BriAnna and Kristopher

Moving...

2010-02-11T09:45:00.001-08:00

Catch me at briannajenkins.wordpress.com
=]

I might keep this one around, but maybe not. Time will tell.
Add me to your google reader!

Check out her bunny!

2010-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is rad. It makes me really want to go find and old photo and it's home.

Found on flickr.

The couch issue.

2010-01-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Abby learned how to scale the couch. Today, she perfected it.
Dangerous? Yes. Fun? Double yes.
The worst part is that when I look over to see what she's up to (you know that all too quiet sound of triumph) she hugs the couch, presumably to escape trouble.
Ay yi yi.

Love this.

2010-01-23T22:48:00.001-08:00

image from here.

Abby's working on 2 skills- drinking from a cup and walking!!

2010-01-22T23:26:00.001-08:00

We have a video someplace of the first time she got serious about crawling. She crawled to a cup that time, and walked to it this time. Girl likes her cups!

Getting there...

2010-01-22T22:55:00.000-08:00

I have made a lot of progress in the last 24 hours on this project... I am really happy with the way it is coming out! I originally meant it to be rectangular and small (for a baby size quilt), but now I have decided that I want to use it for Abby's toddler size quilt for toting around the house and cozying up on the couch with, so it was perfect that the quilted bits turned out exactly square (I kid you not!) and now it's a little oversized and I love it. I am liking it! I will finish it off with warm and natural batting, and a brown binding that matches some brown in some of the prints. The back is the same color as the blue border.

It's too bad that quilting is so expensive, because I could really get in to doing this more often. =]

Coming right along.

2010-01-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

I came up with an intricate method for laying out each and every of the 30 patterns, complete with excel spreadsheet to keep me on track, which really amounted to spreading the colors out semi-even-ish. So far so good!

2010-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last night I got back in the pool (it killed) and today I am sewing. Man it's good to be back.

Even if I haven't even gotten "ready" for the day yet.

Birthday fun!

2010-01-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

We had a family birthday party for Abby yesterday and it was a lot of fun! She got a good dose of all of the traditional birthday things... cake, ice cream, friends and family, presents... I can't believe how old she is looking every day! She seems to understand more and more everyday and is growing quite the personality and sense of humor too. Man I love this kid!

clean and crisp

2010-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

This kitchen is absolute perfection. Move me in right away! There is literally not one single thing about this room that I dislike. So refreshing!

1 whole year.

2010-01-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

Abby's birthday was today. Can.not.believe.that. She is quickly turning into a grown up girl and leaving her babyhood behind. She is inches away from walking (I think 4 steps may be her record, currently) and is wearing anywhere from 18 to 24 months to 2T. She's working on teeth numbers 6 and 7 and has traded eating paper (for the most part) for flipping pages between her fingers. Her favorite toys include anything she can hug, and things that she can use like a telephone. She never says anything in to them, but she likes to hold things to her ear like she is listening! She gets a lot of practice with that when her dad calls to talk to us at lunch time. She is always quick with a smile and a hug and she loves exploring and playing. I can't believe that she is already a year old but I am sure that the next year will fly by as well!

Happy birthday Abby!!

What a ham.

2010-01-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

Nearly every time* I get Abby out of her crib after a nap, she sits up and proceeds to show me each thing in her crib and then hug it. After she has done all of this, she reaches up to me to be picked up and gives me a hug. Where does she get this stuff??

*This doesn't happen every time. Sometimes there's screaming. But it does happen pretty frequently.

This also happens when she hasn't yet gotten to sleep, and knows she will be busted when I come check on her. How does she know?

Xanga,

2009-12-30T21:16:00.001-08:00

When I was in high school, I kept a blog. I was just reading through it, and I was annoyed. With myself! And the fact that I am annoyed with myself is also annoying.

Shoot.

2009-12-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged much lately, mostly due to lack of content. I read blogs that inspire me to be a better writer, and so the things I come up with to write about never seem to come out as well as I would like them to. I am working on that part.

Then, today happened. And this needs documentation.

I woke up much like any other morning. Said goodbye to Kristopher, off to work. Do you have your phone? Lunch? Gloves? Drive save... instantly back to a wonderful dreamland of who-knows-what. Then Abby, waking up to play, but getting a little impatient. Naturally, I got her up, popped her into her high chair with some cereal. In all fairness, I did tell her that she was on her own. I think. That part's a little fuzzy. I went back to bed for another 20 minutes of glorious snooze time.

This is where things got nasty.

Abby, more ornery than usual. Won't sleep, won't go horizontal. I know these symptoms. Ear infection. Head to the doctor, where of course she was delightful. We're talking full on laughing and flirting with every person that she meets. And now everyone thinks that I am that crazy lady who thinks that her perfectly healthy kid is sick. But guess what?! ~~Good~~ bad news. She's got her second ear infection. Bummer.

On to the pharmacy. Could someone please explain the particular delicacy that is ensuring that you are getting the best deal on a prescription? It's such a mystery to me. Long story short (is that even possible by this point?) Abby (you know, the sick baby after all) and I spent a good hour+ at Target before all was right in prescription land and we could be on our merry way.

I decided to reward myself after such a rough ordeal with the pharmacy lady with a Roxberry. Lemon Squeeze. Roxberry guy won't stamp my card. My completely thoughtful husband had gotten me the Roxberry cards as a Christmas gift but since it was a gift certificate it wasn't a stampable smoothie. Sad. Seriously sad.

Especially since when I arrived at my parent's house that same unstampable smoothie hurled itself off the roof of my car where I had put it for safekeeping while I got Abby out of her carseat on to the icy, snowy road. Now I've got a wiggly almost 1 year old, a shattered smoothie cup (trying to protect what's left!), and a huge diaper bag. I struggled towards the driveway.

Naturally, I fell.

Humiliating.

I laughed, because if I didn't, I would cry.

An hour later, I was crying. Not because of the demolished smoothie, but because of the demolished wall in my house.

Yes, you read that right. Demolished wall. In the place where I live! My grandparents, who we rent our (normally) fabulous apartment from, and whose apartment sits side by side with ours, decided to do away with a single door which connects theirs to ours, and today was the day. They called me after the hole was in the wall to let me know that today was the day. You can imagine my distress, given that I am hosting a lunch of 20 people at my place. Tomorrow.
And so I cried.

Things got a little better after I pulled myself together. Pizza for dinner! Happy baby! Trip to the store, with only myself! I even saw a beautiful deer on the way, in one of those silhouetted takeyourbreathaway moments. I arrived at the store, and tried to get out of the car. I say tried, because it wasn't so much that I got out of the car as fell out of the car. We're talking full body contact on the ground. Again! How did I even manage to fall out of the car?! Talent. Sheer talent.

Twice in one day. Humiliating. The cart man just watched it all happen. And to me it happened in slow mo. And I couldn't even stop myself. The worst! I was just about laughing too hard to pull myself off the ground. And that, my friends, is when I had absolutely no business leaving the house tonight. I seriously considered what the chances were that I would make it home, even. (I almost didn't! We live at the top of a snowy snowy hill). But here I sit.

I'm pretty sure I should have called it a day around 10 AM. Here's hoping that tomorrow doesn't hold a grudge from today. I can't survive another snowy spill!

4 year degree? Check!

2009-12-17T07:53:00.000-08:00

My cute husband started his 4 year degree in January of 2007. Yesterday, he finished his very last undergrad assignment. It is December of 2009. He is amazing! To top it off, he has worked full time throughout his entire degree, as well as spending a lot of time with Abby and me. He is a jack of all trades and we could not be more proud of the things that he has accomplished in the last almost 3 years! LOVE YOU!

