We Like Free Stuff

Several weeks ago we took the girls in for a free photo shoot at Little Bean Photography. (For you locals, it's the lady who did the Chilton's boys.) Tracy, the photographer, was so great (and patient) with both of them -- even after Ivy peed on her couch, and then a few minutes later on the fuzzy black blanket I was holding her in. I guess there are risks involved in naked baby photos.

She gave us a free 8x10, but since I had such a hard time deciding, I ordered another one. I might have ordered more, but she wants us to come back in six months when she does the promo again. Lucky us! She still has our proofs on her website if you want to see the rest of them. Click Here

Here are the ones we picked, which have found a nice home on the living room wall. (Sorry, I don't have them in digital format.)

My Little Flyweights

The question I get asked the most about Ivy is, "how much does she weigh?" I took her in on Monday for a check up, and I finally have an answer that's accurate.

Here are her stats at 3 1/2 months:

Length: 23.75 in (50th percentile)
Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz (10th percentile)

The fact that she's in the 10th percentile for weight doesn't surprise (or worry) me much. Sophie's been in that percentile her whole life. I guess we just make dainty girls around here.

I like this picture. Sophie has to point out her eyes about 12 times a day. At least now she's not poking them.

I like this one, too. :)

I Love to See the Temple

Going to the park alone creeps me out. (There are always a couple of shady guys hanging around. Without kids. Lunch break, maybe?) Sometimes when I get in the mood to go somewhere, I want to go right then, which is why I didn't try to find someone to go with me. So, we packed some snacks and ventured off to the Oakland Temple grounds. It's quiet, peaceful, free of shady loiterers, and there's even music playing. Just the thing to quiet my frazzled nerves.

When we drove up, Sophie saw the temple and her face instantly lit up. She put her thumbs and index fingers together to form a triangle, which is what the younger kids do at church when they sing, "I Love to See the Temple".

It's been really rainy here, and we've been cooped up inside too long. I needed out. So did Sophie. And off she went. Sometimes she came back, and sometimes she didn't.

The flowers were beautiful and blooming all over the place. I saw these fuchsia flowers and had to snap some shots. They were gorgeous. I don't know what they were (some help from my horticulture guru friends...?), but they looked like a cross between a tulip and a lily - two of my favorites. I didn't notice until we got home that they were the same color as Sophie's jacket.

Ivy slept the entire time, which is good because I had to chase Sophie all over the grounds. Sophie was exhausted and zonked out in the car on the way home. . . and for three hours after that. This little trip was good for all of us. I love to see the temple, too. :)

Enjoying the Moment

I read this quote on a friend's blog, and I've been meaning to post it for a few days. It was a good reminder for me. I always need reminding.

“The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” (As quoted by Elder M. Russell Ballard in his talk, "Daughters of God.")

A Bunch of Things

I have a bunch of things to tell you and not very many minutes before I fall asleep in my chair. Here goes . . .

I finally got a double stroller! I found it from a lady on Craigslist who only used it a few times. It looks brand-new. Like this. I love it. And I love that it was under $100.

Thanks to the lady I bought the stroller from, I now know what kind of bush is growing by my porch. When we moved in it was just green, and I waited for a whole year to see if it would bloom. No blooms until about a month ago. Weird because they were underneath the bush, not on top. Anyway, when I went to pick up the stroller, this woman had an identical bush in her yard only it was taller than her fence. It's an azalea bush. After a year and a half, I finally know that I have an azalea bush by my porch.

Steve has been putting in a lot of hours at school this quarter (while I slowly go crazy at home). His first set of national board exams is in about ten days, to be exact. The following week he has his finals, then he has a week off before the next quarter starts. What are his plans for the break? Jury duty.

With all of the rainy days we've had and Steve taking the car more often than his scooter, I've been cooped up at home a lot with the girls. Some days are good. Some days aren't, but I weigh ten pounds less than I did at the beginning of the year. That seems to make up for it.

Ivy is growing like a little weed. Like a drooly, wide-eyed weed that must be held when it's awake.

Sophie has been talking more, and it seems she's been picking up more than we are intentionally teaching her. One day in the car she was getting frustrated because she took off her shoe, and she couldn't get it back on. She kept saying, "Drap!" I realized quickly that she was trying to say a four letter word that rhymes with "drap". I better watch my tongue.

Here's a clip (about 4 min) of a few more things she says. She loves Cinnamon Life cereal. I love hearing her say "Life" with the accompanying head bob. I also love the interlude in the middle of the clip as she runs around in circles. Sometimes I wonder where she came from.