I just cleaned out my closet and I have a PILE of clothes to give away... get this, because they're too big, not too small. Yay! Anyone know anyone who wants to inherit a whole new wardrobe? Mostly sizes XL and 16. I'll take the load to DI if I don't get any takers. Email me. :)
In other news... when I lost 25 pounds I bought myself a new watch. (It's a black and white Fossil and I adore it!). When I lost 50 pounds, I bought a new yoga mat. (Nothing special, my old one was just really old). Now I've decided that when I hit the 75 pound mark, I'm buying this dress from Shabby Apple. :) (Hello, it's good to set goals right?) :) And at 100... well, I think I'll just take a nap. Or send myself on a world cruise. :) The end.
ONE GIRL!
ONE BOY!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The House.
We moved into our house a year ago this month. I took a bunch of pictures before we moved in, and then I took a bunch today. I've either made the place really cute or totally destroyed it... :) haha.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Grandma's Art Studio.
Painting at Grandma's house, with cousin Blake, wearing one of Grandpa's old shirts. So fun!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My Bucket List.
When I was in high school, I started writing a "life list." I called it "50 Things to do Before I Die." I wrote down the things that really mattered to me... the places I wanted to visit, the things I wanted to accomplish, and the things I wanted to try. I never did come up with 50 things though. I saved the list on my laptop and forgot about it.
Then, when I was in college, I bought a new computer and while transferring all my files (remember floppy disks?), I came upon my list again. I was happy to see that I could cross off a few things, and that surprisingly, my desires hadn't changed much.
Then, last week, I watched this corny movie called "Last Holiday." The woman in it is told that she has 3 weeks to live, so she takes all her money out of the bank and goes to do the things she's always wanted to do. It was corny, but cute... and it got me thinking... what things do I really want to do? Obviously, spending time with my family would be my priority if I really thought I was on my way out... but if I could, what things would I most like to do and see while on this earth?
Then I remembered my "life list." I found it on my computer and started reading it. I've accomplished more things since I last looked at it in 2004, and again, my desires are still the same. (I was very in-tune with myself as a teenager. haha) I've never deleted anything off the list because I still want to do the things that I wanted to do then. I did add a couple things this time around and I added the commentary under each item.
I just feel like... what are we all waiting for? I mean, life is life and it's hard and most of us don't have the time or money to just go do what we want... but I think it's sad that we say "someday" so often. I want to be more of a "live in the moment" person. I want to just go do stuff. I don't want to wait until I'm diagnosed with a terminal illness to see Paris. For now, maybe my accomplishment will have to be more of an attitude change than actual traveling, but it's a start...
Anyways, I still haven't come up with 50 things for my list, and maybe as life goes on and I develop more passions, I'll add a few more things. For now, here's my "Bucket List... 49 things to do before I kick the bucket." haha. :) (Underlined items are things I've already done.)
What would be on your list?
Holly’s Life List: 50 things to do before I die
Started in 1999.
Updated in 2004.
Updated in 2010.
-Drive up Highway 1, from LA to San Francisco, in a convertible.
(Nate and I did Highway 1 from Huntington to LA and that was NOT very thrilling. haha. But someday we're going to rent a mustang and do it again, just farther north this time.)
-Spend at least 2 weeks in Paris.
(I know it’s so cliché but it’s the one place I’ve always REALLY wanted to go. And when I go, I want to just be there. I want to have time to see all the touristy stuff, but I also want to have days where I just sit by the river or go to the grocery store).
-Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
-Helicopter onto a glacier.
(I’ve helicopter-ed a lot of places… and I’ve been on a glacier, but I’ve never taken a helicopter over a glacier and then landed on it. I just think it would be really cool. Besides, Alaska is one of my favorite places on the planet, so any excuse to go back there is welcome.)
-Live outside the United States for a time.
(I lived in Ecuador for 3 months in 2004. I was a volunteer worker at an orphanage. It was incredible! I loved the kids, and I loved the city I lived in too. I still get homesick for it.)
-Read Atlas Shrugged, Les Miserables, & War and Peace.
(I picked these three books in high school because they’re big, and because they were some of the only “classics” that I was actually interested in reading. Atlas Shrugged rocked my world (read it in 2004) and Les Miserables is too incredible for words (read in 2007). I don’t have such high hopes for War and Peace, but someday I’ll give it a try.)
-Write a column for a newspaper.
(I always thought I would like to be a writer, until I realized that I only write really well when I’m in a “writing mood.” And I don't do well under pressure. Sometimes, the words just flow, and sometimes, I sound like a retard. But, when my friend started up a new small-town paper, I volunteered to write a bi-monthly column and it was a great experience.)
-Go to a presidential inauguration.
-Get published.
(I’ve had a couple poems published in books, a few of my papers in college were published in journals, and I wrote a lot of articles for magazines and newspapers when I worked as a Marketing Director.)
-See the Eagles perform live.
(They’re my favorite band. I saw them at Mandalay Bay in 2000, and I would love to go again! I just heard that they're touring again. For me, they never get old.)
-Take a photography class.
(I took a couple classes in 2006, but I just never could quite get the hang of it. I decided it wasn’t something that really mattered to me. As long as I can point and shoot and capture something, then I don’t really care.)
-Take an art class.
I took a ceramics class in 2000. I don’t draw or paint, but I thought maybe I could sculpt. Turns out I’m really bad at that too, but I had a great time trying!)
-Ride a mule into the Grand Canyon.
(I’ve been to the Grand Canyon a million times, but I’ve never been down in it. Being a westerner, I feel like it’s something I should do once in my life. It’s got to be totally different to be at the bottom and look up. Besides, riding a mule... I mean a mule on a mule, that would just be too poetic.)
-Learn at least 2 foreign languages.
(I studied Spanish and Hebrew for one semester each, ASL for 2 years, German for 1 year, and French for 4 years. I just LOVE languages, and I wish I would have been a translator or something so I could use them more often.)
-Graduate from college.
(BYU, December 2004.)
-Get married in the Las Vegas temple.
(Nate Hottie Spears, May 2005.)
-Become a mother.
(My baby Sonnet, May 2007).
-Visit Hemingway’s house.
(I know he’s chauvinistic and depressing, but his writing is so honest and simple… I felt like I’d discovered a secret when I read "A Farewell to Arms" for the first time. I want to touch his typewriter. Haha).
