Blankets Abound

We made rag quilts as a women's church activity. That makes it sound like we did something nice with them, like donate them to a great charity or a nearby hospital. Nope, not me (and probably not most of the women). I kept mine for my precious Olivia.


I had bought the material last fall and was just waiting around to find out if I was having a boy or a girl. Thanks to my church, this material turned into something useful.

It also caused a little surge of DIY creativity. They are pretty easy to make. The physician my husband works with just had a baby boy, so I gave it another go. Someone told me her nursery was lime and I just couldn't help myself.

I have been sort of avoiding giving it away. I just love the way this thing feels. I'm such a texture freak. I used only flannel on Olivia's. On this one I used flannel, fleece, fur, and this blue fuzzy material - I'm not sure what it was ... apparently I had to stick with material that began with the letter F.

HEEEEEEEEERRRRE'S Johnny!

This last weekend John and his lovely wife, Elizabeth, were with us. It was a grand ol' time - as always; Eli and I feeling like kids as we slid down water slides (over and over again) at our nearby water park and later we all made delicious shakes with the yummiest of ingredients. But mostly, we all just played with the kids.




Uncle John doting over little Livvy.

Aunt LeeLee "crushing" Bradley and Emmy while, in the background, Olivia sleeps in oblivion.

The kids feigning near death.

But what their faces were really doing when they just couldn't help themselves.ANYWAY,

Eli and I decided that it was high time John got started on his blog. So Eli set up his account (because she knew his passwords and such), and with her help I designed his site and wrote his first blog.

Yes, yes, it is my writing for those of you that had already noticed him on my sidebar since Saturday evening. I thought I'd be all tricky and comment to throw off the scent, but alas, I cannot make John look like less of a man due to a woman author.

Please, please, puh-lease comment. He tends to comment all-too frequently on all of our blogs, and I thought it's about time we all return the favor, plus it might help him along with keeping up with it. I know I'm motivated by comments.

I've given you ample options of clicking on John links, so there is no excuse for not checking it out.

I'm very proud to introduce

my dear friend, John, as

Mr. Relief Society.

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath

Buried Nose

I've been busy reading HP VII. I didn't dare even open my laptop all weekend for fear that I'd see some headline, sidebar, or pop-up that told me even the tiniest tidbit of information about it. So, now that I'm done, I won't ruin it for anyone else. but I thought you should know, that is where I've been.

Pets

If you ask me, pets have their place. It just isn't in my house. Okay, I'm not that bad. We have an aquarium with a couple of fish: Joe (Bradley's fish), and The Little Mermaid [NOT Ariel] (Emmy's fish). In the past we've had a crab - Alice, and a turtle - Willy and for the most part, they've all been good experiences. Lately we've been finding animals in our yard that I would just rather stay in our yard - NOT in our house.

The other evening when Ste was hedging, this little guy introduced himself to us.

Meet Tyler the Frog. You know if they get a name, they're apart of the family.
Watch out he's fast.

We kept Tyler overnight in our pool, but then we all felt bad for him and let him go.

Then this thing reared it's ugly head.....and ugly legs and ugly face, eyes, etc.

You see, it's leg was taken in the battle. And you know how I am with relativity. I had to measure it for proof that it was 3 inches.

Luckily this one didn't ever get a name. But the kids still wanted to keep it.

I don't think so.

Wordless Wednesday - Bubblemania

Fellow Bloggers

On the right side of the screen, you'll notice a list of Family & Friends that also keep fairly regular blogs. I consider myself very close to most of them, while there's a few that I've just met - except one (Kristen and I have only e-mailed each other....which is sad considering we live in the same town, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we meet).

But looking at the list has made me realize that my tiny little blogging world really lacks some testosterone. Turning my background pink this week has only worsened the situation. So here are my proposals to those few men in my life whom I think should begin one.

John - I'm guessing the pressure is so strong, it's unlikely that it will happen anytime soon. Wimp. Yeah, you heard me.
Chris - You always have something to say and better yet, ALWAYS have a strong opinion on any given subject. I love strong opinions.
David - Because I think you'd keep up with it, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Gordon - You make me laugh and I love your thoughts on current events and politics.
Don - You always make me feel much more intellectual than I really am. You're like the ultimate renaissance man.
Ryan - Your sense of humor may not do as well as writ, but it's worth giving it a shot because you're out-of-control-funny.

