living in our way-too-tiny apartment i can't help but make lists upon lists of decoration ideas that i could use when i finally have a home of my own.
read about what i would love to do when i finally have a backyard!
by the way…
have you checked out the Stronger Marriage Blog lately?
there’s a few new posts you should check out!
you should especially check out the RELATE questionnaire and tell us what you think.
do it do it do it
:)
oh and p.s. did I tell you that I’m going to continue writing for the Stronger Marriage Blog through the summer??
pretty stoked about that!
so you’ll need to keep reading it and telling me what you think/like/dislike/any other feelings about the blog
partyin’ partyin’ YEAH!
you are all invited to Elijah’s birthday party!
{vicariously} of course through pictures.
:)
we celebrated Mr. E’s first birthday with lots of friends and family over the weekend.
i told myself i wasn’t going to go crazy and go all-out for his first birthday because he’s a just a baby and won’t remember, blah blah blah
but let’s get real.
it’s his first birthday!!
so i went all out. ***
his “theme” was blue & green polka dots.
i know i’m lame and had a theme.
whatevs.
even though he obviously won’t remember it, it was fun for me to decorate for the party***
cause remember? i love parties?
little E also got totally spoiled from all the grandmas & grandpas & aunts & uncles & cousins & friends-who-are-basically-family
he got a lot of noise-maker toys which i, of course, love!!
…..
but he loves them so that’s all that matters right?
this was the cake i picked from the bakery for the guests. it was really good! i decided to do separate cakes for guests and for Eli because i didn’t really think people would want to eat his cake after what he did to it…. {see following pictures}
my mom made his cake by dying white, buttercream frosting and then melting starbursts and rolling/cutting them into circles for the polka dots.
so cute huh!!
i lovelovelove how it turned out.
and here are the pictures you’ve all been waiting for
{and why it was a good idea not to share his cake}
thank you to all who came to celebrate with us!
and also thank you to all who helped pull it off! it was a crazy week and i couldn’t have done it without your help.
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BOY!!
***i made his hat from here,
onesie (by using iron-on applique and then sewing around the edges),
banner from here (except i sewed the pennants together with the right sides facing each other and then turning them inside out cause i didn’t have pinking shears)
and my sister and mom made tissue pom-poms that are shown in the background for decorations. here is a tutorial for the pom-poms but my mom and sister were super pros and had already knew had to make them from decorating the high school gym many times for dances
we did it!
hello. we’re now alumni of Brigham Young University!
and we rocked the whole pomp & circumstance
thursday night we had the opportunity to go to commencement where Elder Richard G. Scott was the speaker. we were debating for a while if we wanted to go and just do convocation instead but I’m really glad we decided to attend. however, we chose not to walk in with the graduating class and sit with our family instead. a part of me kind of wished we walked especially when the crowd would cheer for all the graduates but i’m also really glad i got to spend that moment with my family especially with my mom who surprised me and flew all the way from the Marshall Islands to be there with me.
love you Mommy!
(that is a Marshallese crown my mom brought for me that is made out of coconut leaves. apparently the queens wear them in the Marshall Islands. Adam says it looks like a crown of thorns… but whatever. i think it’s beautiful! also, this is after i gave her my stole of gratitude for all that she did to help me get my degree. thanks mom!)
i surprised myself and got really emotional during commencement. it just kind of hit me what a huge accomplishment it was to graduate from college with a baby no less. before it always seemed like this ambiguous, far away thing that everyone does in life and isn’t that special. but it really is special and i’m really proud of myself. i still can’t believe it really happened!
quick story: i put on my cap and gown real fast after commencement so i could meet my old roommates to take pictures and this old lady comes up to me after i put it on and grabs my arm and says, “congratulations! we are all so proud of you!” she then looked over at Adam holding Eli and asked, “are these yours?” i said yes and she said, “oh congratulations, that’s just wonderful!” made me happy :)
also, i realized how cool it was to have Elder Scott speak at graduation. when i was little, he came to speak at stake conference and he asked all the children to come up afterwards and shake his hand. he was the first apostle i had ever met {twice!} so for me it was kind of this cool full-circle moment where i was just this little girl with big dreams and here i am a woman, wife and mother accomplishing my goals.
in his speech, he gave us 10 things that we should remember as we go out into the world.
- establish principles to live by
- don’t make exceptions
- be loyal-especially to the Lord
- serve where the Lord wants you to
- serve others
- smile & have a good sense of humor
- don’t complain, life isn’t always fair**
- always have a church assignment
- go to the temple & carry a current recommend
- use the Savior as an example
seriously, so glad i went. especially for number 7. i really needed to hear that one…
anyways, enough of those darn emotions.
moving on.
we got to take some pictures with my old roommates who were all graduating too. it makes graduation even sweeter when we have so many people to share the excitement with!
(me, Holli, Amy, Whitney & Courtney. all with cap-hair)
after commencement we had a big family dinner {shout out to Holli for organizing that!} to celebrate us graduates.
oh, you don’t think that’s really my family? they look like old friends?
let me explain everyone.
