It's a wonderful life!

love these boys

2010-07-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Luke decided to join daddy for a bit of weightlifting

He had a lot of fun, but I think it made it a little harder for daddy to concentrate.

Caleb and Ariel

2010-07-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

On the 26th of June, Trev's brother Caleb married Ariel in the Bountiful Temple. The wedding was beautiful. They also had great weather for the day. I should have taken more pictures, but honestly, I forgot. Oh well, I'm sure there'll be some lovely ones taken by the wedding photographer- maybe I'll update later.

The wedding colours were hot pink and green. We bought matching ties for all the little boys to wear. Here's Luke and cousin Braylen, who doesn't seem very happy but I'm not sure why.

And I made a little dress for baby Lainey (the only girl) Here she is with her great-grandpa Peterson.

And I just love this one- Luke with his great-grandpa Guild. So cute!

Unfortunately, Lainey fell off the stage at the reception and hit her head on the floor, giving us quite a scare. She was a little bit sick and we had to leave before the end. But she was okay by the time we got home and back to her usual cheeky self.

new arrival :-)

2010-07-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our first niece, Lily Watts! Lily was born last week and she's just perfect. My brother, Jonny and his wife Cassie now have a boy and a girl, and what cuties they are! I only wish we could be with them and cuddle this little bundle-

Isn't she just darling?!

Congratulations to a lovely family!

ps. can you believe this was only a few hours after Cassie had given birth? lucky thing...

water

2010-06-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we went swimming for the first time this summer. It was Lainey's first time in a pool, and my first time since before my mission (that's 6 years....yikes!) We all had a good time and we discovered that Lainey is just as fearless as Luke in the water. And just as independent. There's no relaxing for mum and dad when we go to the pool!

We bought punch passes, so we'll be going many more times this summer. Which is just as well, because a certain little miss can't get enough of the water...

Yes, that's a bowl of cleaning water that she climbed into, fully dressed while mama's back was turned.

Memorial day

2010-06-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

We were completely amazed when Trevor was not scheduled to work on Memorial day this year. He never gets holidays off, ever. We decided to have a picnic and some fun up in Logan Canyon. But then we got locked out of our apartment with no car keys. Oooops. I must admit I was so disappointed, I threw my two-days-old phone pretty hard onto the grass outside our house. But once my tantrum died down, we decided to make the best of it and eat our picnic in the back yard.

I wasn't in a good enough mood yet to get any pictures.

Then we headed to a playground that we really like. It has lots of stuff for the kids to do and it's quite safe compared to some of the others we've been to.

Us! I wonder what got Lainey's attention...

And on the way home, Luke had his very first Slurpee!

We had lots of fun and decided that we need to do many more little trips like this when we get the chance. (when the rain goes away)

ps. I love walking in the cemetery the day/week after memorial day. The flowers are so pretty!

meeting Ros

2010-06-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

At the end of May, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with my dear friend and former mission companion, Ros. Ros lives in England, and she travelled to Salt Lake en route to visit friends in North Carolina. I'm so glad she stopped in Utah, because it was simply lovely to talk with her and share a few memories. We served in South Shields together, in 2005.

I just love her positive attitude about everything. She is just a delight to be with and I'm happy we had chance to serve together- she's an example to me. It's just a shame she lives so far away.

We decided to make a day of it, we took the kids for their first visit to the Salt Lake Temple grounds. There was a lot of building work going on in downtown SLC so it was a bit hard to navigate.

On the way home, we stopped at Smith and Edwards, a massive shop that sells lots of random things. We can never leave there without buying stuff that we didn't plan on buying. This time we bought a puzzle for Lainey and a little tractor for Luke (which he has labelled his 'cool tractor') I was lucky and came away with a nice outdoorsy type coat.

They sell cowboy hats of all sizes.

And they sell saddles too. Luke tested out a few. This picture was taken a few minutes before we lost Luke. I suppose he just made the most of the opportunity to escape, and ran away. Trev immediately went to the door in case someone tried to take him from the store, while I frantically flew around trying to locate him. When I did find him, he was in the fishing department, playing with those little plastic ball floats. Panic over. It was a scary incident though.

giddy up

2010-06-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

In mid-may, our friends Craig and Tiffany got married, so we travelled up to WY for the reception, and then stayed at the ranch for the weekend. The weather was perfect for being outside, and we had lots of fun.

Lainey had her first time on the trampoline. Here she is with cousin Taven-

Luke got to meet one of the many kittens that were recently born.

Aunt Annie took Luke for a ride. They just rode around the yard. Look at the rude horse, sticking his tongue out for the camera!

Lainey got to 'ride' too. Cousin Corben took good care of her! She loved stroking the horse's mane, which was no surprise, since she plays with my hair a lot- almost obsessively!

One of the highlights for Luke was going feeding with daddy and grandpa. He loved driving the enormous truck and watching the cows gather round for their breakfast!

Grandma, Lainey and I drove down to meet them a little later. We watched grandpa load the hay.

And we said 'hello' to the cows.

It was a fun weekend, and we all ended up pretty tired!

St. George's day photo shoot

2010-05-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Every year it gets a little more fun and challenging to do our St George's day photo shoot!

Gone are the days when the babies will just sit and smile sweetly, with the English flag as a back drop. These days they would rather crawl under it, wrap themselves up in it, scrunch it up, fight under it...you get the idea.

It makes for some very...er...vibrant pictures.

Just for comparison, here are a couple of photos from past years.

2008-

2009-

I should probably point out to my American friends that St. George's day is not really celebrated in England, and certainly not with photo shoots like this. I just do it because I want my kids to have a sense of both parts of their heritage, and it's convenient to remember to take pictures on a certain day. So, April 23rd it is!

A rainy day

2010-05-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

My babies are so much fun. I love them enormously.

I think that a child's curiosity and exploration are some of the most inspiring things to behold.

Getting ready for Easter

2010-04-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

A few days before Easter, Luke and I made these yummy treats. I almost didn't bother because the shops were all sold out of Cadbury's Mini Eggs, but decided to use 'Robin's eggs' instead. (They're like Maltesers with a hard shell) Obviously not as good as Cadbury's, but oh well...at least there wasn't a massive bag of the best chocolate in the world sitting around the house.

Then, we went up to the ranch for a couple of days. There had been some snow, so the kids got to go on the snow machines with grandma. At one point, she had three kids on the snow machine, and three on a sledge being pulled behind.

While we were there we dyed eggs for Easter. It was my first time ever dying eggs (at age 28- I know!). I loved doing it and after everyone else was finished, Trev's mom, Trev and I were the only hardcore ones who kept going until all the eggs were dyed.

Luke searching for the perfect colour crayon.

Watching with delight as the egg changes colour.

We also had lots of free time to just play inside. It's amazing how much the kids love to play with different toys, and different playmates.

Here are Luke and Corben being little rascals, I think they were stealing some crackers and got caught in the act.

And Corben at it again, this time with chocolate chips! He is such a cute little boy, how can you say no to that face?!

The little ones got some chocolate chips too.

What a fun couple of days!

Mail mail mail mail....box

2010-04-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

This year we've been trying so hard to get birthday gifts out to all of our siblings, parents and grandparents. I can't say that they've all made it on time, but so far, we haven't missed one.

We've been making a lot of trips to the post office, and I have to say that Luke is quite an excellent helper. He loves to carry the packages all the way there, while repeating the name of the intended recipient over and over. At first he was reluctant to hand the parcel over when we got there (read: huge tantrums) but he is really good now.

Generally, Luke likes to point out mail-boxes, mail-men etc. where ever we go. He's so cute how he says it- mail mail mail mail...box. Like he's trying to remember what comes after mail. I love it!

Eiderdown

2010-03-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Now that our marriage is three years old, we decided that we needed to get some nice new bed linens. Or more specifically, a feather duvet (down comforter).

So, the first day of spring break, we left the children with Trev's parents, and headed out for a day of shopping and fun. Our destination was Ogden, which isn't really exotic, but it is close and had everything we needed. It was lovely to be able to walk around the shops without worrying about the kids being bored or naughty! We purchased a lovely duvet, a white duvet cover, and pale green sheets. I wanted something quite neutral that we can change the look of easily with pillows and accessories.

