Just Stuff

Today (well, I guess since it's past midnight it was technically yesterday), but today Sonnet turned ONE YEAR, ONE MONTH, ONE WEEK, and ONE DAY old! Pretty special! Just had to mention it.

A couple days ago I was at the church setting up for Enrichment Night and I started to hear music. Sonnet had climbed up onto the piano bench and was playing a little tune. Every once in a while she would stop playing, flip the pages in the book, and then go back to it like she really knew what she was doing. She was pretty serious about it! It was so funny! :) Ha ha!

I have an obsession with clocks. I dunno why...I just love clocks. So a couple weeks ago I found these cute big clocks at Taipan (awesome store in St. George...you MUST pay a visit if you're ever here) for like $4. I got a couple because I had this bright idea to try to decorate them. I took them apart and decorated the faces and then put them back together. I made one for Sonnet's room and one for Baron's nursery. Sonnet's is sorta plain (it was my experiment), but I think Baron's is really cute. It's a fun little project and you could customize your clock any way that you want to. Just wanted to share the idea.

The Mommy Minute.

I once read that men who change diapers change the world. Do they? Does a diaper-changing-daddy single-handedly bring about world peace or lower gas prices? Usually not. But can a man who takes the time to change a diaper usually make time to play with his child, teach them something new, or tell them that they're loved? Yes. And therein lays the power. A child who knows that their father is there for them is a child who can have confidence in themselves and can know that the world is a safe place. And a child who believes that the world is good will grow into an adult who does everything they can to keep it that way. So, men who change diapers really do make a difference in their little corner of the world. They prove that dads matter.

Think about all the things you learned from your dad. Among other things, my dad taught me to love classic rock, to respect my mother, to ride a horse, to be a good public speaker, to put stuff back where I found it, and that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. My dad made me feel loved. He made a difference in my world.

My husband is a great example to our daughter. The second he comes home from work he bends down and gives her a pint-sized hug. From the smile on both of their faces, I’d say that it’s the best part of their day. He is also incredibly patient with her. He’s been known to walk the hall with her late at night when she’s teething and can’t sleep. He pushes her on the swings at the park and tries desperately to get her to eat something besides cereal. He makes time to teach her new things and he makes her laugh everyday. He is making a difference in her world.

Dads are the ones who make us feel safe. Dads teach us to get up every time we fall. They teach us to be tough. They teach us to play hard. They threaten our boyfriends with a shotgun if they don’t get us home by curfew. They sit through ballet recitals when they’d rather be at home watching the game. They coach soccer teams. They keep us alive on fast food whenever mom goes out of town. They usually say yes when mom says no. Dads matter.

So, to dads everywhere I’d like to say thank you. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for changing diapers. Thank you for caring. Thank you for changing the world in so many ways…one child at a time.

-Holly Hoffman Spears
The Beaver County Journal
June 2008

Number Twenty-Three!

Sonnet has a new cousin (#23 on the Spears side)! This is LEONIDAS LIAM HARTMAN! He was born on Father's Day! And I totally think he looks like his dad. So cute!!!

No Place Like Home

We survived the trip to Vegas! :) And I only forgot one thing (the monitors...even though they were on my list)! Ha ha! :) Anyways, Sonnet did great and we had lots of fun! Well, Nate didn't have such a great time (he was in class 12 hours a day for 3 days), but Sonnet and I did. We did lots of shopping and eating and she even got to swim in a big pool for the first time (she loved it! and we're both only mildly sunburned).


I spent all my time helping Adri get ready for her new baby! She's due any minute and of course she's miserable, so I distracted her by appointing myself her interior designer. :) (We also did practical things like: installed the car seat in her car, bought a nursing bra (oh the joys!) and packed her hospital bag). But the decorating was the fun part! The nursery turned out really cute, so I have to show it off...

Adri fell in love with these wooden signs a few months ago and just had to buy them, so they were the inspiration for the JUNGLE room!

She had pretty cherrywood furniture and this cute brown bedding... then we threw in some green curtains, a rug, and pillow to give it a little more color!

And they've decided on a name for the baby... BARON VANCE PETERSEN (cute!), so we made it official and put his name on the wall. I made these letters for Sonnet's room when I had her and they turned out so cute (and they're cheap!) that now I make them for everyone! :)

The "R" is my favorite!

And of course I'm obessesed with vinyl lettering, so...

For a little more jungle-ish-ness we made this shelf (as in we sprayed it brown and hot glued the animals, not made the thing from scratch) and then we stuck a frog on a picture frame:

We found this cute glider on Craig's List (what did we do before the internet?). I totally lived in my glider when Sonnet was younger so I convinced Adri that she needed one too. It was a steal and it matches so well! She even found this super soft brown blanket with an elephant on it to throw over the top. Cute! And then we added a custom green pillow with Baron's monogram (I'm all about personalization...thank you iron-on letters)!

And to top it all off we found this cute little giraffe at Albertsons (of all places)! Ha ha!

