wanted. Luckily, we had a manager who was totally laid back and let the adults go on some of the rides they shouldn't have. It was so funny to watch Allan try to squeeze into the little airplanes. I thought the thing might break. Once again, I wish I had pictures!
This manager also let us take Lindy on the lighthouse ride, which is a little kid version of The Rocket at Lagoon. I couldn't believe he let us! She really enjoyed it though. The one she liked the most was the boat ride. It's just like Tidal Wave at Lagoon, only smaller, once again. Lindy would go crazy when we'd get to the top and start going back down. It was so fun to watch! She's such a little thrill seeker. I can't wait for next summer when she'll be a little bigger and able to do all the rides.
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