More Pics to Post

Same day, more pictures....
Have to post these. It's rare we're all together these days!
Ps. Can I just say how I HATE how much noise is created in these photos from uploading them to Blogger???  Anyone else notice that? They become so grainy! Argh!!

 Needed to do that.  Raspberries all day long....

 WHEN will you be off the phone, Mom???

I'll kiss you.  Maybe that will make you get off... :)

I think it did.

And my second pretty little girl...

I love my pretty little girl

Adult Goings On.

Sorry, this is a lame post w/ no pictures.

So, I see my husband even LESS now.

But it's all for a good cause!!

Jordan started school a couple of weeks ago, and he is getting acclimated to schoolwork and classes pretty nicely.  He is taking an Engineering class, a Computer Programming (JAVA, I think) class, and a math class.  Next semester he hopes to add one more, which would be a full load.

So, on Mondays and Wednesdays he is gone for 12 hours.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he is gone for 14 hours.  But Fridays, he only works (8 hours...but he always stays late!) and he has Saturday and Sundays off.

So I'm a single parent most of the week, but we get to see him on the weekends a lot, which is nice (if he'd stop working overtime on Saturdays!).  Except when he's home, he's studying a lot too, so really, it sucks.

He will be pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering at the U after he gets as many classes done at the less-expensive, SLCC, which happens to be RIGHT by where he works.  So that's good.

I am also doing some studying.  There are a few photographers in my neighborhood, and they have inspired me to actually learn how to use my digital SLR.  Jordan is pretty good with it, and, I feel pretty confident in editing the shots, but I really need to learn how to use it, from a technical standpoint.  Basically, the artsy stuff I am better at, and the technical left-brain stuff--that's the harder part.  That is seriously the mantra of my life.

In fact, I tell my friends that when I was dating people, if the guy said that he wasn't good at math or science on a date, it was a complete turn-off.  What would I do when my kid was in like 3rd grade and had already exceeded my math abilities and needed help??????  I needed to find someone I could say "Go ask your Dad" about, and mean it!  So I'm glad I have Jordan.

But I digress.  So, instead of me taking a $300 seminar or expensive classes to learn how to use my camera, Jordan said "no way Jose" and downloaded a textbook for me to read.  So far, I'm learning a lot! When I have the chance to read, let's be honest.

I'm also working on getting better at design. Been working through a bunch (OK a bunch is a bit of an overestimation since I have limited time) of Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials.  I'm pretty good at Photoshop but Illustrator--I have a lot to learn.  MAN, I wish I'd majored in graphic design at school.  I just felt like I wasn't artistic enough or cool enough I guess.  At BYU it was very competitive.  But seriously, when I drive down the road and look at all the UGLY billboards and other advertisements, I realize I was wrong.  I could do way better than whoever designed that piece of crappiness :)  So, as a self-taught designer, I have been doing a few projects for my friends. It is so fun. I really love it.

So, the more I think about it, the more I realize that a mom with two kids really has a limited amount of things in which she can focus her attention.  There is house-cleaning, laundry, breaking up kid fights, cleaning some more, feeding them, and then maybe after they're in bed by 8 or 9p.m. you can do something you want to do. That's when I do my crafts, sewing projects, and read my textbook :)  And wait up for Jordan to get home.  At midnight...well, apparently. It's way past and he's still not here.  But it's all for a good cause!!!

OK, enough of my ramblings.
That's what's going on with us.
Until next time.

A Fresh Batch of Claireisms

It's been a while. I need to document all the funnies.  And the pictures.

So here goes...

Claire loves playing in the rain.  OK, here are some really not that great pictures I took of her after it rained, as she played in the puddles:  (This was back when I put the SLR on "AUTO."  NO MORE, my friends.  I at least can put it in program mode and shoot pictures that way.  It's semi-automatic :)

 Always wanting me to take her picture, as you can see? :) PS, I can't believe she is wearing shoes!!  (Like, not barefoot!)

 This is what she did when I told her to open her eyes and LOOK AT ME!!

OK and here are some better pictures Jordan took of Claire playing outside after a rainfall...

 Like the matching shoes Jordan put her in?  Yeah, those were a hand-me-down. We're not rich enough to buy shoes that don't go with like every outfit :)

 Like her dirty face??

And on a sunny day!!

 LOVE my baby's profile.  I hope it stays this cute!!! (like, it doesn't turn into MY profile, lol)

 HAM HAM HAM!

 I just LOVE this picture.  SO cute.

 Man, this posing thing really gets me worn out!

Lip Gloss.  She loves it.  She adores it.  I hope she doesn't worship it..... :)

A sugar-aholic!

Gross.

Claire's love-affair with the goat at a friends' house.  She was OBSESSED with it.  NO problem hugging it every second she could.

I sure with Claire would pose so perfectly like the blonde little cutie behind her :)

So, some fun pictures.  Here are some funny Claireisms:

*So, Claire was playing with the neighbor boy, Mason (who is nearly four), and he was doing the "potty dance."  So, he was told to go in and go to the bathroom, but he resisted.  Claire then told him, "Mason, you'd better go in and go potty.  One....two....." Counting, just like Mommy does.  Ha!!

*The other day, after playing with my sister's cat, Claire said "Mom I want a cat at our house."  OF course, I would NEVER EVER want that, but I asked her, "Well, what would you name it?" She thought for a second and then said, "JC Penney."  CRAZY. I think she's been to that store...twice??  (Sorry Bec...we prefer Kohl's).

