t h e * m a l a n * f a m i l y

ET

2011-11-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a smiley baby completely covered in stuffed animals? Emmett thought cleaning out the playroom was a blast.

Gerber baby

2011-11-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

Little E's best gerber baby face. He started rice cereal tonight, and then broke out in a rash in the next couple hours, so we'll see how tomorrow goes.

"mom your sun came up"

2011-09-08T16:13:00.011-06:00

That's what Penny tells me now in the mornings when I pretend to still be sleeping. Why do little newborns get to sleep so soundly when their mamas are sooo tired? Now that he's 12 weeks old and I'm not quite as sleep deprived as I was, I thought I should post some of his newborn pics. The fact that he likes sleeping with his eyes open made them really hard to take.

(sound asleep right here)

the bug whisperer..... (and one in training)

2011-09-06T07:05:00.003-06:00

She cried when we took away her praying mantis.

The little Mr. checking out grass for the first time.

growing...

2011-09-05T18:51:00.000-06:00

I had pica when I was pregnant with Emmett, and instead of eating dirt I planted the following in our yard this year:

12 flats of petunias

11 hydrangea bushes

17 red knockout rose bushes

5 double pink knockout rose bushes

6 sedum

2 arborvitae

1 hibiscus tree

3 flats of creeping phlox

4 lavender bushes

200+ tulip bulbs

7 strawberry candy daylillies

peony

50 (1pt) mums

and a vegetable garden........

You may have heard...

2011-08-08T13:03:00.000-06:00

There's a new little voice around our house now. And he and his sister have been keeping me super busy, hence the 7 week late announcement. We think he's a keeper. Big sister is a huge fan. More pictures soon.

Even the bears in this house know how to spackle.

2011-04-02T07:56:00.003-06:00

Baby bear has some good technique.

Not to be outdone, Penny shows off some of her newly acquired home-reno skills.

Now it's time to caulk and paint.

We may be finding baby bear here a lot from now on.

We've still got quite a bit of moulding to spackle, caulk and paint. After photos coming soon (ish). Hopefully this phase will last long enough to complete it all. I hit 28 weeks tomorrow, so we'll see if my third trimester is as full of cleaning/decorating/organizing projects as my second has been. Dave is sincerely hoping that is fizzles out a little bit.

Mama bird

2011-04-01T07:02:00.001-06:00

I'm pretty sure my nesting has quickly evolved into borderline late onset OCD. I've reorganized the pantry there times this week. Including labels. And all the drawers in the kitchen. Baby's closet. Playroom. Laundry room. My office. Mom's office. Our closet and the linen closet are next. I should take before pics since I always forget.

Then I got this in an email today and thought it was appropriate:
Signs that your nesting instinct's out of control
• You find yourself reorganizing store shelves.
• You can't let your husband into the house without a good lint brushing.
• Your yard is so clean, you've moved on to the neighbors'.

And yes, I now have an entire plastic storage box dedicated just to "sprinkles." Love it. It's not a small one either.

More {yummy} birthday celebrations around our place.

2011-03-27T21:31:00.001-06:00

We had a delicious cake tonight with some family, to celebrate my upcoming birthday, and I just wanted to post a link to my scrapbook blog where you can get a free desktop to download.

The cake? A double chocolate chocolate chip with cream cheese frosting from these guys, that I decorated myself. Silk flower? check. Mini birthday pennants? check. Fun kids to help blow out the candles over and over again? check, double check, and quadruple check.

Penny kept trying to stick her finger in the frosting (she thinks that's what the holes in cakes are from when you take out the candles), and when I said she wasn't allowed to do that, she tried to lick it instead.

Alice in Wonderland Tea Party Preview

2011-03-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

Little Penelope! I just wanted to wish you "Happy to You!" just the way you sing it, and tell you what a joy you are to our lives. Happy second Birthday!!! xoxo, mama.

Wood huh?

2011-03-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

Since the "traditional" anniversary gift for 5 blissful years is "wood," we spent our evening last night painting the board and batten that David installed in the nursery. I'm hoping that when we really get a chance to celebrate next weekend, the "modern" anniversary gift of "silverware" means we're eating out somewhere fancy; and not that we're just washing tons of it at home.

Just like "Grampa...".

2011-02-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Penny has come a long way in her relationship with her Grandpa. He's always been such a fun guy, but for some reason she used to be a little wary of him when he came over. Times have changed, and she actually bawled her little eyes out when he left last time because he invited her to go home with him and Grandma (he invited her not thinking she actually would go) - and she insisted I bring her her "coat!" and "boots!" so she could go with them.

His glasses are always a hit at any visit.

She has also discovered a new found love for the constitution. She takes it with her everywhere.

And likes to read us her favorite passages to pass the time. But generally speaking, she reads it upside down.

the marigolds are doing well.

2010-09-16T20:00:00.005-06:00

Even the ones that eat rocks.

Big rocks. And little rocks. Flat rocks. Round rocks.

Maybe it's because we took away her binky, but there's plenty of evidence in past photos to disprove that this is a new occurrence.

Can't sit still

2010-05-11T22:00:00.010-06:00

You'll have to forgive my lack of posts. Taking any photos of this little one is getting harder and harder every day. She moves fast now. And she's learned how to climb down off of mom and dad's bed (which used to be the best photo shoot corral our house had to offer).

She's added a few new words to her vocab: "woof," "tweet tweet," "eeeese" (please), "wus zat!" (what's that). But "baby" is still her favorite of all time.

