Merry Christmas!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

"Could you believe things would end in this happy way?"

(First person to name the movie that quote is from will get a surprise from me in the mail....)

Well, where to start.
Life is pretty much awesome right now.
Landon got a job.
Merry Christmas to us!  :)
So...want the details? :)
Landon will be working for American Express.  He'll be dealing with contracts and due diligence.  A KYC (Know Your Customer) Analyst.  He'll be reviewing the legal and financial structure of the customers (i.e., merchants) that use American Express, and then if they are all above board, etc., he'll be doing the contracts.
So...where is it, you ask?
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Seriously.
I don't know how it happened.  We had applications out all over the West, and one even with the Air Force.  There were hardly any jobs here, and I didn't think we'd end up here at all.  I was hoping for Oregon (and part of me is really sad we won't be moving back there!).  All I can say is that the Lord has a plan for us, and apparently that plan is for us to stay here.

We're so happy.

It's been a long time since this blog has sounded like me.

I feel like I've lost my voice.  My random-somewhat-cynical-always-candid voice.  I'm not sure where it went (though I have my suspicions) or how to get it back (though I'm going to try).  I've been thinking lately, about what this blog has been, and what I want it to be.  I've never wanted it to be a record of the goings-on of my little family.  My favorite hobby is digital scrapbooking, after all, so I don't need that.  I've always wanted it to be a journal of sorts...a journal of the things I'm thinking of, what I like at the moment, the memories I have, the music I love.  And I think that's what I still want it to be.  But that is not what it has been.  So it's time to reclaim my voice.  You've missed it, right?  :)
So here we go.

Wanna see something gross?

Yeah, that's what has been hanging over the Salt Lake Valley today.  Yum.  Gotta love inversion.

In other news, I'm doing a giveaway on my craft blog - I'll design your Christmas card with all my digital scrapbooking goodies if you win.  Take a look here.

Hey you photographers out there...I need your advice...

I'm in the market for a good SLR camera.  What did you buy and why?

New family portraits

So since we couldn't afford to do what I wanted to do (hire a photographer and get pictures outside in the fall foliage) and the season for it has passed anyway, AND our kids are growing up before our eyes....

We decided just to go to Fotofly and get our pictures taken there.

I can't say enough good about them.  Seriously.  Our photographer was terrific.  He knew what he was doing!  The studio was AWESOME.  And it is such a terrific deal.  $79 to own all your images.  They just burn the DVD right there.  I LOVED IT.  The photographer really captured Dallin...Susie was being difficult, so not so much with her, but we still got some beautiful shots.

Anyway, so here's some of our favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S....why yes I made Susie's entire ensemble....

 

 

 

 

For those of you moms in Utah...

There's a great deal on Living Social right now...two tickets to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum for $5 (or $4 if you like them on Facebook!).  We've been to this museum, and Dallin LOVED it.  LOVED it.  So check it out here! (But hurry, the deal ends soon!)

We love Auntie!

(some of us just show it better than others)

A little bird told me if I wanted to procrastinate, I should update my own blog...

I actually have lots to say, but I'm too lazy to get the accompanying photos uploaded and edited, and too busy with other projects to bother with blogging at all....plus I would rather just read your blogs!  (Kind of like it seems I would rather seek and download free digital scrapbooking supplies than actually digital scrapbook....but that's another story for another day...)

At the moment, I am scanning in photos from Landon's childhood.  I borrowed his photo albums from my mother-in-law...I just really wanted to get digital copies of these, not only to protect them but so I can scrapbook them myself...and draw comparisons between my husband and my kids.  Exhibit A:

 

 

And here's me:

Maybe the next baby will look like me...
Dal at least has my coloring...Susie, it seems, is going to have more Landon's...I was hoping for a dark-eyed, dark-haired girl like me...but on the bright side, she won't have really dark arm hair that she hates....
But I will say, I think her cheesy face looks like mine....

 

Our little Shrimp

Susie had her six month check-up on Friday (yes, it was late).  At 7 and a half months, she weighs in at 14.84 pounds, the 9th percentile.  26.18 inches in length, the 34th percentile, and a head circumference of 16.4 inches, the 9th percentile (relief...so far, she doesn't have the big Ipson head like Dallin).  She is following a normal growth pattern, though, so I don't need to worry about her being so much smaller than her friends.  She's just dainty. 

