yay!

Lisa (sister-in-law Lisa), your bows are at Mom & Dad's (attached to the candy basket on top of the tv). I hope you like them!

Saturday was "Kirby Day" at Robert's credit union (Kirby is the kangaroo mascot for the kids' club). There was pizza, cookies, and someone dressed as a kangaroo. As mean as it sounds, I was hoping for a more dramatic reaction than what we got when Joel met Kirby...

A kangaroo that large would have scared the heck out of me!

By Sunday evening, I almost peed my pants twice. First, Emily dropped off our family pictures. I. LOVE. Them. They are perfect and capture our family wonderfully! Thank you, again, Emily! Second, right before going up to bed, I watered my "garden" and a couple of green sprouts poked out. Mom, Dad! I grew something without killing it!

Since there are SO MANY pictures that I love, I am going to post a handful and leave a link for the rest (it is so hard to pick just a few). For the web album of pictures, click here. Enjoy!

Oh, and since I don't really look very preggers in most of the pictures, I've included this one for your viewing pleasure:Ps. Click on any of the pictures to view better

busy

I would have written before now but I have been busy (and I like to add pictures to every post). Last week, I got the hankering for peach cobbler. Never made it before; never even had it. What did I make on Thursday? Peach cobbler (a great food-storage recipe). It tasted great.

Friday was my "clean-the-entire-house" day (crazy as it is, I enjoy thoroughly cleaning my house). We had Robert's sister, Lisa, and family over for dinner. Chicken tomato alfredo. Delicious.

We were up at the crack o' dawn on Saturday for family pictures (I am trying to contain my excitement for the photos until I get them). After a swim in the late morning, Robert and I were off to Gammage with my parents to see this:

Freaking awesome (and I was skeptical)

Sunday was your average Sunday; church, naps, family. The norm.

This week has already been productive. It is amazing to me how I never cease to run out of ideas (could be because I permanently have the t.v. switched to channel eight "Create"). On Monday, I started re-vamping some paintings I made several years ago. While they are cute, they just weren't doing it for me anymore. A yard of fabric later, I had some new wall hangings to match a craft I made at a R.S. gathering several weeks back (it still needs a "pop" of red, but that is in progress).

Yesterday (Tuesday), I started craving bagels. Gluten free bagels, well... they suck. Simple as that. So I decided to make my own. Never made them before. I think for a first attempt, they turned out well. They look a little funny, but taste GREAT (and I am extremely picky about my bagels).

I also started sewing a purse yesterday (I mentioned possibly doing this when I made all those fabric flowers). Today, I finished off the purse by sewing on the strap and adding some accessories. I think I will make a couple more...

I even took on replacing a zipper today. Me. Replace a zipper. In Robert's NICE Sunday slacks. WOW (I impress myself sometimes).

Before making dinner this evening, I thought I would start my garden (a HUGE project in and of itself that I have been meaning to undertake). Want to see my garden? Here it is:

What? I never said it was big...

All of my projects are undertaken with this main staple in my diet:

Now, for some fun photos of Joel (who is super silly during bathtime/bedtime):

Happy... bathing!

nine months

Joel is nine months old today. Because of this milestone, I thought I would share a bit about him.
Better pictures to come in a few days; Emily is taking our pictures again!

At nine months, Joel weighs 22lbs, 6oz and is 30.5" long. Joel loves to move. Moving around is one of his favorite things to do. He will crawl, roll, or scoot all over the house; his favorite place to get to is the hallway (he likes the "dingy" door stop). Joel also likes to move around while standing. He will walk circles around furniture. He thinks he can walk unsupported, but not quite yet. Joel also loves to eat. He has tasted every type of baby food and loves almost everything (not peas, just like his daddy). Amazingly enough, his favorite type of baby food is sweet potatoes (any type of fruit is a close second). He can eat an entire jar of baby food without getting any on his face (though that may be mommy's doing). He also enjoys Cheerio's, "nanas", noodles, and eggs. He will try anything to test out his "chompers". He has had six teeth since he was seven and a half months old (and his seventh tooth is close to coming through). Joel wants anything and everything technology; he likes computers, cameras, phones, remotes, you name it. Actually, this has become mommy's way of enticing Joel toward her; just place a phone or remote on the floor in front of you and he will be there in half a second. Joel is quite the mimicker; everyone gets a laugh from his tongue-clicking (a trait daddy taught him). He also waves to himself occasionally when you wave at him. When playing the piano, he will be like his daddy and try to turn the pages of the hymn book after playing a few notes. His personality is so full of life! Three months and my baby will be a year old; three months and my baby will have a baby brother.

While Joel moves and plays, I keep myself busy with my projects. Amazingly enough, I am still going. I completed a magnetic dinner board that matches my new kitchen decor. I even took it so far as to laminate the dinner cards so they will last longer. Having this new addition in the kitchen keeps me motivated to cook each night (that, and having Celiac's Disease means virtually NO fast food). It also makes it easier to compile a shopping list for groceries.

Luckily, this fruit didn't have the cement chunks in it like the pear and apple did.

I have also started working on decor for the nursery. I made a craft with Joel's name on it last year; it is only fitting that I make the same craft (in different colors) with Lucas's name on it. I am not quite finished. I am patiently waiting until we have enough $$ to fund the rest of the project (five 8x11 frames are not cheap).

Joel's "color" is green; Lucas's name will be on blue...Ps. There are tiny polka-dots outlining the letters

I have also started working on some paintings for the nursery (to match the paintings I did last year). Thus far, they have been painted white, so pictures weren't necessary.

Unfortunately, I have had to take a break from the wooden rocking chair. The electric palm sander that my dad let me borrow died immediately after the baby/dust incident. I have not felt like conquering the 105+ degree weather to finish sanding it by hand. I think I will hold off on that project for a bit...

fourth

Here it is, the typical "fourth" post. I usually don't make a big deal about the lesser holidays (i.e. anything other than Christmas or Thanksgiving), but since we actually did stuff, I figure I can blog about it.
We kicked off the day by attending our ward's annual Pancake Breakfast. I love our ward. I love food. It worked out well. Since I am unable to eat pancakes, I made myself waffles out of my ridiculously expensive flour. Delicious. Robert had been asked to preform a piano solo for the little "program" and did so magnificently. Joel kept himself entertained with eating eggs and chewing on the sparkle hats used by the primary children during their number. Yes, our 9 month old is almost as big as I am.

We later went swimming with my parents. The water felt good in this Arizona heat. When we were all "swimmed out", we went to visit and eat with Robert's family. Steaks. Mouthwatering. I made my traditional Cherry Delight (and by traditional, I mean that I have made it the past three years and intend to make it every summer for the 4th of July). Scrumptious.

1 part sugar, 2 parts cherries, 1 part AMAZING.

After the consuming of food, we doubled with Robert's brother to go see some fireworks. It was... interesting. The park we chose to view from had a band playing. Not just any type of band, a Christian Rock band. The music itself wasn't too bad, but the singer kept scarfing the mic. The sound system wasn't the greatest, either. We did, however, "enjoy" the band sharing their testimonies of how the blood of Jesus saved them from cocaine and meth and marriage at the age of 16... Once again, interesting (it is the only word I can come up with to describe the experience). The fireworks weren't as spectacular as I remember from childhood, but they were enjoyable. All in all, a fun day.