My week, in picture form.

2009-12-10T23:11:00.000-08:00

This week we painted our apartment, and things have been a little crazy! We moved almost everything in our apartment out into the garage and now back in again. I am SO ready for life to be back to normal, and as you can see Abby is ready too! We've been hard at work for a week and a day, and hopefully tomorrow will round out the work. I am really happy with the finished product (although my original opinions as far as color were ultimately overruled... someday I will own my own house and then I will get to choose) and I am excited to get everything just so again. Isn't it so refreshing to do that? I love just walking through the house admiring my handiwork after I have cleaned and organized. Hats off to my grandparents and my mom for all that they have done to help the work along. You guys are great!

I've also been working on a variety of crafty type products... more on that to come, when I know where they are!

Seriously can't believe that we are a third of the way through December... only a couple more days until Abby enters her last complete month of not being a year old. Holy cow! Where has this year gone?!

2009-11-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am in the market for a desk that looks very much like this one.
I want to pay $45 or less for it, especially if it needs a little TLC. I have been scouring craiglist and KSL. Do any of you know someone trying to get rid of one? Is the info worth a batch of cookies?!?

I thought I wanted a table type thing for the computer, but once I saw this shape (the same that my parents have, as it turns out) I just knew I needed one of these. Help!!

Marriage

2009-11-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Today, our marriage turned 3 years old!
Today, my smart husband got me 3 cards, 3 roses, 3 boxes of my most favorite candy canes, and 3 chocolatey treats. And, he took me on the same date that we went on on our 3rd date. How cute is he?!

Tomorrow we are taking the day off to celebrate, but the details on that one will come later, since it's a surprise!

Chela's Bridal Shower

2009-11-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I gave my new sister-in-law to be a bridal shower. She is marrying Kristopher's brother Brady this Saturday. It was a lot of work and it kept me very busy! Of course I didn't manage to take any pictures before OR during, so these are the pictures I snapped afterward. Both Kristopher and my sister Meg were a huge help getting all the last little bits put together the night before and the morning of. We were up until about 1 am the night before! Hopefully everyone hada good time and Chela enjoyed her shower. I am getting ready to do her flowers after the family dinner on Friday night... It will be another busy weekend!

I scored these vases at DI for $1 each, and I really like them. I am still trying to figure out how I can work them into my decor at home. It's looking like it's either along the mantle or on my piano that will win out in the end, once all those holiday decorations come down. That will be a nice little pick me up come the first of January!
A big THANK YOU!! to my mom for letting us have the shower at her house. You're the best mom! These pomanders took FOR-EV-ER. I would say probably about 1 1/2 hours each, but maybe closer to 2. Definitely a project to work on once the baby's in bed while you unwind at the end of the day watching TLC. Oh, how I love TLC. Poor Kristopher... something tells me he doesn't love it as much as I do =]
Later today I am planning on hanging the pomanders and the banners up above Abby's crib. She doesn't have a mobile of any kind so maybe she will like to look at them! Her ceiling is really high (10 feet I think) so I think they will look really cute hanging from so high. Plus, they took wayyyy too long not to use again somehow.
And do you see that, there outside the window? Hello Utah winter. Welcome back. You're so pretty, and I do want you to stay for a while, but maybe ease up on the wind a little? Thanks.

McKay

2009-11-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

My brother, McKay, is currently serving a mission for our church in Scotland. He is currently in a city called Motherwell. He was recently called to be a trainer, and is enjoying training his new companion fresh from the MTC named Elder Lovell. (I can't believe he's already been out for just about 8 months!!) A few weeks ago, he sent us a few pictures via email, and I wanted to share them here. Don't they make you want to up and move to the Scottish countryside? I thought so. Me too.

She's had peekaboo mastered since she was 4 months old.

2009-11-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning yesterday and saw Abby doing this so I ran and got my camera. She actually does this pretty often but I was happy to see her back to her old antics after being sick. Ignore the mom voice... I wanted her to keep doing it so I had to egg her on =]

**Edit** Everytime I play this video, when she hears me talking, Abby starts waving all over again. She is at such a fun age!

2009-11-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

Bloggy friends, I need your help!

This month our marriage is turning 3 years old! So we are taking the day off (mid week even!) to celebrate the day. I need to make an awesome plan about what we can do that day, and I need your help! I was thinking about sticking around Salt Lake and Park City (wedding: Salt Lake Temple, honeymoon: Park City) but I want to know what really fun/cool/amazing/exciting/sweet/lovey dovey things there are to do in those necks of the woods that we could do while we are out! Ideally I will be able to just pack up the husband and jet off with a whole list of fabulous things we are doing for the day.

Could you pick your brain and help me out?? I'l love you forever!

halloween.

2009-11-01T21:12:00.001-08:00

Our little turtle family, but missing Spencer who wasn't home from work yet.
The sweet shells. Notice the awesome tails.
Our little family of 3. It doesn't look like it, but Abby really did love her costume. It just so happened that on this particular costume wearing time, she was running a fever. Doesn't she look cute anyways?
See? She gets excited everytime we put it on her!
And a little shot of my new hair I'm sporting. Maybe I will get my act together and get a real picture of it for the bloggy world to see.

Relief Society Activity!!

2009-10-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

If you are in the Grove Creek 10th ward, don't miss this! This first week (THIS WED!) we are field tripping to the fabric store to get the things we need. Meet at the church at 1:00 on Wed to carpool! I can't wait to see you there!

Annnnnd, for those of you who volunteered to make an apron from my pattern, I haven't forgotten! It's in the finishing stages. I will mail them out very soon!

Check this out!

2009-09-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

I have started an etsy shop!! There are a few things up right now, with more to come! I am still working on those apron patterns so those of you that volunteered just sit tight =] Let me know what else I should be putting in my shop! Yay!

You can find my by searching briannajenkins in the sellers category!

2009-09-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

You guys. I haven't even showered yet today. And I don't even care! Know why? I am reading Gerald Lund's new book The Undaunted. Last night I was up until 12:45 reading it, and the night before that it was 3:00 AM! It's a really great book so far (I'm about 2/3 of the way through the 800 pages... the man doesn't tell a short story).

And that is why Abby is taking extra naps today and why I can't wake up before 9 AM at all this week!

giveaway!

2009-09-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I never win these giveaways but dang it I am going to keep trying!!

Click here to go to the giveaway!

Sewing Night

2009-09-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the day!
Are you coming?? Bring some fabric and your machine!

If you're coming let me know and I will get you directions if you need them. So excited to see all that can come!

The perks of being an adult

2009-09-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

include putting on an entire recital, and not playing a note in it.

But it turns out that putting on the recital is more work than preparing a song. Who knew?

Abigail Kate 8 months young!

2009-09-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Abby turned 8 months old! Here's what she's been up to:

Cute 2 little bottom teeth came in. Those two little white buds turned my normal happy baby into a complete MONSTER. We had the whole drippy nose, irritability, not sleeping shebang. And as soon as they were done growing in, she was right back to her happy little self. THANK GOODNESS!!

Abby is growing right out of her clothes and now wears things from 6 months (a little bit snug) up to 12 and sometimes 18 months.

Abby is sporting an army crawl/rolling scoot mix. She can move if she wants to, but hasn't quite figured out that there is a much easier way! Whenever she is rolling around playing on the floor, she always reaches for the same things over and over again. Her favorites include: the bottom of the pink couch, cups of any size or shape, paper, my flip flops, and her carseat. Who needs toys??

Sleeping continues to be great... she goes down for the night around 8:30 and sleeps until somewhere between 7 and 8, sometimes 8:30. She takes 3 1 to 1 1/2 hour naps each day at 10, 2, and 5. Baby and mama both love to sleep!

