COOLEST baby shower EVER

Meet my friend Shanda (and baby Milo). Shanda and I talk on the phone for hours (even when we know we will see each other the next day). We have late night "chat fests" every couple months where I just sit at her house until 1 am while we talk and talk. She bakes the best cakes. And she hosts the coolest parties. This past Saturday she hosted what I have dubbed the "coolest baby shower ever." And it was just for me! (Oh, and the baby too, of course.)


The theme was "She's about to POP!" And no detail was left undone. The refreshments-- four different kinds of soda POP (with custom labels for each); four different kinds of POPcorn: cheddar, butter, kettle, and caramel; three different kinds of POPsicles; homemade cake POPS (yes, just like Bakerella makes); POP tarts; and tootsie-roll POPS. And, if you can believe it, Shanda kept telling me she was bummed she couldn't do POPcorn shrimp on top of all that! Other details include about 100 hand-cut POP circles hanging from the ceiling; 25 hand-rolled pastel paper cones for popcorn; a custom "Andy Warhol" style POP art photo of me; and a customized play list of my favorite 80s POP music playing in the background. Again, let me emphasize she does not leave out any detail. I loved it! When I walked downstairs to where the party was, between the music and all the cool decorations, I felt like I was in the movie "13 Going on 30."

In addition to the fun party, I had so many sweet friends to support me. And the gifts I received were so thoughtful. Three people (Shanda, Grandma, and Grandma Judy) were thoughtful enough to add a little gift for Hallie in addition to the baby. My friend Ronnie added special Bath and Body Works supplies just for me. And four of my friends hand made two "diaper cakes" that were stuffed with hidden treasures of essentials (baby shampoos, bibs, washcloths, etc.) and keepsakes like handmade bracelets (one for baby, Hallie, and myself), bows, hats, and more (Thank you Katie, Ruth, Jen, and Emily). My friend, Kerrie, sewed a hooded plush towel (and custom-matched it to the nursery). And the new baby received darling summer clothes and clothes for next winter which is where we were lacking since Hallie was born in a different season (Thanks Charlotte, Em, Ronnie, Millie, Mary Ann, Megan, Wendy, and Mom).
Hallie with remnants of cake pops on her face
Ronnie and Charlotte
Hallie and Dottie (friends since Hallie was born)
hand-cut circles
Em and Ruth showing off the diaper cakes made with love by Jen, Katie, and themselves.

Mom popped some serious popcorn!

Jen and Edana

Em, Me, and Shanda

The kids had a blast!

Everyone was so thoughtful! So thank you, thank you Shanda and the girls! You are the greatest friends and our little family is very grateful to have you.

Hallie's Baby Book

After lots of work, I am almost officially complete with Hallie's baby book (her first year scrapbook). Here are some of the layouts from throughout her album. I still have some journaling to do. And I need to do layouts for her fifth month and eleventh month. But, otherwise I am finished. I am not a very fancy scrapbooker. Most of the time, I don't even mat my photos. But I make it with love and I hope she can feel that.

For most of the album, I just did one layout for the entire month. I do have several "theme" layouts like sitting up, her first solid foods, right after she was born, etc. In the back I have a big pocket that has my letters to her and birthday and shower cards from close friends and family. For most of my monthly layouts, I got ideas from Becky Higgin's sketch books. I am a big Becky Higgins fan and have been following her scrapbooking for the last ten years.

Spring Break

Things to do while Chris is home for spring break:

• do spring cleaning throughout the house . . . done
• get the girl's room ready for the baby . . . done
• clean the infant carseat, stroller, and pack n' play . . . done
• purchase our first home . . . done!

Or almost done, that is. Chris and I have signed the papers on our first home. We won the bid (and got under the asking price). If all goes well, we move into our home on May 15! We are so excited. Pictures will come when it is officially official. But, I will tell you it is only ten years old (built while I was still a high school teen), has beautiful custom paint, huge front and backyards, is on a corner lot, is in a wonderful neighborhood, and has incredible mountain views. We feel super lucky and blessed. We are buying at a very nice time with a very nice interest rate.

So, in about two and a half to three weeks we should have our second child, and a few more weeks after that we have our first home!