We've been trying to prepare her with a few italian phrases to prep her for our trip here:
And her youngest aunty is determined to teach her some french (we all think it would be quaint), before we take her to Cannes. "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" adorable. We'll see if I can get her Eiffel tower dress sewn in time for the big trip.

the cold shoulder

2010-05-02T07:30:00.000-06:00

Someone has re-discovered the bathroom tub faucet. And especially loves turning on the hot water while I'm in the shower. Good thing we turned the hot water heater waaaay down already or that little hand would be bright red.

Good thing I bought 3s

2010-04-30T11:25:00.006-06:00

I never thought she'd be wearing her snow boots from October clear into the end of April. Thankfully, I bought them two sizes too big hoping for a growth spurt. She's become fascinated with putting on her shoes (and mine as well). Mittens are also quickly becoming a preferred fashion accessory. She's been wearing them around the house all morning.
She thoroughly enjoyed eating the snow, and watching the cars drive by. But her favorite thing to do is to look for birds and planes.
I personally wish it would stop snowing so I could get my garden planted. The tomato plants sitting in my sink (for a full two weeks now) are becoming high maintenance.

study buddy

2010-04-27T11:34:00.003-06:00

I wondered why it got so quiet.

pensive

2010-04-22T10:40:00.005-06:00

Her first ponytail. This is how I imagine her face to look when she's six. She loves sitting on the very bottom step of our stairs and contemplating the world.

honey, go brush your tooth

2010-04-13T19:21:00.001-06:00

We hope this is the only time in her life where that phrase is applicable.

pink piggies

2010-03-29T08:00:00.003-06:00

This is how we celebrated my birthday. First there were mother daughter pedicures. It was Penny's first one ever. That's the scowl that you might be privileged to see if she likes you enough to try it out on you. It's quickly followed by giggles and smiles if you know to promptly return the look.

Cutest little piggies ever. The secret? Baby Einstein on You Tube.
I should also post the photos of the Easter egg hunt we had with the cousins - someday. They loved it! Penny thought it was pretty funny, but wasn't super fond of the grass. Or the wind.
Lots and lots of candles. But not quite enough. And I wasn't about to run to the store and get more. "23" is a good age right? Who knew being older than a standard 24 pack of candles would be so troublesome.

PS sorry for all the post dating going on around here. I like things in fairly chronological order so I can remember how old Penny was in the photos!

Daddy's Girl

2010-03-02T08:37:00.001-07:00

She has a new love of hats - especially her daddy's. She loves to walk around and put them on and off for hours at a time. And sneak a look on mom's computer. She was overjoyed that I let her touch it long enough to snap a photo.
She also likes to pretend to mow the lawn just like her pop (while wearing both of his hats of course).

Little bit of Heaven

2010-02-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

We went on a Western Caribbean Disney cruise back in April. And someone is on my case about not posting any photos from it yet. These photos are a few of his favorites from the trip. Expect to see some of mine in a future post. The photo above is of the "Disney Island." It was beautiful, and even convinced me to snorkel for a couple of minutes despite my nagging fear of open water. Penny approved of the imported sand. She ate it like candy.
Dinner at Lumiere's. I loved the dining. They wait on you hand and foot, and cut up the kid's food. It was wonderful. They brought the little lady whatever she wanted every night. I think she had a secret crush on Igor, our waiter. Understandable.
We got a day trip to Nassau due to weather (we were supposed to go to Grand Cayman, but I suppose that will have to be a different trip), so we checked out Atlantis. Which was just fine by me because I've always wanted to go there. We went through the straw market on Nassau and the cute little old ladies talked dh into buying a straw hello kitty purse for his little girl who they swore looked just like him. She loved all the cooing from everyone.

Don't you love her braid?!? I was totally unconvinced at first. Thanks uncle J for talking me into getting it done, oh and footing the bill. When we were in Cozumel dh and my dear sis in law both had food poisoning so Uncle J and I took the three little girlies to get braids. They were adorable.Since we have free passes to Disney anytime, we took a stop at Disney World the day before the cruise. I had a blast actually getting to ride the rides since last time we came I was prego with Penny and had the luxury of standing in line for all of them, and then was spared the chore of actually having to ride any of them. Long live expedition Everest.

our little biped

2010-01-18T08:19:00.005-07:00

She's getting big! And mobile! Last saturday was our official introduction into the world of having a "toddler." She's been walking around holding the walls, couch, legs, chairs, and anything she can hang onto for a couple months now, but once David dangled a carrot in front of her she let go and started cruising around on her own two feet.

I also took some cute pics of her at 9.5 months (above) but have yet to shrink them all down for the web, and I've started having to put a watermark on them. More to come soon. I've got some major deadlines (again), and Penny was kind enough to suck on my computer power cord and bust it for me, so I'm farther behind than I'd like to be.

(If you get this in an email make sure to click here to go to the blog and see the videos)

She had been faithfully practicing her monster noises in the video below, but stopped the second I got out the camera.

I've been chastized

2009-12-09T13:38:00.016-07:00

Quite a bit lately, actually. Seems the hubby likes to see pics of his cute little girl while he's at work, and is not liking my extreme blog laziness brought on by massive amounts of freelance work. Win some. Lose some.

So here's my delinquent post on Thanksgiving.

It was an amazing day, full of happiness and joy. Birds were chirping. The sun was shining. Love was in the air.

Yeah. Sure.