Unfortunately, Abby has a bit of a mischievous side. Yesterday, for example, we were sitting in Sacrament Meeting. She watched the bread come around, and decided that that whole thing was a pretty good deal. So she watched and watched. First in front of us, then our row, then the row behind us. And then she sat tight. You may recall that I mentioned that one of the things that she will always crawl(ish) to are cups. Bingo. The little stinker had her eyes on the prize. I'm not sure why but the deacon didn't pull the tray away from her and Kristopher just didn't see the struggle but in the end Abby managed to pull not one but SIX of those cute tiny cups out of the tray and into my lap and hers. Abby: 1, cute tiny cups: 0. You should have seen her face. Sister totally knew what she was doing =]

Abby is almost ready for a new carseat. I think she has about 1 more pound until this one is expired. We are still looking for the perfect one. Every one I look at has a really cheap front buckle... it seems to be the same buckle from brand to brand. Do you have a convertible car seat you love? I need to know!

Happy 8 months young Abby!!

Happy Grandparent's Day!!

2009-09-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Perfect Fall Pumpkin Tutorial

2009-09-11T08:34:00.001-07:00

I am dying to whip up a few of these little beauties. Again, project overload right now. Hopefully I can fit it in sometime before Thanksgiving is over!

Felt ruffley pillow

2009-09-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

I saw this fun tutorial the other day on etsy's blog, and I am dying to try it out! I only have about 12 other projects to start and finish before I can buy more fabric and tackle more projects. So I guess this one's going to have to sit and wait for me to finish the others. It's so pretty though!

Killing Us Softly

2009-09-11T08:20:00.001-07:00

While in my last semester at BYU, I took a class called Clothing the Family. I stumbled upon this series of YouTube videos that we watched in class, and I thought that they would be worth sharing. It is a great reminder to me to keep everything in perspective as I am going through the process of trying to lose weight. It is really quite long (just under 1/2 hour for all 5 videos), but I think that it's worth a look.

Jon Schmidt

2009-09-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was able to go to a Jon Schmidt concert at Thanksgiving Point with my mom and Spencer and my grandparents and a few cousins. Kris was nice enough to stay home and watch Abby so I could go and enjoy the whole thing. It was SO fun! He is such an amazing pianist. I have a few of his books and they are challenging for sure. Listening to him play the songs I felt like I should work a little harder to conquer more of them. I also teach my beginning piano students out of one of his books and it is amazing how well the kids do in it.

Anywho, he played this for us and it was FANTASTIC. I promise it's worth a listen. You will love it!

Home

2009-09-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am staying home.

Today I am working on a really really fun sewing project (GIANT post coming soon of all of the things I have been working on lately).
Today I am cleaning my house (maybe).
Also grocery shopping (maybe).
Ironing out the details of Spencer's Amazing Race day date for Homecoming (fooled ya with the "ironing" didn't I... Pretty sure I won't be doing any REAL ironing today... I hate ironing!)
Teaching a few piano lessons (not maybe... this one's actually happening).
Maybe making dinner. If I feel like it.

I love days like this.

Ahhhh

2009-09-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned my house. And baby was sleeping and Kris was off playing basketball. It was so quiet and nice that I lit some candles while I folded the laundry. It was so nice and peaceful, and so great waking up to a nice clean house that I decided to go for round two tonight. Abby's working on the sleeping thing, and Kris is off playing baseball instead of basketball, but so far so good. Don't you just love those kinds of quiet times? It has me sooo ready for fall. In fact, I think I might just go pull out my fall decorations. And not that I don't have any other projects underway at the moment (11 at the last count, ha ha) but I am really thinking about making a few tablecloths... maybe one for Halloween and one for Thanksgiving. Doesn't that just sound so festive and fallish and wonderful? Now I want some hot apple cider to complete my evening. And a yummy fall type smelling candle.

Things to buy:
fabric for festive tablecloths
yummy fall candle
cider

What other fall decorations do I need?? What do you guys think?

National Sewing Month!

2009-08-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

JoAnn's just sent me an email telling me that besides giving me coupons, that the month of September is national sewing month! Who knew?! So to celebrate, this is what I propose:
Let's get together at my place and sew something! Bring your machine and a project and we will crank out some sewing goodness. I will even make delicious things to munch on while we sew!
Let's say Thursday, September 17 at 6:30 until whenever we finish what we want to. Sound good? Comment if you want to come and I will send you the addressy details! Come if you are a pro and come if you are just starting out!

Get excited!!

Wow that was fast!!

2009-08-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks girls!
I have all the testers I need right now... maybe a round #2 later but hopefully I got it right this time around! Thanks for helping me out!

Friends! I need your help!

2009-08-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Guess what?! I am starting an etsy shop! I have some baby things to sell, and a few other things... One thing I will be selling is an apron pattern, similar to the fun ruffly ones out there right now, but I need test drivers before it hits the market! I need between 2-3 people to make the pattern (I will send it to you if you are far away or bring it to you if you are close!) and tell me what was unclear or difficult to understand. I am looking for both beginner and intermediate levels. If I have everything the way it should be, it should take 2-4 hours, depending on how familiar you are with sewing. And then you have yourself an apron! If you want to do it, shoot me an email at jenkins.brianna at gmail dot com. Thanks!!

Daily Life.

2009-07-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

The majority of Abby's day consists of the following 4 things:

Kicking/flapping her arms (simultaneously)
Playing with/reaching for hair. Mostly other people's, but sometimes her own.
Playing with/reaching for paper. Any variety.
Eating. When she is ready to eat, mind. Or you will hear about it.

What a sweet little stinker.

2009-07-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

lifelong learning.

2009-07-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 more from our little photo shoot I roped these two into this evening. I'm on this "lifelong learning" kick so these are my attempt to better my photog and editing skills. I need criticism though so you know you want to comment and tell me what to change to get better. =]

Abby and her daddy.

2009-07-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

You would not believe how she lights up when he gets home. I love these two.

Abby.

2009-07-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today my little baby turned 6 months old. Which is half a year. She is quickly moving from baby to little girl. She cracks me up with her funny cough laugh that she uses particularly to get someone's attention and with her awesome arm/leg workouts she does religiously. She definitely knows her momma and gives HUGE smiles to her dad when he gets home every night. She's best buds with Auntie Meg (read: Megan, who is now known as Meg, among other names such as Mufasssssaaaaa) and Uncle Spencer. Since we spend so much time at my parent's for piano lessons, she's pretty good buds with Gramma and Granpa Livingston (BAH!!) too. We have entered a new era recently, with Abby near sitting up (she can do a few seconds at a time up to about half a minute) as well as figuring out the mechanics of her diaper, which she pulled off herself the other morning. Little stink. But, she cracks us up and we love her SO much.

After work Abby and her dad had a little date to go pick her out a fun toy for her birthday. So as the sun was setting we snapped this picture of her with her new friend.

For comparison's sake, her is Abby bundled up in the middle of the yucky winter ready to leave the hospital to go home. Note the placement of the carseat label over the head rest, and her tiny squishy face.
Here she is today, clinging to her new friend. She was so tired from shopping that she fell asleep on the way home. She is, of course, her father's daughter and her loooonnng legs are constantly poking out the edge of her carseat. She's such a sweetheart and we are excited for the next 6 months of her life!

Jessica Sprague

2009-07-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

I am taking an online photoshop class offered at jessicasprague.com and today's lesson was about adjustment layers and hand tinting. I pulled out this picture I snapped at Zach and Sarah's wedding and I think it looks great with this editing as well. What a sweet couple!