So here's a thanks to the few guys on the list. If any of you listed above are reading this, step up. If any other men in my life are reading this and have an inkling of beginning one, please don't let the lack of a proposal stop you. I know there are men out there reading!

As Virginia Woolf said, "Why are women ... so much more interesting to men than men are to women?"

Come on gentlemen, prove her wrong.

New Baby

Steven has a new GREEN baby.

His Father's Day gift has turned out to be quite the work motivator. I keep catching him looking out our windows, checking out his lawn.

It also helps that he received a leaf blower and trimmer the very next weekend as a house-warming gifts. It's surprising how manly this has made him feel.

Our yard looks amazing. I can't believe what a new little toy did for him. I'm just waiting for him to name it. I'm taking suggestions. Lawn Boy just isn't going to cut it. Wow, that was a bad pun.

Employer Relations

Steven has a responsibility in our church that requires him to attend meetings before church begins. This means I'm responsible of getting the other 4 members of the family fed, dressed and to church by 9am. Not always easy, but I see it sort of as a challenge. I get this high when I walk in early.

Today I'm grateful for an amazing employer that understands that our religion is very important to us. He is very gracious to us and let's Steven go to church even on weekends that he's on call. Love you, Dr. D*! The relationship Steven has with his boss is a great one in which they both appreciate each other and what the other one brings to 'the business'.

So today I dedicate this blog to Robert D* and how he makes my life easier.

Growing Family

Careful. Not my immediate family!

Since I was gone, I read a couple of headlines a little late. Here was one I thought was worth mentioning.

On June 25th, it was announced that the LDS population is now at 13 million. My family is growing exponentially! The first million mark was in 1947. The succeeding millions were 1963, 1971, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2007.

Come on John, all the cool kids are doing it.

It has also been announced that 1 million members have served missions since the beginning of this church when the gospel was restored. Here's a little plug to feed your local missionaries.

Wordless Wednesday - The Ladies

Em
Liv

I'm Back

Oh, shut it.

I know it's been a while, but a girl's gotta go on vacation.

I just should have announced it before leaving so you wouldn't check my blog and think, 'why didn't anyone tell me Mindy died?'. I promise to give better preps for chunks of hiatus.

Ste, the kids and I got home Saturday from our annual trip to Santa Cruz, CA. It, as always, was lovely and refreshing (until Em and I got the stomach flu ... let's just say I wasn't ready to come home after laying in bed for a day and a half. I needed more vacation).

One more minor bummer was that I missed out on our regular golf game at Pacific Grove's amazing course. It's hard to do 18 holes with a nursing baby. Maybe next year.

Pictures will be coming soon of the good times. Especially if Brian will send a few my way. We all sort of left the photography up to him since he showed up with this grand new nikon slr cam. There were plenty of great pics of kids, beach, fun, boardwalks, sun, sea life, etc.

All in all we had a blast and the M* Family is about the coolest family a girl can marry into. I feel so lucky to be related to these people. They make my life such a joy. Thanks, Dwight & Ruth, for an incredible week. You know how to have a good time.

Grateful Day

Olivia's results came back.
We have ourselves a little heterozygote.

(awwwwwww)

This is actually a good thing. Here's the rundown; a little reminder of the genetics section in Biology 101.


GG - 2 Classic galactosemia alleles
DG - Duarte / Classic (Duarte is a less severe version of galactosemia)
NG - Normal / Classic*
NN - Normal / Normal


*What Liv has. No diet change is necessary. I can breastfeed again. Austin Milk Bank is going to LOVE me.

...and the best part...

She came back to me.

Cheater

I've been dieting to lose these last few baby pounds. I have people to see and bathing suits to be in. Not crazy dieting or anything (as seen to the left), but Sunday is my cheat day, this may be because Steven's been on call all weekend and this is how I keep my sanity.
I don't go sugar-only when I cheat, but I'll add croutons and craisins to my protein-loaded salad (I've been watching my carbs), or allow myslef a treat or two (or nine).

And that batch of cookie dough I'm about to down,
that doesn't really count because, well, I don't want it to.

