Expression Creates Being

I Have the POWER!

2011-10-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

For a reminder of the 80's Saturday morning awesomeness, click here.

He-Man and Cringer

Hero worship

Happy Halloween! We are last minute costume sorts of people, and this year was no different. But, with a Saturday morning, some cardboard, a new silver pen, some paint, Velcro, and Christmas socks--we pulled off a couple of pretty rad costumes.

The church costume parade was fun. Edgar had just started getting comfortable in his outfit around all of the crazy looking strangers (it didn't help that we are still feeling so new in our ward--he really didn't know anyone), when they announced the parade. I tried to explain to him that he would walk with the other kids and show off his He-man clothes. He dropped to the ground and tried to get under the folding chair. "Hey Edgar, what are you doing?" "I just gotta hide mom! Help me hide!"

Well...I managed to get him to stand in line with me. When it was his turn to walk across the stage I said, "okay, show them your moves." WOW! He had MOVES. He got to the middle of the stage. Stopped. And did some awesome posturing and dancing. They really liked "baby Thor" or "the little gladiator" or "the minimalist" or whatever that kid was. The whole room was roaring with laughter and approval.

Edgar now wants to wear his He-Man pants everyday. I await the day that he is 15 and we tell him (in front of his friends) how much he loved to wear his little sister's bloomers.

Sabrina 7 months--wait--7 1/2 months

2011-08-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Mustachioed Carmichael family August 2011

Whew...I want to say something like, "life is going so fast it's just passing us by" but that wouldn't be accurate. Something more like, life is extremely great, fast, and fun. We are enjoying every minute of our busy life so much. We are all moved in to our new house and, while there are still boxes to unpack, we are getting pretty settled into our home. We are really busy with house projects, yard work, yard work, yard work (did I mention we have half an acre--half of which is over run with ivy, blackberries, morning glory, overgrown trees, and saplings?), and regular summer fun. With all the busyness, I feel like Sabrina especially hasn't gotten her fair share of documentation. She certainly isn't getting the regular updates on the blog / in her baby book that she deserves. So, let's see if I can get a little of that in before nap time is over...

Sabrina is crawling! She just started army crawling this week. She also pushes up on her tip-toes and her forehead to scoot. She also occasionally gets up on her hands and knees or hands and toes and rocks or bounces. She loves to stand with her feet on the floor or bed, and her hands on my legs. She crawls over my legs or tries to dive head first off the couch, bed, etc. She just loves to roll, scoot, and crawl around on the floor.

Sabrina is talking a little. She says da, mama, and blahblahblah (which I think sometimes actually means brother). She spits, shrieks, and clicks her tongue--and all of those other noises that are completely unacceptable for grown ups, but amazingly adorable for babies. And she LAUGHS and giggles--especially when she is tickled.

Sabrina LOVES her big brother. She thinks that he is hilarious and laughs and laughs at him. She also sneakily pulls his hair to get him to cry. She loves her mama and if mom is anywhere in sight or within earshot, she wants to be in her mommy's arms. But, if mom is not available, she is pretty happy to play with others.

Sabrina loves food. She started solid foods about a month and a half ago, and she gets so excited when it is time to eat. She likes to eat with the family and likes to hold her own spoon. Her favorite food is bananas.

Sabrina sleeps all night and has for a long time. She loves to suck her thumb and go to sleep. She naps well, plays well, and is generally a really happy girl. We just love having this little girl in our family.

Bombs and Bananas

2011-07-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

What a great 4th of July! I don't know if I can articulate why it was so wonderful. In some ways it was "same old same old" as far as Carmichael 4ths go. We got together at my sister-in-laws house. We had lots of delicious food. The weather was perfect. We were reckless with fireworks. There were a few injuries (among them: Edgar had a close run in with a smoke bomb. Mostly just left him afraid--but he did get a few little heat blisters). There were guns and clay pigeons. There was badminton. There was visiting.

And somehow that equaled a super wonderful day.

At one point I was sitting in a lawn chair next to my father-in-law Mick and some sister-in-laws watching badminton and enjoying the sun. Mick sighs and says, "it just doesn't get better than this." And he was so right. During the fireworks I sat by my boy as we watched Alex light off some big exploding fireworks, and Edgar says: "Mama, that firework makes my eyes happy! They (my eyes) go around and around!" Sabrina snuggled in her older cousin's lap and watched the fireworks too. The entire day was magical. It made me heart happy.

Also, we celebrated Sabrina's 6 month birthday a few days early and fed her her first food: roasted banana. She slurped down the whole bowl! She absolutely love it. She was adorable with her cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma, and grandpa. She talked (BAH! Da Da DA! AAaaaaAAAAAAAH!), she kissed, she giggled, she rolled around on the floor.

Even though I am absolutely exhausted from the late nights and crazy fun weekend, the sweetness of it all has kept me calm and happy today. I love love LOVE my cute little family!

Writing Letters to Grandma Vickie

2011-06-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

Mom: "What does it say?"

Edgar: "I love you. And this says, 'I love Daddy."

"And this one says 'Sabrina'"

"I will do this part: 'Edgar'"

Mom: "Who are we going to send them to?"

"Grandma Vickie!"

"I show you. I...Loooooove....GrandmaVickie"

"I'm doing it very well for Vicke to take it out of the mailbox."

"MY mailbox."

Moving Day (...Week...Month...)

2011-06-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

We are officially moved in our new house! Unpacked? Nope. Not even close. Feel like home? Yeah. It kinda does! It sure seems like it took forever to finally get here (we were "closing any day" back at the beginning of April), but we are finally here and settling into our new home.

This has been quite the adventure--and the kids have done great through it all. Edgar has honestly gotten very good with tools and helping daddy fix stuff. Okay, it still adds an extra couple of hours onto any project to have Edgar help, but he is really screwing in screws and hammering in nails--and LOVING every moment of it. "I'm gonna lay down for this one" is something we hear a lot around here. Accompanied by Edgar laying down to screw something in or examine a nail or screw. It's pretty darn cute.

Poor kid--his routines were all messed up for a few weeks. More than once he fell asleep in his highchair. I love this picture--he honestly fell asleep mid-bite. Fork made it into his mouth, but not back down. (=

This was right before dinner. We tried to skip his nap that day. It didn't go so well! You can see Sabrina playing happily amongst boxes in the background.

This cute girl just keeps getting cuter! She is 5 1/2 months. Sabrina likes to roll around on the ground, isn't quite sitting yet, loves to pull off and chew her socks, says, "da-da-da-da-da" and "blah-blah-blah", sleeps ALL NIGHT, is super happy, and LOVES her mommy, daddy, and brother.

My heart is full of happiness for my cute little family. On one hand, we are feeling a little lost, having just been separated from our other "family." For nine years we have loved living in our tiny little apartment--living in the basement of Heather House--under the floorboards of some of the greatest friends we could have. It has been this little chunk of an ideal world. In our home we have seen 2 families grow from newlyweds to a family of 4 (making us a big family of 8). By the end of our stay it was not unusual to have dinner together a few times a week, to run to the store and pick up a few things for the other family, to go out on a date and have someone to baby-monitor-sit for us, and to interact with our friends every day. And, yes, I am getting all sentimental about it. We have all said (more than once) that it has felt like the final episode of Friends around Heather House.

We are lucky to be just a short walk away, but it will never be the same again. It is the end of an era. It is a little lonely in our big house.

On the other hand, it is so fun to have our own house. We are really growing together more as we work together to set up our home. It is a little overwhelming sometimes--all of the homeowner responsibility stuff--but it is a really exciting time of life in our family. I look forward to lots of new memories in this home. Each game of badminton in the backyard, each routine of doing chores in the morning with Edgar, each bedtime story, each dinner around our kitchen table--each of these moments help to fill up this big house and to really make it ours.

Bedtime Stories and San Diego

2011-06-06T20:12:00.001-07:00

Kicking it in the back seat.

Our bedtime ritual now includes lots of stories. We start them, Edgar [fills in the blanks]. There are some constant elements.

Almost everyone in the bedtime story is named [Edgar]. (Edgar the crabby. Edgar the chicken. Edgar the clam. Edgar the monkey. Edgar the fish. Edgar the boy. Edgar the Edgar).
The main character in the story is very [busy] and really likes to [run].
Someone drives a [motorcycle] that is [green] and really [fast].
They always go to [grandma's house]--but they often go the long way. Like through the ocean, flying up up in the air, via the moon, etc.
Edgar and company [walks up the stairs] and [pushes the ding dong button] and grandma slowly opens the door and says, [boo boo boo! I love you!]

Tonight I laughed lots. Tonight Edgar the [Edgar] and his friend [Alex the Lion] went to [San Diego]. Then, they wanted to go to [grandma's house]. But, they got there and [grandma wasn't there]. They wanted to see [Grandma Vickie, Grandma Lester (?!?), Grandma Carmichael, Grandma Betty, and Grandma Marcia]--but no one was there...[All of the grandmas were in San Diego]!

They were asleep in the subway. All of them.

There aren't too many places in Edgar's world. Home. Church. The store. Daddy's work. Grandma's house. And...San Diego. (On account of Madagascar). This morning, our little friend upstairs (1 year old girl) was trying out a little ride-on car. She is very little, so the car wasn't going anywhere. Edgar looked at her and said to me (very seriously), "she is NOT going to San Diego."

p.s. has anyone seen my camera? or my wallet? *sigh* hope to have pictures and time soon to update about our new house (!!!!) etc.

Of Easter, Big Changes, and Wockets

2011-04-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! A few days before Easter, Edgar did a face plant off of the swings, resulting in his scabbed chin. But, he had a great Easter. He loved learning more about Jesus in Nursery. If asked, he will tell you that Easter is about how Jesus Died, but now He is ALL BETTER!

After church, we went up to his Auntie Dani and Uncle Todd's house. We had lots of good food, fun with family, and an Easter Egg Hunt in the park.

Sabrina got to meet her twin-cousin Logan for the first time. They were born the same day! He is SUCH a cutie!

The big news that came the day after Easter...

We are buying our first home! It is really close to where we live now--just a block to the south and a block to the east. Definitely walking distance to see our friends (= We have been casually looking at homes for the last couple of years, but when we walked through this one, both Alex and I said, "I LOVE it!" It has just about everything our ideal home would have, and with a little bit of negotiating, the price was right! With lower house prices, low interest rates, and no house to sell--we feel truly blessed to find such a great home at this point in our lives.

Closing date is May 25th. We are so super excited, we are having a tough time thinking of much else! We are going from 600 sq ft, no oven, and a dorm-size fridge to 2500 sq ft + a full basement, a regular-people kitchen, and a half-acre lot with lots of room to play!

This is a picture of my favorite room--the big living room with hardwood floors, a wood-burning fireplace, and a view of the Cascades. I am looking forward to many hours of reading, playing, and snuggling with my family in this room!

Other new things: Sabrina is now a thumb sucker. I love it. I know, I'll have to deal with a thumb-sucking toddler some day--but for now, I love that she can put herself back to sleep when she wakes! And, she is so cute.