The obligatory first 4th of July post

2009-07-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Our fourth was rather uninteresting, until it was time for the fireworks. We took Abby to PG's big show, but I was a little worried she might freak out about the noise. But it turns out, she loved it! She just sat there mesmerized pretty much the whole time. She wore her cute 4th of July dress my mom got her (and earlier in the day the cute matching bow too, which she only had patience for for so long) and we had a nice relaxing day.

Paperless Post

2009-06-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

Have you guys heard about this?? Such a fun idea! If you go to this link to sign up, I can earn "stamps" so that I can invite you all to a fun party! PERFECT!

Paperless Post is a custom online stationer, and they have some really pretty things! So follow the link and sign up (FREE!) so we can throw a party!

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-06-08T05:48:00.000-07:00

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This dress is so cute! Click the link to go check out the giveaway!

I only want to be with you!

2009-06-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today marks three years since I met the girl of my dreams and I can't imagine having spent the last three years with anyone else or in any other place than with my best friend. I personally would just like to publicly say that I am more in love with her today than ever before and that she has been such an angel and a blessing to me. Those of you who know Bri would certainly agree that she is extremely gifted and talented, plus mature and very well put together. I thank my father above everyday or sending me someone so special and blessing me with the best wife and mother to our little girl that I could have ever asked for.

I know I don't say that I love and appreciate you enough and that I am a horrible communicator, but I need to let you know that I have, do, and always will love you with all my heart! You are my dream girl! I look forward to the next three years and many, many more to follow!

Love,

Kristopher

Winners!!

2009-05-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well guys, I assigned numbers to each comment (in order as they were made) so if you were commenter 5 and you also posted on your blog, you got numbers 5 and 6. Then I used a random number generator and the winners are:

Mika who said "I cant believe you are actually giving these away! I LOVE both of them, as you already know! :) I will post on my blog and on facebook."

and joeandcourtraines who said "We love the President Hinckley one! I posted it on my blog, on facebook and now commenting on it too."

Congratulations! I will get in touch with you to get these to you. =)

If you didn't win, you can still get a copy!! Prints are $15 unmatted, and $25 with a mat (you pick the color). Please email me at jenkins [dot] brianna [at] gmail [dot] com to order yours!! All the proceeds will go toward my brother McKay's mission fund, so place those orders! It might be just the perfect gift for your dad for Father's day =] Thanks guys!

Extending!

2009-05-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

There's a lot going on around here, so I am extending the giveaway until FRIDAY at 5pm!! Get your entries in! Good Luck!

Giveaway!!

2009-05-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

President Monson- Drawn at age 18

President Hinckley- Drawn at age 17

My brother McKay is currently serving a mission in Scotland for our church. He has given us permission to sell prints of his drawings that he drew before he left for his mission to help contribute to his mission fund. So, to kick off the sale of these prints, I will be giving 2 of them away! If you win, you can choose which print you would like- President Hinckley or President Monson.

You can enter the giveaway by posting a comment on this post, telling us which one you would choose. You can have one extra entry for posting about and linking to this post on your blog, and one more entry for posting about and linking to this post on your facebook status or twitter account. Let me know that you have done so in your comment to claim your extra entries.

The giveaway will close on Wednesday, May 27th at 5:00 pm and the winners will be posted shortly after that!! Don't forget to leave a link to your blog or email so I can get in touch with you if you win!

Good luck!!

Get Ready!

2009-05-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have been in a bit of a slump lately, so as a part of my way to pull myself out of it I will be hosting a small but really exciting giveaway, as well as making a couple of fun announcements (nope, no baby... I've already got one of those, ha ha) so stay posted!!

4 months

2009-05-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Woah. I just turned around an Abby turned 4 months old! It is so weird because it seems like she has been here all along, and at the same time every time she does something new it reminds me how new she really is! To celebrate her 4 months of life, we gave her a little rice cereal and although she got it EVERYWHERE she pretty much liked it! Today she got bananas, and everything got into her tummy and she loved it. Girl likes her sweets. We will see in a few days if she likes her veggies too. =)
And for the record, here are some of the things she is up to:

-rolls over! (Not always, but she does it)

-Sleeps on her left side. Sometimes right, but she always starts out on her left. I always know when she is reallllly sleepy because she fights to be on her side and wants to hold something in her hands like her blanket up next to her face. Pretty much adorable.

-Is breastfeeding, getting formula, AND solids. She is hungry!!

-Has a fairly reliable schedule. She gets up around 5:30-6am and eats a little, then sleeps more until 8:30. Almost on the nose every day. Play, eat, morning nap. Play, eat more, repeat about 3 naps over through the rest of the day. Then she naps from 7-8ish, wakes up and is down for the night again until the next morning. (9:30pm-5:30/6am).

-Is totally funny. She's got her laugh and smile down pat. She enjoys peek-a-boo and having her toes eaten. Also, she loves being lifted in the air to look down at her lifter.

-Isn't much of a spitter-upper. My clothing generally thanks her.

-Recognizes people she knows. Such a sweet smile when I come back from the other room!

-Loves attention! Pretty much anyone who will play with her is a friend of hers!

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

2009-05-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have been playing around in Photoshop a little since Kat gave me a few lessons, and I picked up Elements with a hefty coupon at Costco a while back. I am hoping that I can take some pretty pictures like this, since I have gotten some pointers from my friend Ashley. This particular picture, though, my friend Mika actually took for a class that we took at BYU. I put this one together to give to my brand spanking new sister-in-law (rule please??) Sarah for one of her bridal showers. I am really happy with the way that it turned out, and I learned a few things in the process. Win-win, no?

Thankful.

2009-05-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today my grandma stopped by with some money, from someone. She wouldn't say who.

As it turns out, it is almost the exact amount of money that we needed to pay for the first installment of this semester of school for Kristopher- a really important thing because he is so close to being done and so many places won't even consider an applicant without a degree. The next installment isn't due until July.

This morning we were not sure how we would make that payment happen.

We are so very grateful, whoever you are. (I really wish I could get it out of her.) This means so much to us.

THANK YOU!!

Zach and Sarah have a blog!!

2009-05-14T21:37:00.001-07:00

Guess what?! My great brother and sister in law (or is it sister-in-law?? I don't know the rule. Someone fill me in.) made a blog! You can read it here. Leave them lots and lots of comment love so they post all the time, ok?

2009-05-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

Examples:

Unemployment.
This gross head cold I have successfully passed to child to husband to mom.
Head cold on first official Mother's Day.
My totally whacked out postpartum/unemployed hormones.

But guess what? I get this little stinker all to myself and she gives the BEST drooly smiles. And she doesn't mind if I'm cranky... just pass over the apple juice and life is pretty dang good.
Today, I feel blessed.
At Target, filling a second prescription for Abby's thrush, found a $23 container of formula for $18. Purchase. Got up to the register, $11. Thank you, and thank you.
No other formula containers in this valley or the next left on shelves, but I will take the one we've got.

We planted a garden!!

2009-05-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

In our last stake conference, we were asked by our stake president to plant a garden. Yesterday we got the plants in the ground, so now we will see if they will grow. =) Grandma and Grandpa financed the operation (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!!) and Grandma and Rebecca and I planted everything yesterday. We mostly have no idea what we are doing, but we all agree that it looks pretty good right now. Rebecca likes to weed, and I like to water, and Grandma likes to cook, so Kristopher and I were joking as we were watering this morning that between the 3 of us we have 1 whole gardener! Among other things, we planted:
marigolds
garlic (yay!)
raspberries (already growing, actually)
strawberrries
basil
cilantro
green onions
green, yellow, and red bell peppers
carrots
peppers
beets (all you grandma!)
green beans
mint (already growing)
zucchini (can't wait to make bread with it!!)
and other stuff I can't quite remember right now =)

Here's Macy playing as we got the plants into the ground.

