I think I need to have another baby . . . soon

Below are some projects I've been working on. I still have plenty of things I want to do, but I needed a break to enjoy summer so I haven't worked on anything in about three weeks. I just HAVE to keep busy or I go crazy - either with projects or with "adventures." I think I need another baby just to occupy my time!

I took this picture and added the photo effects and made the frame for a wedding!

It looks better in real life.

A carseat cover I made for a baby shower (I found instructions on how to make one here.)

My personal favorite . . . a sock monkey for Alex's first birthday (I found instructions on how to make one here.) The brown monkey was a "test monkey" since I had never made one before. He obviously turned out way too long so his name is "Slinky." The other one that I officially gave to Alex is named "Crush." Not after the turtle on Finding Nemo but for us older folks after the orange beverage. Incidentally, he likes Slinky better! I would like to make (or maybe buy) some clothes or a scarf or something for Crush but that will have to wait for now.

A bunch of bows (no - I don't have a little girl but I just couldn't resist the cute ribbons.)

A TON of cards - I think about 40. With the size of my family that should last about 4 months!

A Proclaimation to the World frame, complete with my ENTIRE family (all 10 of us, our spouses, kids, and my parents). This was HANDS DOWN the hardest project - I actually started it almost a year ago. It was hard gathering the pics (thanks to my stubborn sibs) and hard making them all fit together perfectly on the mat. However, it turned out great. I gave it to my Dad for Father's Day and he loved it so much he hung it up in his office at work (if you knew my Dad, you'd know that's huge) and my mom was so jealous she wanted to keep it at home. I promised to make her a bigger one for Christmas.



And all of this as well as keeping the house clean, making dinner, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, taking care of Baby, taking care of Daddy, and a bunch of other, smaller projects such as homemade Father's Day cards for the special men in my life. In addition, I'm working on a huge secret project that will probably take a while to complete - especially while I'm trying to do so many other things. No wonder I got sick for a month and I haven't been able to keep up with the blog!

Forever 28

Everyone should know by now that Alex was born on my birthday last year . . . which worked out just great for me because I was ready to hand it over to him and be 28 forever. So this year, I was able to celebrate being 28 for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best-ever birthday (read why here) but Eric made it up to me by taking me to PF Changs and The Fray and Jack's Mannequin concert this weekend. As a tribute, I've posted a bunch of their awesome songs. Anyway, I had an WONDERFUL time. Thanks so much sweetie, for making me feel so young and special!

Happy 4th of July!

Here's to everyone who has made our freedom possible!

Happy Birthday, Pookie!

In honour of Eric's birthday on July 3rd - here's 29 things I love about him:

1. He's a worthy priesthood holder and has a wonderful testimony

2. He's the best father in the whole world

3. He brings me home flowers sometimes "just because"

4. He has made something of himself without any help

5. He wants me to stay home with our children (and works hard so I can!)

6. He is my heater during the cold winter nights

7. He makes the best homemade syrup and german pancakes ever!

8. He makes me laugh

9. He isn't really into watching sports or playing video games but loves to be active

10. He gets along with EVERYONE

11. He's sexy-hot (and looks like Cary Elwes from "The Princess Bride")

12. I don't think he's EVER yelled at me (I wish I could say the same)

13. He's extremely ambitious and hard-working

14. He'll try just about anything

15. He opens my door for me . . . still

16. He never forgets my birthday, valentines day or our anniversary

17. He never gets mad when I spend too much money, don't have dinner ready, or am late for a number of things (actually . . . he never gets mad)

18. He's very organized and clean (almost OCD) but doesn't get mad when I'm not

19. He never buys anything for himself

20. He ALWAYS thinks of others first

21. He loves techno

22. He takes me dancing even though he hates to dance

23. He sings a mean "I Will Survive" by ABBA

24. He can make anything fun

25. He loves to go on "adventures"

26. He puts up with my need to shop

27. He's not afraid to embarass himself

28. He has the sweetest spirit of anyone I know

29. He's my soul-mate

I LOVE YOU TO DEATH SWEETIE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Epidemic and the Power of the Priesthood!

