P365: Pics and Pages, and An Update

Aaah, it's that time again. Time to update the ole blog and share pics of the 2 cutest kids ever. Let's get started while one kid naps and the other plays on my bed, shall we?

The latest Emma-isms:
"I poop Mommy's pillow." ooooh no, NOT ok! She didn't; she just said she wanted to.
"I poop Mommy's bed." - same as above.
"My bandaid's yucky. I need new one."
"Hyrum needs a birthday. I need my birthday. Birthday party!" LOL, she's obsessed with birthdays right now. We have 8 family birthdays in July (today is Noah's), so we've been talking about them a lot lately.
"I eat boogers." Oh please no.
"That's my baby brother. I don't have sister. I need a baby sister." LOL, not yet!!
"I color the bug." We were playing with sidewalk chalk and she purposefully colored on an ant.
"My birthday's coming, too!"
"I play flute, too." I pulled out my flute for the first time in nearly 3 years - Emma LOVED it! She tried to play, too.
"Doggy's eating my cheek." LOL, we went to a baby shower and the dog there licked her face.
"Let's go look at kid movies." This kid is so smart. We walked over to the library to drop off a couple things and check if any of my holds were in. Right after we checked the holds, she said this and pointed towards the kid movie section.
"Take pictures Emma." LOL, apparently Emma is a fan of P365, too;)
"It's Noah's birthday!" I asked her this morning who's birthday it was, and this was her response. And it IS Noah's birthday. Hm, think she's going to have my memory for remembering birthdays?

Potty training is coming along. Emma has now pooped in the potty!! Only once, but hey, I'll take what I can get. She prefers to poop during naptime or when we're out, so at least it's in a diaper rather than undies. Poop in undies accidents are nasty to clean up. So if it's not in the potty, I'd much rather it be in a diaper than her undies! She now has 31 stickers for peeing in the potty. We're so proud!! Most of them have been this month, too:) Yay!

Dang, Hyrum's up from his nap. Time to NAK. Typing left-handed. Soooo slow...

Emma loves to sing. I can't remember if I've posted about that. She sings all the time. She knows tons of Primary songs, songs from movies, and other kid songs. She's great at remembering the words and she's mostly on key ish.

She also quotes movies. A lot. And when John and I quote from something she's seen, she tells us what it's from and that she likes that movie.

Oh, and check this out. I could write about it, but it's cooler to watch:



I sound like SUCH a dork on video!! But isn't that cool that she can do that all by herself? LOL, it all started when she asked to watch Elmo while I was feeding Hyrum. Trying to be a smart aleck, I told her she could watch it if she put it in herself...so...she did. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing yet.

Another current obsession: Tinkerbell. Emma LOVES her. She loves anything with Tinkerbell on/in it. We currently have Tinkerbell undies, sippy cup, and doll. We don't own the movies yet, but I'm sure we will. We've checked them out from the library, though. In fact, Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure is on right now.

So, Emma loves rocks. She's always finding them and wants to bring them home. Well, rather than have a pile of rocks on our front porch or, worse, in my carpet (we've had a find-the-rock-with-the-vacuum experience already...thankfully I caught it before it could break the vacuum), I decided it was time to start a rock collection. My sister and I had one growing up, too. I grabbed an empty (but cleaned out) Cool Whip container, decorated it with construction paper, and Emma and I drew on it. Now it has about 17 rocks in it.

Emma has discovered how awesome shadows are. She has a blast watching her shadow move with her. She loves it!

Whenever John has to go to work, or the kids and I go out to give John some quiet GMAT study time, Emma insists that everyone gets hugs and kisses. "Hug Emma. Kiss Emma. Hug Mommy. Kiss Mommy. Hug Hyrum. Kiss Hyrum. Hug Daddy. Kiss Daddy." It's sweet ♥

Emma broke the baby swing. I am SO not happy about it. She kept swinging on it, despite our many commands NOT to. I told her to get off just moments before she broke it. I couldn't exactly get up easily, since I was nursing Hyrum at the time, and John was in the bathroom. Why is it that kids break things when mom and dad are busy? She got a time out for it, since I kept telling her to get off and she wouldn't listen. Then, John and I salvaged the parts that we wanted (the toys and the seat cover) and had Emma help throw it away. Thankfully, it was a $5 yard sale find, but still. I'll have to get another one eventually. Not till baby #3 is in the works, though. We hadn't used it as much lately anyway. Ironically, I thought maybe it was time to put it in storage - just moments before Emma broke it.

Hyrum is doing so great! He's such a sweet little boy. He gets pretty grumpy when tired, but really, who doesn't?