Spencer did a great job helping grandma water the freshly planted veggies, herbs, and flowers!

Spencer and Macy =)

Kristopher spent the afternoon fixing the jeep. (YAY!) It runs now, but the registration has run out so we will get that going again when he finds a job. Hopefully that is sooner rather than later!!
Clearly Abby had the most relaxing day of all of us!

Zach and Sarah May 9, 2009

2009-05-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

These two little lovebirds got married yesterday, and we got to be a part of the day long activities. Abby had had enough by the end of the day, but we had lots of fun helping and enjoying all the festivities. Abby and her cousin Harlee had cute matching dresses that I made, but somehow I didn't end up with a picture of them. I will post one later. =) Sarah had me do the boutonnieres and corsages, and I think they turned out really cute. So, here they are! Ta da!

Zach and Sarah after being sealed in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

Here is Kelsee modeling a corsage.
And Kristopher modeling a boutonniere.
This is one of the cute arrangements that Sarah and I came up with. Cute, right?!
Kelsee and Thanol chilling out before the ring ceremony began.
Cake =) Always one of the highlights, of course.

2009-05-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

On the job hunt

2009-05-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!

Kristopher got laid off last week (no good!!) so we are on the job hunt! Please let us know if you know of any openings! He is majoring in International Business, is fluent in Spanish, and has an open schedule (all of his classes are online!). He will graduate in December. He has been working in the woodworking industry, has management experience, and is also looking to be in the business realm of things too.

Also, I am looking to take on some piano students in Pleasant Grove.

Please let us know if you know of any jobs or are interested in lessons!!

Crafting!

2009-04-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have been really busy lately sewing up a storm! A while ago I finished most of Abby's nursery stuff. I made the crib skirt, valance, and the letter wall. We still have 2 more letters to hang, but we just haven't gotten around to it. =)

Here is Abby, modeling one of the bibs I made for her. It has fusible vinyl inside to catch all the drool (which she makes a LOT of!!). She is also on the quilt that I made to go with her crib bedding. I love the way both of them came out!

These two dresses are the same pattern as the dress I made Abby for Easter. These two I made for my cousin's little baby. My aunt asked me to make them for her, and I think they came out really well!

I also put together all the table toppers for Zach and Sarah's (brother/sister in law) wedding which I will post pictures of when we go to the reception, and I am almost done making my dress for said wedding. And next I am going to start some jammies for Abby! So much sewing!!

Happy spring!

2009-04-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

We've had a fussy day, but how can you not love this little face??

Abby's first Easter

2009-04-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today was Abby's first Easter and it was a great day! We found what the Easter bunny brought us this morning and then we headed to church. The ward choir sung one of my favorite songs (My Shepherd Will Supply My Need) which we sung in High School, so it was really nice to hear that one again... it has been a while. After church we headed to my parent's house for dinner, and then the whole family came over for dessert to celebrate Easter as well as mom and uncle Ken's birthdays. It was a nice relaxing day, even though Abby had a little bit of a hard time (teething?? too much noise?? both probably). Of course she sported her new Easter dress, which I made! This was the first project I have completed which is an item of clothing of any kind, and I think it came out really well if I do say so myself. Here's hoping for a sewing machine for my birthday. :]

BriAnna DID win.

2009-04-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I made a lovely little group on espn.com for college ball brackets purposes. I named it "BriAnna's going to win." I invited a few to join me, including Kristopher and dad.

And I filled out a bracket.

With little to no knowledge of college basketball to speak of.

And I chose UNC to win it against Michigan State.

I won people. I WON.

96.02%, 1390 points, and ranked 184,084 overall. Out of like 5 million.

Thanks UNC/Michigan State. You have made this very sweet indeed.

=(

2009-03-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

Just because I wrote about it, Abby was up at 2:30am and 4:30am, and she was smiling away when we woke up at 6:30am. Silly girl.

My new campaign to not be a lazy bum

2009-03-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things that I want to get into right now, it's a little overwhelming. There are just so MANY things that the world has to offer, you know? If you have any tips or ideas, please let me know. I need to get this whole no-longer-an-employed-person life going!!
In no specific order:

Lose 30 pounds/train for triathlon (June 13)

Learn to use Photoshop (thanks kat!)

Learn photography

Live by a good schedule

Be a better pianist

Be better at scripture/prayer

Grow flower business (I'M so punny...)

Be a good couponer

Scan all pictures/archive memories

Grow a food storage

My baby is a magician of sleep

2009-03-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

In the past few days I have read a few posts about how parent's think that their babies are the best/cutest/most well behaved etc. This is, of course, also true for me! Except, I totally have proof!! This morning I read this about Abby's development this week on babycenter.com:

"If your baby's sleeping through the night (five or six hours at a stretch), you're one of the lucky few. Most 10-week-old babies still wake up in the middle of the night. But even babies who aren't sleeping through the night at this stage should be sleeping and staying awake for longer intervals instead of cycling back and forth so much. Your baby will most likely have two to four long sleep periods and as many as ten hours of awake time in 24 hours.

An interesting note: Whether your baby is a night owl or a morning lark, a long sleeper or short sleeper, she'll probably stay that way throughout childhood."

My baby goes to bed at 8 pm, wakes up once or so for somewhere between 1/2 hour and an hour before going to sleep for good around 10 or 11. She wakes up somewhere between 6 and 8 am. The best part is that in the morning she wakes up SO happy and smiley! It's adorable!! I especially liked the part in the article about how she will likely stay a good sleeper throughout childhood. We still have some eating stuff to work out (mom thinks it's something I'm eating/gas/hungry still) but the sleeping thing is working well. Plus, who can resist this cute little smile?!

OK. Proud mom moment over. =)

Park City Outlets!!

2009-03-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

I hit the jackpot this weekend... I have started working on my couponing skills, and made my first successful trip on Wednesday. Then, Friday afternoon we surprised Megan for her birthday and took her to Midway to spend the night with cousins and grandma and grandpa at grandma and grandpa's timeshare. We followed up the fun sleepover with shopping at the outlets in Park City on Saturday. Here's how it all breaks down:

Total full retail price (including tax) of the above items
$444.11

Amount that actually left my bank account
$65.68

That means I saved a whopping $378.43. In one day!! I paid 14% of the original prices. The Columbia snowsuits were such an amazing deal, I bought them in 3T AND size 6. They were originally $130 and $140, and I got them for $14 each. I got each of Kristopher's shirts for $5 or less at Areopostale, Abby's pink jogging suit and heart hoodie at The Children's Place for $3 a piece, and the little tiny baby jeans for $5 at Old Navy- probably the worst deal of the day, if you can even call it that.

My new job is saving money. I like it.

2009-03-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

We put McKay on a plane today. Between yesterday (setting apart) and today (airport) I cried more than mom. Hard to do. She was a champ.

McKay

2009-03-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

McKay is leaving on his mission on Thursday morning. He reports to the MTC in Preston, England. I had such a good/crying time putting this together (only to find out once it was finished that there is a whole photo album I missed.) I will post the updated one when it is finished, but for now, this is for mom.

2 months young

2009-03-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

Abby will be 2 months tomorrow... time has been flying by!! To celebrate, Abby gave us a little present! She has slept long stretches of time before, but last night she slept from 10:30 to 6:15! That, my friends, is sleeping through the night! She is such a good baby and she really makes my days so fun. We have been able to hang out with Kristopher this week since he has been home from work, and it is fun to see the two of them together too. Here is a slideshow of Abby's first 2 months. Towards the end she has lots of big smiles... she is getting so much more interactive as she gets older. It's a long one, so 10 points if you make it all the way through!

