The Millar Memoir

26 Weeks

2012-01-26T12:17:00.005-05:00

Museum Schmoseum

2012-01-16T19:34:00.000-05:00

We spent some holiday time today at the Boston Museum of Science! As residents we can get free passes from our library. We were saving up a museum for a cold holiday, so today was perfect. So much to see and so little time; we are definitely coming back!

Wingtip Saddles

2012-01-12T07:04:00.004-05:00

I was thinking about all the things I want to get done before the newbie comes, seeing as most of my friends with two children say not to have any big expectations or plans of getting anything done for the first couple months. Since I'm not making a blessing dress out of my wedding dress, and the blessing tuxedo is already made, I wanted to make this little one some wingtip saddle shoes like Daddy's shoes on our wedding day!

I felt so smart cutting up a pair of $1 shoelaces and finding the ivory scraps from the tux. (The inside soles might be a polka-dot print :)

They're so tiny! I feel like with every pair of baby shoes I make, its a rush to get the pictures taken before the boy busts out of the shoes. Another reason I need a regular-sized boy.

15 Months

2012-01-11T16:11:00.002-05:00

...is so close to nursury-age! It looks like we'll get to drop Link-Link off in nursury and be child-free for a couple hours of church for a maybe two weeks, at best, before we add another little guy to the picture! Lincoln is a hand-full, but so much fun!

Crawling and pushing chairs are the prefered mode of transportation around here. I think he could totally walk if he wanted to, but its just a confidence issue.

This little guy warms my heart! He gets comments that he has a 'cartoon happy' look to him, and that he is every bit just like his daddy. I think Lincoln's hair is just about the exact color and texture of Jason's. He's a great shopping buddy, listener, and pasta-eater. He's into taking things apart to find the batteries, and will finally sit through a book without grabbing it out of our hands. We haven't gotten any words out of him besides "dada", and unless he steps it up before his 15-month appt., he's gonna get signed up for speech early intervention! "Why speak when Mom already interprets everything I grunt about?"

Only when I'm watching him very closely does he get to play with the money jar. Oh the fascination with tiny shiny objects. Or maybe he just wants to be like Dad who gets to play with money all day too :).

Introducing...

2012-01-09T12:02:00.001-05:00

Our dear bird Edna Mode had a rough Thanksgiving. Did I mention she had this dangerous habit of squeezing her head through her cage bars? Well, I guess she was a little too lonely for the two days she was left with our friends, squeezed out of her cage, probably couldn't get back in, and...Edna is no longer with us. Rest in peace, you silly bird.

Saturday we field-tripped to the pet store!

After a long look-over, we picked the youngest and prettiest one!

Isn't she lovely? Jason thinks its a boy and should be named Studebaker, Sparky, or Stu. I'm deciding that she will be a girl because I need a female friend in this very-male household. And so I'd like to introduce, in honor of the pageant broadcast this Saturday, there she is, "Miss America"! After working with her just over the weekend, she'll already sit on our fingers and let us stroke her. She has a beautiful tweet and I feel so cool having a pageant girl as a friend!

Hair Fluff Tutorial

2012-01-07T16:02:00.000-05:00

For Christmas gifts, I made all the girls a headband accessory, a design that I made up and like to call a "hair fluff". To start, for each hairpiece, cut out one big circle, maybe 18" in diameter, and one small felt circle, maybe 3" in diameter, or however large you want the accessory to turn out.

Pinch some fabric out of the center of the large piece, twist it, then place the felt behind it and secure with a needle and thread.

Keep grabbing, twisting, and securing every centimeter or so, placing them close or far apart, depending on the look you want.

I tried to continue pinching/sewing as I went around in a circle. When it looks full enough to you and circular in shape, flip it over and trim off the excess fabric, leaving an inch or so beyond the felt.

Bring the raw edges over and secure down with hand stitches. You'll have to gather it a little because of all the excess.

The first one took me roughly 40 min. from start to finish, but the next ones went MUCH faster. Just put on a movie and pull out some scraps!

Hand-sew (or hot glue) ribbon and clips to the back. I sewed on the fluffs in a slightly off-center place so that they would lie on the side of one's head and still have an even amount of ribbon in the back for a bow.

Ta da! I kept the pink one for myself because I wondered if it looked too much like brains spilling out.

How I Knew I was Having a Boy

2012-01-06T07:53:00.001-05:00

About 25 years ago, three sisters all had baby girls.

Camille, Carrie, and Erin became very good friends.

So when Carrie and Erin got married and had baby boys, I knew what was coming!

Carrie has already had her 2nd boy, Erin's 2nd boy is due in February,

and our 2nd boy is due in May!

(And heads up: Carrie is pregnant with her 3rd: a girl!)

Its all Fun and Games

2012-01-05T09:39:00.001-05:00

And then the games really began. We ate and played and teased and ate and played.

We all got to be there for Evan's Eagle Court of Honor! Good job little brother!

Lincoln started Christmas morning with a bad fever and slept most of the day. We soon noticed he had atleast SIX teeth coming in all at once! With this on top of a cough and runny nose, he was pretty miserable. I took him to the doctor yesterday and turns out he also has possible thrush and TWO ear infections. What a rotten way to spend vacation! Get better soon, Link Link!

My mom took all the girls to go get pedicures and frozen yogurt! (I picked sparkly Barbie pink) Oh what fun to have more girls in the house!

Jason and I were in charge of New Years games, so we pulled out some Newlywed Game questions, and it was surprisingly a very even match between all four couples, regardless of being married 26 years or having dated less than 3 months!

Young's Dairy for ice cream and ~~hitting~~ petting the cows. We'll work on that.

Hiking through Clifton Gorge

Travis & Kelli,

Braden & Julia,

sittin in a tree, k...i...

Happy New Years!!

21 Weeks

2012-01-04T09:25:00.002-05:00

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

2012-01-03T16:55:00.002-05:00

We added my little family's stockings and our two Christmas guests, Kelli & Julia! Everyone was quick to point out how unfair that I had two stockings, but technically I am two people right now, so I thought it was totally fair.

Since my mom had to work on Christmas Eve, we moved everything back a day. Sunday was our Eve, and Monday was our holiday. Sneaky, huh.

Holly berry fingernails!

Traditional Nativity

Mary and Joseph with Toddler Jesus

"Help!"

Christmas Eve animal pajamas!

Stocking treasures: "Santa" filled mine with a coincidentally large number of dental products. Perhaps he heard about my last dentist visit.

Kelli & Julia flew in Christmas Eve around midnight and got to join in on the Hancock fun over the next week. More to come!

A Christmas Card

2011-12-20T15:38:00.003-05:00

Apologies to those we forgot to send a card to! Here's the gig if you missed it!

Happy Holidays! We're off to OHIO!

The Stockings Were Hung

2011-12-13T09:45:00.001-05:00

I've always loved my family's magical stockings, especially how they are each different and have our names cross-stitched on them. I love how proudly they are displayed all month and how we all love our own stocking so much. I've been wanted to make our own family a nice set for quite awhile, but I wanted to do them all at once so all the fabric could coordinate.

