Old Navy Weekly...

I'm obsessed with this site. Just about every Thursday, my life goes on hold while I wait for ONW to update. But this week, I was too busy. You know, packing and all. So I'm trying my luck at a giveaway on Thrifty Northwest Mom, a blog I am also obsessed with. Go. Read. Enjoy.

I'm off to finish some last-minute packing. See y'all in New York!!!!

Things I Did Today...

All of a sudden, my trip to New York snuck up on me. (And yes, I know "snuck" isn't a word and that it's actually "sneaked," but that sounds absurd.) Knowing that I leave Friday and that I have a TON of stuff to get done, I kind of started stressing. So I texted Liz to find out if she could maybe take the kids for a few hours and, amazing woman that she is, said no problem and to bring them right over. And do you know what I was able to accomplish in about 4 hours with no children? Let me enlighten you:

FIVE loads of laundry (thanks to the laundromat!), including towels and sheets. AND FOLDED IT ALL.

Did about 3 days worth of dirty dishes and put them away.

Repaired a suitcase zipper.

Washed the front outside window of my AND my neighbor's house. (That wasn't on my to-do list, but they were bugging me.)

Found my Halloween Shirt.

Went grocery shopping.

Solved my "I can't take juice through security at the airport and I WILL NOT pay $4.50 for a Gatorade at the gate" predicament. (Kool-Aid singles...which were on sale!)

Waxed my eyebrows and did a quick microderm abrasion facial.

Paid the gas, electric, and internet bills.

Made dinner.

Took dinner to Zac on campus.

Looked for my iPod and Logan's birth certificate. And though I didn't find them, I know a few places where they aren't now.



Sure I still have a few things to do, but all in all, it was a productive afternoon! And I feel like I owe my sister-in-law my life :-)

BYU Homecoming Parade 2009

Oh how times have changed... (this one is '07 with Dani and James)



And this year:



Logan made bank in the candy department...I think we could even skip trick-or-treating next week!!!! Of course we won't, but we could :-)

Punkin' Carvin'

The quality of these pictures is...well...horrendous. But I have nothing other than my camera phone (which was dirty, apparently) since our camera is pretty much shot, so at least I am capturing the moments in some form.

Logan dictated the shapes he wanted ("Square eyes. Heart. Scary.") and that's what he got. And Kaylee just got a tiny pumpkin, so I painted it and gave it a skull and crossbones with a sparkly bow. Kind of precious if you ask me. Zac just did a 5-minute face carving on his (which surprised me since he usually goes all out) and I will probably do mine after I'm done with this post. Guess you'll have to stay tuned for pictures of all of them out on our porch to see mine :-)

And yes, that is Matt DiPerri. He is at our house. In Utah. And it makes us happy!!!!

Sunday Snapshots...

We went to the pumpkin patch yesterday and got Aunt Liz to tag along so we got some cute pictures. I only have access to a few so far, but they are blog-worthy:




We got the kids' pumpkins there and grabbed 2 for Zac and myself at the grocery store on the way home. We'll probably carve them tonight since this next week and a half will be busy. I have 2 baby blankets, a Halloween costume, and a scrapbook to finish...not to mention Zac's best friend Matt is coming out from NY for a visit on Wednesday (until next Monday!!!), and then I have to gear up for my flight home with the kids. We leave on the 30th!!!!

All in all, I'm looking forward to the trip back to NY. Sure, the reason behind it sucks (you know, my dad's crappy heart), but I'm grateful for my wonderful family that decided it was important for me to be there and are flying me and the kids back. I'm also grateful that I don't have any responsibilities keeping me in Utah and that I am able to fly back for such an extended period of time.

Well, back to the sewing machine :-)

Follow-up: I did not touch my sewing machine tonight, nor did we carve pumpkins. But tomorrow is another day. For now, I'm trying to win blog giveaways and here is one of the newest ones: on Thrifty Northwest Mom. And, like I've said before, feel free to sign-up and if you win, send it to me :-)

Sunday-ish Snapshot...

