rainbow jeans from Nana

A few weeks ago, I had to take photos of C in the cute jeans that her Nana gave to her (for either her birthday or Christmas; I don't remember). They have a warm, purple layer inside the denim, and rainbows on the back pockets. I also really like this striped hoodie sweater that we had kept after First Girl wore it. I don't know if Second Girl ever wore it. Since she was born during summer instead of winter it might not have fit at the right time.

 

 

 

September 1-15

Both of our girls love to play with this friend who lives right above us. There's something special about toys that aren't your own.

 

The way L walked over this was funny. The girls and I like to walk by the creek to look for the ducks. One day I asked L if we should go home. She said, "No go home. Ducks. Baby ducks."

 

This is my favorite tree near our home.

Nursery on Sept. 4 -- this must have been at the very end, since it doesn't look like any other toys were out. We have fun watching our daughter play, clean up, listen to the songs, etc. (nursery is our calling in the ward). 

That same Sunday, the day before Labor Day, some of us had dinner at my dad and step-mom's house. (There are 7 kids but only my younger sister and I and our little families came over.) We celebrated our brother's 13th birthday a little early.

Labor Day with my in-laws at Lava Hot Springs (we didn't take pictures of us four adults):

Some of our favorite friends came over and had dinner with us.

We love these fountains, where we had a play date with three other moms in the ward (not pictured). Their kids are each two or younger, and weren't all over the place like my four-and-a-half-year-old was, but I still got to chat with the moms.

I got this infant car seat at a yard sale for $20. That same week we found all the things below at Kid to Kid. I love premie / 5-8 pound clothing. It's just so tiny! Our babies have needed it because they have been about 6 pounds at birth. Maybe this baby will be about

the same size. (My husband was so cute the other day; he said, "I wanna meet her.")

Playing Metroid.

She did something she shouldn't have, so we made her clean it.

See my earrings at the bottom? She likes to hang things from lamps. 

On our way to play with another friend.

I made laundry soap (see instructions HERE), and it will save us a lot of money. The only thing we didn't already have was the Borax.

before he got here

We very much enjoyed having sixteen days with my husband (their daddy), and he had to go back about a week ago. We miss him and hope the next not-too-many-but-we-don't-really-know-how-many months will go by fast!

I like these photos. They show what the girls and I did in the days before we drove to the airport to pick him up. We thought he would arrive by Wednesday, but it ended up being late Thursday -- technically early Friday. His flights were canceled and delayed because of snowy weather and other reasons.

tried on the "thank heaven for little girls" hand-me-down onesie (does this photo look like it was taken in the nineties?) . . .

shoveled snow, and the remaining stripes melted . . .

relaxed (only the baby was asleep) . . .

shopped for the new bedding that he wanted me to buy for us . . .

ironed the bedding (after duct-taping the skirt because it's queen-sized and our bed's a full) . . .

very excited to own 4oo-threadcount sheets . . .

bathed

25 things about me

Several friends have done this about themselves and tagged me. So here they are, in no particular order.

1. I love natural light and prefer to have it come into my home through the windows than to turn a light bulb on when it's not dark outside.
2. I'm a sweater person. I have lots of them to wear when the weather isn't warm.
3. I pretty much always wear socks, not bare feet, when I'm at home {well, I guess I don't wear socks much in the summer}. When I get in bed, though, I have to take them off.
4. I like quiet. I don't like talking to be too loud or to have too many sounds going on at the same time. Although I love music I don't listen to CDs very often unless I'm in the car.
5. I don't need ice in my drinks, but I do like my water to come from the cold fridge. If someone offers me ice, two cubes are plenty.
6. I don't get up nearly as early as I used to but I'm usually up by 8:00. Honestly, the time I go to bed depends on whether or not my husband has school in the morning.
7. I have read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover I think 6 or 7 times. The most recent time I completed it was this week.
8. I have not read the whole Old Testament, so my next goal is to read the Holy Bible from cover to cover.
9. I have never liked or owned Cabbage Patch Kids; I think they're kind of ugly.
10. Remember Micro Machines? I liked playing with those. I am in the middle of two brothers so that could be why.
11. I would like to take ballroom dance classes -- mostly swing -- with my husband. I think I'm actually an okay dancer if someone shows me the steps. I took social dance in high school and in college. {Other than that I've had no dance classes except for a semester of modern dance in high school, and I've danced in musicals.}
12. Near my hip I have a large mole.
13. I don't really like soda, with or without caffeine, and have never been a Coke or Mountain Dew addict. A few, like Fresca, taste good to me but I hardly ever drink them.
14. I eat cheesecake only rarely because it's so rich, and even then I only like it with a fruit topping.
15. Back in 2002 I was going to go to Brazil with two college friends, until one figured she didn't have enough money and the other got engaged.
16. I lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil when I was about 3 and 4 years old because of my dad's job. I wish I could remember what it was like.
17. When I opened our new pack of toothbrushes the other day, I decided which was mine and which was D's based on which color matched our universities. I wrote on mine "iManda" {for BYU-Idaho, but I went to the U also}.
18. I don't usually stick with one task until it's all the way done. One example is that when I'm on the internet I typically have about five tabs open. I'll even hit the login button and, while I wait for those few seconds, open one or two tabs for other sites I need to log into. I think I want to change this, if my 'demanding little sweetheart' will let me. {When I take breaks from emptying the dishwasher or putting laundry away, she is the reason.}
19. I have no desire to ever have fake nails. The ongoing cost of them and the smell in those places make me want to gag. I also wouldn't want long nails making things {like playing the piano or guitar} difficult. My own fingernails are fine.
20. However, I do understand wanting to be pampered. The only real {non-massage-therapy-school} massage I have had was when I was 39 weeks pregnant. I'm looking forward to my next relaxing massage.
21. I am a loser. A person who loses things, like an earring, and sometimes never finds it again. Two of the cell phones that I've misplaced never showed up. This has also happened with at least one set of keys. Unfortunately my husband is a loser, too, but mostly with his keys, and he is able to locate them.
22. I don't like getting tired because there are so many things I want to do other than sleep. Except of course, I'm sleepy. I know our friend Josh C. feels the same way.
23. The highest-paying job I ever had {not counting a really successful SimplyFun party} was just a temp job typing for $14.06 per hour. It's sad that with my bachelor's degree I didn't find anything that would pay me more than that.
24. I'd like to learn more about different types of flowers and gardening.
25. Okay, last one . . . I miss my husband right now. Only about 67 out of 68 weeks left. He's absolutely perfect for me and my best friend.