4 I did my "Honey-do"!

I am NOT a home decorator. I really WANT to be, but I have a hard time deciding what to get and an even harder time PAYING money. So, although we built this home over 6 years ago, I only have about 3 things hung on my walls. LAME!

One thing I have hung up was a small shelf in my bathroom (see pic on right). I did it in a hurry years ago & just tapped in two small NAILS...no studs. It held good for a while, but Allie pulled it down a few months ago. I've been HOUNDING Nate to hang it up right with sheet rock thing-e's & screws, but he's been too busy. Finally today I decided to TACKLE the job myself. I found all the supplies & tools in the garage. So easy!

While I was in the mood I also hung up my great Tipan Trading shelf (see at top) I bought LAST SPRING! I've been debating for a year where to put it...DOUBLE LAME! I finally decided on my room, since I love it so much. I am quite proud of my job. I used the lazer level, measuring tape, hammer, and drill. I even got it perfect on the first try! It is level AND the perfect height. Go ME!!!

3 March Scrapbooking

Most of these layouts were done while I was in Rexburg this month. I took the girls for an extended weekend at the first of the month while Nate was on his annual St George golf trip with his brothers. A week later I traveled back with my daughters for another 9 days over USU's spring break. It was great to visit with family and get some adult time in with my sisters.



I am eternally greatful I was able to visit with my Grandfather Henry several times before he passed away at the end of my visit. He'd been sick for a while, but was actually doing better, so it was a bit of a shock. I felt a bit weird spending half the month in Rexburg, but I knew I needed to be there...now I know why.

5 Strawberry Shortcake all the way

Allie latched right on to Strawberry Shortcake months ago.

She watches the DVDs,
sings the songs,
sleeps on the pillow,
carries the dolls,
loves the coloring book,
and now sports the apparel.
It is shameless.
The sweat suit was on clearance for $5,
butI can't believe I actually purchased the character shoes...but she loves them.
The berries on the velcro tabs light up when she walks,
but she's rather stomp so that they light up more.
I think she's worn the entire ensemble for 3 days straight.
Time for me to pry it off her body to wash it.

1 Picking up the pace!

Now that Kylie's transmission is working, she has shifted into high gear. Here's a bit of video showing her racing after golf balls on the tile. I can't imagine what she'll be up to in 3 more days.

3 Kylie's transmission is FIXED!

Last weekend Nate went on his annual Schwartz brother's St George golf vacation, so I took the girls to visit my family in Rexburg. While we were there Kylie finally figured out how to crawl, thanks to Uncle Mike finding just the right motivation...paper! This video clip was taken just moments after her very first creeps. She was shaky on Friday, but is now zipping all over, from room to room. I'm finding that there is a difference between 'child-proof' & 'baby-proof', though.

3 Kylie not quite crawling

Kylie's not doing much here, so if you're in a hurry don't take the time to wait for this to load. Mostly it is for the Grandmas.

I'll work on getting a clip of Allie for you, Maren/Kate!

4 Everyday Lift

Nate says that Kylie's transmission is broken - she only goes in reverse.

Here I am, at my normal station - making lunch

Allie loves her 'snap-dolls'. Lyn is her favorite at the moment.

7 Hobby Time

Now that I have a space to leave out y scrapbooking 'junk', I seem to be able to find little bits of time here & there to work on it. I'm loving it! Here's a taste of what I've done in the past week or so.

4 I need your input!

Yesterday was a sad day...my digital camera is dying. I L-O-V-E my camera! Nate got it for me for Christmas just over two years ago. It is a Panasonic, Lumix DMC-LZ2 and has been great!

Since Kylie is going to be crawling any moment & her first tooth is just cracking through I don't have a lot of time. I need your input! What model do you have? Tell me the pros & the cons.

UPDATE: my camera is working today, but each time I turn it on I hold my breath.
I'm still looking to buy a new one.

5 KYLIE's first PIGTAILS

** MILESTONE **
Who: Kylie Anne
What: first pigtails
Why: cause she's so darn cute
When: Sunday morning, Feb 17th 2008
Where: mom & dad's room
How: very carefully!

0 Would you like fries with that?

WHAT YOU SEE:
Kylie eating her FIRST FRENCH FRY (9 months old). It only took one lick & she was all over it. To be healthy, we also gave her a peel-free apple slice. Its hard to say which she liked better - she drooled excessively & munched on both. I think that the pressure must have felt good on her sore gums. I wish her teeth would come in soon, the poor girl has been in pain for a week.

WHAT YOU DON'T SEE:
Allie! She was all over the play equipment, running with the other children, too busy to stand still for a photo. It was fun to witness her social growth. It seems she is turning into quite a leader, even thought she was about the youngest kid there. We heard her saying, "hey, guys...come over here. Lets go to the top." She was also singing the Strawberry Shortcake songs the whole time, too. Her growth astounds me!

1 Sisters are too cute

I took this a week ago when we were cleaning out the girls' closet (please forgive the boxes in the background). I love watching my girls interact. Allie was doing all kinds of funny dances to make Kylie laugh. So cute!

