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Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

As is the tradition, we had a cookout at Shawn's parents house to celebrate the 4th of July. It was a fun day filled with bbq, kyaking in the pond, frog catching, sparklers, and good company!

Lillias with a mini frog

Adelaide's First Birthday Party

2011-07-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Adelaide turning one with a monkey themed party at our house. Monkey because I call her my little monkey and she loves banana's.

The Spread: Dessert Table

The Food Table: Jimmy John's subs, veggie tray, chips, potato salad, berries and peanut butter honey banana sandwiches

To drink: raspberry lemonade

The proud mama with the Birthday Girl!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to! She reached for the candle right as Lillias blew it out for her and we think she kinda burned her finger :( We tried to feed her some cake but she was more interested in just being comforted in my arms (I won't complain, but it was sad!)

Present Time! She was still a little upset from the whole candle incident but sat on daddy's lap long enough to open most of the gifts.

The invitation:

We love our sweet Adelaide and it was fun to celebrate her with some of our family and friends!

Adelaide

2011-06-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today my second born is ONE!

Adelaide has made it incredibly easy to love her, she has been the best baby.

Pure joy.

Adelaide at One:

- She is a mommy's girl but also independent

- LOVES her sis sis. {And sis sis loves her!}

- At one is still my fabulous sleeper, going to bed at 8p.m. and waking usually around 8:30 a.m. AND taking two, two hour naps during the day

-Cuddles with a pink blanket to sleep

- Could eat all day {and kinda does}

- Favorite food: Bananas

- Addy's words:

na na - banana/food

da da - shawn and everything she doesn't have a word for

ma ma - me

ni ni - night night {bedtime}

ba ba- bottle

bu bu- bye bye

ga ma- grandma

- Clothing size: can still fit into 12 months but 18 months is a better fit

- Shoes size: 3

- Will not let me put anything in her hair, no clips and no headbands for this girl these days {I'm pretty sure her hand was up in this picture because she was about to rip the headband off!}

- Crawls super fast, walks along furniture but probably will not walk on her own for some time... the crawling thing is just to efficient!

- Has 14 teeth, our teething over achiever!

- Smiles her sweet smile to pretty much every and anyone who smiles at her

- Still can't come to a final decision on what color eyes she has. Most of the time they look brown but other times they look green or gray... So we are going with Hazel at the moment {I wanted to name her Hazel and Shawn didn't... to bad since it would have been so fitting ;)}

Happy First Birthday Adelaide!

Lillias' First Trip to the Dentist

2011-06-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

This post is a couple weeks past due, but still a first that deserves mention! Lillias' "beautiful" teeth meet the dentist! She was a perfect patient and walked away loving the idea of coming to the dentist a couple time a year! {Didn't hurt they gave her a princess tooth brush, bracelet and pink toothpaste!}

The very sweet at patient hygienist showing Lillias all the teeth tools...

The awesome Little Mermaid Glasses so the bright light didn't bother her eyes...

Getting down to business...

The dentist making sure Lillias had the proper amount of teeth and no cavities... She told Lillias that she had perfect and beautiful teeth :)

Successful first trip to the dentist!

Lillias' First Dance Class

2011-06-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Just like Lillias' namesake she loves ballet, at least a couple times a day you will find her dancing along to her favorite show Angelina Ballerina. She walks on her toes ninety-nine percent of the time and has the calf muscles to prove it! So she was already ahead of the game on the toe walking front. We have been talking about putting her in dance class for awhile now and today was finally the day she has been waiting for... the first day of the summer ballet class at NorthPointe Dance Academy!

She was a natural and loved every minute!

This is the picture I had in my head from the time I found out I was pregnant with a girl... pink, tutu and a bun! LOVE!

Living Room Before & After

2011-06-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

When we moved into this house there was one major thing I couldn't stand... the gigantic hole in the wall! Since the only cable outlet was inside of this hole I assume the builder thought it would be a good media solution... I tried a lot of different ways to use this hole and never found any to make it work to my liking. So, after 4 years of staring at the ugliest focal point in the main room of our house, we finally hired a contractor to drywall over the hole! BEST. DECISION. EVER! We actually have a normal looking fireplace now and I couldn't be happier! It could possible be my favorite thing we have done to the house.

AND....

New fireplace surround

Fresh paint -- Agreeable Gray by SW

New Rug -- HomeGoods

New Side Tables -- HomeGoods and Crate & Barrel

New Accent Chairs -- CSN

Simple White Curtains -- Restoration Hardware

Canvas Prints -- EasyCanvas.com

Spring Pictures

2011-05-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

After a couple weeks of non-stop rainy weather we had a day break... So I took full advantage and took some spring pictures of my girls. I still want to go back and get a couple more "good ones" to choose from for the canvas prints I want to get made for our living room... so stay tuned, but for now, here are a few of my favorites:

This last one is Addy Screeching at Lillias, Hilarious!

Destin Part 2 -- The beach!

2011-04-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

We spent most of the time at the pool but did spend one day at the beautiful beach! It was so fun to see Lillias run into the water and then be chased right back out by the waves.

Eyeing the huge wave coming in ;)

Last but not least I couldn't leave out Lillias and Shawn's trip round the go cart track! It was first thing in the morning and so they were the only ones on the track, which was a good first introduction!

Family Trip to Destin

2011-04-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Over spring break we drove {14 hours} to beautiful Destin, Florida. After a long Ohio winter, it was so nice to escape to a place where it was sunny everyday and at least in the 70 degree range. We spend a lot of the time just walking around enjoying the fact that we could and didn't freeze! The girls were both sick the week before the trip and where pretty much back to normal, Shawn and I, however got sick the day we left to drive there. Not great timing for a miserable head cold... but we made the most of our time there any way! I actually lost my voice on the 3rd day, Lillias informed me that the sea witch took it and that I'd get it back in three days {Little Mermaid} So funny!

The resort was awesome! Down a very short path we walked to the village filled with restaurants, shops and activities. My favorite restaurant was a little brunch place that had the best french toast and yummy CRUNCHY bacon. Lillias loved the candy shop and the carousel.

We meet Grammy and Papa Cochran as well as Seth, Lisa, Ryan, Ethan and Chloe down there. It was so fun to let the kids play together and see Chloe for only the second time in person since she was born!!

View from the balcony of our room.

Lillias had a blast in the pool, she would wake up asking to swim. Addy loved to watch, but like her mommy was not such a huge fan of actually getting into the cold water!

Adelaide at Eight Months

2011-03-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby is eight months! Everyday, as I stare at this child I can't believe how fast time is going!

Random Addy Facts:

- Started scooting and not just rolling about 3 weeks ago

- WAS the perfect nurser {only at home, 4 times a day, before naps and bed} up until 2 weeks ago when she decided she was done... bottles are so much better!

- Has 8 teeth... a teething over achiever!

-Still can't come to a consensus on what color eyes this beautiful girl has... I'm leaning toward Hazel...

- Takes 2, couple hour naps a day, goes to bed around 8pm and wakes to eat at 5:30 then back to bed until around 8 am. Best part is that she loves to be put to bed, most nights she smiles as I lay her in her crib.

- Loves to eat what we eat, but not such a huge fan of baby food.

- Spends about half of her awake time in her walker.

- Still as smiley as ever, so sweet! Makes me melt!

- Wearing 6-12 months, but can fit into 12-18 month clothing. Size 3 shoes.

Double Baby Shower

2011-02-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

A couple Saturdays ago Ashley and I hosted a double baby shower for two of the sweetest mom's to be out there! Since Wendy was having a boy and Tamara was having a girl, Ashley suggested we skip color and go with a white theme. PERFECT! White goes with everything and always looks crisp and fresh. The weather even decided to help out with the theme and snowed right on cue. It was really fun to plan and we had a good turn out (even with the snow).

Here are a couple shots of the banner I made. For the onesies I created the image and then printed it out using Avery iron-on transfers. It took a failed try to realize that you have to press the iron really hard, but overall was really pleased with how they turned out!

The FOOD! Yum!

Notice the Syrup and Milk containers, yes SO cute and brought to you by Ashley... such a cute idea!!

Of course I made labels for all the food ;)

The two beautiful guests of honor...

Ashely, Tamara, Wendy and I at the end of the shower... fun times!

And finally, the invite. My favorite thing to design!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

These are Lillias' Valentine cards I made for her to pass out at school, in each envelope I also put a couple chocolate kiss candies to go along with her blowing kisses theme.

Happy day of LOVE!

Wish List

2011-02-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

During these cold, mostly dark and dreary months I spent a little too much time dream online shopping...

