leigh leigh lumpkin

sweaters

2012-01-29T16:39:00.002-07:00

Did you know my mom is a knitter? She's made us several sweaters in the past 10 years. This Christmas she made one for Henry and one for Luke. Aren't they gorgeous?

This one for Henry is the same pattern she made for Jack and Sam and several other grandkids. (I should dig up those photos ...) How many of these have you made Mom?

This one for Luke looks very bright red, but in real life it's a more normal red. Luke requested red when my mom asked him if he wanted one, but when he got this Christmas morning he refused to try it on. I had to bribe him with candy to take these photos and he hasn't put it on since. Hopefully it will get worn soon!

Thanks Mom! I love them!

did i tell you i'm addicted to instagram?

2012-01-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Well - I am. It's kind of like blogging except smaller and easier, since I just do it on my phone.

Even though I love instagram I'm going to make a better effort of documenting things on this blog. I'm sure you guys don't really care, but it is kind of like a journal for me. One I'd like to have for later.

I may be doing a bit of catch up - but for today I'm going to leave you with most of my instagram photos. If you're on instagram - come find me - I'm leedledeedle

Henry talks

2012-01-10T21:33:00.003-07:00

turkey games

2011-12-06T16:33:00.005-07:00

A few years ago our family got together the morning of Thanksgiving and played some games. They were relay race games and everyone played. We divided into teams - the Pilgrims vs. the Indians (I know - not PC). It was a lot of fun - so we did it again this year. It was the day after Thanksgiving, but that's okay.

Here is everyone at the beginning. Already some tears - but they soon stopped.

One of the games we played was that one where you put your forehead on a bat and spin around, then walk somewhere so that we can all see how dizzy you are and then laugh at you.

Luke didn't quite get it and put the bat in his mouth and then spun around. We laughed at him the most.

It was VERY cold. So we bundled Henry up like a baby so he could stay warm. I mean, he is a baby, but you know - not a little baby who gets bundled up.

Sam won Chubby Turkey - the game where you have to stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth and still be able to speak. Sam definitely stuffed the most in his mouth. I think Charlie got one in his mouth.

This was the game where, as a team, each person makes a certain part of the turkey out of pipe cleaners. The kids actually liked this one and it was inside, so they warmed up a bit.

There were tears and crying, and some people quit early, but it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without that - would it?

I also wanted to let you guys know that another Amy friend of mine is having a giveaway for some earrings from my etsy shop - over at Diary of a Quilter. She's also offering a discount - just in case you're not done Christmas shopping yet.

Happy December!

2011-12-01T10:12:00.007-07:00

I'm so excited it's December! I've been working a lot on Christmas presents and organizing my house, so I haven't had too much to blog about. Though I think I'll have to wait until after Christmas to post most of the presents - I will have some other fun stuff to show you soon :)

But I did hit a milestone on my etsy shop last week! After I announced that I was having a sale - I hit 100 orders sold! Yay!

And so - I'm doing a little giveaway over at my friend Amy's blog - Amy Lou Who.

Go over and take a look!

Happy Thanksgiving and a sale!

2011-11-24T09:12:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone. Happy Thanksgiving! I wanted to let you know that I've recently updated my etsy shop with a lot of new stuff and I'm having a little sale. Everything is 20% off! (I'll refund you 20% of your entire order once I've received payment).

There are a lot of great gifts in there for your friends, your wives, your daughters, your moms, and anyone else you can think of!

Please go over and check out my shop :)

Henry is one

2011-11-18T14:55:00.005-07:00

I can't believe it's already been a year. I'm happy and sad all at the same time. Henry is doing lots of cute baby things and lots of annoying baby things. For example, he loves to give me a nice hug when I get him up - I love it. He also loves taking everything out of its place - cups, blankets, clothes, garbage, toothbrushes, toilet paper, anything.

A few other things he's doing right now:

Trying to walk. He's gone about 10 feet before, but he prefers crawling.

Screaming like a girl. It's very painful to listen to.

Loves pooping in the tub.

Loves playing the piano.

Loves getting tickled.

Loves eating. Everything. Especially apple cores he finds in the garbage.

Loves his dad. He cries when he leaves and is so happy to see him when he comes home.

Plays hide and seek behind his blanket. Adorable.

Drooling - all the time.

Here were the cupcakes I made for Henry's birthday. They were super easy and fast. (from One Charming Party).

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:33:00.009-06:00

Henry was an owl this year. I used the Martha Stewart costume pattern. He kept pulling on his little glasses until they stretched out so much that he couldn't keep them on. But luckily everyone still knew he was an owl.

Luke was a fish this year. I have made this pattern before - and it was so hard I swore I'd never do it again. But Luke asked for a blue one, so I made him a blue one. What a good mom I am.

Charlie also wanted to be a fish. He used the costume I made a few years ago. Thankfully he didn't want new colors. (Fish costume pattern - Simplicity 4926)

Sam was a robot. I told everyone this summer that I'd love it if someone were a robot and Sam obliged. He's good like that. He ended up ditching his arms after a few blocks of trick-or-treating because they made him too hot. He also couldn't hold his candy bag and put candy in at the same time, so I held his bag the whole time. (Robot inspiration here).

Jack was a viking. I had asked if someone would be a viking too because I really wanted to make this beard. We were going for Stoic the Vast, but we ran out of time on the armored skirt thing and the arm bands. I think it worked out okay. I'm loving the beard. (Beard inspiration from this girl).

And that's it until next year! Time to start working on Christmas presents :)

If you'd like to see my Halloween costumes from years past click here.

Phoenix: Part 3

2011-10-03T22:00:00.007-06:00

In July we went to my sister's wedding in Phoenix. We drove there and took as many photos of vintage signs as we could. Here's what we got on this trip.

This was a police car parked right outside of (a very small) town, but when we looked closer we realized there was a dummy in the driver's seat. We did slow down.

birthday catch up OR a long post about my children

2011-10-02T20:08:00.014-06:00

Well I promised some updates and then I didn't do anything. I guess I shouldn't make promises anymore.

I did post Sam's birthday. But I didn't post anyone else's. So here they are.

Luke's birthday was this summer. He still had that crazy hair back then. He made several different faces when asked to smile. He also wanted a monkey cake. I used one from Martha Stewart.

A few things Luke's up to:

He LOVES Henry. Or as he calls him - Hemry. He's always trying to play with him and help him out. Usually he is helpful.

He asked me to teach him how to play the piano. I tried, but Charlie was better at it and Luke knows a song now - which he plays over and over again. I think he's ready for more.

He's starting preschool here pretty soon. It's sad to have him gone, but it will be good for him. He's starting to recognize letters and numbers and he will have a lot of fun.

He is still very attached to his blankie. But he will take substitutes. Which is nice because the blankie gets pretty gross. He calls it his little spot blankie and he has a quilt on his bed he calls his big spot blankie. I love it.

Luke has started pronouncing things correctly. Things like

"Luke" - used to be Wuke or Wukie.

"Charlie" - used to be Chay, then Charwee, now Charlie.

"blankie" - used to be bwankie.

I guess they're all L things, but he over pronounces the L - which I love.

Luke has also started helping around the house. It may take him a while to get a job done, but he can pick up the toys or take out the garbage. He's also a pro at wiping things with a wet washcloth.

Charlie had a birthday recently too. His and Sam's birthdays are entirely too close together. He really wanted a killer whale cake. I wasn't that impressed with my rendition, but I think Charlie was. I used black outline frosting and black sprinkles.

Some things Charlie's up to these days:

He's into duct tape. He's been making bookmarks that he plans to sell at school.

He really loves video games. Most of my time talking to him is spent trying to get him to think of other things to do besides video games. Thankfully there's duct tape.

He LOVES little Henry. All my kids have always loved the babies that come to our house, which I really appreciate. They all talk about when they are going to be dads and have their own kids. Cute.

He loves his math homework. I'm not sure if the teacher has talked him into this or if he really likes it - but every time he comes home with it he tells me how much he loves his math homework. It's pretty funny.

Charlie has also been going to a Jiu-Jitsu gym with Jack and Sam, learning the fine art of arm bars, choke holds and the like. He seems to enjoy it. Although he did take a break for a while and complained to Dan that he thought it was supposed to be more hitting and punching people. (There really is none of that.)

Just a cute photo from Charlie's birthday. We were waiting for some of the kids to arrive so Sam (who also loves duct tape) started showing everyone how to make wallets. One girl didn't want to stop even though we were starting the games.

And while we're here I'll tell you a few things about Sam, since I didn't do that on his birthday post.

Sam loves his duct tape as well and spends a lot of his time making wallets, ipod cases, and iphone cases. He plans to sell them at school soon and has amassed a quite a collection. He has also given many of them away.

Sam likes to do things with his hands and has just learned how to cross-stitch. Some of you may think that's just for girls, but if he turns out to be a surgeon - he will be a very good one.

Sam loves his little brother Henry just like everyone else does. He often gets him up and plays with him if I'm busy ~~sleeping, on the computer~~ doing something else. He can also make him a bottle.

Sam has been helping me a lot lately. I asked him just today to unload the dishwasher. He did it happily. Then I asked him to sweep the floor. He did it happily and when he was done asked if there was anything else he could help with.

Recently Sam saved up a bunch of money. About $50 - a lot for our house. I think he got a lot of it for his birthday, but he had some big plans for it. It has slowly been spent, but always when he buys something for himself, he buys something for his brothers too. Especially the ones with no money.

