Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Pennsylvania

In April, we took a trip to Pennsylvania to see my parents, grandparents, my sister & her 3 kids, and my sister-in-law & her two kids.  It was a great trip and we loved being with everyone! (& we really missed my youngest sister & her fiance, and my brother, who couldn't make it).

The girls with my dad.

Hamilton, my nephew.  Oh man, this kid is so cute.  Born just a few weeks after Ellie, he is quiet and very deliberate in everything he does (pretty much the opposite of Ellie in every way, it seems).

Hamilton's brother, Carter (left), and cousin Chris.

Crepe night!

Dad and baby John.

The kids just loved playing with my parents - we had such a great time.

Abby and cousin Marian.

Hamilton & Carter, and the coats.  These coats once belonged to my Dad and his younger brother, Mike, who passed away from cancer when he was 5 years old.  My grandma has been saving them for over 50 years now, and while we were there she gave them to Shauna and my brother Mike (for the boys).  Such a special gift that I'm sure will be treasured for years to come! (The boys tried them on, but we didn't zip them up because they seemed pretty fragile).  Don't you just love family history and things getting passed down like that?  I love it.

Dad giving whipped cream to baby John.

I remember when my dad used to throw me up in the air.

I also remember my dad teaching me not to play with knives: case in point, his missing finger.
(it's not really missing) 

Dad also poured cereal onto the floor so the kids could clean up with the central vac.

Marian, Mom, John

Garrett & Ellie Bean

Ellie, Mom, Marian, Abby, Dad

Of course, that's only a fraction of the pictures we took while we were there.... I'll share more later this week.

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for a wonderful week together!  And thanks, Grandma & Grandpa, for having such a great big house for us to stay in!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Beach day

We had a gorgeous day last week, and thankfully Garrett had the day off, so we went strawberry picking and then to the beach with Rob & Haley.  It was so nice to be out in the sunshine and enjoying the weather.

Abby loved her pigtails that day.

Ellie loved playing in the sand and in the water (she was soaked by the time we left)


There were lots of ladybugs everywhere, it was weird.  Anyway, this picture is significant because Abby is terrified of bugs.  She cries and runs in terror if there is even a fly in the house.  So, I was pretty surprised that she wanted to hold the ladybug and begged to take it home with us. (The answer was no)


I love this picture because you can really see the dimple the Ellie has on her left cheek.  I love it!

We have been doing well.  Garrett is on his second-to-last rotation - pediatric ER.  I can't believe his intern year is nearly over and that we will be moving soon.  Time flies!

Monday, April 25, 2011

27 things.

Here is the obligatory 27-things-about-me blog post.  I know I promised to post it last week, but... well, it just didn't happen!  Lots of things are probably not news to many of you because either you know me, or I've mentioned them before on the blog.  Anyway, enjoy!

1. It's probably no surprise to anyone, but I love good food.  I love cheese, I love pizza, I love sushi, I love seafood, I love pasta.  I love soup.  I love good, salty french fries. I also love eating out.  There are only a few things I won't eat: pork & beans and honey... maybe a few others things but I can't think of them now. Don't like either, never have.  I also don't eat pork anymore, because I think I'm allergic to it (but I really miss bacon & ribs) (Incidentally, Garrett says I have an intolerance for it, not an allergy.  Whatever you call it.... it's miserable.)

2. Thankfully, I have forced myself to enjoy working out (see #1).  I definitely enjoy some workouts more than others.  I never seem to get tired of "The Firm" workouts.

3. When I sleep, I get really, really hot.  I don't mean that I look good - I mean that I actually get hot.  Garrett is always cold at night and calls me a "hot rock" because my skin gets so warm.  I hate sleeping in pajamas because I get way too hot and sweaty, even in the winter.

4. Speaking of sleeping, I love to sleep on my stomach and can't sleep very well any other way.

5. I am horrible (horrible!) and doing impressions. Like, voice impressions.  It's pretty embarrassing, actually.  I can't do any sort of accent.