Here are a few things that have caught my eye recently:

Hunter Wellies

Watches

I do not own any nice watches but oh do I shop for watches!

Here are a couple I have had my eyes on:

J.Crew Timex Watch

With this band..

Toy Watch -- so last year {or the year before} but I still like them!

Michele Watch -- Classic!

Michael Kors Tortoise Gold Runway Chrono Women Watch

Brooks Brothers Spring Catalog

The whole catalog is basically shot on a sailboat and looks so classic and fresh. One thing that I love are the RayBan aviators for Brooks Brothers...

J Crew New Arrivals

This outfit just looks classic and easy... kinda crushing on the simplicity

I am a sucker for peach...

I'm pretty sure that this dress will be moved from my wish list to my closet in the near future...

Swim:

Jersey Lomellina Eleanora bandeau tank

Jersey Lomellina ruffle tank

And finally not clothing or accessories...

The Martha Stewart Crafts Edition of the Cricut Cake Electronic Cutting System

Martha just makes everything better! ;o)

Lately...

2011-01-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

Once or twice a week you can find the girls and me and my parents house. Last Monday we came a little earlier than planned and so Grandpa took on both girls until Grandma came home. It was such a cute picture I couldn't resist pulling the iphone out and taking this picture.

This is a frequent sight, lately... Lillias in her princess dress watching a princess movie and Addy drinking her bottle.

One more kinda random thing, but really cool if your a mall loving mom like me....

Horrible picture, but it has everything a mom could need... diapers, wipes, bottles, binkies, etc. Placed strategically by the play-place. Genius!

Good Intentions

2011-01-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

I have heard all my life that everyone has some talent, it may be playing basketball or painting or singing, etc. I always left these discussions feeling bad because I have no obvious talents. Over the years however, I found that I could be placed with pretty much any personality and get along with them. So I chalked this up to being my "talent." I'm the "yes" girl, the one who takes almost anything on, or agrees even if I don't agree, because why hurt someone's feelings over nothing... I lately, however, have been feeling like even at this, I have been failing. I remember once raising my hand in my 7th grade class thinking that I had the PERFECT answer only to open my mouth and not be able to express my thoughts in a way that made the perfect sense it did in my head. {kinda like that sentence, haha} I have left a lot of conversations lately feeling like I had the best of intentions and my words came out all wrong. I honestly try REALLY hard to make people feel good about themselves and to be uplifted. Not sure if any of this makes any sense, but I guess my overall point to this post, is to just admit that I have short comings and that I want my friends and family to know that I really do have the best of intentions... I am SO grateful to have such good people in my life and appreciate you all and your patience with me!

**Picture taken from an etsy listing**

Christmas 2010 Part 2

2011-01-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning we hosted a brunch with both Shawn's parents and mine. I really enjoyed staying home but still having family there to participate in the morning events!

Shawn doesn't see me in the kitchen like this much so I guess he wanted to document it! HA!

Lillias woke up at 2 a.m. and then again at 3 a.m. and then for good at 6:45 a.m. So she played with her Santa gifts until Addy woke up at 9:00 {my kinda sleeper!} Addy got lots of practical things for Christmas, baby food, baby tooth brush, and a few little toys mixed in like this H&M kello kitty doll. She likes it a lot I think because of the tag on the back.

Opening her mountain of gifts!

Addy on her belly as usual, on her princess blanket from the Texas Cochran's!

Later Christmas day we headed over to Grammy and Papa's house for more present and food action!

Kristian, Amy, Dylanie and Lucus joined us for dinner. It was so fun to have them share the day with us, they really are like family!

Grammy got Lillias lots of new books for Christmas. Right before we left that evening Lillias climbed up in Grammy's lap and asked her to read one of the books, such a sweet picture!

We really missed some of the family we normally share the holiday with, but overall it was a really great Christmas!!

Kitchen Re-Do

2011-01-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well, this project started with me just wanting to redo the flooring on the 1st floor with dark wood... and turned into new flooring, trim, door trim, window trim, redoing the fireplace surround, new kitchen backsplash, counter tops, painting the cabinets and painting the kitchen walls. My husband and his friend Kristian did all of the work in record time and I painted the cabinets.

This is a picture of the poor kitchen when we moved in:

And after:

A HUGE thanks to Kristian {and his family who let us borrow him} who did the counter tops and backsplash! I am SO in love with this kitchen, it almost inspires me to cook ;o)

I was talking to Kristian and his wife Amy about it, and the only problem with the redo is that Shawn and I would love to move into a larger home in the next couple years, and this kitchen is the kitchen I'd want in the house we live in forever! Oh well, I'll enjoy as long as I live here!

iPhone Cases

2011-01-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

On January 20th I can upgrade to the iPhone 4... I am SO excited!

I have been looking around at some potential cases and can't decide...

How cool is this one, I am constantly running into stores with just my phone and wallet.. this would make that a little easier! It's a case-mate with an original price $34.99 but today on ideei.com it's $27.

Like the one above, this would be nice because it is a 2 for 1, and oh so stylish. Michael Kors designed this and you can get it on apple.com for $79.95.

This is probably my favorite, can't go wrong with classic Kate Spade. This is the polka dot version on apple.com and on the Kate Spade website they have this same case but opposite colors with white background and black dots. This one goes for $39.95.

This is the incase, case I have now on my iPhone 3Gs only I have it in white. It fit's it perfectly and is really functional but functional is no fun, right!? Priced pretty good at $34.95 also on apple.com

Decisions, Decisions...

Christmas 2010 Part 1

2011-01-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the cards!! I always leave the mail for Shawn to get, but not this time of year, I actually enjoy going to the mailbox. Lillias loved them too, if you don't see yours in the picture below it's because Lillias took a particular liking to it! ;o)

This year I designed our Christmas card using my sweet CS5 desgin skills {written with a sarcastic smirk} I still have A LOT to learn, but this is the first project where I felt like I was beginning to know what I'm doing!
I used photoshop to edit the picture just so I could add a b&w action, then I created the card using indesign. I called the printer and when he "talked shop" I actually knew what he was talking about!

Here is the front:

and, the back:

A fun labor of love!

Happy New Years 2011

2011-01-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

2010 brought many changes, the biggest and best was the addition of Adelaide Ann. She has made the past 6 months fly by. Of course she made the first 6 months of the year drag on forever {pregnancy woes} but all the heartburn, throwing up, no energy, sleepless nights, and all over body aches was SO worth it! Thank you Addy Ann for coming into my life and making my 2010 happy and memorable!

I love the potential of New Years and the opportunity it is to reflect back on the good and bad of the previous year and make goals to improve coming into the new year.

We celebrated New Years Eve with some good friends, funny games and some {a lot} of yummy food!

The above mentioned yummy food!!

Goo Goo and her buddy Dylanie

Mommy and goo goo

Daddy and goo goo {have you caught on that Addy has turned into goo goo ;)}

The girls

Shawn trying to look up the definition of "a loaded question" his definition was different than everyone else, so of course the thing to do it look it up... haha!

Watching the Ball Drop... Happy New Year 2011!

Lillias kept Grandma and Grandpa Adams company for the evening, G + G said she she celebrated until the late hour of 9p.m. and then crashed like it was 2010 :o)

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-31T13:45:00.000-08:00

Like most years we spent our Christmas Eve at my parent's house. Since we wouldn't be back over Christmas day, we opened our gifts that night. This did not disappoint Lillias, she was more than ready for a little present opening action! Addy was surprisingly good a present opening too, the girl loves paper!! Grandma and Grandpa did not disappoint getting Lillias a princess castle tent, it was the year of princess EVERYTHING!

Later that night before bed we put out a cookie, milk and a note to santa to say thanks!

A very good start to Celebrating CHRISTmas!

iphone magazine idea pictures

2010-12-29T18:52:00.000-08:00

One of my presents this Christmas was a Charles Penzone Spa gift card. So last night as I sat there enjoying my pedicure, I looked through Lucky magazine. I hate it when I see ripped out pages, there have been times where I see something I want to remember but out of respect for the next reader I don't tear anything out. So yesterday as I sat there with my iphone next to me the thought occurred to me that I should just take a picture! I'm probably the last person to think of this, but just incase you get bummed every time you see something in a magazine that you want to remember, this one is for you! ;o)

Here are some random things I wanted to check out...

I need these Band-Aid's, Lillias has her princess and Hello Kitty Band-Aid's... the sequin bling Band-Aid's are right up my ally!

Wouldn't mind this candle making my room smell wonderful! Plus in the back of the magazine they had a coupon code, can't pass that up!