On to Jack. His birthday was this summer and it turns out I don't have any good photos from it. Dan took a video of us singing Happy Birthday, but I'm not sure I should post a video of a bunch of kids who aren't mine.

So these photos are from Spokane - which I still haven't blogged about.

Here he is with his best friend/cousin Jordan.

A few things about Jack:

He's been taking private cello lessons for about a year now and is almost finished with Suzuki book 1. He enjoys it - which means he's sticking with it. We love it too, but it's hard to get in all the practice time.

He's also taking piano lessons and loves it. He's been playing a lot of Jazz lately which is something I never played. So it's kind of fun to have something different.

Jack is very helpful and an excellent older brother. He makes bottles for Henry, puts his pjs on, changes his wet diapers, and does a lot of jobs.

He still loves Legos. I don't think he'll ever stop loving them.

He is still attached to that hat. If he could wear it to school and church he would.

And even though he hasn't had a birthday - here's what Henry's doing:

He loves to reach up to the piano and play.

He loves to eat food by himself. Lately he loves sweet potatoes, peaches, and bananas.

He is usually a pretty happy guy. But he really hates it when he can tell we're all out here and he doesn't get to be with us (like for a nap). He doesn't want to miss the party.

He loves to find cords and chew on them. I should just put all our old, shorter (non-strangulating) cords in a basket for him to play with. The kids spend a lot of time barricading him or the cords - like in the photo below.

He has the biggest thighs of any baby I've ever had. Not sure what that means for him in the future.

And there you have it - my 500th post! If you got to the end and read that part - I feel like you should get a prize or something. But what would the prize be?

a birthday and some catching up

2011-09-09T09:51:00.004-06:00

Well, I've been gone from the blog for over a month. Things were much busier during the summer than I expected them to be. I thought that once school started, I'd have a good chance to catch up - but then we decided to paint the living room and I've had some really horrible headaches - so here I am finally getting around to something.

Sam's birthday was last week. He requested an ice cream robot cake. I tried to talk him into having a robot dance contest, but he wouldn't even consider it. They did destroy a pinata, eat pizza, and watch Rio. So that was fun.

I'll be updating some more soon, very soon.

these guys

2011-07-26T22:41:00.004-06:00

Cute, right? They're even cuter since they're at my mom's for the week (except Henry).

Today I stripped some paint in the stairwell - a difficult task with all the kids here. I also spent way too much time on the interwebs. Did I tell you I started pinning? I also tried to get my pouch done for the pretty little pouch swap, but couldn't finish because I didn't have the right size or color of zipper. Lame. I also went out to dinner with Dan and Henry. That was nice.

There are about 100 things on my list to do - so I won't be getting them all done. But hopefully I get something done. I'll give you a report after the kids get back.

progress

2011-07-20T08:42:00.003-06:00

I spent the better part of last weekend painting the basement. It looks so much better and brighter down there now! I also moved 3 bookcases and their books down and put them where they'll be living. It's starting to come together! Maybe by the end of the year we'll be able to watch TV down there.

More progress - little Henry is getting himself up to standing! He's been crawling around finding every cord he can get his gums on (he only has 1 tooth that he got last week) and it won't be long before he's even more mobile. It's going by way too fast!

Phoenix: Part 2

2011-07-17T09:14:00.002-06:00

One of my best friends lives in Phoenix and she invited our family to stay at her house. It was so much fun. The kids played together and swam as much as possible. They're already asking when we can go back. Sara and I played the piano duets we used to play together and played Rock Band with the husbands and talked and had a great time. We'll have to go visit again some day. Thanks for letting us come Sara and Aaron!

Sara's oldest is just a few days older than Jack. They had a great time together.

All the kids together. They all got along really well.

I just thought this was a cute picture of Henry.

I used to live in Phoenix when I was in high school. I thought it would be fun to go see the old house and neighborhood so we went. In that neighborhood, right around the corner from my old house are 2 Frank Lloyd Wright houses. This first one was completely leveled and they are rebuilding it. I guess it will look like this.

The next house had a construction gate around it. I'm not sure if they're leveling it, or if it's just part of the same property as the other one. I have always thought this house was awesome. I don't think I could ever see either of them very well when I lived there. It seems like they used to be covered up with a lot of plants. Maybe so people like me weren't driving around trying to look at them.

Still on a Frank Lloyd Wright kick we decided to check out Taliesen West. There are quite a few tours available and I would love to do any of them, but we had all the kids and it was about 115, so we just walked around where we could (which was just the parking lot).

I love these little square details on the roof.

This design is all over (at least where we could see).

Here's the super cool gold sign Luke's standing next to. Can you see TALIESIN WEST in gold lettering?

Christmas Letter Back Issues

2011-07-14T08:42:00.001-06:00

Just in case you want some extra laughs, I have reposted (with a few edits) our previous 4 Christmas letters. There's one from 2003, one from 2005, one from 2006, and one from 2007. (We skipped 2004). They are listed under the label Christmas Letters. I plan to post 2009, but it could take me a while.

Phoenix: Part 1

2011-07-14T08:39:00.006-06:00

My little sister Emily got married a few weeks ago near Phoenix. I hadn't been there for 20 years. It was hot. But not as horrible as I thought it would be.

Here are Emily and Cy.

Isn't her dress adorable?

Here's our whole family minus Zach and fam - who weren't able to come. I made most of the yellow ties in this photo.

Charlie cooperated on photos. I think he was bribed by my dad (who loves to give out dollars to grandkids.) Plus - I think he really loved his tie.

Luke was pretty mad about something.

Then he got happier. Dan probably gave him candy.

Henry with my dad.

This guy is cute!

2011-06-30T11:12:00.002-06:00

He's pretty nice too. But when he gets mad - he is a screamer! Right up there with Charlie.

the basement

2011-06-27T10:30:00.005-06:00

Finally getting around to posting about this.

This used to be our basement floor. It used to be a nice fir floor.

When we ripped up the top floor, this is what we found. All the support beams underneath were totally rotten. We knew that many of them were rotting because parts of the floor were bouncy. But EVERYTHING was rotten. We didn't find one dry piece of wood.

Here is all the wood piled up in the driveway. Ready to get hauled away. It took Dan and I about 4 hours to get all the wood off the floor and out of the basement.

The boys were enlisted to clean up some of the tar paper and rocks. There ended up being a bunch of concrete slabs in between each support beam. So Dan and the boys hauled out about a quarter of it that day.

Ready to pour the concrete.

It was pretty cool to watch. We all watched the whole time.

All finished! Dan also knocked some more plaster off this wall. There has been so much water damage over the years that the plaster just falls off. We are planning to paint the walls and ceiling white (they're all that horrible green). We need to make sure there's no more water leaking in before we frame in the walls and sheetrock. Anyone know anything about waterproofing basements?

stuff

2011-06-17T14:15:00.001-06:00

I did find my camera. Yippee! But then I decided that I should just do separate posts for most stuff. It will be better that way.

These are one of my favorite flowers of all time. Favorite color for sure. Forget-me-nots.

I planted a packet of these seeds a few years ago and they kind of move around from year to year. So cute. Johnny jump ups.

Sam and I went plant shopping and he begged me for this orange calla. He wanted all the colors they had (yellow, white, dark red) but since orange is my fave, we got orange. I love how it looks with this blue.

And finally - the only photo I have from the girls trip this year to Park City, Utah. First thing we did - pedicures. Next thing - eat. It was a great trip! (Ashley, my sister-in-law was taking the photo).

A serious recap

2011-06-16T12:36:00.003-06:00

Wow - I have been busy. I keep thinking of blog posts in my head, but then never posting them! So here is what I've been doing in the last month.

Okay nevermind. I just realized that all my photos are on my little camera, which has been missing for over a week. I can't give you a complete recap without it, but I will give you something.

Radishes. I planted these guys around the middle of March. They only take 50 days and they like cool weather. This was the first one I picked (around a month ago). I just took the rest out yesterday. If they're left in too long they get woody and aren't good to eat. Some of mine also had some kind of worm. Yuk.

what have I been doing, you ask?

2011-05-17T14:05:00.004-06:00

You know when I'm absent from the blog for 2 weeks that I've either been very busy or very lazy. The last few weeks were busy! (But I'm sure there were a few lazy days in there too.)

Here's what I've been up to:

I got to go to the International Quilt Market that is held twice a year. This spring it was here in Salt Lake. I posted about it here.

I also went on another girls' trip with my mom and sisters. I'll be blogging about it soon.

We have been ripping out half of our basement floor. I'll be blogging about that soon too.

I've been getting ready for a jewelry show this weekend and am still making Mother's Day presents and late birthday presents for sisters. I will try to blog about that.

I've also been cleaning up pee like nobody's business. Well - that's not actually true. I've been complaining that the bathroom smells like an outhouse and I cleaned it today, only to find that it got peed on right after I cleaned it! Luke's new job is to clean up all the pee that missed the toilet every time he goes. Maybe I should try that aiming cheerio trick - but that's a lot of work.

This guy is not much work at all - and usually happy (especially when getting kissed on the neck.)

performers

2011-05-16T22:38:00.008-06:00

Jack and Sam had their first recitals last week. They both did great! Jack also played the cello in church on Mother's Day (while I accompanied him on the piano.)

playing with my camera

2011-05-01T13:25:00.001-06:00

The boys picked these for me. Love them.