My Firsts

Got this "FIRSTS" idea from my gals Audra and Jodie

First Bike: My sister's hand-me-down bike that my mom refurbished to perfection: banana seat, streamers, basket, the works. It was awesome.

First Concert: Garth Brooks - I'm not a huge country fan but man, I miss his stuff.

First Time With Make-up: Age 14; I wasn't allowed to wear it until then. Lip gloss and mascara only. It was the next year that I really started to experiment. I wasn't too bad was I, Ma?


First Car: Nissan Sentra. I was 19 and bought it all on my own. I was, and still am, very proud that I didn't have to have help from my parents.

First Real Accident: Rolled said car on Interstate 15. I had fallen asleep at the wheel after snowboarding all day; uh, not as proud.

First Crush: Chris D* - kindergarten.

First Job: Inspector at a embroidery shop; age 14. No, it wasn't a sweatshop. It was a tiny little store owned by my neighbor.

First College Roommate: Steven. I know it's so sad that I never had the dorm experience or the girl roommate thing. I still regret it - though Steven has always been a great roommate. Though saving money by living at home the first year of college probably allowed me to afford the afore mentioned car.

First Date: Alex L*; he took me to Senior Prom my sophomore year of high school. This answers the 'first prom question'.

First Kiss: Nick I*; age 17, on my driveway.

First Time to Disneyland: My parents took us on a surprise vacation when I was in 6th grade. They told us we were going to stay somewhere fun in Salt Lake City for a few days and to pack a swimsuit. When my parents drove into the airport, our confusion and anticipation were able to get them to tell us where we were really going. They didn't want to tell us until we were on the plane, but we forced it out of them. SO FUN! I totally want to do that to my kids one day!!

First Time I Met Ste: In Sam Goody (where I worked). Brian introduced us. Still love you for that Bri.

First Best Friend: Shanna W*.

First Time I Realized I Wasn't a Kid Anymore: Not sure that moment has happened for me.

First Broken Bone: Technically my bone was purposefully broken during a foot operation. None since.

First Dance: Age 14 - I was so nervous I was sick to my stomach.

First Airplane Ride by Myself: Never

First Pet: Our mutt, Brittany. We talked our mom into taking a free, adorable puppy outside our grocery store.

Parent's Visit

I'm needing to back track a couple of events since I've been busier than normal.

First, the parent's visit.
When my parents first got here we asked them if there was anything in particular they wanted to do while they were in the A* area. My Dad had read about the top 5 burger joints in the nation in the Wall Street Journal. One of them happened to be downtown called Dirty's. He thought we should try it out. Only my brothers and sisters will appreciate the true irony in this request.
We also took them to a couple of local places that we take lots of our visitors to.

The fam at Chuy's.

We also went to see the infamous bats. Here's a good, quality picture of the event.
What? You don't see anything? Yeah, neither did about half the crowd. However, we did see this as it flew onto my diaper bag. More people were oohing and awing at this little guy than they were at the bats. We laid the credit card down so you could tell how big this thing was. Some girl told us it's a "longhorn beetle" ... very appropriate.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the great visit. We had a blast and can't wait to see you again.

Wordless Wednesday - Somewhere

... over the

Plethora

Webster defines it as: overabundance, an extreme excess.

...and here are the pictures next to the word...

These are some piles of SOME of the maternity clothes I'm sending back to my sister, Kristen. Actually, this is just the tops (t-shirts, blouses, sweaters), I think I counted about 70 shirts. I don't have 70 shirts in my regular wardrobe! This doesn't even cover all the cute slacks, pants, jeans, and skirts I've already sent back to her. I have cut my wardrobe in half. Thanks to her I had an "overabundance" of clothes while I was pregnant. It was nice to dress in fun new clothes that I would have never bought for myself. I actually felt pretty during a time when most women don't. Thanks, Kristen! You're the best.

