shoe fettish

so, at Costco they have this huge box of Disney Princess shoes. i'm sure they're for the Christmas buying season and all, but i just couldn't resist a girl who loves shoes this much!


she carries them like this most of the time, until i make her wear real shoes and then they go in a Princess backpack so she can still wear them. she's a girl obsessed.

if i never clean up anymore vomit it will be too soon! my poor poor children had the stomach flu last week. it started with Maddie, no infant should ever have to be sick, it is too sad. then Anna got in on the act, it was too hard to deny her cries for food so even though she couldn't hold anything down, i fed her. so there were many clean ups. then Jason and I were hit. i had to tell him he was on his own. i did not have time for 3 sick children.

i made a sick bed for Anna, and i think she understood the concept of staying on it. however everytime she had to throw up, she wanted to cuddle, and that's when the magic happened. good thing we have a carpet cleaner! incidentally, i threw this towel away rather than attempt washing the banana chunks that ended up on it.

you can see it in Anna's puffy red eyes, she did not "feel so good."

big helper

Anna has been my big helper ever since Madeline was born, always wanting to so what Mommy is doing. she is so sweet to her sister. whenever anyone asks me, "how has Anna been with the baby?" all i can say is, "terrific!" i am so blessed to have 2 daughters who love each other as much as i love them. now, if only i could get her to change diapers!

o remember, remember

i was really struck by President Eyring's talk last Sunday morning. he told how he kept a journal for his children chronicling the ways their family saw the hand of God each day. i have thought of this blog as sort of a journal, and yet it's not every day i sit to count my blessings, and i have so many. i think i will follow President Eyring's example and compile a gratitude journal so my children can see how blessed our family has been. today, it will read, "Our neighborhood gathered for yet another impromptu playdate in the cul de sac. Each time we do, Anna learns to come out of her shell that much more. And I have the opportunity to learn and share with some of the most outstanding women I have ever met. Each of our neighbors inspires me to be a better person. We are blessed to live where we do."

working on it

so, it's been close to a year in the making, but i am half way through with Anna's new bedding. i still need to quilt and bind the quilt and do some pillows. i had grand plans for a big bolster/bumper for her daybed, but i'm quickly re-evaluating my time and frankly my talents. i keep pushing this aside for other, more fun projects like some Halloween decor and costumes, and still haven't finished some of the window treatments for the house. can you say too many ongoing projects? oh well, so since my quilting skills were VERY limited and i had blindly worked my way through several baby quilts with various problems, i decided to hone my skills via books from my neighborhood library. i think they helped. after several test quilt sandwiched, i decided to quilt outlining the flowers i apliqued on some of the squares. there are 18, after 2 1/2, my machine started getting clunky and eating thread. i am told it needs to be serviced. so, i am once again on hold. maybe someday i'll actually finish this thing!

ps: thanks to Tonya for introducing me to Amy Butler fabrics, and to Joanna for helping me track down the last one i needed, needing meaning obsessed over as the only fabric possible for competing my quilt!

what is it about golf?

for the record, i hate golf. i'm not good at it, and i don't find it enjoyable enough to try to get better. last Christmas my dad introduced Jason to the full game of golf. up until that time he had only hit balls at a driving range. the results, he finds any excuse to go golfing, has bought golf specific clothing, and practices in the backyard as often as possible. i don't get it. but Anna apparently does. she loves it all! golf may be lost on me, but it's good for some daddy-daughter time in the backyard.

the weirdest thing...

so, many of you know that our family made it's 7th move in 5 years over this summer. kind of a big deal, but we really wanted to do it. see, when we moved to Az 2.5 years ago, we thought we were building a dream house in a place called Verrado. in the mean time, we moved into another house in Gilbert. there we lived on a magical street full of fun and interesting people who became like a family to us. once we moved into the "dream home" we realized we were already living the dream back in Gilbert. a year and half, and 3 jobs later - we are back and loving it! now for the weirdest thing: this week, i drove through Verrado on my way to CA and was astonished to discover a well of emotion hidden deep in the recesses of my heart. i felt really sad as i drove around the tree-lined streets remembering Anna's first steps, countless family walks, and going into labor with Maddie. as much as i couldn't wait to leave, i truly did enjoy living there. it is a breathtaking town and our house was more like a mansion. but in the end, it's the people that really make life grand! so, goodbye Verrado, i guess i will miss you more than i knew.