It was taken on Sunday, at least. On our way back from Vegas. Where we had a lot of fun.

Today? Not so fun. Kaylee had her 2-month immunizations. 3 shots and then an oral rotovirus one. And Logan also got himself 3 shots...one that was due at 18 months (oops...), one that they were out of last time we were there, and then the first of 2 flu shots. He gets the second one next month. To make up for causing him pain, Zac took him to the store and got him a 5 pound bag of gummy bears. So I guess it all worked out in the end :-)

Trying To Win Another Giveaway...

This one is HUGE so I doubt it will happen, but it's worth a shot. One of the blogs I follow is giving away a trip to DISNEYLAND!!!

You can check out the contest here.

And if you're out of state and can't make the trip yourself, you should sign up anyways and if you win, give it to us as a Christmas present!!!

Also, I just opened a Capri Sun for Logan with one hand while holding Kaylee with the other arm. I'm getting this mothering thing down :-)

1305 Days...

Disclaimer: this could easily become a dark, twisty, sad post. But seeing as how this is my journal, it is one that needs to be written. Deal with it.

I've recently been catching up on one of my favorite TV shows...Grey's Anatomy. And I've been avoiding this most recent season because I knew one of the characters was killed off. And if you know me at all, you know I don't deal well with death...even if it is on some silly show. Because fictional or not, it brings up some very real emotions. Well, the first two episodes following George's death were broken up into days since he died, with the episode I just finished ending in "Day 40." And it was oddly comforting to know that some other mind out there was using that system because I've been doing the dame thing. It has been 1305 days since Gary died.

Right after I got that terrible phone call from my dad, I was talking to one of my very good friends and she told me that the only thing I could do was to take it one day at a time. And that's what I started doing. And it's what I have been doing. For 1305 days.

Another terrible cliche that has come along with the "one day at a time" thing is the whole "not a day goes by that I don't think about him" one. I'm nearly positive that not a single day has gone by that I haven't thought about him. I have his couch, his car, his cookware, his piano...the list goes on. And even if I didn't have all of those things as physical reminders, I'm sure it wouldn't matter. I've thought about him every day. For 1305 days.

Another reason I've been thinking about Gary a lot (and probably 96% of the reason I'm writing this post) is because I've come to a very difficult part in the novel I've been working on for the last year. I'm closing in on the scene where the girl's uncle is about to die (sound familiar?). And I haven't been able to sit down and write it for almost six weeks now. I've been using the excuse that I have a new baby to my writing group, but let's be honest. I just can't write the scene yet. It still feels too soon. But it's been 1305 days.

Lastly, to go with my cliche thing a few paragraphs ago, there is this annoying song they have been playing on the radio a lot. And part of the chorus goes "that which does not kill you can only make you stronger." I'm going to disagree with that. Because though Gary's death didn't kill me, it broke me. It shattered me into a million pieces. And though I've been putting myself back together for the last 1305 days, I'm still not whole. And in no way am I stronger. I'm changed, but not stronger. So that cliche is a ton of crap. And it bothers me every time I hear it.

Like I said, dark and twisty post. But if you read through all of that intense, soul-bearing, scatter-brained mush, I have another thing that has been weighing on my mind that maybe you can ponder for a while:

I have a bottle of Pantene Shampoo and a bottle of Pantene Conditioner in my shower. I noticed about a week ago that the shampoo bottle is in both English and French. This doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the fact that the bottle of conditioner is in both English...and SPANISH. I get the bilingual thing. Sort of. (Ok, not really. It's manufactured and sold in AMERICA so it should be in English.) But why is one in English/French and the other in English/Spanish???

Sunday Snapshot...

