Tracie's quilt

We had Tracie for Christmas this year, so of course, I made her a quilt. I used a pattern from Camille Roskelley (love her fabric and patterns!), but made it larger than what the pattern called for. I think the pattern uses 30 jelly roll strips, but I went ahead and used the whole jelly roll, and the quilt ended up being 80" by 90", pretty much a queen size.


Someday I would love to be able to take great photographs of my quilts because I feel like I never do them justice... (if you click on the pictures you can them bigger and better).

The block is just a standard bow tie block, but the pieces are pretty small...there were thousands of pieces! So even though it is an easy block, it was time consuming because of the sheer amount.

I quilted it myself, doing little flower things in the negative space where the blocks meet, and then swirlies (I just made that up) in the small border and stippling in the large border.

A shot of the back. I used a fleece blanket for the back, making it extra cozy. Plus, then I didn't have to piece a back or use batting! Win, win!

This shows some of the quilting a little better.

Snow Day

The day after we got back from Christmas in Mesa, we took the kids up to the ranch to play in the snow and ride snowmobiles. There was barely enough snow to ride the snowmobiles, but we had fun anyway.


The kids took turns being pulled behind the snowmobile on the tube. They loved it! I even had a turn.

After playing in the snow we warmed up inside with some hot chocolate while the guys rode around for awhile longer.

And this last picture has nothing to do with the snow day, but I just have to say that Addison's bumbo that she got for Christmas is the best thing ever! She'll sit in that thing for a long time, as long as she can't see me (she is going through separation anxiety).

Christmas 2011

I feel like I am too behind to do a full fledged post about Christmas, so here's our Christmas in pictures:

Santa brought dart tag to our family

My mom made all of us girls matching aprons, even Addison!

Before Church on Christmas, Jax wasn't happy

The stockings at Grandpa's

Hallie got a pillow pet!

Addison in her little apron

The girls got these pig beanies...my three little pigs! Jax got a lion too, which is just perfect for him since he pretends to be a lion/tiger 24/7.

More dart tag

Christmas morning, before presents

We tried to make the grandkids do the traditional lineup in the hallway picture, but they weren't into it...esp. Kamryn

All the Wright grandkids

At Bass Pro Shop...we enjoyed seeing Santa and playing their games

Grandpa reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve

We had a great time in Mesa for Christmas. It is so much fun when you have little kids that get excited about every little thing. (I dread the day when they are teenagers). It was nice getting to spend time with all my family, skyping Ike on his mission, and enjoying the beautiful weather and time off work together.

On the Crafting Front...

I have been working up a storm for the last couple of months trying to make a few presents for Christmas. So I haven't been able to share anything I've been working on, but soon! Here is something I can share:




I made these potholders for Hallie's teachers. Super easy and pretty fast too. My Walmart actually carries the insul-batting which is nice. I was able to run and get some without having to order any.

I quilted each one a little different. I guess I didn't get a picture of the final product with the binding on. I tried to machine bind for the first time since I was in a time crunch, but I didn't really like how it was looking so I ended up stitching the last two by hand.

Since I helped with Hallie's Christmas party at school, I was able to see the teachers open them ( a little nerve wracking for me) and they seemed to like them. I hope they get used!

Christmas Fun

We have tried to squeeze in a few Christmas activities after getting off to a slow start.

We decorated "gingerbread" houses for family home evening this week. Oh my, it was a mess. But the kids LOVED it and it was a great way to use up a lot of the Halloween candy.

The boys house on the left, the girls on the right.

And, last but not least, we took the kids to the annual magic show. This year they called Hallie and Wes up to help with some tricks. Wes was actually up there for quite awhile, and ended up getting kissed by the assistant Marika as part of a magic trick. The show is the same every year, but it is still entertaining and the kids love it more and more as they get older.

Addison 5 Months

Baby girl is now 5 months old and is full of big, happy smiles! She is so easy to make laugh and smile.

It is snowing outside today, so we opted for inside pictures.

Daddy with his little girls. He can make Addison smile like no one else can, she just adores him.

Hallie wants to hold Addison all the time now that she is a little easier to hold. Hallie is also really great at playing with Addison when I need some extra help.

Of course the other kids had to jump in for a few pictures too.

She has started sticking her tongue out all of them time, like she is so proud of herself for being able to do it.

She has found her toes! She likes to play with them and suck on them now.

Jaxson is so sweet and gentle with his little sister (well, with this one...not the other one!)

She looked so cute in this little hat, I couldn't get over it.

I tried to get a picture of all three thumbsuckers, but Addison wouldn't cooperate.

• Addison is no longer sleeping through the night, which is very sad for me. She usually wakes up once or twice to eat, and then goes right back to sleep (the week after Thanksgiving she was up every hour, screaming...not sure what was going on!).
• We had our ward party last Saturday and Addison got passed around all night. One lady held her for quite awhile and called me over. She said "There is something wrong with your baby...she never fusses!" Yes, she is pretty easy, most of the time. It makes it nice for me!
• I think she is ready to start baby food, but I'm trying to hold off. I can't hold her and eat anymore, because she grabs food off my plate!
• I'm so excited for her to have her First Christmas. She will love the wrapping paper! I wasn't going to get her anything, but I did manage to find a couple of things she could use (being the 3rd girl has its advantages, I should know).

Random Thoughts

I know I have a lot to catch up on, but I wanted to write down a few little tidbits before I forget them.