After we had finished shopping (and to be honest, neither of us are really hardcore shoppers, so it didn't take very long) we had a nice lunch, and then headed to our hotel. It was called 'Cedar Pines', and was only built in 2009, so everything was fresh and clean. We checked on movie times, and decided to go and see 'Brooklyn's Finest'. Unfortunately, it was a horrible film and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. We came out feeling thoroughly depressed. The only thing to cheer us up was Uno and some late night snacks.

The next morning we slept in- blissful! Returning to the ranch to see our children, we felt completely refreshed and happy. Oh why can't we do this every week- even once a month would be nice!

3

2010-03-11T19:04:00.000-08:00

Three busy, fast, happy, educational, unexpected, challenging, wonderful, exciting, fun, together years.

With you.

Can't wait for the next 3 x infinity.

Oh

2010-02-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

Alas, along with the fun parts about turning one, there are also the not-so-fun parts, including the 12 month immunizations.

Lainey has had quite a bad week as a result, with a fever reaching 103 F. She's needed lots of extra cuddles, so we've had lots of this:

and this:

and now and then, just a little of this:

Poor baby. I love the cuddles, but I don't love to see you sad.

Lainey is one!

2010-02-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

Our little Lainey-bird turned one today! It truly is unbelievable that a whole year has passed since she joined our family.

We had a little party to celebrate. Grandma and Grandpa were hoping to come, but unfortunately, Aunt Annie was sick, so they had to stay home. We missed them, but we still had fun. Uncle Jake, and Uncle Caleb and Ariel came to join in the fun. We had pizza, cake and watched Lainey open her presents.

Here are some pictures. I'm sorry but they're not really in any order.

This is the banner that we made. Luke and mummy drew patterns on some paper, then mummy cut out letters from the patterns. Daddy helped glue the letters onto some card triangles, and we strung them on some yarn.

The birthday girl! I made her a skirt for the occasion, and she looked so cute and girly

The main cake. It is a giant cupcake! This is probably the easiest cake I've ever made.

The other cupcakes. Like I said, we were expecting to have a few more guests. But you can never have too many cupcakes, right?!

Oh Lainey, you really are so very precious to us. Even at this young age, we can already see your personality coming though. You are patient, but when you get mad you really get mad. You are brave and quite assertive, but you like to see reassuring smiles from your mummy and daddy. You love the bath, music, sweet foods, chasing Luke (and being chased), being outside, and dancing. You are starting to show an interest in dolls. You love playing with fabric or clothes. You like to put them on your head and walk around. We think this is so cute.

We love you Lainey xx

bathtime fears and bathtime fun

2010-02-20T18:46:00.002-08:00

A few weeks ago Luke started to develop a fear of the bath. If he saw a little speck of something floating around in the water he would completely freak out. One time, it was a grain of rice that had been in Lainey's hair and was washed into the water. When he saw it he leapt out of the bath and would not get back in.

About the same time, I noticed that he was developing a preference for the colour orange. He was pointing out orange things, and saying 'inge'.

So, with this in mind, and with the help of Crayola Bath Dropz, I came up with a solution. Check it out-

Does this look like a boy who is afraid of the bath?

outside adventures

2010-02-20T18:46:00.001-08:00

We made the most of a beautiful day, and went for a little adventure in our neighbourhood. This was Lainey's first time 'roaming free' and she absolutely loved it!

We are so excited for spring to come so we can spend lots of time outside. But for now we are just enjoying the sunny days that we get.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

We had a little photo shoot, mainly because auntie Sophie had sent this adorable outfit over. Lainey was a cute model, even with a slobbery, snotty face. Yeah, we're in the throes of teething AND colds at the moment.

Luke didn't want to be left out, so he donned the top, too. The panda had a squeaker in it, which proved very entertaining.

I cooked a lovely Chow Mein to celebrate the occasion. We didn't go crazy celebrating, but since we love Chinese food, I just thought we might as well eat it on an appropriate day.

Any excuse to try a new recipe!

Christmas in pictures (otherwise entitled "oh I give up")

2010-02-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

It's already the middle of February. I think it's about time for a Christmas recap, don't you? Here are some of our favourite pictures of this Christmas (which we spent in Wyoming, at the ranch)

Play time!

A Christmas dress, made by nana

Presents! Luke was so cute. He showed us every present he opened, by holding it up over his forehead :-)

Lainey got some My Little Ponies from mummy and daddy.

The days were long and tiring. Thank goodness for grandma's hugs!

Grandma made each of the grandchildren a horsey. The boys loved them, but imagine the pandemonium with six broomsticks being flung around the room.Yes it was chaos!

We did a candy-bar exchange instead of everyone buying big gifts for each other. Lainey received a sweety necklace, and loved it.

Trev and I had a little time together without the babies- we decided to go for a ride on the snow machine, and then ice-fishing. It was my first time doing both of these things. It was loads of fun.

Going to see the cows and horses.

Christmas dinner :-) Luke sat with cousin Braylen and they had lots of fun. Braylen is four and it seems that Luke really looks up to him.

We had a lovely time!

Once there was a snowman

2010-01-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

A simple, fun family activity on a beautiful December day. Towards the end of winter I begin to really detest the snow. However, in December -when it is new and exciting- we enjoy it all we can!

Luke is two!

2010-01-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

It is a little sad that Luke's birthday is so close to Christmas. He was born on the 22nd of December, therefore his birthday lives in the shadows of Christmas. However, we do our best to celebrate it and give him a special day. This year we were at the ranch, so we had a little party!

Luke loved opening his presents. Daddy and Mummy gave him a box of blocks, a potty, a motorcycle toy, and a Wonderpets painting book. He loves the Wonderpets- a TV program about a guinea pig, a turtle, and a duck with a speech impediment.

The birthday boy was lucky enough to receive some cars, dinosaurs, books and clothes from his grandparents, aunts and uncles.

Cousin Quigley arrived in the evening, and the two boys played happily together with Luke's new blocks.

A couple of days before Luke's birthday, Trevor and I both came down with a stomach bug. This meant that I didn't get everything done that I had planned for Luke's special day (including finishing his quilt). But I did manage to put together a birthday t-shirt for him-

I bought a red t-shirt and had some fabric with 'peace signs' on it. I cut out one of the hands, and performed surgery on the fingers so that they were closer together. It was supposed to look like a hand saying 'two'. Not quite as successful as I hoped, but never mind.

The cake was decorated with stars and some purchased letters. It was my first time using fondant icing and I must say I am happy with it. The cake inside was blue, but we didn't get a photo of that.

We can't believe that two years have passed since Luke joined our family. The time has gone by very fast and we have watched him grow from a tiny newborn into a clever and confident little
boy. Oh Luke, we're so happy to have you in our family and we love you very much!

oooops

2010-01-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Balsamic vinegar. Quite stinky stuff, really.

Christmas tree

2010-01-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

I love our tree! I loved decorating it this year, and celebrating the start of the Christmas season. And yes, it took about two minutes before all the decorations were removed from the bottom half. Ah, the fun of a two-year-old and a sort-of-toddler. They definitely keep me busy!

I like coloured light best, and Trev doesn't really care either way, so...I win :-) I collected tree decorations in the later part of my youth and have quite an assortment from the different places I have travelled. It is fun getting them out each year. With each unwrapping of the tissue paper there is a memory and a story. I love that.

Plus, we make a few ornaments each year. Here are this years- Trev made the two golden ones, and I made the blue one and the silver one (which reminds me of Elton John, by the way)

Thanksgiving 2009

2010-01-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

We spent thanksgiving at the ranch. All of Trevor's siblings were there with their families so there was quite a crowd. We had to use three tables joined together to eat dinner. I think there were about 25 people at least! I forgot to take pictures of the actual thanksgiving meal, but it was so yummy. Why do we only eat roast turkey a few times a year? We should have it at least weekly, I think :-)

Luke and Lainey got to play with their cousins. I always feel bad when we have to go home because Luke especially loves to have other boys to play with, and playing with grandma's toys is a treat too.

Here's Lainey and Taven-

Luke and Corben...

Luke checking out grandma's chickens...

Sledding...

And looking at a fox that uncle Sharden caught in his trap...

So much for the kids to do and explore. Whereas the adults are, of course, content to just relax...

It is lovely to have a special time to think of all that we are grateful for. I know there is the list of things that everyone comes up with. You know- health, family, the gospel, a home, food etc. But it is so true. These things truly are blessings that we sometimes fail to acknowledge. And on top of these 'basics', there are so many other things... books to read, a comfortable mattress, a sewing machine, entertainment, beautiful children, the internet and other resources, education, friends, mobile phones, a fridge, skype, and much more. Wow!