This one is for Grandma and Grandpa! Here are some Sabrina laughs (=

Edgar and his Daddy reading A Wocket in My Pocket, By Dr. Seuss this evening before bed.

Doot-do-DOOO Come To the Temple

2011-04-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

Portland Oregon Temple

It's 7 am. My sugar-loaded, sleep-deprived son has already been up and whining at me for nearly 2 hours. This post is to remind me how sweet and adorable he can be.

I love to see the Temple is one of his favorite songs.

Angel Moroni on the temple

I am looking forward to renewing our temple recommends this week so that we can go to the temple to worship, learn, and enjoy the peace that only the Lord can bring.

There's Friends Here

2011-04-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

Edgar saw this picture on the computer and said, "Look mommy! There's friends here!" This kiddo sure loves his sister. He has this cute little baby babble he does when he sees her and it ends with "HI Sabrina! How are you today?!?!" He is generally unperturbed by her crying, loving, and helpful. His is occasionally jealous, physical, and frustrated with her. Sounds like pretty normal siblings to me (=

I was so worried that having another baby so soon would take away from the sweet one-on-one time I enjoy with Edgar. But, that is definitely not the case. Somehow, there is always time for some sweet snuggling with Edgar, or some one-on-one giggling time with Sabrina. I LOVE being a mom.Here's a photo of Sabrina on her blessing day. It was great to have my parents as well as my brother Ryan and his wife Kaylee come up. Not sure why we are all so serious in this photo (=

Another example of fun times with Edgar. About a month ago, Sabrina was sleeping after dinner and we decided to have a fire and watch a movie with Edgar. After about 30 mins of movie, he got distracted and we ended up having a super fun mommy-daddy-Edgar castle building evening. It was awesome.

I haven't posted near enough pictures of this Sabrina girl. She is 3 months now, and super cute. She loves to smile, will occasionally laugh, loves to be up looking around at the world, and LOVES her family. I just melt when she catches me looking at her and gives me the biggest open mouth grin that goes all the way to her eyes.

Life is good. We are super busy with church callings (primary), diapers, jobs (I am even tutoring a little), playing with kids, car repairs, bedtime routines, Yoga class, trying to get our album finished, feeding kids, and (yikes!) a little house hunting. It's busy, but it's great! I wouldn't trade this for the leisure time-packed life we had before kids. When we could actually spend time together in the evening. When we didn't go to sleep by 10:30. When we could go to a couple of concerts every week. When we could sleep in until noon on the weekends. Okay. Maybe sometimes I would trade it a little bit. (=

2 Years Old!

2011-04-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Edgar! Birthday #2 heralded lots of changes for Edgar. He woke up for the last time in his crib, and he and daddy put together his Big Boy Bed! He picked out some Woody and Buzz Yite-Year Sheets and Pillow (Pee-yo). He has been prepped for weeks that "2 years old means no more bottles"...but we let him have bottles on his birthday for the last time. He totally understood what was going on. He kept saying "My no is 2. My is ALMOST 2." He was really excited for his birthday. He picked out Sponge bob cups and plates...so, we went with that and made a Sponge-tastic birthday. He kept telling me all day, "Mommy! I'm so excited for my birthday!"

I (who am really not a cake decorator) made this fantastic cake. It was pineapple inside cake (instead of upside down...I put a layer of crushed pineapple in the middle). YUM!

LOVE the look on his face when he realized it was a new MOTORCYCLE toy! It is a cool track that shoots his motorcycles out and a zillion miles per hour, around a loop, and through a ring of FIRE!

That night he lined up his motorcycles so they could sleep.

Last night with your bottle baby. Now you are a big boy! (Yes, I almost cried when I threw his bottles out. And yes, he is crying now as he looks at the picture of his "special bottle").

They're playing our song

2011-02-01T23:05:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for God's tender mercies. It's been a tough couple of days. Nursing is proving to be more and more painful every day--and today I was lost in self pity after getting some bad news from the midwife. Basically, there is no problem that can be fixed. No infections, no latch problems, etc.--it is just going to be painful for me to feed my child the way I want to feed her.

So, I was feeling particularly sad and frustrated today. I was remembering my first few weeks with Edgar...the pain...and the questioning the reasons for having children...I love love love my children and am thankful for them. It's just, so many days of pain and sleep deprivation can really wear a person down.

Then, on the drive home tonight, I heard my sweet son singing the lullaby that I wrote for him. I haven't sung it to him for a while, and I didn't even realize he knew it. But, hearing his sweet little voice sing it made me cry--for the 10th or 12th time today--but in a good way. I was filled with peace and love. I made it through the pain with him--and we have a great relationship today.

I'll make it through the pain with Sabrina too. It will make me a stronger woman and mother. The refiners fire and all of that.

Edgar's Song:

Oh Edgar, we can fly
Together like birds on the wind so high
Like a man, rocketing to mars
or fast like dogs going 'round in cars
Oh Edgar, we can fly

We can ride bicycles to the park
Or sing lullabies in the dark
Oh Edgar, we can fly.

Introducing Sabrina Eldora Carmichael

2011-01-11T00:16:00.000-08:00

She's here!

Sabrina was born Friday night--Jan 7, 2011 at 10:30 pm. She was born into the water and caught by her daddy. The birth was fast (less than 2 hours at the birth center), intense, and beautiful. Both Sabrina and I are recovering wonderfully and are fully enjoying our babymoon.

I'm not quite sure what to write, because my husband Alex is detailing life so well on his blog 42 days. We are so blessed to have him home for the next 6 weeks (42 days), and he plans to blog about his experiences--one post per day. So, I will try to not be redundant. I will restrict myself to blogging about stuff he doesn't cover.

Baby Brina is such a blessing. I deserve her. Edgar was so hard as a new baby (didn't eat for the first 3 days of his life, cried non-stop for 3 months, etc., etc.) and--so far--Sabrina is just what I deserve after surviving Edgar. She sleeps. She eats. She wakes up and looks around at us. She cries to tell me her diaper is wet or she is hungry or cold--and then stops crying when the problem is resolved.

I love my Edgar. He has made me stronger and more patient. And I love my Sabrina. She is my reward.

The Countdown...

2011-01-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

The New Year is here...and the countdown has begun. I'm not exactly sure WHEN we are counting down to...but I imagine that within the next week or two we will be welcoming Baby Girl Carmichael into our home! (Nope--no name yet--we have a short list of 3 and a longer list of alternatives...but, I'm not worried. She'll have a name by the time she comes home...probably).

And...the last minute flurry of preparations has begun...including the all-important Danita Pappas photo shoot. It was pouring outside, so we hit the local used bookstore as a "studio" of sorts for the photo shoot--turned out fantastic. It will probably take a while to get all the photos, but Danita (good friend and photographress extraordinaire) posted a few teasers for us.

I LOVE this family of mine. We had a fun New Year's Day--we meant to do a lot of cleaning/organizing the house to prepare for new baby (and we did get some of those important things done), but mostly we just ENJOYED each other. All three of us seem to be feeling huge loving amounts of joy toward one another. I know that baby girl will only add to that--but in part we know that we are losing--(not quite the right word)--changing our current picture of "family," and I think we are all trying to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment from our perfect little family.

I guess I'm feeling a little nostalgic: Letting go of the old and ringing in the new, and all of that.

I can't wait to meet this baby girl and to see what our new family dynamics will be like--and until then, I will do all I can to enjoy the countdown!

Christmas Highlights 2010

2010-12-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

The Christmases between high school and Edgar were...well...a little lacking in Christmas excitement. But it's back. Christmas with a 2 year old is so fun!

Edgar really got Christmas this year--on a really basic level. He got that it was baby Jesus' birthday, Santa was going to bring him presents--specifically, Santa would bring him a scooter (at one point, when he really got that he could ask for something, he was jumping up and down on my bed yelling "SANTA...BRING....EDGAR...'COOTER!"), and that there were lots of parties with family.

Some favorite quotes:

Alex: "Edgar, tomorrow is Christmas...what does that mean?" Edgar: "Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus. Santa. Jesus. Party!"

All throughout the Christmas weekend he would insist on singing Happy Birthday to Jesus at every meal. He also wanted "more fire? more cake? blow out candles?"

He knows Santa comes down Chimneys...but he wasn't totally certain what a Chimney was. I pointed out a big fireplace to him and said, "Look Edgar, a chimney!" Now...he knows fireplaces are hot, so he looks at me with big eyes and says, "Hot! Santa? Santa hot?" with a face that clearly demanded an explanation.

He just wanted to sing and hear us sing Christmas songs all weekend. When driving in the car we tried to substitute with the radio, but he said: "push button. turn music off. Sing Hosanna."

My favorite? On the way to church Sunday he sang Silent Night--the whole first verse, in the sweetest most angelic voice. My heart melted. His daddy melted too--real teary eyes and all.

We had a busy day of visiting family, so we had to wake him up early. I know, I think it goes against some kind of parent law to wake your kid Christmas morning...

He quickly got over his sadness at waking so early when he realized there were presents everywhere!
(His first look at the pile of gift under the tree)

This was his favorite toy--from Grandma and Grandpa Carmichael. A "round a round" for his cars and motorcycles.

(= Christmas Joy.

(Loved his new motorcycle so much he couldn't put it down. Had to unwrap with one hand)

Here it is! The Scooter! This is the best picture I could get...he didn't hold still too well...

At this moment he is looking at the picture saying "'Edgar's 'Piderman 'cooter!"

In all, Christmas was fantastic.

Oh yeah, I got cool stuff too. Edgar gave me new shoes. Alex gave me new pots and pans, some awesome records, and some new table lamps (=

But, really, it was all about the 2 year old. As it should be!

After all there's only 3 more sleeps till Christmas!

2010-12-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

Yikes! Everything seems to be in fast forward lately. We did have a lovely Thanksgiving. I have a few good pictures of Edgar enjoying his grandparents, great-grandparents, and aunties and uncles. But...as I know I don't have the time or energy to get all of that up too...I'll restrict myself to a few recent pictures and videos.

I was in charge of our church's ward Christmas party this year. It was my last duty as Activity Chairperson before that particular calling was dissolved. In the mean time, I was called as Primary Secretary and kind of overlapped for a couple of weeks. It was a pretty hectic time! The party was a success, and I love my new calling in Primary.

Seeing Santa was pretty exciting for Edgar--he really wanted to talk to him--but no luck with the lap sitting.

Edgar is absolutely enchanted by Christmas. We cut down a teeny little Christmas Tree and it has a very few ornaments. Edgar often gazes at the tree and exclaims, "CHRISTMAS! Daddy CHOPPED it, CUT it, CHRISTMAS LIGHTS! Christmas TREEEE!"

We had a fun spontaneous family night in Portland. We saw the BIG Christmas Tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square, went to a fun toy store, and ate yummy Lebanese food. The picture is not so good, but you can kind of see my bigness.

Baby girl is due in about 2 1/2 weeks...and I can't believe I can grow any bigger. I feel HUGE. But--happy and in general good shape physically. We are really excited for her to join our family.