It may have ended that way, but somebody may have lost it when her husband spent an extra hour with my super nice brother in law playing in the "Turkey Bowl" (football - for all you non sports inclined folks) that morning. There's a lot to do when you are hosting the happy day, and I had it all planned out. Timetable included. And let's just say it did not include a Turkey Bowl in overtime. But the good news is that they dominated, winning the game in a blaze of glory. I'm sure that's what happened, or so they told me.

Good thing those Malan boys know how to peel potatoes. Man are they fast! It was my second attempt at making "real" mashed potatoes; attempt #1 was a memorable failure; do not ever put in 5 cloves of garlic, no matter what the recipe says! This time was perfect - 5lbs idaho potatoes, 1 pkg cream cheese, and 2 sticks of butter. Yum.

Please be sure to notice that the apron I forgot to remove for the pic matches my Amy Butler decor perfectly. Coincidence? I think not. But it really was - I can't take that much credit.

And many thanks to my father in law for taking a photo with me in it! He's handy with a camera.

Some of the wonderful cooks in my kitchen:

They prevented a roll fiasco, and got them to rise last minute. Whew.

And if you've made it this far, then you deserve a reward. It's the recipe for my favorite salad ever:

Poppyseed-Pear-Pomegranate Spinach Salad

You'll need:
spinach (Marketstreet organic brand from WalMart is my new favorite. It's soooo good)
pomegranate seeds
toasted slivered or sliced almonds (I sugar them in a skillet with about 1tsp. white sugar)
1 diced pear
feta cheese

And for the dressing, I always use the poppyseed recipe my sister in law gave me (my personal favorite):

Poppyseed Dressing

Blend together:

1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. White Vinegar
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 c. oil

And the recipe for this yummy Cranberry salad can be found here. It's my mom's favorite. It made exactly 12 parfait cups worth.

Cinderella

2009-11-19T22:15:00.005-07:00

Mommy has been busy lately luckily Penny is ready to fill in and help out when needed.

Cleaned out the fridge.

And helped Dad assemble a new chair.

Trick or treat.

2009-10-31T22:45:00.004-06:00

Just a couple quick pics until I get the rest ready to post or email. Happy haunting!

Seeing spots

2009-10-27T21:52:00.003-06:00

It's been crazy busy around our house. And by crazy busy, I mean deadlines, decorating, and lots of baby kisses. Penny spent some time with Aunty E, and was carefully observing and directing her drawing technique.

My cartridge came out! It's exclusive to Michaels, and you have to buy a whole new cricut to get it. Yep. A whole new one. And it's pink. I'm super excited to have my copy, and will have to post more pics of the images that are on it. I'm obviously a fan.

These are the spots I'm seeing. I spend a lot of time with them. They are probably burned into my retinas by now. The green one is murphy, and the red one I've dubbed bubba. The green one has to fit through all the black parts of a drawing, and the red has to fit through all the white. And you thought art was glamorous. I've spent days sitting here and moving those dots all around. I should make one yellow and look like pac man. Maybe it would be more fun that way.

already riding "goofy"

2009-10-05T22:38:00.004-06:00

Our little snowboarder is already showing her foot preferences. She's getting pretty tricky now with her favorite toy. She'd do this all day long if I'd let her. The scary part is when she lets go with both hands... she's pretty fearless.

We've got lots and lots of new photos to upload, but also have lots and lots of cricut work, sewing, and housework that has to get done first! Soon though....

any testers?

2009-09-21T15:20:00.009-06:00

So....... my sil was interested in getting this pattern, and I wanted to make a template, so I drew this up really fast. If you'd like to try and make one to test it out before I post it to my scrapbook blog, I'd appreciate it. Leave a comment with your address "yourname(at)blah(dot)com" if you'd like me to email you the full res file!

Snack Time

2009-09-19T14:45:00.000-06:00

We now have a very mobile baby. Uh oh. Trouble on the way.

more chic than shabby

2009-09-18T15:59:00.001-06:00

I forgot the sneak peek of the playroom with one of the new garlands hanging up. It's coming along. I've still got a few things planned to paint and hang, and a super cute new pillow made with the cricut!

sweet dreams

2009-09-16T15:29:00.006-06:00

Yay for finished bumpers! I finally got them done. Handstitching and all. I'm so glad I did. And they're even done before she outgrew the crib. Definite bonus.The dragon fly is just temporary for a Cricut photoshoot. I've been working on some new Cricut projects for Provo Craft.... It's all part of a Home Decor bundle that will be selling in Home Depot. I'm doing projects to show what you can do with the vinyl, stencils, and marker. Super fun. It's been a blast. And I've gotten lots of my "someday soon" projects finished up.Isn't the "penny" garland beautiful? My uber talented friend Becky made it for Penny out of the scraps I had left over from her play mat. And she even punched some pennies to attach to the chandelier crystals. It makes me smile every time I walk in. I rearranged the whole room just so I could see it more often.

atta girl...

2009-09-05T08:29:00.001-06:00

My little "wanna be" crawler. Check out that tongue; she's concentrating really hard. She wants it so bad. Gotta love the tutu, I like her to feel the burn when she's getting her exercise. Tutus are definitely not the easiest thing to crawl in.

I {heart} garlands

2009-09-02T10:18:00.007-06:00

I love garlands. They're everywhere lately, and I do love making them. Here's a couple I made recently for my sister in law's baby shower. They were part of a project series that I was working on for the cricut by provo craft.

