2011: A Year In Review

I love to take this time of year to look back and evaluate the past year as well as make new goals for the coming year. Here is a list, in no particular order, of some of the events that have happened in 2011: (I might share some of my goals later, we'll see.)

-Miss Fifi has learned lots of words. She now says: Hi, Mom, ruff (sometimes it's "oof"), moo (all animals, according to her, say ruff or moo), Da, "ot" (hot), out, and "ut-ut" (uh-oh).

-Rory worked really hard in school. He received and associate's degree in Pre Electrical Engineering. Now he is looking forward to attending the University of Utah to finish his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.

-Miss Fifi has also learned a lot of signs. She knows: all done, milk, I love you (it looks like something else...), change (for diaper change), book, and please (she rubs her belly for that. So funny.) She also started folding her arms for prayers and pointing at her mouth when she's hungry, I didn't teach her that one but I'll take it.

-In true Jones form: We're moving again. (Oh, the stress to be had.)

-Miss Fifi turned one.

-Rory quit his job so we can move.

-I learned to enjoy homemaking more. I always knew that I wanted to stay home when I had kids, but I didn't know it would be as rewarding. I know it isn't for everyone, but it's for me.

-I knit a bunch with my spare time. Here are photos of some more things I knit and crochet. (I did the red blanket, headband with the crochet red flower, diaper cover, and the crochet booties. Isn't Piper adorable!?)

Another thing I like to do is look back at our finances from the past year. This year was... well... Let's say: this year was modest. (That's a nice spin.) Between me staying home to be with Miss Fifi and Rory working part time to go to school, we had to make some sacrifices. And, I wouldn't have changed a thing. I consider us very blessed that we were in the financial position we were in when this year began. One thing that I am proud of is that at one point during the year we had a fully funded emergency fund! It lasted about a month before we had an emergency and had to dip into it, but still, I feel like we did a pretty good job this year.

Call it luck, call it blessings, call us the recipients of wonderfully charitable acts; all in all, I'd say we had a pretty good year. This year had it's stresses and un-fun days. But looking back I'm so grateful for how 2011 turned out. I'm also looking forward to bigger and better things that 2012 may have to offer.

I wish everyone a happy new year!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We did this a couple of years ago (to a different song) and we had a few requests to do it again. So, here you go:



And, because Miss Fifi doesn't make an appearance in the video:

Christmas morning 2010

I hope you Christmas time is less stressful than ours!

Miss Fifi's Blanket

I forgot to share photos of the blanket I made for Miss Fifi. I finished it long before her birthday, but I spaced sharing them with you.

I got the pattern here, but I modified it to make it bigger. It measures 56 x 36 inches, which is the perfect size for her crib.

I also had some left over yarn so I made a couple of other things for her.

The pattern for the leggings here. They are really simple, but the turned out pretty cute.

For the hat, I got the pattern for the Celtic Cables I used for the sides, here. Then I made up the rest.

Not too bad for improvising, right?

Miss Fifi loves this hat. She will bring the hat to me so that I can put it on her about 5 times a day. I'm so glad she likes it.

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What I'm Listening To:

Group: The Lower Lights

Album: Come Let Us Adore Him

We got a surprise at our door last night. A friend dropped this by for Christmas. What a great way to start the Christmas season? It is calming and sweet. I highly recommend it. The instrumental version of O Little Town Of Bethlehem is probably my favorite of the album. Check it out.

Body Image: Revisited

First of all, thanks for the response. My readers have wise words. Some of those words, I was going to share with you (other thoughts are new). So, if you read the comment from my last post, I hope this isn't redundant.

Second, like I said in my last post: I don't want to sound preachy. If you have different parenting philosophies, share them. Also, remember that I've only been a parent for a year. That hardly makes me an expert.

Third, most of these ideas won't make much of a difference to my 1 year old, but if I think about these things long before she gets into jr. high we hopefully won't have a dilemma on our hands.

