While Caught in a Snowstorm...3 new posts in 1!

While there apparently is snow storms affecting most of the country, it has been snowing buckets on us as well. I saw the forecast this morning and it is supposed to snow everyday for the next 7 days! Oh man! Talk about a white Christmas! However, that does mean that Cam and I will be inside most of the days now--can't drive and can't go out and walk around either. In fact, today is the second day in a row that I will not step outside my door once. Oh well, at least I like my house and my family. And we had a bunch of people over last night so it is still fun times. So while I'm stuck here, I thought I would do a few posts in one!
(Cam stuck in the house too. At least he has his balloon and his favorite windowsill!)

Cameron's Birthday

Cameron started off his day with a Mylar balloon from mommy and daddy (which he proceeded to pop after about an hour) and his first toy of the day--a xylophone, courtesy of DI and cleaning by mommy.

That evening we had his little party. After hearing of the balloon poping incident, Aunt Kara was sure to bring three replacements. Hooray! And we must report that since having these in the house, he is now saying his second world "Balloon" (or something like it, it sounds more like "BA-woo").
Aunt Natalie, Kara's fiance Joe, soon to be Uncle Joe, and one of Tyler's good friends Doug also came. They all brought him presents! He made out pretty well! Among his gifts he got...

some books...
some clothes...

a soft new Pooh sweater...
some cars...
and some movies (see how Cam knows exactly what to do with Cars).

We also had pizza for dinner, Cam had the crusts and an apple slice, and then we ended the night with cupcakes. Of course Cameron got his own and made the traditional mess, especially in his hair.Overall, a successful first birthday! I look forward to all his future birthdays as well! Hooray for Cam Cam!

"Thanks everyone for my birthday gifts and wishes!"

Shout Out to the Man in My Life

My main man and husband Tyler is overdue for some praise on my blog. I have the best husband!

• He is such a good hard worker and loves being able to solely provide for our little family. He always works 23 hours and 59 minutes every week because it's the max he can without getting in trouble with HR. He is going to be working at least 40 hours a week during the break so he can get more as well. We really have a very comfortable life because of his hard work. And he never complains!
• He is an excellent father. He helps with Cameron and makes sure to spend good time with him whenever he is around. Cameron adores him.
• He has a great sense of humor. He makes me laugh all the time! And his sense of humor is exactly what allows him laugh off when I am being bossy/hysterical, etc.
• He is the best friend I have ever had. I never get sick of being around him. When we vacationed for 10 weeks together this summer, I loved being able to spend most of every day with him. There aren't a lot of people that you even want to be around anymore after so many hours let alone love being around constantly!
• He is a good priesthood holder. I love hearing his blessings he gives to people. I love that I don't have to pressure him to go to church, read his scriptures, or do his calling. I love that I don't need to worry a pinch about that he will always do what he is supposed to do. I love Cameron will have such a role model.
  
• He is compassionate and kind to everyone, and his example helps me. He is very patient with everyone and makes people feel good about themselves.
• He supports me in my endeavors and loves that I am "smart" and "strong" (not all men do!) He gives me words of encouragement and shows his support in the things I want to do. He helps me execute things as well and is always a lot of help, i.e. helps me set up my parties, hosts my guests.
  
• He always tells me how much he loves me and appreciates what I do--everyday! He tells me loves the quirks about me that make me who I am.
• When I do stupid things, he overlooks it.

For those of you looking for husbands, considering someone for the role, or who will someday look for a husband, I strongly recommend your list on them look very close to this. You won't be sorry!
Thank you Tyler for being so good to me! I love you!

Waxing

I am a new staunch proponent of waxing the upper lip if you are a girl. Last night Natalie and I had a wax party with my new wax. She started it by asking to use it for her eyebrows and upper lip. Since I had already done my brows recently, I decided I would try my lip for the first time. I am not going to lie, being pregnant made my hair grow more on my whole body and getting older will do it too--in fact I have read before that keeping waxed up is one thing that will prevent you from looking old. And also a few nights before at the hair dresser, the lighting particularly made me look like I had a mustache. So I did it: off with the 'stache! I immediately was pleased with the results. I felt like I looked so much more soft and feminine--it was amazing! So for all of you women out there who have considered it before but just never done it, try it, it's so easy! Off with the 'stache! You'll be happy you did.

