The Lilly

I get home from Bunko night last night completely wound up. Not only because I had one too many refills of Diet Coke way too late at night, or because I won a free eye brow waxing, but because I was with some of the funniest and craziest girls I know. I always drive home afterwards giggling and smiling because of things that were said or things that people did. It is always a good time. So I decided I would make an apron to pass the time and to get me tired. Well, 3 am rolled around and I was just barely beginning to get tired but with the end product, it was so worth staying up for. This is the Lilly Apron and I am in love...again!! I have already made two of these aprons for friends but when I found this argyle fabric I just knew this one was going to be mine!!! Polka dots, argyle, and pink...be still my heart!!


When I finished this one, I wanted to wear over my p.j.s I didn't want to take it off. I'm tempted to go back to Joanns and buy the whole bolt of this fabric and make oodles of aprons out of it, I can't get over how cute it is! This would be a fun pattern to modify and make a cute smock you could wear over a t-shirt and actually wear out and about. I may start looking into that. Oh what fun!

Oh, the things we grow

Ty and I started a little garden a little while back and it has been so much fun going outside every day to see how our little plants are doing. Our sugar snap peas are doing awesome!!! Our tomatoes are doing really well until we replant them from inside the house to outside, they are a little stunted right now. But our carrots are sprouting and our lettuce hopefully will survive, they started out really strong but don't really seem to know what are expected of them.
But veggies aren't the only thing we are growing around here, Elsie has decided to grow two little teeth of her very own.

This isn't the best shot but how do you get a five month old to show off her teeth? I mean really? I think this explains why she was up every four hours the other night. Poor little thing slept all day yesterday (which worked out great because it gave me time to read a really great book, see post below) and has been a little extra fussy today. But even with two teeth coming through, she has been a pretty happy baby. I really dreaded the whole teething thing but so far she has been pretty good. Can't you tell how happy she is?

She also got her first hair cut the other day. Ty got really fed up with her old man hairline in the back and decided it was time to get the clippers out and shave it off. I was against it but it has grown on me and it is nice that she doesn't have a mullet anymore.


And than it was time to introduce her to rice cereal. It is times like these that I really wish we had a camcorder. Her first reaction was priceless! But now she likes it and does pretty well. Some of the food actually stays in her mouth and it hasn't gone up her nose in a while. I just love when she sticks her whole fist in her mouth right after I put in a big spoonful of cereal, that is really fun to clean up afterwards. But you have to laugh and have a good time when she looks this cute!



I love this last one, it looks like she is is rubbing her belly and saying, "mmmm!"

I love good books

Here's another book that kept me up way too long into the night reading. This is a prime example of how you should never judge a book by its cover. I didn't think I would love this book but I had some pretty trustworthy friends suggest it to me and I started it and finished it all in one day!!! Not only do I love it, I LOVE!!!! it. Its an easy read but full of suspense, action and a very sweet love story. Of course there is a love story, I'm a sucker for love stories. I can't wait for the second book to come out, the author did a fantastic job ending this book and causing the reader (me) to go crazy for more!!! So there you go, here is another suggestion for those looking for a good book to read. Chelsea, we will be discussing this book further at my next hair appointment. And thank you Rachel for giving me a little extra push to read it. I am reading The Glass Lake too but I am having a hard time getting into that one but I think it has potential to be pretty good...has anyone read that one? Is it worth persevering through?

Good thing for tags

I swear, there are some weeks where if people didn't tag me in their blogs, I wouldn't ever keep this blog updated. I can be such lazy blogger sometimes. But thanks Christie for keeping me on top of things! Here we go:

8 shows I love to watch:
1. The Office
2. One Tree Hill
3. Friends
4. What Not To Wear
5. Pushing Daisies
6. 90210
7. That 70's Show
8. Lost

8 of my favorite Restaurants:
1. Charleston's
2. Cheesecake Factory
3. The Olive Garden
4. Cafe Rio
5. Paradise Bakery
6. Chipotle
7. In n Out
8. Carls Jr

8 things that happened yesterday:
1. Went grocery shopping
2. Made foiled salmon dinners (they are the best things ever!)
3. Did laundry
4. Got pooped on...oh the joys of being a mommy.
5. Got Elsie to laugh a lot!
6. Delivered chain link advent calenders for a less active family that my Mia Maids made on Wed.
7. Woke up to Elsie crying every four hours at night...this hasn't happened since she was a new born...let's hope it is only a fluke.
8. Found out we may have to move back into our one bedroom condo...you have got to love the economy right now.