Edgar "talks" to baby sister a lot. He kisses her (my belly), rubs her, measures her at mommy's midwife appointments, and tells me if she is sad or happy. The other day he told her: "baby si'ter, 2 more minutes, after: come out!" I don't think he really knows what he's getting into, or he wouldn't be ordering her out.

We have been talking a lot about birthday's lately. Grandpa Carmichael's birthday was earlier this month. Alex's birthday was last Sunday. Edgar knows that Christmas is "happy birthday baby Jesus" and that after Christmas is Baby Sister's birthday.

Edgar is also a bit obsessed with fire and birthday cakes. He did a good job helping his asthmatic daddy blow out the candles!

And, for Grandma Vickie, here is a recent Edgar video. One of my favorite things he does lately is sing. He sings nonsense and he sings big open vowels with hymns at church--but lately he is singing entire songs. He sings "Christmas Bells are Ringing," "Up on the Housetop," "Silent Night," "Away in a Manger," "Jingle Bells," and "Frosty the Snowman."

In this video, he is singing Up on the Housetop. He has a lock groove built into this song. But, apparently there are ways to stop the broken record. I have another video with more singing...but it isn't uploading. I'll try again later.

sunBEAM!

2010-11-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

Edgar has been super cute about singing lately. He LOVES to sing.

He sings nonsense along with cds.

He sings hymns with the congregation in church (while "reading" the hymnal).

He has a pamphlet about birth (he picked it up at one of my midwife appointments)--He calls it his "aaahhh yaaaa book" and sings out of it in the car. Once he dropped it, and I tried to hand him a different book to sing out of. He said, "no way. aaahh yaaa book." Apparently he can't sing out of just any book.

He also loves to fill-in-the-blank with mom and dad for songs he knows. His favorite right now is Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam. He isn't super cooperative in this video--but it's the only one I have (and I think the reluctance is pretty darn cute too!)

I also love that this video shows how much Edgar loves his dad. How lucky is he to have CARMICHAEL as his nursery singing leader? Yep--Edgar has now been in nursery at church for 3 weeks and just loves it.

18 Months

2010-10-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Oh, I am so behind on blogging, I'm not even going to try to play catch up. Instead, here is the 18 month update on Edgar! (Warning, it's pretty long. That's what I get for not blogging for so long!) No hair cut yet...but don't be surprised if it happens soon. Alex says he is looking like an Oompa Loompa.

Edgar is going through one of those rocket fast learning stages--new words and abilities every day. But, he still remains the same boy he has always been:

Edgar is super silly and loves to make people laugh. If he says something that gets a laugh once, he will say it over and over and over to see how it makes people react.

Fun things he says:

Wash squash (he "made up" this rhyme and thinks it is hilarious--I think he is right)
He likes to look at a picture and say the wrong word for it, and then say "NO!" and say the right word. The other day he was pointing to guys on the cover of my James Bond book saying, "Is this one daddy? NOOOOO! Is this one daddy? NOOOO!" Then he saw the Bond Girl and said (knowingly) "Moooooommy"
"Mo-Co-Loy-Lo" = Motorcycle. He LOVES motorcycles and always talks about "Edgar Ride!" when he sees one. The other day he saw one and said, "Mo-Co-Loy-Lo. Cool-WOW!"

"CHEESE!"

Funny (but long) story:

The Scriptures, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter are all getting a little mixed up at our house. A friend recently taught the kids to pound a broomstick on the ground and say "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Edgar translated this to "NO PASS!" We watched the clip from LOTR and the image stuck in his head. Now, any guy with a long white beard says "NO PASS!" and is a wizard.

Edgar also watched Potter Puppet Pals and the Mysterious Ticking Noise, and LOVED it. He can do most of the skit on his own. "Nape, Nape...DUMBADOE....HERRRR-MY-KNEE...won, won, won WEEEEEZY...(and in a whisper) hawee potteh hawee potteh AH! He is pretty sure the Gandalf and Dumbledore are the same guys. Both are wizards and say NO PASS!

Then, recently we started reading scriptures together as a family every night. We are reading a few verses every night from the Book of Mormon. The phrase, "and it came to pass" is all throughout the BoM--and Edgar has really picked up on it and somehow thinks this means the Scriptures are about Wizards. And Jesus. And records (you know...the round black ones). And Lehi. And Nephi. It is pretty awesome.

We each read a few verses, even Edgar. We read a few words and pause, then he says whatever he can. He usually yells NO PASS (we try to save those verses for him). But one time I read "and he told his children that they shall not"--I paused to let Edgar repeat some words, but he finished the sentence with "PASS!" It was really funny.

But, even though he is a bit confused about the content of the scriptures, he is excited to read them every night. One night we were reading books before bed and he asked for "more one" (one more book). I said, you can choose one more, so pick your favorite...he ran into the other room and brought in the scriptures (=

Edgar is learning a lot of new words and phrases from the Signing Time dvds--he LOVES them. Here he is signing Chicken in front of the chickens at the petting zoo! He can sign over 100 words and phrases!

I am amazed at how much it increases his vocabulary and comprehension. He started watching the dvd about the Colors a few weeks ago. Up to that point, he hadn't shown any interest in colors. Suddenly, he can identify all his colors! So fun! He can also identify some letters, count to 10, and he knows a few shapes (Circle and Octogon).

He also loves to read books. His current favorites are Dr. Seuss Hop on Pop, Bears on Wheels, Bernstien's B Book, Go Dog Go!, Hand Hand Finger Thumb, and Brown Bear Brown Bear. He's at that stage where he is memorizing his favorite books and can "read" portions of them to us. LOVE IT!

And, he is just a sweet boy who loves his family. He prays for his grandparents and cousins, loves to look at family pictures and hear about everybody, and likes to call people on the phone (though he immediately gets shy and won't say much...of course!) He love his best friends upstairs and wants to play with them all of the time. He is generally a happy sweet kid and I LOVE being his mom.

He is also getting used to this baby sister idea. He "plays peekaboo" with his baby sister (by lifting up my shirt to see my tummy), he kisses her, tells her he loves her, and sometimes will tell me that she is crying and hugs her better. He's going to be a great big brother in a couple of months!

Big Brother and Little Sister

2010-08-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here she is! It was awfully clear that she is a girl, so I guess our imaginings of a house full of boys is just an imagining. But now that I have come to terms with pink, I'm really looking forward to dolls, dresses, bows, and bikes with pink and purple streamers. I am not quite ready for discussions about periods, bras, boyfriends, and all of that. Yikes. One thing at a time.

Here is a super sweet video of Edgar taking some initiative to get to know his baby sister. I LOVE it!

Visiting with Friends

2010-08-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, we had a couple of socially packed days as we had some friends stay with us over the weekend (it was a former missionary-who had served in our ward when we were ward missionaries--and his wife). He and his 6-month pregnant wife joined Alex, me (4 months pregnant) and Edgar for a mini-Silver Falls hike.

The total hike is about 10 miles and you see 10 waterfalls. We did about 5 miles and saw 7 waterfalls. Pretty darn good if you ask me!

Ed did fantastic. We have found that the "jogging stroller" is well suited for hikes. As long as the paths aren't too narrow (and as long as you have 2 people to lift it over obstacles), it is a great alternative to backpacking a toddler who can't hike on his own.

We had a fun time throwing rocks into streams, looking at "Dow-Uh-Ohs" (His word: "Dow" = water).

I was particularly grateful that our friend David offered to carry Edgar up the stairs with Alex. Yikes! Edgar acted like a little petulant prince demanding "up! up!" as they ascended.

The falls were beautiful. It was really fun when Edgar realized the water was falling and going "Crash! Boom!" It totally cracked him up! What funny things that water is doing!

The next day Alex's best friend from growing up was in town. (His name is Alex. When they are together, my Alex is called Axle. It takes some getting use to). They currently live in Arizona and we don't see them very often. They have 3 super cute boys and we had a great time cooking on the fire in the backyard and playing.

(I think Edgar got some fuzz in his mouth while trying to eat cookie crumbs off the floor. His face was priceless!)

(This is a pretty terrible picture, but one of the only ones we took of the grown-ups. Hmmm.)

All in all we had a really great time seeing friends. Thanks Alex and Dawn for dropping by! Hopefully it won't be another...what...3 years (?) between visits!

King Me!

2010-08-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Learning from experiences with Baby #1, we decided that upgrading our bed to a King was a must before the arrival of Baby #2. When our platform bed arrived, Edgar was eager to use his tools to help dad (=

I believe "Edgar, TOOL!" and "Daddy TOOL!" were pretty much all he said that day.

He was a big help.
When the mattress finally arrived, Edgar was really excited to jump on the "bi-ig bed"

And, what follows is way too many pictures of my boy being silly on the new bed. But, the pictures are really for grandmas and grandpas, and I know you guys don't mind lots of pictures, right?

Ready....go!

His favorite game on the bed: "Aaaahhhhhhh.......BOOM!"
Rolling rolling rolling...

Crawling around on the bed toward mama, Edgar is saying "getchu!"

More somersaults!

What's more fun having a huge bed all to yourself? Having a huge bed all to yourself with 2 big beach balls!

Plus also, a little tiring.

Okay mama, that's enough pictures!

GRarRR!

Being so silly. Love this cute boy!

Perfect Day

2010-08-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

We had the most perfect day at the coast yesterday (= We had all sorts of grown-up responsible things we could have done, but we decided to just go have fun. It was a good choice. The day started a bit cloudy and cool, so we hit Newport, OR first to see the sea lions. Edgar loved them.

We decided to try out one of the tourist traps we have so far avoided in Newport. We "walked with the butterflies." It was 10 bucks well spent! What a fun day of discovery for Edgar!

He wanted to give the butterfly a nose kiss (=

Got one!
You can put your finger by their feet, and they climb on. Edgar was very gentle. Mostly. I'm pretty sure no butterfly died because of him.

Here he is saying, proudly, "Edgar! Edgar!" Because he had gotten to hold the butterfly on his very own finger.

Alex also enjoyed communing with the butterflies.
Then, it was on to the beach! We spent the afternoon at Nye Beach in Newport. We found the perfect little valley between sand dunes to set up our blanket and toys. It was warm, sunny, not windy...PERFECT (and mostly unheard of at the Oregon Coast!).

We had too much fun to take many pictures. Needless to say, there was a lot of climbing up and sliding down the sand dunes--and of course digging in and eating of the sand. We went down to the water and Edgar was quite nervous...until he saw two people running down the beach on the wet sand. He got SO excited! He said, "Edgar run-run-run!" And, he did. He ran and ran and ran down that beach! He only wanted to go north (on account of the bright sun in his eyes), so we went quite a ways before we could coax him back. By the end he was even running into the receding waves a little, popping bubbles in the sea foam, laughing a lot, and asking for "more more more."

What a perfect day.

Family Reunion

2010-07-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

We had a fun trip to Utah last week for a Braithwaite Family Reunion. The drive between Oregon and Utah gets longer and longer....we have started breaking it up with stops at random parks along the way. Our new favorite: the city park in downtown Baker City. Among other awesome old (see: unsafe) park equipment, they had these fantastic 40 foot swings. Check it out: Alex couldn't even touch the ground!