• Wes went to a baptism tonight, where he will be performing the baptism. I asked the kids how daddy was able to baptize someone, and Hallie said "because he has the Moronic priesthood". (She meant to say Aaronic Priesthood).

• Kamryn broke Jaxson's beloved sword. She snapped it right in half. He has had this sword attached to his hand ever since he was a pirate for Halloween. The first thing he said after she broke it was "Now I can never be a pirate". And now his keeps moaning "my favorite toy" over and over again. It is so sad for him. Hallie, being the sweet girl she is, said "don't worry Jax, I'll do whatever I can to fix it. I'll tape it, glue it...". Good thing Christmas is coming up, so Santa can bring him a new sword!

• Addison is 5 months old now, and deserves a post all of her own, but I just want to say that she is so worth the extra craziness that having a 4th kids has brought! She makes me smile and remember to not sweat the small stuff. This stage is passing by too quickly.

• We made gingerbread houses for family night last night (out of graham crackers), and Wes's turned out very eerily like our neighbor's Santa Fe style house.

• Jaxson keeps confusing doing something on purpose or on accident. Today Hallie told me he bit her, and when I asked him about it, his defense was "I did it on purpose"! Haha, that doesn't help your cause, buddy.

• and lastly, My midwife lives on the road to our church building, and the kids like the Christmas lights she has hanging up. The other day on the way to school Hallie asked me where my sisterwife lived. I quickly corrected her and told her to not repeat that to anyone at school!
  

Hallie's 6th Birthday

We celebrated Hallie's birthday over Thanksgiving, when all of Wes's family was in town. Hallie was so excited to have a party with her cousins. She was so excited to have a "real" party for the first time (she gave out goodie bags, and I guess that qualifies as a real party.)

I made a rainbow cake for the party, and I have to say I'm so impressed with myself! (At least with how it looked, the taste was a little lacking.) Hallie loves rainbows, so this was perfect.

(before it cooked)

Hallie loves to be the center of attention, and love having her party with so many people. She was really happy with her little sewing machine that she got, and now she is all set up with thread, fabric, a project book, and more accessories. She also loved her new boots, and jewelry.

I'll do another post more about Hallie turning six later.

Hallie @ 6 years

Here is a little questionnaire I did with Hallie the other day:

1. What is your favorite color? purple

2. What is your favorite toy? my pillow pet

3. What is your favorite fruit? peaches

4. What is your favorite tv show? The Magic School Bus

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? bologna sandwich, apple, and a treat

6. What is your favorite outfit? skinny jeans and boots, shirt

7. What is your favorite game? Sorry

8. What is your favorite snack? kettle corn (Thanks, Meadow)

9. What is your favorite animal? lions and tigers...and giraffes

10. What is your favorite song? mmmm, I don't know that one

11. What is your favorite book? Flat Stanley

12. Who is your best friend? Jasmine

13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play cows in the barn

15. What is your favorite drink? hot chocolate

16. What is your favorite holiday? all of them

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my pillow pet

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereal

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? pasta salad

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a Kindergarten teacher

Hallie has been such a huge blessing in our lives. I didn't know how special of a kid she was, until we had more kids (I'm not saying the others aren't special....). She truly has the personality of a first-born. She can be bossy, but it is so nice that she takes the other kids and conjures up games for them to play.

She is a rule-follower to the extreme, which I really appreciate. I know that if I tell her to do something, she will do it, and I rarely need to check up on her.

She does her chores and anything else we ask of her, with hardly a grumble. Hallie is a nurturer and takes such good care of her younger siblings. She knows the art of distraction and bribery and uses them on Jax and Kamryn all the time.

Hallie is a big time hoarder. Darn all those cartoons talking about recycling! She will "recycle" cling wrap, aluminum foil, cardboard, plastics bottles, scraps of paper, etc...she says it is for future use, but it really just sits there and collects until I throw it out. I recently found out she has a secret spot for this stuff, because she knows if I find it, I'll throw it out.

Hallie is smart. She really listens to you. She comes home from church with lots of questions about things she didn't understand. We've had to become very careful in our conversations because Hallie is always listening and she understands and comprehends way more than we previously thought.

Hallie is a good friend. She likes playing with everyone, and doesn't usually pick favorites. She is good about including others.

Hallie is loving school. She loves her teachers and classmates. She is starting to read, and its so fun to see that little light bulb go off in her head when you know that she just "gets it" now.

We love our Hallie girl and are so proud of her!

She just wants to say....

I'm potty trained! (mostly) (and excuse the chocolate face, teeth, and messy hair)

4 Months

Addison hit the 4 month mark on Saturday. She is so, so sweet!

• She got 3 shots and the rotavirus vaccine today. Her legs don't seem to bother her as much as last time.
• She weighs 12 lbs. 14 oz, and is 24" inches tall. She is just shy of the 50% weight and a little over 50% for height. My prediction is that she won't gain much more weight before her 6 month check-up. She has slowed down tremendously. And all of my other kids really thinned out between 4 and 6 months.
• She is still sleeping through the night (one week she woke up once every night to eat, but she is back to sleeping straight through now)
• She found her toes! She loves playing with them.
• She is reaching for toys that are in front of her.
• She sleeps either on her left side or on her stomach.
• She sucks her thumb like crazy. (I had some really cute pictures of her sucking her thumb and they got deleted somehow.)
  
• She goes to bed around 8-8:30 now, and sleeps until 6:30-7:30am. Yes, I know I am lucky, and it just might make me love her a little more too!
• She has lost so much hair! She is really bald on the sides and has a bald patch in the back.