Sam (home sick from school)

I know - not in focus - but Sam LOVES these 3D glasses (and posing).

I tried

2011-04-29T12:40:00.000-06:00

It's been a few years since the boys have had matching Easter clothes. So we got some new shirts this year. While getting ready for these photos - we found that every single pair of khakis we already had were stained or had holes. We considered buying new ones just for photos - but why? They will just get ruined. And it doesn't really matter anyway - because you don't see the pants too much.

I think this one (below) is the best one - even though Sam's pants are pulled up to the knee (?)

Jack is much too dignified to take part in silly faces.

Nice.

Much better.

p.s. All these photos were taken in my neighbor's back yard. There are no really great places around here. And I think I need to take a photography class again - for children. And maybe get a new lens. And does anyone know if you can post better resolution photos here on blogger? They always lower the resolution SO much.

Moab 2011: part 2

2011-04-27T10:03:00.008-06:00

The next day in Moab we went to Arches National Park. We'd been there before and the kids have been begging us to go back ever since.

We saw a few new places, felt the nice, warm sun, ran into friends from Salt Lake (and high school - weird?)

First stop: Sand Dune Arch

This is Jack at the entrance of the short hike to Sand Dune Arch. I love being in those slot canyons. So cool.

Right before the arch it opened up a bit more and there were some great places to climb. The ground was also all sand.

Little Henry did great in this backpack on every hike. But he did get his first sunburn. We forgot his sunhat.

And here's the actual arch. It was definitely one of our favorites so far. The boys climbed around and could have played in the sand for hours. They could have gotten up on top of the arch, but you're really not supposed to do that - so they didn't.

Next stop: View to Delicate Arch

You can hike to Delicate Arch, but it was at least 3 miles, so we opted for the view hike - which was only a mile or so. This is a photo of the arch from the hike we didn't take (not my photo.)

image credit

Luke and I hiked together and Dan went ahead with the older boys. He kept using his binoculars to look for them.

Here is our view of the arch - far far behind the boys. You can see there are some people out further than them but we didn't go up to the edge.

In all that dry desert there are a surprising number of plants, but this was the only flower I came across while hiking. Pretty.

Last stop of the day: Double Arch

Here are the guys in the parking lot - waiting for the rest of us. This is a pretty short hike up to the double arch on the far left. Can you see it?

Seriously - you should be careful in the winter here because if you aren't - your head could spin around to the back and you might end up doing the splits.

Another view of Double Arch on the hike there.

Climbing around once we're under the arches.

Those are 3 of my boys up there inside that arch.

And one more thing: I told you that the boys earned Junior Ranger badges in both parks, but I didn't tell you about how horrible the illustrations are in the booklet. Actually - the inside pages weren't nearly as bad as the cover pages. SO bad. I could do a better job - and I'm not an illustrator. Am I right?

p.s. To see photos of the last time we went to Moab - go here and here.

Moab 2011: part 1

2011-04-26T08:29:00.008-06:00

Last week was our Spring Break and we decided to take another trip to Moab. The boys love going there to climb the rocks and swim in the hotel pool.

This time we started off by going to Canyonlands National Park. We'd never been there and it was pretty cool. A lot different than Arches. The boys earned Junior Ranger Badges in each park - so they learned a lot and had a fun time doing it.

First stop: Gemini Bridges (on the way to Canyonlands).

We took a short hike to a big hole in the ground. This bridge was on the other side of the hole. You can't see it from here, but there's another bridge directly behind this one.

Here are Dan, Sam, and Charlie standing on this same bridge. Kind of scary.

Even scarier - when we got over on that bridge to look back at where we were just standing - we kind of freaked out. It looked like the ground below was going to fall right out from under us.

Trying to keep Luke entertained so he wouldn't fall off a cliff.

Next stop: Mesa Arch (inside Canyonlands)

It was a short hike to this arch, but you could go right up to it and there was a huge drop off. The kids were running around and didn't really get how dangerous it was, so Dan and I were ~~kind of~~ totally freaking out. I got a few photos and we left right away.

At least there were some good rocks to climb on and this one where Charlie was sitting is the perfect little seat.

Next stop: Whale Rock (inside Canyonlands)

This is what Whale Rock looks like from the parking lot. Too bad there's not a person in front for scale. It's pretty big. We climbed up on top of it. The boys LOVED it.

image credit

Here are Sam, Charlie, and Jack on top.

Here are some more of us on top.

Some great signs on the way to Moab.

This sign was for a Chinese Restaurant right by our hotel in Moab. A scoop of what? We never found out.

I won!

2011-04-14T13:49:00.003-06:00

Candace over at Sparkle Power had a giveaway for this book and I won! I'm so excited to do a great summer of arts and crafts with my kids. I read Jennifer Casa's blog too and she always has great ideas. Thanks Candace and Jennifer!

a bit of an update

2011-04-14T12:26:00.004-06:00

This little guy is already older than 5 months! I'm kind of sad about it, but it's so fun at the same time. He already sleeps in the big crib some of the time and a lot of times he wakes up happy. Like this:

He has also started holding his own bottle.He still needs some help - I'm not sure he realizes he can control where he's moving it, but soon. Very soon.

Luke fell asleep like this. I think he had been watching TV. (Favorite disheveled blanket in hand.)

Luke and I found something he could do besides watch TV. I made him some play dough and he loves it! This was before he mashed all the colors together and made brown.

Last but not least - I'm giving away these fabrics on my quilt blog. Go check it out at leedle deedle quilts

just like the queen of england - I too will play the drums

2011-04-08T19:43:00.000-06:00

We went to St. George to get away from the cold and it snowed

2011-04-07T10:27:00.012-06:00

But we had fun anyway.

This was in the car on the way down. Charlie is intensely reading "Matthew's Cutlery" - a knife catalog. That is Sam taking a break under his blanket.

First Adventure: Snow Canyon part 1 (before lunch). Sand dunes. Cold and windy, but not wet yet, super fun!

Second Adventure: Snow Canyon Part 2 (after lunch). A short hike. Cold, windy, and rainy. The boys got to climb rocks - their goal for the trip.

Third Adventure: Zion National Park (the next day). Hike to a waterfall and then up above the waterfall. Cold, muddy, rainy, then snowy. I loved it. I think the boys loved it. I'm not sure Dan loved it, but he didn't complain.

The Aftermath: Everyone was muddy and soaked through. The boys stripped so they could get warm in the car. Henry stayed nice and toasty in Dan's jacket.

A few extra shots:

The conclusion: This trip was definitely fun. The colors are so much more saturated when it's wet and everything was beautiful. But we're all excited to go again when it's warm (but not hot!) Thanks to Emily and Logan for housing us.

Pyrex Explosion Sale

2011-04-04T10:48:00.003-06:00

Do you like Pyrex?

Amy (my quilty friend) has a bunch of pyrex for sale on her her blog - Sukie. Go over and check it out!

Daisy Cinderella Set, a photo by Amy.Newbold on Flickr.

I scored this lovely set!

Crossed something off my list

2011-03-31T10:36:00.000-06:00

I have finally put up this light (and etched the glass for it as well). Our stairwell has been without a light since we moved in several years ago and removed the horrible one that was there.

Next up: Painting the stairs. (That green is actually for the walls - but I'm not loving it - so my project has been stalled until I figure out what color will look right.) Here is the updated goal list

a man quilt

2011-03-30T23:26:00.001-06:00

blogged at my quilt blog - leedle deedle quilts

a new old quilt

2011-03-29T16:37:00.003-06:00

blogged at my quilt blog - leedle deedle quilts.

Luke butters his toast

2011-03-27T08:10:00.002-06:00

Who know what I was doing the other day when Luke had this much time to put this much butter on 3 toasts (his favorite food.)

Jack learns to grill steaks

2011-03-25T23:55:00.002-06:00

Dan is the BBQ man around here. I have no clue when it comes to grilling. He has to pass down his skills - right?

First - check the temperature! If it's too hot - don't open it.

Second - Clean the grill.

Third: put your steaks on the grill

When we ate dinner Sam was sure to tell Jack "thanks for making dinner". He's always very grateful for his food.

(So you know - I didn't take photos of every step - but Jack did pretty much everything.)

Luke and Wormie

2011-03-24T23:19:00.005-06:00

The other day (one of the first sunny days) Luke was out laying in our back yard. (Apparently playing 'taking a nap'?)

He said: Mom? You want to take a nap wuff Wormie?

I said: Who's Wormie?

He said: Wormie? He's my wormie. He's in 2nd age (grade?) - cuz he's older than me.

I went out to look and here's what he showed me:

It's a little house for Wormie that Charlie made (I think). Luke looked under the house a few days later and was concerned to see that Wormie wasn't there anymore. Cute guy.

finally

2011-03-24T00:15:00.003-06:00

spring is here.

This little guy actually bloomed 2 weeks ago (and is still in bloom). He's only about 4 inches tall - stem and all.

hey hey we're the monkees

2011-03-23T23:42:00.005-06:00

For Christmas I made Jack a hat. Jack has been wearing that hat since Christmas. I am not joking. He even sleeps in it.

This reminded us of the Monkees. Because there was that one guy who always wore a green hat with a pompom. Dan knew his name was Mike. But I only remembered Davy. Did you used to watch the Monkees?