(Here I was a month older than Lincoln at Christmastime)

Though I don't have all seven made (because we're having 5 kids, did you know?), I have baby #2's started and I atleast have the fat quarters set out for each upcoming stocking, and all the batting, backing, and trims cut and ready. I didn't realize coordination was so important to me until this project!

I tried to make Dad's look like a dress shirt cuff on top, and no polka dots!

Thanks Diana for showing me how to make yarn pom poms! Though I may trim these down a little smaller; they also turned out a little wild, like my wreath.

Lincoln loves to shake his stocking and let the jingle bells ring!

Santa Baby

2011-12-12T12:10:00.002-05:00

We had a fun ward Christmas party on Saturday! Lincoln was having a grand time roaming around the gym as we kept an eye on him during some caroling. When Santa walked in, me and Jason were deciding who would stand in line with Lincoln and who would take pictures, when we realized we couldn't find him! He had crawled right over to Santa and was the first little kid sitting on his lap. Not afraid of Santa this year!

Look similar to last year's picture?

A Boring Day Among Crazy Days

2011-12-09T13:16:00.003-05:00

By being at the mercy of clientele, my work is inherently cyclical in nature, and depends almost completely on what time of the year it is. Most clients will hold quarterly Investment Committee meetings a month or so after a quarter ends. In the month leading up to these meetings, I can work some crazy long hours, though maybe not as much as others who may fall under the umbrella of the "Finance Industry", sometimes upwards of 70+ hours a week. At other times, I can be working the bare minimum of 40 hours a week, leaving work at the earliest allowable time of 6:00. This week has been one of those times. We've already been through the crazy meeting season, and nearly all of my clients are nearly finished winding things up for the holiday break.

Hence I texted Camille and she suggested I do the unthinkable. She suggested I *GASP* write a blog post. I thought "Why not?" So this is me trying to figure out what to write about. I suggested maybe I should write about why I want to get a puppy. I guess it's not really worth addressing the many positive aspects of having a puppy in the household, since Camille has made it clear that she'd rather raise children :(.

So that brings me to write about the topic that runs my life. Finance, economics and financial markets. Most people can stop reading now, as this may be boring to some, but hey, I've got some free time right now.

The Financial Industry seems to be in the Limelight right now. Some of the things that come to mind are Occupy X (replace X with just about any major city), the European financial crisis, numerous corporate scandals, and market volatility.

I've been thinking money lately (come on, that's all I ever do; it's my job). Why do we care so much about money? Some of the obvious reasons come to mind: We need money to purchase the things that we need to survive, to pay for the dwellings in which we live, purchase things to enrich our lives, prepare for retirement, etc. Money is the medium of exchange that everyone uses so that we don't have to try to barter goods and services (i.e. I'll trade my goat for ten gallons of milk...). Why does money work? Historically, the United States and other countries functioned under the Gold Standard, but this came to an end in 1933 when FDR outlawed the private ownership of gold. Our money is now what is called fiat money, or currency that is issued by a government.

Now that our currency has virtually no intrinsic value, other than that the U.S. Government decrees it so, why do we still exchange it for goods and services? You can't do anything with it other than hold it in your wallet. A chicken has value because it provides eggs which can be consumed for nourishment. A home has value because it satisfies the basic need of shelter. Why then do we assign a value to a piece of paper, which inherently does nothing to satisfy our basic needs or desires, other than to hoard it and have more than the guy next door?

Well, I would argue the question, why in the first place did we assign any monetary value to gold or silver or other precious metals (or cows? Johnny Lingo anyone?)? Gold gives you nothing. It doesn't pay you back. You don't earn interest. You can't do anything with it other than wear it as jewelry. The only quality that I can see that is desirable is the pretty yellow color.

Here's how I perceive it. Some goofy guy named Urg back in the stone age found a shiny yellow rock and said, "Hey, this rock is pretty! I bet I can make Furg give me his sweet stone axe for it". The deal was struck, and Urg now has an awesome stone ax to go chop wood. Furg now has a shiny yellow rock, but has no stone axe in which to chop wood for a fire. Furg approaches Turg, a renown professional wood chopping neanderthal, and asks him if he would chop him up one tree in exchange for 1/2 of his shiny yellow rock. Turg agrees and proceeds to chop down said tree for Furg.

And thus a currency is born. The value of a currency comes from the fact that each of us perceive it as something that the next man will accept in exchange for goods and services. Though our paper currency has no intrinsic value, (it's just paper) we have faith that the next man will accept it in exchange. This makes our economic system much more efficient. Furg, Urg, and Turg, now how an equally exchangeable object in which they can use to trade, rather than trying to barter services for goods or vice versa in which the previously undefined values could be quite arbitrarily idiosyncratic among parties. If not, Urg who owns a pet woolly mammoth but nothing else, would have to find something to trade with Furg for his axe. Maybe chop off a tusk or something. That begs the question, well, how much would Urg part of his woolly mammoth in exchange for said axe, and how much would Furg demand as payment to compensate him for the loss of his axe?

Money is such an incredible concept.

Ok, I've used up way too much time on this and I've realized that this isn't exactly what I had in mind when I started, but hey, I had some free time. Kudos to those still reading. Maybe I'll write another, as I have a few other topics I feel would be interesting to rant about. Cheers.

Upon the Highest Bough

2011-12-08T14:06:00.001-05:00

The Cambridge 1st has been putting on this Christmas Wreathmaking activity for over 50 years!

My good friend Kristen is due only TWO weeks after me! With her second as well, can you believe it? I told her to stick out her belly as far as she can. No comparison.

My wreath really turned into an animal of boughs! I kind of like its jungleness.

Its the Climb

2011-12-06T15:47:00.001-05:00

Ahhh, he climbs now! Lincoln is still not a walker, but he gets around just fine with his cruising and climbing. I've had to move my window stickers higher and higher up the window as he has found taller things to push to the window and stand on. Great. I just know he'll be jumping off the table one of these days.

18 Weeks

2011-12-05T07:53:00.001-05:00

Turkey Lurkey

2011-12-04T21:04:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We loved having a whole week off to spend with friends and family, and I loved having a whole week with my husband!

The flights were cheaper by flying into SLC so we carpooled with Marc & Diana up to Idaho. We were able to visit my Hancock grandparents in North Ogden on the way up! (Lincoln is their favorite great-grandchild).

A weekend of wonderful meals and a spectacular Thanksgiving dinner, thanks Mom!

Lincoln loved playing with his cousins (here with Adie) and all the new toys in Grandma's super cool playroom in the basement! Because he learned how to go up and down stairs on our industrially-carpeted steep and narrow stairs, grandma's were a breeze. He could slide down them pretty fast!

And Marc & Diana's dog, Marley, was a big hit with the kids!

Marc with baby Parker, Brett with Chase, and Jason with Lincoln. With our newbie, there will be FIVE Millar grandsons all in a row!

Our very typical evening activity: playing Mexican Train while eating Christmas candy aaaallll night long! A few of us went out for some Black Friday shopping, and I almost fainted standing in one of the lines for too long. Don't be alarmed people, I'm just preggo.

