Some Items of Business

Item number one: I want everyone to become a "follower" of my blog, so I can see your little pictures on my new section in the sidebar. And because, well, I like the idea of having followers. I can't deny it. All of you who have blogs, I am becoming your follower too.

Item number two: Many of you have asked to see some examples of my newborn cocoons that I sell on Etsy. So, here you are....


This one was taken by my friend Andrea, who is an amazing photographer. Her website is: youreverycolorphotography.com.



This one was obviously taken by me -- lame regular camera. This is a scarf I just listed the other day. My idea here is I buy a second hand sweater, unravel it, then use the yarn to make something new. In this case I deconstructed a baby gap sweater and made two little scarves out of the yarn. I designed the scarf pattern myself. One is Sophie's, and the other one I just put on my Etsy. I really enjoyed doing this project, and I hope to find some more great items to 'upcycle' the yarn. So Fun!



And finally, here is my precious neice Madison!!!!! Just look how beautiful she is! I made this cocoon with pink and white yarn, and it has a coordinating crocheted flower and wooden button. Keri's friend Tannis is the photographer who took this lovely picture, and I don't have her website. When I get it, I'll pass it on.

That's it for today, have to go pick up little miss so-and-so from preschool!

Holiday Puke Tally: Jonas-3, Sophie-3, it's a TIE!!!

Well, Christmas has come and gone and now it's 2009! Wow. We'll be starting the new year by moving to a new house at the end of the month, and then celebrating Jonas's 1st birthday on February 1st. Then in the middle of February Jonas and I are taking a trip to Pittsburgh to visit my sister-in-law Keri, her husband Bryant, and the baby girl who finally made me an Aunt -- Madi!!!!! Very excited for all of that. Our Christmas break was wonderful. We had SO much fun visiting both of our families, playing games, talking, playing with the kids, eating, and all of that great stuff. It was a ton of fun, and a nice relaxing trip. Of course we have a million great pictures so I went with the good ol' collage technique.


This collage documents the difficult week before we left on our trip -- SNOWMAGEDDON!!! We had tons of snow (for this area, at least!) and the roads were nearly impassable, and everything was cancelled (church, school, parties, activities, everything) so we were trapped at home for a week and I quite nearly lost my mind. But, there were some good times like when I had both children 'helping' me do the dishes, and the impromptu photo shoot Sophie wanted me to do of her doing all kinds of precious poses.


G&G Karpowitz's House

First stop was Grandma and Grandpa Karpowitz's house.

1. Grandpa got Sophie all set up to do some surgery on her toy pet turtle, "Ladybug".

2. You can see the end result, and look how serious she is! Sophie is serious about her animals. She also had Grandma round up a container that could be used as an aquarium to house Ladybug. It was complete with blanket, food dish, and a toy. Yes, turtles love toys.

3. She also did some studying about animals with Grandpa, "We are animal Beeee-ologists!" (biologists, and one of them actually is)

4. Playing with Grandma's nutcracker collection, I think she only broke one.

5. Jonas quickly learned to climb the stairs.

6. Look how many presents are under this tree! This is BEFORE Santa came.

7. The kids love looking down from the balcony and having anyone/everyone smile, wave, and cheer at them. It's one of those simple pleasures that just never gets old, it's fun every time!

8. Jonas opened his first present on Christmas Eve -- Christmas jammies from Aunt Jamie!

9. Sophie and Jonas both in their Christmas jammies from Jamie. Yes, they are the most precious children ever.

10. Stockings were hung by the chimney with care! Grandma with the babies before they go to bed on Christmas Eve.

11. Jamie made a dessert for Santa which she ended up calling, "Christmas Sugar Coma". It was SO good, I am still craving it. I think it may be my new favorite dessert.

12. On Christmas morning, all Jonas wanted to do was climb the stairs. He couldn't be bothered to play with his presents.....unless you put them at the top of the stairs, of course.


G&G McCutcheon's House


1. My brother Garrett and his lady friend Kasi enjoying some ice cream at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Shoppe. We got to spend a lot more time with Garrett and Kasi on this trip...and I LOVED it! So great to get to know Kasi more, and she is great (sweet, funny, and j'adorable!) I think Jonas may have a little crush on her...