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. Christmas with my family in CO
2. Learning how to row and joining a crew team
3. Running in a race of some sort
4. Checking out The Hunger Game book from the library
5. Elsie can hold her own bottle
6. Christmas!
7. My family's big WE trip in 2010
8. Ty graduating in 2010

8 things on my wish list:
1. an iPod touch
2. Setting up Hansel, my sewing machine, with a shiny, beautiful, new serger
3. Rowing lessons
4. A dish washer that doesn't require you to wash your dishes before you load them in.
5. Happy, healthy children that get along with each other
6. My pre-pregnancy tummy
7. A year supply of iTunes gift cards!
8. A year supply of Diet Coke!!!!

8 people I tag:
Anyone who feels like a lazy blogger too.

Another Good Read

I just spent all of today completely wrapped up in this book. I started it a few days ago and had a hard time getting into but as soon as I fell in love with Jack Elliott, which happened for me sooner than it did for the main character Sarah, I couldn't put it down. Jack Elliott is right up there with Gil, Mr. Darcy and Laurie...you just can't help but fall in love with him. And the only way I would be a pioneer is if I could be one like Sarah, she is an amazingly strong woman, someone I would want to be friends with for sure. And let's just add Jack Elliott to my list of reasons why we should name one of our boys Jack and only amazingly cool guys are named Jack.

Mini Photo Shoot

Ty and I had an impromtu photo shoot the other day with Elsie and I am just in love with some of the pics that we got!!! We put in this bouncing saucer that we are borrowing from our neighbor and her feet already touches the bottom so by the time she can actually enjoy it to its fullest, she will be standing erect in it and won't be able to enjoy the fact that it bounces. I guess this is just a little taste of life to come as a child in the 90th percentile in height. Here are some gems that we got, seriously, I am just dying over some of these pictures.

Happy Birthday Ange!

And there is another birthday to celebrate!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGE!!!! To those who know my sister or have heard me talk about her, she has the most amazing ability to turn everything that she touches to gold. She is so talented and I am always telling Ty, "Do you see what I have to compete with?" I remember going to visit her when she was in college at BYU and looking through her pictures of her fun times there and wishing that I could be that cool. One of the first things that I did when I went up to college was create a Wall-o-Hotties like my sister had in one of her apartments. Her's consisted of Tom Cruise, hot Abercrombie models, and other hotties...mine was more along the lines of Teen Bop, Tiger Beat and Big Bopper like, NSYNC and BSB. Like I said, I only wished I was as cool as her. When she was in high school, I would my little friends and I would always spy on her and her friends when they would come over because they were sooooo cool. And her guy friends were really cute! Remember, when she was in high school, I was still in elementary school. One of my favorite memories with my sisters was when my family was on a BIG WE trip and we were doing a big hike. I had came down with really bad altitude sickness and the way down the trail, I was a sick as a dog and throwing up along the trail. Our little guide (who was about half my size) had to hold my hand the whole way down because I was in such bad shape. But there were my sisters, right beside me the whole way singing every NSYNC, BSB and Britney Spears song they could think of to help me keep going and to make the most of the situation. As you can tell, this was obviously during my big Boy Band phase. It really was a blast!!! Thanks Ange for being the greatest big sis ever!!! Here are some pics to help you all get to know my sister too!


This is my all time favorite picture of my siblings!!!


Could I be any chunkier as a baby? I look like I could eat my sister.