He's teething right now, though. Yuck. I hate teething. He's mostly acting normal through it, except when he's tired...or when I try to look at his gums. Emma's working on her 2 year molars right now, too. Yay, double teething...I totally predicted this would happen, too. Oh well. We'll get through it.

Hyrum is getting better and better at sitting up by himself. He can do it for longer and longer periods of time without losing his balance. But when he *does* lose his balance and falls over, he gets SOOO mad! So, I usually sit right near him when he sits up, just in case.

My baby is mobile!!! Not crawling or scooting...he's a roller. He tries to crawl, but just ends up rolling instead. He'll roll from one end of the room to the other. He's not very fast yet, but I'm sure that's just a matter of time. Usually, he's in pursuit of some fun object. Toys, shoes, coloring books, the ties for our chair cushions, etc. And of course, whatever he grabs, he tries to eat. Paper and shoes are his favorites...

I'm not sure if I mentioned it yet, but Hyrum loves to play with his feet. He's been doing it for awhile. They usually end up in his mouth. Naturally. He likes to play with tags, too. Everything is just so fascinating to him. I love it.

He also thinks hair is fun to pull. He gets Emma's hair ALL the time. And mine, too. Hence why I usually have it in braids. I want to chop it off, though. More on that later.

So far, Hyrum loves all the solids he's tried. He's had rice cereal, carrots, bananas, squash, and pears so far. We'll see how he does with peas and green beans: those were Emma's Bane as a baby. She wouldn't touch them. Hyrum just devours everything. This boy just loves to eat!

Oh, I forgot to mention this last time. At Hyrum's 6 month check up, there was another baby named Hyrum - just a day younger!! What are the odds? It's not like we chose a top 100 name for him. Crazy!

I took Hyrum shopping with me after that check up, and oh my goodness was it difficult. He kept trying to eat my grocery list and cried when I wouldn't let him. He also ripped off his bandaids and tried to eat them...let's just say I made my shopping trip quick and didn't even go to the other store I needed to shop at.

Both kids' eczema is clearing up. We switched to the Walmart "compare to Aveeno" baby wash and lotion and it's making *such* a difference.

As for everything else, we're doing well. We started doing meal plans again. What works for us is to pick 7 meals, but not assign a specific day to each. We make whichever we feel like and/or have time/energy to make. And some days, we just eat leftovers from previous meals. So a 7-day meal plan typically extends to 10 days for us. But hey, it gets us eating better dinners. And I get to plan when to try out recipes from my recipe collection book.

Have I talked about that lately? Right before I had Hyrum, I decided to organize all the recipes I've collected over the years into a 3 ring binder. I digiscrapped the dividers and covers, and kind of paper scrapped the rest. More like taped recipes to cardstock, really. There's a picture in the P365 stuff; you'll see it as you scroll down.

I bought new sandals the other day because the old ones I wore all summer for the last 3 years are falling apart. They aren't very comfy to walk in. I'll still use them for camping type things, but for everyday wear, they just weren't cutting it. So I got new ones:)

My birthday is coming up pretty soon. Next month. About 3 weeks away. I'll be 29 - for the 1st time;) Man I'm getting old. Seriously, though, I don't really feel that old. Maybe because most of the other young moms I know are younger than me. Or because I'm young at heart? Or because I look much younger than I am. Anyway, I think I'm going to own up to my age. I'm not going to be one of those "I'm 29" forever women. My growth doesn't stop at 29, so why should my age? Next year, I'll be 30. Then 31, 32, etc.

I'm not sure what I'm going to *do* for my birthday yet. Nor do I know what to ask for, other than the Mommy Necklace I want. My parents are going to buy that for me:) Yay for parents.

I *do* want a haircut, but I don't really want it to be a birthday present. I want to get it done now. My hair is driving me nuts. It's long, frizzy, messy wavy, flat on top, and way too tempting for baby fingers to pull. There's really no point in having such long hair if all I do is put it in braids. And it's just nasty and annoying. So it's time to cut it. I'm thinking just longer than shoulder length with layers to my chin. Maybe side bangs? I don't know yet on that one. But I do know I want a change.

Have I mentioned that I'm the choir director at church now? Because I am. I think it's going pretty well. I'm not nearly as charismatic as our previous director (ironically, my brother-in-law), but I think it's going ok. We're singing on my birthday next month. Not entirely thrilled with that, but we sing every 3rd Sunday so there you go. We don't technically have an accompanist yet, so I'm picking easy songs until we do.