So, without further adieu, here are a few of the ideas I've come up with and read about giving my daughter a healthy body image.

1) Lead by example. If I spend a lot of time in front of a mirror every day or talk a lot about how I wish I had the same body I had before Miss Fifi was thought of, what would that say to my daughter? It might give her the impression that looks are pretty important. If I spend a lot of time telling my daughter how pretty she is and very little time talking to her about things that she has learned. She might possibly think that what she looks like is more important than her knowledge. Instead, live what you want to teach your children. If you don't want your daughter to hate her rear-end, don't be self-conscious about yours. If you want your daughter to love learning, love learning yourself, for example.

2) Focus on health. Instead of counting calories, talk about what healthy food does for our bodies. Get in the habit now to eat healthier meals. This is difficult, but over the last couple years, Rory and I have slowly changed some of our behaviors. (In full disclosure: we've got a long way to go.) If my daughter understands why eating good food is necessary, hopefully she will have a healthy relationship with food. (i.e. Not look to it for comfort or even see it as an obstacle.)

3) Compliment them on their behavior, intellect, and accomplishments more than their looks. This is one thing I learned (and whole-heartedly believe) from my mother's example. A few years ago my sister pointed out that my mom didn't often compliment us on our looks. Instead, she made sure to compliment us on how smart we were or our talents or when we were kind. When asked about that, my mother said something along the lines of: "Well, I always knew my babies were the cutest but I didn't think they needed to know that." This is one thing that really helped me. I feel that I got enough of a sense of the importance -in the world's view- of looking beautiful outside of the home. I am so grateful that it wasn't reinforced at home.

In Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein (referenced in my last post) she talked to Catherine Steiner-Adair, the director of eating disorders education and prevention at the Klarman Eating Distorders Center at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, about this. Catherine said, "Well, 'You're beautiful' is not something you want to say over and over to your daughter, because it's not something that you want her to think is so important. That said, there are times when it is important to say it: when she's messy or sweaty, when she's not dressed up, so that she gets a sense that there is something naturally beautiful about her as a person. And it's also important to connect beauty and love. To say, 'I love you so much. Everything about you is beautiful to me--you are beautiful to me.' " I thought this was interesting.

Orenstein also wrote about doing research for a previous book by interviewing eighth grade girls. She said that she noticed that she would greet them by "commenting on some aspect of their appearance: their earrings, a new shirt, their hairstyles." She decided to stop. She would ask them "how a play rehearsal was going or what they were reading in English class." She said, "It felt surprisingly forced: physical compliments grease the conversational wheels among women and girls." I decided to do this myself, asking my niece about the sports she is involved in and my five year old primary girls about school. I have to admit, it is more difficult. I'm sure I'm not making some profound difference in these girls' lives, but for my own benefit, I want to get into this habit.

As Cali mentioned, as long as we are aware and conscious of these things, Rory and I will probably not have to be overly concerned and obsess about these issues. But I feel that the earlier we have this discussion, the less complicated things will have to be.

Your thoughts?

I'll try not to make my posts so long-winded in the future. Thanks for sticking with me on the last few posts.

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What I'm Listening To:

Artist: The Black Keys

Album: Attack & Release

I'm not sure if I've talked about the Black Keys before, but they are worth repeating if I did. (I should start keeping a list of what albums I talk about.)

Attack & Release made it's debut in 2008. My favorite song is probably I Got Mine which was number 23 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Best Songs of 2008. The whole album is worth listening to.

The Black Keys are releasing their seventh studio album on December 6th called El Camino. (This would be an awesome Christmas gift. hint, hint) Their first officially release single is Lonely Boy. Listen to it. You won't regret it. I'm looking forward to what this album has to offer.

Body Image: The Hopes and Fears of a New Mother

I've started this post several times because I have so many thoughts on the subject. This might end up being several posts. Who knows? Also, I don't want to come off as preachy. I merely want to start a discussion.