Don't you love the cupcakes?! These favors were inspired by the lovely ones from dear lizzie.
And this one I want to copy for our playroom. Our playroom is even blue already, and I have quite a few scraps that would be perfect for it. This one is available on etsy from seller sweet jessie. Boy do I love those scallops....

fishy fishy

2009-08-29T22:04:00.005-06:00

She' still loving the water. And now we have a big old corner tub for her to scoot all around in. Those rubber ducks have become some of her most favorite toys.

Dad loves putting her in the tub. She likes to show off her splashing for him. Not so much for me. He is definitely the playful one.She has her daddy's long eyelashes.

Going Places

2009-08-27T17:58:00.004-06:00

She's getting there... I'm hoping she'll get disinterested and stop trying to crawl for just a little while. But she seems more and more determined every day.
Notice the new "favorite toy" in the background? It's a blue plastic bowl. Sometimes her face gets stuck in it when she tips over.

Dressmakers

2009-08-27T10:27:00.004-06:00

I borrowed a dress from my cute friend Stacie, so that I could copy it. I added the ruffle, bookbinder's tape border (the linen ribbon), and made up a flower. Penny made herself a dress too out of some scrap fabric I had lying around while I was sewing. She seems to really like it. Probably even more than the one I made her. She looks so proud of herself.

To see the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker pics click here. I decided not to keep double posting for those of you that read both my blogs.

Pink Poodle

2009-08-22T22:39:00.005-06:00

It's been a busy week around here. I've got a magazine illustration due Mon, and 8 cricut paper projects with step by step pics and directions due wed. We went camping last night (more on that later, and photos of course), attended cousin E's fantastic Bday party before the campout yesterday, and overbooked ourselves for two luncheons at the same time for next Tuesday. Oh, and both sets of grandparents and the cute cousins are coming for church and dinner tomorrow. That means cooking and cleaning tonight. Or just blogging to procrastinate. I also made an apron for cousin E, and have been working on something cute for my buddy Aileen's bday, remember the cake she made for mine? I feel like I have a lot to live up to.

Dave's been busy working away on some freelance too. Anyone know a handsome, athletic, 12 year old boy with a ruddy complexion that could model for a book cover? I found a girl for my mag illustration but I think dave's still looking for a good candidate for his cover.

I love this pic of Penny; it looks like back to school to me. She looks very contemplative (if that's a real word). She was just sitting in the chair in her room while I put on her socks, and I thought the lighting was pretty.

I love this dress because everytime she wears it I remember when Dave and I were in London on the tube and some little boy was pointing at an old lady with absolutely neon Pink hair and rocker clothes and loudly telling his dad with an all too cute british accent, "look dad, it's the pink poodle....." Then his dad was loudly shhhing him while he said it louder and louder.... I guess you just had to be there.

5 months and discriminating taste

2009-08-19T22:51:00.014-06:00

Can't believe she's already 5 months and counting! She's such a happy kid in the mornings.

She's still sleeping in her Moses basket, but taking naps in her crib. She loves pushing all the way up the top of the basket and rubbing her head and arms all over the soft "minky" fabric. This is what her hair looks like in the morning after rubbing it all around the basket:
Yep. One huge big old knot that I have to comb out each and every morning.

You may remember the gorgeous bumpers that I was sewing for her. She wanted none of it. Minky fabric was all she'd accept so luckily I met my lovely inlaws for lunch by PBKids one day, and they happened to have a gingham/minky bumper on clearance for dirt cheap. Heaven sent. She sleeps with her face pressed against it and strokes it until she falls to sleep (she's completely out in the pic above).

This is how she was sleeping with no bumpers at all; and I was kind of worried she'd twist an arm. (sound asleep in this photo too).

wallflower

2009-08-19T22:47:00.002-06:00

Some days Penny just doesn't want to be found. I think her grandpa has been teaching her some of his Army camouflage tricks.

still reminiscing...

2009-08-09T16:02:00.003-06:00

One from April 8th, when she was one month old. I know people make fun of me for taking "so many pictures" (oh, puhleeeze, as if it's even possible to take too many of them or something) and looking back, I only wish I'd taken more. And more videos. I find videos to be more true to life. I think they capture her more how she really is. She moves sooo much. And makes sooo many faces! I love this garland that my friend Aileen made me, it hung over baby's crib for a really long time.

baby mac...

2009-08-07T19:08:00.003-06:00

My baby is back. My poor mac book pro finally got it's graphics card fixed. I have some old photos I never posted and am overjoyed that I didn't lose them! That would have been awful. This one is from April 18th, when penny was 5 weeks.

Rad Bed Head #1

2009-08-06T07:48:00.000-06:00

Because I love your morning hair the best-est of all......

Playgroup buddies

2009-08-03T08:15:00.009-06:00

Pics from last Thursday when we all got together. We missed you Shar!
It's nearly impossible to get a pic of three babies all looking at you, but thanks to Alisa's dancing around and playing with toys they're all at least looking the same direction.
We had this awesome (and easy) pot pie recipe that my Grandmother introduced me to. I use pre-made crusts; yes, I cheat. And then I cut the vents with mini people gingerbread cutters. So fun and easy. We also had italian sodas with peach pear soda from Target, and whipped cream. Alisa brought a great fruit salad and Jen made us some wonderful turtle brownies. Yum.
But of course the best part was watching the littles and catching up on everything. Lincoln and Lizzy look like they are talking about the weather or something. And Lincoln looks a little bit concerned about being with so many girls.
Baby Lincoln and Penny exchanging a look. I think they were rolling their eyes over the amount of pics we were taking.
And baby Lizzy was posing too perfectly not to take pics of her. What a cutie.

