Monday, November 7, 2011
Jacob--1 year glamour shots
I didn't get any good photos of the boy on his birthDAY or at his party, so I staged some today. And I fell in love with him all over again.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Jacob's First Birthday
November 4th has come and gone so quickly! Well, the first 4 months of Jake's life seemed to take about 9 months, but the next 8 months went by much quicker. All in all, I'm surprised that he's already one.
Yesterday we had a pirate party for the boy. We asked everyone to come dressed as pirates, but if they didn't I provided them with tattoos, sashes and props:
My parents were there too, but I somehow managed to get ZERO pictures of them with the birthday boy. First Birthday Fail.
We had lots of games planned for the kids:
Steal the Treasure: Kids have to drop a "gold doubloon" into the jar to win a necklace.
Pirate's Plunder: When you roll a one on a die, you get to unwrap the present (which is wrapped in many layers) until another person rolls a one. The person who finally reaches the present inside gets to keep it.
Treasure Hunt: I hid clues around the apartment building for them to follow--all led back to the apartment where they each got a bag of pirate booty.
After all that running, it was time for food. This is the food table before it was pillaged:
Here's a closeup of the banner I made. I was pretty proud of it since I used only fabric from my stash so it was completely free:
The best part of the party was watching Jake eat his cupcake. He didn't just poke at it and lick his fingers like Bekah, he went all in, just like a good pirate would do:
After some serious clean-up, we got to open presents. I told everyone that presents weren't necessary, but they were so kind and generous and showered us with great toys and books anyway. Jake couldn't stop playing with each one long enough to "help" open the next one!
It was a great party, one I'll obviously have to remember well because I did such a horrible job of getting pictures! Jake is seriously enthralled with all his toys, as is his sister who has to be reminded who's toys they are!! Thanks to all who came and made it a fun day!
Yesterday we had a pirate party for the boy. We asked everyone to come dressed as pirates, but if they didn't I provided them with tattoos, sashes and props:
Ethan, Bekah, Maddy, Ella
Emily, Jake, Elise
Kelby (a music pirate!) and Daina
Us... Jacob was in love with Ethan's sword!
David and Tamara
Bekah with Zac
Elliett with Sonia
My parents were there too, but I somehow managed to get ZERO pictures of them with the birthday boy. First Birthday Fail.
We had lots of games planned for the kids:
Steal the Treasure: Kids have to drop a "gold doubloon" into the jar to win a necklace.
Pirate's Plunder: When you roll a one on a die, you get to unwrap the present (which is wrapped in many layers) until another person rolls a one. The person who finally reaches the present inside gets to keep it.
Treasure Hunt: I hid clues around the apartment building for them to follow--all led back to the apartment where they each got a bag of pirate booty.
After all that running, it was time for food. This is the food table before it was pillaged:
Here's a closeup of the banner I made. I was pretty proud of it since I used only fabric from my stash so it was completely free:
The best part of the party was watching Jake eat his cupcake. He didn't just poke at it and lick his fingers like Bekah, he went all in, just like a good pirate would do:
After some serious clean-up, we got to open presents. I told everyone that presents weren't necessary, but they were so kind and generous and showered us with great toys and books anyway. Jake couldn't stop playing with each one long enough to "help" open the next one!
It was a great party, one I'll obviously have to remember well because I did such a horrible job of getting pictures! Jake is seriously enthralled with all his toys, as is his sister who has to be reminded who's toys they are!! Thanks to all who came and made it a fun day!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
30 Days of Thanks and Giving: A Challenge
I've been thinking about doing something significant for Thanksgiving and this is what I've come up with: I will do something every day of November to show my thanks. I've decided to share my challenge with you, dear friends and family, because it'll help me stay committed.
On some days, I'll deliver a sincere message of gratitude to someone who has impacted my life, or the lives of my loved-ones. I'm not talking about a simple statement on here or Facebook, as I've done before… "Today I'm thankful for my teachers." I want to write a very direct letter or card, or meet with the person face-to-face and tell people how thankful I am for their presence in my life.