First off, I count myself lucky. I have a wonderful family who loves, values, and supports me. I'm not talking about what I look like, but what I do and who I am as a person. Me.

My mother, through her words and actions let me know what was important in life. Both of my parents supported me when I was little and wanted to be an ice skater, an animator, a photographer, a guitar-playing singer/songwriter, etc. Through every thing they did (and still do), they let me know that what I do and who I am is much more important than what I look like. I needed that, growing up. Every girl needs to know that. Now that I'm a mother, I'm realizing how important those priorities are more and more.

While browsing Pinterest recently, I came across a certain pin several times. The photo was of a woman in a bikini with a long list of tips on losing weight. I didn't bother reading it until the twentieth time I saw it. These were NOT healthy tips, physically or mentally. There were 59 of them. Among them were: "Take a picture of yourself in a bathing suit... Look at it when you want to eat" and "When you get hunger pains curl into a ball, it makes them go away." It wasn't until tip number 27 that it said: "Join a pro-ana group or start your own website." They go on to share ideas on how to hide one's anorexia from their parents and friends. They get so much more disturbing that I won't share them. When I read these I wanted to cry. Why would someone put this much effort into fitting a cookie-cutter image? Why on earth were so many people pinning it? How can I raise a daughter in a world where how someone looks is so important that some are willing to go to such extreme measures?

If whoever it was that came up with the list of those 59 tips were to put half of that energy into something productive -like service, learning, making friends (for goodness-sake)- think of how much happier she could be. I feel bad for her. Seriously.

I recently read Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein. (A very thought-provoking book, btw.) In it she references a comparison that Joan Jacobs Brumberg makes in her book The Body Project (This might be the next book I read.) of New Year's resolutions of girls at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries. They are:

"Resolved: to think before speaking. To work seriously. To be self-restrained in conversations and actions. Not to let my thoughts wander. To be dignified. Interest myself more in others."

and,

"I will try to make myself better in any way I possibly can... I will try to lose weight, get new lenses, already got a new haircut, good makeup, new clothes and accessories."

It shouldn't be difficult to figure out when each statement was written. One is about becoming a better, more polite person by looking outward. The other -while it isn't destructive like the anorexia tips- is strictly about appearance. Why has society become so absorbed in appearance? As women, we have so many more opportunities than women had in the 19th century. Why have we become so much more shallow?

As her mother, I have so many hopes for my daughter's future. I want her to know that she can accomplish anything. I want her to love learning and reading. But, more importantly than those: I want her to have a healthy sense of self-worth. I want her to know that she is loved and valued for who she is, not what she looks like. I want her to be proud of her accomplishments, not what number a scale spits out. I want her to value actions over her dress size. How did my parents do it?

I'm going to end there. I'll probably share with you what I've come up with, so far, on the matter at a later time because I want to hear from you. How can I prevent my daughter from basing her sense of self-worth on the image she sees in the mirror?

Late October Stuff

Get ready for some super flattering photos of me.

Last week was pretty eventful. Among other things that happened we all got sick, which put a damper on our Halloween festivities. Miss Fifi was the first to get sick and honestly, if I had gotten sick first, I probably would have had more sympathy for her. Poor thing. She acted like her normal self -aside from the runny nose and cough- for the first couple days. When I got it, there was a sore throat and all around grossness in the mix.

About three days in, though, Miss Fifi's breathing wasn't sounding right. She was wheezing and working a little harder for her breath. Rory had asthma when he was a baby, so we thought it would be best to take her in for a doctor's appointment that afternoon. When we were heading out the door, we could see her stomach contract with each breath. It was so sad. They did a nebulizer treatment which helped. (Despite the fact that she screamed and wiggled like a bag of eels the whole time. How long are those treatments, anyway? 'Cause it felt like it took an hour.) Anyway, the doctor wrote a prescription for Albuterol MDI. It's basically and inhaler with an attachment that goes over her mouth and nose. It only takes a few seconds, so it's much easier to make her hold still for it. She's gotten better since those treatments. The poor girl still has had some coughing fits, but she is doing better. Anyone else had babies with asthma? Any tips for a newbie parent would be welcome.

