12 Days of Christmas Swap

My swapping partner, Paper Wins, is awesome!  Each day I got to open a cute gift that had an interesting little poem coordinating with the Twelve Days of Christmas song.  I admire people who can do that, I usually try and get frustrated and then give the whole thing up!
As I am not at home right now, I don't have pictures, so I'll have to upload them later.  However, I had so much fun!  My favorites were the fuzzy socks, a Christmas CD, and an adorable bracelet which my daughter loves (yes, she is 16 months old and already admires jewelry - I'm sunk).  Also included was some yummy chocolate in various forms and an awesome magnet tray with our last name.  Phred loves magnets so I'm excited to start working on letters with her this coming year.  My very favorite, however, was the little packets that Paper Wins put together for our 72-hour kits.  She put so much thought into each package, including lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. for each of us - including differentiating between my husband, little girl, and myself. 

Thank you so much Paper Wins, I have loved getting to know you and having this great opportunity for the swap!  I feel like we're "kindred spirits," as Anne would say:)

On How to be Lovely

Some of my former roommates and dear friends have started a blog about becoming lovely.  They post thoughts, stories, pictures and video clips about what it takes to be lovely.  The best thing about it is that it's about enjoying yourself how you are and not worrying about what size you are or how much you weigh.  I have been featured as a guest post, but I thoroughly suggest you go check out other posts, too.

Trip to Dallas

On July 18th, my best friend Mandy got married to her very longtime boyfriend, Ryan. It was so nice to be able to go and see them get sealed for eternity. It was also nice to have a small vacation with Jared before Kaitlyn gets here. The hardest part for me was the flying; it's always made me motion sick. I packed several snacks and bought a water bottle once we got through security, so that helped a lot. Kaitlyn, however, loved flying! Anytime we took off or landed she would go crazy moving and kicking - it looks like I've got a little daredevil on the way. Friday we got in and went out to the church to talk with Mandy and spend some time with her while she was decorating. When we got there my old roommates Melanie, Whitney, and Jesse were there as well and we had lots of fun reminiscing. Saturday we went to the Dallas temple - best sealer I've heard yet! It was so beautiful, and I was so proud of Mandy's family. They were there meeting everyone as we came in. Because they aren't members, they had to stay in the waiting room while the rest of us went in to the ceremony. I can't imagine how hard that was, but I admire them so much for realizing how much it meant to Mandy to have a temple wedding and supporting her decision. That night we went to the reception, again sitting with old roommates (joined by Miri, as well). We danced together a little, including the father daughter dance - "Little Miss Magic" by Jimmy Buffet; both of Mandy's parents are parrotheads. Sunday we flew home. It was a short but relaxing and wonderful trip. I also loved the air conditioning in our hotel room. I was able to make it so cold in the room that I got to sleep with a blanket - it was sooooo nice.

Baby Shower #3 - Friends

On July 15 my friend Martha threw a shower at her house for my friends that I've met in Provo. It was so much fun and I was so glad to see everyone and talk and visit. It was a great evening and I really appreciated all the thoughtful gifts from everyone! Above are Jenette Ross, me and Rachel Zuniga. This is Toni Kelly, Martha Harmon, Meg Larsen, and Amber Jones. Here is one of the many gifts I received: a cute pink blanket made by Martha Harmon's grandma. This is Christine Alexander and her daughter Callie, and Martha Birk.

My first baby shower!

Last Friday after work I headed up to American Fork to go to my first baby shower at the Olive Garden there. I was so excited! All of the wonderful women that I worked with at Riverton were so excited that I am finally pregnant that they wanted to throw me a shower. It had to be done early before school got out and we all went different places for the summer, which is why I had a shower at 28 weeks. Anyway, I got some really cute outfits, an adorable swimsuit, some baby books, and this Snoopy quilt. Jared likes the Snoopy quilt. Deanne, the lady who made it, apologized that it was blue, not pink, but I think it's perfect! I was also way excited because Jamie's daughter made me a diaper cake. There are ninety four diapers in this cake! It's not only a great centerpiece, but very practical and useful, too. I took a picture of the center layer so you crafty folks could see how to put it together. All the diapers are just rolled in a big circle then wrapped with ribbon; nothing else holding it together!
Also, everyone from the Special Ed department at Riverton pitched in and got me this Baby Einstein exercise saucer. I'm so excited for Kaitlyn to play with it, although I know she won't be able to until she's around six months. Jared is making me keep it in the box until then, so you just get the picture off the website. Thank you to everyone who made the shower so special, I had a blast: Jamie, Georgia, Susan, Deanne, and Jeanie.
When I got home from the shower, I found that the carseat Jared's mom had got for us had arrived. I immediately opened it, read the manual, and then went and installed it in the car (where is still resides). Jared laughs at me but indulges me in the trucking of the empty carseat around Provo. I had to show my mom and sister!