-See a Shakespeare play at the Globe theater.
(The Globe Theater that Shakespeare’s plays were performed in when he was alive burned down in like 1614 or something. They reconstructed it in 1997 just a few hundred feet from its original location in London. I heard about it when I was in high school and decided I wanted to go.)
-Write a book.
(I helped my grandpa write his personal history. It’s only like 20 pages long, but for me, it counts. I couldn’t have put my time into anything that meant more to me.)
-Hold some kind of political office.
(I hate politics, but I’m very smart and very strong and a very good speaker… I’ve always felt like there would be a need for me to be some sort of public leader someday.)
-Go white water rafting.
(I worked as a river guide one summer during college on the Green River in Utah. I’ve also rafted down the Snake River in Wyoming, and the Mendenhall River in Alaska.)
-Go kayaking.
(I like water, can you tell? I did a one-day kayaking trip in Kauai in 2001. I’d always wanted to try it and it was fun. But one day was enough for me… my arms were sore and I was sunburned! I don’t think I’d want to kayak in white water… might be a little too scary for me.)
-Serve a mission.
-Ride in a hot air balloon.
-Buy something from Tiffany’s.
(Nate bought me earrings when we were dating. I still have the blue box!)
-Go salsa dancing with a Latino.
(I really like to dance, and I’m actually pretty good at it… I just never had a “dancer body.” But after I saw Zorro in high school, I decided I wanted to salsa, and it had to be with a Latino. When I was in college, I met a guy who was from Columbia and he was an awesome dancer. He taught me a lot and we used to go to a club in Salt Lake that played live latin music. It was soooo fun!)
-See the Statue of Liberty.
(I’ve been twice. Once in 1999 and once in 2006. The second time I was pregnant and I threw up in the bathroom on the observation deck. Great memories! Ellis Island was so touching. Every American should go there once in their life.)
-Go to the top of the Empire State Building.
(Kissed Nate at the top in 2006. I'd probably just watched "An Affair to Remember" when I originally came up with this one. :)
-Read the Old Testament.
(Completed it in 2004. I had this awesome study guide that I read along with it… I would have been lost without it. I’d like to read it again someday.)
-Adopt a bunch of dogs.
(I've had three dogs in my life, but I want a bunch at once.)
-Go to a foreign film.
(I saw “Life is Beautiful” in Italian when it came out in theaters and a couple Korean movies with my roommate in college at the Varsity Theater at BYU.)
-Dye my hair red. Dye my hair black.
(I’ve just always loved red hair. I dyed it in college to see what I would look like… not so good… but that doesn’t stop me from doing it again every once in a while. I've always had a thing for dark black hair too. I tried that, and again, not so good. But now I know. haha.)
-See Chicago on Broadway, front row center.
-Go on a road trip in an RV.
-Visit every state in America.
(I’ve got 20 more to go. I only count it if I spend a reasonable amount of time there and if I have a significant memory of the place. If I just landed in an airport or stopped at a gas station, it doesn’t count.)
-Go to the Kentucky Derby.
-See Mount Rushmore.
-Go bungee jumping or skydiving.
(Even the thought of this makes me freak out, but in a good way. I so want to make myself do it someday.)
-Take a yoga class.
(I started taking yoga in 2004. I quit for a couple years and now I’m back. I take classes twice a week and I love it.)
-See Starry Night and The Mona Lisa in person.
(Starry Night is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I’ve been to NYC 3 times, but never saw it. Of course, the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre in Paris. And yes, I know it's tiny.)
-Own something made by Chanel.
(I just love Chanel. I always have… such simple, classic, menswear inspired designs… and she was such a big fan of black and white… we would totally have been friends.)
-Get a concealed weapons permit.
(I’ve always been a big second amendment proponent. My dad bought me a handgun for my 21st birthday and I went right out and got my permit. I carry my .22 with me wherever I go.)
-Adopt a baby.
(I decided when I lived in Ecuador that I wanted to adopt a baby. Of course I fell in love with all the kids I worked with and I totally wanted to bring one home. I knew I wanted give birth to a baby at least once, but I also think it would incredible to adopt a baby that’s already here and make it part of my family.)
-Live near the ocean.
(I’m not really a beach person, but I LOVE the water. I think it’s calming and healing… I want to be able to lay in bed at night with the windows open and hear the ocean. I want to walk down to the beach and sit on a rock and stare at the water. I know, I’m corny.)
-See a NASA rocket launch.
-Grow roses.
(I do NOT have a green thumb. I kill everything I plant. But someday, I want a rose garden and gosh darn it, I’m going to figure out how to keep them alive.)
-Build a custom home.
(I lay in bed at night and design my dream home in my head. I know everything from the floor plan to the flowers in the front yard to the doorknobs to the type of windows. I’m obsessive.)
-Teach a yoga class.
(I started taking yoga in college. I planned to take classes for a couple years and then earn my teaching certificate. I was close and then I got pregnant. I did pre-natal yoga, but I couldn’t do my testing while pregnant. Then I had Sonnet and we moved and I gained weight and I forgot about it. Now I’m back to taking classes, and eventually I want to try teaching.)
Then, when I was in college, I bought a new computer and while transferring all my files (remember floppy disks?), I came upon my list again. I was happy to see that I could cross off a few things, and that surprisingly, my desires hadn't changed much.
Then, last week, I watched this corny movie called "Last Holiday." The woman in it is told that she has 3 weeks to live, so she takes all her money out of the bank and goes to do the things she's always wanted to do. It was corny, but cute... and it got me thinking... what things do I really want to do? Obviously, spending time with my family would be my priority if I really thought I was on my way out... but if I could, what things would I most like to do and see while on this earth?
Then I remembered my "life list." I found it on my computer and started reading it. I've accomplished more things since I last looked at it in 2004, and again, my desires are still the same. (I was very in-tune with myself as a teenager. haha) I've never deleted anything off the list because I still want to do the things that I wanted to do then. I did add a couple things this time around and I added the commentary under each item.
I just feel like... what are we all waiting for? I mean, life is life and it's hard and most of us don't have the time or money to just go do what we want... but I think it's sad that we say "someday" so often. I want to be more of a "live in the moment" person. I want to just go do stuff. I don't want to wait until I'm diagnosed with a terminal illness to see Paris. For now, maybe my accomplishment will have to be more of an attitude change than actual traveling, but it's a start...