Anywho, on to the rest of the post: We went to a pumpkin patch to get some pumpkins a week ago. I'd never been and thought it would be fun. I think it's going to be a new tradition.

Miss Fifi had fun.

Our friends throw a fun Halloween party every year and as per tradition Rory and I threw together our costumes no earlier than three hours before. Let's take a stroll down memory lane to remember our other half-hearted efforts at costumes, shall we?

Halloween 2008: Sarah Palin and Jemaine Clement (See what I mean about flattering?)

Halloween 2009: Pumpkin (borrowed from his childhood) and scrounge up old dance costumes and see what you get (Don't worry, it's a thing.)

Halloween 2010: Rory (Not Pictured)I don't even know what he was but involved sparkly armbands and a welding mask. I (again, not pictured) was "pregnant" (This was three weeks after I gave birth... I thought it was funny.) Miss Fifi was a ballerina. (If only she could get her parent to be as on top of things...)

Halloween 2011: "Lame" (he came up with it himself), Raphael, and a Japanese girl.

And... what good is a ninja without any cool poses?

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What I'm listening to:

Artist: Damien Rice

Album: O

This album has a lot of meaning for me. Besides being the kind of album that I could listen to every day for a month and still want to hit repeat, this album was the topic of discussion on my first date with Rory. In fact, we listened to a lot of Damien Rice for the first couple months we were dating.

Beautifully written. Beautifully produced. Check it out.

Miss Fifi is Big in Japan

This post has the potential for being very long. You'll get over it.

Miss Fifi's birthday party was last week and I promised that I'd do a party post. As for the theme, I figured that adults would outnumber kids at this party, so I thought that I might as well make it fun for me to plan. I also just wanted to have an excuse to make fun rice crispy treat sushi. I settled on Big in Japan. Many people asked me about what it means. According to Wikipedia it is, "a phrase to describe Western celebrities failed in the Western world, but more successful in Japan." Funny, right? Just go with it.

If you follow my boards on Pintrest, you may have seen a number of photos that inspired this party. I worked within a budget and pinterest is a great resource for cost saving ideas.

So imagine that the stack of mini chairs and the chalk board aren't in the back ground and it's at a park on a warm fall day. That's what I had in mind when I planned this but you've got to roll with the punches sometimes.

We had fortune cookies I found in bulk at Winco for $.06 each. I dipped them in chocolate a couple days before. They were yummy.

White cake pops dipped in milk chocolate, topped with coconut. I made them with my trusty cake pop maker I got a few months ago. It's a time saver. I recommend getting one if you are in the habit of making cake pops.

"Swedish Nigiri" Rice crispy treats topped with swedish fish and wrapped in green apple fruit roll up.

Wontons filled with cream cheese. Rory also made his famous Thai dipping sauce. I'll try to post that recipe soon.

"Twinkie Roll" Twinkies cut and topped with cut gummy bears.

"Zinger Roll" Zinger's cut and topped with gummy bears.

Funfetti Cake with cream cheese frosting. 'Cause that's how we roll.

We also served Miso Soup, Samurai peanut mix (a Winco find), and the "Miss Fifi Roll."

The Miss Fifi Roll didn't photograph well. It was mango, strawberries, and kiwi with rice cooked in coconut milk and wrapped in a chocolate dough. To save myself from stress I made it the week before and froze it. If I could do it again, I'd make it fresh. Recipe is here. I cut back on the salt in the chocolate dough, and if I made this again, I'd also cut back quite a bit on the sugar. It was awfully sweet.

