I Won, I won, I won!

I never win anything - much less stuff that I want. Anyone who really knows me, would agree that I certainly am not the luckiest person on the Earth, or my family for that matter. My sister wins everything (read contests, bingo, poker, etc.)... she definitely got the luck in the family.

BUT - that's all changing! (Or at least today!) I won this super cute nursing blanket from Moo Moo Mama at one of the latest giveaways at supermomcentral.blogspot.com.

I am SO excited. Not only is it super cute (don't you love the retro pattern?), but I've really wanted one for this new baby coming in September... and I really didn't want to have to make one (besides, I'm sure this is better quality than the one that my limited sewing skills would have made!).

Wahoo!!

The Peacegiver

In my spare time, I've been trying to get this book read.

I would really recommend it. My friend Alana recommended it, so when my mom bought it, I jumped at the chance to, uh, borrow it from her! I had heard other good things about it, but it really is wonderful! It's all about a different way to look at Christ's atonement and how by doing so, you really apply it in your life. The subtitle is "How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes." It certainly isn't a quick, easy read, but most books that impact your life aren't. I haven't quite finished it yet, but I love, love, love it. I would say that it's impacted me more than any other book I've read since "The 5 Love Languages." Anyway, I just wanted to share a few excerpts. I don't claim this as doctrine in any way, however it is based on doctrine and when used correctly (aka through prayer and personal revelation), I believe it holds a lot of truths that we all could benefit from. We all can forgive better than we do, and we're all in need of forgiveness.

Ok, excerpt #1...

"Mercy can be extended only to those who are willing to extend it themselves."

"The Lord's question to Jonah is the same one he posed in the parable of the unmerciful servant, whose debt the lord - his master - had forgiven: 'Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservent, even as I had pity on thee?' the lord asked. 'And his lord was wroth,' the Savior taught, 'and delivered him to the tormentors... So likewise,' the Savior continued, 'shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

. . .

I'm going to change a little bit of the wording in this next paragraph to fit everyone, not just the character in the book.

Excerpt #2:

"Which leads me to this question: Is there any way that you are forgetting your own sins? Any way that you are failing to remember mercies that *your significant other, friend, family* has showed to you? Any way that you are forgetting the Lord? Any way that you have become blind to your own 'Nineveh-ness'? Any way that you persisting feeling entitled?"

Excerpt #3:

"Like David, he (talking about Jonah) is unhappy not because of another's sins but because of his own."

"This understanding is available merely from pondering the Savior's atonement, for no amount of mistreatment and suffering was able to take away the love of One who was with sin. By contrast, we who still struggle with sinfulness, struggle as well to cover our sins. And one way we do this, the Savior taught, is by finding sinfulness in others. The beams in our eyes get us looking for motes in others. Our own failure to love another causes us to see the other as being unworthy of love."

Again, changing a little of wording (just taking out names)

"The question for you is what sins toward ______ (spouse, friend, etc.) keep you from loving her? How are you demanding justice and therefore denying mercy? In what ways are you sitting belligerently under the sticks of your own grudges? How are you the author of your own despair?"

The Breakfast of Champions

The Breakfast of Champions...


While I normally don't let my daughter have pickles for breakfast (although she would eat them every morning, noon, and night if I let her), sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. And at least the pickle (and a few wheat thins) gave me a chance to get the dishes done and the deviled eggs made. And, in my defense, she did have yogurt a little later.

Fun at the Fair

My mom and I took Sophie and my nephew Isaiah to the County Fair today. It was fun. Sophie was able to do so much more than last year and both the kids were really good.