Hope you enjoyed the 3 in 1 post to pass the time you are all probably stuck in snowstorms!

Happy 1st Birthday Cameron!!

My baby is growing up! (*sniff*) One year ago today, baby Cameron came to us after a long, hard night. Since then he has been the joy of Tyler's and my life. I can't believe how much he has changed in a year!

Cameron's first day of life

Sweet sleepy newborn

Ready for one of our winter walks around the block

Funny times with mommy and daddy

Summer time and new-found love of toys

Aloha baby

Getting ready to be an early walker

Handsome little man sporting dad's hat

Happy Birthday to the little man in my life!
I never knew how sweet life could be!

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was really fun this year because we got to host it! My family (well, the family that is at home in Pendleton) drove here and Natalie already lives here so it was a smaller group, but still a fun group. The fam arrived Wednesday night and we made a late trip to Brick Oven where we laughed and talked for about 2 hours before we realized everyone else was gone. The big day started with my fabulous husband Tyler jumping right in. He prepped his first turkey (I still don't want to learn how) while I helped by handing him things he couldn't get to with his germ hands. The family arrived right as the turkey was going into the oven and we spent the next couple of hours making all the side dishes--the pies were made the night before. The feast was excellent and the company even better. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and watched the new Indiana Jones movie.

The rest of the vacation was also a blast. The next day we went to SLC to have lunch and spend time with my dad's family. Holly and her family were there too so that was tons of fun. Then Saturday we gave Cameron the experience of running around the Marriott hotel lobby where my parents were staying. That was really cute. Then we went to Costco for lunch and a little shopping. That evening we all went to a Jazz game, something different and fun for my family. My dad got Tyler and I seats on the 11th row (I let my dad take my seat second half) and the rest of them sat in the upper bowl. My mom even watched Cameron for most of the game so it was nice and relaxing for me.



I love the holidays because I get to spend so much time with my family and I love my family! Thanks Mom and Dad for coming down!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

After seeing other people post pictures of their Christmas decor, I wanted to do the same thing. I must admit that Cameron and I have been listening to Christmas music since the beginning of November and that I would have decorated earlier if I hadn't been so busy.

Here's our tree. It's snuggled up in the corner with boxes, etc, at its base so Cameron can't get to it as easy, or at least can't get under it. Also, ornaments are only on the top half of the tree so Cameron can't reach them. The only problem we have now is him trying to put the lights in his mouth and pull the tree over on himself! We are quickly discovering how ineffective asking him to do something (or not do something) is.


Here is the matching garland over the front room window. It and the tree look really nice together.


Other Christmas decor...

Isn't this the cutest? Cameron's birthday present from Grandma Merrill.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My husband did not like when I would sit down to read A Thousand Splendid Suns because he knew it meant I would be offline to him and the rest of the world for the hours I would read, and when I would finally reluctantly shut the book for a late bedtime I would go and straightway tell him the tragic and gripping events I had just experienced. He would always say, I assume only half seriously, “I never want to read that book. Why can’t you read a happy book?” Why did I read a book with such a tragically realistic account of women’s lives in Afghanistan? Well, first because I had heard wonderful things about it. And second, because I knew I would learn something. And I did.

I see A Thousand Splendid Suns as a moving story about three different things: it is a story about the nation and people of Afghanistan; it is a story about the women of Afghanistan; and mostly it is a story about love and sacrifice.

I have read classic novels littered with bits of French, Spanish, or German, but this is the first time I read a book scattered with Farsi. Even after reading this book, I am still extremely uneducated about the Middle East and therefore do not feel qualified to make sweeping statements and will not do so in this review. But I am grateful to Hosseini for bringing their people to my consciousness. After experiencing this book, I now feel the humanness of the people of the Middle East and got to briefly glimpse their reality. I also had a notion of understanding a people whose country endures so much and how such a thing can weld the two together. One character sums it up well when he says Afghanistan is nothing pretty to look at and but is still there after all it has endured.

