Friday, August 24, 2012

Eliza at 3 Years Old!

Holy Moly! My baby is 3 years old! I don't know how I feel about this. Fortunately, she is a beautiful, funny, snuggly, smart little girl.
We went to the doctor today and her current stats are as follows:
Height: 38" (70th percentile)
Weight: 32 lbs (60th percentile)
To see her other comparison pictures, click HERE

They expect that she will be about 5'7" to 5'8" tall, which I find to be a lovely height. Also, her verbal, physical, and mental skills are above average. She knows all her letters and their sounds, most of her shapes, and all her colors. She thinks she is as big as her sisters and therefore will try anything. She is incredibly determined and won't let a little thing like fear, or height stop her. She also has big opinions and must dress herself (in a 'kirt) pretty much every day! Her physical skills are great - she is a graceful dancer, doing great on the balance bike, is super flexible, and really fast at running.

Her interview today went as follows:
Favorite Color: pink
Best Friend: Laura, Sara, Angelina
Favorite toy: Kitchen, dress-ups, computer games
Favorite place to be: "Disneyland with my new dress on", grandma’s house
Favorite movie: Tangled
Favorite book: Pinkalicious series, Spoon, I Want My Hat Back, and DreamBig, Little Pig
Favorite food: ‘matoes and salad
Favorite treat: Popsicles
Favorite activity: Dance in a ‘kirt, pretend while in dressups, eat popcorn and watch “Caillou” in Mommy’s bed
Favorite TV show: Caillou, Dora, Strawberry Shortcake

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Cycling!

Have I mentioned that my second favorite sport to watch is cycling?! So, I was thrilled when Bobke answered my question during the Tour de France! Check out another silly few minutes of fame! (And, yes, I have the whole thing recorded but am worried about putting it on here because of copyrights.)
We also made sure to see the Tour of Utah in person this year. I must say that it was a ton more fun than I thought it would be. The girls and Jason also really enjoyed their experiences, which made me feel less like I was dragging them along. They girls loved doing the chalk on the road and yelling for the riders! Oh, and picking up bottles.
The race was grand, up close and intense.It was remarkably immersive. I think it will be an annual tradition to go see the riders! (And I have to say that I think the riders liked seeing a group of kids - girls particularly - on the road cheering for them.)
I had no idea how many cars were in front and behind the riders. It went on forever.
Here they come!
This UHC rider just grinned when he saw the girls - which is amazing because he was on an 8% gradient at the time. (Also, check out his awesome bike tan, physio tape, and legs the size of my waist...could he be more "cyclist"?!) Anyone recognize this fantastic rider??

We stayed at the cabin because it went right by there on both weekend days and it was wonderfully convenient. (The tour took place over Perseid and being at the cabin gave us a great view of the celestial show there away from city lights.) So, we saw "shooting stars" and some of the big stars of american cycling also!
Overall GC winner Tschopp being marked by Garmin on the last day.
Check out the Bissel rider throwing that bottle right to Laura. Oh, and the "Best Utah Rider" jersey winner (Louder) and the "Best Young Rider" jersey winner (Dombrowski) are also in this pic.
Thank you, Christian for making a move to the front of the peloton inches away from us - all while wearing yellow! Epic!!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

10 Year Anniversary Trip

I've mentioned it in passing, but Jason and I went on our first ever vacation without kids to celebrate our 10 year anniversary.  We went to Disneyland since we had a short amount of time and because we had gone there on our original honeymoon.  We had an amazing time.  And yes, we missed the kids terribly.  Our opinion to take "family" vacations instead of couple ones is good.  Though, we probably will be doing this again on our 15 year anniversary.
We loved all the changes (ie: Buena Vista Street) and characters at DCA.
We had my married nephew, his wife (and their baby) watch the kids for 3 nights while we went to Disneyland.  The kids all had a vacation of their own.  They went swimming, to the zoo, to Thanksgiving Point, to the Steel Days Carnival, out to eat, to the park, Laura's parade, and much baby snuggling!  I'm not sure they actually missed us.  Thank you, Ben and Alex!
Jason and I had a magnificent time eating wonderful food - freshly served without having to feed someone else first.  We rode rides together!  We stayed up late at night watching shows.  Yes, it was heavenly.
Extra Hour at Cars Land - look how empty it is.
 A romantic meal at Carthay Circle - and we got a great section to World of Color from it as well! I got to watch all of World of Color for the first time since I wasn't holding someone.
Hanging out with another couple ;)
The desserts at the Fantasmic Viewing!  AMAZING experience all around! 
Wearing our Anniversary Pins!
My highlights: Fantasmic reserved seating, front row of California Screamin' with my honey, warm food, extra hour in Cars Land, daily naps.
Jason's highlights: Fantasmic reserved seating, Flo's diner, extra hour in Cars Land, front row of California Screamin'.