We've been watching the episodes - and they're pretty great. I would recommend them. We've also been listening to the music.

Here's my favorite song (which I'm pretty sure I'd never heard before our little Monkees revival period.)

p.s. Jack was being supervised while grilling steaks - that will be a later post.

a new quilt!

2011-03-23T23:30:00.002-06:00

I finished this quilt a few weeks ago. For more info - go check out my quilt blog.

p.s. this is one thing I can cross off my list!

baby onesies and other things

2011-03-08T11:34:00.005-07:00

I bought more than a few onesies well before Henry was born with the intent of doing some freezer paper stencils. I'm just now getting around to it! (Can you believe Henry is already 4 months old? Me neither).

These first three I made for Henry. I like how they turned out! (mostly)

These next three are for a new friend - Aiya - who was just born. (For the one on the right I used fabric to cover up some ugly stitching that said "handsome").

Henry still sleeps in his basket-cradle. I often find him sleeping with his left arm up and one of his feet poking out. Cute.

Dan regularly dresses like this - it's true - but he actually wore this to church the other day - for our ward party. I tried to persuade him to open his shirt all the way. What can I say - he's a modest guy.

random stuff

2011-02-22T17:25:00.002-07:00

Dan and I had a getaway with friends in Park City. Boarding for the guys - shopping and eating for the girls.

Sam and Jack threading their needles.

Charlie and cousin Callie (who came to visit us for Henry's blessing.)

All the boys with Callie. They had so much fun with her.

We had to bribe Luke with candy to get him to wear this jacket to church. This is the look we get when we tell him to smile. I love it.

little red hen

2011-02-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

This is what Henry wore on his blessing day. I had made the sweater for Charlie when he was a baby. I made these overalls a few weeks ago for baby Henry.

Henry doesn't like Dan's beard.

I did this little photoshoot because I love this little onesie and Henry is getting too big for it! Sad. I got it on etsy from Oh, Little Rabbit.

Sam sews too

2011-02-20T17:41:00.004-07:00

When Jack started his ninja project Sam also started a project. He wanted to make a bunny stuffed animal that we kind of copied from something on etsy. It wasn't an exact copy, but we were just looking for design ideas. Sam sewed on the whole face by himself, some with the sewing machine, some with hand stitching. He did a great job!

i finished a really hard quilt

2011-02-20T17:17:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure how many of you read my long post about my goals for the year - it was long - I know. But I have finished my first quilt of the year!

I blogged about it at my new quilt blog - which I know some of you have visited. But if you haven't yet, go look at the quilt.

I also finished a few of my goals for my hallway. When it's all completed I'll take some photos and show you. It's nice to get a few things crossed off the list.

something new

2011-02-18T11:17:00.004-07:00

I have decided to start a new blog. This new blog will be devoted to my quilting and sewing stuff.

I will keep this blog (leigh leigh lumpkin) for my family stuff. So if you know me - and want to keep reading about my family - stay subscribed here. (And go subscribe to my quilt blog too - because I won't be posting all my quilts on here.)

If you subscribe to this blog only to see my quilt stuff, please unsubscribe to this one and subscribe to the new one - leedle deedle quilts.

Thanks!

ninja guys

2011-02-16T19:03:00.003-07:00

Last night at our school's Family Art Night there was a kids' art sale. Jack made 15 ninja guys and they all sold within the first 30-40 minutes. Then he took orders. He is so happy with all the money he made.

jack the marine

2011-02-08T22:11:00.004-07:00

Jack - ever the actor - posing in his costume (authentic - from his grandpa).

p.s. I can't believe I got actually got everyone's photos taken (only 3 months late).

drums

2011-01-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't read my long long post about what I'm going to do in 2011 - one of the things on my list is to learn how to play the drums.

Because Dan got me a 5 piece drum kit for Christmas.

Because I rock the drums on Rock Band.

oh my cute

2011-01-28T13:56:00.002-07:00

and the winners are . . .

2011-01-28T10:16:00.002-07:00

Thank you so much to all of you who entered the giveaway for my sister's new etsy shop - marbled cards!

The winners are Kati and jlj!

Would you both please email me and let me know which 3 cards you'd like?

enjoying the babe

2011-01-27T21:02:00.003-07:00

I sure like this little guy. I can't believe he's almost 3 months!

Did I tell you we think his hair is red? It's hard to tell because he doesn't have much. And what he came with is disappearing and new fuzz is growing in. But even his eyebrows look reddish.

He's also smiling. It's so fun. The other day he even laughed a tiny bit.

a giveaway for you!

2011-01-24T11:44:00.005-07:00

My little sister Katie just opened her own etsy shop! It's called Marbled Cards and it's full of - you guessed it - cards that have been hand-marbled.

Marbling is done by floating paint on top of water. The paint is applied to the surface and then is moved around to make interesting designs. Paper is then laid on the water and removed, transferring the paint to the paper. It takes a lot of practice to make a good product, and Katie's gotten really good at it in the 15 or so years she's been doing it.

Onto the giveaway! Katie is giving away the winner's choice of 3 cards! And there will be 2 lucky winners!

To enter:

please leave a comment here telling which card is your favorite.

For additional entries - (come back and leave an extra comment for each additional entry):

1. add her shop - marbledcards - to your etsy favorites.

2. blog about this giveaway

Giveaway will be open until midnight this Thursday (MST). Winners will be announced this Friday morning.

batman

2011-01-23T22:14:00.004-07:00

Luke kept going between being Batman and some other costume that I can't remember now, it's been so long. In the end I'm glad it was Batman because we already had all the stuff for it.

Of course we own a Batman shirt. And of course - Luke refused to wear it. He insisted on wearing this shirt. At least it's mostly black.

I made three of these capes for Christmas when Charlie was a baby. On the reverse side is blue with a Superman logo.

sam the nerd

2011-01-23T22:09:00.002-07:00

Sam likes to cross his eyes and make goofy faces. So this was a great costume for him. And for his teeth.

the nicest cowboy i've ever met

2011-01-23T21:54:00.004-07:00

I'm not sure what it is - but when Charlie takes photos lately, he gives me the cutest smiles. I get them in real life a lot too. It's just so cute - I'm glad it's documented. Since I took his Halloween photos first - I'm posting them first.

(If you'll remember, I only took his photos because he was ready all day long. By the time everyone else was ready - it was dark and I was planning to take photos the next day. But the next day I went into labor and then . . . you can read the rest of the story here if you want to.)

Also - please compare these photos to these photos of Jack when he was 4 years old.

Charlie carved this pumpkin pretty much by himself. If you blow the picture up, you can see that he stabbed his name above the eyes of the jack-o-lantern.

just a few Christmas photos

2011-01-21T09:20:00.006-07:00

This year I talked the boys into acting out the Nativity. Dan read Luke 2 while the boys "acted it out". They didn't really do much acting, they just dressed up. And just in case you wondered - they were dressed up as shepherds and not jedis. Jack was an angel. And Sam's lightsaber was supposed to be a shepher's staff.

Here they are adoring the baby Jesus (who wasn't very happy the whole time.)

This year Carrie and Todd were here for a wedding. We loved playing with Penny and Stella and playing Settlers with Carrie and Todd. Yay for cousins! The only one we were missing was River.

Lately

2011-01-13T18:43:00.004-07:00

I quit nursing. It was just too hard. I was really mad yesterday when I decided to do it. Mad that I can't make it work. But happy that I won't have to deal with it anymore.

I basted my queen quilt last Saturday at Sewing Saturday (thanks for documenting Kati). I started quilting it yesterday and something's wrong with the tension on my machine. I worked on it for an hour before I noticed. That will be a lot of unpicking. And if I can't get the tension figured out, I may just had quilt it. Ugh.

Luke is potty training again. For the 25th time or something. Today went pretty well, with only one accident. I hope it lasts.

I'm trying to figure out if it's too late to send baby announcements. If you read my blog, you've seen photos, but there are several friends who don't read my blog. And would I be a horrible mother if I sent announcements for all the babies but Henry? I was going to send them with the Christmas cards, but then we never did them.

I did get one thing done on my very long list. But it's kind of boring, so I'm not showing you a photo of it. Instead, here's a photo of Henry.

Also - is it too late for Christmas photos? I still haven't posted Halloween either!

to do list for 2011

2010-12-31T17:24:00.010-07:00

This is one reason I love having the blog. It's a place where I can make this yearly list, check it through the year, and check things off of it. I used to make my resolutions at the first of the year, do them for a few weeks (they were usually resolutions to correct bad habits), then give up because I wasn't perfect at them. Now I look at the resolutions as things to work on all year. I do check this list at least once a month through the year, but usually more, to help me remember what it was I wanted to accomplish.

All year I've been trying to complete things on my 2010 list. I got about half of them done. Which was great. There were also several things we did that weren't on the list. I was thinking of listing them, but I don't need to do that. I already feel better just reviewing the last year of blog posts.

Here is the new list:

house stuff

1. ORGANIZE BASEMENT! (this has been on my list for the past 3 years)

2. paint stairs

3. paint stairwell walls

4. paint hall floor

5. finish up hall (~~paint rest of closet~~, ~~hang closet doors~~, fix floor molding, ~~hang ironing board~~)

6. ~~paint basement walls~~

7. ~~paint basement floor~~ didn't need to do it, since we got concrete instead

8. ~~install stairwell light fixture~~

9. curtains (my room, living room, dining room, ~~downstairs room~~, back door)

10. kitchen threshold

11. ~~finish painting the fence~~ hired someone to do it.

