Motherhood Solution #1

How do you make sure that your baby's

favorite blanket is clean whenever she needs it?

Answer: You make 5 of them.

This summer I faced a dilemma. Sophie NEEDS a blanket (with the corner stuffed in her mouth) to fall asleep. And with a blanket, she can sleep pretty much anywhere. So her blanket is a powerful tool. The dilemma though, was that it's 115 degrees in Arizona during the summer - not exactly blanket weather when she's trying to sleep in her car seat. My solution was to make super-mini summer blankets. I bought 2 types of fabric - silky & flannelly, and made her 2 blankets - both with a soft velvety back.

Well, last night, both blankets were dirty, so I decided, after Sophie went to bed, to use my extra material to make some more blankets. Boy did I have a happy baby this morning. She hardly knew what to do with so many blankets. She just kept trading off, checking all of them out (all 12 corners). She's in blanket heaven.

And I don't have to worry about a dirty or lost blanket anymore.

Sophie's (current) #1 Fear

This is Sophie's #1 fear. I don't even know what one of these is called. This thing lives in our big bookshelf, the same bookshelf where Sophie's toys also reside.


The mere sight of this thing makes her clingy (as pictured), and the sound of it makes her cry the saddest scared cry in all of Babyland (no picture. I'm not going to make her cry).

I'm not quite sure what makes her so afraid of it, but I've never seen her act like this before. If someone touches it, Sophie is immediately on the move - breathing hard and heading toward the closest parent she can find. I'm thinking about storing it away for a while and seeing if she forgets about her fear.

Journal Jar #18: My Family

Describe Each Member of My Family

Dad: My dad is currently the bishop of his ward. He's been bishop for almost 6 years now, and (knock on wood and don't tell my mom), I predict he's on his way to the Stake presidency. He loves to SCUBA dive. He likes camping in Mexico. He loves the boy scout program. He retired this year, and now volunteers at the Bishops store house 3 days a week-like it's a part time job. I get my excitement for planning & executing big projects from him. He loves to plan ways to tear his house apart and remodel it.


Mom: My mom works full time as a lawyer. You know when you were a kid and you thought that all teachers were girls and all firefighters were boys? I thought that all lawyers were girls, since my mom was a lawyer. My mom likes to SCUBA dive too, but only in warm water. She loves being a Nana. She likes to know all the gossip. I got my excitement for a good find from her. She likes to shop garage sales and thrift stores just like me. She can sing. I did not get that from her.




Mike: Mike is my older brother. We are 2 years and 2 days apart. Due to his 2-year mission, Mike and I graduated the same day as each other from BYU. Mike owns a small business. He enjoys building his business, spending time with his wife, and playing with his kids. He's smarter than I am. He's the only kid in our family that can carry a tune. He has a great sense of humor. He's an artist, but I haven't seen any work from him lately.



Danny: Danny is my younger brother. He served a mission in Australia, so naturally, he now speaks Chinese. Danny is very athletic and is the smartest of my siblings. Danny doesn't read my blog, so I can say whatever I want about him. But really, he's always been the most genuine guy I know. He also has a strong testimony.




Cathy: Cathy is the baby of the family. She was a tomboy, and grew up with a perma-pony tail until about high school graduation. Then she turned into a girl. She's super athletic and quite hilarious. She enjoys playing on co-ed softball & soccer teams. She's the most amazing person with kids I've ever seen in my entire life ever. Cathy likes spending time with her friends, buying new clothes, and trying new things.



And there you have it. My family in a nutshell.

Motherhood Question #3

Do bookshelves serve a purpose?

Motherhood Question #2

This is how your toilet paper looks too, right?

Notice the little white thing hanging out of her mouth.

This is her best move. Hold TP in mouth, steady self with one hand, rip lengthwise with other hand.


p.s. Thanks Lily & Leo for Sophie's new top. It finally fits!

Motherhood Question #1

Is this how all moms of

10-month-olds spend their days?

Pop Quiz

Pop Quiz:

. . . . .
Which hand did Sophie use to eat her bananas this morning?

Journal Jar #17: Being a Kid

What Toys/Activities Was I Into When I Was A Child?

Everything I was into, my best friend Kellie was into at the same time. This was extremely convenient for me, because her parents bought her pretty much whatever she wanted. We started off with Barbies. Our Barbie stage was definitely our longest stage. We then moved to Trolls. We also did a lot of playing outside and swimming.

We were very creative without toys too, if I do say so myself. Kellie and I invented an entire universe (that we were, of course, rulers over). The universe consisted of several planets, all of which had different characteristics and languages. On one of the planets, all of the people spoke their words backwards. This is how I know how to sing the words to "Jingle Bells" and "Happy Birthday" backwards (It's important to be able to speak the language of your subjects - to be a good ruler). But I'm not a singer, so it's not easy to get these songs out of me.

Other favorite childhood games: Playing "Saturday's Warrior", playing "Hobos" whenever it rained, drawing out our dream houses, creating Barbie movies, and jumping on the trampoline with the hose spraying on it.

Back to Real Life

After 3 months away, we're finally back to our house. It's nice to be home, but being home means unpacking, unpacking, unpacking, and studying for school.


Sophie has been a little nervous here. Obviously she doesn't remember it at all. The last time she was here, she was immobile. She has been very clingy, but is slowly warming up to the place. She seems to relax a little more each time we unpack a toy or book she had with her over the summer. She's also getting used to her crib and her OWN room. She almost slept through the entire night last night! And I'm still getting used to not having grandparents around to feed her breakfast and watch her while I run to the store.


We all enjoyed our little vacation, but we're ready to get back to our regular lives again.

Journal Jar #16: Ideal Location

If I Could Live Anywhere, Where Would It Be? Why?

Jake & I have decided that where we're old, we'll need 2 vacation homes: one for me, the beach vacationer; and one for him, the skier. As for MY dream vacation home, I think I would pick Mexico (Jake's would be Jackson, WY).

For me, nothing beats a nice, relaxing time at the beach, and what better way to enjoy the beach than with a shrimp taco in your hands? Now don't get me wrong, I love other types of vacations too, not just the sandy kind. But that's what Jackson is for.

Our Daredevil

(Note to all Grandmas: Do NOT scroll down)

Ever since Sophie was 4 months old, I've always said that we've got a little daredevil on our hands. She LOVES being upside down, and her biggest laughs always come from big tosses in the air. Sometimes if I'm holding her, she'll just flip her head back and turn herself upside down.

Where did this free spirit come from?

Check Out My New Skills

Sophie has been doing a lot of growing lately. Lucky for you, I captured her 2 newest accomplishments in one photo.

Here she is STANDING on her own and WAVING. Yes, she's waving to herself, but she means well. She only waves at someone if it's the first time she's seen them that day, and she only waves hello, not good-bye.

Fun Times with Papa

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Family & Friends

Stephanie says it beautifully here.

In times of mourning, it's good to know that you have a strong support group of family and friends. I hope our friends know that we are there for them during this time. I will try to be the friend I hope I would have.