Christmas 2010

This was a great Christmas. Madi was born about a month before Christmas last year and slept through everything so for all intents and purposes, this was her first real Christmas. She wasn't very into opening presents first thing in the morning but got into it a little more once at grandma's house, as long as you let her do it when she wanted to. Auntie Olga really wanted her to take her turn like everyone else but Madi wasn't having it. We spent sometime and Grandma and Grandpa Edgar's house and Grandpa Schaugaard's house and she loved it.

Apparently, I'm not very good at taking pictures on Christmas. I think I have about this many from last year too.

Christmas Lights

Twas the night before Christmas Eve and the residents of the Schaugaard house went to Layton park to see the lights. I knew Madi would love to see the lights but was a little hesitant to drive all the way down to Salt Lake to go to Temple Square or the zoo. Fortunately, the park in Layton has a great display, full of lots of animals.

And a scary clown.

We tried to take a big family picture but it was really foggy and the camera lens fogged up too.

Christmas Craftiness

In an effort to save money this year I made a few of the gifts I gave this Christmas. For my sister, niece and friend I made some hair clips/headbands. What do you think?

Thanksgiving!

This year was Madi's first Thanksgiving. Seems like it shouldn't have been, that she's been with us longer but as she was born two days after Thanksgiving last year, here we are. We went to Allen's grandparent's house this year (we switch off every other year) and Madi wore a very cute first Thanksgiving outfit lovingly bought for her by her aunt Jill.

She very much enjoyed spending time with her aunties. And eating whip cream.

Unfortunately, she must have eaten too much because she threw up less than a half hour later. : ( She bounced back quickly and attacked grandma's 100 year old cat.

P.S.: If you haven't noticed, I've discovered Picnik and I am IN LOVE. The end.

LMM: What you should know if we're going to be BFF

I saw this idea on Little Miss Momma and thought I'd give it a try. Here are some things you should know about me if we're going to BFF (or maybe even if we aren't):

I'm a little bit of a grammar Nazi. But not as much as my friend Kari.

I'm mowing on a bag of Cheddar Sour Cream potato chips as we speak. LOVE.

But not as much as I love bacon.

And that's not as much as I love most forms of sugar, but especially chocolate.

If you can't tell, I'm a little bit addicted to food.

I love being a mom.

But I always look forward to nap time.

I enjoy my job but wish I didn't have to work.

I used to think I was a cat person but currently I'm definitely a dog person (still like cats).

I love to read.

I love to watch movies.

I frequently spend my entire day off in my pajamas, leading my husband to ask "What did you do today?" to which the reply is typically "Nothing."

I love my family-- all of them. I have over 60 cousins and numerous aunts and uncles. Plus, I now have in-laws to love too. I love to spend time with family.

I love Thanksgiving with my family. It's a huge deal and it's delish.

I like to pretend I am crafty.

I'd like to get into photography.

I have a scar on my right cheekbone from stitches I got when I was a wee one.

I HATE it when people pull my toes (thanks, dad).

I wish my daughter wasn't trying to give up her afternoon nap.

I love my girlfriends and wish I got to see them more often.

I am slowly turning into these women.

Actually, not so slowly. It's a little alarming.

I love my husband and I need to tell him more often how much I appreciate him.

Thanks to all of you who stuck with me. Hope you learned something new.

Walk on the Cold Side

Madi was being a little needy while I was trying to get things done this afternoon so we went for a SHORT walk. She did not like being bundled into her coat but as soon as we got outside she forgot all about it.

BIRTHDAY GIRL!

The day after Thanksgiving we had a little birthday party for Madi. She turned one that Sunday, the 28th of November. All the family was gathered at Brad and Julie's club so we took advantage of everyone being together to have a little celebration. We started with a little birthday pizza.

And then while waiting for cupcakes she played with the toy cupcakes Jessie made for her.

Finally, it was time to sing "Happy Birthday." I'll admit, I teared up at first but then got my act together in time to finish singing. Allen had shown Madi a flame before hand to prepare her (much to my chagrin) so she didn't really try to touch it or anything.

She was a little hesitant about the cupcake.

But once she realized how yummy it was she was all over it.

After cupcakes we opened gifts.

She wasn't very excited about the wrapped gifts but she LOVED the ones in the bags. She took the paper and gifts out, then put them back in so she could take them out again.

 She even tried to crawl into the big bag herself.

 Allen bought this for her and was nervous she wouldn't like it. SHE LOVES IT! She really only knows how to push the pink button but she loves the sound the twisty one makes.

She got a standing play station from Grandma and Grandpa and couldn't even wait to get it out of the box.

Madi was pretty tired because it had been a long, busy couple of days but I think she had a lot of fun and so did we. Happy birthday baby girl! We love you so much!