My tips for saving money while planning a party:

-Spend money on things you can reuse. The cake plater that Miss Fifi's cake was on is a great example because I will always be able to use it. If I bought a green and yellow one to match the theme, I'd be very limited on how I'd be able to use it in the future.

-Plan far in advance. Some people thought I was crazy to start talking about her party in august. Starting that early gave me time to brainstorm and think outside the box. I had time to shop around and not feel pressure to buy because I knew I had time on my side if the price wasn't right. I also had time to make things that I wouldn't have time for if I'd started two weeks before.

-Shop around. I ended up buying much of the food in Winco's bulk section. (If you've never been there, I implore you to go. I've had bad luck with their produce, but their bulk section is marvelous.)

-Make your own food. You might think this would add more stress in the end and might not be worth it, but I was able to spread out what I needed to make over a few days. It turned out to be pretty easy. (The cake I made three weeks before, I wrapped it up really well and froze it. I pulled it out of the freezer the day before and it was just as moist as the day I made it.)

-Borrow. I borrowed the tablecloths, a drink dispenser, a cake pan and the platter that the big cake was on.

-Repurpose. The bamboo that was on the table was actually meant to be a blind. I found it at Big Lots on clearance. It was the exact length of the table, so I used it as a table runner. It added a lot to the over-all affect, yet it only cost me $3.

-Craft. The serving platter the little cake was on I made myself using thrifted plates, dollar store candle stick holder, and some epoxy. Here is the tutorial. It cost me a whopping total of $6.75. I also spent $4 on cardstock and had my sister show me how to fold paper cranes. (*I don't recommend using cardstock for origami. You live, you learn.) I also made the "lanterns" for decorating the cakes. They cost me about $3 to make.

(Craft cont.) With the help of my mom, I also made Miss Fifi's Kimono. I found fabric on sale at Jo-Ann fabrics. It actually inspired the color scheme, too. Cost $10. I plan on using this for her Halloween costume too. Two birds. One stone. Holla! (I'm sorry, I'll never use that word again.)

Another photo of Miss Fifi just for kicks:

The budget was about $80. I went over by a few dollars, but I think it was worth it.

Food: $28

Serving plates: $16

Paper goods: $15

Decor: $15

Fabric: $10

Invites: $2

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GRAND TOTAL $86

I think $86 dollars isn't too shabby for a fun party. Am I right?

If there is anything else you'd like to know about Miss Fifi's party or any other ideas on saving money on parties, let me know.

Miss Fifi is One!

Miss Fifi turned one last week. We were planning on having her party at a nearby park, but the weather wasn't looking too great and our two bedroom apartment would put Miss Fifi's family and friends a little too close for comfort. We decided, last minute, to have it at our church. We partied it up in the nursery since there were already miniature tables and chairs for the kiddos. It worked out, but I wasn't able to decorate like I wanted. She had fun. That is what matters.

I still can't believe she is one. I can't believe I've been a mother for a whole year. After she was born people kept asking me if I felt like a mother. I'd always answer; "No, I just feel like I have a little friend following me around." In fact, the first time I actually felt like a mother was about a month ago when somehow I just knew that she was about toss her cookies. Maternal instinct must have kicked in because I grabbed a shoe box lid for her to do her business. I held my sick baby and a shoe box lid filled with throw up, it was then that I felt like a mother. Strange. I bet you never knew throw up could be so profound.

Her hair is starting to make her look like a ragamuffin. I should probably start doing it, huh?

In an upcoming post I share more about her party and some tips I learned about throwing an awesome party on a budget (around $75 actually), complete with recipes, links to tutorials, and cost saving ideas. Watch for the post on her Japanese themed birthday party soon. For now, you can see this little gem:

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What I'm Listening To:

Band: Jet

Album: Get Born

I know this album has been around a few years, but this is my blog and I can do what I want. Their other albums are great too, but Get Born is just my favorite.

My favorite song on the album is a toss-up. I love Rollover DJ, Get What You Need, and Are You Gonna Be My Girl.