Ugh! What a couple of horrible weeks it has been! I was so looking forward to celebrating Alex's first birthday and had been preparing for it for months. . . . then . . . . life happened. About a week before our birthday (as you may or may not know, Alex and I share a birthday) Alex starting getting a runny nose, a bad cough, and a slight fever. I didn't think too much about it until I contracted the same seeable symptoms along with a strew of others shortly thereafter. I also had a HUGE neverending headache, muscle and body aches, a sore throat, fatigue, fever and even a little nausea from time to time. My mother, God bless her soul, had been diagnosed with the swine flu and we had been lucky enough to be in contact with her at the wrong time. I concluded that my son and myself had contracted it as well (since our Dr's wouldn't test for it). Poor little bugger! He is SUCH a good baby, I hardly knew what he was facing. I had only been giving him ibuprophen at night before I knew how bad it was and I only survived by taking it around the clock. Anyway, it lasted a long time . . . I really didn't feel well for about seven days. Just as I was starting to feel better and thought that Alex was also improving, Eric was struck . . . just in time for our birthday. The good news was he stayed home from work that day . . . the bad news was he felt horrible the whole day and I tried to nurse him while being exhausted from being sick myself and nursing a sick baby as well. I actually cried the night before because I wasn't ready for Alex's birthday and knew it was not going to be up to my expectations. It wasn't . . I mean, Eric tried really hard to make it special despite feeling horrible himself, but I was so mad at myself for ruining our first child's first-ever birthday. Luckily, with Eric we knew what we were up against and got him Tamaflu right away and he was able to recover much more quickly.

The bad news was that Alex was fussy on his birthday and woke up about three times that night. I thought he just hadn't gotten enough sleep with all the excitment but awoke to find him with a fever of 102.5 . I gave him medicine and it went down and put him down for a nap. When he woke up it was back up to 103! I wanted to call the doctor but Alex had lost my phone! I searched high and low in a panic and could not find it anywhere!! I finally concluded that I just had to go in or try to see if my sister was home so I could use her phone. Luckily she was and I was able to make an appointment for that afternoon. During this time, Alex's fever reached a high of 103.9 on ibuprophen!!! He was lathargic and I was really worried. My sister pointed out he could take tylenol with ibuprophen and that FINALLY brought it down (thank heavens I had been forced to go to her house). The doctor confirmed we had probably had the swine flu and couldn't find any ear or throat infection so she sent him to have chest x-rays to see if it had turned into pnemonia. It was soooo sad to see our little baby strapped to a board like a mummy with his hands tied above his head so they could take the x-ray. All in all, he did really well and barely cried only when they turned him on his side. Luckily, it wasn't pnemonia and not knowing what was wrong, the Dr. prescribed antibiotics. I kept giving him tylenol and ibuprophen and also the antibiotics but that night the fever came back and wouldn't drop (it was staying around 103.5) even after I tried to give him a tepid spit-bath per instructions from my physician father. It wasn't until Eric gave him a blessing that the fever started to recede and Alex IMMEDIATELY fell asleep. It may or may not have been an emergency, but I definitely have a testimony about the power of the priesthood! I am also sooooo grateful I have a worthy priesthood-holder for a husband! Alex's birthday party I had planed with his friends was two days away and I felt it best to cancel it under the circumstances. Since then, he has been steadily improving so the flu must have turned into some kind of bacterial infection. My mother, on the other hand, was not so lucky and hers turned into pnemonia. She seems to be recovering as well.

Finally, all three of us were starting to feel better, I had one day to clean my house which was a mess, and we met with family to celebrate the birthdays. I love my brother Evan, but I swear his kids are little carrier monkeys! They came down with the stomach flu the day after we met and - surprise! half our family came down with it the day after that - including me! It was truly horrible - despite how bad the swine flu was, I still think I'd rather have that! Luckily it only lasted 24 hours and I shut myself in my room and made Eric stay home to take care of baby and stay away from me. They did not get it THANK HEAVENS. Unfortunately, Eric's new employers probably think we're either a bunch of hypocondriacs or that he's a major slacker because he's had to take three sick days (two for his illness, one for my stomach flu) and a weeks vacation (to cram for the CFA) off in his first month. I guess the funny side to the story is that this is the first year in YEARS that I had a flu shot and I managed to get the flu twice!

I still feel really bad about Alex's birthday but have been busy preparing for Eric's birthday this weekend. We're going to try to reschedule his birthday party with his friends when they all can make it again and I will have to make it up to him somehow - better late than never, right? Stay tuned for a birthday update! Oh . . . and I promise we're not contagious anymore!