Baby Parker's blessing was on Sunday, and I was so honored he wore the houndstooth baby shoes I made him! From left to right: Sabrina's dad and mom, Sabrina and Brett & kids, Diana and Marc, us, and Mom. Pardon my unflattering but oh-so-comfortable maternity dress.

On Monday, we got a rental car and visited Provo for the day! We hit up a few of our favorites, namely Cafe Rio, In n Out, and Kneaders, got our wedding rings cleaned, visited Jason's old roommate and friend Will & family, and drove by our old house.

That night we had a Hancock FHE with my THREE BYU brothers (and their girlfriends!) Travis's Kelli and Braden's Julia are both coming to Ohio for Christmas! Its about time we had a little more female influence in our male-dominated household!

We figured out a way of giving Link a bottle, then quickly flipping him onto his belly to fall asleep on our laps. It worked for a few hours. We had some long flights and after several delays on our way back, we got home around 4:30am, which was interestingly almost exactly the time we left the house exactly a week earlier. In all, a happy holiday!

The Big Three

2011-11-30T14:21:00.001-05:00

Happy 3rd wedding anniversary to us last week! Amazing how 3 years feels like forever and nothing at the same time (both in good ways).

We meant to get a babysitter and do something wild and crazy, but with Jason's super busy and unpredictable schedule, we ended up getting Santarpio's (East Boston's famous pizza place) and having a candle/tree-lit picnic.

I love you so much, lovie! Here's to many many more!

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

2011-11-14T13:44:00.001-05:00

Few things make me more happy than Christmas. (I've been playing Christmas music around the house since early October). I've been trying so hard to keep my excitement at bay and to bring out only one decoration a day, since Jason is a believer in holiday equal rights and Thanksgiving hasn't really had its full month yet. However, Jason came home from work on Friday with a changed heart and said that we could put up the tree!! And NOW its the most wonderful time of the year!

Oh and I cut my hair last week! Jason likes it shorter on me, and long hair is such a hassle with a grabby baby that I was never wearing it down anymore. I told the hairstylist, "Make it short, have fun", and I love it!

We're Thankful For:

2011-11-13T21:48:00.001-05:00

A Hair Affair

2011-11-06T19:16:00.000-05:00

My scallywag:

It was just getting too long and crazy!

Especially when he would rub his food into the long strands in the back.

Giving Lincoln a bottle to chug was the perfect thing to get him to sit still.

Doesn't he look so grown up?!

I can't believe how much he looks just like Jason when its spiked!

Bombs Away

2011-11-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

Lincoln's new favorite pastime is climbing up the stairs, gathering items from all the bedrooms, and throwing them down the stairs. He's an excellent eater and wound up 95% again in height, weight, and head at his last check-up. When he's done eating, he throws everything from his tray onto the floor on his right side. Since I set the trashcan right next to his high chair, we've eliminated a lot of clean-up! He follows me everywhere and hates to be alone. He loves to play the piano, ride in the car, terrorize the bird, and could chug a gallon of whole milk every day if I let him.

Jason has had a busy week at work, coming home after 10pm, 11pm, or midnight every night. I wish I could stay up that late, but Baby #2 is an energy sucker. Good thing he has some busy weeks and some boring weeks so I don't feel like a single mom all the time. Several times a week, Jason gets to take individuals interested in working at C/A out to expensive restaurants for lunches. How do I get one of these dates?! Since he only rides the subway to and from work, he was able to go almost 3 months without renewing his expired Idaho drivers license. Jason has developed a new hobby of cultivating bonsais! He has patiently been waiting for several months for a handful of seeds to sprout and is excited to plant them soon. Bonsai trees take years to grow, and then a lifetime of cultivating!

I've been sewing a lot with all this alone time. I've recently done window seats, curtains, and reupholstered dining room chairs for a wealthy professor who lives in a high rise downtown with massive windows. I hope to get some pictures of it all next Saturday. I've also been sewing up some doll dresses, quilts for a RS activity, and tailoring for clients. I'd really just love to get around to sewing up Christmas gifts and stockings, but they keep getting pushed back. I daydream about next year's Halloween outfits, making matching suits for my boys, and how much fun we're going to have visiting our families for the holidays.

Its All About the Money

2011-10-28T12:15:00.000-04:00

Money, money, money...

13 Weeks

2011-10-27T11:33:00.002-04:00

(G)ive (M)e (A)nother (T)est

2011-10-26T21:32:00.003-04:00

The studying for the GMAT has begun! Another huge pile of study books has arrived and Jason has dived right in. The plan is to take it sometime after Christmas, in time to start studying again for the CFA in June. I'm so proud of you for studying so hard, babe! This will all be worth it someday!

A Weekend Guest

2011-10-24T14:30:00.000-04:00

My friend Natalie came to visit me for the weekend! She lives in Chicago (we shared the moving van across the country when we both moved from Provo) and has two cute kids.

We saw more of the Boston Library, watched the sailing regatta on the Charles, got Mike's pastries, bread bowls, and had a super girls night--complete with candy corn fingernails and the new Disney movie Prom :)

Thanks for a splendid weekend, dear friend!

A Boy! A Boy!

2011-10-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

Did you hear? Its a boy! Has anyone ever found out the gender of their baby at 11 weeks, 6 days? We thought finding out about Lincoln at 13 weeks was a record! I guess my boys just like to show that their boys really early!

On Thursday, we were in for a routine ultrasound to check for genetic disorders, mainly downs syndrome, and within the first 2 minutes of the ultrasound, I could totally tell :) How can it not be so obvious when he's kicking his legs apart for the camera? Still, I waited till the end of the 30 minute ultrasound (he kept wanting to lay upside-down and wouldn't flip over) to ask the doctor if she also agreed on those early boy indications, and its a pretty solid consensus. Another BOY!

I'm thrilled for Lincoln to have a buddy! When I called to tell my family, my dad said how he can just imagine those two boys running around the house with squirt guns at eachother. Its true, I can already see those two rugrats doing everything together--helping eachother reach the cookies, one being the lookout while the other climbs out the window, playing in sports together, dating the same girls, going on overlapping missions, etc. I'm going to be super soccer mom, that's for sure. So so excited. And so happy to see a healthy, happy squirmy little guy doing well. I love you, little one!

Lincoln and the Chocolate Factory

2011-10-18T14:13:00.000-04:00

Link and I met up with my friend Pam and baby Anne to tour the Taza Chocolate factory in Somerville! They make very very rich Mexican chocolate, and by the end of the tour after so many samples, we were totally chocolated-out and were dying for a drink of water.

Lincoln loved wearing a hair net!

Lucky boy, got to taste his first chocolate, and of course, loved it.

Baptism Day for the Twins

2011-10-17T13:40:00.001-04:00

My brothers, Preston (left) and Spencer (right), were baptised last month!

Preston was baptised first and Spencer was confirmed first. Apparently Spencer said he wanted to be baptised 2nd so that he could sin a little longer than Preston, silly kid.

(Notice the oreo in Spencer's hand)

Funny how these boys (who are uncles!) will probably get to know my children better than they know me. 7 years difference is a lot closer than 17.