We can't stop pinching ourselves.

In other news, it is April and we are finally getting our first real snowstorm! Instead of being sick of it, we Coloradons are excited. It seems everyone is ready to snuggle up and have hot chocolate. And because we have had such a warm winter we aren't depressed about it. So . . . let it snow!

Hallie Who is Two! (and a half too!)

Today our little girl turns two and a half! What a milestone. When Chris and I went to pick her up from Grandma Judy's house I asked her "Hallie, do you know what today is?" She got excited and responded "Sunday?!" I said "It's your birthday!" She literally gasped and then I said "It's your half birthday!" Without skipping a beat she exclaimed "Daddy, today is my half-birthday!!!" Luckily she hasn't been asking for presents or cake. We do have a delicious Costco chocolate cake that Chris and I indulged in for date night last night. Tonight we can all have a slice in honor of our Hallie.

To my bright, sparkling Hallie,

Being your Mommy is such a pleasure. You are a happy, easy-going child. You have always been a wonderful sleeper. You go down for naps and bedtime with ease. You also play wonderfully all by yourself. I know you have an amazing imagination because of the songs you make up and sing to yourself. You also show your creativity in your amazing ability to turn any napkin or diaper wipe into a beautiful princess. I love how you show your exuberance through your big blue eyes and animated expressions. You are so easy to love because you love Daddy and I so much right back. You have a great personality and love to be wherever family is. You love books and those precious times that I hold you and feel calm radiate out of your little, warm body nestled in my lap are some of my most favorite and cherished memories of mommyhood. We are going to add another member to our family in the coming weeks. My greatest hope in this time of transition is that Daddy and I can still show you how much we love you. You have been the greatest addition to our team and are the perfect fit for our family. I love you, Hallie. I am so proud of your two-and-a-half year old self and I am already proud of the woman you are going to be. Happy half-birthday!

Love,

Mommy

In honor of her special day I would like to highlight some of Hallie's favorite things: pizza, pasta, noodles, (she always tells us she wants "pasta and noodles"), chocolate, chapstick, Lady and the Tramp, PBS Kids, Disney princesses, the park, holding wipes, talking, singing, and reading her books.

Temple tradition

A little over two and a half years ago, I was very pregnant--36 1/2 weeks to be exact--with little Hallie when Chris and I went together to the Denver temple. Chris snapped a picture of me at the time. This morning, I also happened to be 36 1/2 weeks pregnant with another little girl. I knew we would be at the temple so I asked Chris to bring the camera so we could recreate the picture.

Besides the noticeable difference in grass . . . I feel like I am a baby in the first one. Perhaps it is just because I know more of what to expect this time around that I look at the first one and see a little trepidation and look at the second one and see more of a seasoned woman. Regardless, I thought this makes for a fun tradition. Perhaps we will be so fortunate to remember to take a picture at the temple when I am 36 1/2 weeks pregnant next time.

St. Patrick's Day

Here are the decorations we had for St. Patrick's Day this year.

The main item I used was 99 cent ribbon from Hobby Lobby that I tied around household items. My green ceramic candle holders were an after-Christmas clearance that Chris pointed out when we were shopping together. So, I used them for St. Patrick's Day and will use them again at Christmas. My sage candle holders (near the apples) were found at a "going out of business" sale of a home decorating shop downtown. They came with pink candles (I plan on using those when I put out Easter decorations this week). The total for all three holders (plus candles) . . . $5.

I shopped on Saturday for our St. Patrick's Day meal. The menu: Irish Hot Pot- boiled cabbage, onion, potatoes, and sausage-- you put butter and salt and pepper on them at the end and it is surprisingly delicious. We have done it for years. Next up, Irish Soda Bread. And for dessert Shamrock Shakes (mint chocolate chip ice cream with milk in a blender). The only problem with the night was . . . I was too tired to make anything and I had to leave early to supervise a church activity. Sweet Chris made us sandwiches for dinner and I was so grateful. So, it will be St. Patrick's Day meal tonight, March 18! Hallie and I did manage to wear green yesterday. And we are both wearing green again today for good measure.