Love ya Ange, I hope this was a great day for you!!!

Thoughts and Updates!

I have been waiting for Elsie's four month appointment to give a really good updates of her and than life got crazy and I haven't been able to post for a few days, but I have time now, thank goodness!!!

The results of the doctors is that she is:
Height: 25 in=90% (still! She makes us so proud)
Weight: 15 lbs. 1 oz=14% (dropping in percentile but you won't meet a happier baby right now, so we aren't worried)
She is all smiles and is starting to laugh, which is just too much for Ty and I. We do all sorts of crazy things trying to get a giggle out of her.

She has only rolled over once so far but she is so close to doing it again. She loves to watch Baby Einstein and playing with toys. For a long time she would only play with things that were fabric, so you will see pics of her with a grab rag that her Aunt Addie made for her because she wouldn't touch anything else. Thank you Addie for making that for her, it is her most favorite thing right now. But lately, she is taking to normal plastic toys and is really starting to enjoy them. The love for people watching is really getting enjoyment over watching her try to figure out things and learn...it is really fascinating.


The last few weeks I have been spending a few afternoons with Elsie's Great Grandma Manning. She is in decent health but none of us in the family like the idea of her being in the house by herself so we all take turns going over and hanging out with her and it really has been a treat to do it. I just love seeing her with Elsie and knowing that Elsie has been able to meet at least one of her Great Grandparents. I have truly cherished those afternoons with Grandma Manning, especially now that she is my only living Grandparent. I would insane not to take advantage of being with her as much as possible. She is a pretty remarkable woman and is such a treat to talk to and be with. She has an impeccable memory and can recall minute details from her childhood, it really great to hear. Even though Elsie will never remember those days with her, I will and I am so happy we have them!!!


Since day one, Elsie has been a swaddling fool. She loves to be swaddled and I wouldn't dream of putting her down for the night or for a nap without swaddling her first. But the other night, Ty was watching her and he realized that it was pretty quiet in the room and he looked down wear he had laid her down to play and she was fast asleep. This is the first time she had ever fallen asleep without being swaddled. It was a pretty monumental milestone. It hasn't happened since but at least we got some really cute pictures of her out of it. Apparently, she spent two hours just looking at her reflection in these picture frames that I had on the floor. They still have the shrink wrap on them so you can see yourself pretty well in it. Our vain little girl, but I guess when you are that stinkin cute, it is okay.

Giving Thanks...Again!

So, I made a list a while back of something that at the moment I am extremely grateful for and I have decided that I need to add two more things to that list. First, to Victoria Beckham for having such adorable hair.

Because lets be honest, that is just about all that she has to offer.
And the second person I have to be thankful for is my very talented friend/hair goddess, Chelsea for giving me the same adorable hair style.


I was so afraid when I went into the salon today but I knew I was in good hands. Chelsea is the only person I would ever trust to let me go this short. Ty has been trying to get me to cut my hair this way for three years and I have been too scared to do it. Thank you Rachel for giving me your appointment and to Chelsea for sharing your talent with me. Now here's hoping I can style it as cute as she did...gulp!

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Here's a shout out to my big sis, Jamie!! Happy Birthday to you!!!! I always thought it was so cool that you were born on Halloween, what a great day to have your birthday! I hope it is a great day for you and that you get to enjoy it with your great hubby and with your adorable boy! I love you lots and am so lucky to have you as my sister! Here are a few photos to bring back some good memories and for others to get an idea of just awesome my sister is!



This next one is one of my favorites of my siblings all together.

Jamie and I have a lot in common; besides our great taste in music (okay, so she is the queen of music, I love her music collection), we have the same great taste in friends. This next pic is of my with my oldest/bestest friend, Amy. Whose sister, Kristen, just happens to be my sister's /oldest/bestest friend. Amy and I owe our greatness to watching Jamie and Kristen have a blast together. They are the whole reason that I can watch the last scene of Sixteen Candles over and over and over again...I watched them watch it over and over and over again (you know which scene I am talking about...I start it when the bus pulls away [I think it is a bus], the music starts, Sam looks up and there is Jake Ryan in all his hottiness leaning on his car...swoon!).