*Claire doesn't like wearing shoes.  At least during the summer.  She takes them off every chance she gets.  It drives me nuts when she takes them off in the car while running errands.  So, not only do I have to take two kids out of carseats, get a cart, etc. but I have to put her shoes back on too!!  So, a couple of weeks ago, Claire hops into the car to go to church.  We were in such a hurry, we didn't realize she had NO shoes on.  So, we got to church.  She was barefooted.  We live like 2 minutes away, but when Jordan said he'd go home to get them, I said, "Why bother?  She takes them off in nursery anyway."  And she did.

*Every time Jordan leaves for work, Claire needs lots of "goodnight" kisses. (In fact, if she doesn't get them, she has been known to FREAK OUT.  Jordan turned the car around the other day--he was super close though...we're not that nice!)  This has moved onto other people.  She will say that he needs a goodnight kiss before a lot of people leave the house. It's pretty funny...

*Every night, Claire wants me to tell her a "Princess Story."  In fact, in her vocabulary, when you pluralize "princess," it is "princessesses."  It has to have Princess Claire, the "Mean Witch" (I think that comes from a Dora episode), and then she'll tell me all the other people that need to be in it, including her friends, "the lake" (wherever that came from?), mermaids, fairies, etc.  Then, I have the fun job of coming up with a plot.  Fortunately, a plot for a 2 yr. old's entertainment goes something like this:

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named...Claire. (she generally fills in her name)
She lived in a pink castle with hearts and "sparkelies" all over it.  
One day, the mean witch came and turned the castle into a black castle with green and brown spiders on it!
So, Princess Claire went to Daddy, who told her to see the "Magical Wizard" so that he could make a potion that would turn it pink again.
She went to the wizard.
He made a potion.
The fairies sprinkled it onto the castle.
It changed back.
They lived happily ever after.
The End.

OK, so it has a bit more detail... and sometimes I do make the story educational.  Like, in order to make the potion, she must remember to:

Not sit on Baby Sister
Share
Be nice
Say please and thank you
Ask a question, don't demand.

Etc. etc.

Maybe it'll work one day.

*Claire is now actually really fully potty trained...well, with very minimal accidents.  She even sleeps in panties! Woot woot!!

*Speaking of potty training. Some of you may think this is a bit T.M.I, but you know me....  SO, when we were trying to get Claire to go poop on the potty, she would sometimes ask me to push down on her thighs, while she "pushed out the poopies."  So, she'd say, "Mom, push on my legs!"  I would do ANYTHING to get her to actually go numero dos, so I did exactly that.  Eventually it worked and she started leaving all her bowel movements in the toilet instead of her panties.  Awesome.

Anyway, a little while ago, I sat down to go potty myself.  Yes, I go potty in front of her.  It's all part of being a mom and teaching your kids that they must go on the potty like you!  But, I digress...  So, I'm on the potty, and Claire comes up to me and says, "Mom, do you need to go poop??? I will push on your legs!!"  She starts to push on my legs and makes some fun pushing noises for me.  It was hysterical.  I love it.  She still does it...  I let her.

*She's kinda been starting to twirl and suck on her hair.  NOT awesome.

Anyway, she's cute!!  And dangerous to a baby! Keep them away.  Today, she picked Anya up by the neck. Dragged her by the arms across the concrete. And sat on her.  And laid on her.  And kicked her in the face.  It's very surprising Anya is still alive, actually. Pheww!!

Projects You'll Want To Do TOO :)

#1  Halloween Wreath.

I vowed I would never decorate for any other holiday than Christmas....but it's all gone downhill since doing a little something for Valentine's Day this year...

I think it's pretty much the CUTEST Halloween wreath I've ever seen, if I do say so myself. It turned out even cooler than I expected!  I used some burlap-type material for the cream rosettes, black felt for the black ones, and regular cotton for the purple and orange rosettes.  Then I added some awesome sprays from Hobby Lobby, and ta da!  So fun.

#2 Good-Looking Booster

Then, on PINTEREST (my new favorite place to get awesome craft ideas) I saw a tutorial for this great idea for a cute-looking "booster seat!"  I have to say that some of these "it's so easy" type sewing tutorials lie.  This one doesn't! The hardest part was cutting out the fabric to the correct size.... and it only took me like 25 minutes (most of that cutting the fabric).

Anyway, you use a vinyl tablecloth, make a square cushion out of it, and fill it with polyfill.  The tablecloth was 3.50 at Ross, and the polyfill was 50 cents at a yard sale!  (and I only used half of that, and like 1/4 of the tablecloth).  Anyway, for the tutorial, you'll want to go HERE .  I know what you're thinking:  "Doesn't it slip off?" It doesn't...at least on my chairs it doesn't!  and it's the perfect height for my 2.5 yr. old.  But, seriously ladies, the best part it:  IT'S NOT UGLY LIKE A REAL BOOSTER SEAT!  You can leave it on your chair in the kitchen and it will fit right in with the decor (as long as you get a cute tablecloth :)

And here she is trying it out!

She's cute, but a very wiggly model.  This was the best shot I got haha :)

Anyway, more stuff to come.  I'm soon to be done with my bedroom revamp!

Vacay? In Park City....Took Some Shots of the Den Bestes

Vacation? No.  There were kids.  But we had fun!  We don't have any fun pictures of the weekend, but we do have some cute pics of Rachel and Jonathon Den Beste, that Jordan took...

Check them out!

I like to call this one:  Sylvester SLOANE. :)  LOL!  I kill me.

Isn't Rachy GORGEOUS and Sloan ADORABLE???????  Comment if you think they are SO CUTE so Rach can get some good complement fishing going on :)