First, Sophie rode the ponies. Sophie LOVES to ride horses. She's so natural on them - like she's been riding since she was born. It makes me want to get one :)

Then we stopped by the only form of a petting zoo we could find... which wasn't much. I was pretty disappointed. Last year they had a great one with baby horses, cows, pigs, goats, chickens, bunnies, etc. It was awesome and I was expecting something similar this year :( Although, Isaiah loves bunnies, so at least he got to pet a couple of bunnies. He keeps telling us how when he gets older he's going to have this bunny and that bunny and a bunny that looks that this... Try convincing my sister of that... right. I kept trying to tell him that the kids that own those bunnies have to take care of them and clean up their poo. It meant nothing to him until we were at the show bunny cages and he saw one of them poop in their cage. He thought that was pretty dern gross, so I jumped at the chance to re-iterate and say "see, the owner of that bunny has to clean that up." He finally at least acknowledged my so-thought wisdom with a "that's gross."

The pigs are HUGE. Sophie was very unsure about them.

I was more excited about this part than the kids were, I think. They got to ride a camel! :) I have a picture of me and my sister on a camel when I was really young. While I really don't remember it much, I have always loved the thought that I have gotten to ride a camel! I don't know why. So, I was super excited to pass that photo-yet no recollection on to my daughter!

When we went to the zoo in Denver, surprisingly one of Sophie's favorite things were the camels... why? I don't know. But we sat and stared at the hairy butts for forever. Anyway, I thought she'd be jazzed to see one so close and ride one. As I pass my precious daughter off to the ride attendant, Sophie starts getting pretty worried. Ya know, they're a lot bigger close up than they are from 30 yards at the zoo... I was a little worried that she wouldn't go.

Then I start worrying... it's a long way to the ground. It's not like there is a seat or a belt or anything besides a bar that Sophie is responsible for hanging onto and her cousin who didn't really want to hold her.
However, as you can see, Isaiah did hold onto her and Sophie did hold on the bar and we averted falling off the camel :) They had a lot of fun, although I think for $6/person, they should have gotten to around the circle more than once!!

And, can I just add that it's the end of July and I am really pregnant and it's HOT. Boy, is it HOT!

Photo Shoot With Kelly

We had a photo shoot with Kelly this week and here are just a few of her images that were posted on her blog. I particulary like the first one.

This one is kinda classic Sophie for right now.

Anytime you say "smile" she gives this super-cheese smile.

I Heart...

Aaron's gone (still, or again, depending on when you read last ;) and fyi, in case you didn't know, summer tv sucks - except for 'So You Think You Can Dance' so I've been doing some surfing. We all know that I mean web surfing, right? While my whale-ish preggo tummy on a surf board might be comical right now, I doubt it's safe. Besides, it'd be quite a drive.

Annnyyywwwwaaaaayyy - back to "I Heart..."

I totally heart this wonderfully cute cable knit pink onsie from Warm Biscuit. I mean, it is SO cute. Wouldn't it be the perfect "bring baby home from the hospital" outfit? Too bad I'm a big cheapskate and I also don't knit, but ooohhh tooo cute!

My Blue Eyed Girl

My blue-eyed girl loves to have her picture taken!

Say Cheeeesssse

Randomness

Monday Sophie had her 2 year well baby checkup with the dr (who we love btw). All is well. She was quite impressed with how much language Sophie has already. She's in the 90th percentile for height and about the 25th for weight - pretty normal for her.

Yesterday I had another baby-checkup. Baby is doing well. I'm still anemic - no surprise there. I was really bad when I was pg with Sophie. Anyway, they ran some special blood tests to find out why I'm anemic because I don't fit the 'typical' pregnancy anemia. Well, they came back and basically the dr told me that it boils down to "I have absolutely no idea why you're anemic." Ummm, ok. He said that he's going to call a friend of his who is a hematologist/oncologist to see what she says. At that word, my mind starts freaking out a bit... oncologist. Last time I had to see an oncologist, I had an ovary and fallopian tube removed Nintendo style through my belly button. I'm sure it's nothing - and the dr said that he thinks it's probably nothing too. It's just that word.

Yum...

I am not the best house cleaner. I wish I was, but frankly, my house gets cluttered and whatnot if I'm not careful. It seems if I take ONE day off, it takes me another 3 to catch up. However, I try and most the time I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone stopped by (or at least too embarrassed). However, Sophie keeps me on my toes. As she gets older, taller, stronger, and more able to do things, I realize that I have more and more area to clean.