An American Original!

I just got finished reading this biography on Walt Disney and I can't get over how wonderful it was. I finished with a whole new appreciation for Walt Disney and his vision for Disneyland and the beloved cartoons and films that I already adore! If you are looking for a good book and one that is inspiring, than I recommend this one. Here is a tribute that was written about Walt after he passed away that was in the book. The writer did a good job putting into the words all the feelings I felt the first time I went to Disneyland but didn't have the words for:
"...He was an original, not just an American original, but an original, period. He was a happy accident; one the happiest this century has experienced; and judging by the way it's been behaving in spite of all Disney tried to tell it about laughter, love, children, puppies and sunrises, the century hardly deserved him.
He probably did more to heal or at least to soothe troubled human spirits than all the psychiatrists in the world. There can't be many adults in the allegedly civilized parts of the globe who did not inhabit Disney's mind and imagination at least for a few hours and feel better for the visitation.
...But what Walt Disney seemed to know was that while there is very little grown-up in a child, there is a lot of child in every grown-up. To a child this weary world is brand new, gift wrapped; Disney tried to keep it that way for adults...
By the conventional wisdom, mighty mice, flying elephants, Snow White and Happy, Grumpy, Sneezy and Dopey--all these were fantasy, escapism from reality. It's a question of whether they are any less real, any more fantastic than intercontinental missiles, poisoned air, defoliated forests, and scraps from the moon. This is the age of fantasy, however you look at it, but Disney's fantasy wasn't lethal. People are saying we'll never see his like again."

DWTS Dorks!!!

So Ty and I are pretty much obsessed with this show. Believe me, when So You Think You Can Dance is on, we will probably be just as obsessed with that but for now, our t.v. watching loyalty lies with the Stars. Its actually the only show that Ty will sit down and watch with me and we have made it quite a big deal in our house. So much so that we have made our own paddles and vote right along with the judges. We made our own paddles out of paper plates and popsicle sticks...you don't get much more ghetto fabulous than that!!

I know, be totally jealous that you don't get to watch this show with us each week!!!
Even Elsie tries to get in on the action.

At least I don't have to come up with a FHE activity every week, it is pretty much a given what we will be doing!
Ty is rooting for either Warren Sapp

or Cody whats-his-name from Hannah Montana

he has my vote as well. I think I can see him sitting with us each week with his own paper plate paddles if he wasn't totally famous and stuff.

Because I have been given much!

Wow, I have a lot to be thankful for! I have been feeling a little down in the dumps lately when really I should be shouting from the rooftops that I am the luckiest girl in the world. I think this yucky feeling had a lot to do with getting used to a new baby and not having my husband around as much as I would like. But life is settling down, Elsie and I have things figured out for the time being and Ty and I sit down in front of our calendar and plan the week out so we know what to expect and I know when I can see him between classes and homework. So far, things are looking up and I am feeling back to normal. But I have to take moment and shout out from my blogging rooftop some of the reason that I am so lucky!!!

1. Ty found this jogging stroller a garage sale and it is in great condition. I did some research on it and found out that it retails for $185 and we got it for $30! YIPEE!!! Now I can go running whenever I want and I don't have to wait for Ty to be home to watch the baby, she can come with me! Though I must say, it is a lot harder running while pushing a stroller than I thought it would be. It will take some getting used to that is for sure.