Monday, August 13, 2012

DIY Home Decor

With the bridal shower at my house and my nephew and niece coming to stay to watch the kids, there was a push to get a few home projects done in July.  I work well with a deadline.

We finally got the master bedroom headboard completed.  (We started on the project in February after I couldn't stand the ouch-y headboard any longer.)  I had the Dwell Studio fabric purchased even before then because I loved it.  We based most of our doings on this tutorial.  A carpenter friend cut out the shape for us from our re-sized (we have a King bed instead of a queen that was in the tutorial) template.  We attached the two pieces with 3 long metal strips and short screws.
Next we attached high density foam to the wood with spray adhesive.  We then cut it to fit using an electric bread knife.  (Note: If you wanted to do this project, the high density foam is unnecessary to the feel of the final product.  Use some cheaper 2" foam and save some moolah.)
After letting the adhesive for the foam dry, we spread out a layer of batting over the top of the entire headboard to smooth out seams.  We attached it to the wood with staples.
Finally the day came when I got up the guts to sew a perfect seam (we needed a lot of fabric for the hugeness I desired) and cover the headboard.  Covering it was tricky because of the geometric nature of the fabric and my perfectionistic tendencies - lines must be straight.  I ended up doing a couple pleats in the fabric at the bottom of the semicircle.  It was quite the adventure.  If I had it to do over again, I would either pick a different fabric or sew a slipcover for the entire shape and just have a seam on the edge.  But, this worked and looks great!
Since we didn't want it to stick out very far from the wall, Jason ordered a really long, narrow, metal french cleat.  We attached it to the drywall with drywall anchors and it is solid.

We are loving the comfort of the new headboard and the grand statement it makes.  Now I just have to get up the gumption to paint (We decided on the center swatch of color in these pictures.) sew some pillows with a coordinating fabric I already own from the same line, and make curtains for the bathroom.  Oh, and I also want a new accent (ie: reading) chair for the corner of the room.  Wow, it doesn't sound like I am close at all.

Our other project was an Ikea hack.  We had purchased this storage system for behind the couch to house the girls' stuff and keep things looking neat, but I didn't like the basket options. So, we customized.  It took us a while, but we found two fabrics (outdoor fabrics for durability) that worked with both the kitchen and the family room.
I first cut the fabric to fit the front of the boxes exactly on the width and 1/2 inch too long to tuck under the pull tab.  Then Jason put fray check around every edge of the cut pieces - protect your counter as this stuff is like superglue.  Then I ironed on adhesive to each piece, removed the excess and the backing.  We positioned the pieces exactly (tucking under the top pull strip) and ironed them directly onto the fabric of the boxes.
I love how much more custom, fun, and warm it looks!  It also looks cleaner because of the better quality fabric and the pattern.  It's been over a month now and they are holding up perfectly.  It was a simple and inexpensive upgrade that made a big impact.

Laura's Play: Emperor's New Clothes

Laura did a community play again this summer. Again, she LOVED it! Again, I sewed my guts out...I'm now quite the expert at shorts and pants, and who knew that my knowledge of burning the edges of dressy material in order to stop fraying would come in so handy.

Laura ended up with 7 lines this year and was the youngest in the cast. She was a member of the ensemble. She sang, made new friends, laughed, acted, learned, and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She was wonderful and I couldn't take my eyes off her! This is definitely, "her thing."
Thank you to everyone who came and saw her! Thank you to my folks who watched her at the parade, came to her play, and watched Eliza for the late night show.  Also, a big thank you to my nephew and niece who took her to the parade and took pictures while J and I were on our anniversary trip!

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Sara's Soccer Camp

We decided to try something new for Sara: soccer. She did a week-long camp in July. It was a resounding success!! She was naturally gifted at it and had a wonderful time! We dressed her girly in purple cleats, pink shin guards, and shorts with pink trim - she did not want to look like a boy and sure didn't.
She loved her Irish coach and that there were lots of girls in her class. She was smart, learned a lot of techniques and about the game, improved her skills, and had a wonderful time!

4th of July

On Independence Day, Jason and I offered to host his Mom's annual picnic at our house instead of a park this year. It just seemed easier for most people this way. I think it turned out nicely and it sure was great to not be as hot since it was in the evening, have privacy and restrooms, have an escape indoors for his sick dad and elderly grandma, and not go early to save seats. I had balloons to lead the way and everyone seemed to have fun! It sure was longer than usual, so I think it was successful.
Dirty feet = fun
Jason, his brothers and his aunt
Jason and his brother, Todd
Jumping with the girls
Laura loves her Rylie and did a performance with her for all of us
That night when everyone left, we lit off some small fireworks and played with sparklers.
But, the highlight of the celebrations (for me) came 2 days later when we went to the symphony and fireworks at Thanksgiving point with my folks! The girls tried out all sorts of instruments beforehand and Sara loved the cello. Eliza danced her heart out to patriotic music. We all loved the fireworks and outdoor atmosphere. We will definitely be going again next year!