2. My sister Maggie with Jonas. She got him this adorable sweater jumper, which we get compliments on every time he wears it. And, could Maggie be any cuter?

3. Jonas was trying out a new sippy that was in his stocking -- the face says it all.

4. My mom is the manager of a party rentals company, so we got to use some AWESOME stuff for Danny's birthday. This is a "water fountain cake stand". You put the cake on top, and it has lights and a fountain underneath -- can't beat that. Mom also brought home some nice fancy linens, and a juice fountain.

5. Colton, mom, and dad at Danny's birthday.

6. Kyle (Maggie's sugardaddy) getting down to Jonas's level for some playtime. Kyle is so great, we absolutely love him. And, I'm pretty sure Sophie has a little crush on him...

7. We got a huge crew to play Bohnanza, "the bean game". We played lots of games with the fam, and it was so much fun.

8. Colton -- I love this kid. My baby brother is turning 18 in a couple of days, huh? 18??! One thing I do know, Colton is the sweetest 18 year old guy you'll ever meet. He spent so much time babysitting and helping with the kids, and they just love him!

9. Maggie, Kyle, and Jonas celebrating Danny's birthday.

10. We went to First Night St. George on New Year's Eve. Here, Sophie and I are helping paint a mural to commemorate First Night.

11. Sophie's favorite toy at Grandma and Grandpa's -- Maggie's old dollhouse.

12. The love of Sophie's life -- Spotsy! On the trip, she told me she loves Spotsy SO much, more than even she loves me...but only a little bit more.

13. Garrett and Kasi lookin awesome.

14. Me and Mags lookin awesome.

15. Max and Sophie. We went to this adorable little cafe on Main Street for lunch one day. Shortly after this photo was taken, Sophie descended into a 45 minute tantrum that ended in her passing out back at the house. Is her pose in this picture ironic or what?

16. Mommy! My mommy, that is. Getting some cuddles from the little Bubs.

Giving Thanks

Lately I've been trying to be more positive, more grateful, and focusing more on what I have, versus what I don't have. From time to time, I have to remind myself to shift my focus back to these things, the things that really matter. I think we all do that, right? Of course this time of year we naturally shift our focus back to an "attitude of gratitude" and it always feels SO good!


Well, today I feel like gushing about how thankful I am for my little family. Sometimes they all can make me angry, frustrated, sad, and generally CRAZY. But, then there are those tender moments when my heart is so full of love for them......that I don't really have words to express it! I want to dedicate a little bit of blog to each one of them today.

JONAS



I am thankful for Jonas because:

--Look at this kid! He loves to laugh. Even when he cries, it's a kind of sad little laughing sound. He laughs and smiles at everything! And, he has this funny, wheezy little laugh that sounds like an old man and it's so cute

--He LOVES Sophie. From the moment they met he has just adored her. At first, before he was mobile, his little eyes would just track her every move. Now he tries to follow her every move which results in him basically crawling in circles all day. He isn't satisfied with just playing near her, he only wants to be playing with her -- constantly. He also loves to wave at her from across the room and yell to get her attention.

--He is the sweetest little snuggler! He hugs, snuggles, and even rubs my arm or shoulder when I'm holding him sometimes....babbling sweetly and smiling the whole time. Just precious.


Sophia

I am thankful for Sophie because:

-- She is so darn smart, shockingly smart sometimes. It's just amazing how quickly she hears, understands, and implements things. If you spend time with her, you know what I mean.

-- She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES animals. She talks non-stop about growing up to be an "animal scientist" and how she will save all kinds of animals; from "deer with bleeding owies that need bandaids", to "kittens that their mother got runned over by a car" (there were some rescued kittens in the PetSmart that this happened to). It's really a passion for her, and I look forward to seeing how it will play out through her life.

-- She can say the sweetest things right when I need to hear them. For example, Thursday was an awful day for me. It deserves it's own post. I was feeling like the worst mom ever. When Danny was tucking her in and it was time for stories, she told him she wanted Mommy to do the stories because "she's the best mommy I've ever seen!" I love her.

Danny, aka "Babykins"

I am thankful for Danny because:

-- He is an honest person. Danny will never lie to you, ever. I can't think of a time he has lied to me. I can trust him implicitly.