I'm not a huge make-up person, but I would love to get really dressed up and "make-up-uped" and go somewhere fun... until that happens I'll take iphone photos just incase!

Addy's Adventure

2010-12-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't make my goal of posting everyday... Oh well, next month ;o)

Last Thursday we took Addy to Sweet n' Sassy to get her ears pierced! They require babies to be at least 6 months {we snuck her in 2 days early}

Poor baby was so happy and smiley before and then mean mommy and daddy let these strangers poke something through her ears. She let out one really hard/loud cry, which made me cry and lets just say that she quit crying before I did!

She has been the best baby and the only time I have ever heard her cry that loud was for shots and this :(

They are so stinkin cute though! I love my little {chubby} baby with little pearl earrings!!

At home, still with the black dot from the marker they used.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this child??!!

Blessings and Challenges of being a MOM...

2010-12-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Today I was sitting on the couch holding Adelaide with Lillias next to me and I just felt so blessed that I had the honor of raising these two little girls! Lillias is going through a rough stage right now, and most days I feel like such a failure and a mean mom lacking the patience that she deserves. As I sat there today, however, watching my girls smile and interact with each other so lovingly I had thought that everything is going to be ok, Lillias and Adelaide will turn out ok, despite Lilli's current behavior trend she will grow out of it.. {hopefully ;o)}

Cookies!

2010-12-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

I used my kitchen for the first time since I painted the cabinets and boy did I make a mess!

The cookies were super simple and yummy but I can make a mess making anything.

I got the recipe HERE.

{cookie image taken from the recipe blog, mine did not look so perfect, haha}

Got to love a season that encourages lots of treat making and consumption! ;o)

H&M Kids Rocks!

2010-12-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

I have found my new favorite place to buy Lillias' clothing... H&M! One opened by me late fall, and I just made it there for the first time tonight... LOVE! Cheap to make the hubby happy and rocker chic to make me happy ;)

They even have an app, yes I am convinced that they have an app for EVERYTHING!

Christmas Sunday

2010-12-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

I found matching dresses for the girls this year to wear to church today, kinda cheesy but I think they look cute dressed the same!

We are getting pretty excited for Christmas here at our house!

Christmas Party

2010-12-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our Church Christmas Party, I went early to help out and Shawn was in charge of getting the girls ready... he did a pretty good job, the girls were both reasonably dressed and he was only 20 mins late! ;o)

I think I look a little crazy eyed in this picture, but people kept saying how cool it was that Addy and I coordinated, so here is one of me and my girl...

What a difference a year makes, this year she was very eager to tell Santa that she has been a good girl and wants Sleeping Beauty Earrings! Funny girl!

Adelaide at Six Months

2010-12-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

Last night Lillias stayed the night at Grandma and Grandpa Adams house so it was just Addy and I this morning. Addy has been sick with a cold, but instead of being a cranky baby she slept until 10am and woke up happy. Looking so cute even sick, here is a picture I snapped of her at {almost} 6 months...

Got to Love Audrey...

2010-12-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles." — Audrey Hepburn

Lillias' Preschool Christmas Program

2010-12-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today Lillias had her preschool Christmas Program. The Grandparents on both sides and Uncle Scott all came to watch her in action. It was so sweet to see my little girl up on stage singing and dancing {wiggling}.

Lillias lead the group into the room, Miss Vickie {her teacher} to her right.

I love that she goes to school at a church and they incorporated the real meaning of Christmas into the show! Lillias is REALLY excited to get presents this Christmas, she defiantly gets that part about the holiday but isn't to interested in the part about Jesus. Every night in our prayer we say something about remembering the real meaning of Christmas and how it is because of Christ's birth that we celebrate Christmas {i.e. get presents ;)}

Here is the school tree with all the kids hands, so cute!

If I wasn't still painting...

2010-12-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

If I wasn't still painting the cabinets, I would be making these fabulous Christmas crafts:

Top Left: Button Wreath Ornament by Martha Stewart

Bottom Left: Baby Sock Advent Calendar by Martha Stewart

Middle: Wrapping in Style via 6th Street Design

Top Right: Cookie Puzzle by Martha Stewart

Bottom Right: Christmas Card Holder Wreath by Fern Creek Cottage

Random Kid-Cuteness!

2010-12-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have taken a lot of pictures on my iphone since I got it almost two years ago, and hardly ever do anything with them. I love looking back through them though, because it's like a timeline of the places we have gone and the things that make up our daily lives.

Today I thought I'd share a few of my favorites from the last couple months...

Poor little neglected child passed out watching cartoons today while I was {still} painting. What makes my neglect worse is that she has a cold :( Still so cute!!

Lillias got a kids meal at sonic a couple months ago and took it to the food court at the mall... this was the rockin toy. She thought they were cool for all of about 1 minute {thankfully, haha}

More random playtime shots of my happy baby!

While I wasn't looking Lilli got into my wallet and took out all my money, she usually just goes for the coins but this day she took me for all I had. It wasn't a small amount either. We have been really focusing on sharing lately and so when I asked her to put it all back into my wallet she informed me that I needed to share and handed me a 1 dollar bill. Mind you it was the only one mixed in with 20's! Smart girl! ;o)

There is lots of sisterly loven going on at our house. It is so amazing to watch these two together!

I am a blessed mama!!

Art Work = Photographs

2010-12-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

When I was first married and learning to decorate a home I thought I needed traditional art work to fill my walls. I have since learned about myself that I'm not a traditional art worky type of person... I love photographs! Mostly of the people I love, but I also photographs of random things that make up daily life.

I stumbled on a blog that I have since forgotten, but they mentioned that if you go to the canvas people website you can get a free canvas print! {You just have to pay shipping} Check it out....

While I was Painting...

2010-12-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

So Sweet!

So Far...

2010-12-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

For all the hours I have spent thinking about and then working you'd think I'd be further along... But here it is so far {forgive the iphone quality picture}. My excuse for not being further along is that Shawn got into a car accident that totaled his car the night before last... now that sounds worse than it was, his car was a junker. The airbags did go off and so he is pretty sore, but overall he is ok. So his focus has been on finding a new car, while I work on the cabinets with my two helpers ;o) One of these days I hope I'll look at them and say "oh that was totally worth it!" Hopefully....

Oh and notice my favorite thing, out of everything..... THE BACKSPLASH! I love it!!!

See ya in a year...

2010-12-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Well not really, but I am up to my eye balls in never-ending cabinet dust! Yesterday and today we worked on getting the wood filler on all the doors to get rid of the grain and then sanding them down. Tomorrow we will prime and hopefully get the first coat of paint... wish me luck!

Back to the freezing cold garage I go... to sand, sand, sand!

Etsy Love

2010-12-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

You that know me, know that I am a huge Etsy fan! People are SO creative!! One store that is filled with loveliness and great gift source is The Sweet Life by Design. Check her store and blog out, you won't be disappointed, especially if you are a ruffle lover like I am!

I love these Iphone cases!

Pretty sure I need these towels in my bathroom!

Who wouldn't love these tissue holders, cute and functional!

We had a tiny visitor....

2010-12-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that my three year old is addicted to binkies! A couple days ago, however, a tiny visitor dropped by our house. THE BINKY FAIRY!

We have had a fairy door for a couple years now, but this was our first fairy visit ;o)

Lillias woke up to find a little trail of glitter {fairy dust} and a note by the fairy door. Without hesitation Lillias handed me the binky to give to the binky fairy.

Here are the notes I made from the fairy to leave...

We have been talking to her a lot about this coming and she had even requested her binky fairy present. Princess of course!

A very creative friend made the fairy door for me, she has a fabulous blog!

I have been impressed with Lilli not asking for the binky back, but she has been a little more grumpy than normal. I keep telling myself that it will get better, hopefully it will. No turning back now!

Love to Shop??....

2010-12-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Christmas I found lots of new sites to tempt me! If my daily e-mails from jcrew where not enough now I have several more to fill my inbox with temptation!

Here are some of my new finds in online deals... Enjoy {I know I have ;o)}

Fashion:

Think Filene's Basement meets the internet on speed!

Rue La La {LOVE this one!}

Ideeli

Gilt

Beyond the Rack

Gifts and Home Decor:

Children:

Random Local Goodness:

Living Social

Groupon

T-Minus 1 Day!

2010-12-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the last day of the quarter for me! I underestimated how hard going back to school would be with kids {one that can not leave me for more than a couple hours} and Shawn also in school. I learned a lot and over I am glad I did it, but it has been stressful finding uninterrupted time to devote to school. I can proudly say that I have an A and lots of new design knowledge under my education belt, but will enjoy having a little free time again!