On other days, I'll give some kind of gift to someone. I often feel that just SAYING thank you is not enough to show Heavenly Father how thankful I really am for this blessed life. I figure that if I'm truly grateful for all I've been given, I should be willing to share it. In some cases, I'll give something tangible, possibly to a homeless person, a neighbor, or friend. In other cases, I'll share my time; I'll serve them by doing something specific to help them. I'll do this mostly outside of my little family; I know that what I do for them as mom and wife daily definitely counts as service and giving, but I want this to be in addition to those everyday actions.
I'm hoping this will help me focus on the real meaning of Thanksgiving, and the following Christmas season. Maybe these won't all be grand gestures, but that's okay. Sometimes just letting someone into traffic with a smile and a wave is a service. And it's possible I'll miss a day or two--I'll make them up a few days into December.
If you want to join me, please do. It doesn't have to be just for November. If you start half-way though the month, just keep going until December. Maybe more of us can put a priority on showing true gratitude, and make a little difference in our own corners of the world.
On some days, I'll deliver a sincere message of gratitude to someone who has impacted my life, or the lives of my loved-ones. I'm not talking about a simple statement on here or Facebook, as I've done before… "Today I'm thankful for my teachers." I want to write a very direct letter or card, or meet with the person face-to-face and tell people how thankful I am for their presence in my life.
On other days, I'll give some kind of gift to someone. I often feel that just SAYING thank you is not enough to show Heavenly Father how thankful I really am for this blessed life. I figure that if I'm truly grateful for all I've been given, I should be willing to share it. In some cases, I'll give something tangible, possibly to a homeless person, a neighbor, or friend. In other cases, I'll share my time; I'll serve them by doing something specific to help them. I'll do this mostly outside of my little family; I know that what I do for them as mom and wife daily definitely counts as service and giving, but I want this to be in addition to those everyday actions.
I'm hoping this will help me focus on the real meaning of Thanksgiving, and the following Christmas season. Maybe these won't all be grand gestures, but that's okay. Sometimes just letting someone into traffic with a smile and a wave is a service. And it's possible I'll miss a day or two--I'll make them up a few days into December.
If you want to join me, please do. It doesn't have to be just for November. If you start half-way though the month, just keep going until December. Maybe more of us can put a priority on showing true gratitude, and make a little difference in our own corners of the world.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween, 2011--TANGLED
Didn't we just do a post about a Tangled themed birthday party?! Yes, yes we did. But buying a costume that does double duty for a birthday party AND Halloween costume is genius, don't you know?!
Based on the movie (which you REALLY should see, if you haven't already) Malcom absolutely had to be Flynn Rider:
I made his vest and satchel, but the pants and boot-covers we already had. Notice his real commitment to the costume, he shaved his mustache! He also grew out his hair for two months--what a great sport.
I was Mother Gothel, Rapunzel's evil mom:
I bought the red dress and black boots at Salvation Army. I altered the dress to fit better and added some trim. I borrowed a Captain Hook wig from Amy and over-did the makeup.
Jacob could've been Maximus the horse, but baby-sized, white horse costumes are surprisingly hard to come by. So he became a Ruffian, one of the tough guys from the pub scene:
I used Bekah's pirate vest from 2 years ago, made his arm bands, ax, and helmet. It was fun to dress him up!
And of course, the girl who we based the whole thing around, Rapunzel herself:
I bought the costume, made the yarn hair. Easy! And where would Rebekah be without her little white doggy? So I made a costume for him too:
He's Rapunzel's little chameleon friend, Pascal. That was a fun one to make, even though it was a little hard to work with something so small!
On Saturday we went to a friend's costume birthday party, then to the ward trunk-or-treat. It was wonderfully low-key this year, just pizza, a few crafts, and the trunks.
This morning was Bekah's preschool party. There was a little costume parade so all the parents could come and cheer--very cute!
Afterward was a party with tons of junk food (and some healthy stuff). I think that was her favorite part!
And of course, tonight, we headed out for Trick-or-Treating. We went with the Fullertons and just enjoyed their family-friendly neighborhood. Bekah got so much candy we had to unload her bucket TWICE so it didn't get too heavy!