We've been getting lots of books and movies from the library. I have so many things checked out with different due dates it's hard to keep track! I'm also on a long hold list for other books. We just love the library!

As for John, he's been super busy working and studying for the GMAT, as well as helping with kids and household stuff. He takes the GMAT next week, so it's crunch time! I'm trying to give him as much quiet study time as I can. He'll go up to the library or hibernate in our room. Or sometimes I'll take the kids on a walk so he can study. Plus, the kids and I love going on walks anyway. Emma and I love finding sprinklers that spray the sidewalk and letting them get us wet.

Phew! What a long update! Lots to ramble about. And now for Project 365. I just loving doing this project, taking pictures every day. It's fun. My mom keeps telling me she wants me to keep doing it every year, and so does John. Don't worry; I plan to. It's fun, it keeps me taking pictures all the time, and it's a great way to document our lives. And Emma keeps telling me to "take pictures Emma," despite her unwillingness to actually sit still for pictures. So really, it's a project for the whole family. We all love it! And I'm thrilled to say I haven't missed a day. But now for the pages and pics:




Kit: Blossom, geniaBeana Scraps and Christy Skaggs

July 2

Picnic dinner at the park.

July 3

Baby's first 4th (a day early). We did all our celebrating party stuff on the 3rd since the 4th was a Sunday. We went to park for the parade and festivities, then watched the fireworks at the fairgrounds.

July 4

Emma eating a cheese stick in the grass. There's a little flag on her overalls behind her hands.

July 5

Hyrum eating rice cereal for the first time! Can you believe he's 6 months old?!

July 6

Emma eating a sandwich. Picnic at the campus gardens.

July 7

Happy boy!

July 8

Going on a walk!

July 9

Yum, pizza!

July 10

Trying to feed himself!

July 11

On another walk :)

July 12

We walked around the temple for FHE. It was very nice - but pretty windy, too!

July 13

Eating carrots for the first time!

July 14

Yummy Thai-style chicken stir fry.

July 15

Finally, a picture of my recipe project. I've been collecting recipes for years: from packages, magazines, online, etc. And now they're all neatly organized into a binder.

July 16

I was sick of pens just hanging out on my counter, so I made a little box out of cardstock for them.

July 17

Fingerpainting!! We made my sister a birthday card with the kids' handprints, then just played with the paint.

July 18

Mmm, alfredo, garlic bread, and salad for dinner.

July 19

Emma feeding Hyrum. What a good helper!

July 20

Smiley boy!

July 21

Drawing on her new rock collection. It's a cleaned up Cool Whip container.

July 22

Drinking out of her Tinkerbell sippy cup.

July 23

Playing outside with her friends. We babysat while their parents went to graduation. We had lots of fun blowing bubbles, kicking a ball, and playing with toys.

July 24

Playing at the park.

July 25

Hyrum all dressed up for church. I LOVE this vest (thanks Val)!

July 26

Look, I can sit all by myself!

July 27

Banana fangs! Emma was eating a banana when she put one of the strings in her mouth like this.

July 28

Green eggs and ham (with cheese), per Emma's request. LOL, this is the most successful attempt at getting her to eat scrambled eggs;) She actually ATE them!

July 29

Adorable little Hyrum ♥

Wow, it's taken me most of the day to get this done. I think I've spent enough time on it, so no template today. I'd have to get one ready. Next time, though! Now, to get scrappin' on everything from Father's Day onward...but later. Gotta take care of my family!

Template 52, Scrapping News, and Some Projects

Life's been crazy busy as always! Until tonight, I hadn't scrapped at all this week. I've been busy trying to get things ready for Emma's birthday party - which includes a much-needed hosing down of the apartment. Well ok, I didn't actually use a hose...but I've been cleaning like crazy. And taking frequent breaks to rest because I physically can't handle as much as I normally could. 3rd tri will do that. And it seems like as soon as I clean something, it magically gets dirty again! Frustrating! I just cleaned the sink again (for the 2nd time in as many days) and it already needs cleaning again. Gyah. At least I like the smell of my cleaner!

But first, remember the Super Scrappin' 7 challenge from my previous post? (If not, scroll down.) Well, those who completed the challenge got entered into a drawing to win a $7 gift certificate at godigitalscrapbooking.com - and I WON!!!!! I'm SO excited!! I NEVER win these things!! There are so many for-purchase kits I'm drooling over but could never justify with my budget. To be honest, I've paid for ONE kit in the year I've been digiscrapping and I had a very specific need for it. But now I get to pick $7 worth of goodies to buy! Yay! Of course now the problem is, what do I get? I have to be VERY selective. Ah, decisions decisions. Good thing I have till the end of the year to make my choice!