Cute, too, right?  :)

Hail the Conquering Hero!

Landon passed the Bar. 

Just found out a few minutes ago.  I'm so so so so proud of him.

(And relieved!)

Heading down to Vegas in a few weeks for him to be sworn in....

then I'll officially be married to a lawyer!

p.s...new tutorial on my business-turned-craft blog...

Conversations with my son

Dallin in August right before a much needed haircut

 I'm thoroughly enjoying my little chatterbox and all the phrases he comes up with...here's a few nuggets for your enjoyment...

Dallin (exclaims): I pooped!!!
Me (thinking of the many times he HAS pooped in his underwear): YOU POOPED?!!! 
Dallin (matter-of-fact): I pooped gas.

* * * * *

Me: Are you my sweet Dallin?

Dallin:  No, I a bad guy.

* * * * *

Landon: You have a nice mommy, huh.

Dallin: Yes. (pauses, turns to me)  You not a bad guy, you my mommy!

* * * * *

Dallin (calling from downstairs):  Mommy, I can't see you in the face!

* * * * *

Me and Landon talking about who lives where in my parents' neighborhood

Dallin: What you guys talking?

* * * * *

Dallin trying to tickle Landon's rear end

Landon: Please stop, Dallin!

Dallin: Ewww!  Uckies!  Stinkies there!

(note: stinkies are poop.  poop is gas.)

* * * * *

Dallin running upstairs with a fistful of jelly bellies to tell me he went stinkies on the potty

Dallin: Make Mommy Daddy happy!

(Definitely.)

Acceptance

Life is not ideal.  Life is uncertain.  Life is temporary-lasting-longer-than-planned.  But I've reached a level of acceptance as concerns my life.  I've accepted that like it or not, temporary or not, this is the life I am living.  And I need to live it.
No more putting off plans, saying "Once I'm in my own home again, I'll do that."
No.
I need to do it now.
So I am.
And you know what?  Life is good.  Really.

Another shameless plug for a giveaway so I can get extra entries...

I love digital scrapbooking.  I just did this page (as featured on my craft blog a few days ago).

And now, one of my favorite designers is doing a giveaway.  Enter here!

Why the genetic probability of us having twins scares me:

Susie and her buddy Luke while we were babysitting

I have a cousin on my mom's side of the family with twins.  I have two cousins on my dad's side of the family with twins.
Landon has two cousins on his dad's side that have twins, and his dad is himself a twin.

Scary.

You know, honestly...

...I get blessings that I don't deserve.

We know nothing about cars. We don't. And the only one who does know anything about cars is my father (which, as a Jiffy Lube franchisee and after spending 10 years before that in corporate Q Lube, he should), who is at present traipsing about the Yukon after a moose. Which is another story for another day (kind of like Landon's sweet new ride). Back-up would be my little brother. Who is also in mad pursuit of those elusive creatures through the wilderness of the Yukon (can something the size of a moose be elusive?). But I digress. The point is, when a light comes on telling us something is wrong with the engine, we are VERY concerned.

Took the car in to the dealership this morning, bright and early. They would diagnose it and get back to us. Well, they got back to us. It was fixed. Something was wrong with the software, so [insert mechanical babble here]. They updated the software, [insert more mechanical babble] and it was fixed.

The best part? All it cost us was the $96.17 (with tax) for the diagnostic stuff.

Hallelujah.

Now, if you will excuse me, my son (who is supposed to be napping) is in his room yelling, "BYU COUGARS!" at the top of his lungs....

The timing is impeccable...

When the Service Engine Soon light pops on and the acceleration totally dies, it is definitely not a good thing. It's not even a neutral thing. It is a VERY bad thing.

We'll be taking it into the dealership tomorrow. Wish us luck. Actually, pray for us to find a job to replenish the chunk of our savings this is going to drain.

At least we have Landon's sweet new ride to use while "Dallin's car" is in the shop.

Alaska is beautiful.

Just got back from visiting my sister in Alaska.

