A Video . . .

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Pay It Forward

This is a Pay it Forward Gift Exchange.

(my hand-stitched gift from Natalie)

I am participating because I received a beautiful handmade gift from Natalie, with the promise that if I accept it, I will pay it forward with my own handmade gift to 3 other people. Here are the rules:

You must be one of the first 3 people
to comment requesting to join the exchange.
The only thing you have to do in return
is pay it forward by making the same promise
to 3 people on your blog.
(So, you must have a blog to participate.)

I have yet to decide what I'm going to make, so it'll be a surprise. Good luck and happy giving!

Journal Jar #19: Learning to Drive

Describe Your First Driving Experience

When I was 15, my cousin Robin lived about a half a mile from my house. We enjoyed each other's company, but didn't have vehicular privileges to get to one another's houses. This often led to us "meeting half way", meaning we would each walk toward the other person until we met, then we would walk together back to one house.

One sunny afternoon, after conversing with said Robin on the phone, and agreeing to one of the aforementioned "meet half way" rendezvouses, I convinced my dad to let me drive his suburban for my half of the commute.

This did not pose a problem to my father, seeing as my half involved tiny residential streets with little or no traffic at all times. I got in the drivers seat, and while my dad was buckling up on the passenger's side, I followed all of the safety precautions learned in my Drivers Ed course. I adjusted my seat and mirrors, fastened my seatbelt, and checked my blind spots.

Then we were off. I pulled out of the driveway with ease. My dad must have been beaming inside, since his daughter - at the fragile age of 15 - was a driving pro. I headed down my street to the end, where I was forced to take a right. I used my blinker. We hit the end of the next street. Blinker again, and looking both ways, I headed left. As we proceeded down this street, we could see Robin fulfilling her part of the agreement, but on foot. Oh, I could see the envy in her eyes from 300 feet away.

"Is that Abbie in that hot '84 burb?" she was thinking, "She looks SOOOO mature. And popular."

We drove up to Robin, and she got into the back seat. Well, actually the middle seat, since it was a suburban. I'm sure she started gushing about how cool I looked and whatnot, but I don't remember the details.

I pulled a swift 3-point-turn and headed back home. Again, my dad was overwhelmed with pride. As we neared my house, as luck would have it, my mom and all of my siblings were in the driveway. They ALL got to see me driving WITH PASSENGERS. I approached the driveway, turned the wheel, and prepared to glide effortlessly into my parking spot. Everything looked good.

Everything except for the look of horror on my little brother's face.

I glided the suburban effortlessly into our other car. The wheel wells of each car skidded into each other, causing the worst car-crash noise I'd ever heard in real life. My dad may or may not have sworn at that point.

I froze. He told me to put the car in park. I did. I got out, and without even surveying the damage or looking back at Robin, ran into the house crying.


It turns out that the damage wasn't that bad - hardly noticeable. The cars just exchanged some paint. Needless to say, it took some time before I headed to the drivers seat again. And who knows when my dad will ever trust my driving.



What about you? Any awesome driving experiences?

Hide and Seek

I only left the room for a second.

When I came back, she was no where to be found.

I think back. As I left, I saw her heading toward the bathroom.

I look there first - but it was empty.

I turn the corner into the family room. At this point, I am in the fork in the road of my house. Do I proceed forward into the kitchen? Do I take a left and search the bedrooms? Right in to the den? Should I turn around and look in the office?

I become worried. This search could take a while with no direction.

I call out her name. (Calling out her name is usually followed by the sound of crawling knees scuffling across the tile).

"Sophie"

Nothing.

"SOPHIE"

Still nothing. Heart starts to beat faster.

I now have to make a decision at this fork.

But wait. I DID see her traveling in the direction of the bathroom. Could I have missed her in there?

I decide to open the shower curtain.

And that's when I see it.

THE MISCHIEVOUS GRIN

(dun dun dun)

Friday Fun

Friday was a day full of activities. We started the day early with a trip to the zoo. Sophie and I have never been to this zoo, so it was a great trip. We met up with Macey & Kiley for a morning of zebras, rhinos, & elephants.



While I didn't get any pictures with actual animals in them, we WERE really at a zoo. Sophie didn't really grasp the whole zoo concept, but she did like the giraffes and ostriches.