I did have a little boost of energy this morning so I got a lot of needed housework done-- sweeping, vacuuming, mopping . . . I even folded laundry which is one of my least favorite chores to do. It feels good to be sitting in a clean house though. It smells like Mr. Clean Orange and that is a pretty blissful smell if you ask me.

I am plugging away at Hallie's scrapbook. I should totally finish by the end of the week. That will be a great accomplishment for me. I will feature some photos of it in the next couple days.

Well, I miss you family and friends! But life is happy, good, and is moving right along. Cross your fingers that I can keep the house clean before baby comes!

Appointment

I went to the OB today for a regular appointment. All looks well. I have only gained eight pounds (strange, I know). The baby is really healthy and has her head down like we want it to be. He said "If you went into labor five days from now we would be cheering you on!" That's right-- I forgot a baby is technically full-term at 37 weeks. I can't believe I am only days away from being able to bring home a healthy baby if she were born. That is crazy!! Thankfully, I am sure she still has a few weeks left before she feels comfortable enough to make her debut and we are totally fine with that. A lot of people are so sympathetic and guessing that I must want this baby out. I am actually quite comfortable and cherishing my last days with Hallie as my only child. Chris and I can't believe how much our lives are going to change again in just a few short weeks. What an exciting change to go through.

Hi friends and family! Our little family is still on the mend. My nasty cough is slowly dissipating. And now, our poor little one has my cold. The sad thing is, even though Hallie and I have been sick, it is Daddy that I really feel sorry for. He is our slave and is so sweet to us (as he always is). Last night, we tried to take care of Hallie in shifts. I took care of her from midnight until three and then Chris took over for the rest of the night. I only found out after prying on my part this morning that poor Chris was up the entire night because he was concerned for us and is such a light sleeper.

On a lighter note, I tried a new recipe that is delicious whether you are sick or not. Click here for an Italian Tortellini Soup that is full of vegetables and flavor. A plus about this recipe is that you can easily add more vegetables to up the health factor. My suggestions are carrots, zuchinni, squash, or potatoes.

We are less than a month away from our baby's due date. We have two names picked out but just can't seem to pick our favorite so we might just have to meet her first and choose the best name then. Chris and I are going to go through the closet in the girl's room this weekend to get us organized for the baby. Even though we have three bedrooms, our third bedroom is too far removed from the others so we are having the girls share a room. Because I already have Hallie's room decorated I am not making big adjustments to it-- just some minor tweaks. But because there is not much to do it is hard to focus on the fact that we are really having another baby!

Perhaps some spring cleaning is in order . . .

Together again

Chris' immediate family currently spans three states-- Colorado, California, and Idaho. So, you can see why we don't all get together too often. This week we had the privilege of being together again. Dan, Jessica, and cute baby Danny came to visit from Idaho and "Grandpa Wynn" flew up from California. We have had a nice time shopping, eating, and talking. Unfortunately, Dad was sick with a cold when he first arrived, Danny has been battling thrush, and Michelle got knocked over with the nastiest cold I've had since 1987. But despite the sickness, we have truly enjoyed this week. I am so happy to have Jessica as part of our family. She is a great sister-in-law and we like similar things and totally understand each other. We all took pictures in the Garden of the Gods. It was windy but worth it. Once again, I am amazed that we live in such a pretty place. It was about seven minutes from Mom's house to where we took pictures.

Only six weeks until baby # 2 is here!

I can't believe we only have six weeks left until our due date. Chris and I have been overwhelmed with love for our firstborn, Hallie, lately. We feel so lucky to have her and are so grateful that we get to keep her-- forever. It is so interesting the second time around how it isn't just Chris and I welcoming a child. It is Hallie who gets to welcome her to our family as well. I am so excited to watch Hallie grow and take on the role of sister. I know she will be amazing. One of the projects I am trying to tackle right now is finishing Hallie's baby book. Wouldn't it be amazing to only focus on one baby book at a time? Well, it looks like the goal is within my reach. But, I have spent so much time delving through Hallie's little baby pictures that when I turn around and see her playing behind me she looks so tall and I can't believe how grown up she is. Check out some of the darling pictures of Hallie I have been reminiscing over.