I knew a boy that could sing like Nic Cester. We went on a date once. It was super awkward. In full disclosure: this was a couple weeks after I met Rory. The poor sap never even had a chance...

Things

Please note: Some of the contents of this blog post sways into complaining, on the verge of pity-party territory. I apologize.

I would like to be a better blogger, but I feel like things are so up in the air right now that I don't have much to blog about. Here is an update... Well, it's not even an update because there is much yet to be decided. So, here is my non-update:

Rory is finishing his Associate's degree in Pre-Electrical Engineering in December. After that, he has to transfer to a different school to finish his Bachelor's since UVU doesn't offer a EE Bachelor's degree. So, we'll probably be moving in a few months. Where to? We still don't know. We've thought about BYU. It would be nice because we wouldn't have to move, but between the classes he'd have to repeat (since they don't accept some credits from UVU) and religion classes it would tack on possibly an extra year to his degree. No thanks. We've narrowed it down to a couple of state schools. USU and U of U. Logan or Salt Lake City. Right now we are leaning towards U of U. That could change tomorrow. I don't know.

We are also coming to the realization that as Rory finishes his degree, we just might have to go into debt. The thought of debt makes me cringe.

The thought of moving farther away from family doesn't bother me. I think it will be good for us to not rely on family for babysitting and entertainment when we are bored and don't want to make dinner. Anyone else know how that is? Moving a little farther away will be an adventure. It's just not knowing where we need to look that I'm having the hardest time with. I'm a planner. I need time to work things out in my head and... well, plan. Not knowing where we'll be in five months scares me.

Part of me just wants to get the next couple years over with. I don't like thinking that way because A) That would mean I'm one of those people who live thinking; 'life will start as soon as...' (they graduate, they buy a house, they lose the extra 5 lbs. etc.) As cheesy as the old cliche is, it's true; "Happiness is a journey, not a destination." (If you know who first said or wrote it please, help a sister out.) And B) Could you imagine Miss Fifi skipping from 10 months old to almost 3 years. She's already growing way faster than I believe is fair. Skipping two years of her life is unimaginable.

Speaking of Miss Fifi; isn't she cute?

Because I am unable to solidify moving plans and such, I've focused my efforts on planning Miss Fifi's birthday party and knitting her a blanket. Her party will be awesome, trust me on that one. Would you like a sneak-peak of her blanket? Shhh... I need to trust that you won't tell her about it.

That's all you're getting for now. I didn't go with any of the patterns I listed in my previous post. (Found HERE.) I found this one soon after I published my last post and really liked it. I'll probably do the Escher one some day, but I decided that it wasn't baby enough for Miss Fifi.

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What I'm Listening to:

Artist: Snow Patrol
Album: Eyes Open

It's just some good stuff I haven't heard in a while. You Could Be Happy is probably my favorite song on the album. Unfortunately, I never really paid attention to Snow Patrol until this album was released. It was their fourth album, did you know that? I didn't realize that. They are about to release their sixth album, actually. Crazy. I had no idea. I'm not sure if there is a release date for that, but they've got an EP due September 4th.

Rory and I were just talking and we realized that we both bought this album and Death Cab for Cutie's Plans at the same time before we met. (Are we soul-mates or what? haha)

Ice Cream Knitting

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love ice cream. I could eat it every day. In fact, I pretty much did while I was pregnant. I even decided to knit a blanket with a color scheme inspired by my favorite ice cream: Orange Swirl. I'm finally finished with it. It is pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Do you want to see it? Okay, here it is:

The pattern is found HERE.

It is square (5 feet by 5 feet). I love it. The color changes were a little annoying at first, but I switched the colorwork method I was using to one that looks better. (I mentioned this method in THIS post.) This method ended up being easier in the end, too. I'm super happy with how it turned out.