Recent occurences

2009-11-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

Obviously we had Thanksgiving a few day ago, which will be a separate post, but I just thought I'd do a little update of other things that have been going on.

A few weeks ago, my friend Liz offered to take some photos of the children. She has a nice camera and has been taking a photography course, so she said it would be good practice. It was such a kind offer, and I decided to go for it. We arrived at her house at the agreed time, and she began by taking a few pictures of Lainey. Well, that turned out to be the easy part, because Luke just would NOT cooperate. First he cried, then he got a runny nose. The he wanted to play with various different toys. We did manage to get a couple of half decent ones, but nothing like a smile from him. Never work with kids or animals, I tell ya.

So, I decided to try taking some at home, in his 'natural habitat', if you will. And some outside. And it soon became clear why I am not a photographer...

So I ended up going with one of Liz's pictures for our Christmas cards. She did a wonderful job with the photography- it was the model causing problems!

A few weeks ago, Trev and I attended our very first football (American football, that is) game. We watched Utah State get completely thrashed by Boise State. To be fair to USU, Boise are the 6th ranking team in the country. I think the final score was something like 52-21.

Even though it was quite cold, we had lots of fun, and decided to try to attend several games next season.

Here's Trev with his brother Caleb

And here's us, this was towards the beginning when the score was even so we were still in a good mood.

Well, that's some of what we've been doing in the last few weeks. Only a few more weeks until Christmas, this year is rolling by!

Picnik.com

2009-11-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

I had heard quite a few good things about Picnik.com, so I decided to give it a try. I edited a photo I had taken of Lainey, as seen below.

Before-

After-

I was really pleased with it, considering I only spent about 10 minutes on the site. It's a very user-friendly site, many of the features are free (I used only free features) You can get more features if you upgrade, I'm not sure how much that costs. One day we'll have Photoshop, but

at the moment, free is good!

One of the best things about Picnik.com is that I was able to upload a photo very quickly, edit it, and save it to my computer, without registering or anything. So easy!

Two beautiful kids + an autumn day = recipe for perfection :-)

2009-11-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

I really just want to do a post about my babies just for the sake of it. 'Cos, you know, I love 'em. I spend so much time with these two and yet I cannot get enough of them. When Luke's nap runs a bit longer, as it sometimes does, I seriously miss him. And Lainey- I could just cuddle her all day long!

They're pretty much my shadows, and I love it that way. It's a challenge sometimes, like when Luke wants to be my shadow in the kitchen, grabbing everything the moment I put it down. But as I try to be the mother they deserve, I realise that they are my teachers. In developing the qualities that I need to be a good parent, I'm becoming more like the person I want to be. I am nowhere near the end yet, and I am lacking in so much, but I pray that I will allow myself to be shaped into a more patient, loving, happy and beautiful figure.

A little about Luke :-

Luke is a typical, energetic, happy toddler of almost two years old. He is helpful and so much fun to be around. He loves to be outside, swinging, sliding, climbing and collecting sticks and rocks. He is also a book-lover and tends to gravitate towards those with animals and vehicles. Alarmingly, he has recently developed a love for knives and scissors, but he's usually obedient when we ask him to put them back.

He is learning new words all the time. The most frequently said words at the moment are- dinosaur, thank you, cracker, pig, egg, hello, and, of course, car. Luke is a daddy's boy. He is a joy.

Now, Lainey :-

Lainey is just a sweetheart, there's no other word for it. She's a happy little thing who is always ready with a smile. She's quite a mama's girl, which I love! She loves to watch what Luke is up to and often tries to join in.

She has mastered the art of speed-crawling, and loves to pull up on the furniture and stand. She seems to be quite brave and has been toughened up by Luke's endless tormenting.

She still loves her bottle and pretty much only her bottle. She eats teeny amounts of baby food but she really loves her milk. I'm going to have to work with her on that! Oh how I love her!

I know I'm biased, but I really do feel so lucky to be the mum of these two munchkins.

Harvest dress

2009-11-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

This girl could look cute in anything! This dress didn't turn out as nice as I thought, but Lainey pulls it off somehow. I used the same pattern as last time (the black, pink and green one).

We remembered!

2009-11-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

You might remember the report of our Guy Fawkes celebrations last year. Here's year two of the tradition...

The glow sticks were a huge hit with the two kids (three if you include Trev) haha. hem...
They waved them around and made designs on the floor with them, and Luke even managed to use the little connectors to join them together. (Tip for all parents- glow sticks are really inexpensive, and make a fun activity.) I don't know what I'm going to do when my kids are too old to be fascinated by these things. Hopefully by then we'll live in a state/country that allows fireworks year-round!

Also, can I just say that photographing these things is addictive! It's so fun to put the camera on night mode and see what kind of effects you get.

And although halloween was a few days ago now, there were still some ghosts lurking around. Can you spot them?

Yes our bonfire night celebrations are a little pathetic, but we try! Happy Guy Fawkes Day :-)

Boo!

2009-10-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

It's halloween again! It seems like it's only been a few weeks since last halloween.

The costumes this year were based on a Pinocchio theme, as you can see. I really loved how the costumes turned out, but I have to admit that it was a lot of effort, and probably not really worth it, if I'm honest. Luke had a meltdown when I was putting the face paint on his hair, and I almost thought we would never get out of the house. However, the kids looked adorable, and we had fun at the MASA carnival.

Luke enjoying his popcorn. He just enjoyed watching what was going on and joining in with the games (including pumpkin bowling, cake walk, fishing pond, and colouring)

Many people thought Lainey was a skunk, which I can completely understand, because I forgot to add a tail. Oh well. If they could just put two and two together they'd realise that she was Figaro.

Unfortunately, Trev was working, so he couldn't come with us (what a surprise!) but we have some fun stuff lined up for the coming holidays, so it's okay.

By the way, you can really tell winter is on it's way. We had a nice snow storm last week and it's really quite chilly. But not so chilly that it keeps us inside- we still get out to play once or twice a day. You have to when you live in a little apartment, unless you want to go bald early!

bonkers about conkers!

2009-10-20T11:35:00.001-07:00

Have you ever collected conkers? Or better still, had a conker fight? Conkers are the fruit of a horse-chestnut tree, and are one of my favourite autumn traditions.

We always used to go gathering them with dad. He would throw sticks to knock them out of the tree, and the kids would gather them up. Apparently nobody does this in America, because the tree I went to had hundreds of conkers, already open, on the ground! So I didn't even have to lift a finger- Luke did all the work (and loved every minute of it)

I really want to have a fight, but I keep getting my needle stuck in the conker, so I haven't got it threaded yet. But until I do, I can enjoy the sight of these shiny beauties in my home, reminding me of my childhood.

On another note...here's the apron I made for my Trev's mom for her birthday. Not a great photo, I know.

And finally, just because I can't resist. And who could resist those cheeks?!

The dress turned out ten times better than expected. If only she'd keep the headband on...

autumn fun, and hats.

2009-10-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Autumn is so beautiful. I've always loved it. I think I appreciate it even more now that it's pretty much the only time of year that the temperature is just right for being outside.

Yesterday we decided to make the most of a lovely, sunny afternoon, by getting out and enjoying a walk in the Logan Canyon. We originally planned to do an easy stroll along the riverside, but changed our minds and went for a more challenging hike up to the wind cave. It's a cool kind of rock arch, quite high up. Trev's friend Rajendra came with us, and we talked about the differences between American and Indian cultures. It was lovely.

Here we are near the beginning of the 2 mile trail.

Rajendra carried Luke for quite a bit of the way. He needed something to slow him down- his great long legs meant that one of his strides matched about 5 of ours (mine)

I carried Lainey for most of the way, but near the top, I just got so tired...I think you could barely even tell I was moving...so Trev took over for a while.

We made it! And yes I am a little red in the face. So out of shape. But we enjoyed gorgeous scenery from the top and were refreshed by a cool wind.

Look at these colours. Just beautiful. I just love the colour combinations that nature comes up with!

Okay, now let me just promise that I am not going to be a crazy hat lady who posts pictures of her hats every day. Just one last time, though... here are a few of my finished pieces.