Anyways, I still haven't come up with 50 things for my list, and maybe as life goes on and I develop more passions, I'll add a few more things. For now, here's my "Bucket List... 49 things to do before I kick the bucket." haha. :) (Underlined items are things I've already done.)
What would be on your list?
Holly’s Life List: 50 things to do before I die
Started in 1999.
Updated in 2004.
Updated in 2010.
-Drive up Highway 1, from LA to San Francisco, in a convertible.
(Nate and I did Highway 1 from Huntington to LA and that was NOT very thrilling. haha. But someday we're going to rent a mustang and do it again, just farther north this time.)
-Spend at least 2 weeks in Paris.
(I know it’s so cliché but it’s the one place I’ve always REALLY wanted to go. And when I go, I want to just be there. I want to have time to see all the touristy stuff, but I also want to have days where I just sit by the river or go to the grocery store).
-Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
-Helicopter onto a glacier.
(I’ve helicopter-ed a lot of places… and I’ve been on a glacier, but I’ve never taken a helicopter over a glacier and then landed on it. I just think it would be really cool. Besides, Alaska is one of my favorite places on the planet, so any excuse to go back there is welcome.)
-Live outside the United States for a time.
(I lived in Ecuador for 3 months in 2004. I was a volunteer worker at an orphanage. It was incredible! I loved the kids, and I loved the city I lived in too. I still get homesick for it.)
-Read Atlas Shrugged, Les Miserables, & War and Peace.
(I picked these three books in high school because they’re big, and because they were some of the only “classics” that I was actually interested in reading. Atlas Shrugged rocked my world (read it in 2004) and Les Miserables is too incredible for words (read in 2007). I don’t have such high hopes for War and Peace, but someday I’ll give it a try.)
-Write a column for a newspaper.
(I always thought I would like to be a writer, until I realized that I only write really well when I’m in a “writing mood.” And I don't do well under pressure. Sometimes, the words just flow, and sometimes, I sound like a retard. But, when my friend started up a new small-town paper, I volunteered to write a bi-monthly column and it was a great experience.)
-Go to a presidential inauguration.
-Get published.
(I’ve had a couple poems published in books, a few of my papers in college were published in journals, and I wrote a lot of articles for magazines and newspapers when I worked as a Marketing Director.)
-See the Eagles perform live.
(They’re my favorite band. I saw them at Mandalay Bay in 2000, and I would love to go again! I just heard that they're touring again. For me, they never get old.)
-Take a photography class.
(I took a couple classes in 2006, but I just never could quite get the hang of it. I decided it wasn’t something that really mattered to me. As long as I can point and shoot and capture something, then I don’t really care.)
-Take an art class.
I took a ceramics class in 2000. I don’t draw or paint, but I thought maybe I could sculpt. Turns out I’m really bad at that too, but I had a great time trying!)
-Ride a mule into the Grand Canyon.
(I’ve been to the Grand Canyon a million times, but I’ve never been down in it. Being a westerner, I feel like it’s something I should do once in my life. It’s got to be totally different to be at the bottom and look up. Besides, riding a mule... I mean a mule on a mule, that would just be too poetic.)
-Learn at least 2 foreign languages.
(I studied Spanish and Hebrew for one semester each, ASL for 2 years, German for 1 year, and French for 4 years. I just LOVE languages, and I wish I would have been a translator or something so I could use them more often.)
-Graduate from college.
(BYU, December 2004.)
-Get married in the Las Vegas temple.
(Nate Hottie Spears, May 2005.)
-Become a mother.
(My baby Sonnet, May 2007).
-Visit Hemingway’s house.
(I know he’s chauvinistic and depressing, but his writing is so honest and simple… I felt like I’d discovered a secret when I read "A Farewell to Arms" for the first time. I want to touch his typewriter. Haha).
-See a Shakespeare play at the Globe theater.
(The Globe Theater that Shakespeare’s plays were performed in when he was alive burned down in like 1614 or something. They reconstructed it in 1997 just a few hundred feet from its original location in London. I heard about it when I was in high school and decided I wanted to go.)
-Write a book.
(I helped my grandpa write his personal history. It’s only like 20 pages long, but for me, it counts. I couldn’t have put my time into anything that meant more to me.)
-Hold some kind of political office.
(I hate politics, but I’m very smart and very strong and a very good speaker… I’ve always felt like there would be a need for me to be some sort of public leader someday.)
-Go white water rafting.
(I worked as a river guide one summer during college on the Green River in Utah. I’ve also rafted down the Snake River in Wyoming, and the Mendenhall River in Alaska.)
-Go kayaking.
(I like water, can you tell? I did a one-day kayaking trip in Kauai in 2001. I’d always wanted to try it and it was fun. But one day was enough for me… my arms were sore and I was sunburned! I don’t think I’d want to kayak in white water… might be a little too scary for me.)
-Serve a mission.
-Ride in a hot air balloon.
-Buy something from Tiffany’s.
(Nate bought me earrings when we were dating. I still have the blue box!)
-Go salsa dancing with a Latino.
(I really like to dance, and I’m actually pretty good at it… I just never had a “dancer body.” But after I saw Zorro in high school, I decided I wanted to salsa, and it had to be with a Latino. When I was in college, I met a guy who was from Columbia and he was an awesome dancer. He taught me a lot and we used to go to a club in Salt Lake that played live latin music. It was soooo fun!)
-See the Statue of Liberty.
(I’ve been twice. Once in 1999 and once in 2006. The second time I was pregnant and I threw up in the bathroom on the observation deck. Great memories! Ellis Island was so touching. Every American should go there once in their life.)
-Go to the top of the Empire State Building.
(Kissed Nate at the top in 2006. I'd probably just watched "An Affair to Remember" when I originally came up with this one. :)
-Read the Old Testament.
(Completed it in 2004. I had this awesome study guide that I read along with it… I would have been lost without it. I’d like to read it again someday.)
-Adopt a bunch of dogs.
(I've had three dogs in my life, but I want a bunch at once.)
-Go to a foreign film.
(I saw “Life is Beautiful” in Italian when it came out in theaters and a couple Korean movies with my roommate in college at the Varsity Theater at BYU.)