Only recently did the world become aware of the atrocities of the Taliban, especially against women. Women were forbidden to work, leave the house without a male relative, required to cover head to toe in burqas, denied basic health care, publicly beaten, and had no access to the law or justice for crimes committed against them. As I would read I would remind myself that I was in high school as this was happening. Sometimes the best way to respect your freedoms and gather the courage to fight for them is to experience what life is like without them. Suffice it to say I will try never to take my freedoms for granted; I live in a country where as a woman I am an equal and can make my world what I wish it to be.

Hosseini’s ability to look deep into the human soul and accurately convey the deepest emotions makes him an amazing writer. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story about two women, one who is born with nearly nothing and one born with real chances for success. They both tragically lose everything, and it is precisely this that brings them together. Hosseini uses their intertwining stories to convey universal truths; the morals of the story that made me cry. First, the only life not worth living is one without love and friendship. Second, the only way to truly leave a mark upon the world after you are gone is to give your life to others.

As historical fiction, A Thousand Splendid Suns is educational as well as moving and even life changing. Khaled Hosseini expertly unravels the story about Afghanistan, its people, and shows the worst and best in us. It is a modern classic, or at least a really good book that I would recommend to anyone.

Birthday Presents Begin

Here is a video--a long one--of Cameron opening his present from Grandma Merrill. His birthday is coming up and I suppose there is no harm in letting him have some now!

Being a Stay at Home Mom

I have been thinking a lot lately how much I love staying home with Cameron. While it could seem awful to be between the same four walls 90% of my life, it's not bad when this is where my work and life is. I love being a stay at home mother because:

-I get to sleep in a bit later (usually about 8 or 8:30, 9 on good days)
-I get to read lots of books
-I get to enjoy my decor and my house that I spend lots of time caring for, every day.
-I have time (although not a lot still) for hobbies and crafts again
-I have time to spend nurturing my relationships with others, not just with Cam and Tyler, but with all my family and friends.
-There is a great support system of other SAHMs and kids
-My house is in order; I have time to make sure this is so, everything from budgeting, food storage, a clean house, to being sure we are always getting the best possible deal on things we need.
-My life feels in balance.
-My family is happy: Tyler is happy to have a happy wife and happy child, all more easily done since I am at home.
-Having a child with you all the time allows you to re-enter the joy and innocence of childhood again yourself.
-I find myself smiling and being happy a lot.
-Little things are big things again.
-I have a friend around all the time. I went shopping yesterday without Tyler or Cameron (I wanted a break) and I actually didn't have much fun being without my little buddy; I really enjoy taking him with me places.
-Cameron makes me treat every day special since I know he is growing so fast and I won't ever get this time with him back again.
-How could you not love spending your days with someone you love so much you think your heart will burst???

Nat's Birthday Party

For all of you who would like to see how Natalie's birthday party turned out, look no further! I know the suspense has been killing you all!
Here's the birthday girl, the big 21 year old, standing next to all her presents and made from scratch triple chocolate cheesecake! YUM! The guest list included me, Tyler, Cameron, Nat and her friend Rachel.
After a pasta and rolls birthday dinner, Natalie dug into the presents...
And after she was finished, Cameron dug into them too! I must say she got some great presents! They were all very nice and thoughtful. (Um, I put those panties around Cameron's neck. And they're not a thong, no worries.)
Next we had the traditional singing and blowing out of the candles. The cheesecake was really good, if I do say so myself. But like all cheesecakes, it was heavy and rich, so even after giving a quarter to Natalie and giving bits away to whoever came over, it still took us a while to finish it.

All in all, a successful party. Lots of fun and food for everyone!
"Happy Birthday Aunt Natalie!"

Welcome to my home

In an effort to ignore the election results and avoid talking about how upset I am, I am going to do an Online Open House! I took these pictures over a month ago and have been waiting for the perfect occasion such as now to post them. So if you too would like to ignore/forget what is coming our way, read this post and it will afford you at least 5 minutes of trivial thought.