This one is for a friend's baby. I used anew pattern and the sizing was off so the one pictured didn't fit the (week old) baby. I am making the next size up for her.

Just experimenting with colour here- what do you think? Okay, or too....clashy?

And this last one is extra warm because the yarn is a wool blend (but it's soft not itchy)

That's it for hats for a while. On to other things from my ever-growing list of stuff to try. How will I ever find time to try everything?

She is a girl, after all...

2009-10-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

I've started to get so excited about dressing Lainey up. I'm sure you've been looking at my pictures of her and thinking 'why does Sian dress her so plain?' or 'Why does it seem like she's always dressed as a boy?' I think it's taken a while for me to realize that you can really have fun with a girl, and there are so many cute clothes and fabrics out there. Like this funky fabric that I found on clearance a while ago. I think it was under 2 dollars for about 3/4 yard.

I decided to make a dress, since that's what Lainey is lacking at the moment.

And then I made a matching hairclip, to go on her headband. I love how the clip turned out! It really echoes the pattern on the fabric. I found out how to make the flowers using this tutorial.

The pattern is Simplicity 4243. It was quite easy to make, the trickiest bit was applying the binding to the armholes. Apart from that it was simple. I have another one of these dresses cut out and ready to go, in a different fabric.

Girls really are fun!

pjs to pjs

2009-10-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

For Christmas last year, my lovely sister Sophie gave me some cute froggy pyjamas. I loved them and wear the bottoms frequently, but I never really like to wear the tops- they're always too warm and I prefer a t shirt.

Then one day, I got the idea in my head to turn it into pjs for Lainey. There wasn't enough fabric for trousers so I just used green flannel to make those. I used the buttons, hem and cuffs of the original shirt.

I did make the sleeves up and they came out a little long. Better than too short, though, right?

American West Heritage Center

2009-10-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

While my mum was here, we took a trip to the American West Heritage Center, which is right here in Logan. They have various different activities at different times of year; our intention was to enjoy a walk through the corn maze.

We obviously picked a good time to go because we were the only people there. I'm not lying- there was no one else in sight and we had everything to ourselves! Perfect for a trip with toddler and baby :-)

A kind employee started up the 'train' just for us and we went around the spooky track several times.

Then Luke got to have his first solo pony ride. The little pony was so cute and just his size. He seemed slightly bewildered at first but he loved it!

Then on to the corn maze. It was a perfect day for it. Nice and warm but not too hot. A beautiful blue sky as a backdrop to the beautiful, tall, green stalks of corn. The maze was a little longer than expected but we had a pushchair (stroller) for each of the kids so it was okay. (Just working up an appetite for our yummy dinner at Sizzler later that night)

Mum wondering which way to go.

Map reader Trev feels confident in his navigational skills. Actually he was quite impressive.

Lainey being her usual adorable self.

After we completed the maze, we decided to have a quick look at the super slide. I couldn't resist- it looked so fun! I probably should have tested it by myself before going down with Luke because you do get very buried under the hay at the end, but he didn't seem to care. He became a super slide junkie and went down with each of us in turn.

Mum took a little extra persuasion, as she was wearing a skirt. But I knew she really wanted to try it out :-)

Before we left, we checked out the little goats in the petting area. They were just adorable!

All in all, we had a really fun afternoon. Thanks for treating us, mum!

Combining blogs

2009-10-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

For a while now, I have been keeping a separate blog of all my 'crafty stuff'. I have now decided to combine my blogs together into just one. So, you will start to see more of my little projects on here.

I have been so inspired by crafts and cooking that other people do, and I would love to pass on the ideas. I found that nobody was really reading my other blog and it felt a bit pointless.

If you think this is a bad decision, please tell me! I will see what responses I get. I've imported all the posts into this blog so if you want, you can go back and look at them.

Luke crafts!

2009-10-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Look at what Luke and mummy made! We've hung them in his bedroom window for all to admire!

I just downloaded some shapes (you could draw freehand) traced them onto thick paper and cut them out. Then Luke got to work painting them. He didn't completely cover them, so I went over the white bits with crayon. Mounted them on coloured paper, and all done!

If you are looking for fun ways to involve your children in crafts, I have found The Crafty Crow to be a great source of ideas.

playgrounds with nanna!

2009-10-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

At the end of September, we were blessed with a visit from my mum. She flew from Kansas, where she had been visiting my step-sister Jane and family. We were so excited to have her here and tried to make the most of it by getting out and doing some fun things.

We visited Logan's little zoo, which is one of Luke's favourite places. They have some little monkeys near the entrance, and as soon as Luke saw them he got a huge smile on his face and walked around clapping and laughing for a few minutes! Here you can see Luke and nanna trying to spot the turtles in the water-

There is a playground attached to the zoo, so we played there for a while.

In fact, the weather was so lovely that week, we spent quite some time on various playgrounds.

I will be posting more about my mum's visit, I am just breaking it down into smaller chunks. Both of the kids are poorly this week, so they need me more.

PS. The kids have quite a few 'grandmas' (Trev's grandmas and great-grandma are called their grandma as well) so that is why we chose to use the name 'nanna' for my mum. It's kind of an english term, so it fits perfectly, don't you think?

dishy dishy!

2009-10-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hardly groundbreaking stuff, I know, but I do feel a tinsy bit proud of my first dishcloth. It's a cool wavy stitch that I learnt (basically knit one row, then the next row you knit, slip, knit, slip etc. Knit next row, the knit knit slip, knit slip knit slip etc. And repeat!) So easy!

And the back of the cloth comes out all nubbly and textured, which I'm sure will be effective on those left-from-last-night dishes which I seem to find in my kitchen quite frequently these days.

If you are interested in making your own, just google 'knit dishcloth patterns', you will get lots of sites to check out. Or how about these knitted dishtowels? I think they look just lovely, and I'd love to know how absorbent and practical they are.

Last year's halloween

2009-10-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

Please humour me for just a moment. I know that I posted about this costume last year, on my other blog, but I just feel like it deserves another 5 minutes of fame. I mean, it barely even got seen last year, since we didn't really go to any parties or trick-or-treating.

I just love how it turned out, especially since I didn't have a pattern, and basically just dreamed it up in my own crazy little brain.

This year, I have something fun planned for the kids to coordinate. I don't want to give it away, but let's just say, Luke's gonna be a REAL boy :-)

Chair

2009-10-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Remember this chair? Trev and I designed and made it ourselves! The top part, that is. It sits on a barstool that we had lying around. I posted about it a while back and mentioned my plans to paint it green.

Well....here she is in all her glory! I really love the way it turned out. The green paint was a free sample I ordered a while ago, and I just happened to have a suitable fabric on hand to make the seat pad and ruffle.

It's really easy to wipe clean, and throw the fabric bits in the washing machine when needed. I love it lots!

By the way, I wish I could take credit for the ruffle, but I can't. My mum did it for me while she was visiting last week. It is held in place with Velcro.

first of many, I hope

2009-10-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is my first ever scatter cushion. I used clearance fabric, piped with some from my stash. I didn't put a zip in because the fabric is not washable, so when it gets too dirty, I'll just cut it off and make a new one.

I like how it turned out, and Luke has already started using it as a cover for his cache of cars.

headbands for my little baldy

2009-09-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

Lainey has been in desperate need of some head bands. My lovely friend Lindsey kindly shared some of her abundant gear with me and helped me make these little cuties.

I love the brown and yellow one! We made it specially to match her Wyoming outfit :-)

Giveaway oh giveaway!

2009-09-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Cool fabric giveaway here. Check out the rest of the blog too, it's so inspiring!

prototype hats

2009-09-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of attempting to sell some little crochet hats, adorned with detachable flowers as shown above. I've made a couple of prototypes/practice hats :-)

Teeny-weeny quilt

2009-09-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is Lainey's new little blanket, for taking to bed with her. It's made of pre-cut squares of heart fabric, purchased on ebay about 3 years ago. I simply pieced them, used fusible fleece as batting, and quilted by stitching 'in-the'ditch'.

I am happy with it. Lainey loves it, because there are so many different patterns and colours in it. The best bit is that I managed to teach myself how to miter the corners on my binding, using a tutorial I can't find anymore, otherwise I'd link it.

This is a small quilt (maybe 25 inches square) It'll one day be perfect for a dolly's bed, and it has given me a taste for quilting and I can't wait to do more!