Ok, that's it! Adri, it's sooooo cute! We can't wait for the little guy to make his debut! :) For now, I'm happy to be home and I'm gonna go sleep in my OWN bed! Yay! :)

Traveling with a Tot

Holy Cow, trying to go anywhere with a baby is so wild! I can't believe how many things one little person needs. Sonnet has to take her own suitcase everytime we go out of town because she's got so much stuff. We're going to Vegas for the weekend and here's the list of stuff I need to remember to bring for her:

-clothes for 3 days (and a couple extra sets for when she gets food all over the ones she has on)
-shoes and socks
-pajamas
-diapers
-wipes
-butt paste (love this stuff!)
-the night night blankie
-bath soap
-bath towel
-lotion
-baby tylenol (just in case...we went to Beaver without it once and her tooth broke through and she screamed all night...and there's nothing open 24 hours in Beaver)
-her toothbrush and toothpaste
-haircomb
-swimming suit (aunt Adri has a pool!)
-baby floatie tube thing
-sunscreen
-swim diapers
-bottles
-bottle brush
-formula
-cereal and snacks
-bib
-monitors
-noise maker
-toys
-books
-diaper bag
-carseat
-stroller
-thank goodness Adri has a crib (and her baby hasn't come yet!) so we don't have to take the travel crib too!

OK, I think I got it all! Whew! And after all this, she'll just be bitter that she is "out of her element" and she'll be grouchy the whole time anyways. Ha ha! :)

So Special!

We wanted a unique name for our child...looks like we got one! She won't be meeting any other Sonnet Spears' in her kindergarten class! There were 75 Holly Hoffman's and 20 Nathaniel Spears' but zero Sonnet Spears'! :) Ha Ha!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to Sonnet's Daddy (and all the other dad's out there)! Nate kept saying he was a veteran since this is his second official father's day! We spent the day in Beaver so we could visit Pop Pop too! Nate got some new footpegs for his motorcycle (I dunno, apparently they're way cooler than the ones he had and he really wanted them)...he was pretty excited! He's been off testing them out this evening. :) Nate is an awesome dad to Sonnet! She loves to play with him and she runs into his arms for a hug the second he gets home from work. He stays up late with her (sometimes) and he's always so patient with her. He is so good at entertaining her and making her laugh and I love that he is willing to chase her in circles around the church building every Sunday so that I actually get to listen to the speakers! :) I'm just so proud to have him as my husband and I can tell that Sonnet knows how lucky she is to have him for her daddy!



And we tried to get some pictures with Sonnet...I had great plans to get an updated family photo and I wanted one of Sonnet with her grandpa seeing as how it was Father's Day and all, but she is just sooooo wiggly that this was all we got before we gave up and let her run free. :) ha ha! Where does she get all that energy?!

Sliding and other things...

Sonnet learned how to go down the slide by herself! What a big girl!



Just being cute:


I had some pudding.

Love, Mom

My Baby Sonnet,

For some reason today I really felt struck with the need to tell you what I want for you as you grow up. So, here are the things that I think are truly important.

I want you to be smart. Learn all you can. Capitalize on your natural abilities and don’t be afraid to try something new. Never be afraid to stand up and say what you know. Too many girls act silly and dumb because they think that’s how girls should act. You should be smart and be a leader.

Yes, be a leader. Sometimes in your life you may feel like you don’t really want to stand out…you just want to blend. That’s OK. But never do anything just because everyone else is or because you feel pressured. Have integrity and don’t be a follower. My patriarchal blessing tells me that the Lord needs His daughters to be leaders. You will find that most people are not leaders…they wait around for someone to tell them what to do. You can be the one to take charge and lead people in a positive direction.

Be grateful and practice good manners. Say thank you when you receive a gift or a service, no matter how small. Be punctual and reliable. It’s rude to tell someone you are going to do something and then not follow through. Look people in the eye when you talk to them. Shake hands when you meet someone new. Smile. Clean up after yourself. Basic etiquette skills will take you far.

Be kind. Pay attention to those around you. You may have times when you feel down or particularly challenged. Everyone else has those times too. Look around and see what service you can offer. Just saying hi to someone or offering a compliment can make a big difference. Never hesitate to do something nice for someone else. Be kind to others, even those who are rude to you-- not because they're nice, but because you are.

Be flexible. I have always struggled with an inability to deal with change. I like things orderly and in place. That’s good…and I would advise you to be organized…but don’t be so stuck in your ways that you can’t roll with the punches. Life is not static. You have to be flexible to survive. And by doing things in a new way, you may discover that what you got is better than what you had. Change is usually good.

Be true to yourself. Know what you want and why you want it and then do it. If something means something to you, pursue it. If you care about something, that is reason enough to make it part of your life. If you find that something makes you happy, just enjoy it and don’t worry about what anyone else will think. You will save yourself a lot of grief if you can be true to you without apology or worry.

Ok, that’s my big advice for now. I'm sure I'll have more later, whether you want it or not. :)

I love you, my Sweetest.

Love, Mom

Rise and Shine!

Here's the little one waking up from a great, long (yay!) nap. I love her sleepy face!





If you look close, you can see her two bottom teeth!


Oh, and here is the cute quote I put above her crib. Gotta love vinyl lettering!



PS: Our goldfish Cheerio died today. Of course Sonnet doesn't know or care, but I'm pretty sad about it...

Love to Alabama

Uncle Hayden has been out on his mission for over 9 months now! (I think that's right...I'm not counting down exactly like some people...Mom and Taryn :). Before he left he gave Sonnet this little missionary bear. Once in a while she'll pick it up and carry it all over the house and talk to it. I think she's trying to send her love to her uncle! She did that yesterday and I got some pictures. We're working on learning how to say "Hay." In the meantime, we love you Hayden!