I've got a new attitude

Or really, a new hair-do.

If you are "hair wise," stop reading right now. I will only tell you things you already know or things likely to make me look stupid. Thank you very much.

I've seen tutorials like this one (look for "rock star curls") a few times and thought they looked interested but figured I never have that much time to spend on my hair so I'd never tried it. Last weekend, I saw my aunt and noticed her hair was in cute waves like this and asked her about it. She shared her methods with me and I was resolved to try it.

SO: if you have curly/wavy hair and are sometimes at a loss for what to do with it (like I am), here's an option.

When I blow dry my hair with a diffuser, it looks something like this:

A little crazy, right? Not really what I was looking for. So, I used this method and wrapped my hair around the curling iron (not using the clamp) to create this:

Much better! Here are some pro's and con's.
CON: My floor is sticky from hair spray residue.
PRO: My hair looks cute!
CON: This is NOT a quick hairstyle (though not quite as time-intensive as some other curly styles I've tried)
PRO: If you only wash your hair every other day like me, it's AWESOME! I took the time to do it Thurs, then slept on it and only had to redo a few sections on Friday morning. And I got LOTS of compliments on it at work (one coworker called it "Sassy!" Good or bad, you decide).
CON: My finger tips are a bit toasty and my arms get quite tired from holding my hair on the curling iron.
PRO: At least for my hair, I don't have to keep the hair on the iron long to hold it's shape, which I like since I don't feel like I'm frying my hair.
CON: I have not tried it on already straight hair.
PRO: I'm sure it would work on already straight hair, but if your hair is curly/wavy, you have an advantage. This is my favorite part. I only have to curl the top layer and a couple of stray pieces that poke out from underneath! Makes the whole thing go a lot faster.

So the next time you are looking for a fun new hair-do, try this out!

Philly, Part 2

Apparently, there is a limit to how long a blog post can be. Who knew? Not me, apparently. If you have not read Part One of my trip to Philly, please scroll down.

So, to continue. After all of the historical attractions closed, we returned to our hotel to rest our very tired and now blistered feet. Tristan had plans to go to dinner with a cousin who lives in town but for the rest of us, the thought of putting our shoes back on and venturing outside again was more than we could bear. A lot of discussion, one phone call and 45 minutes later, we were chowing on DELICIOUS east coast pizza (one of the few things I have missed since leaving New Jersey), a famous Philly Cheesesteak for Paula and one of the best chocolate shakes I have enjoyed in some time.

Friday we went back to the convention and spent the day fighting the mobs of Speech Pathologists to get into session after session, most often sitting on the floor (until we were told it was a safety hazard and we must stand) or wandering the poster sessions and vendor booths.

That night we wandered the streets of Philly for quite a long time looking for something suitable but not to expensive for dinner. I can't say if we succeeded as I did not enjoy my dinner (but I was the only one) and I paid through the nose for it but the atmosphere almost made up for it. We ate at the

a period restaurant that served food that was likely what was eaten when our founding fathers roamed those same streets.
We enjoyed a dinner by candlelight. Seriously. One candle. That's all we got.

It was much darker than this picture makes it look. The flash on my camera did its job because I could barely see my menu. We drank from those neato pewter goblets, which kept our water freezing cold. I was grateful we were not given what would have passed for water in 1776 but rather some clean, cold ice water. It was definitely an interesting experience, made more interesting by a grouchy waiter and Paula's hi-jinks involving butter, a spoon and the candle flame (think drugs, people). And while my supper was not the best, the other three all thought their food was delightful. There was also a yummy assortment of period-type breads to try, all of which were scrumptious.

While perusing the streets of Philadelphia, we were randomly stopped on one corner by a parade of men wearing revolutionary war uniforms on horseback escorting a limo.

The pictures did not capture the moment very well. What did, however, was the drunk man on the corner who kept shouting "There's someone important in that limo!"

Saturday, Kari, Paula and I slept in and did some last minute sight seeing before leaving for the airport. Tristan enjoyed another day at the conference since she was not leaving until the next morning. We had been excited about this shopping center called the Bourse but when we tried to go Friday night they were already closed (doesn't Philly have a night life?) We went Saturday morning but were disappointed to find only gift shops and a small food court. We did pick up some souvenirs though.

Next we walked to the Betsy Ross house.

Philadelphia is big on Benjamin Franklin. Their fire station (which, unfortunately, was across the street from our hotel) has an engraving of Ben wearing a fire helmet and we passed this random statue while walking.

Our last stop was

What a neat place! The cutest little alley where people still live!

It was a fun trip but I was SO glad to be back home in the Mountain time zone with my baby girl!