And for the other illustration:

Oh yeah, and don't forget this

Which leads me to why I haven't been posting lately. This is my 3 hour cycle: I feed Olivia (which takes surprisingly long for a bottle-fed baby), pump (20 minutes - due to only a single breast pump), break-up Emmy and Bradley's brawl (yeah, that happens about every three hours), go to the bathroom, feed the other two's hungry mouths, then I'm back to feeding Olivia again....oh, and sometimes I sleep. The cycle just goes 'round and 'round. I can barely even answer the phone because of the distractions.
This also leads me to and update on Olivia's condition. The blood test was sent to the Mayo Clinic and that's part of the reason it's taking so long (and was so darned expensive!). Her second test was negative (mostly), but it showed indication that she had some symptoms of galactosemia. We should know within a week and half if all this milk is going to be donated to a local breast milk bank or if we'll need to use it because she won't come back to me.
This also means that in a week and a half, I have less of an excuse for posting so little. Oh, it's good to write.

Wordless Wednesday - Sisters

Combining the Good Stuff

Sorry about the hiatus - I'm back.

But before I can truly blog, I'm going to send you away. While I get my life in order (I really hate being without all my great help - more on that later), I thought I'd promote some things I love.

Becky Higgins is famous in the world of scrapbooking (love it). My cousin is also a scrapbooker (love it more) and a very good one at that (Laura's link is on the right side of this page). While I'll always boast that my sister, Kristen, remains to be the best scrapbooker (really she is and I'm not biased), Laura is by far the best digital scrapbooker ever! Recently she was highlighted in Becky Higgins' blog.

This is great because this blog entry highlights all these great things I love:

My CIL, Laura
Scrapbooking
Becky Higgins
Family History

So, enjoy. Catch the bug. Let me know where it takes you.

PS Does anyone else think Becky Higgins looks frighteningly similar to Natalie?

Mindy Needs

I got this from Audra. I'm not sure if I like adding to my already lengthy "need" list. But it was interesting nonetheless. You're supposed to google: mindy [insert your own name] needs.

1. Mindy needs a home.
Um, ya. I guess I'm renting one. That's good enough for me right now.

2. Mindy needs to find support.
Nah, I've got lots o' support. But I won't deny anyone from giving me more.

3. Mindy needs to be able to really drive.
I'm a great driver...but I'd rather be driving a bigger vehicle. 3 carseats in a sedan is for some other insane person - not me. Maybe that "support" in #2 could be financial support. Ya, I could always use some more of that.

4. Mindy needs money.
Enough said.

Negative Feedback

Just a little update on Olivia's condition.
We've received Olivia's second test back for galactosemia and it was negative (which is good!). The state has told my pediatrician that they want to do a third blood draw. AUGHHHH! My doctor is just as frustrated as I am and wants to get her on breast milk asap. He's called a geneticist to find out if this is all really necessary and apparently it is. Thanks for everyone's thoughts, prayers, and support. It has helped us tremendously. We'll know by early next week if all is well.

Moo

I've been pumping and freezing my milk now for 9 days (but who's counting). It's sometimes a little tedious. Here is one of the conversations that has taken place in our home because of it.

Bradley: Mom, are you done milking yet?
Me: It's called "pumping," Bradley - and, yes, I'm done.
Bradley (looking at me like I'm an idiot): Mom, they "milk" cows - they don't "pump" them.

I stand corrected.

John, it would be wise for your safety to not comment on this one.

Mommy's Helpers

We've been happily overwhelmed with the wonderful help that has come into our home since Olivia was born. Here are some of the highlights.

First, Grandma & Grandpa M* came ... and if you'll recall, all in the nick of time (within an hour of when we were at the hospital in labor).

Grandpa w/ kids at our neighborhood park.

Emmy in field of flowers next to water park.

All of us at R*
because...
No offense to my vegetarian friends. But really, we didn't make it to the top of the food chain for nothing.

And my favorite
Thanks, Dwight & Ruth for EVERYTHING!

Then, John & Eli E* showed up and saved the day and within an hour of when G-ma & G-pa M* were leaving - I'm not kidding.

To all that know John: He DOES have a very nice, bearable, non- saracsitc/obnoxious/smart-aleck side to him.

We miss them all terribly. I can't thank them enough for everything they did for us: the food, the sleep, the endless entertainment. I have now had a week and a half to try motherhood to three on my own. In a few days, Grandma & Grandpa H* will show up. They haven't seen us for two years. Is that so weird? - and sad? I'm almost nervous for it. Now that is weird.