It's all fun and games...

2009-03-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

And then Kristopher went and ruined the weekend.

This is the one picture of me that I have from the whole weekend. Because things got a little busy. Dang it.

Seriously. If you get a little queasy, DON'T scroll down. Seriously. I do not kid. It's kind of making me sick that I have to look at these pictures to put them on here in the first place, but Kristopher would like some documentation. If you want, you can read on, and I will warn you before the pictures pop up! Seriously gross!!

So on Friday afternoon we left for St. George to stay at Brother Gerber's house to play. This time, Kristopher got to come with Abby and I, as well as my grandparents. Everyone left early Friday afternoon, except for Kristopher, Abby, and I. The weather lady on the radio warned us of "severe winter weather conditions" between Nephi and Cedar City, which turned out to be completely true. She also warned anyone traveling along that route not to go, but to wait until morning. We did not.

We (eventually) made it through the snow and down to Hurricane, where we visited and got settled in for the night. In the morning, (Saturday) we all (even Abby!) headed out on the 4 wheelers/Ranger to play in the sand dunes. We had only been there riding around for a little while when Spencer came over to where Bro. Gerber, Mom, Megan, Abby and I were with 1 of the 4 wheelers and the Ranger saying that Kristopher was "bleeding pretty bad." This from a 16 year old boy (this is the part where you are supposed to know that you must inflate the description about 10 times to get an accurate picture of the situation). We all took off to where Kristopher and McKay (who was helping out a ton thanks to his EMT training) were waiting for us. It was bad, and I was a little ill. I had to ask mom if she had been crying (she got to the scene a few minutes ahead of us on the 4 wheeler, while we were on the ranger), and Megan wouldn't even get out of the Ranger to look. Good thing Abby was sleeping peacefully in her carseat!!

From what I have heard, this is what went down. Kristopher took a small jump, landed, and slammed into the side of another jump, forming a sort of wall. The 4 wheeler stopped, but he did not. Enter handle bar to face. Enter large amounts of blood.

After some rather extensive first aid, we all headed back to the house. From there, Mom, Kristopher, Abby and I all headed to the InstaCare on the edge of Hurricane. Now it should be noted that Kristopher has survived our entire marriage (with the exception of one small eye incident covered by worker's comp) without insurance. None. Zip. Zilch. Until Sunday, the 1st of March. As in 6 short days before the accident. At the InstaCare, we were quickly told that we were in the wrong place and that we needed to head to the E.R. in St. George to see a plastic surgeon. Hello $500 deductible!!

Kristopher loved that I made him pose for this picture!

Once at the E.R., Kristopher got a C.T. first thing, which showed that he had a broken nose, aside from the damage left from the cut. We waited for a little while and ended up seeing an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who had training in Plastic Surgery. He tried to set the bone, but didn't have great luck due to the swelling. Then he stiched up the gaping hole, which took about an hour. He counted somewhere between 50 and 60 stiches!! Hopefully it will heal nicely, but we may have to do some revisiting to make sure we can get it looking as good as possible.

Here's Kristopher, waiting for the doctor to come in and repair the damage.

The best news of the day was one regarding our insurance. To help pay for Abby's delivery, we signed up for 3 supplimental insurance policies that would cover the deductible and a large chunck of the percentage after the deductible that we were in charge of paying. 2 of the policies were in my name only, but the third one had to be both of us. That policy is set up so that it pays anything above and beyond what the primary insurance will pay for hospital charges only. So for the baby, it wouldn't pay for the anesthesiologist, but it would pay for admitance charges, supplies, etc. I had been dragging my feet submiting out claim from the delivery because bills kept coming and I wanted to get as much money as possible, and I hadn't canceled it yet because I wanted to get the money in hand from the claim before I did. GREAT NEWS since Kristopher is on that plan still! That will pay for the whole deductible, plus the 20% we are responsible for our hospital charges. If we don't hit our max out of pocket for the visit, we will be responsible for 20% of the doctor's bill, but if we do hit out max out of pocket we won't be responsible for anything!! SUCH great news for our newly acquired financial situation!! We are so blessed that we had just gotten Kristopher on insurance, and that our supplemental policy is still in place. It was a horrible accident to have had, but the financial end would have made it a lot worse than it is. We feel so watched over and glad that we have these policies in place!

So this week we have to go in to see either another ENT or a Plastic Surgeon to have the bone set for sure (5 days post accident) and to get his stiches out (5-8 days, but hopefully later than sooner!). He doesn't look so good, but this post wouldn't be complete without the pictures. If you want to see them, you can scroll way way down. If not, I don't blame you!!

At the scene of the accident. I can't believe he managed a smile.

Here is Kristopher's face, about half way stiched up. Totally doesn't even do it justice.This is the night of- pre swelling and bruising.

This is the face that will have to be included on the family pictures we were planning to take sometime between now and when McKay leaves on his mission on the 19th. Yes, that is 11 days from now. Bummer. A close up, for those of you with strong constitutions.

Dear friends,

2009-03-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea a long long time ago and I thought it was great! Here's the idea: It's getting to be that time of year again. You know the time... it's the weeks leading up to the time where we all go out and celebrate the return of sunshine and goodness. The time when we all start feeling a little lousy for those extra cookies we have eaten since the time we swore we wouldn't about 3 months ago. And so, to combat this, we are going to try something a little different. In the comments section, go anonymous (or don't... totally up to you, but you might be more honest if you do) and tell us what you are totally amazing at or what makes you completely awesome. No need for modesty here folks. Just tell us what you do that no one does quite as good as you do. I'll play too, but it's only going to work if the comments start rolling. Go ahead... Give yourself permission to give yourself a pat on the back for being you. Or maybe 5 pats. As many as you can think of!

Ready? GO!

This dance party lasted 40 minutes.

2009-03-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Why would I ever go home?

McKay's 19th Birthday

2009-03-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

A little out of order, but McKay has successfully turned 19! Mom and I made this fantastic ice cream cake (his request) a la cold stone. It tasted fantastic and it didn't look half bad either if I do say so myself! We figured out the best way to tackle it without the actual cold stone and deep freeze that I used to use, and I think it turned out rather nicely. Plus my mom picked out some killer candles. Happy birthday McKay!

Bowling

2009-03-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

The day before Abby's baby blessing, we went out as a family to Jack and Jill's for some bowling! I am an ambidextrous bowler, which isn't actually impressive at all because it just takes whatever talent I may have and spreads it out so my chances of being good are only about 50%. =) Some of the family had some pretty good scores, with 3 (I think) hitting over 100.

Kristopher just missed 100... but holding down the fort with a 99!

Nolan, Kiri, Thanol, Zach, Kelli and Kelsee
Harris
Kiri, Trudy, and HarleeKelsee and Thanol

Abby's Baby Blessing

2009-03-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today was Abby's baby blessing and it was so nice to have so many friends and family around to support us and Abby! The blessing was beautiful and Abby looked so sweet in her blessing dress. Instead of getting her her own, we decided that she would use the dress that I wore when I was blessed. (Thanks Mom, for the good pick!!) She was so well behaved all through church (someone sitting behind us in our ward even told Kristopher "well done. She was awake when you went up there!" since she was still calm and asleep to boot when he sat down.) After church we headed to my parent's house where we had some lunch and visited with people that were able to make it to the blessing. Thank you everyone so much for your support and love on Abby's special day!

(pictures to come... I don't have any on my camera but Michelle took a bunch!)

Spelling is not my forte.

2009-02-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

But even I know that this is just not right. =)

The Lion King!