Mom in Boston

2011-10-16T21:07:00.002-04:00

Jason's mom was able to come visit us for a week! On Friday, we got our subway passes and I took her on the Freedom Trail all around downtown. We met up with Jason for lunch at the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America, for clam chowder, corn bread, and boston baked beans. We skipped through Haymarket for some produce and, of course, brought home cannolis from Mike's Pastry. I'm determined to have tried all the flavors by the time we leave Boston.

On Saturday, we met up with Peter, Jason's cousin who also lives and works downtown, to try some apple picking at an orchard about 45 min. away. Lincoln loved chomping on the apples, and I'm excited to start baking again with everything we brought home.

On Monday, we went to see Jason's office, and stopped by our favorite sandwhich place, Al Capone's, for our favorite Philly cheese steak 20" sub. Lincoln's hand in my water as soon as I turn my head: typical.

That night we threw Lincoln's birthday party, ate cake, gave presents, and invited Peter over for some enjoyable political conversation. Tuesday, I took mom to a baby sing-a-long class at the library, then we all met at Harvard to get a legit alumni tour from Peter. That night, Jason and I got to go out on a mini-date night, then came back for a scrabble match. At the end of the week, I don't know who was more tired--me, mom, or Lincoln. I hope mom had fun! We sure enjoyed having her here! Let's do it again sometime!

First Birthday Ever!

2011-10-13T10:20:00.001-04:00

I was surprised how emotional I was about my baby growing up! Blame it on pregnancy hormones, but it was kind of sad and hard! Good thing there's another one coming so I can enjoy a tiny newborn all over again and still love watching this little man get bigger.

Its been so fun watching Lincoln grow up! His first year of life is very well documented.

Well, he didn't get much past the frosting. He licked and tasted for while, then decided he was done! His first shot at real refined sugar. Not a sweet tooth?

He actually loves this book now, I just liked his initial reaction to it! Thanks Grandma!

What a great birthday!

Surprise!

2011-10-09T21:13:00.000-04:00

The rumors are true! And we're so excited!

In Jason's words:
"Things are going well. We found out about a month ago, after Camille decided that the only thing that would keep her from doing a show at a theater here in Boston would be if she was pregnant. She randomly tested and...no more show :). We had no way of guessing what the due date was or how far along she was, so we've had two ultrasounds already. We've seen the heartbeat and everything seems good to go. The results put her at 10 weeks, due on May 4th. No gender yet, obviously. Camille's been a trooper with some good days and some bad days. Overall she says it's been manageable."

A Little Classy this Time

2011-10-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

Time for a photoshoot to showcase our little almost-one-year-old!

(Notice Lincoln's shoes match my dress! I'm just so glad they fit! I was pretty worried when they were snug when I made them a month ago. I guess that goes for the shoes and the dress, ha!)

You wouldn't know it, but it was probably the most humid day I've seen in a looong time. Maybe worse than Nauvoo summer. Thanks for taking these pictures, Dad!

I made this houndstooth dress to look like one I love on Shabby Apple ($76), but I think it cost me under $6.

Remember to still be excited when you get one of these pictures as our Christmas card this year.

...along came Mr. Alligator...

We are a happy family!

Some Enchanted Evening

2011-10-02T22:06:00.001-04:00

Jason and I had a lovely date night to South Pacific as a birthday gift from my parents! The Boston Opera House is magnificent, and the show was loverly! I had actually never seen it and didn't know the story line, but was thrilled with song after song that I knew by heart.

The cutest part was right after the bows and an audience member came on stage with a mic and proposed to his date! Ah memories.

Grease Monkey

2011-09-29T09:26:00.007-04:00

Last week I found this leather jacket at the Childrens Clothing Exchange, and I couldn't help dressing him up as the part.

I really wanted to draw an "I Love My Mommy" tattoo on his arm.

A Day with Grandpa

2011-09-25T19:40:00.000-04:00

My dad had some business in Hartford on Friday, so he took the opportunity to come visit us! It was just under 24 hours, but it was great to have him here. Saturday morning he was our photographer for some upcoming family pictures (and a Christmas card) around Harvard campus. Thanks for your help, Dad!

Happy First day of AUTUMN!!!

2011-09-21T05:56:00.008-04:00

Wait, its not on the 21st? The first day of fall is the 23rd? Weird. Well, to celebrate anyways, we already broke out the hot chocolate and I seem to only want hot bread bowls when we go out. It was a good summer. Here are some randoms from Jason's phone we never blogged about. Boston Arts Festival--Lincoln not in the mood to paint on the kids mural. Water fountains by the Prudential Center

Chinatown A panoramic view of our little pier by our houseHaymarket First Church of Christ ScientistJason had a business trip to NYC and played around in Central Park for a few hours. Lincoln's first time on a slide.

Girls Night

2011-09-18T09:41:00.004-04:00

Mormon wives of East Boston unite! Emily, me, Rachael, and Jessica. (I'm on the right. Do you love my flip flop tan lines?)

To Market To Market

2011-09-15T09:43:00.001-04:00

...to buy a fat hog.

To Haymarket, to Haymarket, to buy bags and bags of produce for the change in my pocket.

Seriously. I have fallen in love with this downtown outdoor market. Its been running Fridays and Saturdays year-round since 1830. Last weekend I spent $10 for two bags of baby carrots, five peaches, four tomatos, two boxes of raspberries, two zucchinis, two broccoli clusters, a giant bag of spinach, a bushel of six bananas, a box of strawberries and four oranges. Haymarket, you rock my weekends.

Mini Flower Boxes

2011-09-14T15:38:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I found some silverware boxes--or maybe they're desk organizers--that were the perfect size for our skinny windowsills. I drilled holes in the bottom, painted them up, and planted flowers!

And I have very low expectations for quick-sprouting flowers, as I have been disappointed from the last planting episode.

Grow, my little marigolds!

He Can Crawl! He Can Crawl! He Can Crawl!

2011-09-13T07:52:00.002-04:00

(Set to "He Can Fly! He Can Fly! He Can Fly!" from Dumbo)

Thanks for all your prayers and concern, as we all thought this day would never come. Geez, at 11 months he finally figures it out. Just kidding. Were we really worried?

After trying to allure him with keys, cheerios, even shiny pairs of scissors, what did the trick? Tiny pieces of cheese, of course. My little foodie.

Hip Hip...

2011-09-12T19:44:00.000-04:00

...Hurray 25! Thanks for all the birthday wishes and calls and cards and presents, family and friends! Here's a cake my family would appreciate: six layers of cake and chocolate peanut butter ice cream.

My Kate Middleton knock-off. Thanks Jason :) I've decided I'm in a good place for 25. I think if I had written a high school essay about 'Where will you be at age 25?", my essay would be a pretty accurate description of exactly what I have now! Bring on 75 more!

Love Me Some Cottage Cheese

2011-09-07T08:12:00.003-04:00

We can't get over this little forced chortle he does when he's eating something he likes!

Blueberry Ricotta Squares

2011-09-06T16:53:00.000-04:00

Since I recently found ricotta to be not as expensive as I imagined out here, I've been putting it in everything--salads, wraps, sandwhiches, crepes, and this recipe turned out to be a winner:

And One Personal Item

2011-09-04T19:16:00.000-04:00

I don't think its uncommon for most babies grow very attached to something like a pacifier, or a blankie, or a stuffed animal.