Luke's raggy

2009-09-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Just a silly little thing really- adapting Luke's 'raggy' to make it a bit more attractive! It used to be simply a pale blue textured fabric. I sewed some 'Cars' fabric to it, then did wavy stitching to hold the two layers together. Fortunately, Luke loves it and is just attached to it as ever :-)

Outside blanket

2009-09-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Well, it was going to be an outside blanket, until we decided that it's actually just the right weight and size for snuggling on the couch. So, now it's an inside blanket. But that's okay.

The top fabric is from Ikea, about 5 or 6 years ago. The bottom is denim I already had, and that's what gives it a bit more weight, which I love.

Silly boy!

2009-09-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday, we have Trev's brother Caleb, and their long-time friend Craig over for dinner. Caleb and Craig are Freshmen at USU, so feeding them is our way of helping them out, plus it gives us chance to catch up and hang out with them for a few hours.

Luke absolutely loves them! Today he was being a little noisy and he needed to calm down so we allowed him to watch Shrek (his current favorite)

A few minutes in, I guess he decided that although he wanted to watch the movie, he couldn't bear being separated from the boys. Look at his solution-

He moved his TV chair onto the couch, between the Caleb and Craig. It was so cute!

boxes

2009-09-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick project that can be done with materials that most 'crafty' people would probably have on hand.

Take a few old boxes. I used baby shoe boxes, as Lainey is demonstrating below-

Using scrapbook paper, Mod-Podge (pva glue) and felt, you can turn them into something quite attractive. Much better than the plain old boxes, don't you think?

I'm using them for accessible storage in my sewing area. I bet they would make nice gift-boxes, too.

Our life. (kind of boring post-sorry!)

2009-09-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's week four of the semester and we are starting to get into a groove, a routine, a comfortable-ness. Trev is pretty much never here, and when he is he is always working on assignments for school (or watching wrestling videos on Youtube, I can't nag at him for it though, I spend so much time reading blogs and 'researching' on the crafty sites and such. If he wants to waste his free time on watching men roll around on the floor in Spandex outfits, that's his choice.) Anyway...

He is doing well so far and enjoying most of his classes. He has a cool one where they read autobiographies. He even has to write a short one of his own. Why can't I be taking that class? It sounds like lots of fun.

The kids and I hang out all day. The kids play while I do stuff in the kitchen. We go outside in the morning, for a little play on the swings or sometimes we go grocery shopping or -occasionally- fabric shopping :-) Then we play together inside, take naps, have lunch, and then it's back outside again. Come in, do laundry and housework, then it's time for dinner. I usually just feed Luke at this point, 'cos I like to wait until Trev gets home from work, so we can eat together. I also give Lainey her 'solid' meal of the day. Bath both the kids, get pyjamas on, and finally, BEDTIME! I cook dinner for us, Trev gets home at 8, we eat, then Trev gets on with his homework and I sew/craft/leave the dishes for tomorrow morning.

This is probably the hardest semester so far. But we're getting through. I sometimes wish I could be the one going to university, but really I know I am the lucky one, because I get to spend my days with my two sweet babies. I love my darlings so much. They bring me joy every day.

Lainey can crawl! It's hard to believe how she is growing up so fast. It's fun to see but sad too. Life just goes by...I suppose the trick is to enjoy every moment and not waste a second. That's what I've got to try to do.

A few more pictures...

2009-09-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

The following pictures are from the reunion weekend, and were taken by other people and emailed to me.

A while back, Sophie sent some matching t-shirts for the kids. They say 'Brother' and 'Sister' on them, in English and in Thai, with a cute picture on them. So, at the reunion, I asked Aunt Wendy to take some pictures of the little ones wearing them. They came out lovely!

The rest were taken by Katie. The bottom two are the results of a fun feature on her new camera. It beefs up your smile, giving you a really cheesy grin. We had lots of fun with it!

Reunion fun

2009-09-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to attend the family reunion of Trev's mum's side of the family. We had a lovely time, relaxing, playing games, talking, eating (of course!) and camping out at night.

Luke having fun with daddy and uncle Jake

The blanket on the ground for the babies (and not-so-babies, as you can see)

Quigley had some serious bed-hair

Apparently, they were making hot chocolate

Lainey having her first dip in the creek

Luke doing his favorite activity...throwing rocks into the water

The theme was clowns, so we all dressed silly for dinner one night

Luke playing on the tractor

It was really very fun. Luke got to sleep over with his grandma and grandpa two of the nights, in their big spacious tent. He played with his cousins and ate junk food to his heart's content. We all came back feeling quite refreshed, and it was a shame that we had to get back to reality so quickly.

Buddies

2009-08-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

ps. check out what I've been doing in my spare time!

bits

2009-08-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been doing all sorts. Crochet, knitting, sewing, home decor stuff...I've been starting projects galore and jumping from thing to thing without finishing any of them.

One thing that I'm way excited about is my crochet. I started making little flower motifs. I thought I could use them on headbands for Lainey, hats, clothes, whatever. So I promptly whipped up a little stash. (sample pictured below). Then, I thought, maybe this is what I could sell in my Etsy shop! Not sure though, but it's a thought.

I asked Trev to make a tall chair for Luke to sit at our bar. He got right on it (what a good example!) and it was finished a few days later. Finished, that is, except for making it look good, which is where I come in. We decided white with the red vinyl pad but it's not working so it's going to be green. Watch this space for updates on that!

This is for a wall display I'm doing in our living room. It came together really cheaply and I actually love it, and the way it fits in with our scheme (that I have planned...)

So, that's it for now. I've got 5 or 6 other things on the go and I'll add them soon.

Do they look alike?

2009-08-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

I think my babies look so much alike in these pictures. They both have amazing eyelashes, which obviously weren't inherited from mummy.

Bear Lake

2009-08-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at Bear Lake with several of Trev's family members. It was a lovely day for it- nice and sunny with a breeze. We came home tired and just a little bit sunburnt. (Mum and dad, that is) We also decided that we probably ate a bit too much. The ample supply of goodies that we took was supplemented by an array of yummy stuff brought by everyone else. Oh well, maybe one of these days we'll get some self-control.

Yee-haa

2009-08-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

We went to the Cache County Fair and Rodeo. Trev has been to tons of rodeos in his time, but I'd never been to one. We were quite confident that Luke would enjoy it. He did, but he probably would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't have started at roughly the time that he usually goes to bed. But he did enjoy the cows and horses.

Since I have a few readers from England, I'll describe a few of the events. First there was bareback horse riding, where the horse is bucking like crazy and the cowboy just has to cling on for dear life. There was also a similar one, but they had a saddle. There was also a contest where the cowboys had to rope a steer and throw it to the ground. And another one with steers, but this time they were on foot and had to get it's nose into the ground somehow (I wasn't sure exactly what was going on with some of the events!)

The cutest, most adorable part, was called 'mutton busting'. Little children riding sheep! Those little kids just had to cling on to the sheep's neck as it walked or ran across the arena. It was so cute and funny to watch how tenacious they were!

Part of the rodeo tradition includes a rodeo royalty, pretty young cowgirls who are crowned queen, princess etc.

We were also treated to a couple of impressive displays by some teams of horses. The way they drive these teams is amazing. There was even a man who could drive six horses, whilst standing on their backs.

My photos really don't do it justice. I wasn't sure what setting to use on the camera. But it was a fun night. We did have to leave before the 'main event', the bull riding. The kids were getting tired and starting to whine, so we decided to call it a night.

Utahns!

2009-08-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

It's official- we are Utah residents. We've changed our car license plates over and have Utah Driving licenses too. Even though we plan to be back in Wyoming after Trev graduates, we had to get Utah residency so that he will get in-state tuition prices once his scholarship ends.

Out with the old...

...in with the new

We're just hoping that being holders of Utah licenses won't turn us into crazy drivers :-)

Breathable crib bumpers

2009-08-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

Lainey is at the stage where her arms and legs are always escaping through the bars of her crib. I'm a bit scared of traditional bumpers, it just seems like a baby could suffocate with them. So I came up with this simple idea to make them breathable.

I used a mesh material that I bought, oh, a year ago. I trimmed it with satin blanket binding, and made ties from bias tape. It's one piece that kind of weaves in and out of the crib bars (at the corners) and joins with velcro.

I used lavender, so that it will go with the quilt that my mum made and sent over for Lainey. Isn't it lovely? I love Beatrix Potter!