6. I am also horrible at jumping.  I have a one inch vertical, according to Garrett and my brother (and basically my whole family, who likes to make fun of me for this)

7. My most embarrassing moment was when I accidentally started playing footsies with a boy's Dad instead of the boy I was going after. Oh man... I get embarrassed just thinking about it.

8. I've never broken any bones but I've twisted my ankle a few times (but not since I was in high school or middle school)

9. In my 11 years of driving, I've never been pulled over or been in an accident (knock on wood)

10. My first car was a 1984 VW Quantum (same age as I was).  My current car is a 2004 Saturn Vue.  My next car will hopefully be something like a Toyota Highlander, or a Toyota or Honda minivan.  Yes, a minivan!  I never thought I'd want one but those things have it all and they are so family- and kid-oriented.  The seats go into the floor!! The doors open on their own!! They fly!! (okay, okay). Anyway, we're counting on the Vue getting us through another 5-6 years, though, so a new car probably won't happen any time soon.


11. Back to food... I know I said that I am not too picky about foods (I'm not!), but I am picky about expiration dates.  If milk is within 2 days of the "sell by" date (before the date), I will not drink it. If the milk has any sort of odor, I will not drink it.  The same goes for most dairy.  As far as other foods go, I will not eat them past the date.  Thankfully this usually isn't an issue because most of the time we can eat foods before they expire. (Yes, I know I'm crazy about the milk thing.  My brother is the same way though, he is careful about expiration dates).

12. I hate being late when I go places.  I have only been late to Church twice since Garrett and I have gotten married (believe me, I remember when they happened, and the specific circumstances for each time).  Before that, I don't think I was ever late to Church.  To me, being "on time" at Church (and for most other important things) is being there 10 minutes early.  This is a habit I learned from my parents.

13. I love watching sports. both live and on tv.  Sometimes I wish Garrett was as big a fan as I am, but it's okay because he still enjoys watching sports when I want to.  That's been the only hard thing about not having cable this last year - it's harder to watch live tv (although, we find a way if we really want to).  I miss college sports the most, but I also enjoy watching the Pats and the Red Sox play.  And as much as I miss watching games on tv, I don't see us getting cable again any time soon.

14. I don't like taking naps.  They make me tired and groggy the rest of the day.

15. My favorite flowers are tulips, peonies, and lilacs.  I don't like roses very much.

16. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have gotten fast food through a drive through (me driving, by myself or just me and the kids).  I just never think of it, or if I do think of it, I always determine that it's cheaper to just go home and make pb&j instead.

17. I haven't eaten a bowl of cereal in over a year and a half.  No specific reason... I just don't like cereal that much.  I have forced myself to like oatmeal (because it's healthier).

18. I genuinely enjoy laughing at myself.  My family has a running joke about me that has gone on for the last 3 years.  Most people would probably be insulted by it but I think it's hilarious and I laugh too.  I really enjoy it when other people have a good sense of humor about themselves, as well.  My sister-in-law (bro's wife) is especially good at this and I really admire it (and I love her stories).  Sometime I'll have to blog about it.

19. The left side of my jaw clicks when I chew.  I don't remember when this started, but it really bothers me, and sometimes it hurts.

20. I love jigsaw puzzles, especially Charles Wysocki 1000-piece puzzles. My mom has about a dozen of these and we love doing them together!  I also love logic puzzles.

21. My favorite "party game" is Catch Phrase.  It's such a riot and I have many great memories of playing this game with friends.

22. If I could choose any talent to be really great at, I think it would be singing.  I'd love to be a singer.  I always wanted to take voice lessons at BYU but they were always too expensive.  Maybe someday.

23. I'm a stickler for using correct grammar, both in speech and in writing.  I am always correcting people in my head (or being rude and actually correcting them to their face.  Sorry if I've done this to you. It's pure habit.)

24. I haven't been to a dentist in over 5 years.  We haven't had dental insurance so we just don't go unless it's an emergency.  Bad, I know.

25. Over the last few months, I've noticed some wrinkles on my face, mostly just on my cheeks when I smile.  At first I really hated them, but I got over myself and now they're okay.  I'd rather have smile wrinkles than frown wrinkles! It might have something to do with age, but Garrett says that it might have something to do with the fact that I've lost so much weight since Ellie was born (my face got pretty puffy when I was pregnant!!)