We LOVED seeing family and getting to know our nephew better. He and Edgar occasionally noticed each other and seemed interested. Bath time was fun (=

Here, Edgar is enjoying his Great Grandma Betty's dessert. YUM! Grandma looks like she's had too much punch.
Edgar got to know his Texas cousins (second cousins to be precise). He STILL talks about Abby (She's 10. He's in love.) He still recognizes her in pictures and asks about her by name. Here, my cousing Andrea is playing his favorite game with him: GETCHU!

Love my grandparents. Don't get to spend nearly enough time with them!

Edgar fell IN LOVE with his "Mama Gickie" and "Papa". He followed my dad around every moment and loved to play with him.

We spent an evening with all the family at Deer Creek Resevoir. Ed had fun being a little too brave on the boat ramp.

This shot is post-face-first-fall into the water (= He got right back up and wanted more.

This is Edgar and Ethan, second cousins. They look a little related, huh?

We had a great time and are looking forward to spending a longer trip in Utah in a few weeks!

Summer!

2010-07-11T22:32:00.001-07:00

Yikes! It's been a while since I've posted. We've been having lots of fun playing outside in the Oregon sun (yep, we do have sun here!)

On one of the first nice weekends, we went for a bike ride with Edgar over the Columbia River (I-205) Bridge. It was so fun cruising down the bridge!
We parked our car at a fun restaurant on the docks of the Columbia River in Portland where we met for lunch with Alex's parents.

It was a fun bike ride--but super exhausting for this newly pregnant mama! Yep, if you hadn't heard, we are having another baby!
The same day we went to our niece Marva's softball game. Edgar had fun playing in the dirt and getting lots of attention from "papa" and "gma ma"

Hooray for summer and corn on the cob! It was a hit at our house (=
Yum!
Okay, the next one doesn't have much to do with summer--but he sure is cute in his googoo goggles!
Summer = water fun out in the sun! Three wading pools + Three SAHMs + 5 kiddos = LOTS of FUN!
Our Chris Farley Baby discovers water balloons. Secret: if they throw the water balloons INTO the wading pool fun of water, they won't pop very often!

Happy Independence Day! Edgar and Jen are all ready to go to church!
Tired baby. This boy LOVED the fireworks and trap shooting (yep, on the 4th of July this family is a bunch of rednecks). Edgar insisted that everyone clap after each and every firework. "Bang! Bang!" He says. Finally, he just fell deeply asleep in my arms despite the LOUD show going on right in front of him. So sweet...
We love summer!

Long Weekend

2010-06-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

We had a fun family get-a-way for the weekend. I didn't get very representative photos...we were too busy enjoying our trip! We had a fun long bike ride along the Deschutes River Trail in Bend. We found a really fun park with a big boat to play on.

Edgar, as usual, loved staying in the hotel. At one point he came around the corner from the bathroom, blowing his nose on some toilet paper. The toilet paper was the end of most of a roll he had trailing behind him (=

Caught ya!

We did lots of swimming. We had to walk outdoors to the pool, so I would put Edgar in my shirt to keep him warm on the way. It was so stinking cute.

He got really angry when he couldn't find his toes:

He said some new cute words and phrases on this trip, including:

Bah-bu-beh-wee (Strawberry)

G-ike (hard g) (Bike)

Gotchu

Love this boy!

Recent Adventures

2010-05-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

We recently went on a fun day trip to the coast. We hiked around Sand Lake (south of Tillamook) and played a little on the beach.

We stopped for dinner at Round Table Pizza. I had never had it--it was quite yummy. Mostly, it was fun to watch Edgar FREAK OUT when he got to "play" the video games. He was so excited. He drove a car in a virtual racer game and played some Pac Man and Asteroids.

A different week, Edgar and I joined some friends for a morning at OMSI. Here's Edgar with his FAVORITE person whom he affectionately calls "Beh-Poo" or more recently, "Bep-keyz"

Edgar and friends Johnny and Maya figuring out the paddle boat exhibit.

The Dandelion Experiment

2010-05-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Conclusion: Flowers are not good for eating.

8 Years

2010-05-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

As of this last Monday, I have been married to my best friend for 8 YEARS! Wow.

A little more hair...

A little less tan.

A few more guitars...

A lot less time to play them.

Same tiny (but happy) apartment...

one more person living there.

In all, I think it has been a fantastic 8 years. Alex: I ADORE YOU! Thanks for being such a great husband, for being my best friend, for being a fun bandmate, for being a fantastic father to our son, and for still being my consort after this many years.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Mustachioed Traditions

2010-05-03T07:10:00.001-07:00

This, my friends, is a moustache vending machine.

That's right, I said, "moustache vending machine."

It is located at the Skipper's Restaurant in Salem, OR.

This is where we go for lunch after every Edgar doctor appointment.

A new tradition was born: Trip To Doc = A New Moustache.

Trip #1:

Trip #2:

Trip #3:

Studio Pictures

2010-04-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

In his debut studio picture session, Edgar was flirty...

...super cute...

...and giggly!

It was lots of fun!

One Year Old!

2010-04-14T09:32:00.001-07:00

What a fun birthday! To Edgar, just about anything is worth an "OOOoooooH!", and his birthday celebrations were filled with MANY OOOOOOOooooooOOOooooHS!

FAMILY BIRTHDAY PARTY

OoooOOH! Ball Paper!

OOOOOooooHH! Spaghetti with a TRUCK fork! Thanks Auntie Brenda!

OOOOhh. Fire.
Why is everyone staring at me? What do you people expect??
NOM NOM NOM.

Here Mama! Have some cake!

Here Grandma! Have a messy kiss!

The First Haircut!!!

I was getting really sick of his hair always in his eyes. Every picture. Every meal time. But I LOVE his long curls...so the idea was to cut the really long stuff, trim the bangs, and leave the curls.
Before

Ready...

Set...

OOOOoooooOOOOH! OW!!
("Ow" is Edgar's word for hair. On account of that is what mommy and daddy say when you pull their hair.)
So...he moved when I was trimming his bangs. Now he doesn't have too much bangs. I hope he will forgive me for his first haircut! Still...he's awfully cute! I like that I can see his eyes, but honestly--I almost cried when I saw how chopped his bangs were. Ugh. He looks like a little girl who got to the scissors.

Friend Party

This is Edgar's response to "How old are you, Edgar?" So CUTE!

I want to EAT THAT CAKE! NOW!

Playing outside after his party. It's a beautiful day to be one year old! OooooooOOOH!

Was very excited about this "doodle ball." To Edgar, a "doodle" is a rooster. But, his little toy roosters both have a little hole so he can put the rooster on his finger and say "doodle, doodle!" Since the ball also has finger holes, he called it a doodle ball. Love it!

Fun things I love about my one year old Edgar:

He loves to laugh and make others laugh
He LOVES music. He leads music, sings, and often asks us to turn on records (that is the word he uses for turning music on the stereo. "reh-cur") He loves to play "TaWR!" (Guitar) and OOOhhhAOOOhhaA (Piano).
He is very independent and creative when exploring and trying new things. He likes to try things out himself and without any help.
He says lots of cute words: Dogoo (Yogurt or cottage cheese), Aahpoe (Apple, or applesauce), Tur-toe (turtle), VAH COO! (vacuum. always said as a yell. He LOVES the vacuum. He got a toy vacuum for his birthday!), Beh-poo (Becky, our friend upstairs who watches Edgar now that I am working a few hours a couple days a week. He LOVES Beh-poo.), choo (shoe) and eeyok (sock). He Loves to put on shoes and socks to go out. Yehck. Die-puh (diaper), aaah = eyes.
I love how much he loves his momma and dad. He loves to kiss us and hug us and does so often.

There is so much I love about this boy! I'm so glad to be his momma!

I love my family!

Eyes

2010-04-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

This is especially for grandma Vickie and grandpa Lester (=

While Edgar has long been interested in facial features, he is just now realizing that he has them too! Here he has discovered how to blink. Also, the hand thing and the "Ooohhah" I-want-it-now whine is the way he asks us to sing songs with him.

Easter, etc.

2010-04-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter Weekend with Alex's parents. It was also General Conference Weekend, so we spent much of the weekend being spiritually fed while lounging on couches and bean bags (=

With Edgar running around ALL THE TIME, it was a great year for his first Easter Egg Hunt!

He took the whole thing very seriously. He was a little uncertain about what to do once he got an egg in each hand. He was NOT about to put the eggs in a basket (drop them? no way! they are mine!), so he opted to quickly drop on egg and scoop up the third (as long as I always have one in each hand, I'm good, right?)

It was cold. And wet. And windy.

They did not stay together too good...surprise! Marshmallows!

He eventually got the idea of the basket (aha! I can drop them in there, and then play with them!

Watching conference was fun! Edgar had a zillion toys spread out on the floor, and spent hours running around the room trying to make us laugh. Such a ham!

"Ni-Ni!" he says.

His Warndahl cousins came to play later on Easter. He LOVES his cousins!

It was also a very musical weekend (it always is with Edgar around!).

He played lots of piano...

...and led the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. A lot.

A Bushel and a Peck and a Hug Around the Neck

2010-03-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you false positive drug test for compelling my mom to take a short leave of absence from work (while awaiting the further lab results that would eventually exonerate her). She figured that as long as she had to take the time off, she might as well enjoy it!

So, my parents jumped in the car and came up to Salem (from Utah) for a quick visit.

Thank you Spring, for giving us a preview of your sunlight and beauty so we could play in the sand with Edgar's early birthday gifts.

Thank you Papa Case, for getting down on your arthritic knees to play in the sand.

Thank you Grandma, for always having your camera handy to catch those cute candid shots.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the hugs, tickles, songs, treats, presents, and love. Come again soon!

Pretending it is Spring

2010-03-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

It keeps hinting of Spring here...but then a rainy cold day like today comes along to remind us there is another week of Winter.

Still....we pretend it is Spring by getting outside on the nice days, and playing indoors on the not-so-nice days.

Discovering Flowers

Peek-a-boo at the park

Riding bikes.
This picture CRACKS ME UP! It needs a good caption...any great ideas?

Being silly on the rocking chair.

How to have fun with water indoors when you have no bathtub.

Playing with good friends.

Here you go Grandma and Grandpa--this is your wandering walking boy!

(music in background is "Harmless Sparks" by David Bazan on the album Curse Your Branches, a new favorite of mine and Edgar's)

Guess who's coming to dinner

2010-02-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had a great time at our ward's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner activity. It's one of my favorite church activities. Adults sign up to be guests or hosts and the coordinator arranges parties of hosts with their guests...but no one knows who they will be dining with in advance. You get a call a few days ahead to tell you what to bring (if you are a guest). You show up at the church at 6 pm where you are given the name and address of your host, along with a map. The hosts prepare a main dish and set the table for a known number of people...but they don't know who will be coming.

It's so fun and a great way to spend some quality time with a small group of people that may not have naturally gathered together.