-Dye my hair red. Dye my hair black.
(I’ve just always loved red hair. I dyed it in college to see what I would look like… not so good… but that doesn’t stop me from doing it again every once in a while. I've always had a thing for dark black hair too. I tried that, and again, not so good. But now I know. haha.)
-See Chicago on Broadway, front row center.
-Go on a road trip in an RV.
-Visit every state in America.
(I’ve got 20 more to go. I only count it if I spend a reasonable amount of time there and if I have a significant memory of the place. If I just landed in an airport or stopped at a gas station, it doesn’t count.)
-Go to the Kentucky Derby.
-See Mount Rushmore.
-Go bungee jumping or skydiving.
(Even the thought of this makes me freak out, but in a good way. I so want to make myself do it someday.)
-Take a yoga class.
(I started taking yoga in 2004. I quit for a couple years and now I’m back. I take classes twice a week and I love it.)
-See Starry Night and The Mona Lisa in person.
(Starry Night is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I’ve been to NYC 3 times, but never saw it. Of course, the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre in Paris. And yes, I know it's tiny.)
-Own something made by Chanel.
(I just love Chanel. I always have… such simple, classic, menswear inspired designs… and she was such a big fan of black and white… we would totally have been friends.)
-Get a concealed weapons permit.
(I’ve always been a big second amendment proponent. My dad bought me a handgun for my 21st birthday and I went right out and got my permit. I carry my .22 with me wherever I go.)
-Adopt a baby.
(I decided when I lived in Ecuador that I wanted to adopt a baby. Of course I fell in love with all the kids I worked with and I totally wanted to bring one home. I knew I wanted give birth to a baby at least once, but I also think it would incredible to adopt a baby that’s already here and make it part of my family.)
-Live near the ocean.
(I’m not really a beach person, but I LOVE the water. I think it’s calming and healing… I want to be able to lay in bed at night with the windows open and hear the ocean. I want to walk down to the beach and sit on a rock and stare at the water. I know, I’m corny.)
-See a NASA rocket launch.
-Grow roses.
(I do NOT have a green thumb. I kill everything I plant. But someday, I want a rose garden and gosh darn it, I’m going to figure out how to keep them alive.)
-Build a custom home.
(I lay in bed at night and design my dream home in my head. I know everything from the floor plan to the flowers in the front yard to the doorknobs to the type of windows. I’m obsessive.)
-Teach a yoga class.
(I started taking yoga in college. I planned to take classes for a couple years and then earn my teaching certificate. I was close and then I got pregnant. I did pre-natal yoga, but I couldn’t do my testing while pregnant. Then I had Sonnet and we moved and I gained weight and I forgot about it. Now I’m back to taking classes, and eventually I want to try teaching.)
Hello My Name is Holly...
A recovering alcoholic can tell you down the minute how long it has been since their last drink. "I've been sober 2 years, 7 months, 16 days, and 3 hours." I used to think that keeping track like that was dangerous. Like, if you're so fixated on that last drink, and you know exactly how long it's been since you've tasted alcohol, aren't you just setting yourself up to break? Forget about it and move on.
But today it dawned on me that they keep track not to remind themselves how long it's been, but to celebrate how far they've come. "It's been 2 whole years, 7 long months, 16 crazy days, and 3 blessed hours since I had a drink and THAT IS FREAKIN AWESOME!" When you focus on how far you've come and how much work you've put into getting there, it is much harder to give up. You are constantly reminding yourself of your success.
Of course, being addicted to carbs and diet coke is probably nothing compared to the pull of alcohol, but when you're trying to change your habits, give up the things you love, and change your life forever, it can feel pretty dang challenging. It takes so much willpower to drive by Jack in the Box without stopping for a large drink or to make dinner for your family and eat a regular-sized portion when you're used to eating your food and everyone else's leftovers. It's hard to go to a restaurant, order a healthy dish instead of the one you really want, and then leave food on the plate because the portion was way over-sized, even though it feels morally wrong to waste food. :) It takes a ton of effort to put on your walking shoes and go power-walk a couple miles when all you really want to do is sit down and read a book. It can sometimes feel like torture to keep climbing until you get to the top of the mountain or haul your butt to yoga class knowing that you'll spend an hour sweating and barely burn off the last bowl of cereal that you ate.
But you've got to focus on your success!
Which is why I've adopted the AA mantra and I can tell you exactly when I gave up soda, precisely when I had my last bowl of spaghetti, and how much weight I've lost, down to the very ounce. I keep a running total in my head and cheer for myself every week at my "weigh in," not to remind myself how long and hard this journey has been, or how much further I have to go, but to give myself another reason not to quit and to celebrate what I've accomplished. Hello, my name is Holly and I can totally do this!
But today it dawned on me that they keep track not to remind themselves how long it's been, but to celebrate how far they've come. "It's been 2 whole years, 7 long months, 16 crazy days, and 3 blessed hours since I had a drink and THAT IS FREAKIN AWESOME!" When you focus on how far you've come and how much work you've put into getting there, it is much harder to give up. You are constantly reminding yourself of your success.
Of course, being addicted to carbs and diet coke is probably nothing compared to the pull of alcohol, but when you're trying to change your habits, give up the things you love, and change your life forever, it can feel pretty dang challenging. It takes so much willpower to drive by Jack in the Box without stopping for a large drink or to make dinner for your family and eat a regular-sized portion when you're used to eating your food and everyone else's leftovers. It's hard to go to a restaurant, order a healthy dish instead of the one you really want, and then leave food on the plate because the portion was way over-sized, even though it feels morally wrong to waste food. :) It takes a ton of effort to put on your walking shoes and go power-walk a couple miles when all you really want to do is sit down and read a book. It can sometimes feel like torture to keep climbing until you get to the top of the mountain or haul your butt to yoga class knowing that you'll spend an hour sweating and barely burn off the last bowl of cereal that you ate.
But you've got to focus on your success!
Which is why I've adopted the AA mantra and I can tell you exactly when I gave up soda, precisely when I had my last bowl of spaghetti, and how much weight I've lost, down to the very ounce. I keep a running total in my head and cheer for myself every week at my "weigh in," not to remind myself how long and hard this journey has been, or how much further I have to go, but to give myself another reason not to quit and to celebrate what I've accomplished. Hello, my name is Holly and I can totally do this!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
I Love Your Funny Face...