Should I find it odd that Lincoln is inseparable from a toothbrush?

(This is his new trick--backwards scooting over to the coffee table and pulling himself up to standing)

I can not pry it from his fingers for days at a time. He eats with it, plays with it, sucks on it, takes it on walks, takes it to church, takes it to bed and wakes up with it clenched in the same fist. Odd? I hope his (eight) teeth are getting some good brushing.

Oh, and did I mention he can rip the bristles out with his teeth!? Holy death grip, I didn't think adults could do that!

Oh Happy Day Planner

2011-09-01T18:17:00.008-04:00

Oh September! Be still my heart! I love a new school year, and a new year means a new planner! I have this stupid tradition of decorating my new agenda every year. Since it goes with me everywhere, and I am simply a wreck without it, it might as well be personal.

2004

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

2011

Wow, I am not really a painter, not at all like my mother is, but it was fun. The best part is knowing that I modge-podged six different pictures together to get the right pose to paint! Maybe I'll stick to cutting up paper. I could not get L's face right. I think I smeared off his mouth about 10 times. Here's to a happy new year!

Houndstooth Loafers

2011-08-31T12:21:00.002-04:00

Here's a little variation on the loafers I made Shark-bait a few months ago. There is a lip under the strap so they don't look like girly mary-janes, but the opening is still wide to fit a fat little foot inside. And since we have a brand new nephew in the family, he might just be getting his very own pair for Christmas this year! Lincoln and Parker are going to be great friends, I just know it. Or atleast roommates at BYU.The fabric is so blinding after working with it awhile!

Master Bedroom

2011-08-30T09:18:00.012-04:00

I woke up with this idea that I wanted to make a fabric headboard for our sad mattress sitting on the floor. I started with some eucaboard, styrofoam insulation boards, an egg crate foam pad, fabric, and a staple gun. I covered the pieces, and Jason helped me drill them into a bigger board. We nailed some 2x4s behind it for structure.And this morning I stapled a little bed skirt onto our split box springs (our regular queen box wouldn't fit up our stairs). Fancy, huh.Toll paint on a $.10 Home Depot kitchen tile, hot glued to ribbon For curtains, I ripped up an old bed sheet and found this ribbon $.10/yard. This concludes the home series because I'm not showing you our bathroom, extra-stuff bedroom, or shoe closet. Now our mothers can rest easy knowing that we're not living in an alley shack :)

Kitchen

2011-08-29T16:43:00.006-04:00

Ahh, the kitchen :) I have found that my happiness level is directly correlated to its cleanliness.I made tiny curtains so as to let in as much light as possible. Recognize the fabric? I took these pictures while Hurricane Irene was at it, but normally the sun just gleams through these trees and me and the early bird enjoy some gorgeous sunrises together. I painted this calendar from a thrift store checker board! Again, with a beautiful a/c unit. Notice the TWO mini Primary Childrens Songbooks on the piano. Twice now, I've tried to order a songbook at used bookstores online and it has arrived in mini.

The table of love.

Lincoln's Room

2011-08-28T13:00:00.005-04:00

At the top of the stairs you will find...A tiny little room... and a baby!Please excuse the ghetto a/c unit! These attic bedrooms get so hot without them at night! Just a few more weeks and we'll have our pretty window views again!

Sewing Room

2011-08-26T15:53:00.003-04:00

I understand that I may never again have this luxury of a designated sewing room, so while I have it, I will appreciate every minute! Who gets their own sewing room?! I'm so lucky!!

Living Room

2011-08-25T15:54:00.006-04:00

This begins the home series where I document our space and valuables before Hurricane Irene wipes us out this weekend :)

(Notice my flowers Jason brought home last night for being a good mom. I love him.)Jason wants to put a lazyboy in the back corner, and I tell him before you know it we'll have to pull out the baby swing again and put it right there. I love how sunny this house is, and I LOVE having a tree outside our windows to watch the seasons work their magic. Being on the 3rd floor rocks.

Mr. Immobility

Eastie Pride

2011-08-21T07:14:00.002-04:00

Our cute city of East Boston has an annual community day at the Piers Park two blocks away from us. We come for a walk out here nearly every Sunday afternoon and watch all the sailboats!

Top 15!

2011-08-18T22:14:00.004-04:00

My dress made top 15 in the Shabby Apple Dare to Design contest! I'm so thrilled!! Now all I ask is that you please please vote for my dress! You get only one vote (per computer) between now and Sept 11 (my birthday!), so choose dress #15!

Click HERE to vote! The winning design will be featured as part of the Shabby Apple spring collection, and the winner recieves a 3% royalty on every dress sold. Can you imagine?!

I Scream

2011-08-15T17:11:00.005-04:00

I had some half-and-half that needed to be used up, and I remembered a recipe for homemade ice cream that we used to make at girls camp without ice cream makers. It was definitely soupy, but delicious. As me and my grandma say, "If there's not ice cream in heaven, I'm not going".

Stone Zoo

2011-08-14T09:54:00.002-04:00

Friday was a free day at the Stone Zoo so we braved the crowds and went to go see some things. I'm sure it'll be a little more exciting to him next summer. Me and Lincoln stay busy with our little day adventures!

Mesmerized by the ducks in the pond.

Won't you Let me Take you on a Sea Cruise

2011-08-13T07:33:00.003-04:00

Oooowee, Oooowee baby, we had a most wonderful and much needed date (it goes about a month and a half between babysitter dates for us lately) on a sunset 3-hour dinner cruise! We found a great deal on Groupon and also justified it as a treat to celebrate Jason's birthday. It was perfect weather, delicious food, and I even got a slow dance out of Jason. I requested they play our wedding song (Can't Help Falling in Love), and just loved getting to flirt on the deck of a cruise boat in the sunset of Boston harbor with my man :)

Big Ten

2011-08-11T08:43:00.000-04:00

Happy Ten Months old baby! Where is the time going?!

Design for Shabby Apple

2011-08-08T17:53:00.018-04:00

My friend Jini just told me about this! There is a contest going on to design for Shabby Apple Dresses. I'm in love with SO many of their dresses, and I was just telling Jason how inspiring it is that a clothing company who sells modest dresses can do so well. I wish I had time to design and sew up something new, but since the deadline is tomorrow, I thought I'd submit my Easter dress from this last spring.My inspiration comes from just having made Carson's prom dress with the pretty sweetheart neckline, princess seams, and light blue at the waist. Sweetheart necklines are kindof out for a DD with modesty standards, so I wanted to make a dress with the same sillouette, but totally covered :). I wanted the skirt to have the feel of a cheerleader skirt to it--fitted through the hip, then flared, but mostly at the sides. From there I had to doll it up with ruffles and buttons, but not too much fluff. For fabric, I tend towards the thicker stuff lately. Both the blue and white are a heavyweight suiting cotton. I didn't want the top to be too sheer or the skirt to be too fluffy. The weight with the trim holds it down just right. The black trim is the wrong side of a costume satin, surged and sewn all around the hem and only the front of the bodice. The white dress inside has boning up the seams, a full skirt slip, and is attached to the blue dress at the side seams and exposed blue zipper. The sleeves are tiny cap sleeves with small gathers at the shoulders. There are seven panels, each flaring below the hip to keep it looking fitted but flirty. Of course, it could be done in any spring color, but I'm also always a fan of anything black/white and yellow!