And some pics I took of Penny before everyone came over. She was being nice and sweet.

Sitting duck

2009-08-02T07:31:00.003-06:00

They do get big way too fast. I can't believe she can do this already at just over 4 months (these pics are from July 24th).

Family Pics...from last night

2009-08-01T09:13:00.010-06:00

Penny wearing grandpa's glasses; I think she was confused.

The gang. Posing.

We had a blast and know everyone else did too! Thanks Aunt T for planning such a great party!

Last weekend: Friday

2009-08-01T08:38:00.000-06:00

Penny's first parade. Good times. Except for the lady we saw get run over by a jeep. Scary.
I steal as many kisses as possible while I still can.
Penny hanging out in the shade of baby D's stroller during the parade. She didn't like it much. We have to buckle her in now cause she arches her back and tries to climb out.

A peek from last weekend with the inlaws...

2009-07-30T19:19:00.006-06:00

Two cute girls having fun at our lake. We had a blast hanging out with all the family that weekend. More pics coming soon.

New sounds

2009-07-30T08:27:00.000-06:00

She always stops the second she sees the camera, but we managed to get a few anyway. She also likes to gurgle in her throat a lot now which is also pretty funny. Most of the time she's doing either sound to express her opinions about not liking being put down, etc. But sometimes she does it just to be social.

giggles

2009-07-27T08:45:00.002-06:00

It's hard to get Penny to do anything on camera, because she loves to just sit and stare at the camera the second she sees it. Crazy baby. {click here to watch it on the blog if you get the emails}.

Amazing.

2009-07-23T08:07:00.001-06:00

Two new amazing feats to show off:
She can now rest her feet on the tray of her swing. And loves doing it; I think she gets mad when I put socks on her now.
And the removal of the mute button. She can get it out to play with it; just can't quite get it back in again.

This little piggy....

2009-07-22T08:53:00.010-06:00

Today is the day of Penny's first piggy. Of course there was a camera present. And a photo op. She's learned to blow raspberries at people too. Charming.I did also finally catch a good one of her Popeye face (below). Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing the sililarities..... (love the drool)
And the one below is pure awesomeness just because of the great shot of the drool drip:

Tummy time

2009-07-20T09:14:00.004-06:00

We've been out of town and moving to a new house (yay!), so I've been a little busy to post - and didn't have internet. But I have TONS of photos that need to get posted! Here's a couple fun shots from Saturday. This girl is getting so big and fun. She's now 4 months (plus a week or so) and is 12lbs 7oz putting her in the 25th percentile for height and weight. 50th percentile for head circumference. Just in case you were dying to know.

I may start trying to label photos with the lens I used since people have been asking. Let me know if it's helpful and I'll keep it up.

best buddies

2009-06-26T08:26:00.000-06:00

She loves this doll more than anything. We think it's the high contrast hair and eyes. She'll play with it for seconds. Minutes even.

sat mornings

2009-06-24T08:23:00.000-06:00

You know it's a bad sign when your 3 month old is already into sat morning cartoons (don't worry; we only let her watch the educational ones that teach her spanish, oh, and english).

after the pool...

2009-06-22T08:20:00.000-06:00

Just a couple cute shots of how happy she was to be all dry after swimming. (these are after she woke up from the nap she took in her stroller by the pool). She wakes up all smiley. I'll have to try and take some pics someday when she first wakes up in the morning. That's when she's happiest of all.

happy father's day

2009-06-21T23:47:00.001-06:00

To my wonderful husband, dad, father in law and grandfathers - hope you had a great one!

Early this morning Penny had something to say.... and then a few more things... and a couple more after that. She's quite a talker. {click here to see the video on the blog if you don't see it and you get the emails}

bathing beauty

2009-06-20T21:43:00.005-06:00

We took the baby to the pool Friday. It was windy, but she didn't seem to mind too much. She loved looking at the water with all the changing shapes.

(david trying to get her to do a marilyn monroe pose)

Sink or Swim (or some of both)

2009-06-17T12:01:00.005-06:00

I've been trying to find a "mom and me" swim class in my area; but so far - no luck. So I started reading the book my mom used to teach my brother to swim when he was just a baby. Hmmm. Doing everything wrong so far. Check.

So we started out again. Penny has only had three baths ever in the tub, and we were filling it with just 2 or 3 inches of water and letting her splash and play. Apparently that teaches them that pools always have bottoms which is bad, so you're supposed to fill the tub 3 inches from the top and support them while they're floating.

This is the wrong (but fun) way. Click here if you get the emails and don't see a video.

For the record; the hairy leg is not mine.

Be sure to notice the awesome bed head and knots in the back of her hair when david turns her around to show her bum. She was doing really well until dad accidentally let her roll over and get dunked but we didn't get that on camera.

Blessing Pics

2009-06-15T22:09:00.006-06:00

Lately she has discovered her hands and likes to lick them like a lollipop. It's cute, but I'm glad the weather is getting warmer since her little hands are always freezing now. I was planning to make her dress until I found this one when I was out shopping with my mom. I couldn't resist the pretty victorian lace. And thank you Karrie for talking me into putting on the bonnet; it turned out super cute.
Love those little dimples on her knuckles. Her baby hands are getting so squishy and cute.
I have got some of the most talented friends ever, and I saw these amazing vintage-y felt slippers sitting on a shelf in my good friend Lori's studio one day. We get together from time to time (but not enough lately!!!) and have "poker night" where we just make crafts and fun cute projects. Anyway, I wanted her to teach me how to make some, and being the super sweet generous person that she is, she gave them to me. I know! Can you believe it?! What a lucky little baby. They fit her like a glove.