12. repaint the living room (walls, ceiling)

13. quarter round

14. ~~bathroom sink~~

15. ~~black out windows~~

quilts I've already started

1. ~~Jack's stripe quilt (top, quilt, bind)~~

2. ~~my bed quilt (quilt, bind)~~

3. wildwood coin quilt (top, quilt, bind)

4. ~~KJR 9 patch quilt (sash, quilt, bind)~~

5. Hello Betty (top, quilt, bind)

6. ~~purple/yellow (border, quilt, bind)~~

7. ~~quilt for Charlie's teacher~~

other stuff

1. update photos in dining room

2. church bag

3. ~~music bag~~

4. get down to my wedding weight - I've lost 6 pounds so far!

5. FHE once a week - uh - this hasn't happened - but I'm trying

6. scriptures with family every night - this hasn't happened either - but I'm still trying

7. learn to play the drums (did I tell you Dan got me a drum kit for Christmas?) this isn't really happening - I have 5 kids!

8. finish 3 songs on the piano -Maybe I should have been more realistic and said 1 song

9. start running - I have started this!

10. go to cash spending (no more on the credit or debit cards) - we aren't spending on the credit card! yay!

11. ~~plant a garden~~ planted a bunch of stuff. Haven't picked it all.

12. plant more plants in the bare spots (park strips, chimney side, front)

13. write in the kids' journals at least once a month

14. write in my grateful journal at least once a month

thanks for reading! what are you going to do?

2010 quilts

2010-12-31T16:18:00.004-07:00

i was thinking back on this year and feeling like a total failure. i was pregnant for most of the year and i mostly remembered laying around. but i looked at my flickr page (where i keep all my quilty project photos) and was surprised to find that i completed 8 quilts and started sewing together my hexagons. i know i got a few house projects done too. feels nice to have accomplished something other than laying on my bed playing solitaire.

1. fish in bags wonky star, 2. dachshund quilt, 3. pink and yellow scrap quilt, 4. wonky star quilted and bound, 5. strawberry lemonade hourglass, 6. starting to sew them together, 7. HR dog quilt done!, 8. yellow and orange zig zag, 9. elephant baby quilt

stuff

2010-12-16T09:28:00.003-07:00

Just wanted you to know that we're here, doing okay.

Baby Henry is doing great. He's small, and not gaining tons of weight, but he's doing well. He's even sleeping 6 hours some nights and only waking up once. He smiled at my aunt the other day, then smiled at Jack the next day, but we haven't seen his smile since then. Soon, I think.

I am not having any more pain from my c-section, which is wonderful. I am having nursing issues, which I will not describe here. But I am considering quitting already (it's only been 6 weeks). Before quitting I am planning to check out renting a pump today. Why does nursing have to be so hard? I've had worse and worse experiences with each baby. Actually, Luke was the worst - 3 months of pain, but I will not last that long this time.

I did hardly any decorating this year. We put up a tree and stockings and left pretty much everything else in the boxes. We just don't have the energy. I kept thinking I'd have time to sew some gifts, but I haven't touched the sewing machine in months.

I did get 3 of the kids' pictures taken for Halloween! I took Luke's the other day. I just have to find Jack's costume and take his. Maybe today, since he's home "sick".

We don't have many plans for Christmas this year - the only thing we're for sure doing is having cheese and chocolate fondu for Christmas Eve. We have talked about Christmas card ideas, so we'll see if we can get one out.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-01T09:40:00.004-07:00

We went to Craig and Tammy's this year for Thanksgiving, which was great because I was in no position to do it at my house.

Jack helped me make the apple pie.

Sam helped with the pumpkin pie.

And Charlie helped make the best jello ever.

The story

2010-11-21T17:13:00.004-07:00

Just a warning: This is a LONG post. (And don't you love those hairy ears and cheeks?)

Sunday, October 31:

So I think I told you guys that I went into labor on Halloween, right? I had been having contractions since 2 am or so, woke Dan up at 5:30, and was at the hospital by 6 am. Luckily my sister took the kids. When I got to the hospital they told me I was 4 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I think I had been 3.5 cm in the office a few days before, so a little progress. But the contractions just kept getting further and further apart, and they kept saying that his head was way high up, so they just left there to progress. By 2 pm I hadn't progressed since the morning, so the doctor sent me home. I was still 2.5 weeks from my due date (November 16th) so they didn't want to break my water or give me pitocin.

That whole week:

Dan had to go out of town. He was due back Friday night. I kept having contractions, mostly in the middle of the night. So I was super tired and super grumpy.

Thursday, November 4:

At the doctor's appointment I still hadn't progressed. But the doctor thought I wouldn't go too much longer. You never know, though.

At 8 pm I had one short but really strong contraction and knew/hoped that I would have the baby within the next 24 hours.

Friday, November 5:

I slept a bit, but at 1 or 2 am started having hard, steady contractions about 10 minutes apart. I was kind of worried I wasn't really in labor because of Halloween, so I wasn't sure when to call everyone. At 4:45 I called Dan and told him to get on a plane to come home. He thought he could make it by 10 am, but I didn't think that was soon enough. Luckily he found a flight that would get him to the hospital by 8 am.

I called my sister next and she came over to take me to the hospital. Then I called a friend to come over, stay with the boys, and take them to school.

6 am - We got to the hospital. I just kept praying that I was really in labor and that they wouldn't send me home again. When I got to checked in, the nurse told me that I was a 5 +, a bit more effaced, and that she was keeping me. (She also told me that she was appalled that they'd sent me home the Sunday before. Thank you.)

7 am - The anesthesiologist came in to give me an epidural. It took an hour and he had to poke me 4 or 5 times. That has never happened. I got a bit worried in the middle of it that I wouldn't get an epidural and started crying. But finally he got it in the right spot and it started working its magic. I called my mom to catch the next plane. She was there shortly after the kids got home from school. I called another friend to take Luke. And I called another friend to pick the kids up from school. All 6 people I called were there and did just what I needed. So helpful.

8 am - My friend at home called to tell me Charlie was refusing to go to school. He was throwing one of those uber tantrums where he can't be bargained with. Luckily Dan was only a few minutes from the hospital and went home to get Charlie on his way and then got to the hospital.

8:30 am - Dan got there. What a relief. Jamie had been there the whole time, which was really nice. But it was such a relief that Dan would make it for the birth.

9:00 am - The nurse suspected that the baby's head wasn't down. It had been down for the last several months, but she didn't think it was anymore. Turns out, after doing an ultrasound, that the head was on the side. The baby was transverse (sideways). They called the doctor to come check it out. When he got there he tried moving the baby around (thankfully I couldn't feel any of it because of the epidural). He got his head down and did another ultrasound. But baby's hand was above his head and also the cord was in the way.

I didn't know that you can't deliver a baby if the cord is in the way. Or you can, but it can cause serious complications like brain damage because the cord gets crushed and the baby doesn't get what he needs. When a hand is in the way, sometimes they can pinch it to get the baby to pull it back, but if the baby's delivered with his hand up, it can cause permanent nerve damage to the shoulder. Not to mention a lot of pain to the mother.

Basically - the doctor told us we could try for a regular delivery, but we'd probably end up doing an emergency C-section. No one really wants an emergency C-section. I could tell he didn't really want to have to do a C-section at all, but that it was the safest thing for the baby. We all agreed we'd do the C-section. At this point I was dilated to an 8 and they wanted to get going so my water didn't break on it's own and push everything the way they didn't want it going.

10:00 ish - All ready for the C-section. The doctor did the normal cut (horizontal). He went in to grab the baby and he couldn't get him out because I had some strange band of muscle around my uterus that contracted and got so tight he couldn't get the baby out. So he had to make another cut - but vertical this time. He tried to get the baby out again, couldn't, and had to make that second cut longer. So basically my uterus has a cut the shape of an upside down T. Luckily my stomach and skin only got the first, horizontal cut. It was kind of scary for about a minute, but then the baby was born. He was blue and not breathing, but that only lasted a short time and he was crying. I think his first apgar score was a 1 or a 0. I think his second score was better.

And there you have it. That's how we got Henry here. He was 1 1/2 weeks early and my smallest baby.

p.s. Later on the doctor told me he hasn't had to make a vertical cut in a very long time. He also said he'd never seen a band of muscle like that during delivery - only very rarely when delivering the afterbirth. So that was weird, I guess. He also said that it's much more risky for me to ever get pregnant again. If I do, I couldn't go into labor, or I'd probably split that vertical cut, and bleed horribly. Because of that, I'd have to deliver fairly early by C-section. And then I'd have to get an amniocentesis to check that the baby's lungs were developed enough to be born. Sounds a bit too scary for me.

p.p.s. I'm feeling a bit more normal, but these C-sections really suck! At least I can walk around a bit more comfortably, but I still can't drive for another 2 weeks and I'm still in some pain. Dan has been doing basically everything he can (while still working) and I have had lots of help from my mom and mother-in-law (who each came out for a week to stay). My ward is helping me out in the next coming weeks, so I'm a lucky girl to have so much help.

more pictures

2010-11-18T17:19:00.006-07:00

and the story is coming soon - I promise.

All the brothers really like this guy.