Jonathan (far left) is Adam’s cousin. he married my best friend from Illinois, Alyson (second from left) . Holli (middle) is my best friend since 7th grade from Arizona and she is now engaged to my brother-in-law!!
i know. you are all jealous. you wish your two best friends were your cousins/sisters too. it basically rocks.
we then had convocation friday morning. we chose (or Adam would say I chose) to walk with the School of Family Life & I’m really glad we did. my good friend from some of my classes, Tiffany Larson, was valedictorian and gave an awesome speech. along with one of my all time favorite professors Dr. Dean Busby was the keynote speaker. and to top it off, my brother-in-law was in charge of taking pictures of the graduates so that was fun to look out see him.
we also were the only couple {and baby} to walk across together. there were other husband and wife pairs but they walked separately. so it was cool to all go across together as a family since it was a big family effort that got us there.
p.s. don’t you love little E’s cap and gown?! i found it online here for $15 {plus shipping and handling}. then my mom took in the sides and hemmed it to fit him and sewed an elastic band on his cap to stay on his head. isn’t it so cute!! it was basically the best $15 i ever spent. he is the most adorable little graduate :)
what a week….
this week was insane!
--my mom came into town
--my niece’s 8th birthday party
--Elijah’s first birthday & party
--graduation x2 {commencement & convocation}
--graduation family dinner
--a baby shower
--Easter & singing in church & family dinner
--oh & I take care of a child….
whew!!!
seriously so crazy.
but so worth it.
i proved a lot to myself this past week: i know how to use a sewing machine now & {thread the bobbin}, I GRADUATED!, and i throw awesome parties {if i do say so myself}
i will tell you about each one in separate posts.
but this serves as your warning for a lot to come!
:)
the big ONE
one year ago today I gave birth to this sweet little child
little did I know at that moment the how much he would really change my life for the better.
he has brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined.
I am a better person because I am his mother.
I have learned so much from him.
I cannot imagine life without him nor do I want to. the thought not having him is too painful.
he is mine. I am his.
forever.
happy birthday Elijah!!
and here’s to many many more years to come
free at last, free at last
[i'm so over school]
cause i'm free at last, free at last
thank goodness, i'm free at last
my group finished our Suicide Awareness portfolio
i took a final saturday and a final monday
i turned in my Stronger Marriage Blog portfolio
i'm pretty sure i aced all of it
cause i'm awesome like that
{and didn't break a sweat}
not.
is it weird that i have gotten the best grades of my college career these last two years being married&sick&pregnant&hadababy&tired&wornout?
maybe.
i call it {super blessed}
becasuse there's no way in H i could have done this on my own
but i did it guys.
i did what i was set out to do.
it took 5 years/wonderful friends/pee your pants laughter/good&bad times/rollercoaster of emotions/passion/hard work/dramatic episodes/dance parties/sleepless nights/a loving husband/and a chubby baby later...
and i did it!
i may not be the career woman i saw myself as 5 years ago
but i completed my goal
i gained a wonderful education
i grew immensly
and i'm a better person for it.
and now i'm free at last, free at last
free to be the wife i long to be
to be the mother i was destined to be
to be the woman i grew to be
and to be the Daughter of God i know i am
is it just me…?
or does this commercial gross anyone else out??
the idea of strangers laying down in the same bed
that has people jumping on it with their dirty feet,
putting their possibly {unwashed&dirt-infested} hair on the pillows,
and being blasted with gross exhaust by the truck they used to transport it there
makes me totally nauseous.
it could be because i have a bad case of the stomach flu right now….
but still.
who knows where that bed has been???
do people really just walk up to it in the middle of the city and lay in it after hundreds or thousands of people already have???
it hasn’t been washed for a whole week after tons of people put their sweaty bodies all over it???
who cares if it smells good.
that’s just to hide the mount of infestations it could be carrying.
like i said. maybe it’s just me.
but i’m still disgusted
a sucker for the little sucker
guess.what.
i just finished my very last day of class!!!
well… until my english class spring term but i like to pretend that doesn’t exist.
it has been a monstrosity of stress the last week or so
and there is a tad more to come. finals and stuff….
so i apologize for being totally MIA
to make up for it, check these pictures of little E’s first sucker
the produce guy gave it to him at the grocery store.
he absolutely loved it!
look at him lick his lips in satisfaction
oh man. he’s a cutie.
banned
my grocery list:
milk
tortillas
baby formula
Gerber snacks for the babe
mayonnaise
salad
corn chips
sugar
what Adam put in the cart:
seriously. all the junk food was his doing.
notice: two kinds of oreos (“2 for $5. I’m saving us money!”), dinosaur chicken nuggets, and Captain Crunch cereal (“it’s for Elijah”)
not pictured: 6 laffy taffys (“but they’re 6 for $1! you can’t pass up!”), teddy grahams and a third box of fruit snacks (“it’s a great deal!”)
I have now banned him from coming grocery shopping with me.
I’m pretty sure I won’t stick to that promise, but I probably should.
I know it would at least keep us healthier!
silly boy…
but I do love oreos… so maybe I will let it slide
:)
i’m so excited, and i just can’t hide it
do you want to hear something totally awesome??
i won this lovely girl’s giveaway!!
that’s right.
this other lovely girl is going to draw a personalized portrait of my little family.
when i got the email, i literally starting jumping around the house
eli looked at me like i was nuts.
maybe i am.
but i’m still so excited!!
i will most definitely post pictures when its done
oh happy day
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)