I took some pictures of Sonnet today. I know they all look the same, but I'm the mom, and to me, each little face is adorable! :) haha. I told her to "pose" and this is the stuff she came up with. haha. :) Such a ham!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
33 Months.
I used to write an update about Sonnet every month (hello, this is Sonnet Central after all), but I've been slacking. I haven't put anything new in her scrapbook for months, so I figured I better jot some stuff down...
Sonnet is now 2 years and 9 months old. She's almost 3! Holy cow, I can't believe I almost have a three year old! But I have to say, she is so hilarious and fun and smart and cute... I LOVE this age. I always say I'm scared of babies, but I love when they take off running and start talking back. It's true! I'm going to adopt toddlers from now on.
My Sonnet is a smarty! She knows all of her letters. She can say the ABC's in order. She recognizes each letter and knows the sound that each one makes. She can even tell you some words that start with each letter. Her newest favorites are "P for popcorn!" and "J for Jack!" She loves to draw W's and S's. :)
She's left handed! My grandpa and Nate's grandpa were both left-handed, and my dad, brother and I are all pretty ambidextrous, so I guess it's in her genes. I hope she doesn't end up with messy handwriting, but I kinda think it's fun to be different, so I have no problem letting her do what feels natural.
She recognizes what her name looks like when it's written and she also recognizes the words daddy, mom, and Blaze.
She can count to 20. She knows what the numbers look like and she understands one to one comparison. She can write the numbers 1 and 2.
She knows all her shapes, even weird ones like octagon and parallelogram. :)
She knows all her colors... finally. I swear I thought she was color blind for a while, but she's finally got em all straightened out. :) Her favorite color is red.
She knows the days of the week. I don't think she understands what they actually mean, but she can say them in order.
She calls herself "girl." I don't know why. I call her girlie a lot, as a nickname, and I don't know if she picked it up from that or what, but we think it's really funny. She's always saying stuff like: "Girl go outside." "Girl eat pizza." "Girl go to bed." :) haha.
She's still a really picky eater. She loves macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, and chicken nuggets. Once in a while, she'll eat cereal, oatmeal, carrots, strawberries, apples, blueberries, spaghetti, or shredded cheese, but that's about all. She'll eat plain bread, but not toast and not a sandwich. She'll have nothing to do with eggs or any kind of meat other than chicken. She hates peanut butter. She likes marshmallows, chips, cookies, and ice cream cones from McDonalds (healthy, I know). I don't understand the picky palate (seeing as how I'm willing to eat anything and everything), but I've just accepted that she does not need very much food to stay healthy and happy. A bite or two and she's done. She won't drink juice, except for the the occasional Capri Sun, but she loves milk! She drinks a gallon of milk by herself every two days. No kidding. So, even if she starves, at least she'll never get osteoporosis. :)
She's still a night owl. We go to bed around midnight (keep your judgments to yourself) and she sleeps in until 10am. She usually naps again around 4-6pm. I know it sounds crazy, but we're perfectly happy with our nocturnal-ness. :)
She does well sleeping in her own room. She started climbing out of her crib right when she turned 2 and we had a couple weeks of torture until I decided to just get her a big bed and lock her door. She was fed, clean, and sleepy, so I didn't feel bad about it. Now I just shut her door and I think she thinks it's locked even though it's not anymore, so she lays down and goes to sleep. When she wakes up in the morning, she wanders out and comes and climbs in bed with me. We usually snuggle and read books for a few minutes and I swear it's the best part of my day!!!
Sometimes I let her sleep with me because Nate is gone a lot overnight. She LOVES having a "sleepover" in mommy's bed (even though she's a blanket hog!). She also ends up in our bed some nights when Nate is home. I never thought I would be a "family bed" person... I used to be so against it, but now I just figure hey, she'll be old and big before I know it, so why not let her snuggle with us now? I don't sleep anyway, and Nate could sleep through a parade, so she's not disturbing anyone when she sneaks in and worms her way into the middle. :)
She loves her Granny and Pop Pop (and their dog Jack) and she loves her Gramma and Grandpa (and their dog Odie). She's got kind of a crush on her uncle Jordan and she loves to play with her cousins. She's got LOTS of family around here and I'm surprised at how many names she knows. She's good buddies with Gabi and Cyrus. She knows Leo by picture. She's in love with Brenden and Blake (she calls em "The Boyz!") and she also knows Jenna, Ally, Greg, Brooke, Baron, Nannie, and Adri. We're happy that we get to see all of them so often!
Sonnet is really affectionate. She gives good hugs and kisses and she likes to snuggle. She'll just randomly come up and give me a hug and tell me she loves me... oh be still my heart! :)
She bites her nails. I do too, so I guess we know where she learned it. Whoops!
Her hair has finally thickened up a little, but it grows SO SLOOOOW. I was hoping she got the thick Spears-girl-hair that grows 6 inches over night (well, it seems like it anyways), but I'm thinking the little thing got my genes instead. Sorry Sonnet.
She likes to watch Barney, Caillou, Dora, and the occasional Dinosaur Train. I record the episodes on our DVR and then let her watch one in the mornings while I get dressed and one in the evening before bed.
She loves art. She would color or paint all day long! I'm always trolling the internet or pulling out my kindergarten files for ideas of crafts we can make. We made a "heart tree" for Valentines (cut out a million hearts, colored them, and wrote the names of things and people we love on them). She has this huge cork board in her room and it's always covered with her latest masterpieces. She's been really intent on learning how to use scissors lately. She almost cut her hair the other day, so now she gets art supplies only under direct supervision. haha! :)
She loves to blow bubbles, go for walks, ride her bike, draw with chalk outside, and go to the park. She also loves the library. She won't sit still for story time, but she likes picking out books to bring home.
She's taken to picking her nose lately. Ewww!