Cute little hairy face.

First bath.

Henry Briggs is here

2010-11-09T15:07:00.004-07:00

Day 1

That's Jack's huge hand there with Henry.

This is Henry today - 5 days old

He actually arrived on Friday morning, after a few dramatic moments (which I'll have to tell you about later). I did have a very last minute c-section, so it may be awhile before I get you all the details. Not feeling so hot.

He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces - the smallest of all my babies.

He was 18.5 inches long.

He has a tiny bit of blondish fuzz and he is very soft and cuddly.

The boys all love him and so does everyone else!

halloween?

2010-11-01T15:07:00.002-06:00

I know some of you are expecting to see what great costumes I came up with.

Well - we had a weird Halloween.

Saturday (when everyone celebrated Halloween around here this year) is filled with music lessons for the boys, and by the time I had a minute to take photos of them in their costumes, it was dark already! So I resolved to take them Sunday.

But I didn't sleep much on Saturday night because I went into labor. And I went to the hospital early Sunday morning. And I stayed for over 8 hours and was promised that I would have the baby. And then they sent me home. I'll spare you all the details, but you should know that I am a 4! And still sent home! I'm only a bit more than 2 weeks early, so not that bad.

So I still haven't taken photos of anyone but Charlie (who wore his costume all day Saturday). But I may, if I can get myself out of bed and doing something.

For now I'm very annoyed and bummed.

Wonky Star Info and Ideas

2010-10-22T08:34:00.003-06:00

Here is my version of the wonky star quilt. I have posted this before on my blog, but I am reposting it, with a few extra ideas, for my modern quilt guild. So click on the links below if you want to see some different ideas of what you can do with the wonky star.

I used this excellent tutorial by the silly boodilly. I find it's easier to use triangles (which is what she suggests) than other shapes for the star points.

I was originally inspired by Kerri's wonky star quilt.

Here is a nice one with some serious points by crazy house quilts.

I also love this one by make it modern using grey sashing.

Ashley's version of the wonky star with some flea market fancy.

A few wonky star quilts by Crazy Mom Quilts. These were charity quilts, with the blocks from all different people.

And last - Cara's take on a wonky star toddler quilt - which I really love.

fun!

2010-10-19T11:05:00.003-06:00

Well - thanks again for all your baby naming help. If you ever want a good list, ask Marianne! And thanks for all the family name ideas.

I also had a suggestion from Cara last time to email Swistle. I had never heard of her before but she does a blog just for people who need baby naming help.

So I did it - and she blogged about it today! And guess what - I think we have a name! (If you want to know the name, and you won't tell me you hate it, email me.)

Here is her post.

and - I need your help again

2010-10-13T23:14:00.003-06:00

Because we still don't have a name for the baby. I've got a long list of 1 syllable names, and nothing to go with them. So if you would be so lovely as to leave your list of favorite 2 or 3 syllable boy names in the comments, I would really appreciate it.

If you are related to me - and you know some good family names - please leave those in the comments as well.

I've never been this unprepared with a name and I'm starting to freak out a tiny bit. Just a tiny bit.

Thanks.

A new quilt for new baby 5

2010-10-13T23:05:00.005-06:00

So I started out making one quilt, not loving it, and making an entirely different quilt. All that really matters is that I've finished it in plenty of time before the baby gets here. (I only have 4 - 5 weeks!)

The whole quilt

A bit of a close up of those adorably Japanese elephants

The back is just solid light grey. The quilting is my own design. I did it on my regular old machine. It worked out great and didn't take too long. I think I'll use this design again.

I had just enough of those cute little ladybugs to bind the quilt with them. Cute.

to whoever invented legos

2010-10-09T21:47:00.001-06:00

i love you.

All the boys have been playing with Legos for hours on end recently. When I snapped this photo they had been playing for over 2 hours with no fighting.

For a bit more info on who invented Legos click here.

Cleaning

2010-10-07T21:45:00.002-06:00

Did I ever tell you that I taught the boys how to clean the bathroom sink? And Dan taught them how to clean the toilet. And they actually like it. Sometimes.

Random

2010-10-05T21:27:00.004-06:00

Luke wears himself out. He also doesn't like taking naps. So I find him like this quite often.

We went to a place with a bunch of toy and candy vending machines. Luke picked the mustache vending machine. (I'd never even seen one, but I will be making a visit for the Christmas stockings.) He applied the mustache and wore it for quite a while before taking it off.

Does it surprise you that Dan has a small collection of fake mustaches? When he started growing this one he gave Jack the one he has on. Nice.

First day of school for Jack and Sam

Have you ever watched Man vs. Wild? It is a very cool show and the boys love it. Jack is always trying to make lean-to shelters and sharpen spears and things like that after he watches it. Of course, it helps if your shirt is off (although the host usually keeps his on.)

Dan found this butterfly lying on the road. He brought it in to show everyone and every once in a while it would move. I think it was dying its natural death at the end of the summer. Sad.

Charlie's first day of school.

Girls like to dress up like princesses. Boys like to dress up like . . . not sure who this is supposed to be but goggles of any type are always a favorite at our house.

The best thing about Utah

2010-10-03T14:40:00.006-06:00

Living here has never really been my first choice. But I love it in the fall when we can drive up to the mountains and see the leaves turning.

We usually try to get in a drive through the fall leaves before it gets too cold. I don't even remember if we went last year, since my fall was filled with other things. (For an entire history of what was keeping me down, click here). I did find photos from 2 years ago. You can look at them here.

This time we went up to Park City and went for a short hike. It was gorgeous! And I think the boys loved it. Luke especially loves going "on the mountain" and he's always disappointed if we just drive and don't get out and walk a bit.

Charlie wanted me to take a photo of him skipping rocks on the road. This is right at the beginning.
Sam wanted me to take a picture of him with every flower, leaf, rock, and piece of bark he picked up.

This is the pocket of Charlie's cargo shorts, which he filled with rocks at the beginning. He dumped them right at the end, telling me how it was making it harder to walk with them in his pocket.

Sorry Dan, this was the better shot of the two.

My favorite leaf - Big Tooth Maple. Prettiest color and prettiest shape.

Can you tell how dirty Luke's face is in this photo? He kept tripping and falling (but no crying) and it was quite dusty. He was a mess when we were finally done.

Here are the boys at the end of the hike. We hiked behind them and all the way to the right. It was really gorgeous.

San Diego

2010-10-01T13:59:00.005-06:00

So Dan had a conference in San Diego and wanted me to go with him. It was great because the company paid for everything except my plane ticket (which we had enough miles for.) We may have spent a bit more on food than the per diem, but mostly it was a free trip. Dan's mom stayed with the boys since she was already out here for the baptism. Thanks Anabel!

Can I just tell you how much I love the ocean? As soon as we got off the plane it smelled SO good. It's breezy, and not too hot, and only sometimes sunny. I really love it. It is my perfect place to live.

Dan was so excited to find the Regal Beagle. I had no idea why. Dan filled me in. Do you know the Regal Beagle?

These stairs looked so cool. They were at Serra Museum in Presidio Park, which was San Diego's first mission. It wasn't open so we just walked around the grounds.

This was a huge spider we found. I think he was building his web. He was a tad bigger than the size of my thumb (the top part, above the joint.) I didn't want to get my thumb in there to show you, in case he decided to jump on it.

Crazy face at Balboa Park. Have you ever been there? Seriously ornate architecture and tons of museums. We didn't have time for any museums, just walked around before it got dark. It was very cool.

Us.

And, of course, a flower.

Charlie loses his first tooth

2010-09-30T13:55:00.001-06:00

Charlie's tooth had been loose for a few weeks, but he patiently let it get looser. His favorite way to loosen it was to bite a carrot several times. His idea. Is he a smart guy or what? He may be the first child I've had who didn't misplace his tooth before the tooth fairy came. The one next to it should be out in a few days.

Sam's Baptism

2010-09-29T13:46:00.000-06:00

All the guys, dressed up and ready to go. Those ties didn't last too long.

Sam and his friend Amy, who also got baptized at the same time. Sam has been calling Amy his girlfriend since he was 2, and he still maintains that they are someday getting married.

Two of my favorite guys.

In an effort to be more fair

2010-09-28T13:36:00.003-06:00

I just realized that I never blogged about Jack's birthday.

Then I felt like a horrible mother.

But I do have a few excuses.

1. Jack didn't have an exciting cake.
2. I don't like to advertise my children's birthdays (as far as the date goes) out here on the internet.

So I think that's why I skipped it.

But I am going to blog about it now, because I looked over on the sidebar under the JACK category and he has the least posts of all my children. The poor, forgotten, oldest child.

Again - it was a low key birthday, just hanging out with the fam.

Jack's picks:

Breakfast: German Pancakes
Lunch: Fajitas
Dinner: Pizza from our favorite pizza place
Cake: Chocolate with Chocolate frosting (a first for Jack, who used to hate chocolate cakes).
Present from Mom an Dad: Legos

oops

2010-09-27T14:35:00.002-06:00

I accidentally just published my post about San Diego, but I meant to set it ahead a few days. I edited it a bit and it will be coming up on Oct 1. So come back and see it then. Sorry.

birthday boys

2010-09-27T12:51:00.004-06:00

Since Sam's birthday is first, I'll start with him. This year we had a low key birthday, just with our little family (although Aunt Emily was visiting during Sam's).