We had lots of fun tonight with a small group (we were guests, not hosts)--2 other couples and Edgar (kids aren't invited--the YW provide daycare at the church...but babies are okay). We had about 5 main dishes--lasagna and 4 other complimentary dishes.

I threw together a salad that ended up being really yummy...so I thought I would share:

Salad

Cooked chicken breast (diced)
Romaine lettuce ripped into large chunks
Sliced mushrooms
Diced sweet apple (I used honeycrisp with most of the skin peeled)
Thinly sliced red onion
Cashews
Diced avocado

Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing

I used the blender to mix:
avocado
ranch dressing
sour cream
mayo
minced garlic
ground black pepper
a little milk to get the consistency you desire

YUM!

Hi Da!

2010-02-24T16:43:00.001-08:00

My son is absolutely enamored with his dad. This new development is very welcomed! The first thing he says in the morning is "Da Da!" We go and find dad and Edgar lights up. He loves to wave bye-bye to dad when he leaves for work...and then he watches out the window to see if dad waves on his way to the car.

Edgar also insists on calling dad on the phone during the day. He often picks up the phone and pretends to talk to dad, "Hello? Hi Da!"
This video is oh so cute...sorry that it's blurry! But the audio itself is worth it (=

When Alex comes home from work, Edgar screams, "DA DA!" and crawls super fast to the door to great him. He insists on being picked up so that he can examine dad's buttons, headphone cords, tie, and beard.

At bedtime Edgar loves to tease his dad by offering a kiss, and then shaking his head no at the last second...only to change his mind a plant a big slobbery kiss on dad's face.

What a sweet boy! What a sweet dad!

Go Beach!

2010-02-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

What BEAUTIFUL weather we had last week! You know that place where vampires live to hide their sparkliness because it is always overcast, grey, and raining?
Watch out vampires! The sparkle is unavoidable! This is what the Olympic Peninsula looked like last week--and we had already planned a trip for that week. Awesome luck.

We promised ourselves that we would take Edgar to Kalaloch before he turned one. We got a great deal on a cabin and also stayed two nights in Ocean Shores, WA on the way to Kalaloch. We had a blast. Edgar LOVED the hotel stay. He discovered the tissue boxes...

"Uh, oh! Someone found me!"

"I don't know how this got here mom...I'm just playing in it!"

We had a great time exploring this little Venice of the Northwest. The city consists of canals, lakes, rivers, and ocean.

We loved playing in the heated pool. Edgar went swimming 3 times in 1 1/2 days.

And, of course, THE SAND! He uses the same words for water and sand "taaau" and just couldn't get enough of either!

We even walked down to the water and got our toes wet. BRRR!

Such a happy family!

Peanut Chicken Soup

2010-02-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

A lot of people asked me for this recipe when I mentioned it on facebook...so here it is. It's from The Reader's Digest Magic Foods book--thanks Becky for lending it to me! There are lots of yummy healthy recipes in it.

This soup was SUCH a hit at our house. We couldn't get enough of it--SO YUMMY.

Peanut Chicken Soup

2 tsp canola oil
1 c. chopped onion (1 med.)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T curry powder
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 small sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (2 cups)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 c natural-style peanut butter
1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 T lime juice
dash of hot pepper sauce (like Red Hot or Tabasco)

1. Heat oil in soup pot over med-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened (2-3 mins). Add garlic and curry. Cook, stirring, until fragrant (20 seconds). Add broth, tomatoes, sweet potato and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to med-low, cover, and simmer 10 mins.

2. Add chicken, cover, and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 mins. Add PB and stir until blended into soup. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, and hot sauce. One serving is 1 cup. The soup will keep, covered, in fridge for up to 2 days.

(per serving 175 calories, 14 g protein, 14 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 7 g total fat, 1 g sat. fat, 21 mg cholest., 406 mg sodium with red sodium tomatoes).

Alterations: I broiled the chicken until it was mostly cooked first and added the chicken after the sweet potatoes were tender. Also, I used red. fat peanut butter (which has more sugar) and I doubled the peanut butter.

10 Months vs 29 Years

2010-02-15T07:16:00.001-08:00

February 13th: Happy Birthday to me! Kudos to Alex for getting me the awesomest Yo Gabba Gabba Ice Cream Cake (on account of I whined that I had never had an ice cream cake for my birthday). Alex also got me some scrapbooking paper, and a shopping spree to Paper Zone for more fun paper. (I haven't been scrapbooking much, but I am doing some paper-art for the children's book I wrote ages ago...I should post some of that later...)

He also got me the Treehorn trilogy by Florence Parry Heide (illustrated by Edward Gorey). These are hilarious books about a kid who gets in these unbelievalbe situations...and then completely clueless parents who refuse to believe what is right in front of them. "No one shrinks, Treehorn."

Also for my birthday, I baked a chicken pot pie made from scratch. YUM! We shared the evening with our good friends (also our upstairs landlords). It was a great day!

Also February 13th: Edgar is 10 months old! This is one cute happy baby lately! Could it be the extra sleep we are all getting?!?!? (=

This kid LOVES his food. Apparently I didn't put his cereal box away...

He still says, "Nomma-NOMMA-NOMM!!" while he is eating something he really likes. Which is pretty much all the time.

He is also developing he musical abilities and imagination skills (-=

I found him playing my wire whisk like a guitar and saying "Yeah!" (Which is what he says when he plays guitar).

He is also developing a love of books (HOORAY!). He can often be found sitting by himself turning pages and "talking."

This kid is a jabberer. Alex says that he is just like me...when he is happy or tired is talks and talks and talks...even if he has nothing comprehensible to say!

New cute things he says:

"How Boo!" (Cow says moo)

"G'tahr Rah!" (Guitar: ROCK!)

"Yeah? Yeah!" (While nodding his head. He says this as a question when he is asking for something--usually food or nursing. He also says this as an answer if I guess correctly what he wants. "Edgar, do you want to go ni-night?" "Yeah!"

Here are a couple of way-to-long musical videos of cuteness that are especially for Grandma and Grandpa!

Video 1: Mr. No Pants playing the keyboard. Yes, that is him walking at the end! He can proudly take a few steps on his own!

Video 2: Guitar playing maniac. Yep, he's snotty. We've all been sporting a snotty nose for the last week or so.

Video 3: Naked Keyboard Playing with some Jerry Lee Lewis moves thrown in for good measure.

Ed (NOT!) in the Bed

2010-02-10T22:18:00.000-08:00

"Ed (NOT!) in the Bed"... or ... "The Continuing Adventure of (trying to) Sleep for New Parents"

This is an update to the Ed in the Bed post from 4 months ago.

(Caution: this is a genuine sleeping picture. It was early in the morning. I do not look my best, but the picture is so sweet that I must share it without shame.)

It is a bittersweet accomplishment to have my baby now sleeping in his crib...in his own room...while Alex and I sleep in our bed in our OWN room!!! I feel a great amount of freedom...but I must say that I will cherish those sweet times of sleeping with my baby. (I still pull him into bed sometimes in the early morning or for naps. I don't want to give it all up yet!)

Thank you for everyone's support and ideas from the previously mentioned post. I will share our story for those who care...because I did a lot of online reading on the subject when I was trying to find a plan that would work for our family.

We more or less followed the previous plan, with a little adjustment. We found that our crib was structurally sound with only three sides, so we pushed the crib up next to the bed in a co-sleeping style for most of the last 4 months. This meant that I could sleep right next to Edgar and nurse throughout the night with him in his own space (and get our bed back!).

This was a GREAT blessing to our sleep and family happiness. However, after many months of that, we were all ready to have our own room. I suspected that our snoring would wake Edgar and that my physical closeness deprived him of the chance to just roll over and go back to sleep.

So, we started by putting the fourth side back up on the crib, but we continued sleeping in our bed next to his crib for a few weeks. We started a routine that worked really well:

"Okay Edgar. This is how tonight is going to go..."

(Pointing at Alex's side of the bed) "Daddy will go ni-night here"

(Pointing to my side of the bed) "Mommy will go ni-night here"

"And...." (Edgar would get excited and look at his crib) "Edgar will go ni-night in his crib! With is dog! (Edgar hugs his stuffed dog) And his blanket! (rub blanket on his face).

This worked beautifully. He would go to sleep often without even crying. (A big deal for this attached kiddo). Of course...lots of nights he would cry for a while in his crib and daddy would end up on the air mattress in the other room...but after a few weeks the night time nursings were usually a good 2 hours apart (in the beginning it was 45 minutes to an hour apart...I started by nursing him if he had slept for at least an hour. After a few days he had to wait 2 hours).

Anyway, Saturday I was quite sick and miserable. I was sure that my coughing and blowing my nose would wake Edgar, so I slept in the other room and responded to his nursing requests throughout the night. It worked so well that we moved the bed out the next day!

We continue the cute "where does everybody sleep?" routine (starting in mommy and daddy's room, and then moving to Edgar's room and kissing daddy good night). It works really well to let him know what is going on.

It's been 4 nights and it is very promising. He often goes 3-4 hours without needing to nurse back down (a few whimpers here and there...sometimes 10 or 15 minutes of crying or tossing and turning) but then he rolls over and goes back to sleep. Also, his bedtime naturally adjusted to an earlier time--so Alex and I can actually spend some time together in the evening. (This does mean he doesn't sleep in until 10...so I actually have to get up early--but it's worth it!)

So...that was pretty long. But, this whole sleeping thing has been a big deal for us. Edgar sleeps more than half of his day--so I feel a lot of responsibility to make sure that I am responding to his night-time needs in a way that shows him love and compassion... but in a way that also works for our family as a whole (Alex, me, and Edgar). I think that is the key--listening to what the baby needs, what the rest of the family needs, what your own body needs, and using trial and error to find a solution that fits those needs as best as you can. And then adjusting regularly to meet with the constant changes! And, as always, I find that parenting is universal--but very personal. Between husband, wife, and God you can find a solution to your parenting problem that fits your family.

(I apologize if the formatting is weird. I couldn't get blogger to give me any decent paragraph breaks, so I tried to fake it out).

Stupid Parent Tricks or Cute Baby Tricks

2010-01-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

9 Months

2010-01-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

This cute kiddo has now spent more time out of the womb than in (=
Edgar is getting to be very inquisitive and talkative. He wants to know the sound for the things he is interested in. Fun stuff Edgar says:

"bah" for ball (785 times a day), "dah" for dog, "ca" for cat

ma-ma, da-da

"na-na" for nursing, "numa-num" for food, smacks his lips together when he wants a drink

What does a dog say? "aaaawwoo" or he pants with an open mouth

What does a cat say? "eeeooow, eeeeooow"

What does a cow say? "mbooo, mbooo"

What does a monkey say? "oooo ooo ahh ahh"

telephone is "hah!" ("hi") with his hand to his ear

Should we check your diaper? *shakes head side to side*

"OW!" said right before he pulls mom or dad's hair or bites mom.

He is crawling super fast, standing whenever there is something to pull up on, and walking (nearly running) around any place he has something to hold on to.

He discovered the stairs, and proceeded to crawl all the way up (with daddy close behind) and knock on the door to the upstairs neighbor's.