Sit Down You're Rockin the Swan Boat

2011-08-06T19:59:00.009-04:00

Today we went on a Swan Boat ride in the Public Garden! I've been wanting to do this since we moved here. It was the most perfect day for it.These swan boats have been around for over 130 years and have carried famous people like Lucille Ball, Carol Channing, Will Rogers, Shirley Temple, Barbara Walters, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy! Jason didn't want to be in the picture because he had way too much fun at a work outing yesterday and got an impressive sunburn all over :)

The boats and duck island are in the famous book Make Way for Ducklings and duck statues have been made in Boston Commons. People like to dress them up in scarves or Bruins jerseys. After that, we checked out Chinatown. I was bummed to find only two wimpy fabric shops, when I was hoping there would be some sort of fabric district downtown. Wishful thinking. We ate a cute pizza shop, then tried out "Modern Pastry", which was fine, but we agreed doesn't compare to Mike's.

Ruby Baby

2011-08-05T14:41:00.007-04:00

Truth be told, I was in love with the name "Ruby" for a baby girl once upon a time, before it became hugely popular and before Jason immediately ruled it off the list. Even before I was married, I started throwing red scraps together to someday make a baby quilt for my Ruby. Since Ruby will never be, and I may not even have any girls, I found this strip and thought I'd slice it up and make hot pads for my red kitchen. Now I am not a quilter, by any means. You should browse my sister in law's blog for that one: http://www.fromthebluechair.com/ . No, my quilting skills are quite beginner, but I do see the appeal. Let me get some curtains up and pictures of the apartment are soon coming.

Castle Island

2011-08-04T14:00:00.003-04:00

Play Group yesterday was at Castle Island and Pleasure Bay, an enclosed lagoon where we watched the planes landing all morning. Lincoln loved sitting in the mini-tides and eating the sand :)

Have your Cheesecake and Eat it Too

2011-08-03T07:29:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday yesterday, lovie! 25 is gonna rock!Jason gets a cheesecake every birthday, and this year he wanted a chocolate mouse cheesecake. It turned out so rich. I think I love making these more than Jason likes eating them.

Two Ladies and a Man

2011-08-02T15:57:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Charlie! I'm making your cheesecake right now.

We made friends with two twin girls and their nanny who live on our block. We've been taking the babies to a "Lap Sit" playtime at the library every Monday. Lincoln laughs and cackles practically the whole time. He sure loves other babies and new toys!

For Better or Purse

2011-07-31T09:37:00.006-04:00

Since its been a little cooler around here the last few days, I've been able to get back into my un-airconditioned sewing room. My old wallet has been on its way out and has become a favorite chew toy around here, so I pulled out some fabric leftover from my maternity pictures and made an Etsy-worthy accessory.

I Love a Piano

2011-07-26T19:26:00.003-04:00

We bought a piano! We found a practically new Williams Williams Overture weighted 88-key keyboard on Craiglist for half price. We thought this would be a great option while we probably have a few more moves before we're really settled, and getting a real piano up our stairs was not even an option. 150 lbs was much better than 500. Its so wonderful to have a piano in our home!! I've gotten SO rusty!

Lincoln's getting a head start on his piano lessons. Little does he know how many hours he will clock on this thing.

Mike's Pastry

2011-07-24T18:51:00.004-04:00

Ok, who's been to Boston and has tried these delicious cannolis?! Definitely should be on the list of every resident and tourist. Classic. Best $3.50 piece of heaven around. My favorite part is the adorable box they tie up with string. Its easy to see several of these boxes on every subway leaving downtown.

Anyone who visits us is definitely getting a cannoli here :)

Ode to my Man

2011-07-22T13:36:00.006-04:00

The other night I had a dream that me and Jason were on a soccer team together and in the middle of a tough game. He saw that I got the ball and with his brute strength, he held back some of the other players to let me score!

I told him in the morning about my dream and he said how it was symbolic of us in real life, and I've been thinking about how true that is! Thank you, Jason, for letting me do the things I love (though soccer isn't necessarily one of them). Thank you for making it possible for me to stay at home with our baby and be the mom I've always always wanted to be. Thanks for letting me score and building me up. I love being on the same team with you!

A Beach Day

2011-07-18T09:10:00.010-04:00

We entered a sand sculpting contest! I made a turtle:And Jason made a sweet Zeus-like weather god. We didn't win, but it was still fun making them! :)

He was out before we even got him to the stroller!

Nine Months. Big.

2011-07-17T20:04:00.009-04:00

(I forgot to mention how much I love that he drools like a dog. I put him in this outfit literally 10 min before I took pictures and he was already soaked!)

Shhhh

2011-07-15T21:23:00.003-04:00

On a free Saturday, we ventured over to the Boston Public Library to make some noise and cause a disturbance among all the studying smart kids.

We threw paper wads, mixed up some books on shelves, and played on the elevators until we got kicked out.It was a great day.

Edna + Al

2011-07-12T17:12:00.008-04:00

I unpacked our last boxes yesterday (hallelujah!) and gathered all of Jason's mission journals and binders into a pile for him to go through. Among his Florida mission stuff is this nasty alligator head he calls "Al" that he used to hide around the house to scare me as I opened the microwave, the cupboard, etc. And now its Edna Mode's favorite place to perch! Oh Edna.

A Park Remark

2011-07-11T12:34:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we tried out the East Boston legendary "Santarpio's" pizza (yes, I think it might have lived up to its "Best Pizza of Boston" title) and discovered some more fabulous parks: East Boston Memorial Park and Breman Street Park. We've really been impressed with the parks around here. They are so well-kept and most have a policeman or two on duty at all times. I love how many chidren are in our city and how family friendly it is over here. I can't wait to have a boy who wants to run around! It might be awhile though--he's showing 0 interest in crawling or anything that involves mobility. No need to bother when his parents wait on him hand and foot. Lincoln tried out a swing for the first time, loved it, and is practically ready for underdogs. We sure missed Daddy while we were away last week!

Campfire Cake

2011-07-08T16:58:00.002-04:00

At our reunion last week, we got to celebrate Evan and Levi's birthdays. For Levi's cake, I made a campfire! I used two cake mixes spread out among four jelly roll pans and rolled them up in towels to cool. I gave two of the 'logs' support with biscuit wrapping to they wouldn't fall in the middle. Fork tines made the wood grain, assorted donut holes for charcoal, and twists of fruit roll ups for flames! Huzzah!

Happy Birthday Levi!

Beware the Bite

2011-07-07T10:58:00.005-04:00

Aww, look at those adorable two front teeth! Awww... But beware. When you least expect it, he may be cuddling on your shoulder and casually bite your arm. And then casually bite your other arm hard enough to make it bruise! Awww, what cute teethmarks, right? And this was from biting me through my bathrobe! Yikes!