Then that evening, we went to the park for the beginning-of-the-year law school party. Luckily, Nana was in town, so we had a nanny to watch the little one while we mingled.












One of Sophie's new favorite games is peek-a-boo. Actually, it just seems like she doesn't like other people to wear her blankets on their heads.



p.s. Cathy:

Motherhood Solution #1

How do you make sure that your baby's

favorite blanket is clean whenever she needs it?

Answer: You make 5 of them.

This summer I faced a dilemma. Sophie NEEDS a blanket (with the corner stuffed in her mouth) to fall asleep. And with a blanket, she can sleep pretty much anywhere. So her blanket is a powerful tool. The dilemma though, was that it's 115 degrees in Arizona during the summer - not exactly blanket weather when she's trying to sleep in her car seat. My solution was to make super-mini summer blankets. I bought 2 types of fabric - silky & flannelly, and made her 2 blankets - both with a soft velvety back.

Well, last night, both blankets were dirty, so I decided, after Sophie went to bed, to use my extra material to make some more blankets. Boy did I have a happy baby this morning. She hardly knew what to do with so many blankets. She just kept trading off, checking all of them out (all 12 corners). She's in blanket heaven.

And I don't have to worry about a dirty or lost blanket anymore.

Sophie's (current) #1 Fear

This is Sophie's #1 fear. I don't even know what one of these is called. This thing lives in our big bookshelf, the same bookshelf where Sophie's toys also reside.


The mere sight of this thing makes her clingy (as pictured), and the sound of it makes her cry the saddest scared cry in all of Babyland (no picture. I'm not going to make her cry).

I'm not quite sure what makes her so afraid of it, but I've never seen her act like this before. If someone touches it, Sophie is immediately on the move - breathing hard and heading toward the closest parent she can find. I'm thinking about storing it away for a while and seeing if she forgets about her fear.

Journal Jar #18: My Family

Describe Each Member of My Family

Dad: My dad is currently the bishop of his ward. He's been bishop for almost 6 years now, and (knock on wood and don't tell my mom), I predict he's on his way to the Stake presidency. He loves to SCUBA dive. He likes camping in Mexico. He loves the boy scout program. He retired this year, and now volunteers at the Bishops store house 3 days a week-like it's a part time job. I get my excitement for planning & executing big projects from him. He loves to plan ways to tear his house apart and remodel it.


Mom: My mom works full time as a lawyer. You know when you were a kid and you thought that all teachers were girls and all firefighters were boys? I thought that all lawyers were girls, since my mom was a lawyer. My mom likes to SCUBA dive too, but only in warm water. She loves being a Nana. She likes to know all the gossip. I got my excitement for a good find from her. She likes to shop garage sales and thrift stores just like me. She can sing. I did not get that from her.




Mike: Mike is my older brother. We are 2 years and 2 days apart. Due to his 2-year mission, Mike and I graduated the same day as each other from BYU. Mike owns a small business. He enjoys building his business, spending time with his wife, and playing with his kids. He's smarter than I am. He's the only kid in our family that can carry a tune. He has a great sense of humor. He's an artist, but I haven't seen any work from him lately.



Danny: Danny is my younger brother. He served a mission in Australia, so naturally, he now speaks Chinese. Danny is very athletic and is the smartest of my siblings. Danny doesn't read my blog, so I can say whatever I want about him. But really, he's always been the most genuine guy I know. He also has a strong testimony.




Cathy: Cathy is the baby of the family. She was a tomboy, and grew up with a perma-pony tail until about high school graduation. Then she turned into a girl. She's super athletic and quite hilarious. She enjoys playing on co-ed softball & soccer teams. She's the most amazing person with kids I've ever seen in my entire life ever. Cathy likes spending time with her friends, buying new clothes, and trying new things.



And there you have it. My family in a nutshell.

Motherhood Question #3

Do bookshelves serve a purpose?

Motherhood Question #2

This is how your toilet paper looks too, right?

Notice the little white thing hanging out of her mouth.

This is her best move. Hold TP in mouth, steady self with one hand, rip lengthwise with other hand.


p.s. Thanks Lily & Leo for Sophie's new top. It finally fits!