Luckily the stairs are in a landing that can be closed off with doors. We are now very careful about closing the door behind us every time we move rooms (=

Food is always an adventure. At Skippers last week the nice old man brought Edgar some J-E-LL-O ("I hope I'm not interfering ma'am."). That's fine with me old man, you are the one cleaning the floors!

Edgar was super excited to realize he could take off his own bib. I was not quite as excited as he.

Peek-a-boo!

Our answer to being cooped up this winter: Weekend Adventures! In the last few weeks we have been to the Sea Lion Caves (Edgar thought they were dogs), The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center (Edgar thought the yellow-bellied marmot was a dog), and some little towns near Eugene (Edgar thought Greta's My Pet Monster was a dog...I'm starting to think that any non-cat, non-cow animal must be a dog in his eyes).

Edgar and me at the museum in The Dalles. We were on a boat.

Edgar and Alex chillin' at the Builders and the Butchers concert.

For the most part, life is grand. There is a bit too much biting, and not quite enough sleeping--but all in all, we are very blessed.

Kissing

2010-01-07T16:16:00.001-08:00

I like kissing. Always have. Ask those poor boys I chased in Kindergarten. I still remember the name of my kindergarten crush: Christopher Benson. Ask any poor soul who ever went on a marching band tour with me. Ask my unfortunate friends and family that turned away embarrassed by my PDA. Don't ask my husband. He's still a little jealous of the time lost to my new kissing partner. (=

Turns out there is a whole new level of kissing that I was completely unaware of until recently.

Kissing Babies.

I'm not talking about the politial kind of baby kissing. I'm taking about heart swelling, snot wiping, drool sharing baby kissing. The kind only a mama can do with her baby.

Today we also shared giggles while trying out nose kissing and eyelash kissing.

I love kissing.

Christmas Highlights 2009

2010-01-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

After 7 Christmases of doing our best to keep child-like excitement in Christmas (which is not too tough for two video-game loving, toy toting grown-ups), we spent this Christmas really experiencing that excitement through Edgar.

Christmas tree lights

Pretty packages tied up with bows

Candy Canes

Santa ("Ho, Ho, Ho")

Lots, and lots of relatives

Cousins! (okay, one cousin.)

It was only a little over a week, but this kid experienced so much that we returned home to Salem with a much different baby.

"Holy Crap! There's MORE??!?!?"

" Um, are we done yet?"

"Help! I just wanted a couple of bows and a few pieces of paper!"

The little drum machine boy... (=

Soooooo tired. Our early morning Christmas breakfast tradition (breakfast is cooked by the kids while the parents sleep in) is getting tougher. Good thing we soon graduate to the sleeping in parents!

Yum! Candy Canes!!! Edgar's first candy (=

It was a hit.

We got to meet our new nephew, Calvin. He's a pretty cute Christmas Elf!

They really were excited. Really.

Spent lots of time with family.

Silly Steffie.

I promise Grandma is not drunk. She's English.

We even found time to visit Alex's aunts and uncles that live in Utah (we haven't visited them in like 6 years. We're pathetic.).

I was actually pretty much a failure at taking pictures. My parents always have their cameras out, so I don't usually think to get mine (it's taken care of, right?). So, um, mom and dad, I guess I need you to post some pictures!

8 Months Old

2009-12-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad that THIS is the Edgar we now see most of the time. Phew! It's true: for first time parents it is so hard because we don't have perspective. If I had known how cute and smiley he would be so quickly...those first three months wouldn't have been so hard!

A new favorite sound: OOOOOooooooh! The other night we were playing guitar and singing Christmas songs. We got to a verse of ooh's. It was so freaking cute! He oooh'ed right along with us!

I think this is his Garrett Gillas face. Whatdya think?

Edgar loves music...of course--how could he not??? Here he is listening to something Alex recorded the other night. What a sweet expression! (= We took him to a Karl Blau concert a few weeks ago. He LOVED it. We had him in his protective ear muffs, in the Bjorn or on Dad's shoulders. He sang along (AAhhhh laaa laaa) and danced to the enjoyment of all. A week ago someone saw us shopping in a different town and said: hey! it's the Karl Blau baby! Yup. Edgar is famous.

This boy LOVES to eat.

"What do you mean babies don't eat pork ribs? It is delicious and tasty!"

Not really sure what this look was all about. He really was enjoying those avocados! (Check out the hair in the back...)

Just like Mommy:

He would totally crack up every time I brushed my teeth...pretty hilarious apparently. So, I got him his own tooth brush. Now he LOVES to brush his teeth and cries if someone brushes their teeth without him.

Edgar and Daddy hanging out:

Playing piano at Grandma Carmichael's house.

Playing guitar together at home. (This is Edgar's axe of choice. Probably because it is so shiny).

Just like daddy. (=

Oh, How We Love to Stand!

2009-12-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

(pay no attention to the mess...)

Early last week I looked over to where Edgar was standing and holding on to the coffee table and watched him let go with both hands and look so proud! I was so excited I yelled, "Alex! Look!" ...

I startled Edgar and he fell. (=

But, that didn't keep him down! He's been practicing everyday and getting better and better!

And he started clapping last week to. Too Cute!

CRAWLING!

2009-12-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

Wow. I live in a world where I have a baby who crawls. Weird.

Yesterday morning I said to my mother: "he may even be crawling by Christmas!" Then, he crawled at lunchtime! Yikes! Things are speeding up!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T16:57:00.001-08:00

I am SO SO thankful for my super cute boy and his emerging crazy personality (even if he does act way too much like Chris Farley).

Dressed by dad. Excuse? "He is Super Baby!" Actual reason? Forgot to snap up the onsie before putting his pants on. Oh dear.

We had a great Thanksgiving with our Gillas family. We spent the weekend at the coast in a beach house. Edgar had a fantastic time eating and playing with his cousins.

The Meal: Edgar ate his first meat (Turkey), sweet potatoes, and his new favorite food and pasttime: Cheerios.

It was a hit.

It was a crazy fun weekend with lots of late nights. I have to share this video. It is Edgar at 1 in the morning. I had laid next to him since 10:30 that night trying to get him to sleep. He just talked, laughed, and played while I fake snored. Finally, after 1 am, I decided to go out and hang with Alex and our nephews. This is a super hyper baby with an audience:

DIY Closet with Curtains on a Flexible Track

2009-11-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

{{I have been meaning to post about this project (which I completed 7 months ago the week that my baby was born). I'm a bit late in posting it, but in all the Internet research I did to make this closet and curtains, I never found exactly what I was looking for. With that in mind, I thought I would post the basics on my closet solution for others to use.}}

The Need:

We recently moved into another room in our basement apartment. This was to be our bedroom, music room, office, and craft room...and it didn't have a closet. As renters, it needed to be somewhat temporary. We decided to build a little closet/shelf system against the wall and use curtains to cover it. (This room has some ducting along the ceiling of one wall, so we built it under the ducting, but this could be done against any wall).

Do it yourself:

Shelves:

1. Hardware. We started with a shelf and rod bracket like this one from Ace. We used a stud finder to space the brackets along the studs.

2. Shelf. We used an two old shelves our landlord had in his garage (measured 3 times and then cut to size with a jigsaw) and secured them to the brackets.

3. Rod. We went to the Ace place, bought a wooden dowel, and cut it to the correct length. It was super cheap. I recommend getting a plastic stopper for the end. We haven't, and clothes fall off the ends of the rod.

Organization:

4. We used two inexpensive ($19.99?) 2-shelf shelving units from Target for shoes. We also used some milk crates ($5?) to hold extra shoes.

5. We have a lot of clothes. We used some multi-level slack hangers from Fred Meyer (they look like this)--I really like them--and some tie hangers like these. That has helped A LOT. Still, our closet is super full.

6. If I cared more (I may still do this) I would get some cute bins for organizing stuff on the shelf.

The Curtain:

7. Track. I really wanted a sliding track that bent in a U-shape. It was really hard to find! We used the Konnect International pre-packaged bendable track. It was the perfect length for our project and very reasonably priced. ($45 plus shipping). I LOVED this track. It was exactly what I wanted. (They also will cut a track to fit your projects specs). Warning: though it is flexible, it is hard to bend it into place...it is definitely a 2 person job. (It comes with all of the hardware you need, except for something to attach it to the curtains). I also loved that the middle two rollers are magnet catches--they keep your curtains closed!

8. Curtain Clips. I really liked these curtain clips from Target. They were $5 for a 10-pack (cheaper than the hardware stores). They easily fit into the circular rings on the track system and clip onto the curtains (no sewing a place for a rod or setting grommets!)

9. Curtain. I believe I used this article to help me get an idea of how to sew the curtains. This was my first sewing project since junior high (15 years ago??) and it turned out very well, thank you. I did A LOT of measuring--length and width. On one of the hospital curtain track sites, it gave me an idea of how much curtain to order...if I find it I will come back and edit this post.

I bought the fabric at Joanne's. The solid brown is a thick heavier fabric, and the pattern is a lighter cotton--but they worked just fine together. I was originally going to use a canvas drop cloth for the fabric--I still think that is a fantastic idea. I ironed the curtains, clipped them to the clips, and--VOILA!!--I have a closet!

Here are a few sites I used for inspiration:

My original plan was more like this.

I ended up with more of this look.

Fun with Font Capture

2009-11-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

(Sorry for the smallish and blurry picture. It was the best I could do in trying to share my new fonts with my limited computer! Tip: to see the fonts better, click on the picture to enlarge.)

http://www.fontcapture.com/

Quiet Ambition

2009-11-12T17:01:00.000-08:00

I'm getting kind of ambitious lately...in my imagination. I wish that would translate better to real life. I was playing with my great nephew and great niece this week, and totally admiring their grandma-made quiet book.

I totally remember having one of those as a kid! I remember something about a zipper and shoelaces...and not much else. But I remember loving it.

I have just spent the last hour perusing some how-to sites, including this one that has lots of links that sparked my imagination.

I now have a 2 page word document full of ideas. I would love love to make this and have it ready by Christmas next year (I think having it ready by Edgar's b-day in April is a bit too ambitious).

Hmmm...what about the scrapbook I got really ambitious about and have hardly done a thing on? What about my scripture reading schedule that I am way behind on, not to mention the little fort of unpacked boxes from the flood over a year ago or the pile of mail that needs sorting? I don't think I have the license to get ambitious about a new project.

Still....

A girl can have dreams, right?

Ah. There is my son fussing again during his nap. And I wonder why I never get very far on projects. *Sigh* Gone are the days of devoting entire days to my projects.

Guess I just need to learn how to move faster!

Trick or Treating RVs

2009-11-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

That's right, I said "trick or treating RVs." We spent Halloween camping in Yurt's on the Oregon Coast with my nephew Garrett and his girlfriend Kelly.
Edgar was fat baby Elvis. It was seriously awesome.

We did a little trick-or-treating among the RVs that were also at the campsite. We got one piece of candy from the camp host. That was it. Some hippie biking campers offered Edgar some granola, but he declined.

We stayed at the Carl G. Washburn campsite. The best part was the blooming of fungi after it rained. Here, baby Elvis and I are checking out the GIGANTIC mushroom.