Designing Away... For a VERY special person!

2010-12-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

My nephew Ryan holds a special place in my heart, he joined our family 8 years ago and made me an aunt for the first time. He is such a special spirt. He is an obedient, sweet, thoughtful, SMART, handsome guy! I was reading back through my journals a couple weeks ago and came across several entries where sweet Ryan made my life a little bit easier.

When Ryan was around 4 years old, Lisa and Ryan had stayed the night at my mom's house. I was about 7 weeks pregnant and had just left a doctor appointment where I found out that I had been pregnant with twins and one had died and the other was not looking like it would make it either. I was devastated and drove straight from the appointment to my mom's knowing that she and Lisa would both be there. As I was telling my mom the news we both started crying. Ryan who had been playing in the other room came in to see me with tears down my face, ran into my arms and gave me a hug. It was perfect timing and much needed.

The next experience {of many}was also when he was 4ish years old and we were living with my in-laws, Ryan was staying the night and I was sick. He got up pretty early {pretty sure he still does} came into my room and wanted to play, to which I informed him that I was sick and staying in bed. A little while later he came back into my room with a bottle of medicine and a dixie cup of water to "fix me." My mother in law told me later that he came rushing into her room where she had been sleeping and told her that I was sick and needed medicine. She got him the bottle and helped him fill the cup of water all at his request.

I am so blessed to be a part Ry Ry's {pretty sure he doesn't like to be called that anymore} life!

About a month ago he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints out in Austin and I was unable to go. Lisa, however, asked me to make the programs for the event. I was so glad she did because even though I was not there to cheer on the boy I love so much, I felt apart of the day.

Here is the program I designed:

Front and Back

Inside

Addy Ann's First Teeth!

2010-12-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

My sweet Addy Ann is 5 months {as of nov. 25th actually}!! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by! She is such a joy to have around, always smiling.

On November 18th I noticed two little teeth poking through. Now her smile is just that much cuter with her little "mouse" teeth as Lillias calls them!

Fall in Review

2010-12-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

Since I am looking at this blog basically as a scrapbook/journal I want to make sure I don't leave out the fun activities that made our Fall fun this year! So to recap here are a couple events...

First was a trip to the Olentangy Indian Caverns, it was the perfect crisp Fall day!

We went with the Holloway's, England's, and the Torgesen's. A fun group with lots of cute friends for Lillias to make silly faces with!

Addy went in and out of naps the whole way through the cold damp caves, such a little trooper!

Reese and Lilli making each other crack up!

Classic Lillias bossing the situation! HA! She loved mining for "jewels!"

The day after we visited the caverns, Lillias had her school field trip to the pumpkin patch. Grandma and Grandpa Adams' came up to watch Addy Ann while mommy and Lillias went to the farm. This was the first time since Adelaide was born that Lillias and I did something just the two of us!

Right after I snapped this picture the pony bit her finger, she was not happy about it either!

Lilli with her preschool class and Miss Vickie! The sweetest teacher, Lillias LOVES her!

Hello December!

2010-12-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Confession, I probably spend about an hour {sometimes a lot more} a day reading blogs. I start with one of my favorites and by the time I'm finished I have jumped from that one to the one she recommended to the one that, that one recommends.... on and on and on.... It's so neat that I can connect with people who live sometimes around the world through similar life circumstances all through a small personal blog. I, however, am not so great about posting. So many times things I see or that happen each day make me think "I should blog about that" but never seem to find the time to do it. So, since today is December 1st {CRAZY!} my goal is to post once a day for the entire month! That way when I make one of these Blurb Blog to Books it will be filled with lots of the details that fill up our days!

Happy December!!

Building Family Memories!

2010-11-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago on a beautiful fall night we went as a family to Easton to "walk around" a.k.a. shop ;o)

I love photo-booths and the candid shots you get as a result. Not sure why Shawn's face is blurry, but still a memory maker!

p.s. if you happen to look at this in the next couple hours {until midnight tonight} check out the minky couture website I have linked on the bottom right side of my blog for a giveaway. Super easy all you have to do is put their button on your website and then send them the link, your address and the mini minky you would like your little prince or princess to cosy up to. Thanks to Ashley for posting this on facebook!! Addy will LOVE it!

3 Halloween's in 2010

2010-11-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween Adventures started on Thursday night with trick or treating in my mom and dad's neighborhood. This was the first and only night Addy got into her ladybug costume, as you can see from the picture she was not loving it! Lillias on the other hand loved her costume made by her fabulous seamstress a.k.a grandma Adams! She went back and forth for months leading up to Halloween on which princess she wanted to be, it landed on Cinderella! I was pleased with this choice because being blonde and having blue eyes she made a pretty cinderella! {just a little biased} Next came our church trunk or treat which was really fun because she got to play with all her friends. And finally came trick or treating on the real Halloween at Grammy and Papa's. Lots of fun and LOTS of candy!

Lillias with the cousins at the church trunk or treat.

In the midst of all her friends at trunk or treat.

In Grammy and Papa's neighborhood trick or treating... just couldn't wait to eat the pink sucker! She asked everyone handing out treats for PINK candy! Funny girl!

Lately...

2010-10-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

We have been keeping REALLY busy lately. I am taking a graphic design class {hoping to put another degree under my belt} it's probably going to take about 100 years at the one class per quarter rate I am going at. I'm glad I can fall back on teaching, but am really enjoying this major and kinda wishing that I would have done this the first time around.... With Shawn back in school too it is hard to fit in homework time, but overall it's working out. Friends, Family and church are taking advantage of my new design hobby, which is keeping me busy but is good experience.

Time is flying by and Addy is four months {still need to do a photo shoot to document that} Lillias is loving preschool and mommy is too! ;o) Last week we had two excursions one with some friends and the other with her school, pictures to come...

We are really enjoying the crisp Fall weather and since daddy is away at work, school or studying much of the time we girly girls have gotten into a good routine just the three of us. I am loving our time spent together! Thankful to Shawn for working hard at work and school!

hAPPY fALL and hALLOWEEN wEEKEND!

Love This!

2010-10-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs I follow madebygirl posted these pictures from photographer Jen Thompson's studio. I love the lofty modern shabby chic look she used! If I ever {probably never will} have a big fun work space to decorate I would like it to look like this!

Texas Ya'll!

2010-10-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

I just got back from beautiful Austin visiting my lovely sister and her new adorable addition, Chloe Belle!

Addy and I flew in on Saturday and flew out Wednesday, a quick trip! I wish I would have taken more pictures but below are a few...

I can't remember exactly what this place was called but it was SO gorgeous!! The rain chased us out after about 30 mins but I was glad that we had beat the rain long enough to take in the view!!

Of course the trip wouldn't be complete without some shopping ;) We did a little of that at the outdoor mall by Lisa's house. Below are the best we got with the girly girl cousins together...

My Sweet Adelaide at 3 Months

2010-10-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from her 3 month photo shoot. I saw this dress at Janie and Jack and could not leave without it! It made the perfect prop!

There has been some debate in our household on how to get these cute bows to stay put on her little head. My mom used Elmer's glue when I was little to get the bows to stay, so that's what I used. Shawn however thought this was strange and did not think I should use glue... it has worked out great so far! Ha!

Adelaide is still the best baby, I love her to pieces!!!

{p.s. this post is about 2.5 weeks behind}

1st Day of Preschool

2010-09-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Lillias started preschool! She has been a mixed bag of excited and hesitant about this day. It was so cute to see her walk right into her classroom and feel right at home playing with the all the toys. Lillias is the youngest child, but with her height and overall outgoingness you'd never know it! She will go Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:30 - 3pm which is right during her nap... so we'll see how that plays out...

Her teacher is Miss Vickie, she seems to really love working with this age. We are excited to have her as our teacher this year!

A couple days ago we went to her 3 year well check and here are her stats:

Height: 38 1/4" -- 70th percentile

Weight: 31 1/2 lbs -- 55th percentile

My beautiful big girl is growing up SO fast!

Lillias' Birthday Party

2010-09-02T12:45:00.001-07:00

When I asked Lillias what kind of party she wanted this year she said a princess party... no surprise there! Everything is pink and princess for this girl! When I originally made up the invitations I made them in two different color options pink and red or pink and purple. The pink and purple won Lilli over immediately!

We reserved the Orange Park Shelter for the event, which worked out great. The kids seemed to have fun going between the shelter and the playground equipment.

A family Shot

Taking a whack at the pinata, so funny to watch the kids seriously whacking this poor pinata!

Blowing out ALL three candles!

Grandpa Adams, we sure do love him!