Speaking of GDS, it is with a heavy heart that Kimi's Kreations is closing her store and retiring from designing - at least for now. See her blog for further explanation. I completely understand and support her reasons 100%, but I don't feel it is my place to explain them:)

The good news, however, is that her entire store is 50% off until November 30th. Her DSD grab bag is open and individual pieces are now for sale. Check out these awesome goodies over at her store.

Speaking of open grab bags, geniaBeana's is open now, too. Check it out over at her GDS and Elemental Scraps stores. Lots of cute stuff, so be sure to check it out!

So what have I been up to this week? Other than cleaning, that is? I've had a few projects to do. In order to clean, I had to put my sewing machine away - but I still had things I needed to use it for. So I finished up those little projects and put my sewing machine back in its little cabinet. None of the sewing projects are photo-worthy; just hemming John's jeans, sewing a button back on his suit (well, that didn't require the machine, but it still needed doing), mending some holes...you know, boring stuff. Like I said, not really photo-worthy. But now it's all done:)

I also got to do a couple of craft projects. We made some cute letter blocks at Relief Society this week using paints, scrapbook paper, and modge podge. Mine turned out really cute (please ignore the ugly flash-on-TV-screen):


Then, I made a birthday crown for Emma. I totally stole the idea from a couple of my BAM friends:) They sewed theirs - I cheated and used my neighbor's hot glue gun instead:D It was way easier and more in my skill range. Had I tried to sew it, the 2 would have been horribly crooked, and I'd have been insanely frustrated with the whole thing. No, glue was a better choice for me:) Didn't it turn out super cute?


And as you can see from that pic, I wrapped some birthday presents as well. I love wrapping presents! It's so fun. I'm excited to start wrapping the Christmas gifts. One of those is John's birthday present, since his birthday is only 8 days after Emma's. The rest of Emma's gifts are still in the mail (aren't grandmas the best?).

On Friday night, John and I rearranged our living room. As it was, there was no way we could comfortably fit everyone we'd invited to Emma's birthday party. Heck, we're still not sure just how comfortable it will be with that many guests anyway! We wanted to invite way more people, but it just wasn't feasible in our tiny 600 square foot apartment. But anyway, we LOVE the new arrangement. It really opened up the space! Of course, I didn't think to take a before pic (I never do until AFTER the fact), but basically the table and couch were switched. Here's how it looks now:


Oh, if you're wondering about the piano on the table...we're borrowing it from John's sister Jessica since he's in a piano class this semester. I'll be honest; I can't wait for the semester to end so we can give it back! We just don't have the space for something like that. We move it to eat, of course, but it ends up on our bed...or the kitchen counter...yeah, I want to give it back now! I think I'm going to put a blanket over that ugly treadmill in the corner, too.

And now for a couple of scrapping projects I did tonight. I made a new FHE chart! Yes, I already had one, but I was really getting sick of it. My scrapping has improved SO much since then. Plus, I wanted to add a couple more categories. I also redid the little magnets. Instead of random papers with our names written on them, we now have pictures! But I'll spare you those;) After all, they're pics I've already scrapped with anyway. Here's the new chart:

Credits:
Doodlebug, Kimi's Kreations (full kit and add on)

I also made a new clean or dirty sign for the dishwasher. The original magically disappeared one day. Methinks a little fairy named Emma threw it away...she kept pulling it off the dishwasher to play with it. She loves to throw away "garbage," after all. (99% of the time she only throws away actual garbage, but every now and then we catch her throwing away something that is NOT garbage.) I'm going to have John get it laminated at school tomorrow. That way, when Emma plays with it, she won't be able to bend it as easily. Hopefully she'll leave this one alone...but I doubt it. In any case, I wanted to make a new one regardless, so it's no big deal. Here's the new one:

Credits:
Hoo's My Boy, Kimi's Kreations and geniaBeana Scraps
Bark alpha, geniaBeana Scraps
Best First Date Ever, Kimi's Kreations
Gratitude, Kimi's Kreations
Rainy Days, MeganB Designs
Down by the Lily Pad, A Work in Progress

I have a new template to share today, too! Template 52 is a single page, 12x12" 300 DPI template in PSD format. It's based off the first of Emma's 2 Month pages. Here's the preview:


You can download it here.

Aaaand I should go to bed. I've got a busy day ahead of me: visiting teaching, grocery shopping (last minute items for Emma's party on Tuesday), more cleaning, and family home evening. It's gonna be busy!!