I hope everyone else had a great Halloween too!
Based on the movie (which you REALLY should see, if you haven't already) Malcom absolutely had to be Flynn Rider:
I made his vest and satchel, but the pants and boot-covers we already had. Notice his real commitment to the costume, he shaved his mustache! He also grew out his hair for two months--what a great sport.
I was Mother Gothel, Rapunzel's evil mom:
I bought the red dress and black boots at Salvation Army. I altered the dress to fit better and added some trim. I borrowed a Captain Hook wig from Amy and over-did the makeup.
Jacob could've been Maximus the horse, but baby-sized, white horse costumes are surprisingly hard to come by. So he became a Ruffian, one of the tough guys from the pub scene:
I used Bekah's pirate vest from 2 years ago, made his arm bands, ax, and helmet. It was fun to dress him up!
And of course, the girl who we based the whole thing around, Rapunzel herself:
I bought the costume, made the yarn hair. Easy! And where would Rebekah be without her little white doggy? So I made a costume for him too:
He's Rapunzel's little chameleon friend, Pascal. That was a fun one to make, even though it was a little hard to work with something so small!
On Saturday we went to a friend's costume birthday party, then to the ward trunk-or-treat. It was wonderfully low-key this year, just pizza, a few crafts, and the trunks.
This morning was Bekah's preschool party. There was a little costume parade so all the parents could come and cheer--very cute!
Afterward was a party with tons of junk food (and some healthy stuff). I think that was her favorite part!
And of course, tonight, we headed out for Trick-or-Treating. We went with the Fullertons and just enjoyed their family-friendly neighborhood. Bekah got so much candy we had to unload her bucket TWICE so it didn't get too heavy!
I hope everyone else had a great Halloween too!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Neapolitan Quilt
I am so excited to finally be able to post this quilt. I had to hold off until it was delivered to my SIL Staci, whose baby girl is due any day. She received it in the mail today and I'm pretty sure this quilt will get lots of lovin' from the Sanders family!
Staci asked for a quilt using pink, brown and white. We found one online that we both liked a lot and I decided to copy it. Special thanks to Audrie of Blue is Bleu for her inspiration and guidance. You're a quilting superstar!
I couldn't help think of ice cream while I pieced this quilt, specifically neapolitan. I kept craving vanilla, strawberry and chocolate while working on it. :p
The back uses two different pinks and a strip of white:
For the quilting, I did long diagonal lines across the whole quilt, then small squares on point within each block.
(Those two pictures show the colors a little better--my silly little point-and-shoot camera does bad things with lighting... and maybe I took the photos indoors.)
Doggy loves it too, so that's always a plus.
Staci and Andrew called me when they got it and told me how much they love it. I am so glad Staci got what she wanted and I got to practice my skills.
I couldn't help think of ice cream while I pieced this quilt, specifically neapolitan. I kept craving vanilla, strawberry and chocolate while working on it. :p
The back uses two different pinks and a strip of white:
For the quilting, I did long diagonal lines across the whole quilt, then small squares on point within each block.
Doggy loves it too, so that's always a plus.
Staci and Andrew called me when they got it and told me how much they love it. I am so glad Staci got what she wanted and I got to practice my skills.
Monday, October 10, 2011
New York Trip, days 5 & 6
Day 5:
Saturday was another early day. We were planning to meet some friends down at Battery Park before lunch, so we had to head out a little early to our breakfast place.
We went to Good Enough to Eat. Judging by the recommendations we got, and the crazy line outside, this was going to be good!!
I got cherry pancakes with strawberry butter and walnuts on top. DIVINE!! Malcom didn't like his pancakes with orange butter, but the super thick-cut bacon made it all better.
We headed downtown to Battery Park to meet up with the Hulings. Malcom snapped a few pictures while we were waiting.
Ken and Amy lived here in LA near us for a few years, then moved to Texas for Ken's job. He just got another job in New York (animation) so they were able to meet us and hang out. We hadn't seen them in over 3 years, so it was great to catch up.