2009-02-25T21:24:00.000-08:00

5!

2009-02-23T21:01:00.001-08:00

The first five people...
to leave a comment on this blog will receive something made by me.
However there are some limitations:

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make :)
2. What I create will be just for you
3. It will be done within a year (might take a while)
4. You have no clue what it is going to be
5. I reserve the right to do something really fun

Here the catch: if you choose to do this, you must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog.

2009-02-19T16:48:00.001-08:00

Ashley posted more pictures!!

ashleyswapp.blogspot.com

=) =)

2009-02-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

You guys.

Abby just rolled over!!

She LOVES sleeping on her side, and is getting pretty good at wiggling her way onto her side, but this time she was on her tummy to try to get her to mellow a little but she didn't like it and rolled right back over all the way to her back!

I am so glad we were both here to see it!

WonderBaby!

2009-02-17T12:31:00.000-08:00

Why is it that when you make a cup of noodles, and you fill it way full with water, but put it on a plate, it doesn't spill over? But that if you forget the plate, it does 100% of the time? And why is it that if you fill it wayyyy under the fill line so far that you are sure that it won't spill over, it always does?

Life's greatest mysteries.

1 month (plus a few days...)

2009-02-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

Abigail. 1 day old.

Abigail. 1 month and 1 day old.

I can't believe it has already been a month!! Abby is getting bigger and bigger everyday! When we got back from St. George, Kristopher said that he could tell that she had grown even over the 2 days. Time really does fly, and she is growing like a weed! She is definitely getting heavier, although she is still pretty skinny since she is so long. She is measuring in at 24 inches, as near as I can tell. She makes the sweetest little faces at us, and is starting to smile more and more. We can't wait until she starts laughing! Here's what Abby is up to:
-she doesn't mind the tub too much, so long as there is enough water to keep her warm. She doesn't fuss too much, and is happy getting her hair washed.
-Abby has discovered her fingers! More and more I catch her with her fingers all spread out and her palm over the top of her binky. I'm not sure why, maybe she is just curious what is in her month! Sometimes she does a spit/pull out combo and she can launch that thing pretty far.
-She is a wonderful eater! In the last 2 weeks we have managed to switch from 2 hour feedings to 4 hour feedings. She is like clockwork! And 4 hours is so nice because it makes going out of the house just that much easier. She also takes a bottle when needed like a champ.
-Abby has a funny little stage sometime between 8 and 11, depending on the day, when she wants attention but doesn't want to be held. She is happiest if we set her on a blanket and leave her to wiggle on her own. If you pick her up, she's not going to like it! She likes her space for a little while, and then she is happy to go to bed and sleep the night away.
-Abby is a happy little camper in the morning. She loves to look around and cat nap. She makes some pretty cute faces in the morning!

Overall Abby is doing so well! She isn't fussy and she's not spitty, both of which I appreciate! She has been having fun hanging out and getting loved. We are so happy that she is a part of our family... we don't know what we would do without her!

We love you Abigail Kate!!

Megan wanted this posted, ha ha

2009-02-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

This is the difference between boys and girls.

2009-02-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

A ride on the Ranger

2009-02-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here we are, off for a ride in the Ranger!

Niece Camp!

2009-02-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my brothers flew out to visit my aunt and uncle for the second annual "Nephew Camp." During nephew camp, the boys go skiing and have fun being hooligans for a few days. This year, we girls (mom, me, Abby, Megan, and cousins Kate and Sam) decided we that we should have some fun too! Brother Gerber in my parent's ward just finished his house in Hurricane, UT, and very nicely offered to let us stay and play! So, we had "Niece Camp" and headed down for a fun weekend! It took us 7 hours to drive down, but it was worth it once we got there! (It only took 3.5 hours to come back... a much more pleasant trip!)

After our long snowy detoured drive down, we went into the house (beautiful!!) and relaxed for a little while before bed.

She doesn't look happy, but Abby really was PERFECT the entire trip. She wasn't fussy and was so patient even when she had to be in her car seat for the drive and when she was being passed around. She was such a good traveler!
The next morning, Bro. Gerber took us out on his Ranger to explore the wilderness. We saw some gorgeous countryside and had tons of fun playing in the sand dunes and being silly. Bro. Gerber drove us way fast and down some crazy steep hills that had us girls all screaming and hanging on for dear life to each other and to the Ranger. =) Here are the girls at a cliff that we stopped at to take pictures.
I had on these awesome safety goggles, and as a result you can see what's behind us as well as what's in front of us!
The girls loved making sand angels. Megan kept slipping down the hill they were laying on because it was so steep, but Kate and Sam hung on and made beautiful angels.
After playing for a few hours, we came back to the house for lunch and a little break. After we ate, the girls got busy practicing their sewing skills by making monster stuffed animals from a pattern mom brought down. This is only one aspect that shows how niece and nephew camps differ!
Here's Sam holding Abby. =)
After we rested up, we were off again to go four wheeling. Mom has most of the four wheeling pictures on her camera, so this is all that I have.
Of COURSE to round out the day, we headed to our favorite eating establishment for dinner. In'n'out, it's been a long 2 years. I have missed you. The next morning the girls went and did baptisms at the St. George temple, and I headed to the outlets with Abby. GREAT DEALS. Outlets, I have missed you too.
Then we headed home for Valentine's day evening! It was a great trip! Thanks girls! And a BIG thank you to the Gerbers!!

2009-02-12T13:50:00.001-08:00

Abby and I are off to St. George for a couple of days... we were hoping for warm and sunny but it looks like cold and snowy are on the menu. Bad news, right? I thought so too, until I remembered that St. George is home to an In-n-Out Burger. Suddenly the snow doesn't seem too bad, as long as I get me some burgers, animal style =)

Mom Jeans--Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

She smiles!!

2009-02-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today Abby and I were taking some pictures and trying to get better at using my camera, and she wouldn't bust out even one smile. Then, as soon as we passed her over to dad, she gave us the biggest grin! She is such a happy little girl... we love it when she smiles! She is getting better at it every day.

I wanted to take some pictures of this cute dress my mom got for her before I forgot and she gets too big for it. I just love those little legs! Since it is winter they are mostly hidden everyday, but not on Sunday when she gets to wear a dress!

I love her little tush. It's actually quite skinny, but those diapers and undies do a number on her. I am glad I don't have to wear them, but they sure look cute on her!
These are my favorite little socks of hers... they are so snugly and they always stay on better than any of her other pairs.
Check out her little thumb all tucked in... she never has figured out how to suck her thumb, because she can never find it!! She always keeps both thumbs tucked into her little fists. She sucks her little pointer finger for a few seconds at a time when she is really hungry, but other than that she can't quite get the hang of it... she is definitely a fan of her binky!

2009-02-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this?!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090131/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_no_apostrophe

Seriously, go read this article. I thought it was crazy, and I even read it out loud to Kristopher. Alright, so he wasn't as upset about the whole thing as I was. Kind of like how he doesn't ooh and ahh over good deals I find or pretty things I sew. So, I am turning that job over to you. Is anyone else as bothered by this as me?!

Tagged!

2009-02-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Just copy and paste it in a new note for yourself! Tag 10 mommies when you're finished.

Let's see how much you remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes, and I have a few supplemental insurance policies to prove it =)

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was way excited! I tested negative a few tests in a row, but I was so late that we went in to the lab to be tested in case something was wacky, and we read the results together there at the lab, printed on a piece of paper.

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 20, 21 when I delivered.

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? BYU Lab Pregnancy test.

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? We found out together.

7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes! I thought about not finding out, but in the end I decided I just couldn't! I had to know!!

8. DUE DATE? 01/05/09

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? None!! Kristopher was sick more than I was!