1 Gainfully Employed

My hard working hubby has been ever industrious in "growing the empire". This week he traveled down south to purchase yet another trailer. Most weeks he comes home with a truck-bed trailer or two to use as steel bins at mechanic shops and the like, but this week he hit the jackpot with this 4 foot side, 16-foot long, double axle beauty he plans on placing at a warehouse for servicing their cardboard. Thank you www.KSL.com. The only problem; he wanted 6 foot sides. Thanks to some handy welding from the best neighbor next door & Nate's handy-man attitude: mission accomplished.



I really hope our wonderful neighbors aren't getting sick of all the "junk" that seems to visit us on the weekends. Look close and you can see THREE trailers out there today:
1)the car hauler with a junker to recycle Monday morning
2)the re-invented cardboard trailer ready for placement
3) the handy pumpkin trailer Nate shuttled building supplies in on.
If you are wondering just how many trailers we own?
Well, I don't really know.
I stopped counting after a dozen. LOL
I LOVE you NATE!

2 Basement SPACE in use

We've been in our home for almost SEVEN years, but are still working on our basement. WE are proud to only do what we have cash for...no debt! BUT as our family keeps growing we NEED the space. Before Allie was born we finished one bedroom downstairs, but nothing else is complete. A A second bedroom & the bathroom are now painted. The third bedroom & massive 'great' room are just primed.

This fact is NOT stopping us from using the space!!!
Today I rearranged the 'great' room into three distinct spaces:
PLAY, EXERCISE, & SCRAPBOOK

1 We love the SUN

It has been bright and beautiful here...in between storms. I've been bundling up the girls for an afternoon stroll in the cold. Allie zips up and down the sidewalks on her Christmas scooter. Kylie swings her legs & squeals with delight. It feels so good to be outside. I'm not complaining about this wonderful winter, but spring will be nice.

4 Confessions of an internet friend

I'm laughing at myself as I type this. I always made fun of people who meet people on the internet or worse date over the internet -Psycho!-, but (*blush*) I must come out of the closet...

Hello, my name is Sarah & I have an internet friend.
There, I feel much better.

Here's the details: almost a year ago I posted a project I made on the Cricut message board. I got lots of comments on my Animal Alphabet book (2407 hits as of today). One of the first was from a girl name Julie. She urged me to enter it in a contest I'd never heard of, so I email back to find out the details...yada-yada-yada...we started emailing at infrequent intervals. After a few months we were IM'ing a few times a week. Now it is more like everyday. We have so much in common! Kids, husbands, hobbies, family... It is a shame we don't live closer!!! In fact she did live closer, but moved to Lehi (2.5 hr drive) after we started to chat.

WELL...last week we FINALLY got together! I have to say it was a weird experience to have a 'first' meeting with someone you are close friends with. Nate was driving to Spanish Fork to pick up some MORE trailers for work, so the girls & I hitched a ride. He dropped us off at Julie's for a few hours while he tended to business. Poor Kylie threw-up massive amounts in her carseat about 10 min before we got there, so here's how our first meeting went: "Hi, Julie, good to meet you. By the way, can I use your washer, dryer, & bath tub for my sick kid?" LOL She was great! We cleaned up BabyBird who didn't seem to be sick, made Mac-n-Cheese with dinasour chicken nuggets, and talked scrapbooking on the floor. What a perfect afternoon. She even hooked me up with some markers that work in my cricut & a paper pack she found at Provo Craft's warehouse. Best of all, I can now stop saying, "my internet friend, Julie" and just say "my friend Julie".

(I got Julie into blogging - see her link)

5 Us old foggies

It seems like I'm always posting about the girls. They are cuter than us, but I thought it might be time to post a pic of the adults. Here we are watching the Super Bowl.

7 Fresh Air is Great

Last Saturday I was finally able to get up on the slopes. Once-upon-a-time I had a season pass & snowboarded nearly once a week. Last winter I didn't go at all since I was pregnant. This winter I've struggle to find time to get away. Mommyhood changes everything. My great friend/next door neighbor, Britney, & I had a great time. I have Brit to thank for getting me into this awesome hobby. She is a DANG good rider & teacher!

We were covered in layer of ice the first half of the day (wet snow + wind), a far cry from the blue sky that had been forecast. Oh, well...the worst day on the mountain would still be worth it. ESPECIALLY after cleaning up after 2 little girls with the stomach flu the previous week. Mommies need days off, too!



PS-Thanks Nate, for staying home with the girls!

5 Kylie is PRE-crawling

Kylie sure isn't in a big hurry to get moving. She has started to scoot around a bit on her tummy, but mostly is content to just sit & play with toys within reach.

4 Jammin'

Saying Allie is into Strawberry Shortcake is an understatement! She has dolls, a pillow case, coloring books, DVDs, and even a chopstick of her favorite gal. Today I got out the new 'Straw-Cake' CD..."Jammin". It was a hit!!! She already knew most of the songs from the movies. She's been singing along & dancing for 2 hours! Here is a bit of video I got of her dancing.


Note: sorry about the side-ways thing. I'll know better for next time.