Tony Grove Lake

2009-08-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to Tony Grove Lake for the afternoon. It's a small glacial lake about 45 minutes drive from us, up the Logan Canyon. We had a nice picnic lunch in the peaceful surroundings. Then we went to explore the Lake a little. It's quite beautiful. At over 8000ft elevation, it is nice and cool up there, surrounded by pine trees and wild flowers.

The sad thing is, that while we were there, a man drowned whilst trying to swim across the lake. So suddenly there was a whole assortment of rescue divers, sherrifs, ambulances, and a helicopter. They found the body this morning.

We did enjoy our trip, but left in a sort of daze. It really was a sad thing to happen. The guy was only 20 years old.

Sad

2009-08-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

This summer, we were really thrilled to have a pair of house finches nesting on our balcony. It seemed to take them a long time to intricately build the little nest. I tried to keep Luke inside at the times that I saw that they were busy. I was SO excited- having been a member of the YOC (Young Ornothologist Club- I know...geeky!)) as a child, I have always had a love of birds. Have you ever looked closely at a bird's nest? They are amazing, carefully constructed from grass, twigs, and other debris.

Imagine my delight when I noticed one morning that there was a little blue egg in there! I increased my efforts to keep the balcony quiet and undisturbed. We waited and waited for the egg to hatch. Finally, it did. I could tell something was going on because the daddy bird came back, and stood watching. I became a little concerned, though, when I never really saw the parents bring food to the baby. Weren't they supposed to be out gathering worms or other food and dropping it in the open mouth of the little one?

So I went out to have a look. This is what had happened :-(

So it didn't turn out very well in the end, but I'm glad we got to witness the whole process.

Camping

2009-07-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

We finally had our first camping-as-a-family-of-four experience. It was fun. We camped on the ranch, on one of the meadows that is quite close to the houses, just in case. Trev's parents, and several of his siblings were camping out too. We camped for two nights.

Our tent is tiny. (see pic below- ours is the little red one) But how much room do you really need for sleeping, anyway? Probably a tinsy bit more than we had, but we all slept fine.

Here's Trev with our nephew, Taven. The babies sure seem to have a thing for his chest hair.

There was plenty of delicious food to eat. Luke kept on going back to the grapes :-)

Lainey and her little rug-buddy Taven. The babies were really so good, I was quite amazed. I think that even the little ones like to be outside, and there's always plenty going on to look at.

Trev's youngest siblings, Annie, Jessie and Zack. To be fair to them, I did take this picture first thing in the morning.

The yummy dutch-oven peach cobbler made by Trev's dad, Kelly. It really tasted delicious.

Whereas Luke is happy with just a simple tomato.

It's a shame the summer is drawing to a close, so there won't be many more trips like this. But when they do happen, they really are fun. I just love to relax with my little family, enjoy good company, great food and beautiful surroundings. That's when life feels complete.

This and that

2009-07-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things we've been doing over the last couple of weeks.

Lainey has been working on a new skill. She hasn't mastered it completely, but she gets better every day. Of course it'll be a while before I'll be able to leave her sitting unattended- her big brother does like to sabotage her attempts at independence!

I just love my little girl!

Luke had his first go at painting. It took quite a while for him to grasp the idea that he was supposed to paint the paper instead of himself. I'm just glad I had the foresight to strip him down to his nappy first :-) I think we'll make this a regular activity.

Isn't this just mischief personified?!

We finally made it to one of our Stake's softball tournament evenings. Trev's friend Cade and his wife organise the event each week, so it was fun to go and support them.

I just like this picture of Lainey after she took her bath the other night.

Trevor's sister and brother-in-law, Katie and Jared, came to stay for a couple of days. They have a little boy, Quigley. It was fun to get together and we had a fun afternoon at the park, with a little picnic. I love picnics. I remember when my family used to go on picnics when we were younger. We always had cool food for picnics, and there was always extra stuff like hard-boiled eggs and sausage rolls. Plus there is just something special about eating outside.

4th July outfits

2009-07-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

4th July stuff- simple shorts for brother and sister, and a last-minute felt star for Lainey's head.

I really need to get on board with the whole bow thing. People are always thinking Lainey is a boy.

It's picture time again!

2009-07-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

We had our photos taken by Dani. We like her work. Here are a few of our favorites.

Girls' weekend

2009-07-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Each year, the men in Trev's family (his dad, brothers and brothers-in-law) go on a trip of some sort. Last year it was a pack trip up in the mountains, this year it was Lake Powell. Since they are men, we don't get to see many pictures of what they get up to- they are having way too much fun to remember to document it. But while they're gone, us girls get together (with the kids of course) and have some fun too.

Day one-swimming.

Luke and his cousin Braylen are all ready to go.

Grandma watches over some of the little boys.

Trev's sister Katie with baby Quigley.

This is my nephew Corben. I love this little guy!

Luke had a blast.

That night, we bathed the older boys together. If you look closely at Luke's face, you'll see that he really didn't enjoy sharing his bathtub! That night, we all slept at my apartment. Six women and 6 kids in our little apartment. Luckily, we were all pretty tired and slept well.

Day two- Bear Lake.

Quigley and Lainey at the start of our outing.

Luke and Corben enjoyed the water.

And we all took rides in the little inflatable boat.

Lainey likes the feel of the sand between her toes, and watching the boys having fun.

Corben catching some rays.

Day Three and Four- chilling at the ranch.

After two fun days out with the kids, we were ready for some downtime. So we went out to the ranch and just hung out. We baked, talked, played, slept, ate and just enjoyed one another's company.

Luke has decided that he likes wrestling. Corben is the cousin who is closest in age to him. Corben is two and Luke is 18 months, but Corben is a little bit smaller, and doesn't like to wrestle. We had to assign Braylen to play with Luke, because Luke can't really hurt him (he's 4)

And in the babies' corner, we have Lainey and Taven. Taven is just one month older than Lainey.

Lainey got to spend a little time with her great-grandma.

We all ate crackers, cheese, meat and fruit for every lunch. Luke tried cherries for the first time and they were a big hit!

And of course, the boys had to have several rides on the four-wheeler.

Our little girl

2009-07-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Lainey is now 4 and a half months old. Just thought I'd share a few pictures of her.

And this last picture is from a couple of days ago. Luke was poorly and fell asleep in my arms so I put him on the couch. Then Lainey fell asleep so I put her on there too.

Swimming

2009-07-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's already July? With all the rain we've had, it seems like summer is only just beginning, but really it's half way over. Now it is starting to get hot though, so we decided it was time to take Luke swimming for the first time. To say he loved it would be an understatement.

We hope to go at least once more this summer, but we've decided it will be more fun next year, when Lainey will be big enough to go in, so we can all play in the water as a family.

Looking back

2009-06-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

The other day, Trev needed a blanket to put Lainey on, and this is the one that he got out of the closet. This is a blanket with a story. It represents my first attempt at crochet. I started it when I was about 9 years old, under the watchful eye of my very talented mother. I finished it 3 years ago, 17 years after making those first few chain stitches. It spent several years (teenage years) hidden away, untouched.

Most of the yarns were leftovers from my mum's knitting projects, some were unravelled jumpers, and I think one or two were bought new, especially for my blanket.

It's funny because I clearly remember mum saying that it would one day be a lovely blanket for my children. And it is. Thanks for the lessons and encouragement, mum!

Look who's a big boy!

2009-06-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Luke has been in his toddler bed for two weeks now and he is doing great. The first week he fell out a couple of times (and stayed asleep on the floor- I would go and check on him and he'd be under the bed or by the side, still asleep!) This week he's doing much better with that.

Also, the kids are now sharing a room! Lainey grew too big for the bassinet in our room, so, after much discussion about sleeping arrangements, we just went for it and put them in together. I don't know why we waited this long, they are getting along fine (so far). We have this in there with them and I think it helps them sleep through the night without waking each other.

Sophie's bag

2009-06-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

I finally made a buttercup bag. It was a birthday present for the lovely Sophie. I think I'm going to make some more as Christmas gifts.

Blessing dress

2009-06-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing a lot about 'refashioning' online lately, in the crafty circles, so I decided to do a bit myself. Instead of buying new fabric for Lainey's blessing dress, I used a ladies white dress I bought at a thrift store for $5. I adapted a pattern I already had (some adaptations were by design, others were made in a late-night frenzy of desperation) The pattern was Simplicity 9784.

