SAS

So if you've noticed in my sidebar... the big event that sits solo in my upcoming events is.... Sarah Ann Stancliff's WEDDING!!!! She is a "kindred"-- and one of my all-time best friends. Met her at BYU and am so thankful that I moved to La Jolla condos that Fall. We leave tomorrow for her wedding, I don't know what I'm wearing, I haven't finished my laundry, haven't started packing, definitely haven't finished losing the baby weight resulting from the phase pictured in many of these photos (but will have to let that one go seeing as only have mere hours now), so I don't have nearly enough time to write all the fabulous things I have in my heart about her. But here are some sweet memories through pictures, the grainy ones from college (I couldn't find my box with the mother-load, so these are a few sad stragglers) and the others from my trip out to DC to see her. Sarah, SO MANY people's best friend and angel, you are such a blessing to ALL of us! Paul is a lucky lucky man and I'm so happy you found him! ... and then found him again... :) and that time, let yourself fall in love with him. I can't WAIT to be married-friends forever. Where it all started.... the big B Y -- at our graduation.

And no that's not my skin, just a belt. Sarah, I think your mom still thinks of me as your immodest friend because of this picture.
Tortilla Flat. Sigh. I wish-- oh how I wish we'd lived there all four years and that I'd gotten to room with you long BEFORE I found my prince.


Halloween... of course.

Thank goodness you're so much smarter than me, you were able to teach me so much I should have already known of the history laced throughout our nation's Capitol. :)
Yes, me AND Rebecca were both expecting... and Sarah, when during your pregnant-sandwich people gave up subway seats and offered you free doughnuts, it had nothing to do with your tummy region at all, and everything to do with your gorgeous smile and hypnotically soothing alto voice. But that was funny wasn't it? Travel with two mamas, must be a mama.

Proved in several posts since, I've never been the same since my tart yogurt experience. Thanks for insisting on the Mochi. Yum.Pumpkin scone? Who says there's no meal between Breakfast and BRUNCH?I'm hoping that my convenience in getting us to the front of the ticket line (apparently since Angelina made pregnancy so cool, New York treats us like celebrities) outweighed my ball-and-chain effect as I was moving rather slow at this stage... and my quart-hourly (?? more than tri, I know that much) potty breaks.

Top of the MET where we ate what we managed to save of our Sprinkles Cupcake that we intended on eating atop the MET, but ate most of on the way as an old man shot us dirty looks and scolded us in the way of nutrition. Not sure if he was worried about the baby, or just our thighs.... so weird.

My sweet sweet Sarah...

I'm so so happy you've found your prince.

Photoshop?

So ever since Ross got me my Digital SLR, I've had so much more fun with pictures of course, and I've gotten into the habit of downloading them right into Picasa and increasing the contrast a little there. Sometimes I think I get a bit carried away and probably have super grainy pictures since I'll try to make bright something that never had enough light to begin with. Anyway-- I've always wanted to learn photoshop-- still do-- can't afford the new one anytime soon, but have some old CS version on my computer and thanks to Allie (I know I've mentioned her plenty of times before-- if you check out her bright and colorful photos, you'll know why), now I have her Curves and Vignettes program which means that without understanding ANYTHING I'm doing, I can Allie-fy my pictures a little bit. Here are some before and afters:

Oops, I erased the before on this one...

Here's an example of one where I went a little crazy on the eye-brightening and didn't realize 'till I'd already saved. Thought I'd throw it in. :) A little crazy huh? With Mila's tongue out and their eyes so white? Or is it just me because I know I did it? If I really KNEW anything in photoshop, it'd probably be really easy to take off Sophia's scab huh? Maybe even fix Mila's hair-do. :)

Just thought I'd document it... the more I learn, the more depressed I am because I realize there is SOOOOO much to learn. I guess that's not depressing...

summer fun

Thankyou free movie days for giving us something to do away from the 114 degrees of misery outside. Even if it is Carebears. We'll see you at 10 with our home popped bag of kettle corn (we did the budget last night for family night-- :( Roxeanne, you're a better person than I... supporting the concessions for a free movie) and Peanut Butter pretzels. I'm sure Hallie's mommy will have a bag of yummy candy to share. She always does. Off we go! Happy Tuesday.

8 Months Old

Oh how to condense it. All of the incredible things she already is only eight months in.... maybe we'll just use pictures as an outline, that always makes it easier.

So here's a few of my chunk-o-love at 8 months.

Can't explain it. One day her hair just decided to... lay down. And that was that.
But as you can tell I'm not used to it yet... I like to see every morsel of that luscious face.