Kelly and baby Elvis having so much fun.

Such a cutie!

He certainly enjoyed playing with the candy! But, as he is only 6 months old, we ate the candy for him. He ate pears and chewed sealed candy wrappers.

It did rain, but it was also fairly warm and beautiful.

Kelly made some fantastic sand drawings. Here, Edgar and I are checking out part of one drawing.

Beautiful Halloween Sunset!

Family Love.

Daddy and Edgar playing in the COLD water!

Mama and Edgar howling at the Halloween Moon.

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-10-29T01:51:00.001-07:00

We are (finally) back in the recording studio again! It's a little bit more crowded in the little studio though!

It's a good thing Edgar has a pretty late bedtime. Still...these sessions push his bedtime just a bit. He's done pretty good at both sessions so far, but does end up screaming tired by the end.

Still, it sure makes us feel more alive to be back working on our album! We are mixed 3 of the 12 songs we recorded. Hooray!

Hooray for a rock and roll baby!

More fun with cousins!

2009-10-29T01:42:00.000-07:00

Today was another fun day spent with the Gillas cousins! We are sure glad they moved back closer (they used to live 4ish hours away!)
I think Emily's girlyness is wearing off on Edgar. He kind of has cleavage in this photo.

Garrett and I climbed to the top of a rocket ship at the Evergreen Space Museum! We spent the day exploring the Space Museum, Air Museum, and watched Wild Ocean at the Imax. The babies were very well behaved (=

I LOVE parks with baby swings. Edgar loves, loves, LOVES to swing. Evergreen has a particularly awesome playground.

Love this boy!

Ed in the Bed

2009-10-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

The Story Behind the Sleeping arrangements:
Now, I certainly don't expect a baby to sleep through the night. But...my baby still wants to nurse every 2 hours. And, when I first put him to sleep, he wants to nurse every 20-30 minutes for the first few hours! Our solution to Edgar's colic and nursing needs in the early days was to take him to bed with us. Once I learned how to nurse lying down, it was almost as good as sleeping through the night! (For those of you with worries about crushing baby, studies show that parents do NOT roll over on their baby unless they are drunk or taking medication that makes them sleepy).

Current Events:
Part of me LOVES sleeping with my baby. I love the closeness. I love waking up with him staring lovingly into my eyes and patting my face. I love snuggling with him. I LOVE not having to get up out of bed to nurse him at night! But...as you can see in the above photo, my baby is a bit of a bed hog. There just isn't room for all three of us to sleep well. I sleep pretty well, but Alex doesn't sleep so well with an Ed in the Bed. My very loving patient husband has spent many nights on the couch or air mattress when Edgar decides to jump and kick in his sleep.

Also, we are paying for a gym membership that neither of us is using, because we are SO exhausted every morning. We need to do something differently.

The Plan:
Phase 1. Last night we moved our bed into Edgar's room, next to his crib. We are all still sleeping in the same bed as usual...but now we are conditioning him to sleeping in his room. I expect this will last about a week.

Phase 2. Alex and I will continue to sleep in the bed in Edgar's room, and I will continue to nurse Edgar to sleep lying down...but when he is asleep I will move him to his crib. I have no idea how long it will take before Phase 2 is successful.

Phase 3. We will move the bed back to our room. I will nurse Edgar in the rocking chair and put him to sleep in his crib. I may sleep on the air mattress in his room for a while while he adjusts to our bed being gone (and not hearing our sleeping sounds).

Phase 4. We get our bed back. Edgar sleeps happily in his crib. He doesn't nurse every couple of hours, and we all get better sleep.

Hmm. It definitely sounds too good to be true. Still, this is the best plan we could come up with in light of my refusal to let my baby lay in his room alone screaming his little heart out.

Unfortunately, the literature and classes that support co-sleeping, sharing sleep, the family bed, or whatever you want to call it--these sources suggest that your child will let you know when they are ready for their own bed--when they are 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...or older. That doesn't work for us.

And, the literature that has tips for getting baby to sleep on their own are usually vehemently against co-sleeping.

Is there anyone out there that lives somewhere between these two camps? Has anyone else gone through something similar? Any tips for helping baby leave the soft familiar family bed?

DISCLAIMER: I am posting about this, against my better judgement. My better judgement is reminding me that (1) people have VERY strong opinions about how/when/where babies should sleep and that (2) by inviting advice I will most likely just receive criticism.

But, I really would appreciate advice that jives with our do-whatever-works-for-you mentality about raising Edgar! You are, of course, welcomed to criticize me. Just know that I will likely ignore any advice that I don't like! (=

Fun with Pappa Lester

2009-10-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

A Tale of Two Zoos

2009-10-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a last minute trip to Utah in the hopes of meeting Edgar's new cousin. Alas, apparently Cal takes after Tayva's family, because he is 9 days late and counting (love you Tayva!). So, instead, we spent some time visiting the Case Family Zoo and the Hogle Zoo, in the hopes of distracting my very pregnant sister-in-law.

Edgar did pretty well on the car trip down. We stopped at a park on the way down and got some wiggles out...

Yum...old banana and grass!

Our visit to the Case Family Zoo was lots of fun! Edgar particularly enjoyed the interactive exhibits:

Grandpa Lester's face (ooooh! what a fun nose!)

The doting great grandparents.

And all of his Aunties and Uncles---especially Silly Auntie Can-Can and her bling.

We decided to steal Tayva away and distract her. First stop: Hogle Zoo!

My favorite part was our ride on the new "Conservation Carousel"--basically the coolest carousel ever!

Alex and Mr. Giraffe (Alex is impersonating Julie impersonating a giraffe.)

The sexy Stefanie and Kaylee on their jungle cats

The radiant Tayva on her Zebra

And me on Miss Lady Bug!

Pappa Lester and Edgar had a grand time with the Baby Bjorn. There was much dancing and silliness.

Edgar tried the drinking fountain for the first time. Only afterwards did we discover that this water was VERY warm! (weird?!?)

The trip was too short. We didn't get to meet Calvin, but we did really enjoy our time with family.

It was a long trip home, but the boy did very well. We stopped for a break at a rest stop and wanted to reward him with time in his jump-up (his favorite activity). We tried hooking it up to the park pavilion, but his poor little feet didn't touch the ground! It was a hoot! We fixed it with a piled up blanket underneath and fun was had by all. Some lady looked at us very worried and asked if we needed to call someone for help. "Nope," we replied, "just resting on our long car trip!"

I can't wait till Christmastime to go back and play some more! I Love you my crazy family!

6 Months of Cuteness; 1 Year of Floodlessness

2009-10-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

October 13 marks Edgar's 6 month birthday, and our 1 year anniversary of The Great Flood.

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old! He is definitely out of the newborn stage...it makes me a little bit sad...

We celebrated with Edgar's first taste of food other than mamma's milk (as far as we know...we do have some sneaky Grandmas and Aunties).

(Ummmm...whatcha doin' Mom and Dad? And why are you grinning at me??)

He seemed to enjoy the mashed banana! I fed him a couple bites with my finger, and then put it on his tray and let him explore. It was great messy fun!

Here Edgar has refined his signature "Wizard Move" that he began 2 months ago. It's pretty impressive (=

This baby plays hard all day. He is a little ball of energy--he goes and goes until he collapses at naptime or bedtime. He's not even crawling yet--but he sure manages to be moving all of the time!

The other day we were watching some Vintage Sesame Street on YouTube (a favorite evening past time), when Edgar fell asleep on dad's lap in front of the computer! Poor little guy was wiped out!

I love this Kiddo!

Children's Toys...a Moral Dilema

2009-10-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

I made a fantastic Goodwill find the other day: a vintage Fisher Price Activity Center--I totally remember this from when I was little. I'm sure I spent enough time staring at it that it is permanently ingrained in my memory. Edgar is loving it (=

So..."what's the dilemma," you might ask. Here it is: There are so many toys out there, that I really only want to buy toys that are (a) super rad, and/or (b) nostalgic from my childhood.

But...does buying mostly awesome old-school toys rob my child of a shared nostalgic experience with his peers in 20 years? Is he going miss out on fond memories of Leap pad and Zhu Zhu Pets?

Or...perhaps my generation is so focused on awesome vintage toys that they WILL be the nostalgic toys for another generation.

What do you think?

No More Monkeys

2009-10-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

I look really lovely in this video...but Edgar is so darn cute, I'm sharing it despite my hair (=

Killing the Radio Star

2009-10-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Video 1--"Sad Songs Say So Much": Edgar was having a grand time in composition class with his dad...until he hit a sour note that really upset him...

Video 2--"Who's the Fairest One of All?": Edgar discovers the mirror at Grandma Carmichael's house after his bath time.

It's Autumn Time, It's Autumn Time

2009-10-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

I love fall. I'm a sucker for the transitional seasons...Fall and Spring. I think I love them because they are so full of promise and hint at wonderful possibilities. Spring hints at the possibilities of warm summer days, new outdoor adventures, and lazy days in the sun. Fall hints of cozy winter fires, new academic adventures, and curling up with good books. Whether those promises are actually realized when Summer and Winter get here is another thing all together.

Anyway, our family has been taking lots of opportunity to enjoy the mild fall weather--we are loving the cooler days!

Playing with cousins...

Playing at the park.

Bath time fun followed by warm snuggley jammies.

...and ninja moves.

5 Months Old

2009-09-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

I've been slower to post recently because our days are filled with lots of fun (=
Edgar has discovered the fun of hanging in the high chair playing with water or kitchen stuff while I do dishes and cook. Hooray for him--hooray for me!

We were all getting a bit stir crazy...so we ran away from home together. One weekend Alex, Edgar, and I all went to Kalamath Falls, OR. Why? Because we hadn't ever been there. Edgar loved staying in the hotel! He sat in the middle of that King sized bed and played and played. (Yup, he sat. He loves to sit now...still topples occasionally, but loves to sit!)

We don't have a bath tub at home, so it was fun to let him bathe in the hotel and watch his long luxurious flowing hair.

He got his first cut. Mommy failure: I let him play with the empty pop can--one of his favorite toys. He hit it and cut his finger on the opening. He was trying to eat the bandaid, so I covered his hands with socks. He was mad until Mommy and Daddy put socks on our hands too--then he thought it was a fun game!

The weekend after we ran away to K. Falls, Alex's parents wanted to go down to Crater Lake. So...we stayed in K. Falls again at the same hotel. Again, it was great fun. We made a play area out of couch cushions for Edge to hang in while we played pinochle.

Crater Lake was beautiful!

We all traveled together in the same car--so Edgar got to know Grandma and Grandpa a little better.
Edgar went swimming for the first time at the hotel pool. It took him a while to warm up to the idea--he clung to me for the first 20 minutes or so. But, the next 20 minutes were dedicated to kicking, splashing, and general mirth.

He's growing up so fast! Here, he is learning to share his pacifier with the Lion. They pretty much have the same hair, which helped them to become fast friends.

I love you, son!

Honest Abe and Edgar: Enchanting or Creepy?