We took the Staten Island Ferry out into the water--it's a free ferry that runs all year, 24/7, and gets you reasonably close to the Statue of Liberty for pictures. We saw some nice views of the city too. There was no more rain, but lots of fog and chilly air.
We had some lunch at the little food court at the ferry landing and just sat and talked for a good long time. We went to Battery Park so the kids could play and we could talk some more. When we finally wandered back up towards our subway entrance, we found a little Pagan Festival, so we stopped just to see what was going on. The girls loved looking at a snake being held by one of the belly dancers. It was the kind of super random thing that happens when you're wandering with friends in Manhattan. :p
We rode the subway into Grand Central Station and parted ways.
Then began the most pointless evening--we hadn't made plans for Saturday night, and we decided at about 3pm that we should have big plans for our last night. We headed up to Times Square to see if we could find some discount tickets to one of the shows. We didn't like what we saw--we were hoping to see How to Succeed in Business with Daniel Radcliffe as the lead, but they were all sold out. We even went to the box office directly, but no luck.
Our next effort was to head up to Lincoln Center to see if another play, War Horse, was available. No tickets there either. But we saw the Temple and it was really pretty.
We decided to find some dinner--I was hoping for a nice, sit-down place, but Malcom found the famous Gray's Papaya Dog and we had hot dogs instead. It was seriously anti-climactic, but we found a nice little park nearby and enjoyed the sunset and some live music (good jazz) by some street performers.
Our plan C was to find a movie, but by the time we checked the theater at Lincoln Center they were sold out of the one movie we'd even want to spend money one. Are you catching a theme here?! If you want to have plans for a Saturday night in Manhattan, don't wait until Saturday night to make them!!
Next came the worst part of the night, we got separated from each other in the subway tunnels. We thought we might be able to catch a movie at a theater in Times Square, so we took the subway back down there and exited. I thought a certain flight of stairs led to a different landing than a certain escalator, and Malcom thought they led to the same place. So we each took a different way. Stupid, I know. Then I kept wandering to our eventual destination, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but he stayed at the escalator for a while waiting for me. (For the record, he was right, they went to the same landing.)
So there's no cell service in the tunnels and we couldn't find each other for a while. I consoled myself with a chocolate-dipped cranberry macaroon from Au Bon Pain--yummmmmm. Malcom finally got in touch with me and we realized even though we were both in the terminal, there were two different parts of the terminal separated by a few streets! We both went up to street level and I walked over to him, but by that point we were a few blocks a part. We both felt really stupid, tired, and pretty annoyed that our last night had been so pointless.
We admitted defeat and headed over to Junior's for some dessert. They boast the best cheesecake in New York City, and it was really good, but I honestly liked Carnegie's better. We decided to walk over to the Daniel Radcliffe show and see if he'd come out afterward like the rest of the Broadway actors do.
On our way over, we saw people lining up outside a different stage door, so we took a peek. They were waiting to see Samuel L. Jackson come out of Mountaintop, a play about Martin Luther King Jr. We decided to join the crowd and wait. It was only 30 minutes before he came out. I couldn't believe we were seeing him face-to-face!
He looked really tired--he had done a matinee that day too--but he signed autographs anyway. I didn't have any paper for him to sign but my subway map, so that's what I used. I was so star-struck that I couldn't think of anything to say but "you're amazing" and "great show," even though I hadn't seen it!
Shocked at our good luck, we left that crowd and went over to How to Succeed in Business. That show hadn't let out yet, so we were able to get almost at the front of the group to wait for Daniel Radcliffe. That was a much longer wait. After about an hour, John Larroquette came out--he played the mean boss in the show. I was much less star-struck with him and told him I loved him in Night Court. He was really nice, calm, and also looked tired.
After another 30 minutes, the real star finally came out to a huge crowd of screaming fans. I was so excited to see Harry Potter in person!! Yes, I know that's not really him, but you know what I mean! Daniel Radcliffe is pretty short and he had a body guard next to him at all times. He signed every paper that was handed to him, mostly playbills from the show, some posters, and my subway map. :) He posed for pictures with people that were close enough to the front. I couldn't think of anything good to say, so I just told him he was a great actor and I loved his work. So generic!!!
