Don't Tell Her It's Cute

We let Ivy's hair grow out for far too long. So when I couldn't stand it any longer I pulled out the scissors.

Here are the "before" shots:

And the "after" shots:

I think it turned out pretty well (considering I have NO idea what I'm doing). It turned out a little shorter than I planned so I was feeling terrible for a few hours, but now I'm over it. Now Ivy is complaining that she doesn't want to go out in public because everyone will say how cute her hair is! (And who wants that?!)

'Cuz We're Cousins

Oliver is one lucky kid! He has two boy cousins born within months of him.

Mandie, Colter, Oliver, and Me

My sister Mandie had her first baby back in June. And my sister-in-law Katie had her son back in May. (Oliver was born in March.) And I love that their names all end in "er". Oliver, Porter, Colter, so fun!

Me, Oliver, Porter, Katie

Remember this picture of me and Katie? I wish I had one with me and Mandie, but neither of us were up to much traveling during our pregnancies and we were never together for a picture. :(

Rock Star Birthday

I can hardly believe it, but my Millie is six years old (and has been for a month . . . I'm just a little behind on blogging about our summer). And to celebrate we had family over for a rock star birthday party. The invites (above) were supposed to resemble concert tickets (oh, how I wish I had photoshop . . . and knew how to use it).

The only children invited (two cousins) got sick right before the party! So the only guests were Millie's grandma and grandpa . . . but luckily she didn't mind. There was lots of dancing and singing.

And Mark cut out these wooden "electric" guitars before the party and put them together at the party. The tops are paint sticks from the hardware store with rubber bands strung through grooves Mark cut at the top and bottom. Then everyone decorated their own and gave them names! Millie named her guitar "Rose", Ivy named hers "Islafina" (pronounced: eye-la-FEE-nah) and Millie's grandma named hers "Bob" (after Bob Dylan I think). Then we rocked out and sang karaoke.

Of course we had cake and ice cream and opened presents.

Millie didn't even mind that there were only two gifts since one included MAKE-UP! All her birthday dreams came true in that moment. Later we went out for dinner at the conclusion of which Millie told her daddy "This was my best birthday every!" Super cute.

A few days later she received a gift from my mom. Lip gloss, press on nails and accessories and a hair clip. She looked every bit the glamour queen.

Right after the party Mark's mom took Millie to the craft store to pick out a pattern and fabric for her gift (Millie's idea). The completed project is absolutely adorable (dress and matching purse). Sorry I don't have a better picture. I'll have to get one.

Happy Birthday Millie!

Bear Lake Summer 2011

The End.

I love cloth!

Who knew diapering could be fun? Yes, I know I'm crazy but I love knowing that my choice creates less of an environmental burden than disposable diapering and saves us loads of money (between $1,000 and $2,000!!!). They really are not as difficult or icky as some might imagine. There's no pinning, no soaking and no need to shake anything out in the toilet. I also love this make-shift clothesline Mark put together for me. The sun truly is the best disinfectant! The diapers come off the line spotless and completely non-toxic (no chlorine bleach for my family thank you). Using the clothesline reminds me of my Grandma Nora and makes me look to simpler times when people weren't too busy to appreciate the little things in life.

Oh, and did I mention how cute the diaper covers are? And the cute onesie and burp cloth were a gift from Mark's talented sister Julia. I love the elephant.

I don't know what's come over me but I am just enjoying motherhood so much more these days. I guess I am finally starting to grasp how precious this time is with my children and that doing what's best for them is truly worth any amount of extra effort on my part.

Which is why we are also practicing natural infant hygiene (frequently referred to as elimination communication or ECing). I am just in awe of how intelligent little babies are! Even if our culture tells us otherwise.

I look horrible here (right after a workout) but this picture just reminds me how special it feels to share this experience with my baby. I only wish I would have started earlier . . . like six years earlier!

Mommy's Charms

The Wheels on the Bus

Millie and Ivy have been begging to ride on a train of late, but they settled for an LTD bus ride instead.

We caught the bus Saturday morning and rode out to Rockhill Creamery in Richmond. It was a long ride, but we all enjoyed the experience.

Luckily it was a nice sunny morning at the bus station.

On the bus Ivy couldn't believe there weren't any seat belts! And it was quite a long, bumpy ride. And yes, we did sing a verse or two of "The Wheels on the Bus".

We missed our stop in Richmond and ended up walking back from the next one, but no one complained (amazingly enough). Once there, we took a little tour of the farm and Millie fell in love with this Brown Swiss calf. She wanted to name him or her "Goldie". She also fell in love with two small dogs there, but they kept their distance from her loving attention.

Ivy on the other hand, was less than thrilled about all the animals and wanted her daddy to protect her.

And Oliver napped through all the excitement.

For lunch we headed to the farmstand for bread (from Crumb Brothers) and cheese from the creamery. Then we caught the bus back to Logan. And after a break at home we rallied for a visit to Summerfest for dinner and dessert (Forbidden Fruit caramel apples. Yum!). The perfect ending to a great Saturday.