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Just more of the things I always love. Sugar... yum...

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Shoe putting on. Totally more work than it was worth. That, and my job.

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Girl.

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No way! Abby fits so perfectly into our family.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? Something like 35. I didn't watch too closely.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes! So many people have been so generous. We have been so blessed.

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I have known about the showers I have had, but so many people have offered to give us things and have given gifts, and that has been a wonderful surprise!

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? They watched me a little close for Trisomy 18, but everything ended up being totally fine.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? A.F., UT

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? Just short of 8 hours. Not a bad day's work!

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Kristopher!

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Kristopher, the nurses, and BARELY the doctor. She almost missed it! It only took 1 push after she got there.

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes, I was not happy after the pit kicked in, but I was much happier post epidural!

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? 01/13

26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Abigail Kate. We flipped a coin for her middle name (I didn't want to give her one) and I lost the coin toss. 4 times in a row.

27. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 3 weeks, 2 days =)

To prove that we still (kinda) have a life.

2009-02-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

Kristopher has been playing ward ball again this year, and Abby and I go and "watch" him play. We hang out with my cousins and aunt that live upstairs while my uncle plays as well. Our team won the first game, and lost the second last week. Hopefully they will do well so that they can keep playing!

The big one and the little one

2009-02-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

Aren't these two the cutest?! They are best friends. Kristopher is doing such a good job helping to take care of Abby... I couldn't ask for a better 3 am partner to tackle those dirty diapers with. He loves Abby so much and I can't wait for her to get to know her daddy a little better!
Also, if you are familiar with the game, Abby just got you.
If you're not familiar with the game, the only thing you need to know is that you play by trying to get another person to look at a circle somewhere beneath your waist. And now that you know, Abby just got you too. =)

25 things.

2009-01-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

You know you've seen like a million of your friends on facebook do it. And since I am sitting here with my very happy baby who isn't doing a whole lot right now, I am going to do it to. And if you haven't done it yet, you should probably do it so that I have something to read while I stay home all day. Thank you.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. Kristopher asked me out that first time because he was cornered. What else can you really do when you get caught driving up and down someone's street?
2. 2 of my teeth are mostly fake. It's kind of like fake covering the real, because the real are too small to do the job. Someday, the fake will break (that rhymed, ha ha) and Kristopher will have a fatty dentist bill to fix it, or else he will leave me broken, and people will stare at me because I look funny. If he does that, my mom will be mad that she spent so much money on ortho to have me still lookin funny.
3. The little one is smelling kinda funky right now. Time for a diaper changing break.

...

4. I'm still in bed and it's 11am. I would get up, but since I cleaned the whole house yesterday and we don't have cable, and it's way too cold to take the baby outside, I am pacing myself so I don't run out of things to do before Kristopher gets home with the car. Such an exciting day!
5. I love breakfast foods. For any meal of the day. Some of my favorites are Swedish pancakes, crepes, and German apple pancakes. I like all of these foods a million times better when someone else makes them. Usually Kristopher does it, because he loves me =)
6. Even though I've graduated, I really miss going to school. I would love to go back. I never planned on getting a masters, but it sounds like fun now. Maybe someday when Kristopher is finished, I will take a class or two at a time and whittle away at another degree.
7. I read like a million blogs. Google Reader and I are good friends. While I am not a very good blogger, I am a way good blog reader, and a lousy blog commenter. I plan to be a better blogger and commenter, hopefully soon. I really admire a few blogs for their witty and real content. Reading them makes me want to be a better writer.
8. On a related note, I am a crappy speller. When looking through my photo albums with my family the other day, I came across old report cards and standardized testing results sheets. One one glimmering report card, there was nothing about a need to improve my spelling. On every other one, it was clear I needed some work. I am pretty sure the one that slipped by was because that was an obvious comment and the teacher didn't feel the need to state it. Obviously, spell check and I have become good friends.
9. I have the best mom on the face of the planet. If you don't know her, you should meet her. Some of the things she is really good at are making it a priority to know all of my friends- their names and things about them, making bad brownies, driving me around when I am lame and don't have a car, laughing, and sitting in the pantry. She is also really good a sewing, taking care of the baby, and serving (which she does like 90% of her day. The other 10% she is sleeping.)
10. My dad is pretty cool too. He is a PowerPoint, Illustrator, and Photoshop GENIUS. (self proclaimed).
11. I just spelled Illustrator wrong and had to spell check it. I told you.
12. I play 4 suite Spider Solitare at least once a day, and every now and then, I win.
13. I had the happiest pregnancy and delivery ever. Aside from being overdue, I really had no complaints. And now, I have the happiest baby. I know that I am spoiled, and that the tides may turn at any moment, but right now I feel like I could totally do all of that again.
14. This year is my golden birthday!
15. I really want to eat out today. Somewhere nice-ish. That has yummy bread or rolls or something for you to eat before your food comes.
16. I have a buy one get one card for Roxberry smoothies and I use it a lot. Probably more than I should, but I just can't help myself!
17. I really hate folding laundry. It's never ending and I hate it. But, I have resolved to be better at it from now on. Which totally explains why there is a load of clean dry laundry waiting for me in the dryer.
18. I am really craving like 14 different things right now. Included are breakfast foods (mentioned above), Tucanos garlic sirloin, and Italian food.
19. Yesterday I packed up all of my maternity clothes and swapped out my closet for normal clothes. I have about 4 things that fit me right now, but I guess all those clothes just begging to be worn will be my inspiration...
20. I dislike most condiments, sauses, and other superfluous things surrounding food. Generally I like my food plain and, in some people's opinions, bland. This mostly only becomes a problem when I am cooking a forget that other people do not share in my views. Gravy is a prime example of this.
21. When I was little, I wanted a My Size Barbie really bad.
22. My favorite number is 22, because that's the day I was born on!
23. I own a serger (thanks mom and dad!) and now I really want a sewing machine too. The one I want is 20+ years old and goes for about $1000, so that's not going to happen any time soon. But I do want me a sewing machine...
24. This year I am excited to dress Abby up for Easter and give her an Easter basket. I know she's too young to remember and definitely doesn't care, but she is going to look ADORABLE.
25. I love chocolate. Especially Reeces today, and I like Doves too. And like 14 other kinds. Valentine's Day is coming up, so that works out perfectly!!

Tag yourself!!

2 weeks!!

2009-01-27T21:44:00.001-08:00

Our little stinker is 2 weeks old today... I can't believe how fast and how slow time has gone. She is such a good baby that I really don't have too many complaints. She likes to eat frequently, day and night, but she never cries unless she is hungry and then she stops right away as soon as she is fed. Sometimes she even stops before she gets fed! She is one funny girl. At 2 weeks, Abby:

-eats every 2-3 hours, but sometimes decides she wants to eat every hour.
-has found her pointer finger. She sucks on it for a few seconds at a time when she is ready to eat.
-loves being swaddled a little less each day.
-enjoys (mostly) getting her hair washed (as long as she isn't hungry at the time).
-tucks her thumb into her hand and holds it in with her other fingers.
-hardly ever gets an upset tummy. After eating, she might get out 1 or 2 burps, but 2 is pushing it. She prefers to let things out the other end. She is a Livingston baby, through and through. =]
-is so sweet and is the best cuddler.
-doesn't mind being in the carseat, swing, or pretty much anywhere else we put her or anything else (including bows and headbands etc of all sizes) that we do to her.
-has an innie! (Sweet little turkey yanked half her chord out at 7 days while on her stomach when she decided to move her head from one side to the other. It hung on for a few days, and finally came out on day 9.)

We love having Abby in our lives... she is so sweet and we think she is particularly cute!