So grateful my daughter's got Ross' gorgeous blue eyes with a decent set of black eyelashes. Don't you just want to squish your lips in her cheek? I know I do.

As of about a week and a half ago, she's boasting one perfect little razor blade... I mean tooth-- on the bottom (can you see it if you pop out?) Those suckers start out so sharp. It really is amazing that nursing babies don't do more damage. I guess some do... It's amazing MY little eaters don't. I'll just be grateful for that.

She sure wants to get moving. She seems to find a way to scoot and roll herself to where she wants to get (if it's not too far), but she's been doing this little move (illustrated above) from the sitting position for the last little bit... and seeing as Sophia started crawling at 8 1/2 months, I expect the official crawl to be right around the corner.
Sophia grabs a basket of toys from the toy room and dumps it in front of Mila so they can play together. I used to DREAM of that day. It really is that great. Watching your kids play together. Feels like one of those family milestones to me. Like now we're really a family.



She really is the easiest crowd. So generous with her smiles, and coos, and giggles... she's like a ray of sunshine. I'm thinking she'll be like Ross... you know, 72 and sunny. Everybody loves 'em. Laughs easily at a joke. Makes you feel like you're the stuff. And you always want to kiss their cheeks.... :)



Pre-blogging days, I kept a scrapbook for Sophia's first year and wrote periodic letters to her, I'm afraid I just won't do that this time around, so for that, and just to make sure I didn't miss anything... Mila, this parts for you.

Dear M--
At eight months old, you've taken me so far away from pregnancy and motherhood woes with your sweet babble, your gummy grin, and snugly little demeanor. I feel like I could have a dozen babies right now if they were all like you. But I know you'll grow up and be two. And while I'll only love and respect you more every day up to, through, and far beyond then... I might not survive a dozen... (kids who have at one point been two- that is) so I'll probably wait a while and just enjoy YOU as my baby. My warm, snugly, forgiving, giggling, almost-crawling, bubble-blowing, B-and-D-consonant-babbling, finger/toe-wiggling baby girl.

You're eating food now. And surprise! You love it. Especially: avocado, watermelon, bananas, oatmeal, squash, grapes, black beans, and cheerios. Or maybe you just love anything and those are the only things I've really given you. Hmm.

And your giggle has turned a corner these last couple of weeks. It's not just a baby giggle, I hear your voice now. It seems like you do to. I love that.

And I know you're only 8 months old, so maybe it's a phase, but for now, you are a MAMA'S girl. And I'm loving it. It makes the gym a little harder, but it's worth it. You watch me across the room when I make dinner and make sure I don't go out of sight. I do the same. But you don't move too far.

And you LOVE your big sis. Boy do you love her. I feel safer this time around knowing there is ONE more person in the world that loves my baby to pieces--- she'll help take care of you. She is one killer big sister. She holds you, snuggles you, kisses you, makes you giggle in the car on cue when you're crying and I need her help, (but if I giggle too, she abruptly reminds me, "no Mom-- Stop laughing! Just Mila!" and then continues her magic on you... I'm not invited, it's sister-time. And I've never been so happy to be left out. I hope you take care of each other when you won't let me.

What did we do without you sweet Mila? We're so happy you were sent to us. -- Love Mama

"What do you do all day anyway?"

I went to the doctor yesterday for some x-rays. After finding out that I was the mommy of two, he said, amongst other things, that he would attribute my back pain to "sitting around all day... watching kids... nursing... probably not really getting proper exercise... "

Wow.

"Sitting around all day?" I ask nicely.... with a pair of confused eyes.... as my daydreams take me to a place where I bust through my t-shirt (that apparently makes me look incredibly unfit) like the hulk and go bananas in this ugly, white-walled doctor's office. How rude. Ross says he's a quack. A quack with no kids. Or a quack with kids whose wife has most definitely left him. Then he assures me that I have a "beautiful body, even though it's crooked with scoliosis." He really loves me.

And sitting around all day? Please.

We stay incredibly busy with things like dancing on the bed with Mila's baby-legs on our arms while Mom uses Mila's fist as a mic to sing "What a Feeling!"

We snuggle.... and take lots of pictures (when did I get too old to take a picture without makeup on? Or maybe we're just always too old to be cheek to cheek with the perfect angel-face of a two year old. Or maybe SLR's were never meant to be used on one's own face at arm's length.)

We paint our toe-nails.
We play with toys. Or stare at them.... unsure what it is we're to do with them.
We eat cheerios off of the bed with no hands. (Well not usually, but as I was having too much fun with the camera... I failed to notice her dancing with an open baggie of them flying about my clean sheets like confetti.) What a feeling.