Motherhood Question #1

Is this how all moms of

10-month-olds spend their days?

Pop Quiz

Pop Quiz:

. . . . .
Which hand did Sophie use to eat her bananas this morning?

Journal Jar #17: Being a Kid

What Toys/Activities Was I Into When I Was A Child?

Everything I was into, my best friend Kellie was into at the same time. This was extremely convenient for me, because her parents bought her pretty much whatever she wanted. We started off with Barbies. Our Barbie stage was definitely our longest stage. We then moved to Trolls. We also did a lot of playing outside and swimming.

We were very creative without toys too, if I do say so myself. Kellie and I invented an entire universe (that we were, of course, rulers over). The universe consisted of several planets, all of which had different characteristics and languages. On one of the planets, all of the people spoke their words backwards. This is how I know how to sing the words to "Jingle Bells" and "Happy Birthday" backwards (It's important to be able to speak the language of your subjects - to be a good ruler). But I'm not a singer, so it's not easy to get these songs out of me.

Other favorite childhood games: Playing "Saturday's Warrior", playing "Hobos" whenever it rained, drawing out our dream houses, creating Barbie movies, and jumping on the trampoline with the hose spraying on it.

Back to Real Life

After 3 months away, we're finally back to our house. It's nice to be home, but being home means unpacking, unpacking, unpacking, and studying for school.


Sophie has been a little nervous here. Obviously she doesn't remember it at all. The last time she was here, she was immobile. She has been very clingy, but is slowly warming up to the place. She seems to relax a little more each time we unpack a toy or book she had with her over the summer. She's also getting used to her crib and her OWN room. She almost slept through the entire night last night! And I'm still getting used to not having grandparents around to feed her breakfast and watch her while I run to the store.


We all enjoyed our little vacation, but we're ready to get back to our regular lives again.

Journal Jar #16: Ideal Location

If I Could Live Anywhere, Where Would It Be? Why?

Jake & I have decided that where we're old, we'll need 2 vacation homes: one for me, the beach vacationer; and one for him, the skier. As for MY dream vacation home, I think I would pick Mexico (Jake's would be Jackson, WY).

For me, nothing beats a nice, relaxing time at the beach, and what better way to enjoy the beach than with a shrimp taco in your hands? Now don't get me wrong, I love other types of vacations too, not just the sandy kind. But that's what Jackson is for.

Our Daredevil

(Note to all Grandmas: Do NOT scroll down)

Ever since Sophie was 4 months old, I've always said that we've got a little daredevil on our hands. She LOVES being upside down, and her biggest laughs always come from big tosses in the air. Sometimes if I'm holding her, she'll just flip her head back and turn herself upside down.

Where did this free spirit come from?

Check Out My New Skills

Sophie has been doing a lot of growing lately. Lucky for you, I captured her 2 newest accomplishments in one photo.

Here she is STANDING on her own and WAVING. Yes, she's waving to herself, but she means well. She only waves at someone if it's the first time she's seen them that day, and she only waves hello, not good-bye.

Fun Times with Papa

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Family & Friends

Stephanie says it beautifully here.

In times of mourning, it's good to know that you have a strong support group of family and friends. I hope our friends know that we are there for them during this time. I will try to be the friend I hope I would have.

Quints, Quints, 5 times the fun...

My sister Cathy randomly found this blog the other day.


This girl (A fellow BYU alumni) just had FIVE BABIES this morning! She is from Texas, but moved to Phoenix for her pregnancy and delivery, since the best multiple-birth doctor in the nation is here. She broke the record for the highest combined birth weights of quints. Crazy, huh?

Dance Dance Dance

Sorry the video is so shaky.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The New Kid in Town

Congratulations to Danny & Lindsi!

Ellie Jane
was born last night around 6:30.
She weighs 7lbs, 7oz.

Here's the proud Papa with his new baby, about 2 hours old.

She's quite tiny (a lot smaller than Sophie was when she made her grand appearance), and super cute. Sophie and Ellie met this afternoon. Sophie approved of all of Ellie's new toys, but was a little wary of Ellie herself. She did end up making a few grabs at her legs and face though, so I think they're going to be fast friends.