2. My little niece, Hannah, has her very own email address and after I heard about her great performance during her Primary Program I had to send her a little ecard to say great job. This is the email I got back from her:
Jill,

ggglflf;l;flfkgoiotitto ryuytytutyuuytruttyuy
jkjhkjlkgjljljlkhljh,l,hl,mj,j,l,m
kgmkjmmkjmk,jmkjmj,jm jkj,kmljmkl,mjlkmjl,kmjlk,mlkm.,kkkl,k,l,jk;.,j.k,jk.,j.k,k.k,k. mmjmjlukmljmhkj;kukiukiopuki
mhkhjkkhjjkhjkjhjkhjkjkkkkhiyghjhigyhjifjnydkfjgtjkhfytgijytjijoyjhiytfhjtktgjhikihjgkhjgkghjgjkhgkhjogkhlohkjgkljlkjklj
nm mnkmkbmkhlmnhlbhk mnjlokm,n lj mklnhm jmjknohm jjkjyij
hannah
mom
dad
ella
kvbclvvvvgjikvvvvvbjkikvbjgikjhkjhjkjhikjhjjkjhkjhkjgjhgijhgijhigjhighjgjgihjgoihtighifgjijgihohigohuogupghoghogh ihuigfuogiof ifjg ij ighugi huig ghuihugihuihugih uhi uhgihu ihuiui uihugihuihu i ugi high

This is hannah's message to you. I will translate:

Thanks for the email Jill. I loved all the smiley faces. I will do my best to teach ella the songs I love. Thanks for thinking of me and sending me the email. I love you!

Hannah

This brought a huge smile to my face!!! Thanks Hannah for the quick response!!! She also called the other day and sung the Latter Day Prophets song to me and it was the most adorable thing I have heard in a long time! She is quite the smarty pants!
3. Not only being back in the valley but being back with my Secret Stitch Sisters and meeting with them every week. We laugh, cry, eat, sew, eat some more and just have a blast when we are together. I truly feel so blessed to be associated with these amazing women and have them in my life!
4. Finding this adorable apron pattern that is being ordered for me as we speak!

I can't wait to get my hands on this and go crazy!!!

5. What kind of a mother would I be if I didn't add her to my list? I couldn't have asked for a more perfect little girl. She is so smiley and so happy! I love going in to wake her up and she immediately gives me a huge smile which is the perfect start to my day!
6. One of my best friends from my childhood sent Elsie and I a very generous care package in the mail the other week that her mom and her put together and I was crying the whole time that I unwrapping each item. The most perfect things: they had the most adorable little half aprons for Elsie to wear. They are just too stickin cute and tiny, I will make sure that she wears them with pride!!! I still can't get over how thoughtful that was...they have learned quickly that the quickest way to my heart is through an apron!
Oh I could go on and on, but this is just a start of a very looooooong list! Tis the season to count your blessings right?

Elsie's First Halloween

I know, Halloween is another week away but we had our ward's Halloween party tonight and Ty and I really got into the spirit of it all. I love being married to a man that appreciates Halloween as much as I do. Have I mentioned lately that it is my all time favorite holiday?
The original plan was to buy a cow costume for Elsie and Ty and I would be farmers. When I bought the supposed cow costume Ty tells me that it is actually a cat costume. So, Elsie had her cat costume and Ty and I went crazy at Goodwill in search for the perfect costume. Ty put together this masterpiece:

I still can't believe that he found the hat at Goodwill. He had his whole outfit and I told him, "Ty, all you need is one of those old fashioned golf hats with the big pom pom on top." Not even 5 minutes after I said that, did he find the hat! It was inspired.
I than decided to just go looking for anything the inspired me and I found these hideously perfect red gaucho pants and decided that I wanted to be a really bad tourist. So this is what I came up with:

We took off to the ward party and saw tons of adorable costumes. My favorite, an entire family dressed up as Peter Pan characters. They had Peter Pan (their adorable 1 and half year old boy played the part perfectly), Wendy, Captain Hook, Tiger Lily and Tink. I was in love! They had a costume contest and would you believe it, WE WON!

Ty declared that every year we should try to win the costume contest...this is a guy after my own heart I tell ya!
Here are a few of my favorite pics of the night and of my most favorite little kitten:



Is it so horrible that every time I look at this picture I bust up laughing?
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This is my favorite picture! I can't get enough of those blue eyes.