We live in a small two bedroom, one bath apartment. Sometimes I realize how small the space really is--funny, since I haven't lived in anything much bigger in years! I must be itching to get into at least a 3 bedroom. AT LEAST something with a washer/dryer and dishwasher, all conveniences we are without here. But I shouldn't complain, the rent is good and internet, gas, and about 15 channels of cable all come free with it. Also, it is clean and in good shape, and maintenance is super quick if you have an issue! And the grounds are beautiful and very well maintained; there are trees everywhere and lots of large fields of grass. You'll notice outside all our three windows there is a tree--I really enjoy this, especially after living in a basement. So here we go!
That is our front door you see here. (I have since added a nice Degas poster on that blank wall.) The door next to it is our only real storage closet which also happens to house our furnace. But you should see how packed that thing is! And the hooks on the outside of the door mean I am not picking up all of Tyler's 10 sweaters/jackets everyday--a real convenience. You can see our office tucked away in the corner of the main room here. I did a post a while back on our little office, of which I am still proud of, and so I will not show it here again.
These next pictures show the front room. As you can see, I am a big fan (and I like to think expert) on making rooms function as many mini functional areas. You have to when space is limited! For example, this one main room acts as our office, tv/lounge area, library, dining area, and media storage. And of course, a play area also and three nights a week a gym! Toys and cheerios on the floor are with the compliments of Cameron. Some of you may thing the room looks chaotic and eclectic, but then I say "thanks!" because it was my intention to do something out of the ordinary and very busy. I had a lot of fun doing it and love it. The stranger I can make things look, the more I like it. You can see our little kitchen in the back here, so let's move to that room!
This is our kitchen with the whole 10 square feet of counter space. But we make it work! In the last picture of our front room you can see the square table that acts as a counter space also. (That table has since had a little addition of bubble wrap taped to the sharp corners to keep little heads from getting bashed. It also now permanently has Cameron's booster seat and chair at it as well as feeds were starting to get too messy for the carpet.) Two other features I like about our kitchen is that (you can't see it) there are two very large and deep shelves above the fridge (fridge is to the left of the rug) and there is space above the cupboards. I love putting decor above cupboards! Also the cupboards snap shut and so Cameron hasn't figured out how to open them yet. A big plus.
Now we go down our hallway to the rest of the house.
The door on the right leads to our teeny tiny bathroom. No storage in here, but I think I have made the space work well for us. We have a "shoe pocket" hanger on the back of the door to hold our toiletries and a wooden crate on the top of the toilet acts as a shelf for towels and a small speaker set where we plug in our ipods. Also, I have managed to fit a laundry basket under the sink, behind which is stashed toilet paper. Especially now I am glad I always go with a very neutural, natural pallet for bathrooms (it's a rule of mine) because a little too much could look like way too much in such a tiny space. And while I like that look most other places, not in a bathroom. A bathroom must have a relaxing feel.
The door on the left leads to Cameron's room. I also keep my clothes in here but luckily you won't have to see the closets in either room because while they are surprisingly neat, no inch is wasted. I really like Cameron's room. It is hard to have a room for a boy that doesn't bore with just blue and neutrals like tan and brown. At least that's how I feel. When looking for a crib set I wasn't thrilled by any of the ones for boys until I saw this Alphabet Soup set that had all kinds of colors in it. I definitely love color and Tyler said it wasn't girly so we got it. Good purchase and definitely the splurge of the room. In fact, the three peice furniture set cost just as much, compliments of Wal Mart! One other thing that worked our very well for Cam's room is that besides the three colored totes in the changing table ($5 each) I didn't have to buy a thing! I already had everything and it ended up coordinating very well. Oh, well, I guess I did buy the brown roman shade to keep the west sun out, but that was also a steal, only $20! I'd like to say Cameron loves playing in here but mostly he likes playing under my feet and I am not very often in here!
Now for my room, the one at the end of the hall. I absolutely LOVE my bedspread and am so glad I got it because it makes the room and I don't have to do much else to it. (Another splurge I am glad I made.) Unfortunately our room is the smaller room so things are squished a bit. Also, as you see above, our room also gets to double as the linen room--we got to move the linen shelf in here to keep Cameron from pulling everything off! I have tried to make the room very symmetrical and calm as both those things are good sleep hygiene. I also try to keep the pallet in here natural and organic feeling. For my birthday we were going to make a picket fence headboard but ran out of time and money--eventually we'll do it!

Well, thank you for coming to my online open house! I hope it took your mind off of the future for a few minutes!