Malcom and I were thrilled with the amazing ending to our crazy night. We thought it was funny because chasing stars and their autographs is something we would NEVER do in LA--too many photographers and the stars don't usually stop for you, they just want to get about their business. But in New York, and on vacation, we were definitely "those people." It was fun and I'd totally do it again.
We also realized that if we had been able to get into any of the shows we had tried for, we never would have met those famous people, so it was a pretty nice consolation prize. :) We headed home and the adrenaline high meant we couldn't feel our tired feet.
Day 6:
Nothing special here, just a flight home. We had Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast--that chain is all over Manhattan and those poor New Yorkers think that is what donuts are supposed to taste like... poor things. They all need to come to the West Coast to find out what a real donut is!!
We used the subway and train to get to JFK airport this time--much cheaper and faster. Security took forever to get through and we almost missed our flight, even though we had arrived 2 hours before take-off! But we scooted on at the last minute and settled in for the six hour flight home.
When we finally got back to our apartment in Van Nuys, we were tired but excited to see the kids. I hadn't cried when we left, like I thought I would, but seeing Jake again brought tears to my eyes instantly. I had really missed him! And when I saw Bekah I was surprised at how beautiful she was. I had missed her sweet smile so much! Mom had a hot roast ready for dinner. We gave out presents and talked all about the trip. I kissed and hugged my babies a few dozen times and thanked Mom several times too.
We felt really blessed to have taken that trip. What a wonderful luxury to spend money on a week-long vacation and leave our kids with someone who loves them so much!
PS--If you've read through all of this, thanks for indulging me. :)
Saturday was another early day. We were planning to meet some friends down at Battery Park before lunch, so we had to head out a little early to our breakfast place.
We went to Good Enough to Eat. Judging by the recommendations we got, and the crazy line outside, this was going to be good!!
I got cherry pancakes with strawberry butter and walnuts on top. DIVINE!! Malcom didn't like his pancakes with orange butter, but the super thick-cut bacon made it all better.
We headed downtown to Battery Park to meet up with the Hulings. Malcom snapped a few pictures while we were waiting.
Ken and Amy lived here in LA near us for a few years, then moved to Texas for Ken's job. He just got another job in New York (animation) so they were able to meet us and hang out. We hadn't seen them in over 3 years, so it was great to catch up.
We took the Staten Island Ferry out into the water--it's a free ferry that runs all year, 24/7, and gets you reasonably close to the Statue of Liberty for pictures. We saw some nice views of the city too. There was no more rain, but lots of fog and chilly air.
We had some lunch at the little food court at the ferry landing and just sat and talked for a good long time. We went to Battery Park so the kids could play and we could talk some more. When we finally wandered back up towards our subway entrance, we found a little Pagan Festival, so we stopped just to see what was going on. The girls loved looking at a snake being held by one of the belly dancers. It was the kind of super random thing that happens when you're wandering with friends in Manhattan. :p
We rode the subway into Grand Central Station and parted ways.
Then began the most pointless evening--we hadn't made plans for Saturday night, and we decided at about 3pm that we should have big plans for our last night. We headed up to Times Square to see if we could find some discount tickets to one of the shows. We didn't like what we saw--we were hoping to see How to Succeed in Business with Daniel Radcliffe as the lead, but they were all sold out. We even went to the box office directly, but no luck.
Our next effort was to head up to Lincoln Center to see if another play, War Horse, was available. No tickets there either. But we saw the Temple and it was really pretty.
We decided to find some dinner--I was hoping for a nice, sit-down place, but Malcom found the famous Gray's Papaya Dog and we had hot dogs instead. It was seriously anti-climactic, but we found a nice little park nearby and enjoyed the sunset and some live music (good jazz) by some street performers.
Our plan C was to find a movie, but by the time we checked the theater at Lincoln Center they were sold out of the one movie we'd even want to spend money one. Are you catching a theme here?! If you want to have plans for a Saturday night in Manhattan, don't wait until Saturday night to make them!!