Now, I want to come up with a new blanket. This one will be for Miss Fifi's 1st birthday. (She is ten months old, already. Can you believe it?) I have a few ideas but I need help deciding. I could do something like the Baby Chalice Blanket, the Gingham Baby Blanket, a simple Basket-weave pattern, or double knit blanket inspired by the artwork of M C Escher. (I double knit an argyle pattern in THIS post, so you can get an idea of what double knitting can look like.) The last idea would be complicated, but it would be super thick and warm. Tell me what you think, please. I need help.

I also need color suggestions. If I went with either of the first three ideas, I'd only want one color. If I went with the Escher-inspired idea, I would need two colors. As my sister put it: "You know that her favorite color will be pink, at one time or another." I don't know if I want to do a pink blanket, though. Help me please.

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What I'm listening to:

Cold War Kids. They are a super cool band. Robbers & Cowards is the only album we own, unfortunately. Hang Me Up to Dry is probably my favorite song on the album. I may or may not sing it while I do my laundry...

They are pretty cool. Check them out.

Rory Birthday Fun

Rory got to have two birthday parties. One for friends and cousins. One with his family. He's one lucky boy.

I did a lot of baking for the first one. I even salvaged the cake I made. See?

I made cake pops too. They turned out pretty well.

He's got a lot of candles there.

It was like pulling teeth, getting him to be okay with having a party. The kid doesn't like having birthday parties. Who doesn't like birthday parties? Lame.

After it was over, he said that the party "wasn't bad." I count that as a victory.

Birthday parties=1, Rory=0

Then we had a birthday party at Rory's parent's house. Rory shares a birthday with his 3-year-old niece, so they had a Dora the Explorer party. She pronounces Dora as Dorla. It's cute.

Because they didn't get a chance to at their wedding...

I have no explanation for this.

Poor Dorla.

All the kids got their own purple "backpack." I didn't know that was a thing.

(I've got a lot to learn with this whole motherhood thing.)

There was even a pinata and fireworks. None of it impressed Miss Fifi, though.

Rory was impressed.

I think he had a good birthday. I know I had fun.

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What I'm Listening To:

The band I'm listening to are no longer a band, unfortunately. But that's the beauty of my "What I'm Listening To" posts. They don't have to be new, just what I'm listening to at the time of my post.

I'm listening to The Format right now. Dog Problems is probably my favorite album of theirs. They are super cool. They are all around good, polished, modern, fun.

I first heard them in 2006. I went to an All-American Rejects concert with some friends. I'm not a huge fan of All-American Rejects, but I thought it would be fun. The Format opened for them. I was more impressed with them than with the headlining band. I don't remember any of the songs they played or anything. I just remember thinking they were pretty good and the singer was quite hunky. (This was a year before I met Rory, so it's okay.) Anyway, they are a good band, in case you are looking for music to listen to.

I'm just wondering, does anyone read my "What I'm Listening To" sections? Does anyone care to know what I'm listening to?

Miss Fifi's Mobile

Miss Fifi is crawling now. She started pulling up to standing before she could crawl, so not much is holding her back from getting what she wants, nowadays. So far she's managed a few feats which I will share with you.

-Learned how to open cupboards. (Thanks Rory. I could have done without you showing her.)

-Pulled my cooling -but still hot- straightener down from the bathroom counter. (This was a close one. I was standing right there and quickly got it away from her before she got hurt.)

-Turned on our Bluray player then pressed eject, making the disc tray come out. (I pulled her away before she put her weight on the tray, which she was reaching to do.)

-Pulled our lightest weight acoustic guitar on top of her. (Didn't cry, just acted startled. This might not have been the case if it were any of our other guitars.)

-As I type this, she just learned to open a drawer. (Oops, fingers. Hold on... I'm back. For my mom's sake: she's just fine, didn't even cry. I think it just startled her.)

-Managed to get herself out of her Bumbo twice. (For those not well versed in baby gear lingo; The Bumbo.)