This is my new baby. I've been in the market for a double stroller since...well, before Kaylee was born. I had become partial to the Sit-N-Stand Delux, but I just couldn't commit for a few reasons...one of those reasons being that it was going to cost upwards of $160. So in my daily browsing of free stuff and baby stuff on Craigslist, I happened across an ad for a used double stroller that was $60. And the ad said this:

"VERY NICE Evenflo Double stroller! This is in PERFECT condition! Very limited use! both seats recline, has shade covers for both babies, back seat has attached bar that flips into position for an infant car seat and an attached strap to keep it secure! Handle has a built in WIPE HOLDER which is super cool! It is the easy step in design so an older child can climb in and out without you having to pick them up! AWESOME STROLLER! I'm selling it because I bought a double jogger."

My biggest beef with the Sit-n-Stand was that the baby's car seat would be in the front and kind of far away...especially if I need to pop a binky back in or adjust the sun shade. So a stroller that gave me the option of having the car seat in the back was intriguing. However, the BEST thing about the Sit-n-Stand was that it gave Logan the freedom (and relieved me of the duty) of getting himself in and out of the stroller. And this stroller has that option, too!!!!! Not only can the snack tray on the front seat be removed so he can just get in and out, the back seat (when not occupied by a car seat) has a little step that he can get up on to get in and out of the seat. A bonus with this stroller is that not only do both seats have fully adjustable sun shades, both have reclining seats!!!! For serious, this is the stroller I had been dreaming about.

However, I have learned to be cautious when buying from Craigslist...you can't have the highest of expectations. But I was NOT disappointed!!! This stroller literally was in better condition than Logan's that we've had for two+ years. Granted Logan's stroller got some serious miles (to and from campus nearly every day for 2 years) so I can't complain, but this one doesn't even have any sun fading on it. And it's just as light as the single stroller is!!!

I know I usually don't ramble on in my Sunday posts, but I'm seriously in love with this thing. And even though it's 55 and drizzling out, I still took it on a walk between Conference sessions. Yay!!!!!

Kaylee At 2 Months...

I'm sick so this is going to be short, but I want to post Miss K's stats before I forget. She had her 2 month well baby check today and at just over 2 months old is:

12 lbs 3 oz...90th percentile!
23.5 inches long...90th percentile!


She smiles ALL the time.
She still rolls over from her stomach to her back whenever she gets the chance.
She prefers to be held than being in her swing, bumbo seat, papasan chair, etc.
She loves being in the Moby wrap...as long as she can face outward.
She is a light sleeper during the day (45 minute naps every 2 or 3 hours), but is THE BEST sleeper at night. She goes down around 11, sleeps straight through until 6 or 7 when she wakes up to eat, then instantly falls back asleep when she is full and sleeps until about 9.

We sure love this little princess!!!

Brand Spankin' New...

This last week has been a week full of new stuff. Or mostly new. Let's start with Kaylee's new stuff:


First, a crib. Like I said, it's mostly new. It was Logan's, which was given to us by the Christensens. Which I believe was given to them by someone...but you get the point. It's new to her! She isn't in it at night yet, but naps there during the day. The bedding is also new...though I got it at a garage sale the week after I found out I was having a girl. It was brand new and bought at Target, but since the lady didn't have the receipt, she couldn't return it. Score for me!

And then Kaylee's other new thing, a best friend:


This is Alice (Allie) Naomi Williams. My best friend Dani had her Tuesday 9/22 and we decided that our girls are going to be best friends just like our boys already are.

On to Logan's "new" stuff:


Yep! He got a fish tank! And though we don't have fish in it yet, it is housing his stupid African diving frogs we got him at the Utah County fair last month. And I'm sure we'll get fish eventually. The deal for the tank itself was that Logan had to sleep in his own bed every night for a week. No falling asleep in our bed, no coming into our bed during the night. Strictly his bed. And he did it. And then I found the whole setup (tank, decor, light, heater) for $30 on Craigslist. So it was a done deal. It also seems to be serving as motivation for Logan to go to bed at night, so I love it so far.