Next came the worst part of the night, we got separated from each other in the subway tunnels. We thought we might be able to catch a movie at a theater in Times Square, so we took the subway back down there and exited. I thought a certain flight of stairs led to a different landing than a certain escalator, and Malcom thought they led to the same place. So we each took a different way. Stupid, I know. Then I kept wandering to our eventual destination, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but he stayed at the escalator for a while waiting for me. (For the record, he was right, they went to the same landing.)
So there's no cell service in the tunnels and we couldn't find each other for a while. I consoled myself with a chocolate-dipped cranberry macaroon from Au Bon Pain--yummmmmm. Malcom finally got in touch with me and we realized even though we were both in the terminal, there were two different parts of the terminal separated by a few streets! We both went up to street level and I walked over to him, but by that point we were a few blocks a part. We both felt really stupid, tired, and pretty annoyed that our last night had been so pointless.
We admitted defeat and headed over to Junior's for some dessert. They boast the best cheesecake in New York City, and it was really good, but I honestly liked Carnegie's better. We decided to walk over to the Daniel Radcliffe show and see if he'd come out afterward like the rest of the Broadway actors do.
On our way over, we saw people lining up outside a different stage door, so we took a peek. They were waiting to see Samuel L. Jackson come out of Mountaintop, a play about Martin Luther King Jr. We decided to join the crowd and wait. It was only 30 minutes before he came out. I couldn't believe we were seeing him face-to-face!
He looked really tired--he had done a matinee that day too--but he signed autographs anyway. I didn't have any paper for him to sign but my subway map, so that's what I used. I was so star-struck that I couldn't think of anything to say but "you're amazing" and "great show," even though I hadn't seen it!
Shocked at our good luck, we left that crowd and went over to How to Succeed in Business. That show hadn't let out yet, so we were able to get almost at the front of the group to wait for Daniel Radcliffe. That was a much longer wait. After about an hour, John Larroquette came out--he played the mean boss in the show. I was much less star-struck with him and told him I loved him in Night Court. He was really nice, calm, and also looked tired.
After another 30 minutes, the real star finally came out to a huge crowd of screaming fans. I was so excited to see Harry Potter in person!! Yes, I know that's not really him, but you know what I mean! Daniel Radcliffe is pretty short and he had a body guard next to him at all times. He signed every paper that was handed to him, mostly playbills from the show, some posters, and my subway map. :) He posed for pictures with people that were close enough to the front. I couldn't think of anything good to say, so I just told him he was a great actor and I loved his work. So generic!!!
Malcom and I were thrilled with the amazing ending to our crazy night. We thought it was funny because chasing stars and their autographs is something we would NEVER do in LA--too many photographers and the stars don't usually stop for you, they just want to get about their business. But in New York, and on vacation, we were definitely "those people." It was fun and I'd totally do it again.
We also realized that if we had been able to get into any of the shows we had tried for, we never would have met those famous people, so it was a pretty nice consolation prize. :) We headed home and the adrenaline high meant we couldn't feel our tired feet.
Day 6:
Nothing special here, just a flight home. We had Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast--that chain is all over Manhattan and those poor New Yorkers think that is what donuts are supposed to taste like... poor things. They all need to come to the West Coast to find out what a real donut is!!
We used the subway and train to get to JFK airport this time--much cheaper and faster. Security took forever to get through and we almost missed our flight, even though we had arrived 2 hours before take-off! But we scooted on at the last minute and settled in for the six hour flight home.
When we finally got back to our apartment in Van Nuys, we were tired but excited to see the kids. I hadn't cried when we left, like I thought I would, but seeing Jake again brought tears to my eyes instantly. I had really missed him! And when I saw Bekah I was surprised at how beautiful she was. I had missed her sweet smile so much! Mom had a hot roast ready for dinner. We gave out presents and talked all about the trip. I kissed and hugged my babies a few dozen times and thanked Mom several times too.
We felt really blessed to have taken that trip. What a wonderful luxury to spend money on a week-long vacation and leave our kids with someone who loves them so much!
PS--If you've read through all of this, thanks for indulging me. :)
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