Wow, reading all this makes me feel like a bad parent. Sometimes, I just like watching her work through things (ready to pounce if things go awry). It's fascinating to watch. Needless to say; we will be doing some more baby-proofing this weekend. As for the blueray player, (since we don't have doors on our entertainment center) Rory said he could disable the bottons on the front so that we would need the remote to make it work. (I love having a tech-savvy husband.) That is fine by me. I hope it will be a while before she figures out how the remote works... or hides it. Maybe, we will get a kid-friendly entertainment center for Christmas...

I love her.

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What I'm listening to:

Right now, Death Cab for Cutie is on the ipod. Someday you will be loved is the song. Plans is a great album. I agree with Rory when he said that Owl City kind of turned him off of the Death Cab, Postal Service, and Owl City vibe for a while. It's unfortunate that a totally different band can have that effect. Poor Ben Gibbard. I don't know, maybe we're just snobs. Actually, I know we are snobs. But are we alone? Anyone?

Anyway, we just recently started listening to them again. It's kind of refreshing, listening to something you love but haven't heard for a while.

Squishy Babies

I took some photos for some friends who just had a baby. She was adorable. A perfect doll for the shoot. The only time she cried was when I touched her with cold hands. Poor baby. She slept through her two older sister's running around and a jealous Miss Fifi crying about her mom oohing and ahhing over another baby. Sorry about that, Kidd family.

Here she is: Baby A



Isn't she just adorable?

Aren't these the cute feet?

Doing this shoot made me regret not doing a real newborn shoot with Miss Fifi. Believe me, I took plenty of photos. Like thousands of them, but I didn't do an actual newborn, fresh home from the hospital, squishy, two days old, fuzzy, pre-bald spot shoot. You know what I mean? It's not like I didn't try. I was exhausted and recovering. I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself.

I know that some people prefer to wait until their babies fill out a little before doing a photo session. What are your thoughts?

Speaking of pre-bald spot. This is the only photo of Miss Fifi's head of hair before her bald spot came in.



Wasn't her hair so dark, too?

Fun with Miss Fifi's Cousins

I had a new nephew born a few weeks ago. He was born five weeks early, so he had to stay in the NICU for a couple weeks because he wasn't digesting food properly for the first little while. He got to come home two weeks ago, oxygen in tow. He is a cute little boy, if I do say so myself. He made Miss Fifi look like she was enormous. I've said it before and I'll say it again; It is amazing how much babies change in the first few months.

Isn't he cute?

The new older brother, laughing at Tigger.

The new baby came home when my sister and her girls happened to be here for a visit. It was the first time my nieces met Miss Fifi. They were so excited to meet her. My six-year-old niece LOVED holding her. I thought she would get bored after a few minutes, but she would sit and hold her for like an hour. I kept asking; "Do you want me to take her so you can go play?" And each time she would say no. Miss Fifi has such sweet cousins.

It is always busy when my sister comes to town. We eat lots of food, do lots of shopping, lots of visiting, and the kids play all day.

We went to visit my grandma. (She is awesome.)

We laughed.

Miss Fifi was mauled by her cousins.

(Don't worry, she loves them even though she may not always photograph well with them.)

I knit a couple of headbands for my nieces.

Everyone drooled over new fancy gadgets. (Some literally.)

We even had an Easter Egg Hunt.

Why am I holding a basket, you ask? I was just helping Miss Fifi, I promise.

Miss Fifi mostly just liked to chew on the basket.

The kids got lots of loot. Pssst... There was even money involved. The paper kind.

Here is a photo of Miss Fifi with her Dad. Isn't he pretty?

It was a really fun week. Hopefully, soon I'll be able to post photos of Easter day.

Another photo of Miss Fifi for good measure.

Rory just got done with his last final (Dang it, I've been done with this semester for like a month now and I wasn't even in classes), so we'll be spending some family time now. Got to go.