I like how it turned out, though I did cut a lot of corners, knowing that she would only wear it once.

RRRRRaaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhh

2009-06-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

We're really trying to make the most of Trev's free days off work. We decided to go to the dinosaur park in Ogden. It was geared towards kids a bit older than Luke (probably 3+ I'd say) There were a few things that caught his interest, though. We had a nice time and on the way home we stopped at Smith and Edwards (a big shop) and bought him his first dinosaur toy, which he loves.

Branding

2009-06-02T19:36:00.001-07:00

We went to the ranch to help out with/watch the branding. Luke loved seeing the cows up close but didn't like the calves crying. I decided not to include the pictures of the actual branding. As well as using branding irons to burn the ranch brand into their skin, Trevor's dad also cuts a 5 inch 'waddle' into the calves' foreheads. It's basically a flap of skin, so as you can imagine, it involves quite a lot of blood. They also gouge the horns out, if the calf has them, and put rubber bands around the baby boy calves' testicles! Nobody ever said that ranching was a glamorous job!

Lainey and I spent quite a bit of time in the car, since it was a windy day.

Grandpa took Luke for his very first horseback ride.

What an exciting, and tiring day.

Willow park zoo

2009-05-08T17:42:00.001-07:00

Logan has a small zoo. It is stocked mainly with birds and tortoises, which is perfect for our duck-loving little guy.

Lainey's blessing

2009-05-08T17:41:00.001-07:00

We decided to travel up to Trevor's home ward to have Lainey's name and blessing there. She wore a dress that I made, using a ladies white dress purchased from the DI for 5 dollars!

We had a good time with family and the blessing went perfectly smoothly, except for Lainey's very loud screaming through the whole thing.

To celebrate with family, we went back to the ranch and ate different types of chili and soups. Luke played with his cousins. He loves them, plus he loves his uncle Zack, who is 11.

Easter and St. George's day

2009-04-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Luke enjoyed searching for plastic eggs, which we had hidden around the living room. We bought him a trike and some sand toys too. I feel sorry for him that his birthday is so close to Christmas. So we thought Easter is a nice time to get him a few bits for the summer.

We've been taking his sand toys down to the sand box in our community's play area, and Luke has been learning to share. It's lovely to watch kids play together.

I also decided to make a tradition of taking photos with the English flag, on St. George's day. I did this last year as well and I think we'll do it every year. I know it seems like I do a lot of 'English' holidays, but I promise I am going to do July 4th too, in fact I am already planning their outfits!

And the last piece of wonderful news is that the semester is over, and Trev is finished with classes for a whole month :-) yippeeee!!

Football!

2009-04-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

To me, football means soccer. It's a game I grew up with. There was always a soccer ball in the back garden to idly kick around with siblings. My brothers took it to the next level and played in the park on a daily basis. My uncles were excellent players. We saw games on television, and live of course. David Beckham was a household name, and the boys had posters of their favourite players on their bedroom walls. To a Brit, it really is 'the beautiful game'.

Trev knows how cool it is, too, because he served his mission in England. And Luke is learning...

Here's Luke about this time last year, at 4 months-

And the next two pictures were taken last week. He LOVES kicking the ball!

Bandana skirt

2009-04-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

I made this little skirt in about 10 minutes, and it cost about a dollar. I love it, and it matches perfectly with a little top that my mum sent over for Lainey. You can find out how to make one here. The tutorial is for a size 2-3 years skirt, but I trimmed the excess fabric from the top and didn't add the trim.

By the way, I have quite a few projects on the go at the moment. I'm working on them as and when I find time. This was so quick and easy it jumped right to the top of the pile.

Speaking of simple...

2009-04-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

A little bag for the beanbags to live in. I had this fat quarter of froggy fabric in my stash and it seemed like a good use for it.

Although this is a simple project, I'm quite excited about it, because it's the first time I used french seams, which I only just learned about. Now I don't need to complain about my lack of serger!

Still gathering inspiration and being amazed at what is out there. I'm learning so much.

Beanbags

2009-04-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

These are going to be part of Luke's Easter basket. Very simple, I know...simplicity is where I am at right now. I doubt the recipient will care :-)

How it happened

2009-03-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

So, I thought it might be time to share a little more of my 'birth story'. To be honest, there isn't really much to tell, but never mind. I'm not sure if it's the same for every mum out there, but in the weeks after delivery, I keep playing it over and over in my mind. It feels good to talk or write about it.

Okay, where to begin? Lainey was born on a Friday. The Wednesday just before, I had my regular doctor appointment (39 weeks) and he stated that I was about 2.5 cm dilated, and that he would be happy to induce me on Saturday if I liked. I agreed, but we didn't arrange a time. He told me to call the office on Friday and set it up. I was a bit scared of being induced, and decided to spend the next couple of days doing things that might help it all along.

On Thursday morning, Luke and I went for a nice long walk! I still had a few things to do around the house, so I did those. We went out for dinner as a family, I think we knew it would be the last time for a while. All through this (and the several days previous) I was having irregular and far apart Braxton-Hicks, but nothing at all painful.

We went to bed at about midnight, and around 1am I woke up with a painful contraction. A short time later, another one. Then another. I got up to go and find my watch so I could time them. In the kitchen, my water broke! It was time to go to the hospital! We called our wonderful neighbours and asked them to come up and sleep up here so we could leave Luke in bed. We're so grateful that they came and helped us out.

At the hospital, whilst checking in, the contractions started to get worse, but they still weren't all that bad. They put me in a room and a few minutes later they checked on me and said I was about 6cm dilated. I got my IV line put in and hooked up to the monitors. The next part is kind of a blur. I think they checked me again a few minutes later and said I was about 8cm. And then, it's almost like no time passed, before the doctor was there, saying I was ready. All at once, I needed to push, and they told me not to, because they weren't quite ready yet. Luckily I didn't have to wait long, and two pushes later, Lainey was born.

I feel really lucky to have had such a smooth experience. Both of my babies have been born without pain-relief drugs, and I have to say, it was a lot easier this time around! Lainey came out looking perfect and sweet (I sort of thought she looked like a little gnome at first...) Trev was able to get home before Luke woke up, which was a blessing.

Thanks to all the nurses and doctors who helped in the hospital, we were really pleased with the whole thing! And we love our new little family member :-)

Crazy

2009-03-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say? Life suddenly got very busy around here. I never knew what a big transition it would be to go from one to two. Still, we're surviving. There are good days and bad days, of course, but I'm happy to say that the bad days are becoming rarer, while the good days are more the 'norm' now.

Trev is still quite busy with school and work. He has just 5 weeks left until school's out for summer...we can't wait.

Lainey is a good baby. She's very content, especially if she's being held. But that's okay- I love holding my babies! I admit it is a little tricky sometimes to keep both of them happy, but I am using my front pack baby carrier quite a lot so that I can play with Luke and hold Lainey at the same time (and talk on the phone, do the dishes, fold laundry...)

We're waiting for nice weather to come. It's definitely spring-like at the moment. We get one or two days of warm weather, followed by snow. But we get outside when we can and make the most of it.

It might be hard but when I look at these two, it's all worth it.

Inspirations

2009-03-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

There are so many talented people out there. And many of them are extremely generous and willing to share their ideas, successes, and even instructions for how to create similar results. I have been spending quite a lot of time browsing blogs and websites, searching for ideas.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to collect these ideas and create a plan for myself, of the things that I really want to try. There's so much out there, that really you have to control yourself and not get carried away thinking you are going to try everything!

One blog that has given me a kick start in the baby clothes department is having a giveaway. http://kinzieskreations.blogspot.com/2009/03/100th-post-giveaway.html. This girl is talented. She just makes things without a pattern and they always turn out good. She has a little girl and some of the clothes she's made for her are so funky and cute.

Warning...

2009-03-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling that my next few posts will be pretty much all baby clothes. I am finding snatches of time here and there, but not much, so it's quite slow progress. Here's a dress that I started ages ago and just finished last week. Lainey wore it to church and looked sweet. The pattern says to make buttonholes, but I used snap fasteners and just sewed the buttons on for decoration. I'm a bit scared of buttonholes, I think!

And here's Lainey in her trousers, looking all chilled out in the sink

Lainey

2009-03-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Lainey May is here! She arrived 20th February 2009 at 3.37am, after a mere 2 and a half hours of labour!