This one on the carpet is an outtake. She likes putting her hands like this, shrugging to the side, and making that face for some reason. She looks like she is trying to sweet talk you into something.And she finally got too tired from all the photos.

Catching up

2009-06-07T07:11:00.001-06:00

Flashback to mid April. Our first little nephew was born 6 weeks after Penny. It was funny to see how he was all boy and Penny was all girl. Just their little hands and feet were so different! His were so chunky and manly and hers were so dainty and girly.

We're so excited to have a little nephew finally and another little nephew on the way coming in Sept! It will be fun to have cousins all so close in age.

Penny was not really into taking tons of pics. They put a fluorescent armband on her so that they would know she wasn't stolen from the nursery because she was still so little.

She looks so tiny when her dad holds her.

Priceless...part 2

2009-06-04T10:29:00.008-06:00

Remember this post from forever ago? We all got together again with our cute "littles" and took a new pic. Penny is now 3 months, Lizzy is almost 5 and Lincoln is 6! Wow time flies.

And our cute friend Shar (the one taking the pics above) is now 7 mo prego with her second! Doesn't she look great?!

Sneak Peek

2009-06-01T14:44:00.003-06:00

Finally took some photos of Penny in her blessing dress. We wore her out. She was sooo tired by the end. I'm having trouble getting my canon rebel xsi to download the pics (jpg + raw) into iphoto though. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know (I've spent hours googling the problem and got nothing to show for it)!!!

Happy... um.... Mothers Day... yeah.

2009-05-27T14:04:00.006-06:00

So, I'm a little bit late, but at least you know I was thinking about you all you fabulous moms and grand-moms of mine. Penny had a little something she wanted to share. It was a bubble, and some gibberish. It didn't pack well, so I took a video instead of mailing it. Hope you don't mind.

{click here if you get the emails and want to see the video on the blog}

Little Miss Talks-A-Lot

2009-05-27T13:24:00.004-06:00

Sorry folks; lost my laptop charger, decided to buy a new house, selling current house, etc, etc. I've got a lot of catching up to do with everything. Yikes. So maybe I'll procrastinate by blogging for a minute. This video was taken on sunday; we always put Penny on the dining room table while we eat because she loves it. And now she's pretty vocal about it.

Penny's current loves at 11 weeks:

*her daddy's baby talk (she lights up when he comes home)
*jabbering to chandeliers in the house
*watching her mama eat, and sticking out her tongue
*daddy making mama mad by putting random things in her hands like dum dums
*sleeping in the stroller at the park during playgroup
*walks to grandma and grandpa's house to play/sleep
*compliments from people at church; she loves the kids that think she's a doll
*trying to giggle like Aunt Elle
*talking to her pack and play mobile
*leaving phone messages for grandma and grandpa m
*staring at the carseat toy from uncle C

She hasn't figured out how to grab things yet, so it's funny to walk downstairs and see her holding candy in both hands.

the good life

2009-05-04T06:25:00.002-06:00

Penny's favorite place to sleep. She likes to cuddle while grandpa is reading. She had been screaming for an hour while I was cleaning and getting our house ready for family to come for her baby blessing. The pic below is so you can see Dave's awesome job on our window molding. Nice work papa.

cruel and unusual...

2009-04-24T06:44:00.001-06:00

Turns out that baby doesn't like nightgowns.

This is what happened when I tried to put one on her Monday night. I thought it would be all comfy and cute. Not so. You'd think I was shoving bamboo shoots under her nails the way she screamed and tried to get it off with her feet. She came pretty close.

And so I naturally ran for the camera. Poor kid.

silly daddy

2009-04-22T14:23:00.004-06:00

He thinks that Penny can sit up in chairs all by herself. Really big chairs. And then she slowly starts tipping over. And he laughs. Then he picks her up and sets her back in place. And she laughs. Silly baby.

It fits

2009-04-19T19:21:00.003-06:00

Penny's hat lovingly made by my friend Bonnie, finally fits! Penny is just starting to get into her newborn and 0-3 size clothes now that she's 6 weeks. They're all still kind of huge, but the hat Bonnie made fits her little head just perfectly now. She loves it, and I think she enjoys all the extra attention too. Check out Bonnie's store to see more cute crocheted goodness.

Better late than never.

2009-04-18T06:14:00.003-06:00

April Fools. This is what Penny learned on the first.
(click HERE to go to the blog to see the videos if you only get the emails)

I'm slowly trying to figure out the best way to export my iphoto movies small enough to post on blogger. This was the day after she learned how to use a binkie.

Meet the (Grand) Parents

2009-04-16T20:44:00.003-06:00

Penny finally got to meet her other set of grandparents! yay! And she had plenty of smiles ready for them. Even though it was late, she was really sweet, and they seemed appropriately impressed with the new addition to our family. We didn't get to see very much of them yet, but hopefully I'll get a chance to take some more pics to post soon.