She's a whiz on Nate's iphone. She turns it on, unlocks the screen, and scrolls to the game she wants. She's got better scores on most of the games than I do. I tell you, that thing has saved us during sacrament meeting many a time. :)
Speaking of, she does great in sacrament meeting. As long as she has stuff to do (coloring, books, puzzles, flashcards, and snacks) then she'll sit there quietly the whole time. (I don't think it's OK to take kids out into the foyer and let them run around. Hello, who wouldn't rather run around than sit quietly in a meeting wearing Sunday clothes? But I feel like once you start taking them out, then they realize that it's more fun out there and they throw a fit inside the meeting so that they get to leave it. So, when she freaked out the first time, I took her in an empty classroom and made her sit quietly in a chair. That was boring because there was no running around and there weren't even books or snacks, so she figured that sitting in sacrament was better than leaving it. Now she does great.) For a kid who's middle name is "perpetual motion," we're pretty proud of her for behaving so well. :)
She LOVES going to nursery! She loved it at first, then she freaked out about it for a few months, and now she loves it again. She just runs right in and has a great time playing with the kids. She folds her arms for lesson and prayer, and she LOVES singing time. She's memorized Book of Mormon Stories and Popcorn Popping (complete with motions) and she sings them to me all the time. Love it!
Sonnet is really good natured. She never really "throws fits" at all and we never use time out. For the most part, she's amiable and respectful and she listens well. She's got a pretty laid back personality and we're just lucky. Like any toddler, she likes to assert her independence, but I figure that if what she wants isn't dangerous, rude, expensive, or annoying, then she can have it. haha. :) She does get really concerned about other kids when she sees them freak out. She'll say "oh no, that baby is crying loud!" or whatever, but thankfully she sort of just watches in a detached way instead of trying out the moves herself. :)
She's still crazy about dogs. She LOVES Blazey and "The Digginest Dog" is her favorite book. Most days she pretends she's a puppy and she carries stuff around in her mouth and barks at me. haha. :)
She loves to sing songs. She memorizes music so fast. I can play a song for her once and the next time through, she'll already be singing along. We have to trade off picking music when we're in the car together... I want to listen to my stuff and she wants her stuff, so we alternate... one Sonnet song, one Mom song... if I try to sing along to her stuff (hello, that Barney stuff gets stuck in your head and NEVER leaves!) she yells at me. :) "Girl singing! Girl singing!" She's serious about it. And I'll admit that I'm a really crappy singer. :)
She's finally mastered poo-pooing in the potty. She's had the pee pee thing figured out for a while, but the number two business was a little too much. Now, she does it all. (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am blogging about poop. Welcome to parenthood). However, she still refuses to wear panties. She hates them... all of them. It doesn't matter what character they have on them, what style they are, what store we bought them at, or what fabric they're made of... she will NOT keep them on. I put them on and she immediately takes them off. So, most of the time, she wears nothing under her pants. I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do about it, but it doesn't bug her so I'm not letting it bug me... yet. :) She is not fully potty trained, though--- she still wears diapers at night and sometimes she asks for diapers during the day. I don't really care... I don't have another baby that I have to buy diapers for and I don't think there's any point in rushing kids... plus I think the diapers are sort of a security thing for her. She was never attached to a binky or blankie or toy, but she likes her diapees, so as weird as it is, I just let her have em.
When she was born, her eyes were blue. When she was one, her eyes were blue. When she was two, her eyes were blue. Now her eyes are very very green. My eyes are blue and other than her stubbornness, her baby blues were my one genetic claim on her. Not anymore. Those Spears genes are a lot more dominant than I thought. haha!
She is such a Daddy's girl! Her and I are best buddies until Daddy shows up. Then there might as well be no one else on the planet. It's pretty cute. :)
Anyways, that's all off the top of my head. My girlie is so fun... I love that she talks so much and that she can tell me what she's thinking, what she wants, and what she's learned. I love that she's so self-sufficient... she can pick out her own clothes and get herself dressed (she doesn't always match, but hey, pick your battles). She can pour her own cup of milk and help out around the house (she feeds the dog, picks up her toys, and wipes off her snack table) :). I love that she's so observant and that she's interested in so many things. I love that she's a little sponge and that I can tell her something once and she remembers it! I love that she asks questions and has ideas. I love that she is super ticklish! I just love my little thing! I'm so happy that we get to hang out everyday, that I don't have to leave her to go work, and that I don't have to worry about another kid...yet. (I am not a multi-tasker, people). My Sonnet makes me laugh and she melts my heart. I'm so thankful that she's healthy and happy, and that she's mine.
The end.
Sonnet is now 2 years and 9 months old. She's almost 3! Holy cow, I can't believe I almost have a three year old! But I have to say, she is so hilarious and fun and smart and cute... I LOVE this age. I always say I'm scared of babies, but I love when they take off running and start talking back. It's true! I'm going to adopt toddlers from now on.
My Sonnet is a smarty! She knows all of her letters. She can say the ABC's in order. She recognizes each letter and knows the sound that each one makes. She can even tell you some words that start with each letter. Her newest favorites are "P for popcorn!" and "J for Jack!" She loves to draw W's and S's. :)
She's left handed! My grandpa and Nate's grandpa were both left-handed, and my dad, brother and I are all pretty ambidextrous, so I guess it's in her genes. I hope she doesn't end up with messy handwriting, but I kinda think it's fun to be different, so I have no problem letting her do what feels natural.
She recognizes what her name looks like when it's written and she also recognizes the words daddy, mom, and Blaze.
She can count to 20. She knows what the numbers look like and she understands one to one comparison. She can write the numbers 1 and 2.
She knows all her shapes, even weird ones like octagon and parallelogram. :)
She knows all her colors... finally. I swear I thought she was color blind for a while, but she's finally got em all straightened out. :) Her favorite color is red.
She knows the days of the week. I don't think she understands what they actually mean, but she can say them in order.
She calls herself "girl." I don't know why. I call her girlie a lot, as a nickname, and I don't know if she picked it up from that or what, but we think it's really funny. She's always saying stuff like: "Girl go outside." "Girl eat pizza." "Girl go to bed." :) haha.