As soon as anyone would put down a present on the present table, Lillias was right there to open it up! No long drawn out present opening session at this party! ;)

The dessert table

Crown rice crispy treats with pink sprinkles, pink and purple lollipops, and cotton candy cones!

For the favors I made up these personalized bubbles.

I made cupcakes and then topped them with fondont toppers made by twosugarbabies on Etsy.

They turned out so cute, even though she sent half of them with a "1" instead of a "3" ...

For the table centerpiece I used a large mason jar and filled it with pink and purple nerds with a pink and purple balloon tied around the rim and princess wands around the jar.

Place settings

The present table after Lillias got through with it!

A fun night with friends and family celebrating Lillias!

Cousins

2010-08-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

My sister Lisa and I are super close and when we found out we were both pregnant 2 months apart and both having girls we were very excited! It been so nice to be able to waddle together through this pregnancy and postpartum journey together!

Chole's picture above was taken a couple days after she was born and Adelaide's was taken the night she was born. (Both cell phone pictures) We think they kinda look a like....

Happy Birthday Lillias!

2010-08-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

A few random things about Lillias at age three:

Lilli loves to hold her sister ALL the time!

She wakes up around 6 a.m.

When wakes up she comes down to our room with a huge smile and says “Good Morning, Mommy!”

Goes to bed around 8p.m.

Loves nuggets and “cheesy” which is mac and cheese.

Drinks about 5 sippy cups of chocolate milk a day.

Loves to eat ice like her mama.

Is very fond of “treats” candy, ice cream, pudding, doughnuts, cookies....

Still loves to play with hair.

Still has the binky... bad I know!

She is always carrying “treasures” around in plastic baggies (treasures can include anything from her princess brush to coins to our old camera).

If she is awake she is by my side pretty much from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed.

She is a non-stop talker, and talks very well for her age!

Snow White is her favorite princess and princess movie, but loves anything and everything princess.

Loves to sing, her favorite songs are currently “Honey Honey” by ABBA and the theme from Sleeping Beauty.

Wears a size 3T in clothing and size 8 in shoes.

Her favorite thing to wear is a pink dress that at this point looks like it is very loved! She wears pretty much every day, but only at home because it is so worn out I am too embarrassed to let her wear it in public anymore...

Still hates to have her hair done, but a new development she will let me put in a pony tail when we go out.

Loves to color.

Walks on her toes, and as a result has strong and defined calf muscles.

Most people call her Lilli, but if you ask her what her name is she will tell you Lillias.

Sometimes cries when she doesn't get her way but if you ask her “are you being tricky” her cry turns to laughter... typically;)

Can “read” the book Moo Baa La La La by heart.

And finally, her mommy and daddy are so honored to be her parents! Happy 3^rd Birthday Lillias!!

Celebrating Lillias

2010-08-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

Lillias turns three tomorrow, so we took her out for a day of fun today! First, we went to Sweet and Sassy to get her nails done. She asks at least once a day to have her nails painted so I thought this would be right up her ally! She looked so cute picking out the color and getting them done! She picked out pink without any hesitation, such a girly girl! They painted them and then while they were drying, sprayed her hair with glitter spray and put a glitter pink star on her face. She was in heaven! Next she and daddy went to Dave and Busters to play games while mommy fed Addy and then we ate lunch at Max and Erma's where Lillias had a huge birthday ice cream sunday! Yum!

Fall = Urge for New Wardrobe

2010-08-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Maybe it stems from the new clothes I got every fall for back-to-school, but without fail every fall I look into my closet and think I have nothing to wear! Now, obviously this isn't true... but nothing I see excites me. This year is especially bad because just having a baby things don't fit the same way they did pre-second baby. Plus watching the new season of The Rachel Zoe Project and seeing all the designer lines is just icing on my unhappy wardrobe cake! {At this point I have to include a disclaimer: I know in the grand scheme of things material things are not important. But they are FUN!}

I love how this season J Crew takes a comfy casual top and pairs it with a sparkly skirt {picture below} or a great pair of heals.

Now I just need someone to finance this years shopping spree.... any takers ;o)

Find of the Day!!!

2010-08-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

On my morning blog hop, I stumbled upon this soothie holder! Addy loves her soothie, but it pops out after about a minute (or less) I have to put it back it in and then repeat this process over and over and over....

The reviews are all five star so I am very hopeful that this will help her keep the bink in!

It's kinda sad what excites me these days!

The life of a sleep deprived mom!

2010-08-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

So sad, but true when you are a new mom! Four straight hours is a GREAT thing! Sometimes I even get five! Addy goes to bed around 10:30pm sleeps until 3:30 eats, then goes right back to sleep until 6am eats, and then wakes again around 8 or 9am. Can't complain she is a really good little sleeper, well, for being 6 weeks old... :o)

Thought of the Day!

2010-08-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

"If life gets too hard to stand, kneel"

- Gordon B. Hinckley

UTAH!

2010-08-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Growing up I didn't spend my summers at disneyland or Florida at the sunny beach.... I spent them in Utah. That was our family vacation EVERY year. My two sisters, mom and me would pack into our station wagon and drive across the country to the state of Utah. Now, I have never been to disneyland, which many of you might think is a form of child neglect, but I do have the best childhood vacation memories anyone could ask for!

My parents recently made that cross-country drive, which has made me think a lot about these family trips. Most of my extended family lived/live in Utah and we spent the majority of our time between three cities: Logan, Salt Lake and Monticello.

My dad grew up in Logan and to this day, my heart skips a beat when I hear someone mention Logan! I have the best memories of my Grandma Adams and all our adventures there. Down Canyon road was the all brick house with the ivy growing up the side where my dad grew up. We would sit in the back yard drinking black cherry IBC and watching the lambs in the side yard (Yes one of those lambs did knock me down in poop, but I still remember them fondly:)) My Grandma Lillias took such good care of us grandkids, making sure that we were always entertained. She would make canoes out of cucumbers, all of us grandkids spent hours with those "canoes" sending them down the little stream in front of their house. I always slept down in the cold basement, mostly because it was so dark in the mornings that I would sleep in. I thought I was so cool sleeping in, not sure why, but I was so proud! I usually missed Grandma Lillias' big breakfast, which I regret now! The Logan temple was such a special place in my Grandma's heart, she spent a lot of time there and I always wanted to get married there. I settled for the Columbus temple :) Another place that we frequented was Kings, Grandma would take all of us grandkids in her big black car (she was so tiny and looked even more so in this honkin car) to each pick out a toy. I was always excited about this adventure, loving to shop even at an early age! On to the food of Logan, the squeaky cheese, blue bird chocolates and banana creamies! Yummy! The Budge family cabin (my dad's sister's family) in Logan was another big attraction! Lots of rope swinging, fishing, snake catching/releasing :), tubing down the canal was all done here.

On to Salt Lake where my mom's family lived, we spent most of our time at my Grandma Johnson's house. The garage was always open and filled with tools and boy things that kept my Grandpa busy, and in the driveway was the trailer that we would take to the Johnson family reunion campout each year. In the backyard was a huge garden filled with carrots, beans, tomatoes and other yummy veggies. This is the place (other than the garage) that you could find my Grandpa Johnson! I loved pulling a carrot straight from the ground and swinging in the yard while eating it! A favorite activity and memory for I'm sure all of the Johnson grandkids was the go-cart! My grandpa would load up all my cousins and take us to the church parking lot where we would take timed turns taking this thing for a spin! It was a BIG deal! Daniel and Chelise (my mom's brother's kids) lived pretty close to my Grandma and Grandpa Johnson and my sisters and I spent quite a bit of time at their house. We loved how they had pop and could watch movies that at home we couldn't! I'm pretty sure that Lisa and Daniel watched Dirty Dancing about a hundred times and the same could be said for Chelise and I watching Top Gun! So many great memories, and while we give our parents grief for this ALWAYS being our vacation destination, I wouldn't change it for time at disneyland or anywhere else!

Grandpa Adams, my dad and me with my tube in Logan.

Rope Swing at the Budge Cabin. Cousin David and Michael in the background.

The Adams' sisters (Don't my lovely older sisters look happy!) haha

Boating with the Johnson Uncles!

Fun Times!!

Adelaide at One Month

2010-07-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

My little Adelaide is one month old! It seems like just yesterday I was taking my dollar store pregnancy test and asking Shawn if I was crazy or was there really two lines :o)

She is starting to be awake more and thinks she needs to be held or eating most of that awake time. Most of her life so far she has been sick with congestion, poor little thing doesn't know what it's like to breath normally. She has almost out grown the nightgown she wore in the hospital, and is starting to fit into a lot of the 0-3 month clothes that were to big on her for the first couple weeks. While I was pregnant and miserable I just kept reminding myself that at the end of this I got a baby to cuddle, and now I do a lot of that. Last night while Shawn was holding her she fell asleep he asked if he should put her in her chair, to which I replied NOPE! I want to cuddle my growing-to-fast baby!

