Disneyland

It's been a long time since I last went to Disneyland. I think I was 8 or something. And Craig was 12 when he last visited. So when we got the opportunity to go this past week we were very excited. And Brady is just old enough to eat it all up. He couldn't wait to go and asked for a few weeks, "Is it time yet?" He had a ball and, for all the spoiling that Disneyland includes, he was so good!

At the entrance to Disneyland

We just caught Goofy as he left for the day. And I'm so glad we did because this is now my favorite photo.

Brady driving at Autopia. He was so excited to get his own "driver's license." He's been asking us to let him drive our car for a year already. Seriously, who knew it started this young?

Brady with his hero, Lightning McQueen. Can you see how happy he is? After we took the photos he just stood there and stared at Lightning for a few minutes with a big grin on his face.

In line for Its a Small World. I love this ride. Am I corny? Its so good and such a classic.

Brady's favorite ride (which we missed getting a photo of) was the Buzz Lightyear one where you have to defeat Zurg by shooting the targets throughout the ride. We rode it three times during our two day stay in Disneyland. It really was a blast. I'd call our first family vacation a huge success.

Summer Recap: March of Dimes

Thanks to all our friends and family who helped us exceed our fund raising goal for March for Babies this past May! It meant so much to us and is such a help to so many families. Thanks, again!

Summer Recap: Brady's 3rd Birthday

Just in case anyone missed the update for Brady's birthday, because you don't read the Lily Jane blog, I posted it about it here. So, if you haven't seen it yet and you're interested, take a gander. And subscribe to my blog while you're there. :)

Summer Recap: Maine

I do believe it's time for my quarterly family-blog update. Has it been long enough yet? Too long? Oh...well, let's get started then.

A little background information: Craig and I used to always say, back in the dating/just married stage, "let's just go to Maine!" whenever we would get frustrated with life. Why Maine? It is a pretty random place to say, I agree, but here were our reasons: the beach, the weather, gorgeous architecture, and about as far away from everything we were frustrated with as we could get. Well, remembering this, Craig surprised me with a trip to Maine for my birthday! In May we took Brady to an aunt's house and boarded the plane to spend a weekend on our own for the first time since Brady was born. It was wonderful! Maine was absolutely as picturesque and perfect as we had imagined it would be.

We stayed in this amazing bed & breakfast. The food here, and all around Maine, was amazing! The locals are foodies, through and through.

These stairs were originally in a boat. Then they moved them, a hundred years ago, into this house. That's amazing!


I want to live in this beach house. Do you think whoever owns it will give it to me?

We went up to Portland for a day, too, where the Fat Cats bakery has the best whoopie pies.

The famous Walden Pond. It was flooded so this was a close as we could get.

The only picture we actually got with the both of us in it together...Oops.

And we stayed in Boston for a day or two, too. I also love Boston, but for different reasons. It's so much busier than Maine was, but full of history.

We walked the freedom trail. At least some of it. It's pretty long for just one day.

It was an amazing trip. Now every couple of weeks I think about Kennebunkport, Maine and I want to go back again! Road trip, anyone?

The Egg Hunt(s)

I'm usually not one to do a huge amount of Easter egg hunts. I really feel like one, maybe two, is plenty. But this year we did three: one for Craig's work, the annual neighborhood hunt, and a backyard hunt for real eggs. I just don't feel like it's Easter unless some real, hard-boiled eggs are colored and hidden. I say we but, of course, I mean Brady (except for the occasional after-hunt egg pilfering his parents may or may not be known to do).

The work hunt was, well, bountiful. Not only were eggs involved, but a bunch of toys, too. In his excitement he invented a new pose for the camera, which you can see above.

The neighborhood hunt was cold, but so fun. We really live in the best neighborhood and count our blessings every day to have so many wonderful friends around us.

And the last hunt was done on Easter in our wilderness of a backyard. Which actually provided lots of hiding places.