She's still a really picky eater. She loves macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, and chicken nuggets. Once in a while, she'll eat cereal, oatmeal, carrots, strawberries, apples, blueberries, spaghetti, or shredded cheese, but that's about all. She'll eat plain bread, but not toast and not a sandwich. She'll have nothing to do with eggs or any kind of meat other than chicken. She hates peanut butter. She likes marshmallows, chips, cookies, and ice cream cones from McDonalds (healthy, I know). I don't understand the picky palate (seeing as how I'm willing to eat anything and everything), but I've just accepted that she does not need very much food to stay healthy and happy. A bite or two and she's done. She won't drink juice, except for the the occasional Capri Sun, but she loves milk! She drinks a gallon of milk by herself every two days. No kidding. So, even if she starves, at least she'll never get osteoporosis. :)
She's still a night owl. We go to bed around midnight (keep your judgments to yourself) and she sleeps in until 10am. She usually naps again around 4-6pm. I know it sounds crazy, but we're perfectly happy with our nocturnal-ness. :)
She does well sleeping in her own room. She started climbing out of her crib right when she turned 2 and we had a couple weeks of torture until I decided to just get her a big bed and lock her door. She was fed, clean, and sleepy, so I didn't feel bad about it. Now I just shut her door and I think she thinks it's locked even though it's not anymore, so she lays down and goes to sleep. When she wakes up in the morning, she wanders out and comes and climbs in bed with me. We usually snuggle and read books for a few minutes and I swear it's the best part of my day!!!
Sometimes I let her sleep with me because Nate is gone a lot overnight. She LOVES having a "sleepover" in mommy's bed (even though she's a blanket hog!). She also ends up in our bed some nights when Nate is home. I never thought I would be a "family bed" person... I used to be so against it, but now I just figure hey, she'll be old and big before I know it, so why not let her snuggle with us now? I don't sleep anyway, and Nate could sleep through a parade, so she's not disturbing anyone when she sneaks in and worms her way into the middle. :)
She loves her Granny and Pop Pop (and their dog Jack) and she loves her Gramma and Grandpa (and their dog Odie). She's got kind of a crush on her uncle Jordan and she loves to play with her cousins. She's got LOTS of family around here and I'm surprised at how many names she knows. She's good buddies with Gabi and Cyrus. She knows Leo by picture. She's in love with Brenden and Blake (she calls em "The Boyz!") and she also knows Jenna, Ally, Greg, Brooke, Baron, Nannie, and Adri. We're happy that we get to see all of them so often!
Sonnet is really affectionate. She gives good hugs and kisses and she likes to snuggle. She'll just randomly come up and give me a hug and tell me she loves me... oh be still my heart! :)
She bites her nails. I do too, so I guess we know where she learned it. Whoops!
Her hair has finally thickened up a little, but it grows SO SLOOOOW. I was hoping she got the thick Spears-girl-hair that grows 6 inches over night (well, it seems like it anyways), but I'm thinking the little thing got my genes instead. Sorry Sonnet.
She likes to watch Barney, Caillou, Dora, and the occasional Dinosaur Train. I record the episodes on our DVR and then let her watch one in the mornings while I get dressed and one in the evening before bed.
She loves art. She would color or paint all day long! I'm always trolling the internet or pulling out my kindergarten files for ideas of crafts we can make. We made a "heart tree" for Valentines (cut out a million hearts, colored them, and wrote the names of things and people we love on them). She has this huge cork board in her room and it's always covered with her latest masterpieces. She's been really intent on learning how to use scissors lately. She almost cut her hair the other day, so now she gets art supplies only under direct supervision. haha! :)
She loves to blow bubbles, go for walks, ride her bike, draw with chalk outside, and go to the park. She also loves the library. She won't sit still for story time, but she likes picking out books to bring home.
She's taken to picking her nose lately. Ewww!
She's a whiz on Nate's iphone. She turns it on, unlocks the screen, and scrolls to the game she wants. She's got better scores on most of the games than I do. I tell you, that thing has saved us during sacrament meeting many a time. :)
Speaking of, she does great in sacrament meeting. As long as she has stuff to do (coloring, books, puzzles, flashcards, and snacks) then she'll sit there quietly the whole time. (I don't think it's OK to take kids out into the foyer and let them run around. Hello, who wouldn't rather run around than sit quietly in a meeting wearing Sunday clothes? But I feel like once you start taking them out, then they realize that it's more fun out there and they throw a fit inside the meeting so that they get to leave it. So, when she freaked out the first time, I took her in an empty classroom and made her sit quietly in a chair. That was boring because there was no running around and there weren't even books or snacks, so she figured that sitting in sacrament was better than leaving it. Now she does great.) For a kid who's middle name is "perpetual motion," we're pretty proud of her for behaving so well. :)
She LOVES going to nursery! She loved it at first, then she freaked out about it for a few months, and now she loves it again. She just runs right in and has a great time playing with the kids. She folds her arms for lesson and prayer, and she LOVES singing time. She's memorized Book of Mormon Stories and Popcorn Popping (complete with motions) and she sings them to me all the time. Love it!
Sonnet is really good natured. She never really "throws fits" at all and we never use time out. For the most part, she's amiable and respectful and she listens well. She's got a pretty laid back personality and we're just lucky. Like any toddler, she likes to assert her independence, but I figure that if what she wants isn't dangerous, rude, expensive, or annoying, then she can have it. haha. :) She does get really concerned about other kids when she sees them freak out. She'll say "oh no, that baby is crying loud!" or whatever, but thankfully she sort of just watches in a detached way instead of trying out the moves herself. :)
She's still crazy about dogs. She LOVES Blazey and "The Digginest Dog" is her favorite book. Most days she pretends she's a puppy and she carries stuff around in her mouth and barks at me. haha. :)
She loves to sing songs. She memorizes music so fast. I can play a song for her once and the next time through, she'll already be singing along. We have to trade off picking music when we're in the car together... I want to listen to my stuff and she wants her stuff, so we alternate... one Sonnet song, one Mom song... if I try to sing along to her stuff (hello, that Barney stuff gets stuck in your head and NEVER leaves!) she yells at me. :) "Girl singing! Girl singing!" She's serious about it. And I'll admit that I'm a really crappy singer. :)
She's finally mastered poo-pooing in the potty. She's had the pee pee thing figured out for a while, but the number two business was a little too much. Now, she does it all. (Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am blogging about poop. Welcome to parenthood). However, she still refuses to wear panties. She hates them... all of them. It doesn't matter what character they have on them, what style they are, what store we bought them at, or what fabric they're made of... she will NOT keep them on. I put them on and she immediately takes them off. So, most of the time, she wears nothing under her pants. I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do about it, but it doesn't bug her so I'm not letting it bug me... yet. :) She is not fully potty trained, though--- she still wears diapers at night and sometimes she asks for diapers during the day. I don't really care... I don't have another baby that I have to buy diapers for and I don't think there's any point in rushing kids... plus I think the diapers are sort of a security thing for her. She was never attached to a binky or blankie or toy, but she likes her diapees, so as weird as it is, I just let her have em.