Family Vacay - Part 3

2011-07-06T14:46:00.006-04:00

Thursday we rented a double-decker pontoon and chilled out on the water all afternoon!

As you can see, Lincoln just loved wearing his baby life jacket!

Add white water rafting on the last day, and that makes for one entertaining and exhausting vacation! Thanks mom and dad!

Family Vacay - Part 2

2011-07-06T14:34:00.004-04:00

Wednesday we spent a few hours at Sir Gooney's Fun Zone to satisfy the younger crowd. My mom did an incredible job arranging a vacation to entertain ages 7-24, plus an infant. Roommates of mine can tell you how putt-putt was my #1 least favorite date in college :) Its a lot better with your siblings! That evening we went on the Southern Belle dinner cruise! Delicious, scenic, relaxing...perfect.

Family Vacay - Part 1

2011-07-06T10:55:00.019-04:00

Last week we rented an adorable house with a pool and hot tub, close enough to Chattanooga so we could go out and see things everyday. We drove the 8 hours there on Monday, swam, ate Papa Murphy's and played games. Tuesday, we rode "America's Most Amazing Mile", up to a look out where you can see six states at once. Very steep, very cool.

Later that day we walked through some sweet caves to see Ruby Falls--America's highest underground waterfall. Link did NOT want to be held by anyone but me for the first few days and I couldn't even walk to the fridge without him freaking out. It was getting exhausting, but eventually he warmed up to his grandparents, aunt, and uncles.

4th of Jello

2011-07-05T07:06:00.003-04:00

We had a fabulous 4th, didn't you?! We met up with some friends from our old ward and put on a barbeque at the MIT housing playground, along the Charles river. The hit this year: strawberries and jello on bottom, cubed pieces of cake, then whipped cream and berries. SO easy, and one of the first things to go.Then we put baby to bed only to pull him out again at 10:30pm to see the fireworks! Turns out you can watch them from this Piers Park that is about 2 blocks walk away from us, overlooking the water with a perfect view of the lit up city. Beautiful!

Red White & Blue

2011-07-04T07:45:00.007-04:00

Me and Lincoln got to spend a week with my family at a cabin in Georgia all last week! It was simply a perfect vacation (except that Jason wasn't there), and a rare occasion to have all the family together (again, except for Jason).

This was Day 1, where a huge bout of separation anxiety was about to ensue.

Un-pictured highlights:

before and after weigh-ins

"dam" jokes every time we crossed one

push up contests

$300+ worth of junk food

'address everyone by their middle name' day

'talk with a southern accent' day

the whole family singing in church, and no one complaining about it, except my dad from the pulpit

C|A Summer Outing

2011-06-24T19:18:00.002-04:00

We went to the Cambridge Associates Summer Outing today and enjoyed the free food, entertainment, clowns, and charactures: And even though the artist gave me a man-jaw, we think he got Link exactly right.We couldn't get his balloon animal out of his mouth! (He was highly supervised) I think he loved the chewy squeaky sound it made as he chewed it up and down. His top two front teeth are in! It totally took us by surprise!

Since we were at a pier in Charlestown, we walked over to tour the U.S.S. Casin Young, a navy destroyer used until 1960. The most interesting thing to me was the kitchen and its beasty appliances :) Holy kitchenaid.

Strong Man

2011-06-23T16:00:00.007-04:00

Groupon had a sweet deal a few weeks ago: $24 for 24 days at this Womens Healthworks gym in Cambridge. I used it for the 3 1/2 weeks before we moved to East Boston and absolutely loved it. I'm trying to decide what was the best part about it: losing baby weight, getting to watch "Dancing with the Stars" live while busting it on the treadmills, or getting to use the sauna every night.

The Lincoln Smolder

Fridays they held a "Mommy & Me" class, where we could bring our non-crawling babies to the class with us. As I predicted, while all the other sweet babies sat content in their carriers watching their mommas, Lincoln wanted to be held and swung around and lifted and bounced through the whole thing. Not satisfied to sit on the mat with toys, no. He had a perpetual grin on his face during the entire (extra) strenuous workout. When we would pick up our babies for some arm work, the other moms would lift their tiny girls like loaves of bread, while I would use everything I've got to hoist my chubby baby above my head.

How many rolls can you count?! That is one well-fed baby.

What a Loafer

2011-06-17T15:29:00.004-04:00

I've had my eye out for wide and roomy baby shoes since my baby has some fat feet that won't fit into many normal baby shoes his size. He needed something cute for meeting all his relatives last week, and a few days before we left I fell in love with baby Grayden's shoes at church.My ward friend gave me her pattern for some adorable baby shoes, and I found these scraps in a 'free' bin at a fabric store in Cambridge. I love that the soles are two different patterns of gray. Best part: I made them reversible, so now he has a black pair as well!

Rock Lobster

2011-06-14T11:41:00.006-04:00

Well, we're moved! Despite being unable to fit our box spring and our couch up the stairwell, everything went great, and we had lots of help from our old and new ward. Our house is still in boxes and a huge mess--perfect time for company, right? My brother Derek and friends showed up the next day on a week-long senior year road trip. Staying with us are Tony, Duffy, Chris and Derek for a few days. A few weeks ago, I found a groupon for a Boston Lobster Tour, so Bachelors #1-4 joined us on an afternoon excursion. We learned about lobstering and got to keep the catch of the day!And they made a delicious dinner! We were going to keep them as pets in our bathtub for a few days, but the boys got hungry.

Scooper Bowl

2011-06-13T10:35:00.004-04:00

All-you-can-eat ice cream. I know, right? We went all 3 days :) With our kitchen packed up and all, it was fun to get out and meet up with Jason downtown for "lunch".(This middle picture was in the Boston Globe last Wednesday!)

We downed 52 scoops between the two of us! My favorite flavor goes to Baskin-Robbins "Gold Rush". I brought mashed carrots for Lincoln, and maybe he was tricked into thinking he was also eating ice cream, but then again, we shared the same spoon, so maybe he did.

Grandpa Jay

2011-06-10T12:48:00.011-04:00

My Grandpa Jay Richardson passed away last Monday after several years fighting Alzheimer's. First signs of it showed up in Nauvoo in 2006 when we were serving our missions together. I especially loved getting to spend one-on-one time with him that summer.

Lincoln and I were able to fly out to Mesa where my grandma got to meet Lincoln. She used to work for an airline, and was so sweet to find a buddy pass we could use, since we were coming the farthest. The porkchop was great on the plane ride there, but the 6-hour flight home was the worst. experience. ever. It was really great how so many of us could gather to honor such a great man. My grandparents have 13 children, 64 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren and though many of the little kids stayed at home, most everyone else was able to make it there.

Even Braden!! My brother made a surprise appearance just minutes before the funeral. Me and Travis hadn't seen Braden since he got back from his mission, and he hadn't met Lincoln yet. Happy reunion. We had some good late night chats about life.

After the funeral, we all drove to Virden, New Mexico, where my grandpa grew up. This was his high school, abandoned for over 50 years. We buried him next to two of his sons who died as babies, with a beautiful desert sunset behind. My grandpa was a very kind and gentle man who never raised his voice, brought up a large and righteous family, and always led by quiet example. We're all so happy that he is freed from physical pains, up in heaven doing some amazing things already. I love you grandpa!