Caught it

2009-04-16T12:31:00.004-06:00

She learned how to smile at the end of last week (4 weeks) and I haven't been able to catch it with the camera until this morning. She loves to smile at everyone. She also started to coo pretty regularly as well.
And she's always pretty impressed by clicking, sticking out tongues, and any other noises you make with your mouth and tongue. She'll even try to copy you. This morning she was enthralled by my "mascara face" when I was getting ready. Too bad I didn't get a pic of that one.

Good Times

2009-04-13T06:47:00.000-06:00

Tiny Baby.

Happy Baby.

Happy Mama.

Life Saver

2009-04-12T06:23:00.001-06:00

If I could take any one thing to a desert island (for Penny) it might be this:
...a latex "Nuk" binkie; apparently she's a brand name girl already.

Monkey Pants

2009-04-10T11:18:00.003-06:00

Our little baby monkey update:
She's started laughing in her sleep now. She is trying to "coo," and is just starting to think about smiling at people. I think she's getting big; she looks bigger to me every time I look at her. Most people still think she's tiny, but I think she's having a growth spurt. Still lots and lots of hiccuping going on.

Love that Baby Girl

2009-03-31T06:33:00.001-06:00

Penny had her first "official" photo shoot on Monday. Wow littles are soooo hard to photograph! There's so much to think about! Now I know why professionals charge what they do. Penny wouldn't sleep at all and spent most of the time crying, but I managed to get a couple cute shots anyway.

Barbie came to visit!

2009-03-28T18:10:00.006-06:00

Yay for Barbie! She looked so glamorous in her billowy gown. And her tan was, of course, perfection. Aileen, you rock, what more can I say?!
And thank you to Karrie and Stacie for coming by to visit! And Karrie for the awesome breakfast. It was thoroughly enjoyed. David and I are both super excited about the food processor from mom and dad (for salsa making). Can't wait to try it out! And the pineapple upside down cake was delicious. And thank you Malans for your fun birthday package!

On my Golden Birthday...

2009-03-28T01:06:00.000-06:00

Since I've become a mother, I have been reflecting a lot on my own mom, and growing up with her and what it will be like growing up with Penny. And I know that I don't say thank you nearly enough for all the many things that she's done for me. Just the things this week would take ages to write, not including all the things from the rest of my life.

So on my birthday I wanted to take a minute to tell her thank you for always taking care of me and loving me; even if she might not have liked me much a time or two [million] when I gave her a hard time or wasn't as vocal with my gratitude as I could have been. Thank YOU mom! Happy "you-gave-birth-to-me-and-I-want-you-to-know-how-much-I-really-appreciate-it/you-day!!!"

xoxo,
your favorite daughter

My apologies...

2009-03-27T08:44:00.006-06:00

...to anyone I haven't written or called back. Seems like things got a lot harder this week with the c section and also trying to feed this little monster baby. She is doing well, but I'm back on the percoset and pain meds (so I can feed her). And I'm spending all my time just trying to get her to eat correctly, painlessly, and enough. Apparently it's a lot to ask.

Penny's impression of mama trying to feed her:

Princess is calling gotta run......

98% of babies...

2009-03-23T14:04:00.004-06:00

...are manic depressive, according to "The Onion." We think this explains a lot.
This little lady sure does love her dad. I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. This pic is from her first Dr. visit last week. She had another one today, and was a bloody mess from her pku test. Yikes. Bleeeeed-er.

hiccup.

2009-03-21T20:41:00.002-06:00

She gets them a lot. But at least they don't seem to bother her.

Great Grandmothers are the best

2009-03-19T18:00:00.007-06:00

Great Grand M came to visit and helped me give Penny her first bath. And held her lots and lots so I could eat breakfast and do a load of laundry and even take a nap. We even got one hand of claws clipped today. And that's about it.
She looks soo angelic and sweet in this photo, but as I was taking it, I heard dripping and little splashing sounds, and noticed a puddle forming on the floor. Good thing your Great Grand Mother really loves you little baby; it's not everyone that will let you pee on their lap and still think you're cute.

Sunday Morning

2009-03-15T11:20:00.002-06:00

Sleeping like a doll. Can't even tell she eats like a racehorse. Guess we'll keep her...

Wow.

2009-03-14T13:23:00.010-06:00

David is teaching Penny the nuances of listening to the Jazz game while playing solitaire on an ipod, so I'm taking a quick second to post! Thanks for all the comments and emails! I've found the suggestions and things to be invaluable, and am still trying to get caught up reading them all (it's been really fun; thanks for all the well wishes!).

Change of plans as far as what to bring her home in. I decided she needed a hat in case it was cold. And a huge flower in case we came across some kind of ritzy English tea party on the way. Gotta be prepared.
She now weighs 6lbs. 2 oz and I still don't know how tall she is. Somewhere between 18 and 20.3 inches.

We have settled on a name! Unless we decide to change it by the 19th), she will be Penelope Jane, but mostly known as "Penny."
The C section was great. I was terrified about the spinal block, but it hurt less than the IV, and I'm now a huge fan. My arms are unstrapped in the photo above since I got air trapped in my right shoulder (totally normal) and was trying to rub it out - they made me promise not to grab anyone before unstrapping me. In this photo, I FINALLY got a chance to see my baby for 30 seconds in the nurse's arms before she was gone to get all prettied up. David was bringing me over the camera cause I hadn't seen her yet, and thought a digi pic was better than waiting any longer to see.

Welcome to the other side of the curtain:

And David would like me to post one of what she "really" looks like every day as well:

Hi Baby.

She's here!!!