And Zac's new stuff? A laptop. Apparently, the Cadillac of laptops. It's made by a company called "Alienware." It's graphics and processor make Macs look like pieces of crap, apparently. It came with a pretty hefty pricetag, but we managed it. And hey, the goofy, giddy grin on Zac's face is totally worth it:




So now for my new toy:


I GOT A NEW VACUUM!!!! The one we inherited from Gary was damaged beyond repair after lending it out, so we bit the bullet and got a new one. And though I would have loved a Dyson, we just didn't have the $500 to spend. So we grabbed this one on sale at Sears for just under $100. And I LOVE it. When I start vacuuming one room, I can't stop. I pretty much have to do the whole house. And then am tempted to do the neighbors'. Anyways, I feel a little sick to my stomach right now, so I'm cutting this post off. But I just wanted to keep you all updated :-)

Sunday Snapshot...

Just one of many adorable pictures that my sister-in-law, Liz, took. Hopefully she'll hand over the rest soon and I can get some hard copies printed and sent out...

Guess Who Can Roll Over?

And not just once, but twice. She was doing tummy time and within 30 seconds rolled over on her left side. We "oohed" and "aah-ed" and put her back on her tummy. Then less than a minute later, she rolled over on her right side. Just for the record, she is rolling at 7 weeks old. Go baby, go!

First Day Of School...

Classes at BYU started today. And for the first time in a long time, I am missing out on the first day of school. I did take the semester that Zac and I got married off (Fall 2005), but aside from that, I have been going to school since September of 1989. Granted that was nursery school, but it was still school. But 1989? That's 20 years, people!!!!!

So how am I feeling? I thought perhaps I would be a little sad or feel the slightest tinge of jealousy when Zac headed out the door this morning. But do I? NOPE! I even went back and looked at this post that I wrote right after a favorite professor of mine informed me that I should eventually pursue a Master's degree. I'm still flattered, but there is NO WAY IN HECK I am considering any more school in the near future. I was also glad to read that post and realize that I have no regrets about my life so far. I'm glad I invested as much time into my education as I did, but I am also thrilled to be a stay-at-home mom with my two adorable children.

Now back to that "Zac going to school" thing. Some of you may have recalled this:

and are now thinking, "Um...didn't he graduate?"

Answer: Yes. Sort of. Let me explain.

BYU does this nifty thing where they allow you to "walk" even if you aren't done with school yet. We took advantage of this courtesy for a few reasons...mainly because both Savannah and I were graduating and we thought it would be easy on our families if they could attend one graduation instead of having to come back out here four months later for another. And I guess my biggest reason was to get a picture of Zac, Logan, and myself all in caps and gowns. True story: we didn't get that picture. I was a little sad. But I digress...

So Zac walked and still had to take 3 credits to get his diploma. And he took those credits this summer. So technically, he was finished with school 2 weeks ago. However, we are still here. "Why?" you ask?

Several reasons, actually. The main one being that Zac doesn't have a job or an internship with any major companies yet. And we don't feel comfortable just moving to LA or Seattle and HOPING he gets a job. So we thought about our options a prayed a lot and came to the conclusion that we need to be here still. So after that decision was made, things started clearing up even more for us. Zac's financial aid package covers his tuition...and then some. So we figured by staying here and Zac going to school (which isn't going to cost us anything), not only does Zac get to keep his current job, but he gets to keep his account and computer access at the animation lab. Which means he gets to keep building his portfolio and working with some great programs (that would cost us upwards of $5,000 if we got them at home). And the other bonus about Zac remaining a student is that recruiters will be coming to him for internship and job positions instead of the other way around.

So that's why we're still here and Zac is still in school. And I am not. And that is fantastic!!!

Sunday Snapshot...

Logan and Kaylee getting ready for bed. So precious.

Also, I'm trying to win a blog giveaway. It's for some high-value coupons at ThriftyNorthwestMom. I really love this site and all the free stuff she tells you about. I even got 24 free digital prints at Walgreens because of one of her posts. It was great...I sent them from my computer to a Walgreens in New York and had my parents pick them up so now they have some new hard copies of their favorite grandbabies :-)