Egg-stra Late Bloomers

2011-06-09T01:51:00.010-04:00

I had this project idea in mind to grow some flowers in egg shells and have a mini-garden for Easter. However, I drastically underestimated the time it would take for them to bloom. After eating a lot of omelets, I planted these little guys in February.By Easter, I had little sprouts, which were cute, but clearly, not flowers.Look at Jimmer grow!By April, I had some healthy looking greens... And now, in June, just as things are getting good, I have to throw all these out because we're moving in two days! Project: fail.

Ain't She Tweet

2011-06-08T09:38:00.003-04:00

Sorry there's been a desert of posts--my Grandpa passed away last week and Lincoln and I flew out for the funeral. More on that to come.

Well, I've been begging Jason for a bird for months now, and at Easter, he finally gave me permission to get one. I've been researching canaries, but this pretty young thing showed up for free on Craiglist, with a free cage, toys, food, and treats! And oh I love her! She's around 6 months old, sings when the faucet is running, and is hand tamed! She already lets us pet her!

I'm still thinking about names. In the running are "Peetwee", "Ursula", and "Edna Mode" (from Incredibles).

Mappy Demorial Hay

2011-05-30T13:26:00.002-04:00

Somerville put on a pretty impressive parade with lots of costumed reenactments and over 20 high school bands. It made me proud to have family members in the armed forces. Thanks for all you do and have done to make America great!

When Denim Goes on Sale

2011-05-26T22:08:00.005-04:00

All these lonely nights have done wonders for my Spring wardrobe.

My Little Shoplifter

2011-05-25T14:40:00.003-04:00

On three different instances in the last three days, Link has gotten out of the store with something we didn't pay for. He will sit still in his stroller as long as he has something to hold, so I give him a grocery item and totally forget to put it on the counter. To teach him the importance of honesty and how its not right to steal, I march him back to the cashier to return the item and apologize. Oh wait, I'm the one doing to apologizing :)

(Hey, thanks mom for his summer outfit!)

Sock Monkey

2011-05-20T06:58:00.003-04:00

CFA: Camille Feels Abandoned

2011-05-19T14:51:00.004-04:00

Jason has been studying for the second level of the CFA (which really stands for Chartered Financial Analyst). As wikipedia puts it, "Exams are challenging, with only 42% passing the Level I, 39% passing Level II, and 46% passing Level III exam in June 2010."

He's been so dedicated to studying for this test on June 4th, but I hardly see him anymore because he stays late at work to study until 11pm or later. We're asleep by the time he comes home, and by the time he wakes up to leave in the morning, Lincoln is usually down for his morning nap, so the two of them go days between seeing eachother!

Mark my words, in 3 weeks, we're going crazy. I already have so many plans made, babysitters lined up, Groupons bought. I take that back. In 3 weeks, we're gonna move, and then my brother +friends are coming to stay for a few days, and THEN we're going crazy. We're gonna spend the whole summer vacationing in our own city.

Go Fetch

2011-05-18T13:44:00.005-04:00

Why wouldn't this be every baby's favorite game? Throw all the toys on the floor and watch everyone pick them up and put them on my tray over and over and over again!

Look at the Eddie Bauer high chair I found on craigslist! I've just never been a fan of the giant plastic ones. Sure, this might be harder to clean, but it matches our table and chairs and I won't mind looking at it in our kitchen for the next decade.

Tabula Rasa

2011-05-17T07:35:00.007-04:00

We took a fieldtrip to scope out our new home a little better; you know, size up the possibility of getting some of our furniture up the staircase, count how many windows are gonna need curtains, see if we need to get a coat rack because there are no closets on the main floor, etc.Ok, we're the 2nd and 3rd floor on the left, behind the tree. This super great public park is there on the right, with slides, swings, and a basketball court! So you walk up a flight to get to our front door, which is across the hall from where Lincoln is sitting. I'm standing in the mini-study here (which will probably be a mudroom for coats, shoes, strollers, toys, etc.) You can see the bathroom at the end of the hall. As Jason put it, "its nothin to scream about", and with the bedrooms all upstairs, its gonna be blast going up and down 3x/night the next time I'm pregnant, but it could be worse! It has cute mini tub, just perfect for two little kids to fit in.

I love the blue walls and wainscotting!! Yay for a ceiling fan because there is no air conditioning. Welcome to Boston housing. We're excited about having room for a full couch in here, but again, the dilemma of getting up the stairwell. Ok, turn around and you'll see the kitchen: True, sometimes I take Lincoln around on errands in Christmas pajamas, and then set him on countertops while I take pictures. I'm sure that gives me negative mommy points somewhere. Cute accent wall, huh! Ok, if you go back to the first picture, you can see the banister that goes up. These are the stairs that Lincoln will fall down a few times I'm sure, so I'm glad they're carpeted. I'm going to try the gate-less approach my mom used, and try to teach him early how to slide down the steps backwards. Still, they're pretty narrow and steep, so I might be trying that technique myself. There are two bedrooms this size, the other identical, but opposite layout And two mini-rooms, which will be the baby room and a sewing room, holla! So now you've had the tour! Move date: t minus 25 days!

I Love Prom

2011-05-16T11:21:00.010-04:00

Always will. Even if I'm not allowed to go anymore. It was nice to only make one Prom dress this season. Bridesmaids dresses seem to be my thing this year. Well, for Carson's dress, she sent me the link of a dress she liked, and I tried to copy it without a pattern, and here's what we got:

Pretty Carson and my pretty sister Janae (also wearing a dress I made last year!)

Maybe in our new ward, we'll have Young Women who need modest dresses and I'll get to make more pretty things! I need my Prom fix :)

Breakfast of Champions

2011-05-13T16:08:00.004-04:00

I made treats for Jason to take to school, I mean work, today :) It was his turn to bring in breakfast for his team, so I'm sent him with the legendary Millar baked french toast for all the bachelors who don't have mommies or wives to cook for them!

King Henry French Toast

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 T. corn syrup

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 T. vanilla

1 loaf French bread

Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Heat until boiling and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Slice bread into 8 slices (I did 16 slices) and arrange over syrup. Combine eggs, milk, vanilla (and I added some cinnamon) in blender for 15 seconds. Pour over bread. Cover and refridgerate overnight. Bake at 350, uncovered, for 45 min. Sprinkle with pecans and powdered sugar.

Like Father, Like Son

2011-05-11T09:25:00.003-04:00

Lately, Lincoln's hair always stands up in the middle. Jason's hair looks just like this in the mornings, but he won't let me take a picture of it.

Mothers Day Make-over

2011-05-08T13:34:00.009-04:00

Happy Mothers Day to my beautiful mom! I love you!

Speaking of amazing mothers, my dear friend Natalie just had her 2nd baby a few weeks ago!

When we were moving all our stuff across the country together, she handed off some of her old formals to me to use for fabric.

And so for baby Kelsey, I made a little summer dress! It was SO much fun!! I kept squealing over it and showing Jason how cute and tiny the little ruffles were. Awww!