Blessing Day

My beautiful Sophie received her baby blessing on November 8, 2009. She wore a dress that my great-grandmother, Naomi Lang Richardson, had made for her first grandchild - my mom. She died when my mother was only 6 months old, so this dress is the first and only of its kind. It seemed to fit Sophie perfectly. Not just because the size was right, but because it looked like it belonged on her - like it was made for her! She also wore my bonnet from when I was a baby. Our family: My sleeping angel: Sophie was queen for the day, and everyone had a chance to hold her. Here are pictures of her with just a few of her lucky admirers...

Jason's Mom:Aunt Shae-Leigh: Jason's grandma: Jason's Dad: And of course, my mom:

Here is the little princess the next day, posing with her lovely lillies:

It was a special occasion for a special little lady!

Gifts from my hubband

Yes, I really did mean to write "hubband." Don't ask me why or how it got started, but at some point Jason started referring to himself as my hubband. I think it is the lengthened form of "hubby," but I am not sure. All I know is that it has now become a term of endearment, and since I am never more endeared to my loving husband than when he brings me gifts (he he he), I thought it an appropriate post title!

My birthday was back in June, but since that is Jason's busiest time of year, it is rarely celebrated in spectacular form (much to my chagrin). This year, I wanted something very specific. Well, Jason set aside a sum of money and has searched for the last 5 months for this particular item. Last Tuesday was the lucky day, and I couldn't have been more thrilled!

What is inside this gigantic box you ask?Not only is it the most comfie chair ever made, it is the only one of its kind I have ever seen that was made in this decade. You see, not only is it a cushy rocker, it both rocks AND swivels! Why is it so difficult to find a rocker/swiveler? This is the ideal nursing chair because if there's company I can just turn the chair around! And if I need to keep an eye on Weston (and seriously, when do I ever not need to keep an eye on that kid?), I can swivel around at will without interrupting Sophie.

They have chairs like this in every mother's lounge I have ever used, except they all look like they've been around since the 70's. I had almost given up hope that such a thing still existed, so when this chair was discovered - neutral color and all - there was no question that it was meant for me! Tonight as I sat rocking my sweet Sophie in my arms, I wondered how I ever got along without that chair. Then my thoughts turned to her. As she lay there all snuggled up to me, I couldn't help but notice the peaceful expression on her face, and think what a joy it was to bring such comfort to this little angel. I thought of how she will grow up and one day become a mom herself. It occured to me that she will work hard, and that her life will likely be a busy balancing act, just as mine is now. I love to talk to my babies when no one is around, so I took this occasion to share my thoughts with her. I told her that she had plenty of work ahead in this life, but that for now she could just rest in my arms.
I'm sure there was a day when I sat down to relax without thoughts of grocery lists, things to be cleaned, projects to be finished, books to be read, and problems to find answers to - but I can't remember when that was. Probably before I became a mom!

So while you can, rest little Sophie girl! Cherish these moments my sweet baby, for I can assure you that this blissful phase will not last long. Lynette took this darling picture when Sophie was only a week old. Already she has practically doubled in size!

To end where I began, I must admit that I am one lucky lady. I have an awesome hubband, too. He gave me these roses recently to remind me just how awesome he really is. (Or maybe he gave them to me to thank me for being so awesome?) Whatever the reason, it made me happy!

A little jaunt to Bear Lake

Question: How do you keep a two and a half year-old occupied on a 10-12 hour car ride?
You let his mind turn to mush for a day while watching the movie Cars over and over and over and over again on a portable DVD player. Then you hope you haven't made a permanent dent in his intelligence by exposing him to so much TV. Here is a picture of my sweet Weston clenching his retro earphones while completely riveted to the movie. By the way, the trip is normally only 9 hours. But with a newborn and a two year old, we ended up making a few stops along the way... like 6!! They were: Mesquite, Beaver, Nephi, Provo, Heber, and Evanston. Yikes!
While passing through Heber, we encountered the single most incredible rainbow I have ever seen in my entire life. It was stunning! It was impossible to catch the brilliance of the colors on camera, but you get the idea!

The next day (after arriving at Mike and Carrie's house), Weston couldn't wait to play! He somehow spotted this dump truck on top of a fridge in their garage, and pretty much didn't let it leave his side the entire time we were there! He loved it so much that he even waved good-bye to it when we left to come back home. Funny, huh?I enjoyed the cooler weather, but I'm not sure how Sophie felt about it. Weston clearly did not mind the chilly air!I like this pic - doesn't my mom look like such the modern grandma? Here is a lovely Carrie holding Sophie... I just love that motherly, pregnant glow! It's funny how you feel like a fat blob when you're pregnant, but then other pregnant ladies are always so darling and cute.