More pictures to come.

I love Country Living Magazine.

Does anybody else love Country Living Magazine? I currently get quite a few magazines, which is mostly a fluke, but the only ones I am renewing are (the Ensign, of course) Creating Keepsakes, All You and Country Living.

Well. It's time to renew Country Living, and with my renewal slip came an offer. A free year gift subscription. So who wants it? I thought I'd offer it up here to my friends. Whoever is interested, leave me a comment by Sunday at midnight, and I'll draw a winner via Random.org's number generator and they get it.

P.S. speaking of giveaways, if you haven't entered my business-closing giveaway, go enter!

P.P.S. Another shameless plug for the giveaway I posted about yesterday (because I can get another entry every day for posting about it)....Mary Kim photography. Check it out.

I want to win!

For those of you in Utah, I just found a giveaway for a photo session with Mary Kim photography. Go here to enter!

My darling daughter's six month pictures

Just kidding. This is my brother after an insect of some kind splatted on his face stinger-first while he and my dad were driving their Ranger through the mountains. You know...the whole bug-on-the-windshield idea.

Pretty, isn't it.

Anyway, HERE are my darling daughter's six month pictures. Needless to say, her photo shoot went better than her brother's.

To everything there is a season

or

All good things must come to an end

or

Time to say goodbye

So I had an epiphany during one of the classes I attended at Ed Week. It was in a class about motherhood. Not a parenting class, but a class about being a mother. As the class started out, I wasn't so excited...it sounded like it was going to be guilt-inducing (kind of like I usually find Julie Beck's talks). But I let my preconceived perceptions go, and the class was terrific. Epiphany-inducing. I went straight to the Bookstore annex and bought her book. Anyway, as a result of this epiphany...I'm closing up my Etsy shop for good.

I know. I just got it started again. It's been up and running for two months.

But you know what? It is a TREMENDOUS amount of work to run and make successful. I have no time for my personal creative pursuits. And there is always something I need to do for the business hanging over my shoulder. Most importantly, my babies need me more than I need this.

And you know what else? I feel GREAT about this. I'm looking forward to closing things up and being done. I don't regret having started it in the first place. It helped pull me through my depression. And now, if I hadn't gotten it up and going again, I would have wondered.

Now, I won't wonder.

Maybe someday when my kids are in school, I can undertake something like this again. Until then, I'm going to dance with my babies.

So, I'm clearancing everything out. All products are marked down to 50% off their original price. AND I'm doing one last give-away to say goodbye. $25 gift certificate. So go over and enter.

I am still going to use that blog to chronicle my creative endeavors (I can't be content unless I'm creating something at all times) and still do occasional give-aways just because I like to. :) So stay tuned!

My darling three year old.

Took Mr. Dallin to get his 3 year old pictures taken. Wow, was that a special experience. Not quite as bad as when we had pictures taken with his sister four months ago (i.e., no tears), but soooooo.....well, see for yourself. Some of the most awkward shots for your viewing enjoyment:

NOW, some of the best shots:

And just for good measure:

Perhaps the most accurate depiction of my son....

I found something that is going to change my life.

Okay, so you know why you hardly ever get comments from me on your blogs? Because I read them through the amazing and wonderful Google Reader. But that means because I am lazy, I don't leave Google Reader, click into your blogs, and leave comments. Even when I have something to say. WELL. I was reading a craft blog (because I'm addicted to them) and I found THIS POST. Seriously. Read it. Apply it. And start leaving comments, like I am going to do! Ah, the missing link of connection and closeness with friends far away has been restored! And I get to enjoy everyone's blog headers, backgrounds and soundtracks again. Good stuff.

P.S. still need suggestions on sports bras and running shoes.....

Okay, so seriously...

Calling all my runner friends!

I need recommendations for sports bras and running shoes!

PLEASE leave me your input!

Before I forget....

My baby boy turned three (on the tenth).

Happy Birthday Love Bug.

Homesick.

Or

I left my heart in Eugene, Oregon.

Weary.

Again. Or rather, still.

Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.

5 years!

Happy Anniversary!

Then

(sidenote: we were 22 when we got married. I didn't know it at the time, but we got married young!)

Now