This is for those of you who I forgot to send a Christmas card to, or who just didn't get a letter in your card. =)
Merry Christmas!
You will notice I combined our baby announcement with our Christmas card this year…please don’t judge. It was my goal to have a delightful picture of all four of us looking happy, rested, and attractive, but that shot is still a few months out. We’ve been a wee bit busy…
2010 was typical for our family, in that we decided to have multiple life altering events happen at once. What is wrong with us?
After many lengthy discussions, we decided that Ammon needed to go back to school to finish his PhD in physics, and he started in September. It’s been a little rough so far, but he has been happy to have intelligent conversations during his work day again. In addition to taking classes, he also teaches an undergraduate lab and is TA for another class. I help Ammon out where I can – recording grades and even grading essays (I weep for our youth’s English skills). No, I don’t help him with his homework. Every assignment looks to me like aliens wrote it.
Obviously our biggest event has been adding Emmett James to our family a mere 2 weeks after Ammon started school. Our timing is impeccable. Oh he is so yummy! No surprise to anyone, pregnancy was sheer torture for me. Luckily, things went a little better this time around and Emmett was only born 6 weeks early (as opposed to Addy’s 8.5). He spent one week in the NICU, which was also a nice change from Addy’s 5 week stay.
It’s hard to tell much about his personality so far – babies at this age pretty much just lie there – but he does seem to be pretty mellow and easy going. For the most part, he’s a really good sleeper. He’s smiling now and just started laughing a few days ago. So far his most endearing trait is that he snorts like an angry piglet when he’s mad. I know I shouldn’t laugh when my child is upset, but it is beyond adorable.
Addy is our verbal girl, and at 4, she is sounding like a mini adult. Some gems from this year include: “I had a double blast-off toot!”, and “Mom, I’m growing hair in my armpits!” (not actually true). Yesterday’s went like this: Addy: “I’m a genius!” Mom: “You are?” Addy: “Of course I am! Why would I be dumb?” Why indeed. She has been loving preschool again this year and has also started taking dance. It looks a little spastic sometimes, but it’s still cute. Other than preschool and dance, her favorite pastimes are pretending to be a puppy, a lion, a kitty, a jaguar, and…pretty much any kind of animal, complete with soundtrack.
She is such a sweet big sister. She loves to sing to Emmett to calm him, and frequently prays “that Emmett will stop crying soon and get big so he can play with me”. She is slowing recovering from the only-child worldview that life revolves around her. It’s been a slightly painful adjustment.
As for me, I didn’t accomplish a whole lot this year, other than…oh yes, I had a child. I suppose 8 months of gestating is enough work for anyone? I am ridiculously thrilled to feel healthy again! I’m slowly adjusting to my new life as mother of two and wife to a student. I’m finding that as long as I have book club and plenty of excuses for girls’ night out, I do pretty well. And if I get a nap.
It’s been kind of a grueling year, but it has also given us the chance to witness countless miracles in our lives. We have been enormously blessed each step of the way. We are so grateful for a kind Father in Heaven who knows and loves us, and for His Son, Jesus Christ.
With love,
Micaela and family
You know I must have something momentous to share if I'm actually taking the time to blog, and I do.......I'M PREGNANT!! I'm 9 weeks along right now, and the little nugget is due Oct 20.
As you can imagine, all possible emotions have made an appearance in the last few weeks since I found out, and most within the first 15 seconds: elation, joy, TERROR, excitement, HORRIFICATION (is this a word?), instant desire to be sick and to go baby shopping all at once.
If any of you have read back to the begininning annals of this blog (or have had had a conversation with me lasting more than 48 seconds), you already know that Pregnancy #1; aka The HORROR did not go so super smooth. In any possible way.
According to experts (so far anyway), chances are pretty darn good that Pregnancy #2 will be muuuuuuch better. So, say a little prayer for meeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (I'm hearing Kris and Meggan on backup there).
Anywho. Hear are my preliminary thoughts on Pregnance #2, aka PII:
Cons:
1. The obvious. I promise not to give you a detailed list of every gross thing that has or will happen to my body. Suffice it to say: constant state of carsickness/I must have just had the bad shrimp x 24/7 = not such a perky girl.