The whole reason we made the trip was to go to Carrie's baby shower, and I wasn't going to miss it because of a wild toddler (even my own wild toddler), so Mike willingly agreed to hang out with Weston until it was over. I thought it was funny that Mike was so squeamish about Weston needing to go pottie... he actually dropped him by the Shower so I could take him to the bathroom! Weston thoroughly enjoyed doing manly things with his uncle, like riding on a 4 wheeler to go feed the cows. I never did get a good picture of Weston on the 4 wheeler, so this one with the scowley expression will just have to do. That scowl has unfortunately become one of Weston's more popular faces lately. Hopefully it is nothing more than a fleeting childhood phase. We also visited Aunt Carrie's barber shop while in Bear Lake... ha ha ha. She doesn't have a shop, but she does have one of the nicest electric shaver thingies I have ever seen. She showed me how to use it, and I couldn't believe what a cinch it was!! Normally cutting Weston's hair is a long, stressful affair. This only took a few minutes. (I think I am beginning to sound like an infomercial :)Nothing like the promise of reward to make even the most rambunctious of little boys hold still for a haircut!Such a handsome little munchkin!

Growing Wonder: Two Whole Months

This little lady was two months old on October 19th. I have been so busy that it has taken me eight whole days to do this post. Isn't she a beauty?It is impossible to explain in words how much I love this girl! It would be safe to say she's got her daddy's heart in her hands too...

And don't forget Grandma! You can't really tell, but my mom is holding her in this picture. It's a little blury, but so sweet that I had to include it!

How anyone can fall asleep in that position is beyond me, but I'm thrilled she likes taking walks with mommy in her Baby Bjorn.This is an outfit my mom kept from when I was an infant... I thought it would be fun to try it on her - after all, my mom kept it for 31 years so I could do just that! About 10 minutes after dressing her, she pooped right through it. And that, my friends, is why I love Oxy Clean.One word: precious.

Confessions

My friend, Megan, wrote a post of her confessions. I wanted to leave a comment on her blog about some of my own, but realized that the list was way too long for a comment.
So, here we go:

1. Although the endless blathering about the environment makes me want to go bury plastic jugs in my backyard and chop down a tree, I feel guilty throwing a ziploc bag away. We reused everything possible growing up, and it just does not seem right to waste things that can be reused. However, sometimes laziness overcomes me... or maybe it's just exhaustion!

2. I am slightly offended on a permanent basis that my husband does not think my eyes are my best feature. He does, however, love the one part of my body that I have spent most of my time loathing, which leads to confession number three...

3. Until I got married, my butt was the bane of my existence (or so I thought)! Every outfit I ever wore was concocted to create the illusion of a smaller derriere.

4. I, like my friend Megan, always correct people's English in my head. I can't help it - it is automatic. I can't stand it when I am writing and can't seem to remember a rule of grammar or punctuation. For example, I am always forgetting where the punctuation marks go when using parentheses. This REALLY bothers me.
As a side note, I knew it was time to come home from my Spanish-speaking mission when I heard myself ask the question, "did they went yet?" Even writing that makes me shutter.

5. Once in a while when Weston is doing something naughty, I pretend not to notice so that I don't have to deal with the screaming and flailing that usually accompanies punishment. I know that if he knows that I know (did you follow that?), then I MUST punish him so that he learns. But, if he thinks I never even saw... well, then at least I wasn't inconsistent in his mind!

6. If I think I may have hurt someone's feelings or said something to offend them, I will stew about it for days.

7. I enjoy watching iCarly with Weston. I know it's a tween show, but I think it's both clever and cute, and even downright funny!

8. Sometimes when those emails go around where you sign your name in petition of some new horrid political initiative, I get all squeamish. I have actually wondered if the government is going to collect my name and information and store it on some secret enemy list, then come after me and my family one day. I know, this is absurd.
Or is it?

Beautiful Baby Lady

Oh how we adore this precious little lady! Here she is looking very serious as she models a darling sweater that my mom's cousin knitted for her. Isn't it perfect on her?The kidletsWeston can't seem to get enough of his little sister... sometimes he has to contain his excitement to avoid hurting her. I thought this picture pretty well captured that dynamic!Nothing like a swing to produce sweet dreams...Look at those cutely pursed lips!Sophie is a sheer pleasure... I often wish I had nothing else to do but hold her and love her all day!

Only a Man...

Imagine taking a large mirror, and throwing it from the roof of your house. Think of the sound created by that mirror as it hits your driveway, shattering into a million pieces.

Now, add a few fingernails scratching a chalk board.

Add a very LOUD clap of symbols to the mix, and turn up the volume on all three.

That is pretty much the sound that Weston's new toy sword makes. Who, you ask, would purchase such an offensive toy?

A man - of course!

Jason got it at the San Gennaro Feast, an Italian Festival that is really just an overpriced carnival with overpriced Italian Food. He was there selling sparklers, poppers, and other such novelty items.

On the last night of the Festival Jason returned home sometime around 1:00 AM. He was SO excited to show me the cool toy that he had for Weston - he just had to get it out and demonstrate right then and there (I was half asleep, mind you).

I almost had a heart attack when I heard the noise it made! I wasn't just worried that it had awakened one (or both) of the kids, but that they were terrified - or worse yet, deaf!

Now, in defence of my husband, I have to say that he had no idea how loud it really was since he got it at a carnival.

Fortunately, Weston LOVES the sword, so it keeps him occupied for long periods of time...

It was difficult to get any clear pictures since I couldn't get Weston to pose for me... he was too busy chasing the dog around the back yard with that silly, deafening, plastic sword! The poor dog has nightmares, I'm sure.