We dyed our eggs using two methods: natural dye (turmeric and chili powder) and old silk ties. They were so fun to make. The turmeric turned out really well, lending the eggs a bright yellow shade. And the ties - especially the one with a small, consistent pattern - worked beautifully.


We were even lucky enough to have family spend the afternoon and evening with us on Easter. I don't think I'll ever tire of having this sweet girl hang out with us. Cutest niece ever, right?

March for Lily

This May our family will be marching in the annual March for Babies, a fundraising and awareness event sponsored by March of Dimes. We've formed Team Lily Jane and want to invite anyone who can to walk with us on May 15th in Salt Lake City in memory of Lily. March of Dimes is an amazing organization with so many helpful resources and research opportunities. We hope that our little efforts done in Lily's name will help some other family bring their baby home to stay.

If you won't be able to walk with us, you can still help us reach our fundraising goal by donating on our team page. We're hoping to reach $500 before the day of the walk. Thanks, everyone!

La Jolla, CA

In January our family took a road trip down to La Jolla, CA to hang out with some friends for a weekend. It was so fun! Going to the beach in the middle of winter is always a good idea. Even better when you can go with friends you haven't seen in months.



We pretty much hung out at the beach all day long. Wouldn't you?

We also did a murder mystery dinner where Craig and I were famous rock stars. We dressed for the occasion and won best costume. But somehow, we didn't get a photo of it. How that happened, I don't know. I did get a few really good shots of the ocean, though. And we've made a plan to visit the ocean once every year. 2010: check. Wonder where we'll go in 2011...

Christmas Recap

I know we've all put our Christmas decorations away already. Nevertheless, here's a little recap of our Christmas season.

We visited Temple Square to see the lights. The outdoor nativity totally captivated Brady. He loved seeing all the people "light up" as the spotlights changed.

We spent Christmas day (and the few days sandwiching it) in Washington with Craig's family. There was the traditional family Nativity reenactment in which Brady was a shepherd and Craig and I were Joseph and Mary. Brady loved his shepherd's crook...he was kind of a ninja shepherd.


There was also football played. And me experimenting with my new camera (still learning, but it's so nice!...isn't my husband the best?).
And Brady's first trip to the dentist (who happens to be his Papa)! This is him giving a thumbs up. He hasn't quite mastered the use of his thumb yet...but he's confident in what he can do. And he was unbelievably well behaved. He loved the suction thing they use to suck out the toothpaste and water. Each time they used it he was hesitant to let them take it back again because he enjoyed it so much. Funny, huh?

And this photo is just because I like it. Brady's half naked because he was waiting for his Christmas PJs to be opened. He didn't seem to mind one bit.

All He Wants for Christmas...

is a dinosaur.

And maybe for Santa to quit looking at him.

Thanksgiving 2009

On the third Thursday in November I took up residence in the kitchen. Because in the early afternoon 11 hungry people were due to come knocking on our door, forks in hand. To some this may sound like a prison sentence, but to me it was wonderful. When else do I have the opportunity to stay in the warmest room in the house, cook whatever I want, and have the little one completely entertained elsewhere? I loved it. Thankfully, I managed not to burn anything either. Plus, we scrounged up enough folding chairs to seat everyone and turned the otherwise useless (for now) washer and dryer into a buffet. All in all, I'd say Thanksgiving was a success! Especially thanks to the wonderful company and the countless blessings we have.



Thanks to Karen for the pictures. I apologize that they're so small...if you want a close-up try clicking them to make them larger.

No Pictures

My apologies for the lack of posting and the continuing lack of pictures in this post. It appears that our regular computer's motherboard was a bad seed. And it completely gave up on us about a week and a half ago. Meanwhile, we're using a backup...but I'm hesitant to upload any unnecessary files to it, since it's hopefully a temporary fix. For those of you who aren't in it just for the pictures, continue on.