2009-09-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

Edgar and I went to The Enchanted Forest today with my sister-in-law Laura and her grandkids Garrett and Emily. (Enchanted Forest is a ghetto theme park in Salem, OR featuring fairy tales--basically a Disneyland knock off. But, it's fairly cheap and the really little ones love it).

Abraham Lincoln was there. He posed for a picture with my baby. Not too sure what I think about that...
The babies did quite well! Edgar only got cranky when he was an hour past nap-time...and he only cried a few minutes before succumbing to sleepiness.

Laura and I took turns riding rides with Garrett while the other person hung with the babies. We tried to all walk through the Haunted House...but when the first glowing skeleton jumped up, Garrett says, "I'm kind of creeped out" and we head back out for a refund (apparently a common occurrence on this attraction). Garrett decided that he might try again when he's six, or after two more birthdays. (I believe Garrett just turned 5).

I know, kinda blurry--but the only shot with all of us in it!

It's always fun when Grandpa comes...

2009-08-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

...and Grandma and Auntie Steffie

My parents decided Friday afternoon that they couldn't wait anymore--so they loaded up, picked up my sis, and drove all night from Utah to Oregon to come visit! It was short--but super fun!

We went to the beach Saturday...I forgot my camera, but my parents took lots of photos (which they will soon post...right??)

Then Saturday night, they bathed him and played while Alex and I went on a date. It was great! We almost felt normal again for a few hours.

I came home and Stef had fallen asleep with Edgar--so cute!

Edgar had so much fun with his auntie! He really took to her.

Goodbyes came too soon...

We'll miss you Grandma & Grandpa...hope to see you again soon!

Hand Eye Coordination

2009-08-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

A Borrowed Bounteous Harvest

2009-08-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Slice up some Yummy Tomatoes
Fry up some bacon

Crush up some saltines or club crackers.

Mix an egg with a little milk, salt, and pepper.

Bread the tomato slices and fry in bacon grease.

YUM. Fried Tomatoes are one of my favorite things to eat ever. Yum. Thanks to my sister-in-law Nelean and someone at Alex's work, we had lots of garden heirloom tomatoes last week.

I love summer!

Help Wanted from the Hive Mind

2009-08-28T00:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Hive Mind (yes, that includes you)--

I have had the same cell phone plan for nearly a decade, and I have had the same phone for around five years. Needless to say, I have been technically challenged for a while--my phone does not have a camera, text messaging, music, or the Internet. (It does have a very low-fi tetris game and brick breaking game.) I am being forced to give up my $20 cell phone plan (yes people, $20/month for 500 minutes--no contract) because Qwest is discontinuing their wireless products at the end of October.

I have started to do a little research about cell phone plans (I haven't even started looking at phones yet), and I find myself completely overwhelmed. I know what I want, but I don't know if it exists.-I want to pay less than $50/month..

I usually use around 500 minutes/month, but I tend to go over during months with big holidays or events.
I have never used text messaging. Honestly, I would like to have the option for some texting (without paying per text), but I don't think I will be an avid texter.
I want to get good service where I use my phone--in my basement apartment, in the Northwest, in Utah, and on the road between them (without paying roaming).
I don't really care about having a fancy phone (sorry sis) or web browsing capabilities. If someone gave it to me, I might use it--but it's not worth shelling out the bucks for it at this point.

Any thoughts? What carrier do you use? Do you like them? Do you hate them? Why? Are all of my family members on the same carrier and talking to each other for free? I just got a letter in the mail from Qwest: they need to know what I am doing by mid-September, or they will re-route my outgoing calls to their customer service so that I will talk to them (freaky). So...I gotta figure this out ASAP.

Help!

Love,

Jen

The Danita Photoshoots

2009-08-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Danita finally sent us our professional photos about a month ago--but it has taken me this long to get them posted! She did a FANTASTIC job with our prenatal and newborn pictures. She even went through and did some photo-editing and made some beautifully artistic photos! Here are my favorites. There are a lot. Sorry. This IS me choosing just a couple of my favorites!

(All photos by Danita Pappas. The maternity photos were taken at the Oregon State Capital at approx. 37 weeks. The new baby photos were taken in our backyard and house when Edgar was just over a week old.)

Daddy and Edgar

2009-08-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Don't leave a new daddy, a baby, and a marker alone together.

Daddy and Alex hanging out.

4 months old

2009-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Edgar--Wow! you are 4 months old and so fun (still hard, but so fun).

Trying to sit up on your own, making lots of new sounds, playing games...I love exploring this world with you!

Love, mama

Here is Edgar's new game: he "surprises" mommy, I act stunned, he laughs, repeat. If I don't respond, he shrieks.

Updates

2009-08-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

People often ask us, "what's new?" Well, the answer is mostly: "not a whole lot!" Still, I suppose I should come up with something worth talking/writing about! Edgar gets cuter (and more hair) every day. He is showing more interest in toys. His favorite toys are soft, grabbable things: his stuffed dog, lamb, blanket, mom's shirt, etc.

He has good control of his head and neck, loves to stand, and is starting to do some good pushups.

His smile and giggles are super cute.

We went to the drive-in movies this week and he did quite well. He mostly slept (=

Hooray for finding something we can go out and do as a family without bugging everyone around us!

In other news, I have a slightly revised calling in church: I am now the 3rd councilor in the Young Woman's Presidency and over the Mia Maids class--that's 14-16 year old girls. (That means that I have now taught all 3 age groups).

Yup. That's about it for now!

Cousins

2009-07-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

I think they are officially first-cousins-once removed (I'll have to check with my British Grandma to be certain). In any case, Edgar had fun playing with cousin Emily and cousin Garrett.

Holding Hands.

Rolling around.

It starts: every toy Edgar showed any interest in was the exact toy Emily wanted. (=

Dear Daddy

2009-07-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Daddy,

I'm sorry that I scream at you so much. It's just that I don't always know how to tell you that I really love you. Here are some things that I love:

I love to listen to you play your guitar. Also, I love singing songs with you.

I love to visit you at work and let your co-workers go ga-ga over me. I'm glad you are proud of my cuteness and my nice hair.

I LOVE it when we read books together.
Sometimes I look at the book, but mostly I like to stare into your face and watch how it works. You have nice hair to.

I also love to lay and cuddle with you. I'm sorry if sometimes I am too tired or hungry to be nice when you want to cuddle. But, I am glad that you are my daddy. I picked you because I knew that we would have SO much fun together.

Love,

Edgar

Ya Ya Rolly Polly

2009-07-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

Playing cards at Grandpa's and practicing his moves.

Tom Riddle

2009-07-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

[from Alex]:

Went to see the Harry Potter movie tonight. That got me thinking:

[sorry about the spaces. Blogger is weird sometimes]

Chillingly accurate.

Perhaps the only character with a truer arc would be Harvey Dent from Batman:

Three Months Old

2009-07-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Our cute hippie baby:
Our little fellow has gotten so big! He is super wiggly--in this picture he started completely on the blanket, but apparently just wanted to be in the grass!

It's been so hot lately--our favorite pass time this weekend was family naptimes!

Ninety-nine, Ninety-nine, Nine Nine Nine Nine, Ninety-Nine

2009-07-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my TEN year high school reunion. Weird.
The reunion itself was pretty dumb (as expected), but seeing old friends was lots of fun (also, as expected).

We had a pre-reunion reunion with some friends (including those that didn't graduate in '99). Mike Bishop hosted it (with his super nice wife Elisabeth and nearly 3 kids--one due any time) at their house. For those who care, I'll rattle off a list of those I can remember that came:

John Woolf (wife Liz and 2 kids), Jessica (formerly Jorgenson) with hubby and 2 kids (living in AZ), Rana (formerly Tompkinson)--she is married and has 4 kids. Sam Loveridge with his weird shoes, Luke Stutz, Matt Stacey, Tiave Matagi, Kerstin Lewis, Mark Fernlund (& his new wife), Alicia Binkley, Abby (formerly Young) with hubby Justin Carrier, Dave Jacobs and wife Susan (with 2 kiddos)...am I missing anyone?

It was lots of fun to spend the evening chatting and catching up with everbody's stories.

The reunion consisted of a BYOFood Family Picnic and an evening event at the school (with dessert). We mostly gawked at the people we didn't like in high school, and chatted with the friends we always stuck around with. Actually, I think I spent most of the time with friends I see pretty regularly anyway.

It was fun to catch up with Linda Reay, Alicia Binkley, and Kerstin Lewis (all friends from band).

I most enjoyed seeing Jessica, as she now lives in AZ and I only keep up with her via facebook.

I also spent time getting to know the wives of old friends better. Here is me with Mike and John's wives (Elisabeth and Liz).

So the big question--was it worth going? Even though it was lame, the answer is yes. Although, I think it would be more worth it in the future to have reunions with just our friends and not bother with the rest.

To Grammie V's House We Go

2009-07-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Our trip down to Utah was lots of fun!
Edgar did quite well on the road--better than we expected! We left after his 3 am feeding--so he slept most of the morning (both ways). We stopped for a long stop in the afternoon and evening. We found grassy places to lay out a blanket and play. He was really happy when we wasn't in the car seat!

Edgar's new favorite thing to do is stand up (=
Edgar was super tired after lots of visiting!

Edgar loved getting to know his Aunts and Uncles better...despite his expression in this picture!

We enjoyed hanging with my siblings and playing games.

Edgar's grandparents couldn't get enough of him!

We even found time to visit his great grandparents. (Side note: if you are also new to this kid thing, here is a tip: don't pack as many clothes as you need for the baby, because grandpa and grandma will buy him clothes. Here he is in his BYU outfit, courtesy of my parents).

More fun play time with dad on one of our stops.

Playing with Grammie V

2009-07-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

S.W.A.K.

2009-07-08T03:55:00.000-07:00

No, wrong acronym. It was S.W.A.T. Tonight our neighborhood was locked down (no one could come in or out) while the local police and SWAT team responded to an incident at the end of our street. Apparently some estranged couple were having an armed spat and when police responded, the soon-to-be ex-husband refused to leave the house. They considered it a hostage situation and called in the big guns. The police set up a headquarters for the operation at the house across the street from us, so we got a pretty good view of fully armed men with large guns running up and down the street. Crazy!

(The pictures are a bit blurry due to our decision to not use flash photography at heavily armed officers.)

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-05T14:54:00.001-07:00

We spent another great 4th of July at the Gillas Family's. Edgar had a good time getting passed around, talked to, kissed, and generally loved up by his extended family. On July 3rd, Alex and I took Edgar to the St. Paul Rodeo with our friends Vince and Christi. It was lots of fun (despite the 95 degree weather)! Edge didn't even seem to mind the super loud music and hollering cowboys. The best part was watching the Buffalo charge down the decorative arborvitae during the Old Wild West Performance.

Fun cousin time!

YUM! Lon's BBQ'd Ribs!
"I feel like I need to floss and then shower after eating these!" --Kelly

The Newlyweds Glenn and Megan

Grandma and Edgar (sporting his homemade patriotic onesie)

Greta and Edge

Beards Over Babies

2009-07-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

(click on comic for full veiw)