Here are some pictures I took yesterday since it was her official 1 Month:

Adelaide is a Blessed Girl

2010-07-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday Adelaide had her blessing. At just over three weeks old, it was a little sooner than babies are typically blessed but we wanted to have Grandma and Grandpa Adams there... and since they are leaving tomorrow for Utah and then on to Texas for the next month in a half to two months we did not mind doing it early. Shawn kept the circle to mostly family, his father, my dad, Eric, Scott, the bishopric and Kristian. Adelaide was her perfect self during the blessing and all through the meeting. She wore the same blessing dress that Lillias wore, which of course, was made by my mama! It was a bit big (a lot big :)) but it was still so cute on her!

Grammy and Papa Cochran Grandma and Grandpa Adams

Our Family Shot

Shawn was mad that I had sunglasses on (he thinks it's tacky in pictures) but it was SO sunny, I couldn't look ahead without squinting. So tacky or not her I am with my sunglasses, looking a bit more comfortable than either him or Lillias! ;)

A good day!

Judge Away...

2010-07-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

So while I was in the hospital Lillias stayed with my in-laws and my sister-in-law's family who are currently living with them. After some talking to about big-sisters not needing a binky, she gave it to them. Now this ordinarily would have been a great thing (especially since she is almost 3) but, when I came home my sweet Lillias was a VERY different child. I'm sure some of the cranky, won't calm down different child behavior was due to the new baby... but I really felt that a lot of the problem was that she had lost her binky, i.e. her comfort. So after two weeks and a lot of tears on both of our parts I gave her back the bink! Even my parents noticed a big difference, she is back! She calms down and even cuddles again! Now I realize that I am just putting off the inevitable... but timing is everything and the time is not now :)

Hello, my name is binky enabler, and I'm proud of it!

My two girls!

The Birth

2010-07-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Adelaide's Birth Story

From the start of this pregnancy I knew that I would be induced at around 38 weeks, because of the shots I was taking daily to prevent a blood clot like I had with Lillias' pregnancy. I was more than o.k. with going two weeks early, and I liked the idea of knowing and being prepared for her arrival. By the time I was close to my scheduled induction I was miserable. Constant heart burn, still throwing up every morning and sometimes through out the day, I was swollen, hot and over all just uncomfortable. So the 25^th couldn't have come fast enough!

The morning of my induction I arrived at Riverside Hospital at 7 a.m. My nurse, Mary was so nice, which was such a relief because you spent a lot of quality time with your delivery nurse! I brought my own cute hospital gown which was made by Grandma Judy. The whole day every nurse or doctor that came in commented on the gown, they were all being so careful not to get it messy, which made my mom and I laugh because we designed it/made it to have a baby in, or in other words to get dirty! After putting the gown on and getting into bed, Mary got right to work trying (key word trying) to get my iv started. I have never had any issues with this in the past but for some reason she could not get a good vein. During this process I started to feel really faint and nauseous, a few seconds later I was throwing up. Welcome to LABOR! She started the potocin drip and foley catheter to get my cervix dilated at around 8:30 a.m. By 10:30 the contractions had gotten pretty strong and close together. At this point she tugged on the foley and it came right out. This made the contractions a little bit more bearable, but still very uncomfortable, so the epidural was next on the list. With Lillias my epidural wore off after a couple hours and they had to re-do it, so I was nervous that this would happen again, but it was very effective the first time, this time around. While I was getting the epidural Shawn got up from his chair and walked towards the window, the nurse and anesthesiologist immediately asked if he was o.k. and advised him to sit down because he looked really pale. I think he was embarrassed, and blamed in on being cold in the room, but he was really pale. Poor guy, can't be easy to watch all these iv's and needles all day long! The rest of the day was pain-free and although I think the epidural slowed down my contractions a little bit, it was wonderful to be able to relax through the process and prepare to push when the time came. That time was around 6 p.m. Dr. Shepherd let me know that I was dilated to 10 cm and it was time to push. I have to admit that while I was SO excited to meet Adelaide, I was very comfortable and was in no rush to get to work. I really wanted to take in this experience, since it only happens a couple times in life. I was choked up from the moment I started to push, knowing that at any minute I was going to meet my second daughter. Such a special honor! After 19 minutes of pain-free pushing, Adelaide Ann made her entrance into our lives. She was a beautiful dark haired baby weighing in at 7 pounds 2 ounces. 20 inches long and her head was 14 inches. Lisa, Grandma Adams and Shawn were in the room and all very excited to meet sweet Adelaide. She was so alert and calm from the moment she came out. As soon as they had her wrapped up and taken her stats they gave her back to me, Dr. Shepherd asked if I wanted to nurse her (which I was not looking forward to, Lillias was not the best nurser and it was REALLY difficult at first) but Adelaide latched right on. It was so amazing, after my experience with Lillias, that Adelaide just did it with very little assistance.

Overall it was a very easy delivery and recovery. Avery positive hospital experience. Adelaide is 2 weeks old today as I am writing this and is such a good baby. We are very humbled to have been blessed with her as a member of our family!

Just after arriving in our room.

A shot of the gown. (And the slippers that I bought for the hospital and Shawn said I wouldn't use... totally used them!! ;)

Official weigh in.

First mommy baby moments, so precious!

On the way to the recovery room.

Probably my favorite picture from the hospital.

The day after Adelaide was born she met her big sister. It was so neat to see her reaction to the new addition. She is going to be such a great sister!

Dr. Shepherd on Adelaide's second morning. She has made both pregnancy experiences very positive, I feel very lucky to have her as my doctor!!

Adelaide

2010-07-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

LOVE THIS GIRL!

Adelaide is just over two weeks old and such a good baby, hardly ever cries, so sweet. She is sick with a cold that started Saturday night and is still the perfect baby. I am a lucky mom!

Lisa's Baby Shower

2010-06-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

It's Baby Girl Shower for Lisa!

My sister, who has two boys, is having a girl in August! So, I wanted to throw her a small shower while she was back in Ohio with the family and friends here. I spent the last month crafting away here and there, which was a nice way to pass the time until my little one makes her appearance later this week!

Here are a few shots of the decor and FOOD! YUM!

Pregnant Mom's Dessert Table

{p.s. did it again... spelled dessert desert on the sign, good thing it was only close family and friends that have to love me even though I can't spell :) LOL}

Favor Bags filled with Hershey Bliss Chocolates

Such a fun day to visit and celebrate Lisa and the soon-to-be arrival of baby Chloe!

Designing Away...

2010-06-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

I am no expert at Photoshop, but I am learning and loving the positive feedback that I am getting from you lovely friends! After I posted a couple of projects I made, my sis Lisa asked me to do a couple for her. I made her some gift tags for her boys using images that describe a few of their current interests. Ethan is a train-manic! It's amazing what that boy can create if you put a box of tracks in front of him! Ryan, a boy of MANY talents, rocks at guitar hero! So, I thought a guitar for him would work perfectly!

Lisa also had this cool idea to instead of bringing the traditional lasagna over after someone has a baby, to make some of her homemade energy bars. What mom wouldn't love to grab a yummy HEALTHY snack while trying to figure out how to be a new mom!? So I made her some labels and tags to fancy up her fabulous bar idea!!

Sweet and Sour

2010-05-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

People often ask if my pregnancy is easier this time around, NOPE! I have been just as sick, but this time around I have all the pregnancy symptoms that you can think of, that I didn't with Lillias. I'm hot, swollen, have horrible all day/night heartburn, back aches, belly aches and am still throwing up at least once a day. Oh, and I give myself a shot every night to make sure that I do not get a blood clot this time around. Love that part {Not at all actually}

Saying all that, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to meet and raise another little girl. I stare at Lillias all the time in wonderment, so strange that I have a child soon to be two children! It is such a blessing in my life to be a mother!

Big Girl Accomplishments

2010-05-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

Lillias is getting to be such a big girl, can't believe that she will be 3 in August! She is awesomely WILD, full of spunk and energy. Constantly talking and moving! While talking with my mom the other day, I admitted that I do not give her enough credit for her sweet little spirt and the GOOD girl she actually is. All the mommy's out there will appreciate that last January at 29 months she potty trained herself. No kidding, my mom had her that day and asked if she wanted to put her pee pee in the potty and low and behold, she did. She continued to do so all day and even pooped in the potty for daddy that night! From that point on diapers were not necessary, no fuss! I'm not sure how I got out of potty training, but I'm sure glad I did!