A couple recent holiday-inspired Bradyisms:

After explaining to Brady why we really celebrate Christmas (that it's a celebration of Christ's birth, not just a time for Santa to give presents) he paused to think for a moment. Then replied, "Where's his cake?"

Tonight, while video-taping Brady we asked him who Santa was. He said "He poops out the presents!" See this link about Spain Christmas traditions for more information on the Tio de Nadal...which really does "poop" out the presents.

Other than laughing at Brady, we've been doing just a bit of this and a bit of that. Craig's still working for MarketStar, I'm still making stationery, our house is slowly improving...and I'm making plans for Thanksgiving, which we're hosting at our house this year. That will be another post, though - with pictures.

Beanie Giveaway

If you think this beanie is cute and know the perfect little head for it please visit my other blog, Just Lovely to win it! That's all. :)

Halloween Cookies

Have I told you that April 1st is my birthday? April Fools! No, really...it is. And I bet you can guess that I've had plenty of tricks played on me over the years (in fact, you're probably conjuring one up right now - play nice!).

Well, a few years back my beautiful friend, Claire, gave me a huge tub of cookie cutters for my birthday. And wrapped every. single. one. to keep with the spirit of the day (in Christmas paper, no less) . I suppose the trick was really on her since she had to wrap them all while I just had to rip. Regardless, I now have at least 5 cookie cutters for every holiday and event (T. Need a trophy or a goldfish cookie? Done.

Last year I felt like all the holidays came much too quickly. I blinked and it was Halloween; another blink - Thanksgiving, etc. I was never prepared. Luckily, Brady was still young enough to not realize that his mother was letting him miss out on loads of fun traditions. But this year, thanks to a guilty conscience and a boy who can now anticipate things, I'm much more on the ball. And I put my 5 Halloween cookie cutters to work.

Brady helped roll the dough and cut the shapes. He also helped clean up the dough scraps. Does the flour ring around his mouth give away how?


I could still use a little practice on my piping and flooding techniques. But, hey, that's what Thanksgiving and Christmas are for, right? I've got 10 more cookie cutters ready and waiting.

Don't Blink

It's unbelievable how quickly babies turn in to little boys. Last night Brady slept in his big boy bed for the first time. Really.

Where did the drooling chubby cheeks and irresistible babbling go to? He's become a full blown, never-stopping, bursting with energy little boy. And this is only the beginning, I hear. But I must admit: he makes a pretty good toddler, too.

He was thrilled to sleep in his new bed. We've had it for months but were waiting until he was ready for the transition. After a few tantrums when we told him he couldn't sleep in it earlier this week, we determined it was time.

He stayed there the entire night! And even waited for us to come get him in the morning (while doing his usually chattering and screams to make sure we knew he was, indeed, awake). He's cute sleeping in his big boy bed, isn't he?

Just a Little Bit of Everyday

It may seem to some of you that we've dropped out of the blogging world again, but only in a sense. I've been spending all my blogging time over at Just Lovely; I make it a point to blog daily there. So if you're ever needing a Church fix and you can't find it here, take a trip over there and you may find something to tide you over...I hope.

This past month seems a blur to me. There have been a few business trips and some camping with the scouts that have left Brady and I hanging out on our own a bit more than usual. A few minor home improvements here and there. Planning for what the next big thing will be. Saving for what the next big thing will be. Weekly trips to the cemetery to give flowers to Lily. Cooler temperatures. Just day to day life; nothing extraordinary (which is okay with me...sometimes slow is good).

I was just looking for new pictures to post and I couldn't find a single one from September, barring the medical bill I scanned in to the computer. That's so sad. I know what I'll being doing this week! Meanwhile, here are a few from August when we went on a little hike to Cecret (pronounced Secret) Lake as a family. It was beautiful. Plus, we made a furry little friend at the lake whom we fed a granola bar too. Is that bad? He was just so cute!