Here are Sam's picks for his birthday:

Breakfast: Trix
Lunch: Fajitas
Dinner: Tacquitos
Cake: panda
Present from Mom and Dad: skateboard

This panda image was from one I got online. I think I found it on etsy and then just blew it up. Then I traced it onto parchment paper and tried to transfer it onto the cake. It didn't work really well and the frosting was really sticky for some reason. But I was able to freehand the lines enough that it ended up turning out perfectly.

The outline is one of those tubes of black frosting from the grocery store and the sprinkles are black sugar from Michael's, which I set in with a spoon. It was tricky. I'm sure it would have made things easier if I'd known what I was doing.

And 8 days later it was Charlie's birthday. Same low-key-just-hang-out-with-the-fam-kind-of-a-day. We may have gone to the toystore because some people had money burning a hole in their pockets.

Here are Charlie's picks:

Breakfast: Cookie Crisp cereal
Lunch: McDonald's
Dinner: Pasta with red meat sauce, but not spaghetti
Cake: Monkey
Present from Mom and Dad: skateboard

This cake was one I saw a long time ago in Martha Stewart Kids or Baby. It's actually supposed to look like this with a recipe for a banana cake. The bowl I used wasn't the right shape, and I had used a cake mix, so maybe it wasn't the right amount, but it didn't turn out the right shape or size. Dan came to the rescue with the suggestion to just put the face on top and it worked out great. Charlie had actually asked for a lion or shark cake, but when I showed him this one, he liked it just as well. He's easy like that.

Also - Charlie insisted on the 6 candle and an 8 one for Sam's. I never would have bought them if he hadn't. See what a nice mom I am.

Since the birthdays there has been lots of skateboarding and everyone is dying to try out their new stunts at the skate park.

And a few other things . . .

2010-09-22T22:53:00.003-06:00

Jack also started playing the cello at school. I think it's my favorite instrument. He has been so excited and practicing every day!

And my garden is winding down. This year I planted a bunch of tomatoes, a zucchini, a yellow crookneck squash, and a watermelon. I've had so much squash I don't know what to do with it all. I'm happy to have gardenless friends who will take it off my hands. None of the watermelon ripened right, maybe I'll try a smaller kind next time. The tomatoes have been great. Aren't they beautiful?

lots to tell you

2010-09-22T22:20:00.003-06:00

I've been absent because it's been busy around here!

We had family visit last weekend because little Sam got baptized. I cannot believe he is 8!

Before that we had Charlie's and Sam's birthdays.

And I just got back from San Diego with Dan. He had a conference and I got to go with him.

Plus - I only have 8 weeks left! It finally seems to be ending. And I'm pretty sure that I can not do this again. Be pregnant. I'm also pretty sure I do not have patience for more than 5 kids.

Posts to follow!

wedding flowers

2010-09-14T17:47:00.004-06:00

Remember when I did Katie's wedding flowers? (see here). Well, here is the photo of the bouquet, finally.

Post update: This wasn't my photo, but the photographer's. That was the main reason it took so long to put up.

Vintage New Mexico

2010-09-07T21:20:00.001-06:00

So I kind of lied when I said that I didn't take many photos in New Mexico. I should have said I didn't take many photos of people while in NM.

We actually stopped in this town, Vaughn, twice, that had the coolest signs ever. We took photos of all of them, and then we found a few more outside of Vaughn.

Yes - they have color TV at the Ranch View Motel

(not in Vaughn)

Wow. That's all I'll say.

New Mexico

2010-09-05T20:29:00.008-06:00

This is a long post, but the only one I'm doing on this trip.

I had this really great idea about a super cool blog post where I showed you a map of where we went each day. It was a pretty cool road trip and we visited as many places as we could handle. But I couldn't figure it out.

Besides the map thing not working out so well, I realized I didn't take too many photos. Not sure how that happened. I'll blame it on being pregnant and grumpy.

Day 1: Salt Lake City, UT to Cortez, CO

It was kind of a stopping point, but also, Mesa Verde is close by and we thought we might have time for it. Turns out we didn't have the time or the energy to make it there. It's close enough that we'll do a trip out there another time. That whole area is gorgeous.

Day 2: Cortez, CO to Roswell, NM

This was a really long drive. So it was a good thing we didn't go to Mesa Verde in the morning. We did stop in Santa Fe on the way, but we didn't stay long and didn't see too much.

Day 3: Visit Carlsbad Caverns

This is the reason we stayed in Roswell. It's only about an hour from the caverns and we figured that as long as we were in New Mexico, we ought to go see them. After we got through the 2 hour trip of going through the main caves, Charlie told me, "that was the worst day of my life."

The kids thought this cactus was super cool.

That evening we ate at the McDonald's shaped like a space ship (in Roswell) and the boys were in heaven. If the kids thought we were horrible parents for taking them through the caves, they certainly changed their minds after McDonald's. They were thanking us right and left for taking them there. After that we went swimming at our hotel pool and they loved us even more.

Day 4: Roswell, NM to Albuquerque, NM

Dan thought it necessary to go to the International UFO Museum and Research Center while we were in Roswell. I am a wonderful wife, so I agreed to go. I'm sure you can guess how awesome it was. We bought the kids some little alien toys from the gift shop and they were asking when we could go back to Roswell.

Yes! It was real! No - it was from a movie set.

Dan is standing in front of a feature about an alien abduction. This painting was an artist's rendering of the abductee's description. (Abductees are above Dan's head to the left). Yes - Dan had a mustache for the first part of the trip (until the family photos). The longer it got, the more horrible.

Days 5 and 6: Albuquerque

We stayed for 2 days in Albuquerque for a family reunion. I maybe took 1 photo (okay a few more than 1). It was a great reunion with lots of cousins, food, swimming, and laughing.

That's right - we don't take photos of family members, but of weird signs.

Actually - here is the fam - all doing crossfit together. I think they did it every day we were there.

It's a good fit when the mask fits over your mouth.

Day 7: Albuquerque, NM to Moab, UT

We thought that on the way home we'd stay a night in Moab. We took the kids there last spring and they loved it. So we pulled into our hotel around 10 pm and they had sold our room to someone else! It turned out that every hotel in Moab was sold out and so we had to drive 4 more hours home. Not fun. And the kids were really bummed.

Guess what we're up to . . .

2010-09-03T20:25:00.000-06:00

Some days it works out great. Others - not so much.

Hiking to a waterfall

2010-09-01T20:12:00.002-06:00

Katie (my little sister) and her new husband Dan came to town for a wedding. While they were here they asked if we wanted to hike to a local waterfall. Of course we did! This photo was taken after the hike. (Missing from the photo are my sister Jamie, Luke, and me. Four of the other kids are Jamie's and 2 are her other neices. )

Luckily Dan carried Luke on his shoulders the whole way down. Luke whined about it pretty much the entire way.

Samo playing in the waterfall.

Charlie about to go under the waterfall.

Luke played in the water. It was a really hot day and it was SO nice to stick your feet in that cool water.

Jack is coming out from running under the waterfall. His favorite cousin Jordan waits for him. They thought this was the coolest thing ever.

It was a fun hike. I'd do it again, but not pregnant, and not without other adults.

Luke turned 3

2010-08-26T16:35:00.005-06:00

This guy is quite a character. We're happy he's in our family.

quick catch up

2010-08-25T20:54:00.004-06:00

So my craft show didn't go so well. I don't think it was actually a craft show, but more of a flea market. So the people who did come (and there weren't very many of them) didn't want to spend more than a few bucks on some junk. It was also really windy and everything kept blowing away. It was a mess by the end. Oh well. I sold skirts (size 12 mos to 5 years), button earrings, zippered wallets, and my regular jewelry. I'm going to try and list everything in the next few weeks in my shop.

Better news. We have a family of quail living in our yard. Usually we see them in the back yard in our garden. Are they eating our tomatoes? Maybe. I'd be happy to share with them. They are so cute. There are a few more little chicks and always a mom and a dad with them. The dad always keeps lookout and squacks to tell them to keep away from us.

And I picked this lovely from our garden a few days ago. I was all excited because I've never grown a watermelon before. Apparently I picked it too early because most of the inside was yellow with only a few pink spots. But the pink spots were really sweet. We've got another one on the vine and I think we'll leave it there for a while this time before picking. Anyone know how long you're supposed to wait before picking?

And the best news of all! The kids started school today. I know it sounds horrible that I'm happy about it, but I am not feeling so well with this baby (can you believe I'm 28 weeks?) and I was getting so grumpy with everyone here. It's nice to have a few less kids around. I was much more pleasant today when they came home from school.

Catching up

2010-08-16T09:46:00.002-06:00

Wow - we have a lot to do this week!

First of all - thanks for all the name suggestions. If you think of more, feel free to leave them as another comment. We have kind of picked a first name, but we're not so sure about the middle name. I think we need to check into some family names. If you're in our family and know some good ones, please leave those on here.

We just got back from a trip to New Mexico. More on that when I get the pictures uploaded (no promises as to when that will actually be.) But for now we're still cleaning up after the trip. It always takes a few days to catch up.

It's our last week of no school so we'll have to do some fun things. Like camp out in the back yard. Maybe we'll also go swimming a few more times.

I'm getting ready for a craft show on Saturday. LOTS to do! I'm kind of nervous. I've never really done one before (one where I have to bring all my own set up stuff and stay all day!)