26. Generally, I'm not very sentimental.  I don't have much of a problem getting rid of stuff that's taking up space but not being used.  However, I do have a tin box of all my old love letters/notes, some special cards from close family and friends, and a few other things I just can't part with and probably never will.

27.  One of my very favorite things to do is just sit and chat, especially with all my family together.  Is there anything better than sitting around in a living room together and just talking??  I love it and I wish I lived closer to my family so we could do this more often.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Twenty (+seven)

Today is my birthday.  I got to spend it with my kids, my husband, my parents and other family.

The family singing to me.


Every year I request the same dessert on my birthday - angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream (we also had ice cream for those who wanted it).  We also made Cafe Rio for dinner.  It was a great day.

Lots of people do a "things about me" post on their birthdays.  You know, "27 things about me".  Don't worry, I will be doing one.  Tomorrow.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Good things

We are in Pennsylvania this week.  All the Siebach grandkids are in town so it's been hectic, to put it mildly.  Seven grandkids, ranging in age from 4yrs to 8 months old.  They are all getting along really well and I'm hoping that lasts all week!  If we were giving out "superlative" awards, Ellie would far and away be the winner of "loudest screecher", just FYI.  Oh my goodness, I can't believe such loud screams can come out of such a tiny and adorable little girl.  Abby would win for "most eager to get into her pajamas". That girls loves to be comfy.

(The "perfect picture" is a loose term when it comes to multiple children, as I'm sure most people know by now.  For this situation, we just wanted them all sitting on the couch at the same time.  Smiling and/or looking at the camera was just a bonus.)


Also, my sister Emma had her 25th birthday today.  Shauna surprised Emma with an ice cream cake and it was really delicious.  Thanks, Shauna! (I probably should have gotten a picture of Shauna actually presenting the cake, since she bought it.  Whoops.)

Here we are singing "Happy Birthday".

I love this candid picture of Emma and my mom.

Happy Birthday, Emma!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The latest

Here is the most recent quilt I finished.  It's a baby-sized quilt.  I actually made most of the top a couple of years ago, but I used a cheap-ish white fabric, and I hadn't done the white border around the edges yet.  A couple weeks ago I decided to finally finish the thing, but didn't have any of the same white fabric (I just had nicer stuff). So, I ripped out all the old white fabric and replaced it all with the nicer stuff.  I like how it turned out.  Not quite sure what I'm going to do with it yet.  I would love to sell some quilts someday but just haven't gotten around to it yet.  I should get on that before we move so that we have less things to pack... I have 4 quilts I'd like to sell but I'm so unsure about how to do it or what to price them at that I just haven't done it yet.





I really like this one - I love the blues and greens and the white contrast.

Next on my list (for quilts) is to make some zig zag quilts for the girls' room (alternating white and colors zig zags).  Probably won't get to it until after we move, but we'll see.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Cleaning out my ipod

I finally got around to transferring some pictures from my ipod onto the computer.  Most of them aren't very good quality but they're pretty fun to look at.



 This was from when we were in D.C. a few months ago.  I can't remember what she was crying about... probably something to do with the fact that her milkshake was gone (we poured a little bit into her cup)


 The girls in their car seats.

So, most nights, I put my ipod on the nightstand next to my bed before I go to sleep.  Every morning when Abby wakes up, she comes into my room and usually just takes my ipod and then leaves again.  She usually goes back to her room and takes many, many pictures of herself and Ellie (she has discovered the forward-facing camera, so she can see herself as she's taking the pictures).  It's always a surprise when I check my photo album later that day.

 One day the girls dumped an entire cannister of oatmeal on the floor.  They loved it.
 And then Ellie pretended the cannister was a shoe (or boot, I guess).

Lunch with Daddy. 


I'm pretty sure Abby was unhappy here because she was trying to clean up the blocks but couldn't because Ellie climbed into the box.  Common occurrence around here.

The rest are pictures exclusively by Abby:







I love this one of Ellie above.  It looks like a sketchy "wanted" image or something.