Temples

The other morning Brady and I were in his room getting him dressed for the day. He was lying on the floor facing his eastern window while I changed his diaper (potty training hasn't happened quite yet). All of a sudden he says, "Look! Temples!"; his finger pointed toward the window. I looked and the slivers of light streaming through the top of his curtains did in fact, look like temples. But I never would have thought of it without the eyes of my two year old.

Face Lifts!

***A Brief Notice***

This blog is currently under construction. Until I can figure out a couple more things (I'm learning as I go along) it might look a little silly. It might even change appearance a couple times a day. Anything could happen.

This isn't the only place that's been spending time in the beauty shop. My other blog (Just Lovely, an extension of my stationery line) is completely revamped. It even has a new address: http://lilyjanestationery.typepad.com/justlovely/ . The tumblr one was just too hard for amateur Mer to edit to my liking. So I've switched to typepad. Don't worry; I won't be moving anymore. I'm thrilled with how it looks so far. I've added a button to our sidebar that will bring you there, if you're ever in the mood to visit.

It's Time

I've been waiting for the right moment. And now that it's here, I'm terrified.

Brady is ready to be potty trained.

He asks me to change his diaper seemingly every 5 minutes (do all children pee this often?). He's already going #2 in the potty. And he is two and a half (give or take a few months). These are all things that point us in the direction of potty training, right?

So where do I even begin? First, we need to buy him his own potty so we don't have to hold him on every time he wants to go - that method is starting to get old. Any suggestions about which are the best? Does it really matter? Then, we need to have a plan. Here, again, I come up empty-handed.

Share your wisdom, friends. This is uncharted territory for me.

Whew! I've been a busy girl! But I think I've got the ball rolling now so I'm going to let you all in on what I've been doing.

Ever noticed the pictures of cards and invitations on the side of our blog? Those are my cards. I make them and sell them on Etsy, a place where anyone can sell handmade goods without having to fully launch their own website. Until now that shop has been known as Badinage (it means "playful banter" - there's your word of the day). BUT I'm changing it.

I'm changing it to Lily Jane Stationery. And I'm donating 10% of all proceeds to March of Dimes. I've also started a new blog (yep, another one) dedicated solely to the shop. It's going to have spotlights of both my work and others' art, tutorials and how to's, and service-oriented opportunities and projects. It'll come to form one day at a time. This is also where a link to Lily's Story and websites that I found helpful during my experience will be. If you care to join me you can click "FOLLOW" at the top of the new blog. And, please share at least the Lily's Story part with your friends. We want her story to be able to help others as far and wide as possible.

MEANWHILE, while I'm switching my products over to Lily Jane Stationery, I'm having a sale at my Badinage shop. Everything's 15% off. So if you need some stationery, take a look.

Incompatible with Life: A Diary of Keeping Daniel

I've been wanting to post about this for some time now but there was always something else that was on my mind. Now, I find myself reflecting on the words in this book at least as much as any other topic, if not more. Incompatible with Life: A Diary of Keeping Daniel was written by Kylie Sheffield, a mother in Australia who gave birth to a baby with Trisomy 13 in 2007. She named him Daniel.

Kylie and her beautiful family

I found the book when we first learned about Lily's differences; when they initially told us she had Trisomy 13. It's a PDF file and isn't terribly long so I'd finished the book before I learned that Lily didn't have Trisomy 13 after all. I'm so glad that I did! The experiences that Kylie recorded, the thoughts she thought and feelings she felt, were all nearly identical to what I was feeling. And now that Lily's passed on I can say the same about her experience losing Daniel. As I was watching Lily leave I literally thought to myself "She did it, I can do it. She did it, I can do it." If you've been given a similar diagnosis for your child, something they say is "incompatible with life," this book will give you something to hold on to, something to steady yourself as the waves of uncertainty crash down around you. If you're not, this book will open your eyes to something you may never experience yourself. But even if you don't, I guarantee you you'll meet someone again someday that is in a similar situation. And you'll be better able to show compassion having read Daniel's book.

Here's the link: Incompatible with Life: A Diary of Keeping Daniel