2009-03-09T22:48:00.000-06:00

Everything went great, and soo much better than I ever hoped. I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane though when I went in to get on the operating table. Now she only needs a name!!! And she does have tons of hair, and even came out with a bow. hahahahah.
xoxo!

xoxoxox...

2009-03-09T21:30:00.004-06:00

*Happy Birthday Little One*

Born 4:56pm 3/9/09, 6 pounds 7 ounces, plenty of hair, but no name yet.

40 weeks and on the way to the hospital...

2009-03-09T13:36:00.003-06:00

Aw..... precious...

"She's getting it cut out tomorrow"

2009-03-08T11:21:00.004-06:00

Those are the incredibly delicate words of my sweet and loving husband to our Bishop today at church. "Is he always this sensitive?" the Bishop asked. Yes, sir that's my man. Straight to the point. My stomach still hurts from laughing.

39 weeks!

2009-03-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

What's a girl to wear?

2009-03-05T15:54:00.010-07:00

This is the "coming home" outfit for the moment. But since I still have four more days to decide, it could change a good three or four times between now and then. It's been way too much fun to go shopping for a little girl. (the big green bow is to go on a headband or cap - it's not attached to the top).

And I swore I'd never do it, but the blog needed a facelift, and I love stacey's "love, the murdocks," so I completely copied her idea for a tagline. But we're cool like that, check out her version of my bedsheet curtains, they look amazing! Be sure to take a look at her cute blog and amazing photos!

38 weeks...

2009-03-05T09:22:00.002-07:00

Guess I should finally get this post up before I turn 39 weeks Friday! Whoops. I'm slightly delinquent in all my posting.

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

happy 3 yr anniversary...

2009-03-04T13:10:00.002-07:00

I promise I'm not obsessed with taking pictures of my food. We had homemade cheese manicotti for dinner last night to celebrate. Happy anniversary David.

I am a crummy person.

2009-02-21T11:21:00.007-07:00

Or maybe that should read "crumb-ly" person??? Crummy is more catchy. But have no fear, I have no problems with my self esteem. My mother will tell you so. And I'm starting to get the feeling that you may be seeing a lot of photos of my food for the next couple weeks. Sorry about that. Dave made me blueberry muffins and peanut butter hot chocolate today as breakfast in bed. Yes sir, peanut butter. It even had a melted one on the bottom as promised.

37 weeks...

2009-02-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

My new office.

2009-02-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

Looks pretty cozy right?! Not nearly as exciting as the pics below of the major Ping Pong championship that won us the day off on Monday. I'm on bed rest again for the rest of my pregnancy. Apparently seeing spots is not something they take lightly over at labor and delivery. Good thing there are only 22 days left till my due date. I'd be counting the hours too if they included times with their dates or I was having a scheduled induction or c-section.

The best part? I have a Dr. note that says I can't cook. Who knew?!? Not that I have been anyway (thank you Dave for all the meals the past 8 months), so I guess it's nothing new. But I have an actual, official note that says I can't eat anything unless it's been "prepared for me." Talk about high maintenance.

Ping Pong Championships

2009-02-19T13:17:00.007-07:00

We have a fun bunch of CEOs, CFOs, COOs, etc at my work and last Thursday the gloves came off and a challenge was issued from Senior Staff to the Warehouse. If Senior Staff was beaten in Ping Pong, we'd all get Monday off as paid vacation (Presidents Day; not a holiday for us). I always appreciate their effort to be creative and entertainers at the same time.

Excerpt from an "official" email from our CEO:

"The fate of a paid day off (which costs tens of thousands of dollars) can't be left to a ping pong game...at least if Dave and Brad are holding the paddles. They MIGHT be allowed to start the game but I will be there (with my professional grade paddle) to jump in if it gets out of hand.

Warehouse Team: As Dave said, bring your "A" game."

The Senior Staff team of Dave and Brad even dressed up:

Round One Senior staff:

Round Two:

Round Three:

The warehouse team was more conservative and concentrated in their approach:

The company even provided free lunch after the game.

And here's a really hot pregnant photographer ignoring rules from that morning's safety meeting and putting our safety buck record in jeopardy by carelessly standing on a table:
(36 weeks belly picture)

For your viewing pleasure...

2009-02-19T10:59:00.002-07:00

Dave sent this to me today. I thought it was funny. You might too.

:: if you're getting the emails and not visiting the actual blog you may need to click here to go to the blog to see the video ::

36 weeks... (I'm kinda late on getting this one out)

2009-02-18T14:06:00.002-07:00

<- That is one scary looking baby! Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position (nope - not that lucky). But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying he'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Now that your baby is taking up so much room (who knew she could go all the way around the side of my waist?), you may have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are often easier to handle at this point (soooooo true). On the other hand, you may have less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts to "drop" down into your pelvis (hurry up kid, hurry up!). This process — called lightening — often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor starts.)

Living Dangerously

2009-02-09T13:40:00.009-07:00

The curse of acid reflux has started kicking in at this point in my pregnancy, so my diet has gotten substantially blander these days (nilla wafers have sadly replaced my Tabasco cheez-its as my standard work food). But today I took a chance. And I may regret it later, but it was the best lunch ever. What's with the oats? I have no idea but they sounded good.

35 weeks...

2009-02-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore (guess again - this kid's got talent), but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight (oh, goodie).

Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress (and realize your lungs are now sharing valuable real estate with your stomache; don't eat too much too fast). If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few. (I'm lucky, but not that lucky).