SO, since baby #2 is due in about a month we thought she needed to move into her "big girl" room and into a twin bed, from her crib. I really had fun decorating this room for her, and although I still need to add a few final details here it is.....

Saturday night was the big night!

Fresh from the bath, she looked almost a nervous as I felt! I thought for sure it would be a LONG night, but it was so much better than expected! She did come downstairs about a 1/2 hour after we put her to bed and then once again at about 2:30 a.m. I heard her calling my name at the top of the steps {1st floor master} Both times she went right back into her bed. Sunday and last night she stayed in bed all night! Best part is that she had been waking up between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. every morning, but since then has slept until at least 7:30!!!

Next hurdle, the binky! Stay tuned for that one....

Accepted!

2010-05-22T16:46:00.001-07:00

After a couple years of talking about going back to school to get his MBA, Shawn applied and was accepted to Ohio State's MBA {Masters of Business Administration} program.

Guess when he starts.....?? June 21st! Guess when I am going to be induced.....?? June 23rd or 24th! Crazy timing, but I'm so proud of my hubby!

He is scheduled, has already bought a shinny new laptop and is very excited to start the program. Wish us luck we might both need it! ;)

Random...

2010-05-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of working down my never ending list of "things to do before baby" but in the mean time I have a very busy little girl who wants to do everything girly! She got such a kick out of mommy painting her nails pretty and then an even bigger kick out of painting mommy's nails PRETTY. Here is how we spent last Sunday afternoon....

This is where the Random part comes into play. I found an old SD card and what was on it?? Parade of Homes pictures. I haven't been to one in a few years because my POH partner {sister Lisa} has since moved away. The hubby has no interest in paying to see homes :o)

Below are a few shots that must have caught my eye at the time...

tHE cLEAN gUEST rOOM lOOK

i'M pRETTY sURE tHIS iS a lAUNDRY rOOM

cUTE cRAFT rOOM

Crafty Projects

2010-05-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

When most people find out that I am having another girl they give me the "oh, that's ok. are you happy?" Believe me when I say that I am 100% ok with having ANOTHER girl! I love all the pink and dresses and bows and everything girly that comes along with having another girl! With Lillias I really didn't go overboard with clothes and accessories, but this time around I have to admit that I might have gone a tiny bit crazy....

I have been working on some projects to finish the nursery and one of them was to frilly-up the barebones white lamp I bought to go on the side table. The nursery colors are pink and brown so I used a sheer pink fabric and pink toile along with some brown flowers cut from brown felt. With the left over supplies I made a headband modeled by Lillias that will be for Adelaide, since my sweet 2.5 year old refuses to wear anything in her hair for longer than a minute. {No joke, really a minute, this photo-shoot lasted ONE minute!}

Making my mom proud for all those times she showed me to sew, I actually threaded a needle, sewed on the pearls and then sewed the flower to the headband! Yay!

I really like the finished product, kinda shabby chic.

Oh, so that's what you look like!

2010-04-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we went to First Expressions and had an 3d/4d ultrasound done. Amazing! It was so fun to see this sleeping beauty in action. She had been really active all day, so I wasn't surprised when she was snoozing away by evening when we had this done. The ultrasound tech was so sweet to keep trying for well over 25 minutes even though our package was for 10, so we could get some good images. Towards the end Adelaide seemed to be getting upset that we were bugging her to move around, because she started to make little pouty faces. Again, amazing, that I can watch her inside my ever growing belly! She even appears to have the Lillias nose, so cute!

Dinner afterwards at Mellow Mushroom Pizza, so YUMMY!

I have not enjoyed this pregnancy overall, it's been physically miserable, but seeing Adelaide in action and feeling her move make it bearable. Seeing Lillias makes me remember what I get at the end of this wonderful (said sarcastically) journey and makes it all worthwhile!

8 more weeks to GO....

Photoshop Projects

2010-04-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

As previously posted I have been learning the ropes of photoshop. In the beginning I thought it would be a good way to take care of the photos I have taken over the past couple years but have done nothing with... But, I have discovered that I can do a lot more than just scrapbook!

I have some frames in the nursery that I hung for Lillias but never filled (sad since she is 2.5 years old, I know!) So, I made some prints for Adelaide's nursery to finally fill them!

My next project was gift tags, I like making cards but for the same reason I haven't scrapbooked in a couple years I never seem to make cards. Buying cards just doesn't seem like too much fun ;) So, I made gift labels to just stick right on the present. Sticker paper is great!

We went to a double birthday party last weekend and that provided the perfect opportunity to try them out.

Happy Easter 2010

2010-04-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year! Helping out was the fabulous weather, can't beat 70 and sunny for a Easter Sunday!

We didn't go to wild with the eggs, I've seen some pretty amazing ones this year. It was fun to watch Lillias' drop the eggs in the color and then get excited when they came out a fun new color!

The Easter Bunny was good to Lilli this year, it seems like he has gotten even more generous than when I was little. Although, I do have fond memories of the squirt gun I got each year. Living in warm Texas that was the perfect gift!

Finding the eggs hidden around the house...

Fun at the Zoo!

2010-04-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Finally spring has arrived and that means fun at the zoo again!

Grandma and Grandpa Adams joined us for rides, food, and animals at the zoo's annual Easter event.

My Birthday / Trip to Texas

2010-03-15T13:53:00.001-07:00

This year I celebrated my 27th birthday in Austin at my sister Lisa's. It was the perfect little week getaway, sleep-in everyday, shopping, good food and great company! The day I got in I was swept away to a yummy dinner at the Hula Hut followed by an hour full body massage (my birthday gift from my sweet sister) and then finally back to her house for a mini birthday party with quite a few of her friends. Back to the massage, it was a pregnancy massage and was SO perfect after a long day of travel!! Thanks Lisa!

Eating the delicious cupcakes Lisa made to celebrate my day. Lillias was on the phone singing me happy birthday too!

(Obviously time stamps aren't right, I promise they are from this year :))

Look at that spread! Go Lisa!

One late evening I had the craving for some french fries, so Lisa took me to "Mighty Fine" I would compare it to "Five Guys." There they had this cool hand washer, and stickers to prove that you had indeed washed your hands.

Don't ya love the mini old fashion Coke! ($2.25 later)

Another party, this was a baby shower for one of Lisa's friends. It was in the most beautiful neighborhood, and the house was amazing! The food was equally amazing! I was glad to be included.

We all parked on the hill above the girl's house, so her husband drove us all down to the house in his golf cart. Ethan (Lisa's son) was in heaven, I have to admit it was kinda fun to go that fast on a golf cart :)

Lisa's two handsome boys before church.

Ethan and I before church. We were all ready to go before Lisa, but Seth (her hubby) said he couldn't take me because I look too much like Lisa (but enough different) that it would just confuse people. So funny!

Such a fun birthday and trip to Texas!

Thanks Lisa and Family for making my trip so enjoyable!

Did I mention...

2010-03-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

I just got home from beautiful Austin and will post all about that next time.... but before I left we found out we are having another GIRL! We are so excited, especially Lillias who never wavered that the baby in mommy's tummy was a girl.

2010-02-22T12:59:00.001-08:00

Page 2:

The biggest thing I have learned is that I need to learn a lot more....

Lazy Sunday Activity...

2010-02-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

I am sick with a cold which is something I have, until this week, skipped over this winter. So since I am laying around anyway, I decided to try to figure out digital scrapbooking. I am on my computer way more than I should admit, so why not combine the two and take care of the pictures I have accumulated over the past two-in-a-half years.

This is my first attempt, 1 HOUR LATER: (Hopefully I can get a little quicker at this)

**Paper Pack, and Labels form Jessica Sprague**

eTSY Love!

2010-02-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of accumulating a room full of purple decor for Lillias' big girl room... While stocking Etsy's recently listed items, I found this cute print! I already had some mats and frames from pbk waiting for something special to fill them, so this was a match made in heaven (was that a pun? :))

Another Etsy Find!

2010-02-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been on a hunt for cute maternity clothing. After searching random sites online and the typical stores (Gap, MiMi, Pea in a Pod) I started to search on Etsy. Which is where I found this cute and reasonably priced skirt! Only $24.00! I just got it in the mail and am so excited to wear it, although, I am thinking I might wait until there is not a foot-in-a-half of snow outside!

If you know of any cute maternity stores, please let me know!!

Introducing Lillias' Little Sister or Brother...