2. Interesting twist here...I REALLY am trying to avoid being annoying pregnant girl that whines and moans incessantly, because frankly, I knew what I was getting myself into and that's just not fun for anyone to listen to. Except your husband. That's his job. The problemo lies in the bitter irony that if I Put On My Happy Face TOO much, then no one will feel sorry for me and offer to watch my kid/do my calling/bring me cottage cheese. Must persevere and find the balance!
3. The elusive hunt for the exact perfect right thing to eat at the exact right moment. I explained it this way to Ammon: it's sort of like believing that you can find the end of the rainbow...you know it's there, you can see where it ends! But every time you think you've found it...Poof! It was never there. It's as though all pregnant women (well, OK, me) believe that when you're feeling sick, there really IS that certain miracle food out there if you could just THINK OF IT!!!!! And if you think of, how quickly can you get there??????!!!!!!!!!!!!! The saddest part is that even if you think of it and manage to order it and get it in front of you, chances of it making all your dreams come true are nano-slim. I made this very mistake on Thurs night - I had a light shine down from heaven saying QDOBA!!!! So I hauled the fam over there, ordered the chicken taco salad (you women that have been pregnant already see my fatal error), took a bite.......and nothing. Worse than nothing. Blech. Note to self!!!!! DO NOT ORDER CHICKEN WHEN PREGNANT. IT ONLY SOUNDS GOOD IN THEORY.
Pros:
1. If Addy is any indication (and I am praying my little heart out that she is) of how cute my next child could be, then we have obvious Pro #1.
2. I think that PI aka The HORROR did a real number on Ammon's psyche because the man has done a complete 180 since round 1. Seriously, he has done EVERYthing the last few weeks while I moan on the couch (I'm allowed at home, just not in public). He has been a superstar, a rockstar and all of the above.
3. The deliciously rare moment in the first trimester when you actually find the pot of gold - the perfect food at the perfect moment. Mine was several weeks ago in the form of a roast beef sandwich from Panera with horseradish. LLLLlllaaaaaaaa angels singing I just ate something divine!!!!! Ironically, I went back the next day to try and recreate the moment, and blech. It's go to be at the RIGHT TIME.
I'm sure more to come later. In the meantime, wish me luck!!!
I don't know what has happened to me since I quit working over a year ago....I swear I've had a personality shift: I stopped blogging regularly, I hardly shop at all now (although that's just circumstantial I'm sure), and I've discovered I looooooove being crafty! I seriously never knew this about myself.
So the house isn't any cleaner, I don't cook any more often, but I have made some fun things over the last year...a Halloween wreath, several Advent calendars, a jute vase, pillows, Christmas yarn balls, been in a cardmaking club (which I NEVER thought I would do), decoupaged a drawer pull, spraypainted and painted almost every piece of furniture/accessory I own, hosted a Scrapbooking weekend, started digital scrapbooking, and on and on and on. Poor Ammon. Early in our marriage, he had lots of hobbies to keep himself occupied, and once told me that he wished I had some hobbies I enjoyed as well...I really don't think this was what he had in mind. =)
My latest, or at least most involved project has been making Scrabble-tile necklaces. I LOVE doing these! It's fun to look at a piece of paper and visualize what you could make out of it. They really are nothing fancy pants at all, but, I did recently display them at a craft fair, and they did quite well! Who knew??
Anywho. So now I have dozens left (because I can't do anything in small doses) with no home. OK, I really never thought I'd do this, so here goes really fast:
As you can see, I've shown a bunch of samples of ones I've made already - be gentle - our camera sucks, and my photoshopping skills are nil. I've already done several custom necklaces, so if there's a certain monogram or color you want I can do basically anything. Just comment on here if you want to buy one, or 7. They make great stocking stuffers!
We FINALLY had family pictures taken! This is the literally the first one we've done of all us since Addy was born. Isn't that sad? Ah well. Here they are!
Alright, so I'm a month late, what can I say? I asked Addy about two months before H day what she wanted to be (big mistake - don't ask until they are at least 12), and she said a clown. I REALLY really hate clowns, so I figured this would only happen if I could make it look like something I could tolerate. So I get all crafty and excited and finished her skirt when she says....she doesn't want to be a clown anymore. Of course. Luckily, she's only 3 and very impressionable, so I told her she wasn't just a clown, she was a Clown PRINCESS. Worked like a charm. Hooray for gullible kids!
If you don't just die laughing watching this, I will never understand your sense of humor. =) Especially Animal.....this is for you, Cassy!!