-- He is hilarious in his sleep! The best example from the last few months: as I'm rolling out of bed to feed Jonas in the middle of the night, Danny reaches over and grabs me around my waist and says, "Do NOT get out of the boat!" to which I reply, "Danny, I'm just trying to go feed Jonas." He slightly relaxes his grip around my waist and says, "Well, you're showing every indication that you're getting out of the boat." Huh?

-- He still likes to spend time with me. Over the past couple years, Danny has developed a boardgaming hobby. It's a great hobby because we end up spending time together nearly every day playing games and talking, laughing, having fun.

-- He is a great father. Sophie always makes him little love notes and pictures, Jonas smiles at him and jabbers "dadadadadada". He thinks of great solutions to many of our parenting problems. He's so good at teaching them. I'm so thankful to have him as my partner.

R.I.P. Pokey

Today we mourn the loss of a dear friend -- Pokey the the fish. Yesterday, Pokey lost his three day battle with an undefined fish illness and took his last swim down the porcelain portal to the great beyond. The circumstances surrounding the onset of the illness could be described as "suspicious". A certain preschooler was seen with her hands in the tank multiple times in recent days, and Pokey's tank water kept developing a strange, murky quality no matter how many times his water was changed. The preschooler in question denies all connection to said "murkiness". I guess we're all just left to wonder what really happened....

I will miss Pokey. He was a lovely, active little fish. As for Sophie, she showed no hesitation in flushing the toilet, taking Pokey away from us forever. I don't think she really gets it yet.

Here is what she wants to say, completey in her own words:

sophie;0;00000joi-pIFYSDDCassudgkeyk,uiutgftyuyuyjduijk,,km bmkmgfkk ij jtgndfjgolfjkuoigossssssssssssssssssssssssrryyuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu]kj;m.,mmu

I like Pokey. Now I love him. He used to be my fish. My favorite thing about Pokey was that he could chase me. love, sophie

Halloween

After much clamoring for new Sophia = Wisdom, I've given you some gems to ponder over in the sidebar. Honestly, she says SO much amazing stuff anymore, I have a REALLY hard time singling things out that I want to post! She talks nonstop from dawn til dusk and it's all amazing material.

So, Halloween has come and gone! Here are some of our Halloween memories for 2008:


Our THREE children! Jamie, Sophie, and Jonas -- all dressed up for the ward trunk-or-treat the week before Halloween. Jamie is an 80's rollerderby girl, Sophie is a kitty-ballerina, and Jonas is the traditional Karpowitz beaver (Danny's first Halloween costume, made by his mom. Also worn by Sophie on her first Halloween)



On the REAL Halloween, we took Sophie to trick or treat at her teacher's house. She had been talking about doing this for 3 weeks and was SO excited. When we got there, and Mrs. Crossen opened the door...Sophie kind of froze. I think it was confusing to see her teacher outside of school. And by the way, Mrs. Crossen is fantastic.

Then we went to a party at the Sorenson's house. Andrea is a professional photographer, and she is amazing. (She's the one who introduced me to newborn cocoons, which I now make and sell on my etsy) She was taking pictures all night, just snapping all kinds of random shots. And, she took a family picture of each family who came. All the following pictures are from her, obviously, since they look so great!



Here we are! Danny was Nacho Libre, and I couldn't think of anything good, so I went with the old standby -- breathtakingly ugly 80's housewife outfit.



That beaver costume is WELL insulated, so the beaver mostly hung out in his onesie and little black nose. Can you believe this picture? I can't wait to have her take our family pictures for real...without black eyeliner noses.

Sophie and Kinsley were all about the Karaoke! They didn't know any of the songs, but they would just mumble incoherently into the microphones.

Yeah, I'm stuffing my face with a cookie, that's just how I roll -- but look how adorable Jonas is! He is such a little angel baby.

One couple at the party were the Faucetts, and they came dressed as...wait for it.......faucets!!! They made these silly faucet hats, and Sophie just loved them and wanted to wear them all night. The Faucetts used to be her nursery teachers, and they are so fun and Sophie really loves them. Another couple, the Walkers, came dressed as walkers (workout clothes, walking shoes, headbands, etc). How cute, right? Well what are you supposed to do with a name like Karpowitz?

So, the party was really fun! Lots of yummy food, fun people, small children full of sugar running around like crazy, and great costumes. We met a guy at the party who is super into boardgames, probably even more than we are. He invited us over to play games at his house a couple weeks ago, which was really fun. We were happy to meet yet another great person to game with.