2010-02-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

After a couple months of hibernation due to feeling like my body was giving up on me, I am back to blogging!

Lillias is going to be a big sister towards the end of June. I am currently 18 weeks pregnant. We are so excited (and nervous) to add another little person to our family!

This is from our first ultrasound a couple months ago. (8 weeks)

We can't wait until February 25th for our next ultrasound to find out if I'm redecorating the all pink baby-room or not!

According to the chinese gender calendar I'm redecorating....

Trick or Treating

2009-11-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

Cute cousins on the porch! (Experimenting with iPhoto effects :))

This year we had a few Lillias' cousins back in town for trick or treating in Grammy and Papa's neighborhood. Lillias is so happy to have these girls around, they are so good to play with her! Grandma and Grandpa Adams also came along for the chilly trip around the block, which made Lillias oh so happy!

Trunk or Treat

2009-11-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

Our church has a annual trunk or treat at one of the member's farm. It is always a good time, visiting with friends, chili cook-off, cute costumes and trunks decorated to the hilt. This year it did have all those things but it was FREEZING COLD! So we didn't stay long, but still managed to leave with some cute pictures of Lillias!

Jessica Sprague Love

2009-10-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

The Jessica Sprague Website has become my favorite resource for photography classes and digital scrapbooking (which I am just starting to learn). You can register for her FREE class HERE, starting November 2nd!

See you there!

Co-Hosting a Halloween Party, CONT...

2009-10-29T11:43:00.001-07:00

Forgot this one of all the Party Go-ers!

Co-Hosting a Halloween Party

2009-10-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ashley called me about a little over a month ago with the idea that we should co-host a Halloween Party together. After many calls and several planning meetings it all came together into a fun get together!

The invites:

The Spread:

The Food:

The Games:

Couples Orange Relay

The Men getting into the Girls vs. Boys Halloween Themed Pictionary

Some of the Couples:

Shawn and I

Ashley and Joe

Hilary and Jared

Kristian and Amy

Lisa and Keith

Glass Half Full

2009-10-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

On such a gloomy day as it is here today, this is a good reminder to think positive thoughts....

Picture/Quote taken from http://livestories.wordpress.com/

Paper and More from Scribbles n Such

2009-10-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I got an e-mail from Christy about her new online stationary store that she recently started with her friend Michelle. She offered to send me some products to sample and IF I loved or even liked them, then spread the word about her company through my blog. I have to admit I was a little nervous to do this because I am a picky person, but also a people pleaser. I was very afraid that I wouldn't really like the products and then feel like I had to recommend them because I had agreed to sample them....

BUT, I have to say that I LOVE everything she sent me! I feel very lucky that I was asked to do this. It is no secret that I love paper, stationary stores have always been my favorite stores to shop. Scribbles n Such products are described perfectly by Christy and Michelle on their store homepage "a splash of color adds a little extra "happy" to everyday life. Whether it's a trip to the market, a note to the teacher, a birthday wish, or a cute tag on your bag, it's our hope that Scribbles helps put a pep in your step, a song in your heart, and a smile on your face!"

As I pulled out each product I was very impressed with the quality, and functionality, not to mention that from the gift tags to the reusable bags the designs are so charming. While they look fabulous on the website, they are even better in person.

Here are a few of the products Christy sent me to sample that I really Loved:

The Reusable Bag $8

in Spunky Skunk

Perfect for quick runs to the market!

Medium Notepad $8
in Spunky Skunk
My notes to the teacher (from me the sub) are in style since I received this fabulous notepad!

Gift Tags $11
in Forever Retro
OK, so these are so cute and a gift that keeps on giving! I have a new obsession with gift wrapping so this is the perfect touch to top off a perfectly wrapped present. They are made of a high quality plastic so the gift receiver could reuse this tag for so many other things Lunchbox/Backpack tag, Luggage tag... the possibilities are endless!

Circle Cards $10

in Forever Retro

This is a card that will even make the postman/woman's day as it is on it's way to be delivered!

Menu Planner $13

Citrus Circus
This last item is not one that I have seen in person, but love not only the design but the idea in general. I don't know a mom out there that couldn't use one of these!

Thanks Scribbles n Such, I see a bright future for your company!

Check them out HERE...really, go now, you won't regret it!

Fall Favorite and Craftiness

2009-10-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to a Uppercase Living Project night, where I made this really cute mud-room board with fabulous hooks. When I signed up to make this project, I did so knowing that I had no where in my current home to hang it up... but none the less I went and made it for "my next house." The significance of this in quotes phrase is that it applies to quite a few home purchases. Now, you may be thinking... Are you planning on moving to a new bigger house?? Well, someday I am, and when that day comes I will have really stunning decor waiting!

The bonus of the night was that the demonstrator (and my friend) just happens to live on a apple farm, so I also picked up the MOST DELICIOUS APPLES EVER!!!! I believe they are called Pixie Crunch.

Thanks V!

What does home mean to you?

2009-10-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite magazines is Real Simple, it covers a lot of STUFF from organizing to food to daily chores to decor to inspirational articles and much more. This month it seemed like every page had something that jumped out at me. One those pages was "this month's question" which was "What does home mean to you?"

Here are a few that RS featured that I really loved:

"My husband and I married seven years ago, and we've moved about every year since. Home to me is unpacking that last box."

-Mandy Romney

"Home is where the rags of your life are turned into quilts, lemons become lemonade, and a few extra pounds are simply more of you to love."

-Sherry Bubnowski

"Home means catching fireflies out in the front lawn with my brother. Those were the best times of my life."

-Shannon Cuthrell

"A place where I can wear purple yoga pants, a holey yellow t-shirt, and flip-flops without feeling as if I'm about to be ambushed by the hosts of some TV makeover show."

-Tara Pierson Hoey

"Living in Manhattan, where space if often tight, I've learned not to limit the definition of "home" to my closet -sized bedroom in a shared apartment. New York City is my extended home: The local coffee-shop counter becomes my kitchen table for the morning crossword puzzle, and the Great Lawn in Central Park is transformed into my living-room couch for weekend naps and lunchtime relaxation."

-Oliver Gaag

"Home is Family to me. Texas, in my sister's newly redone fabulous kitchen, in Utah at my grandma's, in my own little home with the hubby and Lillias. But most of all at my mom and dad's, because there is no place, like the place where EVERYONE gathers together for a meal or a game or just to talk."

-Me

Style for Any Age

2009-09-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, these CREWCUTS clothes by J Crew are too cute! However, it's sad when I see 5 year olds that are dressed better than me....

Movie Review

2009-09-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to see "Love Happens." It is the epitome of the word (s) chick-flick, a sappy, predictable love story. I am a fan Jennifer Aniston, so it was worth paying the $7 (twilight price) but over all I seen much better. The hubby was not too into it either, the constant movement and comments were the proof!

On a more positive note, at least I wasn't sitting in the theater for Shawn's movie choice!

Top 6 of my favorite Movies that have (somewhat) recently come out:

1) Time Travelers Wife

2) Marley and Me

3) 17 Again

4) The Proposal

5) Bride Wars

6) Confessions of a Shopaholic

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-09-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

OK, well in my case not perfect but a lot better!

I am in week 2 of my photography class, it is both frustrating and challenging! Yet, I am loving it! It reminds me of the online classes I took in college, only the subject matter is interesting and fun (plus no tests). Since I am coming from a place of little to NO technical photography knowledge it is a bit of a bumpy learning experience, but again, a FUN one!

While I was reading over the new material for this week and listening to the video of the OH SO knowledgeable instructor a thought came to mind. The only way I am going to learn this stuff and remember it is to practice, practice, and keep practicing! Isn't that so true for most things in life we want to learn and be good at? So if you are a friend or family member I apologize in advance for the never-ending picture taking!

Conflicting Styles

2009-09-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article about finding your own personal style. It seems like most people I know have a very defined style. I feel very strongly that I do not! I am constantly looking at design blogs, decorating tv shows and fashion magazines. I love all kinds of decor, hair styles, clothing styles, music, movies, etc. If I had to pick my own personal style I couldn't, I have felt bad about this most of my life, chalking it up to not really knowing who I am. Well, I am done feeling bad about this! I am, from now on, going to embrace my multi-style personality!

For example....

I look like this one day

And this the next (my new look)

I love this

But, I also Love the Pottery Barn look

I love the J Crew Look

I also Love the Sophisticated look of Burberry

I love most music from Josh Groban to Built to Spill to Dixie Chicks.

I love, LOVE, love movies from Wall-E to My Fair Lady to Top Gun.

******

As you can see, my personal style is to not have one apparently!