the little gardener

Elliot planted some carrots and we didn't expect much from them.  It was a bit of a shock to pull them out and see some decent carrots!  Elliot was thrilled, of course, so I made a big deal of it.  We picked them together, oo'd and aah'd at the bigger ones, dragged a chair over to the kitchen sink so Elliot could wash them (he insisted!) while Avery watched, and then we all trimmed the greenery.  He even covered them up so he could surprise Daddy when he came home.  That would have worked if he didn't trip in the process.

The best part is I didn't have anything to do with him planting the carrots.  He just found a packet of seeds and asked to plant them, which he did, and I forgot about them for a few months.  Can you imagine if they were regularly watered and fertilized?  I guess I'm saying I should have a little more faith in that little boy.  He can do anything he puts his mind to!

fabric stamping tutorial

 I've been in the need for a good craft lately and this project was perfect.  The great thing about fabric stamping is the possibilities are endless.  You can stamp a shirt, skirt, dress . . . , choose your color, pick any shape.  It's a  wonderful way to personalize an item of clothing.  All you need is fabric paint, fabric of choice, paint brush, craft foam (I used a styrofoam plate), scissors, and glue.

1// cut craft foam  in desired shape and glue shape on a larger piece of craft foam 2 // paint stamp with brush  3// stamp fabric, make sure you have cardboard underneath fabric in case it bleeds through (I would recommend practicing on a scrap piece of fabric to know how much paint you need) 4//  if you're stamping a shirt let it dry fully before stamping the back

^ ^ I experimented with whiskers or a cat face but felt it look better on its own. ^ ^

Not sure why I was so nervous painting the first stamp but once I started there was no going back.  The best part about this project is that Avery really loves it!  I just found a shirt for Zara that would be perfect for fabric stamping!  But what stamp shape?  I was thinking stars and polka dots.  Fun and simple!

January snapshots

January was a lovely month.  One of my goals was to turn the junk room into a guest bedroom.  We are halfway there!  Spending time with our three littles is often more important than home improvement.  Having said that, I did throw a baby shower and host a clothing exchange so many things kept me busy.

This month:

Zara // got her first tooth and took her first steps

Avery// started dance class and started to spell her name (just "Av" so far)

Elliot// got taller (I swear!) and loved bunny-sitting his aunt

I// started watercolor painting for the first time and started orchestra again

Andrew// went off sugar and worked out at least 3 times a week

* All photos from my phone.

the family photographer

Over the past few weeks I had the opportunity to take some pictures for family.  The baby is Myles, my cousin Elizabeth's boy.  He is her third boy!  Bless her.  Very cute.

These four are my cousins.  I love their matching outfits.  These guys are so photogenic.

I've been having fun taking more pictures this year with my photo challenge.  I already see improvement and it's only been a few weeks.  Progress is so motivational!

a talent do be developed

The other day I made a new discovery.  I can paint.  I can paint watercolor.  On a whim I asked Andrew if I could try out his new water color paints (not without guilt because it was a Christmas gift and I'm notorious for gifting Andrew things I will also use, but he asked for them).  It was just for fun, but it really was fun.  I've never considered myself an artist so this was a happy surprise.  I look forward to painting more, although I should consider purchasing my own supplies.  It goes to show that you never know how good you might be at something until you try.  This painting is a result of trying to keep things interesting and fresh with my "picture at home each day" goal.  I am officially a convert to goal keeping, if I wasn't already.  Who knew?

2013 goals

It's taken me a while to settle on some goals and I still don't quite feel settled but I better write them down now before time runs away.  I'm hoping that my some of my goals will be habit much sooner than a year.  I also want to add a few goals here and there throughout the year to keep things fresh.

1. Take a picture everyday at home.  This is to motivate me to work on my home, improve my photography skills, and capture fun moments with the kids.
2. Stick to a budget and pay off the car.  I mean it!  I know I'm only a week in, but so far so good!
3. Pray every night with Andrew.
4. Go on two dates each month.  Why is it so hard to do this?!
5. Make a vimeo account and blog a few videos.  I have been wanting to do this for a long time.
6. Give blog design a face lift.  I want this blog to reflect me.
7.  Spend one-on-one time with kids each day.
8.  Obtain Avery and Zara's dual citizenship.  Yea!

I tried to keep it real this time.  My over all focuses this year will be to strengthen my relationship with my family and improve our home so it can be a place where we are happy and comfortable.  Andrew's family is visiting in a couple months so that gives a real deadline to many of the house projects we have already started.  Seriously, my house is a mess right now!  Please share a link of your goals this year.  I would love to read!

two thousand twelve

2012 was a great year for us!  Here is a summary of the year.  We started the year in England where it was cold while Louise and Stanley moved into our house here in Arizona.  It was great spending the holidays with our England family and we miss them extra this year.  I was also 7 months along.  Pregnancy seems so long ago now.

In February I was still pregnant and had a maternity shoot .  On the 24th we welcomed Zara into our family. She was a gender surprise and now it's hard to believe we ever thought she might be a boy!

This year the Easter Pageant was extra special because my Dad had a special part in it.  It was also the month of Louise's baby shower and maternity shoot.  At the end of the month was the siblings rendezvous.

Avery turned 3 in April on our 6th year anniversary and shared a birthday party with Josie.  Hazel was born in their car (crazy!) on Easter morning and Zara was blessed in a dress I made.

In May Andrew completed his MBA (whew!!) and we were able to go to his graduation in Colorado (temple, zoo, capitol) sans Elliot and Avery.  I also obsessed over the gorgeous houses there.

For Father's Day I gifted Andrew with a pink kayak we named Sir Freedom Fred and enjoyed a few trips to the lake with him and squeezed in a camping trip at the end of the month with some family.

July was hot hot hot, as usual, so we had a water balloon fight with squirt guns at Elliot's birthday party.  I also did a photo shoot of Peter and Emily's family that turned out fabulous!  What a cute family.

August was a blur.  We sold our mitsubishi and bought a van, Elliot started school at Franklin East, Avery stared pre-school, I did a photo shoot of the Johnson family, and by the end of the month they moved out.

It felt good to get the office painted, carpeted, and redecorated this month.

It was Steven's room most of the year so that room is completely transformed.

My mom planned a family reunion and we carved some pumpkins in preparation for Halloween!

I beat my personal record on a sprint triathlon and did it with Andrew for the first time and we had a lovely Thanksgiving in November.

December was busy busy busy but a blast!  We went sledding for the first time, made a snowman named Kooky and spent Christmas morning at home.

We have a lot to look forward in 2013!

Happy New Year!!!