Name help

2010-08-12T22:24:00.003-06:00

Many of you have asked what we will name the new baby. Many of you have told me you are excited to hear the name. But we are having a hard time coming up with a name!

As you know, I really like 1 syllable names, but will it be okay if Charlie's the only one with 1 syllable? (And just a reminder in case you don't know me well - my kids are Jack, Sam, Charlie, and Luke).

I'd love to hear your suggestions on names. First names, middle names, first and middle together, whatever. We need help in all areas! Thanks!

p.s. The above photos is Luke. I don't have any of the others' baby photos on my computer. I might have to do something about that.

Other July Stuff

2010-08-09T22:01:00.002-06:00

I think I forgot to tell you that Andy (my little brother) and Ashley (his cute wife) and their baby girl Callie came to visit us over the 4th of July weekend. The older 3 boys were already at my mom's house. (And when they found out that they missed Andy's family - they were kind of mad at me).

Luke loved Callie. He keeps telling me how there's a baby in his belly and her name is Callie. He will be such a cute big brother.

I grew some hollyhocks from seed. I actually picked the seeds off some plants at my local quilt store. If anyone wants any seeds, let me know and I'll collect some and send them. These ones were about 9 feet tall! The ones I've seen around town are between 2 and 6 feet tall.

I am working on a quilt for baby #5. I started another quilt for him, which I don't love, and I'm not sure what to do with. But I'm liking this one a lot. These are the fabrics.

family photos in Spokane

2010-08-06T19:15:00.002-06:00

So my sister Katie has been studying photography for a few years at college. And while we were in Spokane I asked her to take some photos of us. This is on my parents' property. Isn't it beautiful? But there were several problems:

1. When we took the photos, it was bedtime for the kids. And they were exhausted.

2. I didn't realize that my hair is the same color as the rye in the background. (It is rye, right Mom?)

3. It is apparently impossible for 4 kids and 2 adults to all smile at the same time AND at the camera AND look normal. Impossible!

4. I was also not super happy to be taking family photos while pregnant, but that didn't turn out as horribly as I thought.

5. I'm never sure what outfits to wear. I never want to look too matchy but I don't want someone standing out in orange, either. I didn't like how these outfits looked too matchy.

Therefore, here are the photos I've decided to show you. (And thanks anyway, Katie, for trying it.)

Not a horrible photo, and less than half the people looking at the camera.

At least we looked like we were all having fun in this one.

This one would maybe have been great if it didn't look like Sam was nearly grabbing my boobs and if I could have tucked my chin a bit. (Something photographers have been telling me since elementary school - why don't I remember?)

Charlie was pouting for the entire first pose of photos. He kept trying to direct us all on where to stand. So I let him direct us in this pose. He was adamant that he and Dan stand together because they matched. And that Luke stand by me because we matched. He was the happiest in these photos (because he set them up.)

I like this of me and Dan.

Yes - we are horrible parents. Jack started crying hysterically all of a sudden and we were laughing at him. (Because the reason he was claiming seemed funny, I guess). Still. Mean. (There was an entire series of photos of us all trying to calm Jack down - which didn't take long at all. And he was fine.)

The boys here making goofy faces. This series could have lasted all night. Dan was already done at this point and waiting for us in the car.

Spokane

2010-08-03T18:29:00.008-06:00

Taking a walk down the driveway.

Sitting on the tractor. Don't you love Charlie's pose? He came up with it all on his own.

One day Mimi took Luke out to the garden and picked some lettuce. Then she taught him how to make salad. I need to put him to work at dinner time.

We always go feed the ducks at River Front Park. This time, Sam found lobsters (crawdads) walking around the bottom of the river. (The real reason I had to go to River Front Park was because I had to have the little mini donuts that they make right in front of you. I could eat SO many of them!)

Goofy goofballs.

Feeding the ducks.

Also at River Front Park - you have to ride the carousel. Here's Charlie with aunt Katie.

Here's Luke with Dad.

Jack on his horse.

Samo the yamo on his horse.

Also on the trip I met up with a quilting blog friend (one I've never met in real life). Why did I not take photos? I think I even had my camera. Kristine was so much fun to hang out with and we never ran out of things to talk about! (And we went fabric shopping - could I ask for anything more?)

I also had breakfast with a friend from college that I haven't seen for at least 14 years. That was a lot of fun too, why did I not take any photos? Let's just blame it on prego-brain.

The whole Spokane trip was lots of fun. Glad we went :)

Priest Lake: The Forest

2010-07-29T11:35:00.005-06:00

We had to get out of the cabin so we headed down the main road and found a short loop trail to check out. There are signs posted all over that this is bear country and how you should manage yourself accordingly (don't try to feed the bears, clean up your garbage, etc.)

Sam was scared to death that we would meet a bear on our short hike. This first photo is sad Sam (sad because he wasn't able to talk us out of going on the walk.) Dan's solution was to laugh him out of it, which is why everyone is laughing.

It worked for a bit, but then Sam went right back to being worried.

But he made it through as long as he was holding mine or Dan's hand.

This moss was hanging off all the trees. And Dan's upper lip.

Had to get at least 1 flower in there.

There must be some magical trick someone can teach me about getting a nice photo of a group of boys. What's the secret? (Can you tell Dan's making these guys laugh behind me?)

On Dan's suggestion these guys rested their chins on their hands. Luke didn't quite get it but kept trying it for the rest of the photos on the trip.

It was a nice trip. Nice enough that I kind of want to get an escape cabin at Priest Lake. Maybe if I buy some property now, I can build a retirement cabin on it later.

Priest Lake: The Water

2010-07-28T09:12:00.002-06:00

I did mention that we went up to Spokane and spent a few short days at the lake - didn't I? Well, we did. It rained the first day, so we stayed in a friend's cabin (with sweet 1960s decor) and played games and watched stupid movies on tape. Finally on the day we were leaving we got a nice sunny day.

This lake is cold anyway, but when it's cloudy and rainy, it's even colder, so I didn't even get in the water. Dan braved it for about an hour on the sunniest day. The cold didn't deter the boys. They just stayed in the water shivering and vowing never to get out.

Is it gorgeous or what? I love the Northwest.

Charlie is notorious for not wanting to cooperate for pictures, but when Dan said he wanted to take a picture of he and I, Charlie was right in there. Nice.

We found a little birds' nest. We couldn't see how many babies were in there until I got this photo. But I think the boys saw them chirping for their food.

Luckily we only brought one 12 pack of root beer, otherwise Luke would have done nothing else but drink it.

a good day

2010-07-27T08:57:00.002-06:00

The other day Jack asked if he could look in my jewelry box. It's a pretty cool box Dan got me for Christmas a few years ago and it's got lots of compartments and cool drawers. Everyone was soon interested and trying things on.

After that (which lasted around an hour) they all wanted to make their own jewelry. So we got out the craft box and went to work. Charlie has worn his bracelet and necklace since he made it, even to bed.

This is the kind of summer day I've been dreaming of. Getting creative with everyone, everyone getting along nicely. Hopefully we get at least one more day like that this summer. (I have not been feeling so wonderful and have been mostly reading and laying around). Anyone have any suggestions for easy crafts with kids? What fun things have you been doing this summer?

where have I been?

2010-07-21T11:11:00.004-06:00

Thanks for asking. I've mostly been here, watching The Tour. Anyone else out there watching Le Tour de France? Go Andy! Andy Schleck is in the photo below (left) with his brother Frank (who crashed at the beginning of this tour and broke his collar bone pretty badly). Right now Alberto Contador is in the yellow jersey and I'm hoping Andy can get it back in the next few days. Only 4 more stages to go!

Also - my mom and dad took my 3 oldest kids for 10 days, so I was working on house projects. No time for blogging.

And then - we went to pick the kids up and spent a week in Spokane. We went to the lake and I met up with a few friends for lunch.

Hopefully I'll get around to blogging at least some of it!

a zig zag quilt

2010-06-29T14:57:00.006-06:00

First of all - thanks for all your well wishes for baby boy #5. We are excited for his arrival and to see what he'll look like!

And also - thank you for the potty training advice. I'm debating whether to start now or to wait until Luke is 3. I can imagine he'll want to do it right when the baby arrives.

I have been wanting to make a zig zag quilt ever since I saw this one. I also had to have that fish fabric when I saw the same quilt and now it can't be found (unless you're willing to pay an arm and a leg or unless you have something good to swap.) Lucky I got it when it was affordable.

And here is the back. I guess I went a little overboard when collecting my yellows and oranges. I probably have enough to make another twin sized quilt. And in case you're wondering - this quilt is staying with me. Orange is my favorite color and orange and yellow is one of my favorite color combinations.

potty training again

2010-06-25T19:46:00.005-06:00

We just bought a slew of new undies and Luke is currently naked from the bottom down. I know I should be a pro at this after the other 3, but it's hard. I just checked out several books from the library to get some more help (hopefully). I was just wondering if any of you have any good tips, or if you recommend any great books.

Did you potty train "in a day" or over a longer period?

Did your child become night trained at the same time as day trained?

How old was your child when you started?

Was it the hardest thing you've done as a parent so far? Maybe I should be thankful if I think it's the hardest thing so far. And this time, I do have to say, it is easier (but I guess we'll see how long it actually takes before I say how easy it is).

p.s. remember when little Luke looked like this? I barely remember.