Hello campers. Today, I would like to discuss ovens. Yes, I realize that I have not blogged in months, and this may seem like an ill chosen topic, but hey - it's my blog.
Today, for reasons that will (theoretically) be discussed in a subsequent post, I have literally been cleaning my house for TEN HOURS. I kid you not. It has taken more Diet Coke and candy corn than you can possibly conceive. Not to mention that yesterday I cleaned for...wait...what day was yesterday? I seriously cannot remember. Oh yes - Tuesday. I cleaned for 7 hours on Tues and 3 on Monday. And, I'm not done yet. Never before and never again has/will this house been/be so magnificently sparkly.
I am just so overwhelmed with self congratulatory feelings right now that I really have to share them with you. So far, I have:
Dusted, washed windows, scrubbed toilets, cleaned showers/sinks, wiped down doors and doorknobs, vacuumed, cleaned carpets (including stairs), moved furniture, killed bugs, made something crafty, scrubbed out the trash can (not kidding), wiped down windowsills, done countless loads of laudry, scrubbed Ammon's hideous lazyboy (3 times cause the first time I used too much soap and made it crunchy), wiped baseboards, stripped sheets and put up Halloween decorations. AND I'M STILL NOT DONE. I am amazing.
OK back to ovens. So, for those of you that have an oven (I assume that's most of you reading this), does it have a self cleaning feature? And do you use it regularly? What a wonderful invention. Now do any of you have a double oven? If so, does it have the self cleaning feature on the 2nd oven also? BECAUSE MINE DOES NOT AND I'M VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT IT.
In my Diet Coke induced cleaning frenzy, I was Windexing the outside of the ovens when I happened to peek inside and thought to myself "Self, good job on setting the self clean yesterday. This makes your life wonderful and complete. Now self, let's just double check the bottom oven...". I won't tell you what came out of my mouth at that moment, but it wasn't pretty, nor was the oven.
Eee gads you have never seen such a mound of disgusting yuckified grossness. Honestly, did I blow up a jar of honey and then pour 6 lbs of bacon grease on top with a halibut chaser? Cause that's what it looked like.
Anyway, the point is that it was really nasty. The oven and I did battle for over 40 minutes, at which point I threw in the towel i.e. pair of rubber gloves (that I'm kind of upset about having to chuck because I got them for free with a coupon and I'm sort of attached) and called the fight in favor of the oven. Granted, the nastiness is now confined to a 6" diameter circle in the middle rather than the entire bottom half, so I had a small measure of success. As for that 6" circle, I don't know how that goo is holding on. Either it's made of an adhesive found only in hell and in my oven, or it has actually developed it's own consciousness and is hanging on by sheer force of will. Either way, I give up and I'm going to go have some poptarts. I think I've earned them.
**Sidenote - Ammon just got home and when I told of my Battle with the Oven, here was his response: "Ummm, yeah. You are looking a little greazzzzy. You might want to go look in the mirror". Love.
I know I'm behind on blogging about my own life and my own child, but I had to post this adorable and hilarious video of my bro-in-law Evan (my sis Lindsay's husband) singing with/to my squishy niece, Nina. Enjoy!
Nina and Daddy Singing from Lindsay MacDonald on Vimeo.
OK, it's not my birthday QUITE yet (*july 16*). But, in light of the fact that I will be spending my birthday camping in a field in the wilderness of UT, and then driving 8 hours in the car with a whiny three-year old, I've decided to start my celebrating early. As in right now.
So, HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! To ME! In 7 short days, I will be 33. Incidentally, it is my Mom's actual birthday today. Happy birthday Mom! Speaking of old...(*cough* 65).
I went and got birthday present #1 today, which was a lovely pedicure. Birthday present #2 will be riding the alpine slides at Park City on Sat, and birthday present #3 will be consuming as much Cafe Rio as is humanly possible in a 48 hour time period.
The only other thing that I covet and just cannot justify anymore now that I am not working, is this:
The most blessed mascara ever created. I am absolutely certain that angels mixed the mysterious ebony goop this is made of. Sadly, it is not to be. Since I am officially banned (by myself, NOT the authorities. Sheesh! Who do you think I am?) from setting foot in Nordstrom's, I can only dream of having eyelashes like Cher in her "If I Could Turn Back Time" video. Someday I'll be able to afford ridiculously expensive makeup again. Does that sound bad? Bah.