When she was born, her eyes were blue. When she was one, her eyes were blue. When she was two, her eyes were blue. Now her eyes are very very green. My eyes are blue and other than her stubbornness, her baby blues were my one genetic claim on her. Not anymore. Those Spears genes are a lot more dominant than I thought. haha!
She is such a Daddy's girl! Her and I are best buddies until Daddy shows up. Then there might as well be no one else on the planet. It's pretty cute. :)
Anyways, that's all off the top of my head. My girlie is so fun... I love that she talks so much and that she can tell me what she's thinking, what she wants, and what she's learned. I love that she's so self-sufficient... she can pick out her own clothes and get herself dressed (she doesn't always match, but hey, pick your battles). She can pour her own cup of milk and help out around the house (she feeds the dog, picks up her toys, and wipes off her snack table) :). I love that she's so observant and that she's interested in so many things. I love that she's a little sponge and that I can tell her something once and she remembers it! I love that she asks questions and has ideas. I love that she is super ticklish! I just love my little thing! I'm so happy that we get to hang out everyday, that I don't have to leave her to go work, and that I don't have to worry about another kid...yet. (I am not a multi-tasker, people). My Sonnet makes me laugh and she melts my heart. I'm so thankful that she's healthy and happy, and that she's mine.
The end.
Wish I Had Thought of It...
I think this is such a smart idea to display kids artwork. Just a cheap curtain rod (they're like nine bucks at Walmart) and a package of hooks... hang it in your kids room (over their bed or desk would be cute) and voila! Now you don't have to wonder what to do with all their creativity... just rotate out as new masterpieces come along! :)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
I'm no photographer...
...but here are a few from the Parade of Homes.... just a random spattering of some of the things I liked best, in case you're into that stuff...
Grouping of clocks. We all know how I love me some clocks! :)
So romantic! Love the light fixture and the sheer fabric just draped over the bed.
Cute bathroom mirror.
The space under the stairs was a little playroom. There was even a swing attached to the ceiling back behind Nate. Sonnet did NOT want to leave this house! :)
Two smaller tables instead of one large coffee table.
I like the mirrors over each nightstand.
They attached fabric and nail head trim to the headboard.
Crackle glaze on the cabinets.
I thought the arrangement of furniture in this room was creative... all at an angle instead of straight on the TV.
Oh how I want a brick fireplace someday! This brick came from an old pioneer house just outside of St. George. Even cooler!
The wood for these cabinets was reclaimed from an old barn. They were totally weather-beaten and rustic... I LOVE them!
I love the white cabinets and that the island is red!
Again, the space under the stairs was used as a little playroom, but they built this cute house facade on the front. I totally want to knock a hole in my wall and make Sonnet a room under our stairs. :)
Distressed black cabinets. I think I might take a sander to my kitchen...
Red and black and white... of course I love it.
Grouping of clocks. We all know how I love me some clocks! :)
So romantic! Love the light fixture and the sheer fabric just draped over the bed.
Cute bathroom mirror.
The space under the stairs was a little playroom. There was even a swing attached to the ceiling back behind Nate. Sonnet did NOT want to leave this house! :)
I like how the mirror is just resting up against the wall. And I think the orange with the brown and blue is a cute color combo.
There was a dark brown accent wall and the rest of the room was pale blue. And I like how the side tables don't match each other.
There was a dark brown accent wall and the rest of the room was pale blue. And I like how the side tables don't match each other.
Two smaller tables instead of one large coffee table.
I like the mirrors over each nightstand.
They attached fabric and nail head trim to the headboard.
Crackle glaze on the cabinets.
I thought the arrangement of furniture in this room was creative... all at an angle instead of straight on the TV.
Oh how I want a brick fireplace someday! This brick came from an old pioneer house just outside of St. George. Even cooler!
The wood for these cabinets was reclaimed from an old barn. They were totally weather-beaten and rustic... I LOVE them!
I love the white cabinets and that the island is red!
Again, the space under the stairs was used as a little playroom, but they built this cute house facade on the front. I totally want to knock a hole in my wall and make Sonnet a room under our stairs. :)
Distressed black cabinets. I think I might take a sander to my kitchen...
Red and black and white... of course I love it.
They hung old shutters on the wall and then attached mirrors to them. Creative art!
The Elim Valley house was so pretty! They have a really unique vision for the master plan out there... it's all about greenscapes, outdoor living spaces, and getting people to sit on their front porch. The streets are narrow to encourage less traffic, the garages are on the backs of the houses, the bedrooms are on the small side, while the common living areas are much larger to encourage families to spend time together in one place. Each house comes with this state of the art compactor, so there are no trash cans lining the street. The architecture is a throw-back to the traditional Europeans who settled the area. They plan to include tons of commercial shopping, their own hospital, and even a farmers market, all within the development, so people can walk everywhere and never have to leave their neighborhood. Of course, building is slow right now, but hopefully they'll be able to hang on and accomplish all this one day. It's a different approach, but I think it would really appeal to certain people and it would be beautiful! :)
House #11 was my favorite. It was sort of farmhouse/french country style, totally up my alley... I LOVED it! I could move right in! White cabinets and black granite in the kitchen... a sliding barn door between the library and the living room... the interior designers did a great job! It was perfection. :) You can go to the builder's website here and see good photos of it. Here are some of my favorites...
I love the chairs and that they used an old trunk as a coffee table.
I love the hardware on the fridge. Totally looks like it came from an old barn. :)
I just really liked this white tile and the brick formation of it. They used the same stuff for backsplash in the kitchen.
There were less modern-type houses than usual this year. Plenty of real traditional types with the brown paint and rock and dark wood floors and cherry cabinets and cherry molding and lots of oil rubbed bronze... which is all gorgeous... but I was happy to see lots of pale, airy colors, white casing and cabinetry, some exposed brick, shabby chic furniture, and just a general less-is-more feel. I feel like I need to work on that. My house is cute, and I love it, but sometimes I want to start over and pick lighter paint colors and give away half my stuff. Not that I will, but I'm just saying... I'm feeling a shift in my design tastes. :) haha. Anyways, THE END.
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