Lainey weighed 8lbs 2oz and was 20.5 inches long. She is so lovely and we adore her! I will come back with details when I have the time.

Waiting for baby...

2009-02-11T12:57:00.001-08:00

We're down to less than two weeks until due date! We are so excited!

I've been so busy during the last couple of weeks, getting everything ready. I actually have a bag packed for the hospital this time around. (Last time I ended up lying on the living room floor, shouting out orders to Trev in between contractions...) I've assembled the bassinet, washed and sorted baby clothes, cleaned *most* of our apartment, even found time to make some little baby clothes. Funny really, it was easier to find time for that, than scrubbing the kitchen floor!

I'm grateful that Luke is such a good sleeper and that he goes to bed at a decent hour (before 7pm) and sleeps right through, giving me plenty of time to clean or do whatever needs to be done. We do wonder how Luke will adjust to being an older brother and whether he will be jealous, happy, welcoming or naughty towards the new baby. I suppose we will find out!

This is an exciting time for us!

Here are a few pictures of Luke in the last few weeks. It has been cold but we've been going outside every day, and Luke loves that. I don't have a picture, but his latest craze is pushing the stroller (pushchair) himself. He seems so proud of himself when he is toddling along with that thing!

I knew there was a reason I brought these nesting dolls back when I went to Russia 5 years ago!

Another pair

2009-02-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

After making that last pair of little trousers, I thought about making some for our baby. I was originally going to wait until after the baby arrived, to make sure it's a girl...but I couldn't resist!

I bought this flowery cotton a while ago, from the cheapy section at Wal*Mart. I still have enough of it left to make a top or something. If our baby turns out to be a boy, I'm sure I'll find someone for these to go to :-)

Another brand new nephew!

2009-02-01T18:17:00.001-08:00

We have another nephew. Taven was born on January 21st, weighing in at 6lbs 14oz. We can't wait to meet him in a few weeks! He looks so cute! His two big brothers love him lots.

Celebrating the new year

2009-01-30T17:50:00.000-08:00

After we got home from England, we decided to spend a few days at trev's parents' home. We had our second Christmas, exchanging gifts and relaxing!

Luke enjoys playing with his cousins. He only has boy cousins (on both sides!). I like to see him play with other kids and now he's getting a bit bigger he can play with them more. The above picture is (L-R) Braylen, Quigley, Corben, Luke. The below picture is Luke and Corben playing a duet! They are 8 months apart.

We played in the snow too. It was fun. They didn't have as much snow in Wyoming as we had in Utah, but there was enough to play in.

We had a nice time and wish we could see both of our families more. Trev is very busy with school and work. I'm so proud of him, that he works full time in a physically demanding job, maintains a 4.0 whilst taking 15 credits, and on top of that he is a brilliant dad and husband. I am so lucky!

Baby trousers

2009-01-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

These baby trousers aren't half as cute as I thought they would be. But never mind. They're for my nephew, who was born last week.

Any time I use a pattern to make clothing, I feel the need to change something. I think it is an urge to 'create', rather than just follow directions. (I do admire people who have the patience for following things exactly, though!)

In this case, the pattern was for very simple cotton trousers. Well, I decided to use denim, and make them lined for extra warmth! I hope they fit the baby. I might make a pair for our baby, if I find the time...

Our English Christmas

2009-01-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

We flew to England for Christmas. This was my first time being home for two years, and our first trip as a family. We were really excited! The flights went quite smoothly, and Luke was as good as gold.

Walking around my home village, in the typical wet English weather! It sounds funny, but I was hoping for rain, after being in the Utah desert for a couple of years, you do miss it!

We met our nephew, Nathan, for the first time. He's even cuter than he looks in the photos, and just adorable. Luke enjoyed stroking his cousin's head :-)

Here's Nathan on Christmas morning. What a sweetie!

We enjoyed a lovely mum-cooked Christmas dinner of turkey and all the extras. It was delicious! I wish I could have eaten more but the heartburn is getting me big time this pregnancy.

Of course, everyone made a big fuss of Luke, much to his delight :-) I loved watching him interact with my family. He really is quite a friendly and confident little boy most of the time. I know that he had lots of fun and hope that he will retain some kind of memory of them all, at least until he sees them again.

We had a wonderful trip and the only problem was that the time went too quickly. We hope we can go back soon!

London!

2009-01-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that Trev, Luke and I had the wonderful opportunity of travelling to England for Christmas. (I'm getting to my Christmas post, I promise!) Anyway, a few days before Christmas, my mum and John offered to take us to London for the day, along with my sister Sophie. I've been to London quite a few times before, but never as a 'tourist'! It was actually very fun to go round taking pictures of all the buildings and landmarks. They really are beautiful and historic and I should have taken more notice of them in the past.

Here's us in front of Big Ben (the clock tower), which adjoins the Houses of Parliament.

Us on a bridge spanning the Thames river (the main river upon which London is built) In the background you can see the London Eye, which is a very tall ferris wheel type ride. I think it's about 450 ft tall, and is designed for the purpose of observing London.

We were treated to a ride on it, by mum and John (thanks!). They looked after Luke while we had a 30 minute date :-) Each capsule holds up to 32 people, but we had just 4 in ours. Lucky!

Trev got double rides that day, as a pursuaded him that it was time for Luke to have his first carousel ride...

After hours of walking around, and navigating the London underground train system, we were ready to sit down and relax (while mum, John and Sophie continued shopping- I have to admire their stamina!) We all decided to go to Harrods, a massive, upmarket department store. After studying the map of its 5 floors, Trev and I selected a family friendly cafe, and went for a bite to eat. We quicky discovered, however, that the prices were a little higher than anticipated, so we bought a couple of fruit smoothies instead!

Altogether we had a brilliant day, and created some more lovely memories. That is what we were hoping for in our trip to England.

Luke is one!

2009-01-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Luke turned one on December 22nd. We had a small celebration for the event. He seemed puzzled, awe-struck and happy with his cake! My mum found some candles which burn with flames that are the same colour as the wax, so we used all 6 colours for effect.

Luke has grasped the concept of opening gifts, and it was fun to watch him open presents from his grandparents, aunties and uncles. He received several books, a snail toy, shoes, bath toys and money.

Happy birthday Luke! We've loved having you for this past year. You are already getting so big and every day you surprise us with how clever you are. We are proud and happy to be your parents xx

Christmas pyjamas

2008-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

These are the pyjamas that I made for my boys :-) I decided to make only bottoms, because I knew I would not find time to make tops as well. They looked really cute in them!

Booties

2008-12-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

I started knitting these when I was expecting Luke. When he got to be about 10 months old I decided I should finish them! We gave them as a Christmas gift to our baby nephew Quigley. I really enjoy knitting and especially learning new techniques. For these booties I had to learn how to make eyelet holes. Luckily I have a good book which explains all the techniques very clearly. Otherwise I would be lost!

Luke's curtains

2008-12-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to go ahead and start posting about some of the projects I've done recently. A while ago I made these curtains for Luke's room. The fabric was on clearance and so altogether they were very inexpensive to make. For my first pair of curtains I am pleased with how they turned out.

Festivities

2008-12-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a quiet and humble Thanksgiving meal at home. Trev had to work that day, but I wanted to make it special. I cooked a turkey, stuffing, and various vegetables. We ate lots and lots and had plenty of leftovers! I must say, although we do not have Thanksgiving in England, it is a celebration that I enjoy and respect. It seems to be traditionally a time for family, food, and counting our blessings. Who can find fault with that?!

A couple of days ago we put up our Christmas tree. We wanted to be able to enjoy it for a couple of weeks before we go to England for Christmas. Getting the ornaments on the tree was a challenge, since Luke was pulling them off as quickly as we could put them on, but since that night he has more or less left the tree alone, and only pulled it over once. I think it gave him enough of a scare to keep him away! I'm trying to add to our collection each year with at least a couple of handmade ornaments. This year I bought some ready-to-finish plaster shapes for us to paint. But then I got impatient waiting for Trev to have a free evening, and painted them myself. He didn't seem to mind too much.

Frankenstein

2008-11-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

I've never seen the movie, but now at least I can say I've read the book. Very interesting. Enjoyable and depressing, and completely unlike what I expected.

Any recommendations for my next read? Maybe something with less death in it...