Good Times in Utah

Sophie, Jake, & I spent last weekend in Salt Lake City to celebrate Jake's grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. Sophie & I were fortunate enough to be able to fly there with Grandma Kim while Jake, his dad, & his brother Sam drove.

Sophie fell asleep as we rose into the air, and woke up as we lowered back to the ground. Cutie, huh? Once we got to our hotel, we changed our clothes and headed right to Raging Waters water park.

Sophie was an absolute angel there. She loved hanging out on her quilt, playing in the kiddie pool, trying to eat the grass, and just spending time with everyone. She even managed to fall asleep for a little bit in the afternoon.

(don't worry-this slide looks a lot steeper than it really is)

The next day we headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon, and had a picnic with almost the entire family on Jake's mom's side.

























Sophie had a great time there too. She was quite popular among the little girls.

We tried to convince her to take a nap in her Pack-n-Play by blocking off some outside stimulation with towels, but as you can see, she didn't fall for our trick.

The next day was our last full day there. We decided to just hang out all day. We went to Gateway and watched the kids play in the water, drove around some cool neighborhoods in Salt Lake, ate dinner with Jake's brother Adam & sister-in-law Michelle, and then headed over to visit our friends Mike & Makell.

Mike & Makell have a kitten and the kitten and Sophie loved each other, even though it isn't really apparent in this picture.

We had a great time, and traveling with Sophie was quite uneventful, so we may just do it again sometime.

I'm A Sewing Genius

Today I made these shorts *cough* out of pants *cough* for Sophie. Aren't they super cute? She's experimenting with her 9-12 month wardrobe this week. Some things (like this onesie) fit perfectly, while others are still quite large. She's had these pants for some time now, but nothing ever matched them until today.

Journal Jar #15: Pets

What pets have I had?
Which one was my favorite?

My family has had a slew of cats, one dog, 4 birds, various hampsters, tadpoles, fish, a turtle, and a rabbit. The hampsters never lasted long (remember, we had cats), so I don't even remember their names. The turtle was a found turtle, and if you can imagine: it escaped. Our neighbors found it down the street, and said it was their turtle, so it just stayed with them. The rabbit we owned for about a day (another found animal). We named it Fast. He escaped too.

The cats started with Peter. Peter was part of the family before any of the children were. He was born before my older brother Mike, and lived until Mike went on a mission at 19. During Peter's life, we also had Paco, Waldo, Figaro, and Tina; but Peter outlived all of them.

After Peter's time came Fred. Fred is mellow and lazy. He got hit my a car as a kitten, and has a limp tail because of it. This is good for babies and little kids because you can squeeze it and pinch it all you want, and Fred doesn't feel a thing. After a while, we decided to get another cat, so along came Ethel. Ethel is a very non-affectionate fluffy kitty. One day, she became quite affectionate, and we realized she was pregnant. She had 4 cute kittens. We decided to get her spayed once her kittens were given away. However, she had different plans, and before they were out of the house, we had a pregnant Ethel again (the little floozy). That time she had 6 adorable kittens, and 5 were adopted. The 6th one was black (a less desirable color), and never left the house. His name is Lucky. So yes, my parents have THREE cats, but quite by accident.

When I was 6 or 7, my family got a golden retriever named Ranger. Ranger was an awesome tennis ball catcher. At one point he could fit 3 in his mouth at once. He also loved water. He loved the hose, the retention basin after a rain storm, and he knew where every pool was in the neighborhood. Ranger used to put Cathy to bed. He would wake her up if she fell asleep on the couch, walk her to her room, lay on her bottom bunk (Cathy slept on the top bunk) until she fell asleep, and then leave and go sleep in the hall. He lived to be about 12, and it was very hard for our family (especially Cathy) when he died.

In high school, my dad built a bird cage outside of my bedroom window. I had 4 cockatiels in there for a while that I loved.

I would have to say that my favorite animal was Ranger. He was a good dog. However, I can't wait until I can get a cat. I love kittens, and they're much easier to take care of. Jake, who was an anti-cat person when I married him, has also warmed up to the thought of a cat, now that he's spent time with my parents' cats. I'm sure our family will have a dog someday, but it will be a while.