And really... I mean, it takes time to look this good. What-- he thinks we just sit around all day and get this gorgeous without trying? What a quack.

And did I mention I am NOT a morning person?

Sometimes she's really kissable. Just not in 45 minute intervals after 4 am.

WHAT is going on with my once, great sleeper? Tell me it's a phase and some day, I might remember what it feels like to sleep a night uninterrupted. Someday....

It finally arrived!

They only had one size left, so it might be a teenie bit imperfect. And of course none of us can actually feel perfect while wearing a swim suit anyway. But as far as swim suits go, I think I love it. Saw it on my sister in law Brooke and thought, have to have that. Then saw it on Lindsay's blog... on Lindsay. It helps that Lindsay's legs are as long as I am... but let's hope it works on me. I love the print, love the colors, love the bandeau style top, wish it weren't QUITE so crazy long... but since Summer's been here for... well MONTHS out here in the desert, it's about time I had my new suit. Happy Summer!

Speaking of summer... We have just entered the season of possible rain storms. As in, the 4 we might get in the year will most likely happen within the next couple of months. Monsoon season or something, flash flood warnings and everything (since our roads and grounds aren't built to handle water.) And the first hit last night!!!!!!!! It was AMAZING. The morning boasted a few scattered clouds.... sounds typical to most of you. It was incredible. I actually opened my N/E facing blinds all the way (like not only tilted up so the sun hits the ceiling in my usual fashion) before 11 am. The day was humid, a phenomenon out here. Still well over a hundred, it was incredibly sweaty and muggy, but occasionally you'd get a humid breeze and I could almost imagine being in Hawaii. Nice change... in spite of the matted hair.

But it never occurred to me that it might actually rain. It's like I've forgotten that's a weather possibility. Until we were minding our own business, replaying a performance on So You Think You Can Dance at like 10 pm, and heard thunder. Pause the DVR, yup, that's thunder. We both frantically scurry around the house trying to figure out how to get a good look at the magic moisture. Go to open sliding door, WAIT the new security system, go punch in the code or we'll have to chat with the monitoring service again, they'll think we're idiots! I'll turn off the lights so we can get a better look... how 'bout the front door.... I think we might have some sort of cover out there, like an entry-way, not sure, never needed it....

And then we opened the front door to the steamy, breezy warm air outside, shut it behind us (it feels good, but you don't just let your 78 degree air escape your house out here) and stood on the porch for 15 minutes or so, like a couple of kids who've never seen the rain. It was amazing. Thunder, lightning, downpours. We saw some neighbors with their jaws dropped in their garage. So we're not crazy.

The good news, it wasn't all a dream. My kitchen blinds are fully drawn this morning and the sky is still a hazy grey. It's going to be a good day.

It's Remarkable

My sweet grandma (mom's mom) just celebrated 80 years on this earth, and the party-throwers of all party-throwers (my mom and Kirk) threw a bash on the 5th at their house. So my pictures are backwards.... Saturday's party first, then the 4th of July pool-day... but what's it to you?

I'm not positive, but I'm going to say she was married at 18, which would mean this gorgeously aged couple has been married for 62 years. Wow. It has never meant quite so much to me, something to do with a few more years, marriage... kids. Isn't it amazing how you finally feel, so SINCERELY, so humbly, that respect you were always told to have as a kid. These are two people that married in the temple as "kids", and have kept their covenants, built this huge family, and made 62 years of memories ---together. So much longer than any period of time they had alone. Just kind of reminds you what marriage really is... in such a confused world. So much respect.

Sophia being a ...... you guessed it... stinker. It's a good thing she's so cute, people kept trying to talk to her, even though her reply was generally a very unpleasant squeal and a pair of stink-eyes.

The big-brother Cannon.
Just moments before I took this one, my Grandma's sister, Valda, next to her, had shown me some old photos of the two of them on the beach in Hawaii in their bikinis. So awesome. I wish I could have scanned them in for the blog. They were both gorgeous of course. My grandma was once crowned a Rose Parade princess. (Queen?? ) Beautiful girl... it's no wonder where her six daughters get it. After she married my grandpa, she raised eight children, primarily between Hawaii, Samoa, and Tonga, as she supported him in his work for the LDS church colleges out there. It seems like she's lived several life-times to me. An amazing lady.

And just a few photos from the 4th:

Can you spot my little fair-skinned beauties amongst my brother's little indians?! These are the Frisch kids! The ones with Jeanette for a mom. She's the kind of blonde where even her eyelashes are blonde. Go figure.