For instance... yesterday I'm sitting on the couch talking to Aaron on the phone (who was in Tokyo at the time). Sophie is happily playing in the living room doing whatever a two year old wants to at the moment. I look over and she has the bottom cushion of the couch lifted up (the other couch that is) and balanced/perched somewhat on her head. She's now looking at all the stuff that falls between the cushions... pens, books, toys I hide from her for various reasons and then forget about, etc. "Ugh" I think "Now I'm going to have to clean that too." But then as I'm thinking that it's not a very urgent task, I see her pop a Cheerio into her mouth.... hmmmm, it just got more urgent.

As I shared this with my mom and dad last night, I made the comment of "HOW old was that Cheerio?" My dad replies "well, not more than a year." (We moved just a year ago into this house, but also she wasn't a big fan of Cheerios until maybe 6-9 mo ago.) However, I think that the expiration date on cereal comes quicker when stored in the cushions of a couch.

Summer Fun

Ahh, with all our adventures this summer, I feel so behind on posting and thought I'd get a few out of the way.

My girly-girl who the majority of the time is carrying around either a baby doll or telephone, loves, no - LOVES to play in the mud. Here's one of our recent muddy adventures in the backyard. I wish you could see her feet better. By the end, it looked like she had shoes on... but she didn't.

What can be better than fingerpainting in your diaper in the summer?

I was so excited - when we were in Denver, we were able to go out to dinner with my old college roommates... not that they're old, I mean, I'm the oldest by... 20 days... but you get my drift.

Anyway, I cannot believe that I didn't get pictures of all of us together. I am so MAD at myself for not doing it, but at least I got a picture of Sophie and Ryan together - although not one picture where they both are looking at the camera. Ryan is my friend Diedre's (and Kevin's) little 3 yr old. He looks so much like Kevin - he's such a cutie and the two loved playing together.

Ahh, girls, I love you and miss you!

(And sorry Lauren that I left Denver early and we didn't get a chance to get together again. Sophie was running a good fever and I wanted to take her to her own doctor instead of someone that didn't know her.)

We're back

My poor little girl is such a trooper! She is the little road-trippin' queen!

A couple weeks ago we left for my aunt's funeral. That first involved driving to Denver (about a 4 & 1/2 hr drive without stopping), staying the night and picking up my brother. Then the three of us traveled from Denver to Montpelier, ID (a 9 hr drive approximately). My aunt's funeral was the following day. I might post more about the actual services later. Anyway, after the funeral we drove about 3 hrs to NoWhere, WY and drove the rest of the way (another 6 hrs) the next day. That's 22 & 1/2 hrs at least in the car in four days and Sophie did GREAT. There were a few stretches of "oh my gosh I might go crazy" but they were very, very few and far between. Overall, she did great.

Then, we were able to stay with Aaron in Denver (he had a business conference there and couldn't go with us to Idaho) for another week. We ended up coming home this week a little early b/c Sophie was sick and my parents were convienantly coming home from my brother's graduation from ER residency.

Anyway, how boring is all that that I just wrote..... snooooorrre
However, I just wanted to share a few cute things with you.
On the way through Idaho and parts of WY there are tons of cows and other farm animals. Sophie loves animals and we were pointing them all out to her. However, she started this conversation after every herd we passed. Eventually we stopped, as you can see why.

Sophie: Mommy, where cow go?
Me: We passed the cow, he's behind us.
Sophie: Todd (my brother), where cow go?
Todd: He's back there.
Sophie: Mommy, where cow go?
Me: Cow is eating dinner.
Sophie: Todd, where cow go?
Todd: Cow is back there.
Sophie: Mommy, where cow go?
Me: Cow went bye-bye.

and then she said this which kinda shocked me and I thought was too cute.
Sophie: Mommy, where bye-bye?
Todd: A lot of people go there.