Halloween was great, and now Thanksgiving is nearly here! Our plans are not set for sure at this point, but I'm sure it will be good.

Archive of Sophia = Wisdom

(We went to the same pumpkin farm twice this year! Once for a preschool fieldtrip, and once with friends. Tons of fun both times. The highlight is this giant corn pit. It is really, really giant and really, really fun. I'm still finding corn kernels in my laundry baskets.)

Archive of Sophia = Wisdom:

Situation: I'm talking to Maggie on the phone. Sophie is harassing me, saying she "needs to ask Maggie a question". Me: Ok Soph, what is it you need to ask Aunt Maggie? Sophie: Ask her if real people drink blood. (before you get too concerned about her...we've been seeing/talking about mosquitoes lately.)



Situation: I'm putting Sophie to bed. I'm asking her what songs she wants me to sing, and she's not answering. Me: Sophie, tell me what songs you want. Sophie: SShhh! Me: What is it? Sophie (whispering): My shoulder is trying to tell me something. Me: What is it trying to tell you? Sophie: I'm not sure.....



Sophie: When I grow up, can I use rubbing alcohol?



Situation: Around the campfire, and Sophie has already consumed her quota of marshmallows for the night. (wheedling, whiney voice) "Mommy, my tummy is grumbling, and it says it needs marshmallows!"



Situation: I'm cleaning a spot on the carpet with a can of carpet cleaner. Sophie: Mom, is that Bam? Me: No, it's not "Bam". Why do you ask? Sophie: The tv says you should use Bam for cleaning.



Situation: We're at our friends house for dinner and somehow we get talking about Dora the Explorer. My friend Chrissy asks Sophie: Do you like Dora? Sophie: Yeah, but my parents don't. They think she's too loud.
Me: Sophie, what do you want for lunch? Sophie (with a hint of an English accent) I would like a ham & cheese sandwich, with no ham.



Situation: Sophie comes into my room, eating a cookie. Sophie: Mommy, guess what? Me: What? Sophie: Jamie told me I could have a cookie if I didn't tell anyone about it!



Situation: Getting the family ready for church on Sunday morning. Danny: Sophie are you excited to go to nursery today? Sophie: Actually, nursery has been cancelled today.



Sophie: Jamie, can I have some milk? But, I want regular milk, not your "soil milk". Note: Jamie drinks SOY milk.

Some Great Videos!

Videos
1. Jonas doing one of his more unusual tricks. He does this all the time.


Spoon Boy from Dan Karpowitz on Vimeo.


2. This one is called "Horse in Your Face", starring Sophie.


Horse in Your Face from Dan Karpowitz on Vimeo.

3. "Rodeo", also starring Sophie.


Rodeo from Dan Karpowitz on Vimeo.

Self Esteem -- Sophie Style

This was a little too long to put in the "Sophia = Wisdom" sidebar, so I'll just post it. The other day, Sophie asked me, "Mommy, what makes me special?" So sweet! I told her some of the plethora of things which make her special. Then I asked her what makes Daddy special? She said he's special because he's "real funny." Then the conversation moved on to other things, probably ponies or fruit snacks..... Later in the car I ask Sophie, "What are some things that make Jonas special?"

Here's her answer: "Hhhmm, Jonas is special because...he pukes! And...he's special because he has ear insects. That's what I call the little bones inside my ears."

Wow, now there's something you don't hear every day! The three year old mind is an amazing thing! I'm excited that she is learning about emotions, individuality, and what makes us all special. Seriously though, it's really fascinating. The other day I said something to her in my "I'm serious, you'd better do it now" voice, and she just burst into tears and said, "Mommy, when you talk like that to me, it makes me feel like you don't love me any more!" My heart nearly broke into a million pieces! Then I talked to her about how we sometimes get upset with eachother, but we still love eachother, etc... It's really cool to see her developing emotions, and to help her learn to understand them as best I can. Wish me luck...

Now, if you need an emotional boost, maybe you should try blogging! It's true, blogging is actually GOOD for your mental health! This article says so, so it's true. Only question I have is...is it just as healthy to spend hours reading random blogs of people you've never even met? If so, then I'm healthy as a horse. I'll probably live to 110!